Archive for February, 2012

2011 Mazda3 Sport GX

I had a lot of good things to say about the Mazda3 sedan last year, but a lot can – and usually does – happen in the automotive world in the span of 12 months. Suffice it to say, this week’s Mazda3 Sport is already looking and feeling a little aged. Now in the third [...]

Chevrolet Traverse

Wearing my cap as the self-appointed philosopher king of all things automotive, as I see it, the world is divided into two distinct camps – there are “car people” and there are “truck people.” And of the dizzying selection of new vehicles available for 2011, the Chevrolet Traverse will undoubtedly appeal to truck people. The [...]

GLS Model

The company is getting a lot of attention lately for the way it has demonstrated it can build vehicles that compete well in virtually any segment, from econoboxes to full-on luxury sedans (not to mention the as-yet-unrecognized ‘weird three-doored car’ segment, a niche in which the Veloster stands alone), but the leading edge of Hyundai’s [...]

Counterpoint

No doubt the E55 has power to spare, so I’d like to return a few of the 469 ponies in exchange for things theĀ  E55 lacks. For more progressive brakes, AMG can have back 20 horses and the four hair trigger clamps the car has now. Sharper and less weighty steering? I’ll swap 10 ponies, [...]

The Mercedes 5-Speed Automatic

Supercharger with an air-to-water intercooler blowing 13.1 psi of boost. A smaller-diameter, larger-length exhaust system fitted to the E55 explains the loss of 24 horsepower compared with the SL55 AMG powered by ostensibly the identical engine. Superchargers at low boost can be a power parasite, so AMG added an electromagnetic clutch to the blower’s belt-drive [...]

More on Audi S4

As noted, the S4 doesn’t advertise its high-testosterone character. The only exterior clues are the chrome side mirrors and the six-spoke, 18-inch Audi Avus – style wheels. Inside, the dash sports carbon fiber trim and gray-faced S gauges, and there are deeply bolstered Recaro front bucket seats. Like all recent Audi interiors, it’s a seductive [...]

Preview: Audi S4

V-8 power makes a compelling car all but irresistible. But does it make it quicker? The basic concept here is far from new: big V-8 stuffed into a smallish car to lend more urgency to forward progress. Detroit applied the formula a lot during the heyday of the big-inch in the ’60s and early ’70s. [...]