Archive for January, 2011
GM’s Akerson Says Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid ‘Likely’
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Late last year reports of a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac SRX surfaced, and though GM did not confirm them, neither did it deny such a vehicle was in the works. Today GM CEO Dan Akerson, while talking about future EV and extended-range EV (EREV) strategy, revealed that the SRX plug-in is, in fact, “likely.” The report, from the Detroit…
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Regular Joe Beats Pros To Win 2011 Sno*Drift Rally
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Travis Pastrana has moved on to NASCAR’s Nationwide series, but he’s been replaced at Subaru Rally Team USA with David Higgins, and Dave Mirra remains in the other factory seat. Despite that, it wasn’t a pro team driver that won this year’s Sno*Drift Rally, the first event of the RallyCar Rally America 2011 season. Instead, it was privateer Travis…
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Video: This Guy Needs To Learn The Throttle Pedal Isn’t An On-Off Switch
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Ferraris sounds gorgeous at full throttle, and they can do some pretty impressive things in the right hands. This guy does not have the right hands–or feet. In a very good demonstration of why the throttle pedal should not be considered an on-off switch, this Ferrari driver’s wet skidpad antics show that it’s not the car that makes the driver…
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Team Lotus, Sauber Unveil 2011 Formula 1 Cars
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Team Lotus–the other Lotus–and Sauber F1 today unveiled their entrants for the 2011 Formula 1 season. The cars showcase the latest in back- and mid-field development for the sport. Comparing the Team Lotus and Sauber cars to the recently unveiled (and ironically named) Ferrari F150, it’s easy to spot the difference big budgets make. The sheer…
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Review: 2011 Hyundai Elantra
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Auto makers forget at their own peril that competitors are also working on better cars, and that customer expectations are consequently a moving target. When developing a new car, you can’t just aim to be better than today’s leaders. Case in point: the Hyundai Elantra. The 2007-2010 Elantra was so forgettable that I never remembered [...]
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Video: Boris Said Slaps The Sleep Out Of Joey Hand At Rolex Daytona 24
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Racing drivers are a tough lot. Maybe not as touch as they once were, in the days of Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill, or even Ayrton Senna, but tough nonetheless. They’re play can be just as tough, as proven in this video of Boris Said interviewing Joey Hand. No doubt intended (and received) as a friendly gesture among friends, the…
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2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible: First Drive
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Automotive Lease Guide reports that nearly one out of every two Chryslers sold in 2010 went to rental-fleet companies, which is nearly triple the average for non-luxury brands. No doubt the automaker’s Sebring convertible made up a sizable portion. Rent a convertible in a Sunbelt state and odds are good you’ll end up in one: America’s top three rental-car companies, according to industry magazine Auto Rental News, encompass seven brands; six of them rent convertibles and five of the six list Ye Olde Sebring as a primary droptop.
That the revamped car, dubbed the 200 convertible, is better than the Sebring convertible is faint praise. The Sebring ’vert suffered a creaky top, vague steering and the Windows Vista of six-speed automatics. The 200 convertible improves on all of those things, and it should satisfy Florida vacationers well enough. The larger question: Can Chrysler entice more folks in Houston or Los Angeles to pick ones for their own driveways? I’m not so sure.
Based on the 200, which replaces the Sebring sedan, the convertible boasts a heavily reworked chassis — 22 or 28 suspension bushings were retuned or replaced, Chrysler says — and new drivetrains. At a media introduction in Southern California last week, I drove a Touring trim with Chrysler’s 283-horsepower, 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and six-speed automatic, a pairing the automaker expects to make up about 90 percent of sales. (There’s also a 173-hp four-cylinder that’s also paired with the six-speed.) With smooth upshifts and a powerful, free-revving engine, the new drivetrain is more capable than last year’s ancient 3.5-liter V-6 and clunky six-speed auto.
Still, this is no V-6 Mustang. On mountainous desert highways outside San Diego, my journalist co-driver and I needed the engine’s full reserves to pull back up to speed. The transmission resisted downshifts until precious moments after my right foot called for them. Chrysler ladled on the power-steering assist, rendering a wheel that’s too soupy to enjoy on a winding road. The car resists pushing too early in corners, but it leans hard enough to take much fun out of really throwing it around.
As a straight-line cruiser, the 200 convertible fares better. Like the 200 sedan, the convertible rides softly. The chassis flexes a bit over bumps and the suspension can get floaty at times, but it feels as composed as any comfort-oriented $30,000 convertible ought to — and better than before. A caveat: I drove only the soft-top 200 convertible. The Limited has an optional folding hardtop, which, in the outgoing hardtop Sebring convertible, proved a creaky bedfellow.
With either the soft-top or hardtop up, the 200 convertible looks as unwieldy as the Sebring convertible. The rear deck juts out in a lengthy, flat expanse that could launch F-14s. (Miniature ones, but you get the point.) Our test car’s convertible top took 29 seconds to deploy from its quarters, and once the trunk motors back shut, its all-too-noticeable cutline runs inelegantly to the rear-quarter window.
The 200’s sleeker nose and taillights are an improvement over the Sebring’s, and the top-down car is easy on the eyes. Leave it up and a lot of Sebring shows through, both outside and in. Cabin materials are largely better than before, and the backseat remains hospitable for adults on a short trip, but a lot of Sebring pieces — dated trunk release and window controls, rubbery turn-signal stalks — have yet to be banished.
Perhaps that’s because cabin and styling work were done in just 12 months rather than the typical two or three years, Chrysler interior design chief Klaus Busse said. Given it was a rush job, the 200 is acceptable and even competitive. But are other Chrysler products — the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger — have received serious development dollars, and it shows. Provided Chrysler makes strides on the reliability front, they’ll compete for years to come. The 200 convertible is a better rental car, but I have a tough time seeing it compete in 2012 or 2013 or landing in a lot more driveways, not just rental-car lots in 2011.
Stay tuned for a full review of the 200, which we’ve driven in four-cylinder sedan form, as well.
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Cars.com Reviews the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Like most Chrysler models, the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country received significant upgrades to the interior, suspension and mechanics under the hood. While that sounds good, you really need to experience the new Grand Caravan in comparison to the previous model to notice the stark differences between the two, according to Cars.com senior editor David Thomas. The updates make the Grand Caravan an all-around competent opponent to the more well-regarded Japanese competitors, Toyota and Honda. Even with the updates, is the Dodge Grand Caravan really worth considering over the significantly enhanced 2011 Honda Odyssey? Read David’s review to find out.
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Review
2011|Dodge|Grand Caravan
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Video: BMW 1-Series M Coupe On Track At Daytona, SPEED Review
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Running slow pace laps during caution periods might seem like a relatively lame duty for a high-performance car, but when that pace car has to run hard enough to keep in front of massively powerful, lightweight, race-tired Daytona prototypes, even at half-speed, it’s a different story. The 1-Series M Coupe handled its Daytona 24 pace duties with…
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Laboratory Wars: Do Video Games Make Drivers Safer Or More Dangerous?
Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Racing video games: we all play them, many of us love them. They give us an outlet for the days when we can’t get to an actual track, and, for the better simulations, can even help us hone our edge in the off-season. But do they really make us better drivers, or do they make us more dangerous on real-life tarmac? Two studies go head-to-head on the…
