Our 2011 Mazda 2 has proven to be entertaining to drive in a small car sort of way, even though the suspension itself is fairly standard, as we'll soon see.
The key to Zoom Zoom is how the inevitable tradeoffs are managed? Is ride more important? Noise? Steering? That hard to define fun-to-drive element? In Mazda's case the answer skews toward the fun end of the meter.
The way they do it is with suspension and tire tuning, through conscious choices made with regard to spring rates, damper settings, bushing hardness and the internal construction of the tires that support it all.
Much of this is invisible in a suspension walkaround, but we'll have a look anyway.
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Categories: 2011 Mazda 2 Touring,Suspension Walkarounds
It is time for another suspension walkaround from the long-term fleet. Lamborghini Aventadors only come around so often, right? This week its time for a trip back to reality in the form of our 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring.
Those of you with sharp eyes will notice that everything in the following shots looks a bit too clean for something that's been in the fleet for 8 or 9 months. You may also notice that these shots were taken in the driveway of my old house.
Yeah, I've been sitting on these shots for awhile. It's high time I finally do something with them.
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Categories: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring,Suspension Walkarounds
This time it's the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon's turn for the suspension walkaround treatment, the first one shot in my new driveway.
As we go along, take a moment to refer back to the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour walkaround. Apart from the TSX's obvious lack of AWD, there are many similarities in the overall suspension layout and the basic look of the various bits and pieces. Some of the parts may in fact be shared, but it's quite likely that many are not.
That's because the TSX Sport Wagon is smaller and more svelte than a Crosstour. Our TSX Wagon is 2.3 inches narrower, 7.8 inches shorter (less tall) and 7.4 inches shorter (less long). Its front and rear track widths are 2.7 inches narrower and it rides on a wheelbase that's 3.6 inches shorter. Our Sport Wagon weighs some 282 pounds less, too.
Let's take a look.
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Categories: 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon,Suspension Walkarounds
We've recently seen the underbelly of the 2011 Buick LaCrosse CXS and its unique Hiper Strut front suspension. Now it's time to have a look at its little brother, the 2011 Buick Regal CXL Turbo.
Why? Couple reasons. First, it's a long-term car, and I try to give all of our LT cars equal time on the jack stands.
Second, the Regal lineup currently offers no version with Hiper Strut, but it will next year. A new 2012 Buick Regal GS is coming, with a revised 2.0T engine that makes at least 35 more horsepower (possibly as much as 50 hp more) and 37 additional lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission will be the standard offering, with a 6-speed autobox available as an option.
All of this is fantastic, but both developments increase the likelihood of torque steer. Also, a hot-rod model needs great steering. And so Hiper strut will appear on the Regal next year, but only on the fortified GS version.
With that in mind, lets look at our current Regal CXL Turbo, the one that feeds "only" 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque to its front wheels. I'll point out the 2012 Regal GS differences I know of as we go along. And, if you haven't already, make sure to click on the LaCrosse walkaround link to see what Hiper Strut is all about.
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Categories: 2011 Buick Regal CXL Turbo,Suspension Walkarounds
What does it take to turn a Mini Cooper into a Mini Cooper Countryman? I jacked up our 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 to find out.
The 2001 Mini Countryman goes by the engineering code name R60, while the regular 2nd-gen Cooper on which it is based is known as the R56.
Here's a quick spec comparison:
Compared to a Cooper S, our Countryman is...
- 15 inches longer than a Cooper S
- 4.1 inches wider
- 6.1 inches taller
Furthermore, the Countryman's...
- wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer
- front track is 2.8 inches wider
- rear track is 3.6 inches wider
- weight is 385 pounds higher than a Cooper S (front-drive Countryman)
- All4 hardware adds another 111 pounds
Despite these differences, there are plenty of similarities in the suspension, which is based on the same basic design philosophy, front and rear. Most of the specific parts are different, though, because of the added weight, higher stance and the four-wheel drive system.
As you check out the pictures after the jump, feel free to compare them to those of an R56 Mini, in this case our dear departed Mini E.
On with the show...
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Categories: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4,Suspension Walkarounds
Cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are all about their unique fancy-pants drivetrains, but they're supposed to be affordable, too. Experience tells us this combination produces few surprises in the suspension department.
Still, the Leaf was the landslide winner in our recent suspension walkaround poll. You asked for it, you got it. Here's the all-new 2011 Nissan Leaf in a compromising position in my driveway.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL,Suspension Walkarounds
Truth be told, I've been sitting on the suspension photos of our 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS for some time. You know, things get busy around the office, a Leaf shows up, there's a hot story or three, and if you're not careful six months go flying by.
No more. I'm blowing the cobwebs off these ancient stills and trotting them out for all to see.
Why am I telling you this? I dunno. I guess I wanted to let you know why the Sonata's suspension bits and pieces look so sparkly and clean in the following pictures.
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Categories: 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS,Suspension Walkarounds
At first I thought my floor jack wasn't going to be sufficiently low enough to slide under our 2009 Dodge Viper SRT-10. Then I imagined the side-pipes would cause trouble. Thankfully, I was dead wrong on both counts.
Let's have a look at this beast.
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Categories: 2009 Dodge Viper SRT-10,Suspension Walkarounds
You never got to see the Lambda-platform underpinnings of the 2008 Buick Enclave we used to have in the fleet because, at that point, I hadn't yet begun my suspension walkaround series.
