Just a few short years ago the choice between a manual transmission and an automatic transmission was one between a real driver's car and an appliance to get you from A to B.
That line started to blur with single-clutch auto-manuals, which were nearly as obedient as true manuals while still offering the ease of an automatic. Those transmissions have been refined and tweaked with faster shift times, smoother engagement and in some cases, a second clutch to pre-stage the next gear, reducing the shift time even more. Even Porsche now claims that the automatic is faster than the manual on the new 991 911 Carrera S. By a lot.
We've finally got our hands on the seven-speed PDK version of the new 911. How does it stack up against the seven-speed manual? And even if it is faster, are we ready to admit that an automatic -- even the advanced PDK -- can be in a driver's car?
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Porsche
Just about a year ago at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Dodge Brand CEO Ralph Gilles (now CEO of SRT) rolled out a new version of the Dodge Grand Caravan, the R/T. This van, he said, was the "man van." We were hooked immediately.
The 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T is lowered by 12mm and gets new aerodynamics, heavier steering, an Eco button and optional 17-inch tires. On the inside things are dark: Black is the only color. Gilles described the driving experience as being like a GTI.
And after testing one, we can only assume he meant that it's like a GTI in the sense that both have non-defeat stability control. What else did we learn from the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T "Man Van" on our track? Click through to find out.
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Categories: Dodge,IL Track Tested,Minivans
Is there a replacement for displacement? What about a replacement for an icon?
For years now, the naturally aspirated inline-6 has been a cornerstone of what makes BMWs so great to drive. Smooth, great power, killer sound and flexible enough to keep up with any driving habits, the I6...
Unfortunately, the straight-6 isn't as fuel-efficient as BMW would like it to be in today's automotive climate. BMW drivers, though, aren't willing to sacrifice power for a few more MPGs and that's why BMW has ditched the 2011 BMW 528i's 3.0-liter I6 in favor of a 2.0-liter turbocharged (gasp) four-cylinder (gasp) for 2012.
The new 2012 engine makes the same 240 horsepower as the outgoing 3.0, but produces 30 pound-feet more torque -- and does so at 1,250 rpm instead of 6,600. Adding insult to injury, the I4 is lighter, too.
Fuel efficiency, power, torque and weight are on the side of the I4. Do the track numbers back this up and, if so, does it still have soul?
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Categories: BMW,IL Track Tested
The Mini Coupe is one of those cars we just can't figure out. On the one hand it's a small, sporty, 2,700-pound toy with cool looks and decent power. On the other hand, it's more expensive and, at least in John Cooper Works trim, marginally heavier than a Mini Cooper, which offers significantly more functionality.
In our First Drive of the 2012 Mini Coupe John Cooper Works, we said "...none of these things explains why the 2012 Mini Coupe disappoints. It's not about what it does, right or wrong. It's about what it does not do, namely provide you with a single serious reason to choose one over the standard hatchback."
But we weren't ready to give up on it then. We had to get it in our hands and on our track to see if the sporty looks carried over when this thing was really pushed and if it would be enough to warm us to the little coupe. Follow the jump for the full details on the Mini Coupe John Cooper Works.
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Categories: Coupes,IL Track Tested,MINI
Earlier this week we brought you a track test of the 2013 Nissan GT-R. As expected, 15-horsepower didn't make the GT-R any slower, nor did it make it drastically faster in our instrumented testing.
Our video team has now put together a video of the track testing. Few other cars, let alone ones that nearly touch 4,000 pounds, look this flat and composed through our tests.
Few also sound like the fastest vacuum in the world.
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Nissan,Sports Cars
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "IL Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test-drivers. Enjoy.
There's just no such thing as a bad day at the test track with Godzilla. Jaded much? Not after you see a Nissan GT-R lay down numbers that just shouldn't belong to a 3,900-pound car.
For 2013, the GT-R gains another 15 horsepower and another 15 pound-feet of torque, plus yet more transmission refinements and a retuned suspension. As you'll see, these modest updates didn't translate to better straight-line performance compared to the 2012 GT-R Black Edition we tested last year (although, our 2013 GT-R Premium test car proved more finicky, shutting down its launch control when it decided its drivetrain bits had gotten too hot). But this car is still as quick as the last 911 Turbo we tested, even if the Porsche logs a faster trap speed.
