A Good Car with a Little Something for Everyone
Canadian Auto Press

Is Ford enjoying a good year or what? It’s the only automaker of Detroit’s Big 3 not to need or accept government loans and therefore didn’t have to go bankrupt, and sales are up because of this plus its strong product lineup. It’s even profitable, which is saying a lot in this dire market. Now, adding icing to the cake, its new 2010 Fusion has made it onto the Top 10 sellers list in the US, about as good as it gets!

2010 Ford Fusion

That makes the Fusion the best selling domestic car, while Ford’s F-150, also on the Top 10 list, continues to be the best selling light truck. Why is the Fusion so hot? Styling always plays a key role, and it appears that Americans like the way the new car and its European inspired lines look, but the Fusion also delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency, an excellent full-hybrid alternative, and a Sport model that not only looks unique outside and in, but delivers agile performance.

“There is no reason for customers shopping for a midsize sedan to look beyond the Fusion, because the lineup offers something for everyone – a Hybrid model, a Sport version and a new selection of gas-powered engines paired with six-speed transmission,” stated the obviously fully invested Fusion Marketing Manager, Jonathan Richards.

Yes, Fusion sales are so strong now that they’ve passed the model’s 2007 record by 2,000 unit sales already this year, with more than a month left to go.

“It’s extraordinary that a car could set a sales record in an environment where overall industry sales are down 26 percent from a year ago,” commented Ford sales analyst George Pipas.

So, how does it compare with the Japanese sales leading Camry and Accord? As a car, very well, besting the two Japanese models in many categories, but it still lags behind Toyota’s and Honda’s midsize models in sales by a wide margin. The Camry comes close to doubling year-to-date Fusion sales with 151,000 units sold so far in 2009 and the Accord is a close second. Even Nissan’s Altima beats the Fusion by a surprising 18,000 sales.

But on Fusion’s side is are high sales in feature-packed models, such as the fully loaded SEL, performance-oriented Sport and high-tech Hybrid.

“Fusion Hybrid, Sport and SEL models account for 50 percent of sales,” said Richards. “Data also show that customers are embracing technology offerings such as voice-activated navigation, SYNC and Sony Audio.”

While Ford is certainly feeling upbeat about its newfound fortune, these are not the glory days of yesteryear when it enjoyed Top 10 dominance with sales leadership amongst trucks, SUVs and cars, with nameplates like Taurus, Explorer, Ranger and Focus topping the charts. Are the tides turning?

Practical Justification for Buying a Hot Hatch
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press

When Mazda introduced the ‘Speed version of its much-lauded 3 in late 2006 as an ‘07 model, it really wasn’t up against much in the ultra-hot hatch category. Certainly the five-door wagon version of Subaru’s WRX would have to get the mention, although with 230hp and 235 lb-ft of torque it didn’t quite match the Mazdaspeed3’s output of 263hp and 280 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged 2.3L four-cylinder. Just the same the Subie offered all-wheel drive to even that torque out while the ‘Speed3 was a bit unwieldy with all that grunt going through the front wheels. No, the natural predator to the ‘Speed3 was Dodge’s Caliber SRT4 that landed around the same time, a five-door as well and loaded to the gills with every option Chryco could throw at it, including a 285hp 2.4L turbocharged four with 265 lb-ft of torque. It was an even wilder beast than the Mazdaspeed3, itself a handful with one of the more rigid off the shelf suspension setups anywhere.

2010 Mazdaspeed3

Fast forward three years and the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 is upon us making the same substantial power from the identical MZR 2.3-litre DISI Turbo four-cylinder as its predecessor, yet the field of competitors has widened substantially. A new Golf GTI is much better and therefore it’s comparatively modest 207hp allows it to compete with the much faster Mazda in spirit, at least, whereas an all-new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart delivers one of the world’s most sophisticated all-wheel drive systems together with what might be the best paddle-shift actuated double-clutch sequential manual-automatic in the business for fractions more than the ‘Speed3, while a new WRX is much better and the Caliber SRT4 is still available. And I haven’t even mentioned new competitors at the bottom end of the premium segment or hot compacts that don’t have hatches. But Mazda hasn’t exactly been sitting on its heels.

The best part of the new 2010 Mazdaspeed3 is that it starts off as a new 2010 Mazda3, and that is already a very fine automobile. A refined interior that rivals VW’s new Golf for best in class gets cool tweaks for ‘Speed duty, such as hot red highlights offsetting the otherwise purposeful black motif, enhanced by red stitching for the seats, steering wheel, door trim, shift lever boot and centre armrest. Primary gauges get tri-mode electroluminescent lighting for an otherworldly nighttime glow of red and blue, while and LED turbo gauge lets you know how much boost you’re using when your foot is mashed to the floorboard, which when undertaken might have you not truly in appreciation of the fine attention to detail Mazda has put into its audio interface, climate control system and other switchgear.

No, you’d better hold on and get ready to shift the wonderfully flick-able three-shaft, six-speed manual gearbox quickly, as torque is so plentiful that this little-Speed-that-could really can rocket forward with serious energy. Its enjoys reworked gear ratios featuring taller 2nd through 5th gears for getting more out of the carryover engine, which is why it feels so much quicker. OK, while a governed top speed of 250km/h (150mph) is pretty impressive for a compact hatchback, a tad over six seconds to 100km/h isn’t exactly breathtaking this day and age, but once again putting it into perspective, it’s mighty respectful within a compact category that rarely breaks the eight-second range. And more importantly it feels fast. It’s hard to quantify this type of experiential performance, but the Mazdaspeed3 will have you feeling like you’re going quicker than your really are. Maybe it’s the way the turbos kick in and propel the little car forward, or how the steering wheel tugs a tad at takeoff, although it’s hardly as insistent about taking directional control as the old one, now with stiffer half-shafts joining the carryover torque sensing limited slip differential (LSD).

2010 Mazdaspeed3

While it doesn’t look like they’ve changed the setup all that much on paper, to drive the new 2010 ‘Speed3 is an altogether different experience, more refined and a lot more controllable. Somehow the car has matured, feeling much more upscale in ride and handling and all-round a nicer car to slot through corners or open up wide on the highway. It might be the upgraded tires that give greater grip, up from 18 x 7.0 inches to 18 x 7.5 inches, but more likely its handling improvements come from more reinforcements under the skin like the thicker metal used to increase suspension mounting point rigidity, which in-turn allows for firmer suspension settings, larger diameter stabilizers and better dampers for increased roll stiffness.

It flies too, especially noticeable from 80 to about 110 km/h where most passing takes place, leaving slower moving traffic behind in short order, rain or shine. It rained for most of my test week, which gave me opportunity to test out its standard traction and dynamic stability control, and while the traction control works well off the line the stability control has been set up for liberal drifting. Don’t expect it to catch immediately as it’ll let the little hatch run wide in slippery conditions, although its 60/40 front/rear weight distribution makes it feel more like a front-drive rally car than anything remotely pedestrian. And while at first I was surprised at how much leeway Mazda’s engineers had given the car I soon began to appreciate the addicting nature of its wayward response to overzealous throttle and steering input in wet weather conditions. What fun!

Yes, you’d think the Mazdaspeed3 was all about fun until its safety and practicality attributes are put into use. With similar force to its acceleration, the little ‘Speed can brake with gusto thanks to 320mm ventilated rotors up front and 280mm solid discs to the rear complemented by tandem brake boosters and a 25mm master cylinder. ABS is standard, of course, just like the last edition, but now electronic brake assist gives additional control.

I could talk about airbags and pretentioning seatbelts, but let’s get real. In the space allotted I’m not going to waste your time talking about features you already know are part of the base package anyway, but rather thought I’d point out that the ‘Speed3 enjoys an absolutely jam packed equipment list including adaptive front headlights, cloth/leather sport seats with powered actuation and memory settings for the driver, dual zone climate control, rain sensing windshield wipers, a navigation system, a Bose audio system with satellite radio, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, a proximity sensing intelligent key system with push-button start, alloy pedals, and more.

2010 Mazdaspeed3

Outside, the Mazdaspeed3 will be immediately noticeable to those familiar with the new 3 in that it gets a large hood scoop front and centre stage, while bi-xenon headlamps and round fogs compliment a unique bumper design and more muscular fenders. Aerodynamic aids include a cool underspoiler, side skirts, floating rear spoiler, LED taillights, big, fat dual exhaust pipes, and beautiful alloy rims designed to pay homage to the RX-8 R3.

Truly, the new Mazdaspeed3 is finite in its purpose to delight all who drive it, yet to look at its front end makes a person wonder if it doesn’t suffer from bipolar disorder, that contagious grin smiling in near innocence albeit slightly impish delight as its massive hood scoop and additional go-fast add-ons make it look positively sinister.

And that hood scoop is functional by the way, ramming air into the engine bay to more suitably cool everything down, which improves performance, of course, and doesn’t seem to negatively affect the car’s impressive 0.32 coefficient of drag. That last item helps the Mazdaspeed3’s fuel economy, rated at 11.5L/100 km in the city and 8.0 on the highway, while a single-acting nanotechnology catalytic converter, which is a world-first, says Mazda, lowers emissions while utilizing fewer precious metals.

Speaking of precious metal, the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 starts out at $32,995, a price point that begins creeping into entry-level premium territory, albeit not with the ‘Speed3’s aforementioned full features list. Factor in such details and then throw in the high-quality premium-like interior, superb performance and truly attractive styling, of course, and the 2010 Mazdaspeed3 starts looking like the best compact value currently available. And if that’s not reasoning at its best, I’m not a car enthusiast.

Just Another Orphaned Chrysler Concept?
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press

200C? Was Chrysler messing with our heads? With the now reborn automaker’s past CEO Jim Press putting on his best game face despite the openly dour moods of some Chrysler executive staff, out rolled a bevy of well-known Chrysler vehicles augmented with pure-electric drivetrains. This was the work of the Auburn Hills automaker’s ENVI division, the play on letters taken from the first four of the word “environment”, a Chrysler project that the brand hoped would be the envy of rivals but has now been disbanded in place of individual EV projects headed by each brand.

2009 Chrysler 200C EV Concept

Chrysler had previously shown three of its ENVI EVs on September 23 of last year, when then-CEO Bob Nardelli showed up to an CNBC interview with a trio of electric vehicles, and later that day at Chrysler’s world headquarters to a gathering of automotive journalists, wowing viewers and onlookers and simultaneously giving new hope to Mopar fans and alternatively to critics of the production Chevy Volt who didn’t find it as sporty as the concept version shown last year.  The appropriately named Dodge Circuit, simply dubbed EV at that time and painted yellow instead of today’s orange, is about as sporty as cars come, having been built off of the backbone of a Lotus, while the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV and Chrysler Town & Country EV also received new paint schemes for Detroit, and no doubt some unmentioned upgrades. The Auburn Hills-based automaker showed another electrified Jeep that it hadn’t shown before, however, and the zero-emissions Patriot probably would have been its most doable EV yet, if weren’t for a wholesale change from the top down that will see compact Fiat models replace the Caliber-based Patriot and Compass. None are for sale, for the time being at least, but the company has big plans. But a 200C?

It didn’t take long for the Detroit auto show floor to get swept up in speculation, some of it negative regarding the announcement’s lack of any real mainstream product to boost upcoming sales and other talk about just what the 200C represented. Was it the new look of the long anticipated 300C replacement, previously expected to bow at this year’s North American International Auto Show, or possibly a rear-drive replacement for the much criticized Sebring? Chrysler staffers on hand denied any connection to the 300C, stating that the 300C is so gorgeous it’ll knock our socks off, while another insider made it pretty clear that this indeed was the Sebring in prototype trim. No doubt we’ll have to wait for some future show to find out what production relevance that car has, if any, although Chrysler did say that “ the concept provides a clear view of what we’ll see in a next-generation Chrysler performance sedan,” in a press release, so place your bets as to which current model it will replace.

So what is the 200C EV? As the latter half of the name divulges, it’s an electric car using the same powertrain already integrated into Chrysler’s other show cars. True, but while the aforementioned models may be more readily available than the 200C EV, the stylish four-door sedan gives greater hope for Chrysler having a stronger presence in the critically important midsize car market.

2009 Chrysler 200C EV Concept

In concept form it’s a rear-drive sedan created by shortening the chassis of a current production 300 sedan, and due to its ENVI drivetrain can sprint to 60 mph (100 km/h) in a mere 7 seconds. Although performance was front and centre during its introduction, its powertrain being highlighted, the 200C EV boasts an upscale cabin that would go far to help people forget the current Sebring. It is “free of switches and levers,” says Chrysler, “with all vehicle functions and features managed via a panoramic multimedia touch screen, a passenger-dedicated portion of the screen dubbed ‘techno-leaf,’ and a stowable tablet PC,” said Chrysler in a press release.

“The Chrysler 200C EV embodies our passion for problem solving by combining the best of engineering and automotive design,” added Ralph Gilles, then Chrysler vice president of design and boss of the revised Dodge brand. “With the 200C EV, we were able to maximize the effectiveness of the ENVI powertrain with the stunning, wind-cheating vehicle shape, while pushing toward the future with the avant-garde interior and advanced in-vehicle connectivity.”

A series hybrid rather than merely a full-electric vehicle, the 200C EV can commute up to 40 miles on battery power alone between recharges, and if your daily drive takes you further it can extend to a 400 mile range via a small gasoline engine and on-board electric generator. Volt anyone? As if GM had hopes of hanging onto its “reverse hybrid” idea for long, it looks as if Chrysler at the low end and Fisker at the high end have plans afoot.

A series hybrid is the right idea, at least as far as I’m concerned. As for the 200C EV, it’s an attractive car that pulls cues from Chrysler design era that was particularly elegant, specifically the Tom Gale-led group that created such notable concepts as the Atlantic Coupe, Chronos, and the one Chrysler should certainly have built to turn the brand’s image around one hundred and eighty degrees, the 300 Hemi convertible, a car that looks most like the 200C EV.

That last point in mind, should Chrysler build the 200C EV? Well now it comes down to a business decision and which Chrysler models currently under development will continue being readied for production, and which models will be replaced by Fiat platforms that are better suited to a given segment. Chrysler’s current five-year plan doesn’t get too specific about midsize model replacements, although it does say the current Sebring will be replaced by a Fiat model in 2013, so don’t look to the 200C EV to take over from this Sebring or its Dodge relative, the Avenger, which gets a major update sometime in 2010. Likewise the 300C will be completely redone before being introduced in 2010 also, along with its Dodge Charger cousin, and the 200C appears too small to replace the full-size Chrysler flagship. Does that leave it a conceptual orphan? Just like the lovely 300 Hemi convertible that inspired some of its lines, it looks like the 200C EV will never see the light of day, but its technology will no doubt find its way into future Chrysler vehicles and, without doubt, Fiat products as well. Just the same, it served as the one bright spot on Chrysler’s stage during the 2009 Detroit auto show, a morale booster that might have been more important to Chrysler overall than all of its other concepts combined.

Taurus Based or a Four-Door Mustang?
Canadian Auto Press

The Crown Victoria has had its days numbered for the last decade at least, but over the years has received one major and a number of minor updates to keep it current. Now only a fleet vehicle mostly sold to taxi companies and police departments, the Crown Vic appears to be officially on its way to the great auto scrap yard in the sky thanks to an announcement this week that Ford will build a new Police Interceptor for 2011, when the Crown Victoria was set to be canceled.

2009 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

“We have heard the repeated requests from the law enforcement community to continue uninterrupted support of the law enforcement community,” stated Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas in a press release. “Ford is answering the call with the new Police Interceptor – engineered and built in America.”

Ford isn’t yet saying which vehicle architecture it plans to base the new police-specific sedan on, but it clearly makes sense to modify the new Taurus for police duty as its all-wheel drive architecture would make it ideal for all-weather traction and fuel-efficient EcoBoost V6 and six-speed automatic transmission combo delivers the V8-like performance the men in blue expect.

The timing of the announcement may have been in the cards for a while or possibly the schedule was pushed up a tad being that GM only recently announced its intention of getting back into policing with the Pontiac G8-based Chevrolet Caprice cruiser. Chevy might have the advantage of the Caprice’s rear-wheel drive architecture, if Ford goes with the Taurus, rear-drive being advantageous to fleets due to reduced drivetrain complexity and resultant lower maintenance costs. This is precisely the reason the Panther-platform Crown Vic has soldiered on for so long, as well as the mountain of spare parts most fleet repair shops have on hand anytime the need arises to swap out an engine, transmission or rear end.

With Dearborn’s promise to engineer and build the upcoming Police Interceptor in the US, there should be no speculation about whether or not Ford will consider GM’s approach, and rework its Australian-built rear-drive Falcon for North American fleet duty. As good as the four-door sedan from down under reportedly is Ford appears bound to go for the Taurus or come up with something entirely new from an existing American-made architecture.

The only US-made rear-drive architecture that would make sense is the Mustang’s, and considering that Ford already showed us a four-door version of the ‘Stang at the 2007 Detroit auto show dubbed “The Interceptor”, there’s a chance something might come of it. Back in 2006, before the concept’s arrival, rumour had it that a four-door Mustang was eminent, but it’s possible a relatively inexpensive rear-drive four-door sedan could spin off of Mustang underpinnings and be sold for police and taxi duty for fleet duty and given the Falcon name for retails sales. After all, the original Mustang was based on the Falcon, so the nameplate is owed its due.

Ford promises to disclose full specifications of the new vehicle in Q1 of 2010, which should allow enough time for law enforcement organizations and police cruiser specialty equipment manufacturers to prepare for the change.

“Ford long has supported our public servants with vehicles that work as hard as they do,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service. “We intend to build on this legacy with a new generation of municipal and police vehicles that set even higher standards.”

While the number of annual police cruiser sales might not be at the level of Ford’s F-150 sales or even Fusion deliveries, the 45,000 to 60,000 Crown Vics sold each year of the police pursuit vehicle business in the US is nothing to sneeze at and certainly a large enough number that Dearborn doesn’t want to give it up to Chevy’s new Caprice, Dodge’s Charger Interceptor or even the Carbon Motors Corporation E7. Currently Ford owns about 75% of total police cruiser volume.

