April 2009 Long-Term Road Tests Archives

It's often mentioned around our office that the seating position in our 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T is too high -- that the high-mounted seats force you into a chair-like seating position reminiscent of a crossover.

There's little way Chrysler (er, the company formerly known as Chrysler) could have avoided this without major design changes, of course. The Challenger has the same comically high beltline and short glass area as other LX cars. Mount the front seats any lower and it'd be unsafe to drive.

However, I'm here to tell you that I don't mind this seating position a bit. I'm all legs and no torso, so I jack the seat-bottom cushion all the way up and enjoy the view over the big black hood. It's a fine view, it's relaxing, and yes, it's like sitting in some kind of SUV. This setup isn't the least bit true to the original Challengers, I realize, but in nearly all respects, the reborn Challenger is a modern-day homage to the old car, not an authentic, 1:1 copy.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 4,165 miles

Categories: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

  We haven't updated our Cadillac CTS' fuel economy in a looooooong time -- updating the fuel log just took me 30 minutes. But here's the damage.

Overall Average: 19.2 mpg
EPA Combined: 20 mpg

Best: 32.5 mpg (Bravo, Scott Oldham)
Worst: 9.9 mpg (Double bravo, Mike Magrath)
Longest Distance on One Tank: 401.2 miles (25.6 mpg by Dan Pund)
Most Fuel in One Tank: 20.598 gallons

(Update: As a sharp reader noted, the CTS only has an 18-gallon gas tank. Not really sure how the 20.598 happened. Maybe someone filled up their lawnmower on the company tab.)

James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 28,313 miles

Categories: 2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI

I drove our new M3 like I meant it for the first time this week, and while I'm totally with Jacquot on the color choice, here's what I texted back to the office:  

"A race car that seats five, with a supple ride and a killer stereo. Best all-around car in the world."

I stand by that assessment, but after taking our old M3 up the PCH to Oxnard last night (not once have I just driven this car straight home), I'm not sure I would trade it in for the new one if it were my car. TMV for our M3 is about $19k, so I'd need another $37k or so to get into the new one. Even if I had silly money, I'd have to think twice about getting rid of the E46. 

Yes, the aging S54 inline-6 is noticeably less powerful than the ridiculous S65 V8, but it's got every bit as much of that refined ferocity that sets M engines apart. I still prefer the looks of the old car, too, though it loses out on functionality to our E90 four-door (a curse upon you, BMW, for not making an E46 M3 sedan). For my money, I think I might keep the E46 and buy a new 328i wagon with that $37k.

What would you all do?

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor @ 70,996 miles  

Categories: 2002 BMW M3,2009 BMW M3

We've had an AEM intake waiting patiently on the shelf as we installed other mods in Project Evo X, our long-term 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR. The car had an AMS cold-air intake when we took delivery of it, and though it has helped produce some stout power numbers, its constant hissing is like pheromone spray for cops.

The AEM intake includes an airbox that should muffle the sound, plus all the bits above. It's a deceptively simple-looking kit, as looking closer there are a lot of clever touches.

For example, there are ribs molded into the plastic elbow to strengthen it against the low pressure that can be generated in this area. The MAF pipe is completely isolated from the chassis via rubber isolation mounts. Its "Dryflow" filter never needs oiling which is nice because oiled filters can play havoc with mass flow sensors.

And the filter itself lives in said sealed plastic airbox that not only prevents the intake of hot underhood air but also, at a glance, appears stock to the undiscriminating eye. If, you know, those eyes miss the AEM logo stamped into its lid. MSRP is $330.21.

Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

I've logged many miles in our certified 2005 VW Jetta TDI, including a trip to the base of Mt. Whitney in Lone Pine, California.

I can hear a chorus of "Nooooo!" being shouted at me right now in response to the headline. Yet, it's my task to sell our long term 2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI.

Seriously folks, this Jetta is actually still worth a lotta dough. Our True Market Value price for it is $12,900. Considering it cost $24,000 new, it's held its value remarkably well.

If gas prices hadn't gone south our Jetta would be worth far more. Further eroding its desirability is the appearance of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which was a complete home run. It's also the first time a diesel has been available in California in over 10 years. Ergo, my phone is not ringing.

Still, consider these arguments in the TDI's favor.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI

(satire intended)

Alternate Title: Who Is the Most Mean? (grammatical flaws intended)

2nd Alternate Title: Man, that Evo is white-hot! (effusive praise intended)

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 4,165 miles (mediocre blog entry intended)

Categories: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

This is how it should be. The shifter in our 2008 Mitsubishi Evo MR gets it right. Notice you push it to downshift and pull it to upshift. Most cars get it backassward, in fact, only BMW, Mazda and Mitsu do it this way. The right way.

