November 2009 Straightline Archives

Categories: Audi,Luxury Cars,Sedans

Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.

Land Rover has put a new motor in the 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged. As before, the force-fed V8 is shared with the Jaguar line, but with 5.0 liters of displacement, it's much more in step with the motivational needs of a nearly 3-ton SUV than the old 4.2-liter engine. Horsepower swells from a mere 390 to a whopping 510, while torque climbs from 410 to 461.

These are big numbers, so we couldn't resist the opportunity to compare the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged to the current reigning performance champ in the SUV kingdom, the 2010 BMW X5 M. Keep in mind this isn't a straight-up comparison. The vehicles weren't tested on the same day, and they have different personalities. The BMW is set up to give you maximum performance on the street, whereas the Land Rover is still aiming for some nebulous middle ground. Sure, it comes with a potent engine and summer tires, but it's still lugging around enough off-road hardware for a weekend run from Paris to Dakar. So this comparison is just for fun, OK?

For those keeping score, the 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged has a $74,195 base price with destination. Our tester had rear-seat entertainment ($2,500), adaptive cruise control ($2,000), upgraded wheels ($1,000), extended leather ($1,000), a 360-degree camera ($800), a locking rear differential ($500) and HD radio ($350).

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Categories: BMW,Crossovers,IL Track Tested,Land Rover,Luxury Cars,SUVs

Updated, high-resolution photos added

Audi has just unveiled the redesigned 2011 Audi A8 in Miami Beach. This is the regular-wheelbase A8 sedan, and it goes on sale in late 2010. A long-wheelbase A8 will be along later with an official debut by the middle of next year. Sources close to Audi tell us the high-performance S8 (discontinued for 2010) will be back again as well, but no one's saying when. And during the unveiling, Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management for Audi AG, said a hybrid A8 is in the works, too.

As is the rule with redesigns, this one sees the A8 grow in every direction: It's almost 3 inches longer (202.0 inches), 2 inches wider (76.7 inches), half an inch taller (57.5 inches), and it rides on a 2-inch longer wheelbase (117.8 inches). Audi isn't ready to talk curb weight, but assures us that thanks to its aluminum frame, the U.S.-spec executive sedan will "weigh about the same as the current A8."

Expect performance to be about the same as well, as the direct-injected, 4.2-liter V8 returns as the standard power plant, recording only modest gains in horsepower (now 372) and torque (now 328). Changes to the engine calibration, along with the introduction of an eight-speed automatic transmission, yield 15-percent better fuel economy, according to Audi. Look for 0-to-60-mph times to land at about 5.7 seconds. No word on the fate of the W12 engine, (also cancelled for 2010), but we're not holding our breath on that one.

More photos and details after the jump.

First Look: 2011 Audi A8

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Categories: Audi,Hybrids,Luxury Cars,Sedans

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible goes into production at GM's Oshawa, Ontario, plant in January, and over the weekend, it was spotted in Michigan.

Just one question from us: Who at New GM approved the Camaro drop top with two, count 'em, two rear antennas, and one raised blister for the center brake light?

Seriously, we want names.  

Camaro5

Categories: Chevrolet,Convertibles,Future Vehicles

Corvette tuner extraordinaire Callaway has turned its attention to the Camaro. The 2010 Callaway Camaro SC572 is supercharged, of course, and an obvious challenger to Hennessey's HPE550 and SLP's ZL575.

The starting point is a familiar one. Callaway takes the SS model's 6.2-liter LS3 V8 and fits an Eaton TVS2300 roots-type supercharger and a liquid-to-air intercooler, plus a less restrictive intake and exhaust, and higher-flow fuel injectors. Said injectors have carbon fiber covers.

Claimed horsepower is 572 at 6,400 rpm. Claimed torque is 541 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm. And with the stock six-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels, Callaway projects 3.9-second 0-to-60-mph capability, plus an 11.94-second quarter-mile at 119.5 mph. And if you never do a burnout, the company estimates you'll get 15 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway (down from 16/24 on a stock Camaro).

The price for all this (including the carbon fiber door sills you see here) is $16,990 and you're covered by Callaway's 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty. If you want the nine-spoke wheels or upgraded brakes shown here, that'll cost extra. Other extra-cost items include coil-over suspension (with or without adjustable dampers), a short-throw shifter, a peek-a-boo hood (er, "Power Window" hood) and a chrome-coat engine cover.

We'll report back when we get a chance to run some numbers on the Callaway Camaro at our test track and on a dynamometer.