Therefore, Dearborn promises that the new Police Interceptor’s “durability, safety and performance will exceed the existing Crown Victoria’s law enforcement vehicle lineup,” says the associated press release.

“Ford’s commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle,” commented Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a member of Ford’s Police Advisory Board. “This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard.”

GM to Stop Building H2 and H3 in 2010
Canadian Auto Press

It should come as no surprise that Hummer sales are in the dumpster lately. With GM having left the brand to fend for itself during restructuring, year-to-date sales are off some 64% to 8,500 units, made worse by low dealer inventories of only 1,300 units compared to 7,400 vehicles during the same time last year, says Automotive News. Hummer has plans to see 25,000 units in 2010, however, which begs the question, how?

2008 Hummer HX Concept

While new Chinese owner Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd and its new CEO Jim Taylor are looking to boost sales by actually marketing the brand, which hasn’t been done for a very long time, it’s going to take a lot more than marketing to set the brand straight. It’s going to take new models that are more in tune with today’s fuel friendlier market than the current mid-size H3 and full-size H2.

These two SUVs are fabulous off-roaders, and the automaker’s new management knows that anything that wears the Hummer nameplate will have to be equally capable off the beaten track. It will look to the H4 that made its debut as the HX Concept at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit to bring the brand down-market to where it can go head-to-head with the top-selling two-door Jeep Wrangler and four-door Wrangler Unlimited. Sichuan Tengzhong will get the plans to the H4 when the deal is completed, an expected transfer date being December 1 of this year, with the new model expected to arrive in about three years, according to Automotive News.

Concrete plans for the brand should come forth soon after it changes hands, and that news could include a future H5 model that would go up against a new Fiat-based subcompact Jeep model. Automotive News reports Taylor as saying the H4 and H5 might even replace the current H2 and H3 in the brand’s lineup, although it would be difficult for Hummer enthusiasts to imagine the brand without a full-size or even mid-size model in the lineup.

GM will stop building the H2 and H3 models soon, the end of 2010 being a possible deadline, which means that Hummer’s new management has their work cut out for them in finding a new manufacturing partner that can build to the same level of quality as GM.

Forza Motorsport 3 Turns a Racer’s Dream into White-Knuckled Reality.

The best thing about Dream Cars is – everybody has one. Paradoxically, the worst thing about Dream Cars is – nobody has one.

Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3, the latest video game racing epic from the gearhead developers at Turn 10, makes it possible for everyone to experience the exhilaration of owning and driving the world’s most exquisite road machines. Put it this way: if you dream about it, you can drive it.

Related Link: Free Forza 3 Demo

If you drool over sport exotics like the Audio R8 V10, Forza 3 is your game. If your chest beats with American muscle like the Ford GT, Forza 3 is your game. If your world map consists only of Asian imports like the Nissan 370Z…you’re catching the drift, right?

Under the hood you’ll find more than 400 fully customizable and tunable cars from over 50 of the world’s leading manufacturers, each with a painstakingly researched cockpit and interior view – a first for the Forza Motorsport series. Circuit selection is just as over-the-top, with over 100 world-famous tracks and road courses.

Of course, each car and track is rendered in breathtaking HD, but that’s only scratching the surface in terms of realism. With the industry’s most advanced physics model, artificial intelligence and real-time damage calculations, Forza Motorsport 3 is, without a doubt, the most realistic digital driving experience available.

Perhaps most exciting of all, is the range to which the game can be adapted to suit various playing styles and skill levels. A raft of driving assists and adjustments can be tuned and tweaked to make the game as hardcore, or as casual, as you like.

But what’s the point in having a stable full of jaw-dropping rides, tuned and trimmed to perfection, if you can’t show them off? Xbox LIVE puts an unprecedented level of freedom in the hands of gamers, essentially turning the community into a creative powerhouse with limitless possibilities, thanks to the new game rules editor; drive what you want, where you want, how you want, against who you want. One thing’s for sure – Forza Motorsport 3 could easily be Xbox LIVE’s next big thing.

Forza Motorsport 3 will be available October 27, 2009, exclusively for Xbox 360^®.

Ridiculously Expensive? Certainly. But Overpriced? Hardly.
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press

So, just what does 1001hp and 922 lb-ft of torque feel like at takeoff? Absolutely nothing can prepare the mind, body and soul for such an otherworldly experience, and unless your name happens to be Alan Shepherd, Joe Engle, Joe Walker, Neil Armstrong or any of the twelve brave souls who manned the experimental X-15 back in NASA’s glory days, only time behind the wheel of Bugatti’s soul-stirring Veyron 16.4 can relate the g-force inducing sensation.

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

If it weren’t for the paddle shifters connecting through to its 7-speed DSG transmission I probably wouldn’t have been able to lift my right arm to make the necessary shifts, so intense was the Veyron’s acceleration, its 8.0-litre, 16-cylinder, quad-turbocharged powerplant’s jet-like whine going about its business with a purposeful nonchalance, as if it hardly needed to interrupt its relaxed breathing pattern to send this near 4,200-pound supercar to 100km/h in just 2.7 seconds, the quarter mile in 10.5, and on to a top-speed that I’ll probably never experience yet apparently exceeds 400 km/h or 250mph (407 km/h or 252.9 verified). This particular Veyron is a Grand Sport, so depending on whether you have the targa-style roof closed or open it’s top speed will either be the staggeringly unfathomable aforementioned figure or 360 km/h (223.7mph), respectively, and with the unique canvas umbrella-style emergency bad weather top in place, a mere 130km/h (80.7mph).

I was nicely positioned in front of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last year when the car rolled across the stage, having had to make a dash from my lawn location where my camera’s lens caught this special Veyron easing across the golf course greens. At the front of the stage I witnessed the top’s removal and umbrella-like temporary roof’s unique design first hand thanks to sunshine, but being that the weather in Vancouver appeared unpredictable during my four-hour stint behind the wheel, we didn’t want to chance rain wetting the perfectly detailed interior.

Yes, as expected of a car that fetches 2.2 million the cabin detailing is exquisite, with nary a trace of plastic anywhere and the most beautifully crafted leathers I’ve ever seen. Likewise all metalwork is painstakingly handmade, and its switchgear is at that next level of quality, up and beyond its not-too-distant relative Lamborghini. Likewise the centre stack features a Puccini audio system that reportedly adds $30,000 to each Bugatti’s build costs, while the most elegant ventilation system I’ve ever seen wraps around the entire upper console, joining tall and narrow side vents to feed automatically controlled air to both occupants.

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Those lucky two, today one being yours truly and the other renowned American racing driver and really nice guy Butch Leitzinger (with three Rolex 24 at Daytona race wins to his credit), will hardly feel cramped or even claustrophobic in the airy, accommodating cabin, a partially transparent polycarbonate removable roof overhead and a lot of room all-round. The seats are wonderfully supportive and multi-adjustable, although you might be surprised to find manual fore and aft adjustment via a traditional metal bar under the front of the seat cushion.

Other weight-saving additions include carbon fibre just about everywhere, and refreshingly Bugatti doesn’t make a big deal out of this expensive composite as it’s all felt in the driving experience, and not seen. After all, if you’re going to charge $2.2 million for a car it’d better be made of the best materials money can buy, and the Veyron clearly is.

That transparent polycarbonate removable roof, incidentally, comes with its own stand. It’s either on or off, as there’s no room to take it with you. To protect driver and passenger from a sudden shower, Bugatti includes the innovative rectangular umbrella-like soft-top I intimated at earlier, which gets stowed in the front luggage compartment and is only good for slightly higher than posted highway speeds. Bugatti Sales and Marketing Director Alasdair Stewart said the idea came from seeing a classic Type 35 drive by with the passenger shielding the driver from the rain with an umbrella. Why not?

And just in case a little rain gets inside before the top is in place, as I was concerned about earlier, that leather I spoke of is moisture-resistant and backstitched. A number of other unique features set the top-line roadster apart from Bugatti’s coupe too, such as a back-up camera utilizing a 2.7-inch monitor integrated into the right side of the rearview mirror, and audio aficionados that tire of the quad-turbocharged sixteen-cylinder extravaganza (is that possible?) can now enjoy the aforementioned Puccini sound system, complete with a digital signal processor. The new Grand Sport also boasts a unique headlight design with LEDs, as well as special alloy rims, and a slightly taller windshield, signature details that will be easy to spot for true Veyron fans.

Cutting away the roof section brought about its own problems, mind you, but Bugatti added reinforcements along the convertible’s rocker panels and within the transmission tunnel, plus used higher-strength carbon-fibre throughout the rest of the structure, and more of it than the fixed head car gets. The B-pillars are now cross-stiffened with the pricey composite material, plus a central carbon plate was fitted below the transmission tunnel to reduce torsional flexing, resulting in the stiffest roadster ever. For additional strength and less weight the Grand Sport’s doors are also made of carbon fibre, and include a longitudinal beam for transferring load from the A- to B-pillar, dissipating energy in case of an accident. Lastly, the car’s air intakes, which have been redesigned, now boast ten-centimeter-wide carbon-fibre elements to protect driver and passenger in the event of a rollover. It’s all very comforting when speed rides so breathtakingly fast.

