Test Car Notes (55 Posts)
I'll admit it -- I tend to be kind of a traditionalist when it comes to premium sedans. Yes, I know the Japanese have come a long way in the past 20 years with regard to producing worthy European alternatives. But when it comes to thinking about my own $60,000 for a luxury four-door, it's hard for me not to think Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz before Acura, Infiniti or Lexus (or Equus, for that matter).
Driving this 2011 Inifniti M56 over the past weekend will probably change my default thinking.
If you're like me, you didn't have strong feelings for the Mercedes-Benz R-Class. Or if you did have strong feelings, they were strong in questioning why Mercedes is making a luxury wagon without calling it a wagon? Unless it's because they don't want to intrude on the E-Class wagon's territory. Which makes sense, sort of... But then why make the R-Class at all? To build a crossover that's sort of like a minivan without sliding doors? Doesn't the ML and GL pretty much cover that area?
Okay, so basically the R-Class seemed both confusing and redundant to me, and maybe you too.
Well, I put over 400 miles on the heavily-updated 2011 model...and it still seems redundant. But it's also a nice ride.
Like any normal human, I've always considered the Jaguar E-Type among the most beautiful of automobiles ever created. The first E-Type (Series 1) hit showrooms in 1961 with a 3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine (though a larger 4.2-liter engine was introduced in late 1964). Many "purists" feel these are the best versions of the car, and consider all later models inferior.
The Series 2 models came out in 1969 and offered upgraded cooling and braking systems, as well as open (non-covered) headlights and other subtle styling changes. All Series 2 cars used the 4.2-liter engine.
The model pictured above is listed by Jaguar as a 1970 Series 3, which is interesting because the official production dates for Series 3 cars are considered 1971-1975. The documentation on this car confirms it is one of the earliest E-Types with the 5.3-liter V12, listed as the 10th right-hand drive model built. It was also in the official Jaguar press fleet and used in a story at the time where it "raced" a jet fighter aircraft to produce dramatic photographs. So if Jaguar says it's a 1970 model, I ain't arguing with them.
Especially because I was fortunate to drive it last week.
The new Mustangs are great. All of them, even the V6. They all deliver incredible amounts of performance for very little cash. My tastes in cars trend towards the ridiculous rather than sensible, so imagine my anticipation when I was assigned the new Shelby GT500 to test.
Chrysler may be be thought of as the third wheel among the Detroit Three, and that the automaker had to be rescued by an Italian suitor didn't do much to change this perception. But when it comes to tech innovations, Chrysler is competitive not only with its Motown rivals, but with car companies from Europe and Asia as well.
The flagship 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 is an unlikely platform to showcase Chrysler's technology prowess, given the vehicle's utilitarian roots. But Chrysler has loaded its popular SUV with plethora of tech, and more rear seat entertainment options than any other automaker, including two exclusives.
You can get real-time weather reports in several cars. It's available in the Cadillac CTS, for example, and Ford offers it through Sirius Travel Link. But no one provides weather info as detailed as Infiniti.
Last week was busy weather-wise, with Hurricane Earl bearing down on the east coast. I kept tabs on Earl and other events from the dash of a 2010 Infiniti G37x Coupe. But unlike other vehicles that provide weather reports, in the G37x it was almost like having an on-board meteorologist.
I've driven the Ford Fiesta a number of times already, but it's always been the manual transmission version. Finally got to sample the automatic, which isn't just any old automatic but actually a dual-clutch six-speed automatic that Ford calls "PowerShift". Pretty sophisticated technology for the subcompact economy car segment, where some cars still make do with a four-speed conventional automatic.
I took the above picture while stuck in traffic in a 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 V6 Coupe. Don't worry, I wasn't moving when I snapped it, though I wish I would have been since I was running late.
I called up the "Real-Time Traffic" information supplied by Sirius Traffic on the car's in-dash display. But it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, and by then it was too late to take a detour. While some information about what's ahead and what to expect in terms of a delay is better than not knowing at all, I'm still wondering when real-time traffic will get real.
