Archive for August, 2011
Chrysler’s Eight-Speed Automatics: First Drive
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
As we reported at last winter’s North American International Auto Show, Chrysler will couple a new eight-speed automatic transmission with the V-6 engine in its full-size sedans, the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. Both cars were redesigned for 2011; these changes affect the 2012 models, which go on sale this fall. The transmission will have an electronic shifter like an Audi A8, with Sport mode and steering-wheel paddle shifters optional. All-wheel drive, offered only with the V-8 for 2011, will be optional with the V-6 and eight-speed for 2012.
Rental-grade base V-6 trims and all V-8s carry last year’s five-speed auto and conventional gated shifter.
We hit the evaluation track near Chrysler’s Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters to drive two eight-speed V-6 prototypes: an all-wheel-drive 300 Limited and a rear-drive Charger Rallye. The Charger had Dodge’s new Blacktop Package, which includes 20-inch wheels and performance suspension tuning.
Saddled with some 400 pounds more curb weight than a Toyota Avalon, Chrysler’s Pentastar V-6 and five-speed auto felt leisurely in last year’s 300, especially starting out. The 2012 car feels similar off the line, but get past 1st gear, and the eight-speed’s short ratios and smooth upshifts allow the Pentastar to crank out quick, successive dashes up the tachometer.
It makes the all-wheel-drive 300 feel adequate. While the rear-drive Charger, which is 239 pounds lighter, pulls strong enough to encourage rowdy driving. The Blacktop’s R/T-spec suspension helps, too. On the evaluation track, our test Charger cornered flatter than the tipsy, push-happy 300. Equipped with the same 2.65:1 rear-axle ratio as before, Chrysler estimates that the eight-speed-equipped cars will hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. That’s about “a half-second” better than with the five-speed and V-6, spokesman Jiyan Cadiz said.
I couldn’t detect much difference from the Blacktop transmission’s Sport mode. Chrysler says it shifts faster and holds low gears longer, but around the track it didn’t behave distinctly. Most automatics resist midcorner shifts, which can be double-edged sword. Gear hunting can spoil any curvy road, and we’ve driven eight-speed gearboxes that do just that. But all-out refusals to downshift leave you wanting more power to claw back up to speed, especially with a smaller engine. Chrysler’s eight-speed held gears through much of the evaluation course, but a few more downshifts might have helped the Pentastar dig me out of the track’s S-curves easier.
Optional paddle shifters allow shifting on your own, but eight-speed Chargers and 300s without them have no manual-shift provision. Tom McCarthy, chief engineer for the 300, said few drivers used Chrysler’s AutoStick, so the automaker dropped the feature with the electronic shifter.
That shifter mirrors the A8’s boat-throttle design. Gears show up on a full-color gauge readout that looks much sharper than last year’s black-and-white display. Still, I prefer the gated shifter’s mechanical feel to these artificial detents. A point McCarthy sympathized with, but carmakers can shoehorn electronic shifters into spaces too miniscule for their mechanical counterparts, he said.
“This unit is about this big, handle to base,” McCarthy illustrated, his hands about 8 inches apart. “We fit it into the same spot [as the mechanical shifter]. … If you were putting it into a brand-new architecture, you could do all sorts of things with console storage.”
We expect Chrysler to eventually pair the eight-speed with its Hemi V-8. Asked why not now, McCarthy said it “comes down to product cadence and development time and limited resources.”
No doubt the extra gears would improve the V-8’s 16/25 mpg city/highway EPA rating for the rear-drive Charger and 300. The V-6 saw a healthy gain: Last year’s cars were rated at 18/27 mpg, and Chrysler reckons both will rate 20/30 mpg with the eight-speed. That edges out large front-drivers like the Toyota Avalon, Ford Taurus and 3.6-liter Chevy Impala. Even entry-level luxury cars like the Lexus ES 350, Lincoln MKZ and Hyundai Genesis fall short — and the Genesis also has an eight-speed. Not bad, considering Chrysler’s sedans are heavier than all but the Taurus.
