Discussion of matters in the automotive industry and in car culture. Our opinions on what is going on, manufacturer’s products, etc
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
Last year, Buick launched a concept car that my buddy Chris and I spent a long time staring at. Its name was the Avenir, and we were convinced that we’d never see the company ever put its design language on the street. Luckily for us, Buick put its money where its mouth is, and gave us the new LaCrosse this year. Continue reading 2017 Buick Lacrosse at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show
Yes, folks, this is a real production car, not a concept car. Lexus dropped a bomb on the North American International Auto Show, and they call it the LC 500.
What is it?
The Lexus LC looks to be a luxury sports car somewhere between the small Porsche 911 and the huge BMW M6. It appears Lexus has taken the inspiration behind their mighty LFA supercar, and has distilled it into a more approachable, more affordable, sports car.
The price for the LC 500 will be around $100,000 when it goes on sale, right on par with the Porsche and Bimmer.
If someone had asked me what I would have expected from a hypothetical Ford Fusion ST, I would have said over 300hp with All Wheel Drive. I would have also expected Ford to use the 2.3L Ecoboost from the Mustang and Focus RS, or an upgraded 2.0 Ecoboost.
Well, the 2017 Ford Fusion Sport isn’t “technically” a Ford Fusion ST, but it’s damn close. Most notably, Ford used their new 2.7L Twin Turbo V6 instead of a turbo 4, but 325hp is right where I had hoped the fast Fusion would be. I’m also thrilled they decided to give it AWD instead of asking way too much of the front wheels. That said, there is no manual option, just an 8 speed auto, but that’s just the world we live in, I guess. (Remember, it’s not “technically” an ST model)
The current Ford Fusion is a great handling car, and has been hurting badly for a high performance model. The Fusion Sport answers that call. It’s not a full-fledged ST or RS model, but it certainly has the horsepower, and Ford says it has had some nice handling tweaks as well.
I wouldn’t quite expect the Fusion Sport to be the full-on high performance machine that us purists want, but it will be one hell of a fun, and useful daily driver. Enthusiasts should expect to do further tire and suspension upgrades to get the high-speed cornering composure we desire (like most cars). But 325hp and AWD are a great combination, especially considering the tuning potential of that Twin Turbo EcoBoost V6. I’d guess 400hp will be quite achievable.
The new Fusion Sport joins an updated lineup of Ford Fusion models, and will run buyers around $34,o00, base price. Expect that number to reach or surpass $40,000 with options, but even so, the Fusion Sport is priced quite reasonably for the package it offers.
I see it as either a bargain Audi S4, or a slightly more civilized alternative to a Subaru WRX STI or a Ford Focus RS. Sometimes, when you have kids in the equation, you need a little more space than a little hatchback can offer. If it were me in that situation, this Fusion Sport would look like a splendid way to compromise over a Focus RS.
For non-enthusiasts, the Fusion Sport is just a really nice all-round sedan. It’s got AWD for bad weather, lots of nice features, and a little more punch than the av-er-age bear.
So well done Ford! The Fusion Sport looks like it may really be a solid competitor. Now let’s see if they’ll go ahead and bless us with an actual Fusion ST on top of this car – would a 400hp tune and a manual gearbox be too much to ask?
-Nick Walker
$30,000 gets you 200 miles of electric driving. Well played, Chevy, well played.
It would seem the new Bolt EV is prepped to lead the way for the affordable AND viable electric car. The Nissan Leaf was a complete joke, people, this isn’t. Now let’s all hope there’s no “GM catch” to the Chevy Bolt down the line that will ruin it.
Likes: GM seems to have gotten the price and the range just right for what buyers have been yearning for in an electric car.
Dislikes: Marry Barra still seems to think it’s all about “beating Tesla”. Elon Musk wouldn’t have released Tesla’s patents to the whole industry if he didn’t want everyone to play his game. Her somewhat brawny attitude about beating Tesla makes me wonder if the mindset behind the Bolt is good GM or bad GM. Let’s hope they didn’t cut too many corners so they could be first to market in the $30K range, before the Tesla Model 3 hits.
-Nick Walker
Roadkill is probably my favorite YouTube show at this point–and even when the post a video on Christmas Day, people still watch it. This time, they take the stock car that’s been hinted at for the entire series on-and-off (which their lawyers refused to let them put on the street for very obvious legal reasons), and make a “street legal” car out of it, by way of using a body with a VIN and a license plate, and dropping it on the chassis. They then take it to a dirt track–but I’m going to say no more so you, dear viewer, can find out what happens.
-Albert S. Davis
I think the new 2016 Acura NSX is overpriced by quite a fair margin, about $50,000 or so. While it is surely a great car on it’s own, getting people to actually write the check is a whole different matter.
Let’s take a look at why people buy a supercar, and why the NSX may have trouble fitting in.
-Nick Walker
I know, I know, this isn’t cars, or even really motorcycles. But it’s damn cool!
Vintage Electric Bicycles makes exactly what their name says, and I was captivated by their creations when I saw this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.
Essentially it’s an electric bicycle that goes 20-36 mph, but the company has given their products an unbelievable sense of style. Also, 36 mph is only do-able in “race mode” which “isn’t street legal”, but like all fun things, just get that option and run it on the road anyway.
I guarantee you’ll want one of these sweet bikes after you watch this video. And if you’ve got an extra $5,000 laying around, I’d say go for it.
Enjoy!
