Automotive Addicts |
- 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon Review & Test Drive
- Chrysler Spins Off SRT Brand, Puts Gilles In Charge
- Forza Motorsport 4: Has Gran Turismo 5 Met Its Match?
- 2012 VW Beetle Priced
- Muscle Cars: Old Versus New
- 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition Review & Test Drive
| 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon Review & Test Drive Posted: 08 Jun 2011 07:49 AM PDT
In the good old days of wood paneled station wagons and trips to Wally Word, the automotive enthusiast could not fathom a time when a wagon would be even remotely considered to be cool. Fortunately, the wagon has been resurrected to be cool once again not only by the American and German automakers, but by the Japanese at Acura as well. The all-new Acura TSX Sport Wagon is a car that embodies balanced performance, sexy styling, and utility all wrapped up in a luxury-sports sedan platform. Honda gave Americans the Crosstour in the hopes of filling a void for utilitarian sedans. Unfortunately, some of us still begged for that stylish European Honda Accord Tourer Wagon, which has now been brought to our shores in the form of the new Acura TSX Sport Wagon. The all-new 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon, as you can guess, is essentially a TSX with extra utility room. But the TSX Sport Wagon is a bit more than just a regular TSX with a gigantic trunk that adds extra weight; it is engineered to have that same tenacity in the performance and luxury departments as the TSX sedan, despite its larger cargo capacity. The new TSX Sport Wagon drives just like the regular TSX sedan with no compromise due to the larger rear end. Its 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine puts out 201 horsepower and provides good EPA fuel economy numbers rated at 22mpg city and 30mpg highway. The 201 horsepower and 170 pounds-feet of torque engine strains at times when you demand power. The 5-speed automatic transmission is very competent in most driving situations providing smooth, direct shifts. It does, however, have a manual sport mode that allows you to utilize the steering wheel paddle shifters and basically rev the engine into the redline all the way to fuel cut. The V6 found in the TSX sedan is not offered in the TSX Sport Wagon currently. Although the 2.4-liter cylinder is not a bad engine, the TSX Sport Wagon could use a bit more oomph when you have it loaded full of "stuff" along with 5 breathing bodies. It is quite possible Acura may offer a more tenacious powertrain for the TSX Sport Wagon in the future. For now the economical 2.4-liter is surprisingly adequate. Steering response from the electric steering rack is predictable but does not give you a good representation of road surfaces and the feedback that you may expect from a sporty car. Visibility towards the rear does take a little time to become accustomed to because of the low slopping roof-line of the wagon part of the TSX. The suspension is tuned well, keeping body roll in check when taking moderate turns. Acura is not only testing the waters for offering a sport wagon in the American market, but they have put the new TSX Sport Wagon up against BMW and Audi wagon offerings. Estimated to produce 4000 units this year, Acura may be attempting to get some feedback from the market before the research yields higher production numbers. So far, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon is off to a good start. Having a price starting at only $30,960 could be a major factor that wins over many young buyers. During my time with the Acura TSX Sport Wagon I was able to put it to the test by loading and unloading several card tables and chairs. Surprisingly I was able to make only one trip to carry 6 folding chairs and two tables without putting the rear seats down. The power rear liftgate, part of the tech-package option, is also a nice touch considering how low the TSX Sport Wagon's rear bumper is for loading and unloading items. Just a push of the button lowers and completely closes the rear left gate for easy access. The inside of the Acura TSX Sport Wagon provides the right blend of luxury and sport. The front heated leather buckets provide excellent lateral support and are comfortable enough to prevent fatigue during long road trips. The dashboard is virtually the same as a TSX sedan, nicely integrating the audio and hvac controls down the center console in the fashion that Acura and Honda owners are accustomed to. The navigation LCD screen, slightly set apart from other center-console controls, is bright and easy to read. Having the tech package offers up one of the best navigation systems on the market with voice activation, XM Navtraffic and XM Weather. The center armrest storage area provides an adjustable a/c vent to keep items cool. It won't keep ice frozen for longer than a hour but it does provide occupants with enough cool ventilation to keep a sandwich fresh for wherever you end up on a full tank of gas. When you consider the cargo capacity of the TSX Sport Wagon, it surpasses offerings from BMW and Audi and even the Acura RDX's total space with the seats down. With that amount of utility for a price starting around $30,000, young buyers would consider the TSX Sport Wagon to be a sensible competitor especially when compared to the price of similarly equipped wagons from Audi and BMW.                  Copyright: 2011 AutomotiveAddicts.com SPECIFICATIONS
