Automotive Trends

Aching for an Autobahn

    So you want to go fast? You want something that will rule the left lane with an iron fist and fear no competition. If its 0-60 mph time doesn’t start with a 3 then your grandma might be interested but you’re not. You want the latest racing technology and materials so exotic NASA doesn’t even use them. The exhaust note must strike fear into the heart of pedestrians and send enthusiasts’ pulse rates racing. If you expect climate control, a navigation system, change from a $75,000 bill and if you absolutely must blow through the quarter mile in less time than it takes to read this sentence, then there’s really only one choice. You need a Z06. Read more…

Audi’s Former Hot Shot Plays Second Fiddle These Days, But The Music Still Sounds Good.

    If you’re a regular reader of these pages then you know cars from top to tailpipe and the fact that the S4 is no longer the baddest boy in the Audi garage isn’t news to you. If you stumbled onto this page courtesy of the geeks at Google then allow us to catch you up.
     Audi has made a wonderful entry-level luxury sedan called the A4 (it has also gone by other names) for a long time. Some years back, perhaps after renting American Graffiti, engineers at the four-ring company decided a big ‘ol engine (they actually used turbos for a while) in their itty-bitty sedan would be a lot of fun. Thus began the history of the high-horsepower A4, appropriately renamed S4, presumably for super but possibly for Sweeeeeet! In 2006 the highest-performance Audi remains the 340hp S4, but that is set to change when the 415hp RS4 arrives on our shores in July. Read more…

Serious Zoom-Zoom

    There are other turbocharged performance sedans on the market but the two we think of first, the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru WRX, are considerably more manic than the thoroughly upgraded MazdaSpeed 6 we had the pleasure of driving a few weeks ago. We recently tested the Evo and were—not surprisingly—impressed by the sheer power of the tiny 2-liter and the fierce acceleration it provides. But the Evo is tuned heavily toward hardcore and not everyone wants to sacrifice a decent ride, sound insulation, and luxurious interior accommodations in the name of horsepower. Some will willingly trade a few tenths of a second in the 0-60 mph dash for something that can serve family sedan duty at the drop of a hat. Those people will find such a ride at their Mazda dealer. Read more…

Not Much Truck But Still A Lot Of Fun

     After spending a few days in a very nice H2 SUT we know one thing for sure: Buyers aren’t purchasing these things for their utility. The “midsize” member of the Hummer lineup has never been particularly useful for moving stuff from point A to B (not counting those rare instances when point B is in uncharted territory) because there really isn’t much interior cargo space. In the SUT that minimal interior cargo space has been replaced with minimal exterior cargo space in the form of a pickup bed with a four-hay bale capacity—maybe less! But we’re not dumb (Actually, test results are still pending—Ed). People buy Hummers because they look cool. The fact that they are comfortable, ride well, can drive through almost anything, and make you feel invincible are simply nice bonuses. Read more…

Finally A Saab To Be Proud Of?

    It’s been anything but smooth sailing for Saab since being acquired by GM in 1990. The quirky Swedish automaker has often been criticized for relying on outdated, back-of-the-pack products that cause it to lose money on a scale that impresses even Mike Tyson—and that’s not easy to do. Most of the time Saab opponents seem to outnumber supporters 100 to 1. The latest death threat came from Jerome York, a newly appointed GM board member and investor Kirk Kerkorian’s right-hand man, who called for the company to cut its losses and dump the brand. The latest rumors suggest York has since warmed up to Saab and now believes, as many others inside GM do, that the future business case for the troubled brand might be enough to turn the dim light at the end of the tunnel into a new dawn for Saab. The 9-3 SportCombi we recently tested suggests Saab’s sun may rise sooner than expected. Read more…

Something MoRe

       It’s probably appropriate that the high-performance version of Mitsubishi’s Lancer sedan is called the Evolution. Every couple years the die-hard speed junkies inside the three-diamond division tweak the look, and if we’re lucky, the turbo engine of this all-wheel drive monster and add one to the Roman numerals. Right now we’re flying around corners in the ninth version of the entry-level sedan cum serious sports car. Of course, when we think it can’t get any better the Evo will evolve again, and we’ll be blown away—again. Sadly, the 10th generation is still a ways off, but in the meantime the Evo IX is more than capable of serious entertainment. To be sure we were as amused as we could be we asked for the top dog MR edition. We haven’t had this much fun since the office Christmas party. Read more…

The Crossovers Are Coming!

     Automakers may be scaling back a bit on the press conference theatrics this year, but there’s been no slowdown in the amount of new product being debuted in Cobo. This year brings us everything from reborn muscle cars to luxury cars and, of course, the automakers’ favorite new segment, crossovers utility vehicles (CUVs). There was a definite interest in fuel economy this year, but thankfully not at the expense of power. Indeed, the product choices industry wide have never been better, as the following Showstoppers indicate. Read more…

Truck Driver Wanna-bes Rejoice: No CDL Required

    Above all else, Ford consistently does one thing well, and that’s build pickups. We’re not talking just any pickups, but giant, imposing trucks with a commanding presence that the other guys just can’t match. In fact, it’s darn near semi-like in one of these things. You sit about eye level with fellow truckers, you occupy almost as much highway, and you burn fuel at a rate that would make even a Saudi cry. No doubt about it, one glance at the features and you’ll know the latest generation of Super Duty pickups is made for one thing: hard work. But there’s more to the story than an impressive spec sheet. What did we learn after a week in the cab? Well, we had a newfound appreciation for good coffee and for Ford’s latest heavy-hauler. Read more…

Hey, This Thing Only Seats Five!

    A few years ago, when the “XL-7” descriptor first showed up attached to Suzuki vehicles, it represented a special stretched version of the Grand Vitara small SUV. The longer wheelbase made room for a third row of seats that brought the seating capacity to, you guessed it, seven. The ability to seat seven passengers in a vehicle roughly the size of a Grand Cherokee and sell it in the low $20,000 range was a unique strategy that put Suzuki on the forefront of the race to stuff a third row of seats into every SUV larger then a RAV4. Read more…

The G6 Makes Pontiac Competitive In Small Cars Again

    With the G6, Pontiac is setting a new direction for its vehicles. No longer will they be superfluous designs with yesterday’s dynamics but clean, contemporary vehicles with varying degrees of the driving excitement Pontiac is supposed to offer. Thanks mostly to heavy incentives, the Grand Am sold in healthy numbers, but it wasn’t a vehicle that could take on today’s ever-more-impressive small car competition. Thankfully, when it came time to replace the Grand Am, GM started with its excellent Epsilon architecture and built from there. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that when you build with better components, you end up with a better vehicle. That’s exactly what Pontiac has done. Read more…