Similarly, the suspension retune didn't net any measurable improvement in the slalom. But how many other cars can beat its slalom speed? Let's see: Dodge Viper (74.2 mph), Godzilla Black Edition (74.7) and 997 Porsche 911 GT3 (75.3).
In short, this car is still incredible.
First Drive: 2013 Nissan GT-R
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Categories: Coupes,IL Track Tested,Nissan,Sports Cars
Sibling rivavlry is a great thing. Peyton vs Eli. Venus vs Serena. Klitschko vs Klitschko (fingers crossed). Pitting siblings against one another shows where similar genes have taken different paths, where each has focused their attention and, most importantly, which one has the drive to really take the win.
There are two siblings on the Ford family tree so closely related that there's no appreciable difference to the casual observer. We are, of course, talking about the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the Ford Mustang GT. Most people wouldn't notice the Boss's subtle ride height difference or the aggressive front splitter, and there's no way that they'll notice that this car has an additional 32 horsepower more than the stock 412-hp Ford Mustang GT 5.0.
We've run them both through our track testing procedures, and now it's time to see which Mustang mom will love more.
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Categories: Coupes,Ford,IL Track Tested,Sports Cars
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "IL Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
There are plenty of sports cars that have tried to dethrone the Porsche 911 over the years. Not many of them have succeeded. Sure, some are faster, some are cheaper and others are more distinctive-looking, but the 911 can still hold its own after all these years.
Now there's a new 911 so it's time to resurrect all those rivalries once again. This time, however, there's a new threat to Porsche's dominance. The Audi R8 burst on the scene in 2008 and has remained a sought-after sports car ever since. Between its distinctive looks and high-revving V8 and V10 engines, the R8 is more than a match for Porsche's finest.
Some would say it's not a fair fight. The standard Audi R8 has two more cylinders, 36 more horsepower and a price tag well in excess of $100,000 compared to the Carrera S. Then again, the Porsche 911 is the king here and the R8 the challenger. Care to guess which one rules at the track?
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Categories: Coupes,IL Track Tested,Porsche,Sports Cars
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "IL Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test-drivers. Enjoy.
An all-new Porsche 911 doesn't come around too often, so when one finally arrives we don't waste any time getting down to business with it. The minute we secured the keys to a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S we headed straight to the test track to run numbers on the redesigned coupe.
Since it's a Carrera S, it features the 3.8-liter flat-6 tuned to produce 394 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. And since we're not big fans of automatics, we requested a 911 with one of Porsche's new seven-speed manual gearboxes. It won't run numbers as quick as a PDK-equipped car, but it has seven speeds; we had to try it. Later we'll get the automatic, which is the only way to get a 911 with launch control. For now, take a look at these numbers and see what you think. Is this 911 one for the ages?
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Categories: Coupes,IL Track Tested,Porsche,Sports Cars
By now you know virtually all about the 2012 Toyota Camry. The car has new, tauter sheet metal, higher-quality interior materials, and an interior layout that looks as if it was designed in this decade.
The new Camry also gets a new high- and ultra-high-strength steel unibody that reduces weight by about 120 pounds, electric power steering and a retuned suspension that is designed to be solid and stable, not floaty and isolated.
In our first drive we concluded that "The 2012 Toyota Camry contains numerous improvements that suggest that Toyota is paying attention..." But does that paying attention translate to the track?
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Sedans,Toyota
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.
It's been a long time since we took an Aston Martin to a test track. Our testing team was still in its infancy and many of today's editors didn't even work here yet. We were still publishing books back then, for Pete's sake. Anyway, we're long overdue.
The 2011 Aston Martin Rapide is the stylish alternative in the uber-luxury-sport-sedan segment that has pretty much been overshadowed by the Porsche Panamera. But this $200,000 super sedan isn't just a beauty queen. It's got a 5.9-liter V12 cranking out 470 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.