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Recall Alert: 2009 BMW X5
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
BMW is recalling 2,120 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d (or X5 diesel) vehicles because of fuel filter issues that could lead to an engine fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
On some models — built between Oct. 1, 2008, and June 12, 2009 — the fuel filter heater, which heats up the diesel fuel during cold winter driving, can experience an electrical overload that can cause the heater to stay on permanently, even when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off. If this happens, the vehicle’s battery could drain until it’s dead or, in rare cases, the unit could overheat and eventually cause a fire.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel filter heater for free. The recall will begin in October. Owners can call BMW at 800-525-7417 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.
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Road Test Review: Mopar Ram Runner by KORE
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
Words by Mike Levine and Dan Sanchez, Photos by Mike Levine
At 50 mph and with all four tires about 18 inches above the floor of the Mojave Desert, the Mopar Ram Runner we’re piloting instantly etches smiles on our faces. But what was more impressive is the smooth and controlled jumps and landings that follow (repeatedly) that confirm Chrysler’s high-performance off-road kit is the real deal in providing a credible, albeit expensive, alternative to the turn-key Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.
We recently spent a week with a Ram Runner, assembled by veteran Baja racer and suspension development guru Kent Kroeker. Kroeker diligently engineered and developed the kit for more than three years with his staff at KORE, outside San Diego, before turning it over to Mopar to sell to the general public.
If you’re not familiar with the Ram Runner package, it’s now available to turn almost any 2009-2012 Ram 1500 4×4 into a “no compromise” off-road racer all at once, or piece-by-piece, at your own pace and budget.
The Ram Runner's approach angle is a massive 41-degrees in front while the rear has a 30-degree departure angle, both perfect for romping over low-speed whoops.
The Baja-racer-like truck we tested came with the full enchilada of bolt-on desert racing hardware, including the Ram Runner Stage 2 suspension, custom front bumper, bed-mounted tubular spare tire carrier, wide-body fiber glass front and rear fenders, sport performance hood and cold-air intake system for the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. Also added were Pro Comp Xtreme Alloy wheels, General Tires and LED running lights. That’s more than $20,000 worth of parts before factoring in labor costs for the upgrades.
But to keep costs down, Kroeker has done what enthusiasts can’t do with a Raptor: He turned a used 2009 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4×4 with only 10,000 miles on the odometer into a Ram Runner. The base model Ram half-ton was in good shape and came with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. It cost only $21,000 from a dealer in Las Vegas, saving the expense of buying an all-new pickup.
The Ram Runner was conceived from the beginning to build upon the Ram 1500’s natural strengths, including its unique (among half-ton pickups) five-link coil-spring rear live axle for excellent ride and handling off-road.
The Ram Runner is more than six inches wider than a stock Ram, thanks to custom three-inch longer front upper and lower independent suspension control arms. That extra width translates into stability in corners and high-speed turns while preserving the stock suspension geometry. Instead of using conventionally circular ball joints for steering, the ball joints are oval to maintain the boundaries of the factory geometry. They’re also fully rebuildable.
We spent several hours punishing the Ram Runner at Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle Park, located in the Mojave Desert north of the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. On almost any weekend you can find a wide mix of off-road enthusiasts running everything from dirt bikes to purpose-built rock crawlers on Johnson Valley’s variable terrain.
The Ram Runner handled every abuse we threw at it, from deeply rutted and heavy washboard-surfaced dirt roads to a rough and sandy dry wash at speeds in excess of 50 to 60 mph. The entire time the ride was incredibly smooth and predictable.
Low-speed crossings over deep ruts launched the front of the Ram Runner in the air as if we were hopping a ‘65 Impala in a low-rider competition. But what would have killed lesser trucks didn’t scratch the Ram Runner. A quick inspection underneath the truck after such harsh treatment showed no signs of weakness. Even the painted alignment marks on the control arm’s cam bolts remained in their original position.
The Ram Runner's suspension provides 14-inches of travel in the front and rear.
A long, straight, hard-packed dirt road gave us the opportunity to launch the truck in the air at 50 mph. The landing with the large 3-inch-diameter triple internal bypass Fox reservoir shocks was smooth and the front tires never dug into the wheel wells or hit hard, due to the internal bump stops in the shocks.
Another physical advantage we noticed, traceable to KORE’s off-road racing experience, was how much the Ram Runner’s bed-mounted spare tire carrier help smooth out the tough stuff. The extra weight of the wheel and carrier acted as a counter balance to the front end, smoothly damping extreme fore-aft body motion to levels that helped build confidence in the truck’s capabilities.
