First impression of our new super Jeep? It's a 470-horsepower vault on four wheels. No, the doors don't close with a deep thud and not every piece of trim is drilled down with three screws, but when you're on the road you feel all two-and-a-half tons of this beast from Detroit.
This is not a bad thing, mind you, especially when you have the big 6.4 Hemi to lean on. Much of the weight melts away when the V8 gets going, so it's a very swift vault.
It's really the suspension and steering that make it feel so solid. This is not just a Jeep with low-profile tires, it's a serious street machine that rides stiff and turns in quick. It takes some getting used to, but after ripping a few freeway off ramps this Jeep starts to feel good. Real good.
Very much looking forward to getting better acquainted over the next 12 months.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line
Categories: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
That's it, we've cleared the 1,000-mile break-in period. Engage!
I'm going to drive into work today at 6,000 rpm just for the hell of it.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 1,000 miles
Categories: 2012 Subaru Impreza
I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that the A8's rear door handles also offer proximity sensors which unlock the doors as your hand approaches the handle, right? It's not surprising, but it sure is handy.
And it's not something you'll often find on less costly sedans.
Josh Jacquot, Senior editor
Categories: 2012 Audi A8L
Last month, I drove our long-term Lexus ES300 to Las Vegas to attend a Buy Here Pay Here (BHPH) Dealer convention, at the organization’s invitation. This BHPH convention was a gathering of dealers to discuss best practices and to get a feel for where the industry stands at the moment.
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Categories: 1996 Lexus ES 300
It seems that GM/Chevrolet might have been reading the saga of our malodorous Sonic. A Chevy rep contacted us and said the company would like to replace the upholstery in the car. We're in the process of setting up the appointment with a dealership now, and we'll let you know what happens.
Meanwhile, we could try driving around with this Takahashi-crafted mega-freshener. Old car couldn't be worse than fish car. Could it?
Carroll Lachnit, Features Editor
Categories: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ
We've added a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to our long-term fleet.
It has a 470-horsepower 6.4-liter Hemi V8, a five-speed automatic transmission, Quadra-Trac all-wheel drive, Brembo brakes, and the luxury package which adds some leather, a power liftgate, blind-spot monitoring, among other things.
Read the full introduction of the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Categories: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
An amazing transformation of the Volkswagen Beetle. A stretched nose and a chopped turret-style top have made this into a big serious car instead of a small cheerful one.
With this car's glossy black paint, dark windows, zippy wheels and an interior overlaid with chrome accents and faux carbon-fiber trim, this is the most thoroughly stylized car in the Volkswagen portfolio, a kind of Wolfsburg panzer.
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Categories: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
Let's step away from the "Sonic smells" posts for a sec. I give you the bad-ass 2012 Chevrolet Sonic doing up some graffiti with the help of muralist Jeff Sotto and a robotic arm that was lifted off the assembly line (yes, it does fit in the Sonic). Together they decorate a brick wall in the world's first street art man-car collaboration.
Hit the jump for Chevrolet's documentary on the process and try not to cringe as paint spatters on the Sonic.
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Categories: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ
I took the i MiEV down to our studio to take a few shots of the under bits. I sat in the garage trying to get the seat into a comfortable position. I could never get it to feel right. I realized, to my surprise, that the seat bottom was just too high.
I say surprise because I am not a tall guy. But in the i MiEV I felt like I was about to scrap the ceiling with my head. I hit the down lever and it didn't budge. I could go none more lower. To paraphrase the great Jimmy McMillan, the seat was just too damn high.
This in the same vein of Mark Takahashi's complaint. I think the i MiEV is another victim of a poorly translated JDM design. Much like the first generation Honda Fit, they need to redesign the seats before they try to get the US market to embrace this niche vehicle.
Scott Jacobs, Sr Mgr, Photography
Categories: 2012 Mitsubishi i MiEV
Here's the winch that will soon grace the front of our 2012 Jeep Wrangler. It's a Superwinch with 9,500-lb capacity, and it goes by the code name Talon 9.5iSR. If you hadn't guessed already the "SR" stands for synthetic rope. A traditional steel cable version is also available.
Some one asked me how much weight one of these adds to the front bumper. Good question.
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Categories: 2012 Jeep Wrangler
For those holding out for the 2013 Audi A8 in the hopes of improved fuel economy (as many carmakers are planning for upcoming fuel economy standards), got some bad news for you. Turns out that even though Audi went with a smaller engine in the hopes of improved mpg -- a 3.0-liter V6 (in the 2013) as opposed to the 2012's 4.2-liter V8 -- the fuel economy numbers, according to the EPA, remain exactly the same: 18 city/28 highway/21 combined.
But the good news is that 1) the new Audi is purported to cost less than the 2012 and 2) it'll be equipped with that nifty start-stop technology which may end up having a positive effect on its mpg so...never mind, as you were.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2012 Audi A8L
And I'm not talking about the technology, horsepower or efficiency. All of those elements are quite good actually. As you can see, I'm speaking literally here. This is one ugly engine bay. It looks like a scorpion devouring lunch, not an engine. Boxer engines have never been much for looks, at least the production versions anyway.