Why is this the right way? Because when you're accelerating and need to upshift, your weight and momentum are toward the rear. And when you're braking and need to downshift, the reverse is true.

Trust me, this is how it should be. Don't let anybody else tell you different.

That said, I always use the Evo's large, well-placed paddle shifters instead, so the configuration of Evo's shifter doesn't much matter.  

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 14,798 miles

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR

An open letter to car manufacturers (those that are left, anyways),

Please standardize steering wheel controls for all makes and models accordingly: Audio controls on the left, cruise control on the right.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2009 Ford Flex Limited

A Cadillac doesn't need to handle like a BMW, providing Nurburgring corner-taking on American streets.

A Cadillac doesn't need to ride like a '98 Cadillac Deville, wafting down the road as if on American coastal waters.

The CTS thankfully does neither. However, I don't think it achieves the appropriate balance between the two that would represent what an American luxury car can be in the 21st century.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI

As I said in the title, Jacquot's a fool. Our white long-term M3 sedan looks great in white and those dark 18-inch wheels are the only way to go. The white with dark wheels thing is cool and they are proportionally right for the car. The optional 19s are too big and too shiny. But Jacquot is known for his love of the bling. The guy just put 22-inch spinners on his wife's Mazda 3. So I urge you to consider the source.

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief 

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Editor Oldham speced our M3. It's white. It's got red leather and 18-inch wheels. He's the boss so he gets to make the call on these things. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

But there are a few things that need to be said about the choices. White? Seriously? There isn't another color in the spectrum which more effectively steals a car's soul -- not to mention its glorious subtleties. The Alpine White on our M3 does a brilliant job of hiding the hood's power bulge and the otherwise striking fender flares. I'm not a fan.

And the red leather: Who am I Bozo The Pimp?

And the wheels: He chose 18s because he likes the way the look. "They've got dish," says Oldham. But they don't have dish. Not any that matters anyway. He pointed out that they do, however, cost less -- the 19s are a $1,200 option. But according to the hairsplitting M3 nerds on M3 post.com the 19s (with tires) actually weigh less.

Thing is, they might just be worth it. I think they look better and the last M3 sedan we tested with 19s outhandled our car.

What say you?

Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor

Categories: 2009 BMW M3

Yup, that's our long-term 2009 BMW 750i on MD Automotive's Dynojet chassis dyno in Westminster, CA.

And why not? After all, its 4.4-liter V8 is not only twin-turbocharged and equpped with direct injection, it's been turned inside out. That's right--the intake manifolds are located where the exhaust manifolds usually live, and the turbos nestle in the vee formed by the two cylinder banks.

Does this unconventional layout actually work? Is Nutella a delicious spreadable chocolatey substance? When we finally defeated all of the 750i's numerous electronic protections (including one that throws the transmission into Park if the wheels turn while the door is open), we found out just how angry this flagship luxury liner can be.

Hit the jump for the dyno chart.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2009 BMW 750i

Once you remove the plastic breastplate covering our long-term 2009 BMW 750i's engine, it's easier to see what's going on in there. Click the image above for a larger version.

Basically, there are two of everything. The flow paths for the two cylinder banks are completely independent--the two flow streams do not converge until after the exhaust exits the turbos.

Green arrows denote the location of the two airboxes where panel air filters reside. There are two probe-type hot-wire mass flow sensors (red arrows).

Purple arrows show a peek at the compressor housing of each turbo. The hard metal line and hose that curls around each turbo are coolant lines--when you shut off the engine, the coolant in the turbo's center housing boils. This is intentional, and is called a thermal siphon--the water vapor then moves up the line and more coolant takes its place, thereby preventing the heat that is "soaking back" (from the exhaust manifolds and downpipes) from coking the oil in the bearings.

The blowoff valves are integral to the compressor housings and are actuated electronically rather than pneumatically.

Yellow arrows point to the oxygen sensors located just upstream of the close-coupled catalytic converters. The closer the cat is to the turbo, the more quickly the cat's substrate can heat up and become functional, which improves emissions. BMW mounted these cats as close as they feasibly could have.

As you might imagine, there's a lot of heat shielding in the engine's vee around the turbos.  Exhaust manifolds are dual-walled "tube within a tube" arrangements--there's an air gap that surrounds each exhaust primary tube. This helps the cat "light off" quicker and reduces the transmitted heat load. Still, I'm curious how well the surrounding bits hold up over time.

Blue arrows point to the liquid-to-air intercoolers. These are mounted directly to the front of the engine via isolation mounts. This makes for a very tidy and modular package. Had BMW used air-to-air intercoolers instead, they would have been forced to package much larger-diameter plumbing to the nose of the car, and then back to the intake manifolds. Air-water coolers can be smaller, too, since water has a high specific heat (i.e. it requires a lot of energy to raise its temperature one degree).

