Long-Term Road Tests

You learn a lot about a car between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Most of your time is spent on Interstate 15 banging through the set of the Road Warrior. It's a wonderful drive to clear the head and education yourself about a vehicle's rights and wrongs. Basically, it's a 600 mile (300 miles each way) run with nothing to do except nit pick your ride. 

Here's what I learned about our long-term 2009 BMW 750i, there are ten.

Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Welcome To Nevada.

Categories: 2009 BMW 750i

Our Vehicle Testing Manager Mike Schmidt snapped this shot of our Volvo XC60 looking for trouble.

We suggest: Flat Out In the Volvo XC60

What is your caption?

We'll post our favorite this afternoon.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD

Honda cars usually come with pretty spiffy audio features. Our Insight is no different. My only complaint is that the connector in the center storage compartment is awkward to reach. It's not that it's in a bad place. But the cable itself is so short, it makes it difficult to reach when you want to plug in your device.

It's nice that it doesn't take up a lot of space in the smallish storage compartment. And I like that there is a pocket for my iPod. But another six inches of cord would really makes things easier and not be in the way.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2010 Honda Insight EX

Audi has already announced that it will replace the S5's 4.2-liter V8 with the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that currently resides in the 2010 S4. Actually, convertible S5s have already made the switch. There are some internal discussions at Audi about keeping the V8 around in the coupe, but last we heard the V6 was still the engine of choice.

A shame really. I've said here many times that the power of the S5's V8 is often underwhelming, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. It's nice to be able to roll into the throttle in sixth gear on the way to Vegas for SEMA and feel the S5 pick up speed so effortlessly. Not sure whether it's the sound of the engine or the feel through the gas pedal, but it's too good to pass up.

That would probably explain my less than exceptional mileage on the 600-mile round trip (around 18mpg or so). It would also explain why I would tell anybody who's thinking about buying an S5 to do it now. They're not getting much better than this.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
 

Categories: 2009 Audi S5

The parking lot of my daughter's preschool/daycare is full of family-friendly vehicles at pickup and drop-off times -- you know, minivans, crossovers and such. So it was amusing to watch another dad's reaction yesterday as I pulled up for kid-pickup duty in the Camaro. He was walking across the lot when he spied me. The result was a double-take and then an envious stare as I drove by with the Camaro's V8 burbling away.

There's something to be said for school runs in a hot car.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

Categories: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

I have yet to get tired of looking at our 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. Yeah, I get that its stance is too high with the stock suspension, and I'm not a huge fan of the wheels, but look at this rear-quarter panel -- it's luscious. I also have yet to get tired of driving the car. It rides like some kind of personal luxury coupe, yet it makes all kinds of wonderful, noisy sounds when you accelerate hard or execute a heel-and-toe downshift.

However, I do not like the steering wheel in our Challenger R/T. I also didn't like it our long-term Magnum R/T, nor have I liked it any Charger or Chrysler 300 I've driven. It's not that it's too big. The steering ratio is not quick in this car (it's listed at 16.1:1 in the specs), so turning the front wheels is a leisure activity anyway. It's the squared off spokes that ride up too high for a comfortable grip at 9-and-3.

The Challenger's steering wheel only gets a pass because we have a Camaro to kick around.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 13,040 miles

Categories: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

Last night, I got into the FX50 only to have my retinas attacked by a horde of super-bright gauges. I decided to remedy the situation by dimming the instrument panel. Given that this Infiniti is such a tech-laden beast, I expected this process to be unnecessarily complicated -- I expected to have to navigate a boatload of menus to get the job done.

Then I noticed that the controls for this function are right where you'd traditionally look to find them -- near the perimeter of the instrument panel. A couple of taps later, the brightness was dimmed and my retinas were safe from harm. Glad to see that Infiniti didn't deem it necessary to reinvent the wheel on this one.  

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor

Categories: 2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD

So after spending last weekend in our Mini E and jumping into our 2007 Honda Civic GX last night, I think I'm able to develop a quasi-educated opinion about our two green cars. As you already know the Honda is our natural gas long-termer, the Mini E our electric car.

Honda Civic GX

Pros:

• Even though it has a small trunk at least you can carry three passengers.
• Awesome fuel range.
• Can fill at home with Phill
• Ours has a single occupant car-pool lane sticker. Woo!
  

Cons:

• The limited availability of natural gas fueling stations makes it tricky for planning long road trips.
• Not fun to drive but at all.

Mini E

Pros:

• Still retains some of its gokartness.
• I find it easy to drive in stop-and-go traffic once I got used to taking my foot of the accelerator to slow down, etc.
• No gas required.
• Can charge it at home even without a specially installed wall charger.

Cons:

• With only two seats and a tiny trunk, you can't haul much around.
• Takes a lonnnng time to recharge.
• Very limited driving range means you have to carefully plan your trips or take none at all.
• Would have to be your second car.

Which one do I prefer?

Continue reading 2007 Honda Civic GX vs. 2009 Mini E: Which Do You Prefer?.

Categories: 2007 Honda Civic GX,2009 Mini E

For the record, we are not having problems with our 2009 Mazda 6's so-called Advanced Key. You know, the kind where you keep it in your pants...and push buttons to lock or start the car instead.

But what does one do if the car fails to recognize the electronic signature of the Advanced Key?

Well, for starters, you slide the little latch aside to release a hidden "real" key and use it to unlock the door, old-school style.

Continue reading 2009 Mazda 6: What To Do When the Intelligent Key Gets Dumb.

Categories: 2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring

Every time I roll any of the G8's windows down, I see this strip of grimy film across the top. I bugs me. Why? Because even after a good cleaning, the top inch or so of the windows is always obscured by the thick window frame. You need to roll the windows down a bit to clean the top edge, the roll them up to clean the bottom edge.

This, from a guy who carries his own mini bottle of window cleaner and a rag in his briefcase. Why? because when the photographers (who hate to see freshly wiped arcs across an otherwise clean windshield) want me to drive into the setting sun and the Editor-in-Chief reprimands me for flipped down sun visors in photos, I need a very clean windshield. Just sayin'

Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 34,150 miles

Categories: 2008 Pontiac G8 GT