Acceleration from the stock 390 horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 was always more than enough for what we needed, though there was a transient whistle noise we heard at certain RPMs, possibly caused by a small vacuum leak.
But while the Ram Runner offers nothing but exceptional performance crossing the desert at high speeds, one area it falls short is braking. Unlike the F-150 Raptor, the Ram Runner kit does nothing to integrate or recalibrate the vehicle’s drivetrain and running gear electronics for off-roading. It’s easy to mimic 80 percent of the Raptor’s Off-Road Mode transmission performance by turning on tow/haul mode in the Ram Runner, but the Ram’s ABS system isn’t engineered to handle slowing the truck down on rutted surfaces, even when the electronic stability system’s sensitivity is numbed by hitting the ESP button. In contrast, the Raptor virtually disables ABS to allow full brake lockup so you can stop as quickly as possible to avoid hitting or traveling over an obstacle. We’d like the Ram Runner’s ABS threshold to be much higher, but the only way for that to happen today would probably require pulling a fuse, which is not an acceptable solution.
What other changes would we like to see to help pilot the Ram Runner off-road? Not much other than better seats with improved bolstering to hold us in place.
Once we were out of the wilderness, the Ram Runner was easy to drive on the highway and surface streets around Los Angeles. Steering feel was very good and the truck never wandered. The wider front track and wheel well cutouts seem to help shrink its turning radius while the ride quality was excellent. Despite the big 35-inch General Grabber tires, the Ram Runner provided a smooth and comfortable ride. Like the short-wheelbase Raptor we’ve tested in Southern California, the Ram Runner minimized highway oscillations caused by expansion joints placed at regular intervals in the highway, which are almost always evident on an extended cab and maximized with four-door and crew cab models. Aside from the tire noise from the mud terrain General Tires, there was no suspension noise.
Fuel economy was worse than expected. We averaged 12 to 13 mpg in combined driving conditions, despite the Hemi’s fuel-saving multi-displacement engine technology. MDS seamlessly switches operation between eight and four-cylinders, depending on load.
Overall, we’re very impressed with the Ram Runner kit’s performance envelope. Thanks to KORE and Kroeker’s perfectionist tendencies, Mopar has a highly capable desert-running suspension kit it can offer to Ram fans with more brawn than the Raptor, though it still needs better integration with the truck’s electronics. For now, the Ram Runner is as close to a dual-purpose Baja-race and street vehicle as you could ever get.
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2012 Honda Pilot: First Look
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
The Honda Pilot gets a mild refresh for 2012, including powertrain, interior and feature upgrades. The model is available at Honda dealerships starting today, and we detail what has changed below.
Although the exterior look hasn’t changed much, there are important changes under the hood and cabin upgrades that make the Pilot more competitive compared with the 2011 model.
The 2012 Pilot is available in LX, EX, EX-L and Touring trims, with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The model starts at $28,470, $150 more than the 2011.
The Pilot’s updated 250-horsepower V-6 – which includes new engine friction-reduction technology – now achieves an EPA-estimated 18/25 mpg city/highway and 21 mpg combined with front-wheel drive. The 2 mpg bump in the combined rating is enough to make the Pilot the most fuel-efficient eight-seat crossover. The 2012 Ford Explorer gets 20/28 mpg with a new four-cylinder, and the 2011 Toyota Highlander with a four-cylinder does better than the Pilot at 20/25 mpg, but both models seat only seven and are equipped with less powerful engines. The eight-passenger 2012 Chevrolet Traverse gets 17/24 mpg with similar power.
Other improvements to fuel efficiency include the use of low-rolling-resistance tires, low-drag front and rear ventilated disc brakes and changes to the exterior design that help reduce wind resistance.
On the inside, the Pilot gets more sound-deadening material to help reduce road noise. Honda says the center stack of controls has been redesigned, but the changes are mainly relegated to a new, more streamlined-looking button layout.
EX-L trims now get an 8-inch color display standard. Any model equipped with a navigation system will get a new one that comes with subscription-free FM traffic, 15-gigabyte hard drive for music storage and a higher-resolution monitor. Those navi upgrades sound similar to the new system we raved about in the 2011 Honda Odyssey. The navigation system also gets a new backup camera that can show wide view, normal view and top-down view.