What you can't see are the plastic intake manifolds mounted to the outside of the cylinder banks. Again, this approach (the "inside-out" V8) is easier to package since the intake manifolds are relatively small.

Click the jump to get a better idea of the airflow paths of this engine.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2009 BMW 750i

Back in December I was lamenting Inside Line's plans to quiet down our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo GSR until I had to live with it for a weekend. Jump to now when the buzzy exhaust has been muted and the car is as easy to live with as my beloved Evo MR. OK, THAT I was fine with. But now the swoosh is gone, too? I LOVED that sound. It evoked the sensation of flying a jet plane.

But then an editor pointed out that now it's possible to tap into the GSR's power without drawing too much attention. Sweet!

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 21,020 miles

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Though our 2009 BMW 750i is somewhat light on equipment, it does have the Camera Package that adds front sideview cameras and a rear backup camera. The sideview cameras are pretty trick, as James first noted in one of his old TFTC posts. In certain situations, they are very useful.

More on how they work after the jump.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2009 BMW 750i

Front seats don't get much more basic than the ones in our 2009 Suzuki SX4. They have manual sliding fore and aft and manual seat recline. No lumbar, no ventilating, no butt massaging (unless you do it yourself). And you know what, the seats are just fine without all that stuff.

Since I haven't done more than a two-hour stint at a time in the Suzuki, I can't say how they'd be on a long road trip. But the seats are perched up high -- sort of like an SUV's -- and that provides good thigh support. Lateral support is adequate for this kind of car. The seat cushioning is a little spongy, but you do get an inner foldable armrest for each front seat, which is quite nice. Curious that Suzuki sprung for this but didn't think to put any padding on the door armrests .

The main comfort issue (for me) is the lack of a telescoping steering wheel. Since my legs are long, I have to position the seat either for my arms or my legs, meaning either I'm cramped or my arms extend out like a dude riding a motorcycle with ape-hangers.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

Categories: 2009 Suzuki SX4

By now you might be able to recognize what you're seeing without me going on at length. After all, there are only so many ways to lay out a suspension.

Our 2008 Cadillac CTS has a double-wishbone setup with a high-mount upper arm, and it uses a lot of aluminum bits and pieces.

The difference between the double wishbone and double control arm designation amounts to a technicality, but I'm going with double wishbone here because the one-piece aluminum lower control arm (blue) is generally A-shaped, not L-shaped.

An earlier post of mine mentioned that our CTS has forward-mounted steering (yellow), as opposed to the CTS AWD, which does not. Our RWD CTS steers quite precisely, so it paid off. 

And our CTS has very functional front brake ducts (black) that shoot air gathered from front grille openings onto the front rotors.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI,Suspension Walkarounds

So my friend Mitch comes across the street to see the new car the way he always does. He owns and runs Park Plaza Shell, where he already sees more cars than anyone in town. Here's what he said. (You probably can guess what I said.)

"So that's a Mazda?

"I can't recall seeing one before. It really looks great. Don't all cars looks great now?

"It's so big. What kind of Mazda?

"I remember the Mazda 6. This doesn't look anything like that.

"Better than an Accord?

"How much power?  From the V6, I mean.

"The four-cylinder is better?

"Fuel economy is that good?

"Think they'll turbocharge it?

"That much power in racing?

"I don't think I've see one before.  Better than an Accord?

Yes, the Mazda 6 is still a secret.  But the secret is slowly getting out.

Michael Jordan, Executive Editor @ 10,555 miles

Categories: 2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring

Explaining forced induction to a youngster is like explaining the joy of motorcycling to your wife. Words don't work. You need first-person experience.

So after explaining supercharger/turbocharger boost to my 10-year-old son a couple weeks ago (with minimal success) I decided it was time for a first-person experience. Strapped into our Nissan GT-R's passenger seat I dialed up the custom LCD screen that displayed brake and throttle application, plus boost level, speed and G-force tracking.

After a short reminder of what the boost gauge was tracking ("This is the amount of air pressure being pushed into the combustion chamber.") I told my young Padawan to watch the throttle position and boost gauges. "You'll see the throttle gauge suddenly go from zero to 100 percent, and then you'll see the boost gauge follow. You'll also notice a change in the GT-R's forward momentum."

Continue reading...

Categories: 2009 Nissan GT-R

Sorry to be so superficial, but I am. After driving our ridiculously fast Evo GSR last night, the one thing that stuck in my head was the look of the new wheels. I mean look at that sucker, you're not going to get anything like that from the factory. The dual finishes, the deep lip, it's gorgeous and looks great on the GSR. 

When I was done admiring the Evo's shiny parts, I did actually get in and drive the car to sample all the new mods. This thing was freakishly fast before, now it's almost scary. 12-second street cars tend to feel that way.  

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR