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Now that the initial elation about the merger of IRL and CHAMP car into one Indy car series has had a chance to simmer down, it's time for some sober analysis of where open wheel racing may be headed in America. Those of us who have loved Indy car racing from our youth are perhaps most likely to view the merger as the prelude to a restoration of the greatness of the 60s, 70s and, especially, the 80s when CART, the predecessor to the CHAMP car series, built a circuit that included everything from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and superspeedways like Michigan International to shorter ovals like Nazareth, road circuits like Road America and street events like Long Beach. At its height, the CART series was arguably the most competitive and challenging racing series in the world, demanding a level of versatility that not even Formula One could match. Perhaps the pinnacle for CART was reached in the 1993 season when 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell competed throughout the season and added the CART championship to his lengthy list of laurels. But then in 1995 Indianapolis owner Tony George took the 500 and bolted from CART to form the IRL as an exclusively oval series featuring American drivers and the years thereafter saw NASCAR's ascension to the dominant position in American racing. In NASCAR's wake, the IRL got most of the storied names of old - Andretti, Foyt, the Indy 500 - but mediocre crowds, while CART/CHAMP car got a progression of almost exclusively foreign drivers in victory circles on road and street circuits and even smaller crowds. On the plus side, the IRL certainly found a formula that consistently produces incredibly close races, while the CHAMP car contingent has maintained a decent mix of road and street circuits that even George was forced to begin imitating. Now more than a decade later, the open-wheel merger comes at a time when NASCAR's popularity seems to have peaked, thanks to over-exposure on TV, excessive commercialization and, with the Car of Tomorrow, an all-but-complete abandonment of any remaining pretense that the vehicles on the track have anything at all in common with those driven by the fans. As bad as George's timing was in forming the IRL, his timing now in reaching out to the CMAMP car people to bring about the present merger could prove to be perfect but there are no guarantees. Indy car racing can be restored as the pinnacle of American motorsports competition if the new series develops its emerging generation of top drivers as the world's most versatile and boldly proclaims the intrinsic superiority of its technology in meeting the challenge of the world's fastest racing. The nucleus of driving stars for the future includes Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal. If the series could contrive to add Alex Gurney and Scott Speed (and how about former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden?), Indy car racing would have a stable of storied names, home-grown talent and gender rivalry that no other series in the world could match. Probably the best thing that could happen to Indy cars this year is for either Patrick or Andretti to win the 500, preferably after a stirring 25 lap battle with each other to the checkers. If Danica does it, millions of new fans would be attracted to the series. An Andretti victory would bring back droves of former fans who gave up on open wheel racing after the split and offer an attractive alternative to fans growing tired of NASCAR's contrived soap operas. If the rest of the 2008 season and those that follow feature Patrick and Andretti battling each other and Rahal, Gurney, Speed, Hayden, plus a returned Sam Hornish, the Scott Dixons, Dan Weldons and Helio Castroneves, racing on super speedways, short ovals, road circuits and street courses, Indy car could again deserve the glory and lustre of the greatest spectacle in racing. And it might even mean that Bill France's grandson and F1's Bernie Eccelstone would sooner than later find themselves and their series relegated to yesterday's news. |
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 Pontiac's Holden-based G8 can gobble up miles of asphalt with aplomb. We've been down this road before, haven't we? Wasn't it just yesterday that Pontiac went Down Under and brought back a thinly disguised Holden and dubbed it the second coming of the GTO. Blah exterior design and uninspired marketing doomed the new Goat because it just wasn't credible as a reborn Muscle Car. But after spending a week in a visually arresting black rear-wheel-drive (hallelujah!) G8 GT, I have to say the Pontiac minions probably have gotten it right this time around, using another Holden platform as the basis for a big, fast sedan that ought to make those bad memories of plastic-fantastic Bonnevilles in the late 80s and early 90s fade into the misty shrouds of best-forgotten history. Note I say "probably." There is a very great deal to like and maybe even love about the Pontiac G8. The question is whether in an era of $4-per-gallon gas, it answers a question too few Americans still seek to answer - Wouldn't it be great to have a big, fast, comfortable American sedan with a roaring V-8 that goes like stink at a price we plebes can afford? The rear-wheel-drive G8 is big, though not in the same way as the old Bonneville SSE mimicked the halycon days of Wide Tracks and 421 mills with massive Holleys gulping oxygen by the yard. One of our neighbors down the street way back in the day when I was in high school always had a ragtop Bonny with the biggest, baddest engine he could order. It was great for smoking tires and making scenery disappear rearward very quickly, so long as the road was straight