The EX and EX-L Pilots now get a 2 GB CD library (also found on the 2011 Odyssey) that can copy music tracks from CDs, but not tracks from burned CDs or memory sticks. That feature replaces the six-CD changer option. Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming is also standard on the above trims.
On the outside, the Pilot gets a revised three-bar grille, redesigned headlights and front bumper. EX trims and higher now have 18-inch alloy wheels (upgraded from 17-inch rims), while LX trims are equipped with 17-inch steel wheels.
Continue reading below for more trim changes and pricing.
2012 Honda Pilot Pricing (2011 Pricing)
- LX (2WD): $28,470 ($28,320)
- LX (4WD): $30,070 ($29,920)
- EX (2WD): $31,320 ($31,170)
- EX (4WD): $32,920 ($32,770)
- EX-L (2WD): $34,570 ($34,270)
- EX-L (4WD): $36,170 ($35,870)
- EX-L with Rear Entertainment System (2WD): $36,170 ($35,870)
- EX-L with Navi (2WD): $36,570 ($36,270)
- EX-L with Rear Entertainment System (4WD): $37,770 ($37,470)
- EX-L with Navi (4WD): $38,170 ($37,870)
- Touring with Navi and Rear Entertainment System (2WD): $39,220 ($39,070)
- Touring with Navi and Rear Entertainment System (4WD): $40,820 ($40,670)
- Destination: $810 (same)
2012 Pilot Fuel Economy (2011 MPG)
- 2WD: 18/25/21 mpg city/highway/combined (17/23/19 mpg)
- 4WD: 17/24/20 mpg (16/22/18 mpg)
2012 Pilot Feature Change Summary
- New grille, headlights and bumper
- New 18-inch aluminum wheels (17-inch styled steel on LX)
- Upgraded interior materials and revised instrument panel with new center stack layout
- Acoustic windshield glass (previously exclusive to EX-L and Touring)
- Upgraded audio and available navigation systems
Pilot LX adds:
- AAC audio file playback from data discs to the CD player
Pilot EX adds or replaces:
- 18-inch aluminum wheels and P235/60R18 all-season tires
- Bluetooth and Bluetooth audio streaming
- 2 GB CD Library (CD-L)
Pilot EX-L adds or replaces:
- Power tailgate
- Intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) with QVGA resolution (includes backup camera, album artwork display and user-loadable wallpaper function)
- USB audio interface
Pilot EX-L with navigation adds or replaces:
- Upgraded navigation system with higher resolution and 60-GB hard drive (includes 15-GB audio hard-drive memory) and FM traffic
- Song by Voice
- Wide-view rearview camera with three-mode display
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Think You’re Faster Than Former F1 Star David Coulthard?
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
David Coulthard was a Formula 1 star from 1995 through 2008, amassing some 12 pole positions and 13 wins over the course of his F1 career. He’s still an active driver who races in the DTM German touring car series, when he’s not acting as a demonstration driver for Red Bull Renault, a brand ambassador for AMG, or an F1 commentator for…
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2013 Ford B-Max Spy Shots
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
We already have a pretty good indication as to what the upcoming 2013 Ford B-Max will look like thanks to the unveiling of the almost production ready B-Max Concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. However, what we don’t know is whether the B-Max will be coming to the U.S. One strong indicator that the tall-riding mini may come to the U.S. was…
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MINI Builds Its Two-Millionth Car
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
Just ten years after the restart of production, MINI has assembled the two-millionth car at its Oxford plant in the UK. The particular car was a MINI Cooper Convertible, painted in a special White Silver metallic with a blue denim roof, and fitted with bespoke components both inside and out. To put that in perspective, it took Volkswagen from 1937…
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2012 Lincoln Navigator To Get EcoBoost V-6: Report
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
Lincoln is in the process of recreating itself, with the aim to turn its current reputation for simply selling tarted up Fords to one of grand American luxury. Part of its offensive will see the introduction of seven new or upgraded models between now and 2014, the first of which is expected to be a heavily facelifted MKZ due late next year…
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2012 Nissan Maxima, Titan, Infiniti QX56, Others Get Modest Price Boost
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
Nissan this week announced pricing for its popular 2012 Nissan Maxima large sedan, along with other Nissan and Infiniti SUVs and trucks. This group of models — Maxima, Armada, Titan, QX56 and EX35 — consists mostly of carryovers, with few significant changes. That also means pricing stays pretty much the same compared with last year.