-Nick
We’ve all know that Fiat was working on a new Spider for a while now, and that it would be based on the new ND chassis Mazda Miata. Well now it’s for real, and we’re calling it the “Fiata!”
Now, officially, the new Fiat roadster is called the Fiat 124 Spider. It is an homage to the classic Fiat 124 Spider, which was built from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s. I’d say its styling does the old design justice…
As for the new Fiata, you can think of it as an ND Mazda Miata with a 500 Abarth engine swap done to it. Under the hood it shares the same growly 1.4L turbocharged four cylinder engine as the Abarth. It makes the same 160hp and 184 ft/lbs of torque. Not a huge horsepower leap over the figures of the Miata’s 2.0L SkyActive engine, but it will have a wider powerband thanks to all that turbo torque.
Everything else is similar, or even exactly the same as in the Miata. There are automatic and manual transmission options, as well as sporty and more luxury-focused models. The Fiat also weighs about 100 lbs more than the ND Miata, and will likely be positioned slightly up-market.
So what should we think of the Fiata?
Having just recently driven an ND Miata (review coming soon), I can attest that the platform of this car is fantastic.
I like the new 124 Spider’s styling a lot, but I was hoping for something a little more drop-dead-gorgeous. I get that they were going for the retro look, though, so maybe it’ll “pop” more for me when I see one in person.
I think the real deciding factor that will draw many to the Fiata over the Miata will be the power potential from that turbocharged Abarth engine.
Continue reading Meet the “Fiata”, or Fiat 124 Spider as they call it
So I’m considering the possibility of purchasing a Lexus IS-F in the next few months, and I’ve been doing a lot of research. (I guess I was just inspired by the Lexus RC-F I recently reviewed) In addition to looking into the car’s seemingly stellar long term quality and reliability, I’ve been checking out what sort of extra performance can be extracted from it with upgrades.
Now, the stock IS-F may well be enough for me, but it’s always nice to know how much more power I could have should I want it. So here’s what I’ve found…
Continue reading Lexus IS-F Modification and Tuning Guide (UPDATED)
In 1995 the McLaren F1 GTR dominated the 24 hours of Le Mans, beating out purpose-built prototype cars for a 1st overall victory. This feat has never been accomplished since by any road-car-based GT class car. And when I say McLaren “dominated” Le Mans that year, I mean they finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th positions overall. Not bad for a modified version of a road-going supercar, which was never initially intended to go racing.
With that huge victory, the folks at McLaren were inspired to give the F1’s racing their all. That meant the car needed to be lightened even further and optimized for racing duties. Aerodynamics were key, and they wound up elongating the F1’s shape into what became known as the “Longtail.” McLaren also managed to take another 135kg out of a car which was already absurdly lightweight. The F1 GTR Longtail was quite an accomplishment, no doubt, and went on to be quite successful in the 1997 season.
In order to compete in racing, McLaren had to build a road-going version of the Longtail, dubbed the “McLaren F1 GT.” Just three F1 GT’s were built, the green prototype (seen here), a red one, and a black one. The green prototype, “XP GT”, has been retained by McLaren themselves, while the other two F1 GTs currently sit in private collections.
McLaren was kind enough to let the world see XP GT at this year’s New York International Auto Show. For me it was a dream come true because I’ve been lusting over this very car since I was a kid. It simply is gorgeous in person.
For a deeper dive into the F1 GT, and every other McLaren model, check out the McLaren Website, they have some great information.
To see more of the F1 GT at NYIAS see the video below from our friends at NJExoticSpotters on YouTube:
-Nick Walker
Volkswagen TDIs are incredible vehicles, despite much of the public sentiment right now, propagated by the whole Dieselgate debacle.
Disagree? Then try achieving over 50 MPG while cruising at 90mph in any other car… a Pruis will barely even go that fast, let alone be efficient there.
Many Volkswagen TDI owners are very worried about the Dieselgate recall ruining their car’s performance, fuel mileage, and resale value — more so than the possibility of their car killing a few extra birds.
This article is for the informed diesel buyers, and probably not the those who bought their cars based on some vast “green” marketing fantasy. Everyone who knows diesel, knows it’s not the cleanest option, but they also know that its durabiltiy and efficiency makes up for that.
So if you’re starting to feel angry about the bird comment, then I suggest you stop reading here because the rest of this article will only piss you off even more.
For the rest of you, I want to discuss the best course of action for TDI owners who want to keep their diesels running solid after the recall is implemented. And yes, that means running a bit dirty to retain the outstanding performance and fuel economy, which are likely the main reasons you purchased a TDI. I will also discuss my take on what will most likely happen with the value of TDIs in the coming years (utilizing my degree in economics!).
Continue reading Don’t Let The Dieselgate Recall Ruin Your VW TDI Experience
I’m all for equal opportunity employment, certain issues may hinder some people from doing certain jobs. At Toyota, it would seem that their design team is entirely made up of people without eyes, and they have brought us this hideous new Prius for 2016.
But what about sales, surely they expect people with eyes to buy the new Prius, otherwise it would be a total market failure. But I doubt anyone blessed with the gift of sight would want to be seen in something like this. So with that, I will have to assume that anyone driving a brand new Prius is in fact blind, and I will be sure to notify the authorities at once!
Look, I’m all for Toyota employing blind people, just not in the design department. My guess is the same person who designed the new Prius also brought us this automotive abomination:
Seriously, though, how on earth did either of these designs make it through quality control. They are both utterly hideous, and if the designer isn’t actually blind as a bat, they should be fired and encouraged to pursue a new career path.
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 