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| Chrysler Spins Off SRT Brand, Puts Gilles In Charge Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:49 AM PDT
 The 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8. Image: Chrysler Group, LLC Ralph Gilles is a car guy who loves to drive, and he’s pretty damn good at it. He’s competed in One Lap of America and the Targa Newfoundland, just to name a few events off the top of my head. Speak with him and you soon realize that he’d rather be sweating in three layers of Nomex, preparing to slam the door on a trailing competitor, than sitting in a boardroom discussing numbers with Chrysler Group head Sergio Marchionne. Still, as the lead designer for Chrysler Group, LLC, and the former CEO of the Dodge brand, that’s how Gilles spent the bulk of his days. I say spent, because things are changing at Chrysler; thanks to a management shuffle, Gilles has been appointed CEO of the SRT brand at Chrysler, and that’s exactly where we need him. The SRT division encompasses products from Dodge (Challenger, Charger), Chrysler (300) and Jeep (Grand Cherokee), and is also tasked with running the company’s racing efforts. Look for SRT to expand their product lineup, since entry-level products are sadly under-represented, and to increase their racing efforts. Dodge has always been a believer in the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” philosophy, and there’s ample opportunity for involvement in professional racing. I had a chance to meet Gilles last February, and he impressed me as the perfect guy to run a performance car division. He assured me that good things were in the pipeline, and this move is further proof that Chrysler is on the right track. Congratulations, Mr. Gilles, and here’s wishing you much success in your new role.  |
| Forza Motorsport 4: Has Gran Turismo 5 Met Its Match? Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:25 AM PDT
Like many other gamers, I bought into the hype surrounding Gran Turismo 5. I bought a Sony PS3 just for that game (although I told the wife it was for the up-sampling BluRay player), and patiently waited two years for the game to be released. When GT5 hit the market, after a countless series of delays, players began to notice certain flaws. The physical damage, which Polyphany Digital assured us would be just like real life, wasn't (at least not initially). The detailed images of cockpits and controls were limited to premium cars, which represent a fraction of the total cars available. Even the content seems a bit disjointed: by trying to be all things to all racing fans, Polyphany essentially let down rally fans, NASCAR fans and even TopGear fans. What's the sense of including the Top Gear test track, when you can only drive it in "special" events? At this week's E3 event, Turn 10 released the teaser video below for the upcoming Forza Motorsport 4. If the images from the video are any indication, then all hail the new king of driving games. The visuals are stunning, including lurid detail of both cockpits and engine bays. Turn 10 has scrapped the physics engine from Forza 3, and thanks to a partnership with Pirelli, now has perhaps the most realistic driving experience of any game on the market. Via Microsoft's Kinect, a camera will track the movement of the player: want to look left? instead of hitting a button on the controller, you simply look left. Just like driving a real car, only without the ridiculously high cost of gas and the paranoia involved with trading paint. Take a look at the video below to see what I mean. I'm not selling my PS3 just yet, and I can't afford an X-Box 360 unless I sell a real car or a few duplicate body parts. I'll be watching the release of Forza 4 (set for October 11th) with some interest, and if it turns out to be as good as the hype, it may be time to start selling blood plasma. Any readers need a new kidney? I may have one for sale. (Source: IGN Entertainment YouTube Channel)  |
| Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:31 AM PDT
