Ever wonder what the mix is for new Camaros moving off dealer lots? Well, I noticed a post on a Camaro forum that gave a link to a database site that tracks Camaros being sold and gives you the ability to filter for a variety of parameters. There seems to be some disagreement among forum posters about how truly accurate the information is, but it's certainly better than nothing.
I was interested to learn how many 2010 Camaros are like our long-term car, which is to say Camaros with the V8 and the manual transmission. The results:
Percentage of 2010 Camaros sold with the SS trim (V8): 61 percent
Percentage of those Camaro SS models with the manual transmission: 46 percent
I was a little surprised; I would have guessed lower percentages for both. Another way to look at it would be: a little more than one out of four Camaros sold is the V8/manual combination.
Camaro5 forum
camaro.spasticsquirrel.com
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 11,716 miles
Categories: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Well, the racing season has begun, so I have racing cars on the brain. And when the Camaro comes up, naturally I think about the unveiling of the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS that will pace the 2010 Indianapolis 500 in May. The official unveiling took place in December.
It turns out that the Camaro has paced the Indy 500 a bunch of times: 1967, 1969, 1982 and 1993. What interests me is the comparison with the 1969 Camaro SS, since the look of the '69 model inspired the 2010 model. (Actually GM designer Bob Boniface originally conceived a car based on the 1970 Camaro, but the GM execs decided that the '69 model was the proper starting point, since they were old and the '69 Camaro is the one that all the old guys collect.)
So maybe a simple comparison between the 1969 Camaro SS and the 2010 Camaro SS can give us an idea of what might have been lost (or gained) in translation.
Continue reading 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS: Profiles in Pace Cars.
Categories: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,Vehicles
One of my friends says our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 looks like a big shoe. "That long, flat hood and that stubby hatchback rear... yep, it's a big shoe." He says the same thing about the BMW M coupe and strangely there are two examples of BMW's wild-child hatchback living in our office garage. Both are red.
So, should a self-respecting car guy-person have any reservations about driving around in a giant red shoe? I, for one, do not.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 6,571 miles
Categories: 2010 Mazdaspeed 3
Three different times over the weekend people stopped to ask me if I was pleased I chose the 2010 Honda Insight over the soon-to-be-officially-recalled 2010 Toyota Prius.
"Aren't you glad you went Honda instead of Toyota?" asked a 50-something-year-old guy in the Von's grocery store parking lot.
"Yeah," I muttered as I quickly slid into the Insight's driver's seat.
It was late, I was alone, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that recalled or not, I still prefer the Prius to the Insight.
Will Toyota's latest troubles push you into an Insight over a Prius?
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 12,233 miles
Categories: 2010 Honda Insight EX
We had a company lunch last Friday, pizza and salad. As I was eating my sixth slice, someone asked me what test car I would be driving over the weekend. "S5," I answered.
Another co-worker at my table said, "I almost bought that car."
I replied, "Yeah, and?"
"The sunroof doesn't open," she asserted.
That was the dealbreaker for her. She ended up in a two-door 3-series.
For some people, fresh air is a matter of paramount importance.
For me? Don't care -- I don't want to muss my coif.
And you? Will you, too, be like Liz Lemon and cry, "Dealbreaker!"
(Blue non-long term Audi A5 with moonroof pictured)
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer @ 16,150 miles
Categories: 2009 Audi S5
Awhile back I wrote that the M3's electronic gadgetry was overkill. Too much of a good thing was my general sentiment. It was already more than capable as is, why add a bunch of buttons that make it feel all tensed up and nervous?
On a long to the Ojai valley about 90 miles north of L.A. (that's one of the town's landmark arches in the picture, look closely and you'll see it was built way back in 1999) I gave the M3's "M" button another shot. It more or less coordinates all the possible means of electronic changes like the throttle control, dampers and stability control. You can set it up any way you want, but one of our resident track jockeys had already dialed in a nice setup, so I just pressed it and went.
Continue reading 2009 BMW M3: Learning to Love the M Button.
Categories: 2009 BMW M3
Let's start this off on the right foot: I like our 2010 GMC Terrain. I like its easy-to-use navigation/audio interface. I like its overall interior styling. I like its suspension tuning, and despite the fact that this four-cylinder model isn't all that powerful, I find the power it does have to be adequate. And I like that and the efficiency that comes with it.
So I was surprised to see that its rear seats don't fold flat.
Continue reading 2010 GMC Terrain: Good Stuff, but What's With the Cargo Area?.
Categories: 2010 GMC Terrain
Oh yeah, the BMW 750i also has a heated steering wheel. Of course, it does. I'm surprised it doesn't have a latte machine in the dash.
Heated steering wheels are a feature I never paid attention to before I tried it in our Dodge Ram. Now, it's my new favorite thing. The BMW 750i's heated steering wheel is subtler than the Ram's but still cozy.
I was on the road early this morning and really wanted to pull over, rest my face on the steering wheel and take a nap.
Do you think heated seats and steering wheels would put you to sleep on a long road trip?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 25,324 miles
Categories: 2009 BMW 750i
Every time I've jumped behind the wheel of our 2009 Mini E I've rolled my eyes at the fact that the speedometer is located in the center and the battery charge display is behind the steering wheel. I mean, who looks at their "fuel gauge" more than their driving speed? I know, we all heard this before. But the thing is, don't laugh, I had no idea that you could change the digital display behind the wheel to show the speed, too. Until I looked on Mini forums and finally RTFM.
Yes, page 39 of the manual:
"To have the current speed shown in the upper display otherwise serving for the outside temperature display and clock.
1. Press the button in the turn indicator lever repeatedly until the current speed appears in the lower display.
2. Wait for the speed display to automatically move to the upper display.
The outside temperature then appears in the lower display."
OK, now I officially have nothing to complain about.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 4,641 miles
Categories: 2009 Mini E
You know that pile of old paint cans, solvents, and other accumulated stuff in the garage that you've been ignoring? Well, I got rid of mine this weekend. I was thankful for the Dodge Ram's nifty adjustable bed-divider that kept the cargo from moving around on the way to the disposal site.
I was also grateful for the smooth riding suspension, even with what amounts to an empty bed. I also mangaged to raise the running, average fuel economy (at least according to the onboard computer) from 14.1 mpg to 15.3 over the course of 275 miles.
Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton @ 20,398 miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