Yes, I would have liked to test that speed more fully on Germany’s less restricted autobahn, which begins very close to where the Grand Sport and all Veyrons are produced. Bugatti’s factory and headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, France, hand build the car, a process that began in March of this year. The price, as mentioned, is in the vicinity of $2.2 million CAD, which seems reasonable considering that only 150 will be made. If you divide this into the R&D money spent to develop it, you’ll understand the reasoning for the high price. After all, this isn’t a crude sled with a supercharged big-block lump strapped on, but easily the most sophisticated car ever made, and one that has undergone intense performance and safety testing that I am now personally grateful for.

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

First I’ll tell you what Bugatti did and then I’ll finish with my story. The brand wanted to build the safest supercar ever made, and therefore one of the tests had it at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at 390km/h, at which point the driver turned the wheel as quickly as possible to the lock position. Yes, the very thought sounds disastrous, but the Veyron merely slowed to a stop, totally in control. My experience? Butch and I were running up a local mountain road and enjoying the moment, a car so perfectly balanced on a road that I know well and love. Truly, I’ve never experienced anything as brilliantly stable at speed as the Veyron, and therefore was grateful when we turned a sharp corner only to find snow and ice layered across the roadway. A shocker for sure, the car immediately went into a slide which I caught quickly with a lot of opposite lock steering and subtle throttle control, and, after a little school girl yelp (I’m not willing to call it a scream) we gingerly made our way up the mountain road to a safe U-turn location and made our way back out of harm’s way. The amazing thing is, despite all-wheel drive the Veyron only has summer performance tires and shouldn’t have been able to do what it did, but it reacted like it was wearing all-seasons at worst, and truly shocked us both. What a car!

Yet what I’m most impressed with wasn’t the car’s high-speed performance, but rather how easy and enjoyable it is to drive around the city at regular speeds. Most supercars don’t do well in these conditions, but the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, and I’m sure the coupe, is as easy to drive as any VW. I had heard that Volkswagen Ag Supervisory Board Chairman Ferdinand Piëch gave one to his wife, Ursula, to use, and that she was and possibly still is enjoying it as a regular driver. Compared to some supercars, like Porsche’s Carrera GT which just might be the most challenging to manage due to a floor-hinged clutch pedal and a powerful yet peaky engine, the Bugatti is a dream, and a dream, thanks to Bugatti and their publicity company, JMPR, which came true for this scribe. If you want your turn behind the wheel, the ever-pleasant and professional Asgar Virji and his Vancouver Lamborghini team will accommodate.

As good as it gets? Easily! The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is not only a pinnacle of automotive engineering, but also one of the most passionately crafted driving machines I’ve ever experienced. Ridiculously expensive? Certainly. But overpriced? Hardly.

Truly One of the World’s Best
Tony Whitney, Canadian Auto Press

The Aston Martin DBS Volante I recently put through its paces is the latest in a long line of highly desirable sports cars from this fabled British automaker that goes way back to the earlier part of the last century.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

Over the years, the cars have earned widespread fame (not least in many a James Bond movie) and successive generations have each improved upon the last despite periodic corporate upheavals. The “Aston Martin” name, for those who care about such trivia, came from the marque’s founder Lionel Martin, who attached the prefix “Aston” in honour of the once-famed Aston Clinton hill climb course on which he raced before and after the First World War.

The automaker was founded in 1913 as Bamford and Martin and was always involved with sports and racing cars of one kind or another. Many notable successes were recorded by the firm over the years, including victory at LeMans and the World Sports Car Championship in 1959. More recently, class wins have been recorded at Le Mans in various Astons, including production-based models. Wealthy business entrepreneur David (later Sir David) Brown bought the company in 1947 (for less than $50,000!) and the DB of his initials lives on today, even though his involvement ended decades ago and he died in 1993. A long and fruitful period of Ford ownership was followed more recently with the purchase of Aston Martin by a group of private investors.

But enough of history lessons. Bond’s gadget-laden DB5 may have had the firepower of a WW2 fighter-bomber, but the new DBS Volante rivals the best of the best when it comes to performance, handling, refinement and – let’s not forget this – downright luxury.

“Volante” is Aston-speak for convertible and several models in the company’s lineup over the years have boasted this particular badge (though curiously, the current V8 Vantage convertible is dubbed “Roadster”). Getting one point out of the way right from the start, this car does not have one of the increasingly-popular folding hardtops, but uses a powered fabric top, albeit of the finest possible quality. It’s so well crafted and finished that somebody at Aston Martin must have snuck over to one of those megabuck Savile Row tailors in London to get advice on the task. It’s simply that well done and the red fabric on my test car was a great match for the leather upholstery of similar hue. Please don’t talk about “ragtops” with this one, OK?

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

The bodywork is mostly of aluminum, but there is quite extensive use of carbon fibre too, some of it visible, some not. The timeless Aston Martin styling that’s pretty well unmistakable has evolved from other models, but it’s evolved with subtlety and good taste. Perhaps it looks a little too much like less expensive Aston Martin models, but few will complain about that – they all look great anyway. It’s also a practical car and reasonably easy to get in and out of – but you’ll probably want to use the tiny rear seats strictly as a place to toss your Louis Vuitton briefcase or Hugo Boss jacket.

Top up or down, the DBS Volante – Aston Martin’s top model which premiered earlier this year at the Geneva Auto Salon – is a head-turner of the first rank, but of course, it looks its best when prepped for a session of wind-in-the-face motoring. The roof hides under a “fifties Mille Miglia-style” sculpted tonneau cover when it’d folded down and it’s only a matter of touching a single button and waiting 14-seconds or so. The job can actually be done while you’re moving as long as you’re not topping 48 km/hr.

One of the great joys of driving this car with the top down is the way you get to hear the engine at work – especially when it’s given any kind of throttle. Accelerate hard and the Volante roars like the hammers of hell and it’s a total delight to the ears (if not for non-car fans witnessing the exercise). But drive quietly around town and the car burbles happily along with scarcely a sound to disturb the tranquility of a peaceful neighbourhood. In fact, that’s one of the strong points of the DBS Volante. You can drive it like a race car and it’ll respond with great verve, but cruising unhurriedly around city streets it’s a pussy cat and just as easy to deal with as a Honda Civic. This axiom simply doesn’t apply to most supercars.

The source of all this sonic excitement is Aston Martin’s hand-built all-alloy quad cam V12 which displaces just inside six litres and develops a serious 510-horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Find an open road and you can rocket the beast to 100 km/h in something like 4.3-seconds. Top speed is quoted by Aston Martin as 307 km/h (191 mph), but for most of us, that will have to remain a theoretical figure. It’d be nice to try, though!

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

The Volante we tested was equipped with a ZF-built Touchtronic 2 six-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wire control, which offers steering wheel paddle shifters in addition to full automatic mode. A row of easy-to-push, easy-to-reach buttons on the dash take care of transmission modes. Quite frankly, driving the car purely as an automatic is really the way to go unless you have to negotiate winding alpine passes with what would be second-gear corners. Manual shifts are there when needed, but are probably included mainly to quieten the “full automatics are for wimps” brigade. With the car set in auto mode, there’s so much torque more or less instantly available that it’s easy to get lazy and leave it set that way. For those who must have a manual, a six-speed Graziano is available. Incidentally, both transmissions are “rear mid-mounted” – Aston Martin’s way of describing its transaxle setup.

The suspension is double-wishbone all-round, conventional enough for this class of car, but one of this Aston’s best features is its poise on poor road surfaces. Whatever the engineers did to tune the suspension for this challenge worked brilliantly and road undulations are ironed out with surprisingly little fuss. I took the car over some very poor roads I often use to evaluate ride quality and was mightily impressed at how well the ride held up with no handling sacrifice. Some exoticars are almost undrivable on rippled road surfaces – hit something rough and uneven at any pace and you could be struggling to retain control. Not so with the Volante.

Adding to this car’s agility and general handling prowess is a set of those wonderfully grippy Pirelli P Zero tires on 20-inch aluminum rims. As might be expected from a car with this kind of performance, the brakes are as good as they get – dinner plate sized carbon ceramic discs that proved to be the best using this material I’d ever tried. The last car I tested with brakes like this (a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren) may have had the capability of scrubbing speed off quickly at the end of a 250 km/h sprint, but around town and at more modest speeds they snatched and squealed so badly the car was impossible to drive smoothly. Last time I visited the Brembo factory in Bergamo, Italy, I saw a bin full of calipers with the Aston Martin logo cast into them and that’s probably where the Volante’s stoppers come from (Aston doesn’t say).