 The 2012 VW Beetle. Image: Volkswagen Like the retro shape of the newly redesigned VW Beetle? Chances are good you'll like the pricing as well, since the new car starts off just a few hundred dollars more than the car it replaces. Starting price on a 2010 VW Beetle was $18,690, while the starting price for the 2012 Beetle gets a bump to $18,995. There's a variety of Beetle models to choose from as well, starting with the aforementioned $18,995 2.5L, which gets you VW's 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine (good for 170 horsepower), a five-speed manual transmission, 17 inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and an eight-speaker audio system with an aux-in for portable music players. For those of us who like to drive, VW is offering up the 2.0L TSI at a starting price of $23,395. That gets you a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, good for 200 horsepower, hooked to a six-speed manual transmission. If you prefer the convenience of an automatic but still like to drive, VW's DSG dual-clutch "manual automatic" transmission is an available option. In addition to the standard features of the 2.5L, the 2.0L TSI gives you Bluetooth connectivity, iPod connectivity, three-color ambient lighting, bigger brakes with painted calipers, sport seats, 18 inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, foglights, additional gauges and alloy pedals. Later in the year, VW will introduce a TDI variant of the new Beetle. Pricing hasn't been set for the TDI version just yet, but based on the price gap between the entry-level Jetta and its TDI counterpart, expect the TDI Beetle to start at around $25,995. Press Release
Source: Volkswagen  |
| Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:51 AM PDT
The muscle cars of the sixties and seventies are the stuff of legend, and every gear head seems to have his own tales about a Mustang Mach 1, a Camaro Z/28, a Chevelle SS or a Hemi 'Cuda. Most remember these cars as wickedly fast in a straight line, but utterly terrifying to drive in the rain or when the road got twisty. The revived muscle cars of today, like the new Mustang, the new Camaro and the new Challenger, can't hold a candle to their ancestors, can they? After all, the new Mustang GT gets up to 26 mpg on the highway, so surely it can't be as fast as one of the legendary Mustangs of years past. To find the answer, Motor Trend recently ran a showdown between classic muscle cars (pony cars, actually) and their modern-day counterparts. Squaring off were a 2011 Shelby GT500 convertible against a 1969 Shelby GT500 convertible, a 2011 Camaro SS against a 1969 Camaro SS 396 and a 2012 392 Challenger SRT8 against a 1970 Challenger R/T. Who came out on top? See for yourself in the video below. Source: Motor Trend YouTube Channel  |
| 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition Review & Test Drive Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:39 AM PDT
'RACING TO THE DARK SIDE' Taking a page from several German car manufacturers, Cadillac introduces a special limited-edition 'Black Diamond' version of its awesome CTS-V luxury super-high-performance sedan. This new limited-edition 'Black Diamond' CTS-V sedan further makes the V-Series sedan stand out in a crowd of super-high-performing sedans. For $4,850.00 added to an already ridiculous low price of just $62,165.00 for the standard CTS-V sedan, Cadillac adds stunning black tri-coat custom paint embedded with SpectraFlair bright silver pigment, yellow Brembo brake calipers, 19X8.5 front and 19X9.5 inch rear custom satin graphite wheels, Recaro 14-way power adjustable/heated/cooled front bucket seats, and Midnight Sapele wood interior trim. Already turning heads wherever the V-Series sedan shows up because of its unique design, enormous power and torque figures, not to mention its incredible road holding ability, the V-Series sedan quickly established itself among the world's highest performing luxury sedans by becoming the first production four-door on street tires to break the legendary eight-minute barrier at Germany's famed Nurburgring. The new 'Black Diamond' edition gives the styling of the V-Series sedan an even more dark, stealthy and menacing look. The unique look of the V-Series sedan features a very athletic form characterized by sculpted and flared front fenders that feature active heat extractors that recall a styling element from the Cadillac's Sixteen concept car, vertically oriented LED front and rear 'light pipes', horizontal spline lines, and a unique dual chrome mesh grille that doubles front-end airflow to help enable the high-performance capabilities of the supercharger, an aggressive front fascia with Adaptive HID headlights, projector-beam foglamps, working air-intakes next to the foglamps that channel air directly to the front brakes for added cooling, and a raised center section of the aluminum hood that provides clearance for the supercharger. The flared fenders are stuffed with 19X8.5 inch front and 19X9.5 inch graphite black, twin-prong, forged aluminum, five-spoke wheels that are wrapped with specially designed Michelin 255/40ZR19 front, and 285/35ZR19 inch rear, Pilot Sport PS2 low-profile high-performance summer tires. The rear features the only piece of chrome on the car with the Cadillac scripted name, a centered Cadillac wreath, and lower CTS and V-Series badges. The end of the rear trunk lid features the LED rear high-mounted stop lamp that also adds downforce. A specially designed diffuser screen is cut into the rear bumper to help