SC572 specifications

SC572 pricing

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Categories: Chevrolet,Coupes,Tuners and Modifications

How would a 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS Touring feel on the track today? Gordon Robertson, an instructor at Porsche's driving academy, gives you a taste of this classic 911 as he laps Silverstone. It's a promotional video for the Porsche Driving Experience, of course, but the footage of the car is lovely just the same.

Categories: Porsche,Sports Cars

The involuntary eye-rolling began mid-sentence as we read GM's first press release claiming that the fuel economy of the 2011 Chevy Volt would be about 230 mpg.

The method by which this number was obtained was not clearly stated, and GM made vague references to a "draft EPA procedure". But we spoke to engineers at the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and they weren't clear on the formulas GM used to generate that much-touted figure, either.

Here's the problem: plug-in hybrids like the Volt are designed to be refueled with two different sorts of energy--electricity from a wall outlet sold in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and gasoline from a gas pump sold in gallons. No agreed-upon methodology exists to describe the fuel economy of a vehicle that uses two external fuel sources in the normal course of events.

Our resident engineers decided to take a crack at it, and the mathematical exercise that followed led to a far different conclusion. At today's national average prices for gasoline and residential electricity, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will cost the same to refuel as a 59-mpg gasoline-powered car: both require $55.85 to cover the 1,250 miles that make up a typical month in a 15,000-mile driving year.

Details on how we arrived at these figures follow after the jump.

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Categories: Car Tech,Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,Hybrids,Sedans

Spotted in Japan on the nose of a Japanese-spec Honda Odyssey...

Auto Otaku

Categories: BMW,Honda,Minivans

This rendering looks convincing enough but isn't quite accurate, at least not for the U.S. If we get the F11 BMW 5 Series wagon, and that's a big if, it would likely be in early 2011 and it would again be the BMW 535xi, i.e., all-wheel-drive only.

But here's what a graphic artist thinks the 5 Series waon might look like: You take the 7 Series-esque lines of the 2011 BMW 5 Series sedan and graft a 3 Series wagon-esque heinie on it.

BMWBlog

First Look: 2011 BMW 5 Series

Categories: BMW,Luxury Cars,Wagons

Sources close to BMW have told us the automaker is working on a new M1 supercar, perhaps with the styling cues of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept car from Frankfurt, but probably not its diesel-electric powertrain.

Now what are we to make of this, evidently an original BMW M1 skinned in psychodelic-camo-top-secret-prototype livery and parked along a Munich city street? Serious viral marketing campaign or half-witted YouTube video shoot?

BMWBlog

Categories: BMW,Sports Cars

You'll of course remember Nick Hogan, son of Hulk Hogan, as the hapless celebrity who totaled a Toyota Supra, seriously injuring a friend, er, ex-friend, John Graziano, and ended up with an eight-month jail sentence in May 2008.

Well, Hogan is driving again, and TMZ is reporting that he was involved in a minor car accident in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.

This is a fairly uneventful thing to have happen in LA, of course, but there's a "d'oh factor" if you believe TMZ's report that Hogan was coming back from a Keep It On The Track fundraiser. Keep It On The Track is evidently a safe driving program ("educating drivers to make smarter driving decisions") and Hogan is its spokeman.

TMZ, Keep It On The Track

Categories: Celebrities

There has never been much reason to trouble yourself over a V6 Mustang, because, well, they're a pretty slow, unrefined lot. But the transplant of Ford's 3.7-liter V6 into the 2011 Ford Mustang should make quite a difference and not just because of the new dual exhaust.

The V6 Mustang you'll see at next week's 2009 LA Auto Show has an all-aluminum, 3731cc (227-cid) engine with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, 4 valves per cylinder, and variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust side. That's good for 305 horsepower at 6,500 rpm (an increase of 95 hp) and 280 pound-feet at 4,250 rpm (an increase of 40 lb-ft). And you can have the new engine with a manual or automatic -- six forward gears each.

Finally. Enough torque for a decent burnout. The 2011 Mustang V6 goes on sale in the spring. Oh, it's the 5.0-liter "Coyote" V8 that interests you? Ford's keeping that one under its corporate hat for another couple weeks.

First Look: 2011 Ford Mustang V6

Categories: Convertibles,Coupes,Ford,LA Auto Show

Update: Our first drive is live. First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Today we took a drive in a late prototype for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. This was our first opportunity to experience GM's series hybrid in both all-electric and charge-sustaining mode (i.e., when the gas engine fires up to power the car's electric motor) in the same test drive. Our first drive will be up in a few short hours, complete with video.

Until then, we'll share some of the photos our senior photographer, Scott Jacobs, took of the Volt today. There's no camo, no staged studio shots -- the car's just out in the real world.