So, was it worth our wait? Did it do Aston Martin proud or does the Porsche Panamera Turbo S still deserve to be at the front of everyone's mind?
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Categories: Aston Martin,IL Track Tested,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.
In our first test of the 2008 Lexus IS F, we sent a warning to future IS F drivers. "While the kind of on-track schooling the IS F has received is generally a good performance-tuning practice that tends to breed more performance-capable vehicles, it doesn't always make for a livable car. The IS F short-travel suspension rides taut and firm like a racecar's — all the time. Without driver-adjustable suspension, freeway overpasses that are usually registered by the seat of your pants as a gentle, rolling hop become spine-compressing jolts."
And we weren't the only ones with the same complaint. Lexus is serious about the IS F, though, and took the comments to heart, revising the suspension for 2011. The 2011 Lexus IS F also benefits from retuned electric power steering that, during our test of the '08, we said was "artificially heavy" and "cannot communicate as much information about the contact patches of the front tires as other sport sedans we've driven." These enhancements come on top of the 2010 model, which got a Torsen-type limited-slip rear diff as opposed to the brake-activated simulated limited slip in the '08.
So we've got a new, more tolerable suspension, a real limited-slip and retuned power steering. But is it still as fast?
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Lexus,Sedans,Sports Cars
The Fastest Production Sedan in the World. It's a coveted and debated title. Cadillac contends that the Panamera doesn't count, that it's a five-door. Porsche just keeps adding power and performance. Either way, it's exciting to live in an era where this debate is between a 550-horsepower Porsche -- the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S -- and a 556-hp Cadillac -- the CTS-V. (And let's not forget that there's a 560-hp 2012 BMW M5 about to join the fight...)
Both hyper-sedans use boosted V8 motors; the Panamera Turbo S sports a turbocharged 4.8-liter V8, while the CTS-V gets a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. That's where the similarities stop. The Porsche's transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch (PDK) unit. The Cadillac's got a six-speed automatic. The Porsche uses a hyper-sophisticated all-wheel-drive system with launch control. The CTS-V is rear drive. And then there's the issue of the six-figure price difference.
They're both fast, but which is the king of the sedans?
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Categories: Cadillac,IL Track Tested,Porsche,Sedans,Sports Cars
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.
In our First Drive of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, Editor Ed Hellwig wrote, "What it lacks in style it makes up for in precision. If you want more than just a softly sprung freeway cruiser, this Americanized Passat will do the trick." Since then, we've longed to get the all-new, built in-and-for the U.S.A 2012 Volkswagen Passat onto our test track.
The first new Passat to show at our offices was the 2012 Passat V6 SEL Premium with the 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 ($32,950) and a six-speed DSG. It's both the most luxurious and the most powerful Passat available. Follow the jump to see if it lives up to our first impressions.
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Sedans,Volkswagen
More. More. Bigger. Stronger. Bigger. That's the way the truck business is. If you don't have the biggest, strongest truck capable of hauling industrial-sized grades on transcontinental trips, staying off-road the entire time, you shouldn't even bother. It's why this truck ad parody is so funny.
And it's why we're so pleased to finally get our hands on the 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost. With the EcoBoost, Ford has flipped the truck maxim from working harder to working smarter. The F-150 EcoBoost uses a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with direct injection and variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust valves. We're looking at 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque from that setup. More than the 5.0-liter V8, which makes due with 360 hp/380 lb-ft. The F-150 EcoBoost is visually differentiated from other F-150s by the driver-side mounted license plate bracket -- gottta keep the mouth open to air-out the front-mount intercooler.
Ford intends this engine to be the volume top-level choice on the F-150, but to do that, it has to be a real replacement for a V8 in both towing/hauling capacities and on-road performance. And since we don't have a trailer at our track, we're focusing on the on-road stuff for now.
Is a twin-turbo V6 in a truck better than a V8....
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Categories: Ford,IL Track Tested
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.
The 2012 Bentley Continental GT doesn't look like a new car and, for the most part, it isn't. But along with the subtle yet instantly recognizable exterior tweaks, the new Continental has been tweaked to be a better driving machine. Bentleys are racing vehicles, don't forget.