The interior of our tester was finished in opulent red leather and it looked superb. There are many who’d say red leather is an excess, but it seemed to work very well with my silver Volante. And there’s no faulting the craftsmanship in the cockpit. Every stitch seems to be flawless and quite apart from the way they look, the seats (no, not the rear ones) are comfortable and supportive. Some of the interior trim is carbon fibre, which adds a nice “competition car” touch. The instrumentation is surprisingly fuss-free for a car in this bracket. Nobody’s tried to over-impress with row after row of switches and dials – the general look in this Aston is one of simplicity and ease of use. I’m not wild about the current fad for polished aluminum fascias and trim panels, but there’s no denying its popularity. I found that it was easy to find the controls you needed even when climbing into the driver’s seat for the first time. Even the grippy steering wheel is a straightforward, no-nonsense affair.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

Sitting behind the steering wheel of a DBS Volante is a joy that every auto buff should experience at least once. Starting the car involves shoving an iPod Mini-shaped “key” into a slot in the dash and pressing it. This, to me, is an advancement on systems which use a push-button and a separate fob that you can’t find a place for around the cockpit.

The sound system is by Bang & Olufsen – a company at the pinnacle of high-end audio both for car and home. The system senses when the top is down and makes adjustments automatically, although for me, the best audio entertainment with the DBS Volante is the engine note.

Of course, this is a very expensive automobile indeed at $325,000 or so, but looking at the spec sheet and experiencing the performance and ambiance it’s hard to figure out how it could have ended up any less costly. Component parts for limited-production cars are horrendously pricey. Amortizing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tooling is challenging enough with a Toyota Corolla, but when you’re talking of just a few hundred sports cars this can be near-prohibitive.

With cars like the DBS Volante, Aston Martin really deserves more consideration than it sometimes gets from “Italian or nothing” factions of the automotive press. Perhaps it’s time for us to stop thinking about Aston Martin merely as a purveyor of James Bond’s “weapons of mass destruction” and switch to placing the British automaker where it belongs as one of the world’s great sports car builders – right in there with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti and the rest.

Upping the Subcompact Ante
Canadian Auto Press

Ford is banking on its newest subcompact to pull entry-level buyers into its showrooms come next summer, and after a day’s drive through just about every type of condition this side of arid desert heat at one extreme and snow on the other, it’s a clear winner.

2010 Ford Fiesta

The rain in Vancouver was torrential, especially during a special autocross section that pitted the little subcompact hatchback against other B-segment top-sellers including Toyota’s Yaris Hatchback, Honda’s Fit and Nissan’s Versa Hatchback. All were capable little performers, but only the Fiesta took to the track like a real autocrosser. This thing has legs, reminding me more of the original European-designed Focus than anything Ford has ever brought to us before, and quality is a lot better too, especially inside where it shines, literally in a few spots.

In fact, there are a lot of bright spots throughout the cabin, metal-look accents that add some high-end flare in a segment that is traditionally more about A-to-B practicality than upscale attraction. Sure it can handle the trips to taekwondo practice, piano lessons and dentist after school thanks to five roomy seats and easy ingress/egress, a stop off to the nursery for a few potted plants and hanging baskets stowable in its 281 litres (9.9 cu ft) cargo hold, which incidentally measures 965 litres (9.9 / 34.1 cu ft) with the 60/40-split rear seats folded, and lest we not forget simple commuting made better due to a really good sounding audio system, comfortable seats, the aforementioned sporty demeanor and fuel economy that’s really miserly at 7.9L/100km in the city and 4.7 on the highway via the EU cycle. But it’s truly a sports car in hatchback guise.

2010 Ford Fiesta

It really is. I was just as enamored with the little Fiesta on the open road where its front struts and rear twist beam suspension let it carve up corners with ease, never becoming unstable even when pushed beyond the limits most drivers will attempt. Its electrically assisted steering system responds quickly to input too, and feels really good, which is normally not the case for such systems.

The little variable valve timing-enhanced 1.6-litre four is a terrific engine too, winding out nicely and sounding great during the process of making its maximum 118hp and 112 lb-ft of torque. The 5-speed manual shifts extremely well and the clutch is light yet substantive feeling. Ford didn’t have any 4-speed automatic versions on hand, but I imagine that it’s good enough for the intended purpose, and the car’s better than average engine output should help move auto-equipped Fiestas along well enough. The manual hits 100km/h in less than 10 seconds, which is good for this class, although more important is how planted it feels out on the freeway at high speeds, fully capable of passing large vehicles thanks to a 7.1-second run from 80-to-120 km/h in third gear. Around town it’s easy to drive, the suspension compliant enough for rougher patches of pavement and turning circle reasonably tight for negotiating parking lots.

Braking is also very good for the class thanks to ABS, EBD, and EBA. The fronts are discs and the rear uses drums, normal for B-segment vehicles, while a full assortment of airbags is expected to come standard. Right about now it should be pointed out that the car I was driving during a recent press program was a European model, and with the Canadian-spec intro not expected until the Canadian International Auto Show next year, we won’t know for sure exactly which items will be standard and what will get on the options list, or won’t be offered at all.

2010 Ford Fiesta

For instance, some of the cars brought into the country to do the program and make rounds to dealers featured leather seats, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, keyless ignition with push-button start, power windows, locks and mirrors, automatic headlights, cruise control, plus a really good audio system boasting USB and iPod inputs. Not the usual entry-level fare, which makes me think that a lot of it might not make its way across the Atlantic. Our subcompact segment is a very price conscious, needs-driven market, and such features, excepting the stereo upgrade, power windows, locks and mirrors, and cruise control would likely get nixed by the consumer. Likewise the Euro car included a fairly sophisticated infotainment interface that probably won’t be part of the North American Fiesta lineup, our cars getting Ford’s much-lauded Sync connectivity system.

While time spent in Ford’s all-new entry-level hatchback won’t help me relate all of the standard and available features the upcoming 2010 North American-specification model will offer, it causes me to state without hesitation that Ford has upped the ante in the subcompact class with its new Fiesta.

Good Enough to Trek into 2010 Unchanged
Tony Whitney, Canadian Auto Press

It’s always interesting to evaluate the latest version of an import vehicle on familiar roads, but it’s better still to give one a thorough shakedown in the land of its creation. That’s what I did recently when I spent two and a half weeks touring England and Wales in a Land Rover LR2.

2009 Land Rover LR2

In the UK, the vehicle we know as the LR2 is dubbed Freelander II. About three years ago, the LR2 replaced Land Rover’s earlier Freelander model in Canada, but in its homeland the automaker decided to use “Freelander II” rather than go with an alphanumeric tag. The original Freelander was a fairly modestly equipped rig, but this time around there’s a whole lot more luxury, more room inside and a significant power increase. It’s far more of a “real Land Rover” than its predecessor.

I drove a 2009 model, but Land Rover is not trumpeting any significant specification changes for 2010. Like all automakers, though, Land Rover does add regular “under the skin” upgrades to keep its products in line – or ahead – of competitors.

I’ve driven several Land Rover models in the UK, but this was the smallest I’d got my hands on. In fact, it proved to be perfect for navigating the country’s narrow rural roads and the high seating position you get provides an excellent view of everything as you pass by – and there’s lots for a tourist to see over there. So for those who might be planning a motoring vacation in Britain and would like to rent a Land Rover, ask for a Freelander II and not an LR2 and you’ll be on the right track.

2009 Land Rover LR2

Of course, my tester had its steering wheel on what we’d call “the wrong side,” but driving on the left soon becomes a habit and you just have to remember to drive the correct way round the myriad of traffic islands that are a very common feature of British roads. You pretty well never see a “stop” sign – just traffic islands and yield triangles. Of course, I’ve driven the vehicle extensively on Canadian roads so many of the comments in this review refer to the North American market version.

The old Freelander was an interesting vehicle and I always found it impressively off-road capable, like all Land Rover products. To get it down to a price, Land Rover did skimp on one or two things like interior trim and so on, but not on capability. If they’d done that, it wouldn’t have been a “true” Land Rover at all.

The LR2 is a far more opulent vehicle, having more in common with the next-level-up LR3 and the even more posh Range Rover. It’s bigger, has more power and boasts an interior that doesn’t shriek “low-rent luxury” like its predecessor. Get into an LR2 and you could believe you’re sitting in a much more expensive vehicle that its $44,900 price tag suggests.

The instrument panel, controls, materials and textures are reminiscent of the LR3, which means that the LR2 cockpit is a very satisfying place to spend time. The switches and knobs have a solid, confidence-inspiring feel to them. My test LR2 had a very good sound system fitted, too.

As far as styling goes, it owes a lot to the LR3 with its rather stately, boxy, lines and square-rigged stance which not only looks nice but allows for an accommodating cargo area of 755 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,670 litres when they’re folded flat. “Chiseled, geometric and simple” is how Land Rover describes it. Despite the LR2’s move up-market, it’s still quite reasonably priced and thus belongs in the compact luxury segment, which has very few products competing in it. The closest rivals to the LR2 are probably the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and the BMW X3 – other rigs in this price range are generally classified as crossovers and don’t have off-road capability.

LR2 power is provided by a 3.2-litre inline six with 230-horsepower – more than enough to make this a fairly swift SUV in all kinds of conditions (it’s claimed capable of 200 km/h). With torque listed at 234 lb-ft, this SUV can quite handily climb very steep grades on trails and haul itself across rock-strewn river crossings with ease. The transmission is a 6-speed automatic with manual settings via paddle shifters, when needed.