manage rear airflow. Two, four inch wide polished stainless steel exhaust pipes are also cut into the lower rear bumper and sing out a muffled, growling sound when you mash your foot on the throttle. Under the skin is where the real action of this 'world-class' supercar takes place. The 6.2 liter supercharged and intercooled V8 engine powers the CTS-V and is rated at 556hp at 6,100rpm and 551lb.ft. of torque at just 3,800rpm. The supercharger starts to force air into the engine at 2,300rpm to increased acceleration. The engine's Eaton 1.9 liter, Twin Vortices Series supercharger design employs twin four-lobe rotors, twisted 160-degrees. Typical superchargers feature three lobes twisted 60-degrees. The fourth lobe and added twist, when combined with the unique air inlet and outlet ports, create smoother, more efficient airflow into the engine. In addition to improved overall efficiency, this supercharger has superior noise and vibration characteristics compared to more ordinary design. The potent V8 supercharged engine is matted to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The smooth shifting, short-throw Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual with a dual-clutch is what I tested and it is a joy to use. Shifts up or down are quick and smooth, power comes on quickly on acceleration or when you your need to decelerate the revs are beautifully matched. The Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic comes with steering wheel-mounted shift controls. The steering wheel-mounted controls require no shift lever movement and allow immediate tap up/tap down gear selection. Performance Algorithm Shifting provides the automatic transmission with a performance-oriented shift pattern during sustained high-performance driving. You only have to slide the shifter into the manual 'gate' to put the transmission into a performance model. Torque is channeled through the six-speed transmissions to a high-performance rear axle that features a limited-slip rear differential with a cast iron housing for greater thermal management and asymmetrical half-shafts to smoothly manage the supercharged engine's incredible torque. The unique design includes alternately sized half-shafts that also help dynamically balance the oscillation to torque from side to side, effectively eliminating 'power hop'. World-class acceleration figures for this magnificent Cadillac CTS-V are 0-60mph in under four-seconds, the ¼ mile reached in just 12.3-seconds at 117.7mph with a top speed of more than 190mph. The V-Series Sedan achieves exceptional levels of road-holding performance, but also maintains the poise of a luxury car in 'regular' driving conditions. The technical enable of this dual-mode driving character is Cadillac's landmark Magnetic Ride Control. It is the world's fastest-reacting suspension technology. It uses shocks controlled by advanced magneto-rheological technology, rather than mechanical valves, to greatly accelerate response time and precision. Electronic sensors at all four wheels literally 'read the road' every millisecond, making constant adjustments to damping to create virtually instantaneous and extremely precise control of body motions. The Magnetic Ride shocks also enable a broader range of damping control to optimize the ride and handling for all driving conditions. In the CTS-V, an extra measure of control is offered, with two selectable modes (Tour and Sport), enabling you to tailor the suspension for grand touring or more spirited performance driving. You can change the modes by simply selecting one or the other from the easy-to-use computer readout in the center of the instrument cluster. The fully independent suspension also features Short/Long arms, a 29mm hollow stabilizer bar, elastomeric handling and ride bushings, and 65 N/mm coil spring rate up front and Short/Long arms, a 25.4mm solid stabilizer bar, elastomeric trailing arm bushings, and 90 N/mm coil spring rate. Increasing handling even more is a direct-mount front cradle and rubber isolated rear suspension cradle, and a wide, thick aluminum strut tower brace over the rear of the V8 engine that also enhances the precision and quickness to your inputs from the ZF Servotronic II power-assisted rack & pinion steering system. On the skid pan the V-Series sedan pulls 0.93g's. That high number is also the result of the standard traction control and StabiliTrak electronic stability control system. You can of course shut the system off to make it easier to slide the rear out during your challenges of steep curving back roads. Safely and quickly slowing the Cadillac CTS-V sedan down from speed are enormous brakes designed specifically for the car by Brembo. Up front are 15.1 inch vented discs with 14.7 inch vented discs in the rear. The front rotors are clamped with six-piston calipers and the rear discs are clamped with four-piston calipers. The large, vented rotors enable strong initial braking force while optimizing heat resistance and eliminating fade. The brake rotors from