If you've checked-out our test drive of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, you've probably surmised that I'm not that big a fan of it. To me, it was merely average and a far cry from deserving the "Sport" in its name.
The Bowers & Wilkins audio system in a 2010 Jaguar XF I recently tested ranks as one of the best high-end stock audio options available. What I appreciate about the system (and previous non-B&W system in other Jags) is it gives you three ways to listen to music.
In the Sound menu are three touch-screen tabs for stereo, three-channel and Dolby ProLogic II. While they all have their advantages and disadvantages -- and it comes down to personal taste -- only one passed our test for accurate soundstaging and imaging.
Yesterday I discussed the rather unpleasant hard armrests found in the 2011 Scion tC (Inside Line first drive). Today, I'm in a happier mood and will thus heap praise upon the tC's standard stereo. It's a sophisticated device that easily be an upgrade on other cars in the 20K price range, or not offered at all. Though a tad more complicated than the typical head unit, it has been optimize for the standard iPod interface (another rarity in its class).
Like the ring wheel on your iPod, that big silver knob controls the volume, as well as operating the menu items displayed on the screen by rotating and clicking up/down, left/right. The processing speed is a bit slower than some of the best systems (the screen blacks out if you rotate the knob too quickly), but it's easy to operate and limits your inattention from the road. And yes, you should be paying attention all the time and never do anything at all while driving and hug your mother, but let's be honest here rather than puritanical and admit that people are going to control their iPods while driving so manufacturers might as well make it as safe and efficient as possible.
Sound quality is hampered by the car's ample road noise, and its three sound pre-settings (Hear, Natural and Feel) usually have to be changed depending on the digital music file. In other words, the system could be better, but given this car's low price, I still say it's impressive. Its three-speaker snowman stack on the doors certainly looks impressive.
Stay tuned for additional driving impressions about the 2011 Scion tC, but given the importance of sound systems to Scion's young demographic, perhaps this is the review that shall matter most.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
I'd been behind the wheel of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz R350 BlueTEC for less than 10 minutes when it happened: The vehicle took off on its own as I prepared to make a right turn. And on a downtown street crowded with people, no less. I instinctively stabbed the brakes but still felt like an idiot.
I looked down once I stopped and noticed that my left hand landed on the cruise control stalk instead of the adjacent turn signal. Thinking that I was signaling for a right turn, I instead engaged cruise.
A funny thing happened when I took this Sorento out on my quick drive loop. The loop takes less than an hour but provides a decent mix of freeway/highways and twisty canyon roads. Anyway, about that funny thing. On the way back to the office, "Rio" by Duran Duran came on the radio (yes, I was listening to the '80s satellite station). And in addition the fine ladies and the cool yacht in that video, I was reminded how far Kia had come in less than 10 years. I remember doing a road test on the first-generation Rio and my feeling was I'd rather buy a two-year old Honda Civic instead. But like its parent company Hyundai, Kia has turned themselves around. Follow the jump for my quick take on the new Sorento.
THX may not be the first name that comes to mind when people think of premium car audio. Or consumer electronics in general. Bose, JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon are more well known, perhaps because you can buy actual audio components from those brands. (And at least three out of the four mentioned are part of consumer-electronics/OEM car audio behemoth Harman International.)
THX doesn't produce consumer products, except for a few select automotive sound systems. And that's too bad given the sound of the 14-speaker, 600-watt THX II Certified 5.1 Surround system in a 2010 Lincoln MKZ AWD I recently tested.
I've been digging Bluetooth audio a lot lately. Not so much from a sound quality standpoint, but because it can be much more convenient than having to fumble around with wires. And because I find myself listening to Pandora more and more.
I've also been finding that Bluetooth audio can be much more reliable than a wired connection when switching back and forth between an iPod and Pandora. In a 2011 Kia Sorento EX AWD, the wired hook-up for an iPod (with a proprietary cable that plugs into both the aux-in jack and USB port) was a fail, as shown in the video above. Sorry for the blurry quality; the vids after the jump are clearer.
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