2009 Land Rover LR2

The vehicle I drove in the UK was equipped with Land Rover’s wonderful TD4 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine, which proved very economical and had lots of torque for steep grades and overtaking. Land Rover claims an impressive average fuel economy figure for this rig of just 6.7 litres per 100 km, making it the thriftiest product ever built by the company. It’s a pity we can’t get this powerplant here, but I guess that if enough potential LR2 buyers demand it, it’ll possibly appear at some stage. In the meantime, we’ll stay with the excellent inline gasoline six.

Standard is Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, which allows the driver to choose from five options to adapt powertrain and chassis to whatever conditions prevail. This can include everything from mud and sand to snow and gravel – not to mention smooth, dry, paved highways. Owners should experiment with the various systems and get some kind of idea as to when they should be put to use.

This vehicle’s greatest safety asset is its ability to handle all kinds of road conditions, but from a passive standpoint the LR2 has ABS with discs all-round, latest-generation front airbags, side airbags and a traction and stability control system. I found the brakes very good indeed, with a nice response and no “snatching” under emergency conditions. They have a smooth, reassuring, action.

For the fairly lengthy period I spent with this Land Rover in Britain, it never missed a beat and didn’t reveal any problems at all – even though it was a well-used (maybe even abused!) press vehicle.

Evora Wins on the Road and 2-Eleven Takes Track Honours
Canadian Auto Press

Lotus is either one of the smallest mainstream exotic automotive manufacturers or the largest boutique automaker in existence, but either way it’s really coming of age lately. Not only do its Elise and Exige models sell well in their various guises, but its specialized track model, the 2-Eleven, and all new four-seat Evora are causing as much embarrassment in publishing circles as they normally do on the track, by winning two segments of an annual awards program put on by prestigious British buff mag EVO.

2007 Lotus 2-Eleven

EVO magazine puts on quite the top-tier track car shootout at the Bedford Autodrome each year, with the annual event pulling in some extremely hot competitors, from the Ford Focus RS and Mitsubishi Evo X to more exotic entries such as Lamborghini’s Gallardo and the newest Arial Atom. In the running was Lotus’ tiny, lightweight 2-Eleven, a purpose-built track car that somehow manages to pass for street worthiness in the UK – Britannia rules! With the second-best track time and most-fun-to-drive accolades, the 2-Eleven took first place.

First amongst road-going cars was the new Lotus Evora, and it was no picnic in Hyde Park. No, in Scotland at the Isle of Skye this ultra-hot new four-place supercar went up against such notable rides as Ferrari’s new 458 Italia, Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage, and Porsche’s 911 GT3! To come out on top of this mountain of precious metal is a feat Lotus’ all-composite upstart will no doubt be shouting off the rooftops for months to come, and then factoring in its Toyota-sourced 3.5L V6 powertrain and comparatively low price tag. The Evora went into production last month and so far Lotus has delivered more than 800 units.

Four-Cylinder Diesels to Match BMW Six-Cylinder Turbo Performance
Canadian Auto Press

BMW is a performance brand, but before it decided only to include six-cylinder engines in its North American lineup it offered four-cylinder engines at the lower end. Even the first M3 was powered by a four-cylinder, and the collectible 2002tii models that preceded it, so there’s a history of four-cylinder performance machines that allows BMW to consider bring them back in order to meet more stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations.

2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo

The logical choice for a four-cylinder gasoline engine is the new 1-Series, but BMW is thinking about another four-pot solution to solve fuel economy and emissions issues with its compact and midsize SUV lineup, as well as 3- and possibly 5-Series models, diesel. Inside Line is reporting that the Bavarian automaker plans to offer turbocharged diesels into the North American market within a few years.

“This engine needs to match the acoustic qualities of a six-cylinder, and it needs to match the performance, as well as performing better in terms of fuel economy and emissions,” Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering for BMW North America told the online magazine.

So we can expect the new engines to perform well if BMW plans on offering them here in North America, as its image here is hardly utilitarian. BMW’s Baloga certainly feels this way.

“Our four-cylinder diesel will be so good that people will readily accept it as a replacement for six-cylinders,” Baloga added in his interview with Inside Line. “The target is to produce enough horsepower to be comparable to our N54/N55 six-cylinder turbos.”

If this is indeed the case, we’re in for a real treat.

Rendering Ferrari Passé?
Brian Armstead, Canadian Auto Press

In the supercar realm, conversations about who holds the throne usually start and finish with the legendary “Prancing Horse” marque from Italy — Ferrari. After all, Ferrari has produced some pretty awesome machinery over decades of existence. Indeed, aside from independent supercar makers like McLaren, Saleen, Spyker and the like, most exotic machinery can be attributed to the Italians – Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

But never count the Germans out of any equation. Witness Audi and their stellar R8, now outfitted with the same V10 engine block from corporate cousin Lamborghini Gallardo. BMW has made noise over the years with the M1 and Z8. And Mercedes-Benz has held it down with its stellar “Black Series.” But Mercedes wasn’t content to produce just high strung supercars like the SL65 AMG Black Series, they set their sights on a roadway destroyer that if you wanted to drive it every day, you could do so without beating yourself to death with a punishing ride, or worrying about breaking exotic bits of carbon fibre bodywork that no doubt would cost you tens of thousands of dollars to repair.

Over the course of just three years, the 2011 SLS AMG went from concept to the preproduction cars we recently drove at the international launch of the car in California. So does this latest supercar offering from Mercedes render “King Ferrari” passé?

A true gullwing beauty, the SLS AMG embodies everything you want in a high performance two-seat supercar. Weighing just 1,620 kilos (3,573 pounds) and with 563 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, your passenger will undoubtedly scream in fear or delight when you mash the throttle. I know I did when I was in the passenger seat, several times. Acceleration is just brutal, reminiscent of a recent ride in a big block Shelby Cobra replica. Sixty miles per hour (96.6 km/h) comes up in a scant 3.7 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 317 km/h (197 mph). The AMG engine starts life as a bare 6.2-litre engine block (though Mercedes officially lists it at 6.3 litres), and that’s where the fun begins. For strength and reliability, the engine uses a rigid one-piece bedplate at the bottom of the engine block. A lightweight forged steel alloy crankshaft and forged aluminum pistons reduce rotational inertia. Specially treated engine bores reduce friction and enhance horsepower. Eight velocity stacks manage fuel intake, and four valves per cylinder manage fuel/air mixture ingress and spent mixture egress from the eight cylinders. The SLS exhaust system features racing-type headers that feed into a large collector pipe on each side of the engine. According to Mercedes-Benz, this engine is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine in production. They will get no arguments on that from me.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The aluminum SLS body is a work of art. Only the engine subframe and front roof pillars are made of ultra high-strength steel. Since it hides antennae for the radio, GPS navigation, telematics and cellular telephone, the trunk lid is made of a plastic composite.

At the press launch, a special AMG building housed displays of the SLS bare body and chassis. The body features myriad bracing methods to make sure it is super rigid and tight. Corrosion resistant (yes, aluminum can corrode!) aluminum tubes, boxes and ribbed sections are beautifully welded together. The body is so unique and well done it seems a shame to put paint on it!

The chassis features a number of enhancements. Again, significant use of lightweighting is employed. Up front, a dry-sump lubrication system eliminates the giant oil pan, allowing the engine to sit lower in the chassis for a lower centre of gravity. A front-mid-engine location behind the front wheels and a rear-mounted aluminum transaxle (weighs only 136 kilos or 300 pounds) provides the SLS with a front-rear weight distribution of 47/53 percent. An aluminum torque tube houses a carbon fibre driveshaft that weighs a mere 4.0 kilos (8.8 lbs)! The torque tube connects the engine to the rear mounted seven speed, dual clutch transaxle. Double wishbones and track rods are the basis for the Formula One style suspension. Should you opt for the carbon ceramic brake package, massive 401 mm front/358 mm rear (15.8 inch front/14.1 inch rear) ceramic brake rotors are clamped by six piston AMG gold painted calipers. These ceramic discs are 40 percent lighter than conventional brakes, further reducing unsprung weight and enhancing suspension and steering response.

Monstrous 265 section tires mounted to 9.5 x 19 inch front wheels and 295 section tires mounted to 11 x 20 inch rear wheels complete a very impressive rolling chassis.

With the whole car assembled and ready to drive, press the electronic key fob, and an assist handle pops out from each door panel. Two hidden gas-pressure struts allow the doors to be opened and closed with little effort, and a grip molded into the bottom of each inner door panel makes closing the gullwing doors easy, even for small occupants. A large windshield ensures great frontal vision, better to enjoy the upper limits of the car.

The interior is jet fighter inspired, and features logically placed switchgear and gauges. Real aluminum or optional carbon fibre trim enhance the centre console. The lower console is all business, and features an array of switches that control various SLS parameters. Press the start/stop button, and the V8 rumbles to life, and then select “D” on the small T shifter, which serves as the selector for the “AMG DRIVE UNIT” that also includes a shift mode knob and buttons for choosing ESP modes, starting the engine, raising the rear wing and accessing the AMG menu. Shifting through the seven gears is automatic, but can also be done manually with shift paddles on the steering wheel. An automatic rev-matching feature makes downshifting smooth, and provides a great exhaust sound.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Style wise, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is far more impressive in person than in the preview photos I’d seen prior to the launch. There are several key accent lines that do not show up well in photos, but make a dramatic statement to the overall effect of the car’s look. Its long front hood, low-slung bumpers, short body overhangs, low roof line and short tail section give it a bold stance.