Brembo are manufactured with 'dual-cast' technology that combines cast iron and aluminum, resulting in superior performance and weight reduction. Further enhancing braking power and control are standard ABS, BA and Rear Brake Force Distribution. The unique design is eye-opening; the power and performance package is breathtaking and world-class in every category. All that is left is the comfortable luxurious, technologically advanced and sporty cabin. Cadillac comes through again with streamlined instrumentation, LED lighting, hand-cut-and-sewn accents, custom wood trim, sporty cues and more. You open the door and glance at the long solid piece of aluminum with the 'V' series emblem on the kick plate. The custom, unique Recaro racing seats are superb finished in leather with suede inserts. These bucket seats are heated and cooled with power adjustment for the seat bottom, seat back, back and bottom side bolstering beside power lumber adjustments. These seats are super comfortable and hold you and your front passenger snuggly in place during high-speed maneuvering. The small, sporty, three-spoke steering wheel is covered in microfiber, just like a racecar that increases grip and keeps sweat from making your hands slip while turning the wheel. The stick shifter is also covered in microfiber and placed perfectly for sure and easy shifting with the manual. I loved using it! Looking straight-ahead is the unique instrument cluster that is designed for easy, at-a-glance reference during performance driving. A large 200mph speedometer, a large 8,000rpm tachometer have bold readouts, including an LED-lit 'tracer' function in the tachometer that flashes as the engine nears the redline. The large dial to the right contains meters for the fuel on board, engine coolant temperature and boost gauge. You also get a lateral acceleration display on the lower center dial that also contains readouts for all of your personal driving inputs, trip computer, engine operating systems, etc. Obsidian Black and chrome accents grace the well designed dashboard and center stack, console, steering wheel and bottom door panels, while Midnight Sapele wood trim wraps around the top of the doors through the dashboard and around the outer edges of the center stack. It is a luxurious and elegant look. Sporty cues include the aluminum with rubber insert foot pedals for added grip as you change gears, brake and accelerate with ease. Standard equipment not mentioned above in the Black Diamond Limited-Edition Cadillac CTS-V sedan includes an electronic parking brake, dual zone climate control, power heated, power remote-controlled sideview mirrors, self-dimming rearview mirror, rear seat pass-thru with a pull-down armrest with dual cupholders, front center console with dual cupholders, deep, two-tiered storage box with padded top, deep and wide locking glove box, storage slots in each door, navigation system with a Bose 5.1 surround sound audio system, eight speakers, and a rear-vision camera, a 40GB hard drive device with XM NavTraffic and satellite radio, anti-theft alarm, LED ambient lighting, cargo net, Bluetooth for phone, universal home remote 2-person memory system, headlamp washers, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, keyless access, ultra-sonic rear park assist, integrated iPod/MP3 capability, power windows with express up/down front and express down rear windows, power door locks, grab handles above each rear door, dual map lights, dual vanity mirrors with lights, thick cut-pile carpeting with front/rear floor mats. Standard safety features include dual-stage driver front airbag, segment-first dual depth front passenger airbag, driver and front-passenger side seat-mounted pelvic/thorax side airbags, roof-rail side curtain airbags with industry-first rollover protection technology that covers front and rear seating rows, 5-3-point safety belts with front pretensioners/load limiters, tire pressure monitoring system, body structure with strategically placed high-strength steel, active head restraints for the front seatbacks and of course OnStar, the ninth-generation, that comes with automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation and a more flexible speech recognition system. This new limited-edition 'Black Diamond' version is spectacular to look at and drive. When the sun is shinning the SpectraFlair bright embedded silver pigment against the black paint looks like a starry night sky, and when the clouds move in (like when I photographed the car) or at night, the black paint takes on a look of liquid black. The car is simply amazing and the price for this special version is even more amazing, just $68,615.00 for all the great styling, power, performance, luxury, high-technology and safety. I still can't believe it because comparable sedans from other manufacturers start in the high-hundreds of thousands of dollars! How can Cadillac do it?               COPYRIGHT:2011:HARVEY SCHWARTZ SPECIFICATIONS
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