The new Continental GT gets lighter aluminum suspension parts, standard 20-inch wheels, a 40:60 torque split (it was 50:50 before) plus an additional 15 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque. The final numbers work out to 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from a 6.0-liter W12. When the car was released, Bentley said the 5,200-pound hypercoupe would be capable of 0-60 acceleration in 4.4 seconds.
And we've finally had it on our track to separate the marketing hype from reality...
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Categories: Bentley,Coupes,IL Track Tested
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.
Audi completely redesigned the A6 for the 2012 model year with an emphasis on technology. And not simply the infotainment type, though with an 8-inch screen, advanced MMI and cellular Wi-Fi connecting you to things like Google maps, the new A6 certainly ticks that box. No, for the 2012 A6, Audi focused on building a lighter, more efficient sedan. That started by (thankfully) not increasing the size of the A6 -- which was already one of the largest vehicles in the class. So Audi increased the wheelbase and lowered the car and at the same time, employed greater use of aluminum to lighten the whole package by 176 pounds. That's a trend we can get behind.
And while Audi still isn't keen on offering a V8 for this A6, it has tweaked the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 to 310 horsepower @ 5,500-6,500 rpm and 325 lb-ft of torque from 2,900-4,500 rpm. If these stats sound familiar. it's because this is the same engine that's sitting in the 2012 Audi A7 which you should be familiar with as the sporty hatchback sibling of the Audi A6.
We already know how the A7 does on the track. Can the best-selling A6 keep up with the impressive numbers already set?
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Categories: Audi,IL Track Tested,Sedans
470 horsepower. 470 pound-feet of torque. 6.4-liter V8. That alone should have you jumping past the break to see what the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 does on the track when equipped with a clutch and row-your-own transmission.
Beyond the massive power output, Dodge also treated the 2011 Challenger to a smaller-diameter steering wheel, quicker steering and suspension modifications including new front control arms and bushings, new tensioner link, an extra degree of negative camber on the front wheels and increased shock damping by 8.5-percent front / 11-percent rear.
So, while we know that this 4,257-pound sedan coupe is going to do some damage on the straightaways, there's a possibility that the 2011 Challenger may hold its own during the twisty bits of testing.
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Categories: Coupes,Dodge,IL Track Tested
Let's just put this out there right away: The 2009-'11 Acura TL was ugly. From the side mirrors back, the TL was handsome, if a little reserved, but what chucked it square into the dark corner of any room was a glaring chrome beak and huge expanse of flat plastic on the butt.
Thank lackluster sales for the nose job and butt-lift you see here on the 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. When people don't buy your product (Acura sold only 34,000 in 2010 versus 71,000 in '06) dealers complain and when that happens, change happens fast -- nine months sooner than the planned refresh.
What has rarely been in question, though, is the handling of the TL SH-AWD. It's got 305 horsepower from a 3.7-liter V6, Acura's Super Handling all-wheel drive and the availability of a six-speed manual. By all accounts, that should be a combination that car guys can get behind. So now with styling by and for adults, we're revisiting the Acura TL SH-AWD's on-track performance to see if this is the TL we've been expecting for four years now.
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Categories: Acura,IL Track Tested,Sedans
When we strapped the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG to the dyno we were, well, impressed. Extremely impressed.
It's not that we expected the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 to do poorly, especially not when equipped with the performance pack that ups the boost to 15.6 psi and the power to 563 horsepower and torque to 664 pound-feet. It's just that, well, the sound and fury of the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 is still burned into our collective brain.
But when the rollers stopped rolling and the numbers flashed -- 537 horsepower and 611 torque at the rear wheels -- we giggled a bit and forgot about that cute little 6.2 and its lightning-quick responses and primal wail. Alright, not totally...
So we know how well the 2011 S63 does on the dyno, but how does it do when the wheels are on the ground at our test facility? Follow the jump to find out what $167,385 worth of super-sedan does to the track.
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Categories: IL Track Tested,Mercedes-Benz,Sedans