Walking toward the car, details reminiscent of the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300SL of the 1950s emerge. The headlights are positioned at the outer edge of the front fenders, drawing attention to a wide front grille with a large Mercedes-Benz star accented by horizontal wing-like fins.

All ancillary lights such as turn signals and daytime running lights feature LED technology. Located above each headlight, thirteen LEDS behind a special lens serve as turn signals, and daytime running lights are formed by two rows of five white LEDs below the headlights.

A convex rear window and tapered rear roof pillars blend into a sloping trunk lid, which hides an active aerodynamic spoiler that provides extra downforce at high speeds. The wing automatically rises at 119 km/h (74 mph) and retracts again at 80 km/h (50 mph). The rear houses LED fog lights as well as an air diffuser and dual exhaust outlets.

Inside, the dash, seats, door panels and armrests are upholstered in hand-stitched “Designo” leather. The headliner, roof pillars and rear shelf are finished in Alcantara.

In the driver’s line of sight are two gauges: speedometer and tachometer, with smaller displays within the gauges for fuel level and engine oil temperature. Between the gauges, a 4.5-inch screen displays gear selection, driving mode, outside temperature and clock. Above the display is a racing-type shift prompter – a group of LEDs showing ideal shift points that are visible in the driver’s peripheral vision.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

A seven-inch colour COMAND display at the top of the dash controls the audio, telephone and navigation systems, and features Bluetooth connectivity. The standard six-speaker audio system includes a 100-watt amplifier; a six-disc, in-dash CD/DVD player; and an AM, FM, HD and SIRIUS satellite radio with iPod/MP3 interface and advanced voice control. The standard six-gigabyte music server enables up to 1,000 music files to be stored in the car. An optional Bang & Olufsen system features an 1100 watt amplifier and 11 speakers,

The SLS AMG comes with eight airbags – two-stage adaptive front airbags and knee airbags for the driver and passenger, as well as side airbags in the outer seat cushions to protect the chest and arms and, for head protection, window airbags that deploy upward from the door sill.

Driving over several hundred miles of Californian coastal highways and mountain passes, the road manners of the SLS AMG are impressive. Though the tires on the car resemble steamroller treads, ride quality is almost supple, and belies its supercar capabilities. And the SLS does not tramline over grooved surfaces or follow other imperfections in the road like some other big tired cars. Though the ride is supple, when you need it to tighten up, it does, slicing up canyon passes like a Ginsu knife. The exhaust note is just right – you hear the beast under the hood going through its machinations, but it does not drone or roar you into a weary state. This is a Benz after all, so luxury is an important component of the vehicle no matter its performance capabilities.

The 2011 SLS AMG represents the very best that AMG has yet produced. In fact, this is the first “clean sheet” AMG car in the 40 years of AMG’s existence, meaning it was not based on any current platform. Volker Mornhinweg, chairman of Mercedes-AMG, explained it to journalists at the press launch with passion: “Our aim with this interpretation is to create the classic car of the future and put the most beautiful sports car of the 21st century on the road. Another of our goals is to create a new design icon that will help shape the incomparable story of our brand. At the same time, the new SLS is a harbinger of the design philosophy of future Mercedes-Benz sports cars.”

Prices have not been officially set, but expect the SLS AMG to be around $200,000 USD.

Production S60 Looks Close to Detroit Auto Show Concept
Canadian Auto Press

For almost a dozen years, since the S80 was introduced for the 1999 model year, Volvo styling has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. The design language was initially well received and still offers fresh appeal, for the most part, but even good things must come to an end sooner or later.

2011 Volvo S60

This time around the new look of Volvo won’t be introduced via its flagship S80 sedan, but rather the bread-and-butter midsize S60 model, and it is one serious makeover. If you saw the S60 concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year, or photos of it at least, you’ll see that the new production car shown here bears more than a passing resemblance.

Of course, the rear-hinged back doors have been replaced with conventional ones, the panoramic skylight removed and a few tweaks to the front end styling, especially to the headlights, reduce some of the aggression and therefore should make the car more appealing to Volvo’s traditional down to earth buyer. Then again, this is the raciest Volvo ever with a coupe-like roofline and assertive stance.

“The all-new Volvo S60 is sculpted to move you,” commented says Stephen Odell, President and CEO of Volvo Cars, in a press release. “It looks and drives like no other Volvo before and the car’s technology will help you to be safer and more confident behind the wheel.”

Keeping the sheetmetal angled in all the right places is a new Pedestrian Detection system that brakes to a full stop automatically if the new S60’s driver fails to react to a pedestrian in the road. This feature joins one of the most comprehensive lists of safety features offered in the premium midsize class.

With the new S60, Volvo may just have an even bigger hit than the current model. Only time will tell, of course, but the brand, currently under Ford’s umbrella yet soon to take on new familial roots, is about to experience big changes that appear to be stylistically, at least, very positive.

“Customers in this segment want emotional appeal, sporty design and dynamic driving properties,” added Odell. “The S60 has it all. We are convinced that it will be one of the strongest contenders around.”

Look to the Geneva Auto Salon in March 2010 for an official unveiling and more detail, with production set to begin the summer following at Volvo’s Ghent, Belgium assembly facility.

Inclusion of Porsche Pushes VW Over the Top
Canadian Auto Press

With General Motors still licking its wounds and Toyota losing money for the first time in 76 years and having shut down its plants in February, the new rising star is Volkswagen which surged ahead last month to take over the number one carmaker spot, globally.

2011 VW Phaeton

And it really is a global effort, with the German automaker much stronger than the Japanese giant in Europe, overwhelmingly more dominant in South America, and ahead in China, although don’t count Toyota out just yet. They plan on passing 7 million units this year, although VW hardly looks like its slowing growth either.

So far this year VW has built 4.4 million cars, about 400,000 more than Toyota, but it should be noted that this tally now includes Porsche.

Certainly the windup of 2009 will be an interesting affair.

Saab’s New Owners Hope to Double Chinese Retail Locations
Canadian Auto Press

You’ve got to ask yourself, if Saab faithful had a problem with their sport-oriented near-luxury brand producing cars in Germany (9-3), Japan (9-2x) or the USA (9-7x), how will they feel about a 9-5 built in China?

2009 Saab 9-5

Now that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. (BAIC) has been announced as a minority partner in Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg’s deal to buy Saab from General Motors, the Chinese automaker will have the opportunity to produce and distribute certain Saabs in China. Specifically, the deal allows BAIC rights to the previous-generation 9-5.

“Beijing Auto is an opportunity for us to establish ourselves in the Chinese market with their experience,” said Saab chief executive Jan-Ake Jonsson, during a September conference, adding that he hoped to double Saab’s presence in China from 15 to 30 dealerships where they’re currently sold under Shanghai General Motors.

A Stronger GM allows for Greater Global Presence
Canadian Auto Press

With today’s announcement that General Motors Co. will not be selling its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to Canada’s Magna International after all, but rather maintaining them as part of its global strategy, it makes a person question what that global strategy might become now that the Detroit-based automaker is seemingly on the mend.

Opel Flextreme

“Given an improving business environment for GM over the past few months, and the importance of Opel/Vauxhall to GM’s global strategy,” a prepared statement read, “the GM board of directors has decided to retain Opel and will initiate a restructuring of its European operations in earnest.”

This news will no doubt infuriate Magna International and its would-be Russian partner Sberbank, which negotiated in good faith and by doing so the former company took great risk to its core business as an automotive supplier. By attempting to take over one of Europe’s largest brands, Magna ruffled a few feathers, but GM is likely not all that worried about the Canadian concern; it has enough to worry about on its own.

Just the same, the auto giant is looking healthier now than it has in years, and therefore will present its own plan for restructuring its European divisions to the German government and other jurisdictions involved in the sale.

“We understand the complexity and length of this issue has been draining for all involved,” chief executive Fritz Henderson commented. “However, from the outset, our goal has been to secure the best long-term solution for our customers, employee, suppliers, and dealers, which is reflected in the decision reached today. This was deemed to be the most stable and least costly approach for securing Opel/Vauxhall’s long-term future.”

But what is “GM’s global strategy,” as stated in the press release, with respect to Opel/Vauxhall? After all, that strategy incorporated a US division that has now been scuttled after a proposed deal with Penske Automotive Group fell through. So, does GM’s Saturn brand have a chance at rebirth now that its European donor car supplier is back in the fold?

While it might at first seem like an obvious choice to make, Saturn being the North American arm for a brand that hasn’t been sold here in decades, with the US and Canadian governments involved in the final decision, as well as labour unions and other interested parties, GM would have to put forward an extremely sound case followed up by some impressive fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2010 projections.

No doubt, Opel’s return to the GM fold will only fan the flames of Saturn devotees and cause speculation amongst auto pundits everywhere.