- 2012 Nissan Lineup: Ch-Ch-Changes
- 2012 Infiniti Lineup: Ch-Ch-Changes
Starting with the most popular of the bunch, the 2012 Nissan Maxima (shown above) maintains the same pricing as the 2011 model. The Maxima undergoes an exterior refresh for 2012. The grille, taillamps and wheel designs are new. The interior gets a new instrument cluster, new trim colors, a new look for the center stack and a beige-colored interior option. In addition to the updates, the Maxima gets a new Limited Edition Package, which includes smoked-appearance xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights, 18-inch dark silver wheels, a rear spoiler and metallic trim in the interior. The package costs $710.
The 2012 Nissan Titan also maintains the same pricing as its 2011 counterpart. New for the Titan is a Sport Appearance Package, available on the King Cab and crew-cab SV trims, priced at $2,490. You can read more about the package at PickupTrucks.com.
The 2012 Nissan Armada has a standard power liftgate and heated front seats on its SL trim, which sees a $300 price increase.
The 2012 Infiniti EX gets a new garage-opener system standard on the EX35 Journey trim. Prices on the model have increased by $400 to $600, depending on the trim.
Pricing on the 2012 Infiniti QX56 is the same as last year. The large luxury SUV gets a blind spot warning system and a 15-speaker Bose stereo option (up from 13 speakers) added to option packages.
The models are expected to hit dealerships by the end of the summer. Continue reading below for more details:
2012 Nissan Pricing (2011 Pricing)
2012 Nissan Maxima
- 3.5 S: $31,750 (same)
- 3.5 S Limited Edition: $32,460 (new)
- 3.5 SV: $34,450 (same)
- Destination: N/A ($760)
2012 Nissan Armada
- 4×2 SV: $38,490 (same)
- 4×2 SL: $43,940 ($43,640)
- 4×2 Platinum: $51,050 ($50,890)
- 4×4 SV: $44,090 ($44,090)
- 4×4 SL: $46,840 ($46,540)
- 4×4 Platinum: $53,950 ($53,790)
- Destination: $975 (same)
2012 Nissan Titan
- S King Cab 4×2 SWB: $27,410 (same)
- SV King Cab 4×2 SWB: $29,410 (same)
- S King Cab 4×4 SWB: $30,260 (same)
- SV King Cab 4×4 SWB: $32,260 (same)
- PRO-4X King Cab 4×4 SWB: $35,140 (same)
- S Crew Cab 4×2 SWB: $29,960 (same)
- SV Crew Cab 4×2 SWB: $31,610 (same)
- SV Crew Cab 4×2 LWB: $32,060 (same)
- SL Crew Cab 4×2 SWB: $37,510 (same)
- S Crew Cab 4×4 SWB: $32,810 (same)
- SV Crew Cab 4×4 LWB: $34,940 (same)
- PRO-4X Crew Cab 4×4 SWB: $37,340 (same)
- SL Crew Cab 4×4 SWB: $40,210 (same)
- Destination: $975 (same)
2012 Infiniti Pricing (2011 Pricing)
2012 Infiniti QX56
- QX56 2WD: $58,700 (same)
- QX56 4WD: $61,800 (same)
- Destination: $990 (same)
2012 Infiniti EX35
- EX35 RWD: $35,600 ($35,200)
- EX35 Journey RWD: $37,900 ($37,400)
- EX35 AWD: $37,000 ($36,600)
- EX35 Journey AWD: $39,300 ($38,800)
- Destination: $895 (same)
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Daimler Works To Relaunch Smart In The U.S. Market
Posted on 31. Aug, 2011 by admin.
The adage goes that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but Daimler AG isn’t buying into that. In fact, they’re betting that most Americans haven’t even formed a first impression on the diminutive, urban-focused Smart ForTwo commuter car. With that in mind, Daimler has big plans to promote the Smart brand in…