No problem. Our 2010 Chevrolet Traverse gives us another chance because it also rides on the same Lambda platform, as do the GMC Acadia and discontinued Saturn Outlook. And prototype examples of a yet-to-be-released Cadillac Lambda SUV are almost certainly running around behind the fences of GM's various proving grounds.
All of this means the Lambda platform is still very relevant. Let's have a look.
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Categories: 2010 Chevrolet Traverse,Suspension Walkarounds
More than a few of you have been getting impatient for this one. The wait is over. The suspension walkaround of our 2010 Volkswagen GTI long-term test car is finally here.
The going wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped. Volkswagen uses annoying, easy-to-lose lug nut caps that must be removed with an annoying, easy-to-lose wire removal tool, and a liberal coating of tire black at the last carwash may have ruined my pair of jeans. Oh, how I despise tire black.
Enough of my whining already. On with the show and tell.
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Categories: 2010 Volkswagen GTI,Suspension Walkarounds
A lot of car people really admire the original Mazda Miata because it's such a simple and well-executed design. But there are also those who'll never get it. I heard one myself last week while I was driving our '94 Miata with the top down: "Look at that. That car is so bleeping blay."
Whatever, dude. I call I can say is you're missing out. He probably assumes it's front-wheel drive, too.
Let's move along. I'll point out Jay's bolt-on mods along the way.
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Categories: 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata,Suspension Walkarounds
This time it's our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's turn to have its wheels removed so we can take a peek at its underpinnings.
I've commuted in this car, and I've taken it on a long trip to Prescott, Arizona and back. So far I've been left with the impression that this car is tuned more to my liking than the 2008 Accord sedan we once had in our long-term fleet. The Crosstour has very good straight stability on the open road, and the rear suspension is much better settled over bumps and in corners.
Let's see what's going on.
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Categories: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour,Suspension Walkarounds
You've seen the outside and heard various favorable driving impressions. Now it's time to take a look underneath our long-term 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS to see what's what.
Our front-wheel drive GTS edition (AWD is available!) wears 18" Dunlop tires and multi-spoke alloy wheels. For now, let's yank them off of there and set them aside.
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Categories: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS,Suspension Walkarounds
I'm tired of unintended acceleration. I want to get back to talking about acceleration that is fully intended (and appreciated) and the cars that are built to manage it well. What better way to take the automotive equivalent of a Silkwood Shower than a suspension walkaround of our 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS?
Let's get right to it, shall we?
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Categories: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,Suspension Walkarounds
No, our 2010 GMC Terrain does not have a flat tire. The rear wheel is off to facilitate yet another episode of everyone's favorite semi-regular tech feature (work with me, here), the Suspension Walkaround.
*cricket noises interspersed with a smattering of polite golf applause*
Anyway, our new 2010 GMC Terrain is an all-new crossover SUV, which is more or less code for a unibody chassis with front-wheel drive architecture and car-like suspension bits. This exercise is a two-for-one deal because pretty much everything we'll see in the coming photos applies equally to its stablemate, the Chevrolet Equinox.
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Categories: 2010 GMC Terrain,Suspension Walkarounds
Full disclosure: it's raining cats and dogs outside. These pictures of our partially undressed 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid were taken last week before the skies opened up and we were all inundated with Toyota recall coverage. We now take you back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Turns out the Fusion Hybrid rolls around on some interesting suspend-y bits. Let's have a look.
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Categories: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid,Suspension Walkarounds
Another Car of the Week, another Suspension Walkaround -- that's how it's supposed to go, anyway. But I've caught up to a point where many of the recent CoTW selectees have already undergone the procedure. Not so the 2010 Volvo XC60. Let's see what's going on under there.
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Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD,Suspension Walkarounds
It's easy to forget that beyond all the talk of batteries, regenerative braking and range, the 2009 Mini E is an otherwise normal car--and a pretty damn good one, at that. The last Mini Cooper we had in our long-term fleet pre-dated the suspension walkaround series, but the underpinnings of the Mini E are more or less identical.
Let's have a look ...
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Categories: 2009 Mini E,Suspension Walkarounds
After looking back through the archives, I realized that our 2009 Mazda 6 had not yet undergone the suspension walkaround treatment. This aggression will not stand, man. You deserve a peek.
Each long-term test of course ends as it began: the car is taken to the test track to see how it fares when driven at the limit.
The Mazda 6 recently underwent its wrap-up testing, and by chance we had a 2010 Ford Transit Connect delivery van at the track on the same day for unrelated purposes. Comparisons were unavoidable after the Transit beat the Mazda 6 in the slalom (61.9 to 60.9 mph) and tied it on the skidpad (0.79 g).
Some of that difference is down to the absence of electronic stability control (ESC) on the Transit we tested, whereas our Mazda 6 has an ESC system that can't be completely disengaged. And the system fires-off somewhat easily because our 4-cylinder Mazda 6 rides on rather pedestrian Michelin Energy MXV4 S8 tires.
Despite those limit-test numbers, the Mazda 6 performs admirably in day-to-day driving due to a well thought-out suspension.
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Categories: 2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring,Suspension Walkarounds
By now you've heard many times about the revolutionary new coil spring suspension that Dodge engineers put in the back of the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. You've also heard us rave about how much we like it, whether driving it around empty, towing, hauling or off-roading.
This suspension played no small part in the Ram's victory in our recent 4-way truck comparison test in which it defeated the other main players in the 1/2-ton truck market from Ford, Chevy and Toyota.
But we've never actually shown you that suspension...until now.
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Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500,Suspension Walkarounds