As far as its performance goes, it's pretty solid so far. Not overwhelming in any one category or another, just adequate across the board which is pretty much what I tend to expect from entry-level four-cylinder engines. We'll see how it feels once it's broken in a little more.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line
Categories: 2012 Subaru Impreza
As Mark has already remarked, working the wheel of our NSX while parking can be a bit of a workout, especially if you have sore arms from overzealous rock wall climbing. My bigger gripe is that this two-seat sports car has a turning circle that rivals a Tahoe's. Indeed, at 38 feet, the NSX's turning circle is just one foot less than that Chevy SUV's. By comparison, our long-term 911's specs out at 34 feet.
During my otherwise ridiculously enjoyable time with the NSX this weekend, I had to execute a couple of U-turns and was unpleasantly surprised when I couldn't do it in one shot. With no engine sitting between the wheelhouses nor crazy-wide tires, I don't know why Acura couldn't have allowed more steering lock. That is, to allow the wheels to turn more so that the turning circle would be smaller. That said, I otherwise love the non-assisted steering that provides great feedback and progressively building effort as you crank the NSX into the curves.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 55,150 miles.
Categories: 1991 Acura NSX
You can be certain about two things here at Inside Line. The first thing is, we do use the long-term minivans to haul a lot of stuff. Whether it be bicycles, metal, housewares or cookies, the minivans usually get the job done better than anything else. The second thing is, by the end of 12 months, and often more than 20k miles, we've successfully beat this subject to death, revived it and then shot it again - just to watch it die.
I figured I'd take a swing at this blog pinata, but instead of stuff, I used... me.
As minivans have storage wells for storing third row seating, when the seats are up those storage wells make a good, relatively non-life threatening place to sit and take pictures. And since our usual support vehicle was in for maintenance, I got the keys to the Quest.
So, what's it like in the trunk?
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Categories: 2012 Nissan Quest LE
As I approached the Camry with an armful of groceries in the Whole Foods parking lot on Saturday, I wondered why the key fob wasn't opening the car's door. Tap, tap, tap. Nothing.
Then I peeked in the window and realized this wasn't our Camry. It was its doppelganger, another dark-colored model.
The same thing happened to me in another parking lot on Sunday. When every other car on the road is a Camry, it's easy to make that mistake, I guess.
Some people shy away from the most popular models because these cars tend to come with greater risk of theft. Also, as my experiences illustrate, they don't exactly stand out from the crowd.
How do you feel about this? Is a vehicle's popularity a factor that you consider when car shopping?
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 8,439 miles
Categories: 2012 Toyota Camry SE
Looking at these close-up shots of our 1996 Lexus ES 300's interior, one can't help but marvel over how well it's held up considering we found it in the back lot of a tiny independent car dealership. Sure, there is the matter of a missing passenger-side sun visor, some minor stains on its beige rug and some wear on the steering wheel but nothing major. Check it out for yourself.
More photos after the jump.
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Categories: 1996 Lexus ES 300
I had a theory on the mystery of the Sproing, and now I have confirmation. My contact at Mitsubishi promptly replied to my query with, "I just talked to our R&D team here and we believe your assumption is correct with the ABS for this noise."
Good enough for me. No more worrying that I busted a rubberband or ran over a Kangaroo.
Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor @ 943 miles
Categories: 2012 Mitsubishi i MiEV
Likes:
It's a hatchback
Ample cargo area with privacy cover
Sporty white gauges that light up red at night
Low-key dark alloy wheels
Dislikes:
Loud and sloppy CVT
Lack of mid-range torque
Weak air-conditioner
Almost imperceptible seat heaters
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 919 miles
Categories: 2012 Subaru Impreza
One of many things I love about Edmunds is that people here are generous with their expertise. My colleague Jim Chong brought me a special smell-killing product that he felt sure would work in the Sonic.
Jim told me that this unit, Hippo the Odorbuster, is sold in Korean grocery stores to eliminate refrigerator odors caused by such foods as kimchi and fish. "I've used it in my refrigerator for years and it's great. Arm & Hammer has nothing on this," he said.
The product is a two-part, vented plastic unit, with activated charcoal on one side and a deodorizing ingredient suspended in a gel on the other. I removed the outer and inner plastic seals and put it to work in the Sonic, using the car's handy deodorizer caddy/cup holder.
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Categories: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ
Setting aside the debate of regular Mazda 3 versus Mazdaspeed 3 for the moment, I do think the regular 3 is one of the best choices for a small car in 2012. If someone asked me, "What small car should I buy?" the Mazda would be one of my top three picks.
Much of the credit goes to the new 2.0-liter (Skyactiv) engine, as it gives the car the competitive fuel economy it's been lacking the past couple of years. Then there's rest of the Mazda 3 package -- responsive handling, upscale features and an available hatchback body style -- that makes this car so appealing in my opinion.
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Categories: 2012 Mazda 3