Comparing Apples to Apples
Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press

Let’s get one thing completely straight: the next time I hear somebody criticize the Dodge Journey for not delivering premium levels of interior materials quality I’m gonna flick him on a side of his ear with my middle finger for not thinking before he speaks.

2010 Dodge Journey

First of all, the Dodge Journey has a pretty good interior all-round compared to a number of its competitors, except for a couple of substandard items such as a difficult-to-open central storage bin atop the dash and a really cheesy feeling glove compartment lid. The dash itself is soft-touch plastic all the way across, and there are soft squishy plastics elsewhere in the interior too, which is something that Toyota can’t say for its much lauded Highlander; the Japanese car is all hard and cheap inside, but you won’t hear the pundits complain despite an entry fee (you’d better sit down for this) that’s $13,455 more expensive.

That’s right. Putting things into perspective you can purchase a new Journey for the price of a mid-priced Corolla or a Matrix with a few extras. And that’s before working a deal! Believe me when I say that Dodge is quite willing to negotiate on the Journey with either cash discounts or enticing financing packages, so let’s put things into perspective when criticizing small insignificant details that may or may not even hold water, shall we my fellow auto scribes?

I had a 2010 Journey recently, and have to say that it left me scratching my head as to how Auburn Hills could do it. And the sub-$20k price tag isn’t something the automaker’s new Italian owner Fiat dreamed up after Chrysler emerged looking relatively unscathed from US bankruptcy court. A special “Journey SE Canada Value Package” has been part of the offering since the crossover SUV debuted last year as a 2009 model, and it’s not a stripper either thanks to power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, air conditioning, ABS-enhanced four-wheel discs, traction and stability control, plus side curtain airbags for all window passengers, earning it a top safety pick from the US IIHS for 2009. What’s more, 2010 models get something the 2009s didn’t; driver and front passenger active head restraints for better whiplash protection. Even the non-Value Package SE is a great deal at $21,495, and comes well-featured too with heated mirrors, variable intermittent wipers, rear washer/wiper, floor console, power locks, dual glovebox with Chill Zone beverage holder, illuminated cupholders, a tilt and telescopic wheel, a 60/40 split-folding second-row seat with child presentation feature, six-CD/MP3 stereo, and tire pressure monitoring system. And by the way, base models get 16-inch steel wheels with covers inside 225/70R16 all-season tires.

The SXT adds 17-inch alloy rims wrapped with 225/65R17 all-season touring rubber, a touring suspension upgrade, tinted glass, auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic headlamps, a six-way power driver’s seat, a trip computer with temperature and compass, overhead console with conversation mirror, a 115-volt outlet within the centre stack, a rechargeable flashlight conveniently integrated within the wall of the rear cargo area, a cargo net, front passenger in-seat storage, grocery bag hooks, illuminated vanity mirrors, YES Essentials stain-resistant fabric, fold-flat front passenger seat, keyless entry, security alarm and SIRIUS Satellite Radio. And by the way, all-wheel drive models add 19-inch alloy wheels framed by 225/55R19 all-season touring tires, a special performance suspension and fog lamps.

2010 Dodge Journey

The R/T includes the 19-inch alloy wheels and suspension upgrades that the SXT AWD gets, as well as heated leather-trimmed seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, and a remote starter, full-length floor console, garage door opener, roof rack side rails, plus front and rear interior LED lights.

Other options include a backup camera, MyGig infotainment system, rear-seat DVD system with a larger 9-inch screen, new for 2010, and a trailer towing package. And incidentally, there may be a few changes to this list of standard and optional features, as not all 2010 details had been made public when the review was published, so it’s best to confirm with www.dodge.ca before railing on the poor dealer about what comes and doesn’t’ come with a specific model. Believe me. He’s been through enough this year.

I really like the rear seat access which features rear doors that open 90 degrees for ideal ingress and egress to the second and third row. And yes, while all models come standard with a five occupant maximum, they can be upgraded with another row of seats for a total of seven. That seven-occupant model can stow 302 litre (10.7 cu-ft) behind its third row, by the way, and 1,049 litres (37.1 cu-ft) with the split-folding second row folded completely flat (and it does fold completely flat), while both rear rows laid flat yields 1,915 litres (67.7 cu-ft) of cargo capacity. The Journey can tow 1,600 kilos (3,500 lbs) with the V6, incidentally, and 450 kg (1,000 lbs) in base four-cylinder trim.

My tester was a midrange SXT, just like last year’s Journey, and it was outfitted much the same as well, with a top-tier audio system featuring a touch-screen display for accessing the AM/FM/Sirius satellite radio, CD player and 30G hard drive with USB connectivity for uploading songs, photos, etc. It sounds great and its standard auxiliary connection was easy to hook up, delivering hours of my favorite tunes. I tend to listen to satellite radio mostly, however, being a big fan of Sirius 20, 21 and 24, which translated are “Alt Nation”, all that’s new in the alternative rock genre, “First Wave”, late ’70 and ‘80s stuff that was cool when I thought I was cool, and “Lithium” that mostly plays ‘90s grunge, a music type I have long had a personal love affair with. I should mention that the UConnect hands-free cell phone connectivity system comes as part of this upgrade package, and a navigation system can be had for added coin, but then again the touch-screen interface comes with the upgrade without having to spring for the nav, while the screen automatically transforms into a backup camera when reversing, another bonus.

I was a bit disappointed that, like the SXT we tested last year, the new one didn’t include automatic climate control, although its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was easy to modulate via really high quality switchgear. Again, I get back to the criticisms Dodge has received for this interior and I just don’t get it. The chrome trimmed buttons feel good, look good and work well, so what’s the issue exactly? And that Toyota Highlander I mentioned earlier that’ll cost you a discounted Caliber for your college-bound son or daughter (or a Yaris if you’re so inclined), has large plastic buttons and knobs that look rough and ready but feel comparatively cheap and insubstantial to the fingers, and while I mentioned the Highlander’s substandard plastics while the Journey gets the aforementioned soft-touch surfaces on the dash, door and centre armrests, as well as some textured metal embellishment around the audio and HVAC interface, plus a two-tone black and gray colour scheme which includes seats that are made of premium cloth, for some reason it gets no respect from auto pundits.

What matters more, of course, is what you the consumer does with your hard earned cash or credit, and to this end the Journey is Canada’s number one selling crossover out of 39 competitors. Obviously price plays a big part in this achievement, but so does the availability of desirable features, an important motivator when selling to families; and Dodge certainly has experience with this market from years of minivan leadership. After all, the Journey was really conceived to replace the regular wheelbase Caravan and has obviously done so effectively, so expect an accommodating interior including the aforementioned optional third row seats, a second row that moves forward and rearward to accommodate various body types, decent room aft of the third row for a couple of suitcases, and much more available when the 60/40 middle seat is dropped. Like the Grand Caravan there are numerous large hidden storage spaces too, like under the front passenger’s seat where a convenient bin that uses the seat cushion as a lid is available for valuables. Additionally, there are two lidded storage bins under the floor, each capable of stowing 24 beverage cans, as well as two in the optional ChillZone glovebox. Add them all together and you might be surprised with the Journey’s 18 separate storage compartments.

2010 Dodge Journey

Another minivan-like bonus is integrated child seats. A quick tug on the release lever lets the cushion insert pop upwards and lock into place, providing an elevated view for your child. As important, the seats stow out of the way when not in use.

Being strapped down inside might be critical for safety reasons, but its seatbelts won’t be needed to keep driver and passengers in place while attacking the corners, at least not on purpose. Let’s face it. The Journey’s on-road prowess isn’t going to motivate anyone to push it to extremes. It handles, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t really feel all that nimble as it leans into the tighter, faster corners. Really, its forte is ride quality, and to that end it delivers a nice, smooth experience.

Likewise, its six-speed automatic is really smooth, delivering quiet, immediate shifts on its own or via its AutoStick manual mode shifter, while the 3.5-litre V6 with 235-horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque is easily capable of all that’s asked of it while maintaining a calm, dignified composure. I’ve tried the base Journey’s 2.4-litre four before and it’s not a bad lump with 173-hp and 166 lb-ft of torque at its disposal, but the six delivers much better performance in a more mature fashion. Then again, if fuel economy is important and you’re not compromising the estimated mileage by your real world situation (i.e. loading it full with people and/or cargo, traveling up and down hills at varying speeds, etc), then the 2.4 might be the way to go thanks to a rating of 11.0L/100km in the city and 7.9 on the highway, despite only incorporating a four-speed automatic; 2009 ratings for the V6 with front-wheel drive are an estimated 13.5 and 8.6 respectively, while the all-wheel drive six got 14.2 and 8.9 last year. I mention the US because Canada hasn’t yet adjusted its ratings to reflect a 1mpg improvement with V6-equipped Journeys. Both engines take regular fuel too, saving even more money.

At the end of the day the 2010 Dodge Journey doesn’t satisfy all of the needs of the regular-wheelbase Caravan customer it has been targeted to woo, but as far as midsize crossovers go it’s a really innovative compromise, offering minivan-like features at a very bottom-end domestic minivan price point. Yes, the Journey is all about value, and to that end Canada’s number one selling crossover is obviously hitting the nail right on the head.