Follow the jump to see more, including detailed photos of the cabin.

And come midnight, check back at this link to read our first drive of the 2011 Volt.

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Categories: Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Hybrids,Sedans

Tiger Woods has a released a statement regarding his Friday morning accident in his Cadillac Escalade during which he struck a fire hydrant and subsequently a tree.

"This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me," he said. "I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again."

Various news outlets are also reporting that Woods cancelled an interview with the Florida Highway Patrol scheduled for this morning. Evidently, state troopers have made three attempts to question the pro golfer about the crash but have yet to speak with him. Woods is not obligated under Florida law to give a statement to police on the crash.

The highway patrol has released this audio of a 911 call placed by Woods' neighbor. In it we learn that Woods' Escalade is a black 2009 model and that he was knocked unconscious by the impacts.

CNN

Categories: Cadillac,Celebrities

Updated, 3 p.m. PDT: More photos

Nothing like a Sunday morning press release to get the word out about your all-new compact sedan. Then again, there wasn't much we didn't already know about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze as it's been on sale in other world markets for some time now.

So what will the U.S. get next fall? Engine wise, it's a curious mix of two Ecotec setups. The base engine is a 1.8-liter in-line four-cylinder rated at 136 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque. The much-heralded upgrade is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder rated at - wait for it - 138 horsepower. Don't worry, torque is up to 148 lb-ft. so it's not a total bust. Both engines will offer either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. GM says a high-efficiency version of the Cruze with the 1.4-liter engine is expected to get up to 40mpg.

The rest of the Cruze's specifications are pretty standard fare. There will be three trim levels - LS, LT and LTZ - and a pretty strong list of standard features like ten airbags and stability control. Options like Bluetooth connectivity and navigation should help it compete against the Civics and Corolla's of the world.

Photo gallery after the jump.

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

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Categories: Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,LA Auto Show,Sedans

So we were incredulous when we heard the 2011 Chevrolet Volt would be crashing the weekly classic car night at Bob's Big Boy, a old-timey hamburger joint in Burbank, California. Bob's isn't the friendliest place to roll up in modern machinery. Yet, we had to see the spectacle for ourselves (and have a burger and chocolate shake).

We arrived to find the Volt nestled between a '69 Camaro and an Impala SS. We weren't surprised to find it in the care of its own social media crew, who were keen to throw around the term "electric car," which always bothers us a bit since the Volt isn't in fact an electric car, but a series hybrid with plug-in capability.

The Bob's diehards mostly took a live-and-let-live attitude toward the Volt, sticking close to their restored Chargers and rat rods. We expect they'll start taking the bus before they start driving hybrid cars.

Categories: Chevrolet,Classic Cars,Future Vehicles,Hybrids,Sedans

Reports out of Florida say Tiger Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade just after leaving his house last night around 2:30am. He apparently "lost control," hit a fire hydrant and then continued into a tree.

Initial reports said he received serious injuries, but Wood's agent said the injuries were minor and Woods was immediately released from the hospital.

No matter what the extent of his injuries, it's a fishy story either way. Anytime we hear that the driver in an accident simply "lost control" we find it pretty hard to believe. That Escalade has anti-lock brakes, brake force distribution and electronic stability control, yet Tiger managed to lose control minutes after pulling out of his driveway? At 2:30 in morning? On Thanksgiving?

Cant' wait to hear the real story on this one.

AP
 

Categories: Cadillac,Celebrities,SUVs

Watch of the birth of the 2011 BMW X1 on the automaker's Leipzig, Germany, production line. Watch its death in a German crash test laboratory. Then, watch it frolic in the afterlife in a place curiously resembling the Arctic Circle.

First Drive: 2011 BMW X1

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Categories: BMW,Crossovers,Future Vehicles,SUVs

Photo Courtesy of dubdaily.com. 

There's an old adage in the car world: If it don't go, chrome it. Well, this Nissan GT-R definitely goes, but the guy chromed it anyway.

Apparently, the British owner of this GT-R likes the shiny stuff, so he chrome-wrapped the entire vehicle. That's right, this ain't paint, it's vinyl wrap. Actually the GT-R's owner first tried the tried and true white with black wheels thing, but two days after the $2,600 wrap job, he got bored with it and went with the chrome look.

Scary thing is, I kinda like it. You?  

Categories: Coupes,Nissan,Sports Cars

So what do you think? Has AdamC3046 solved the mystery or is the guy spending too much time with his inflatable girlfriend?  

Categories: BMW,Celebrities,Lamborghini