as an arrow. There was also the fabled GTO of Sixties lore, of course, and before that the good ole days when Fireball Roberts and Pontiac seemed almost interchangeable terms, thanks to Smokey Yunick and his black and gold magic. It even appeared that a revival was at hand in the early 1980s when Pontiac took the memorably crappy Chevy Celebrity platform and turned it into the 6000 STE, a seriously underpowered but thoughtful take on the European sports sedan cliche. Third-generation Firebirds were as quick as Z28s and better looking to boot. But all of that was so long ago and in the years since, as Peter DeLorenzo so knowledgeably describes it here, Pontiac has wandered in the wilderness, often seeming without a clue as to where to go to find itself. The lamentable Aztek was only the most visible manifestation of the rot beneath the surface as the sale figures plunged towards the abyss. As I said, there is much to like about the G8 and this renewal of the big, fast, comfortable American V-8 sedan shows numerous features - did I mention that the power goes to the rear wheels? - that strongly suggest Pontiac is serious about returning to its roots while producing memorable vehicles that appeal to contemporary preferences and prejudices. For one thing, the exterior styling is crisp and aggressive without resorting to the faux excesses of the SSE era. The two fake air inlets at the front of the hood are border-line, but, otherwise the stance is right and the prominent fender flares combine nicely with clean flanks and a tallish, rounded greenhouse. Those who have spent time in Australia will quickly recognize the Holden DNA in the G8's silhouette, but some folks who think they know a Pontiac when they see it could be fooled.  Looks like an Audi, doesn't it. Pontiac is clearly getting interior cues from the German automaker. Inside the G8 is more evidence that GM is finally getting with it on credible ergonomics and the importance of appearance in creating an aura of quality in a vehicle's passenger cabin. The front seats in my G8 GT tester exceptionally comfortable and the look and feel of materials used for the instrument panel and door panels is much improved over previous Pontiac sedan efforts. I could do without that devil-red night-time gauge illumination, though. There is a distinctively Audi-like tone to the instrument panel's studied simplicity, perhaps even just a tad too much of the Germanic sterility that long characterized the Teutonic approach to interior design. But this is a far better baseline on which to build than, say, the old days when Pontiac seemed determined to rewrite the record books on instrument panel complexity. One oversight that should top the To Do list, though, is to put a redline indicator on the tachometer. But enough of this, the really important questions here concern the way the G8 performs on the road. Despite weighing fully two tons, the G8 feels relatively compact and fleet of foot in the same way a 240 lb fullback can be compact and fleet of foot (Think Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants here). The suspension settings are just firm enough to synchronize with the optional 19-inch wheels and tires and quicker steering to give the G8 GT a moderately sporting turn-in and keep the rubber in effective contact with the road with sufficient control and poise to encourage a definitely enthusiastic driving style. Flick off the standard traction control and, over rough roads and across road surfaces of varying pitch and camber, the G8 feels tight and easily controllable at rather elevated velocities. It is definitely a fun piece of machinery but retains a comfortable ride quality for the daily driving chores. It isn't yet in the M5's league but Pontiac clearly is spending more time at the Nurburing these days. Under the hood resides a 361 horsepower version of GM's 6.0 liter V-8 and a six-speed automatic transmission. The G8 GXP that debuted last month at the New York Auto Show as a 2009 model will feature a 6.2 liter, 402 horsepower edition of the same powerplant that powers the Corvette, though with less restrictive plumbing and higher horsepower ratings. The GXP has been described as a "poor man's BMW M5." For once, the description is not simply marketing hype.  Pontiac's G8 GXP will pack 400+ horsepower, a significantly stiffer suspension and other serious performance enhancements. Even with "only" 361 horses on tap, the G8 GT is quick, producing consistent low five-second 0-60 mph times. Where the 6.0 liter shines, though, is the way it flings the G8 GT forward with authority coming off low and medium speed corners. It's a combination of great handling, proper driving position and eager power that makes you want to get in and drive it as often as possible. So many years have passed since any Pontiac genuinely inspired such words from this former STE owner, which is why I rather like how Inside Line's Scott Oldham described the G8: "Unlike the most recent GTO, the Solstice or the laughable Grand Prix GXP, the G8 GT feels like a fully finished automobile. This is a car that's actually ready for public consumption. The entire public. No double-wide trailer or Sunfire ownership required. "This time Pontiac's engineers cared how their car felt, not just how it performed. For the first time in a long time, they decided to sweat the details. And the result is a Pontiac without any goofy missteps, colossal blunders or overtones of trailer-park style. They even resisted the temptation to put a big silly wing on it, leaving the G8's two hood scoops and four real exhaust pipes to state its case." Exactly. The G8 GT delivers what it promises - it really is a big, fast, comfortable American V-8 sedan. And the pricing is right, too, with my tester checking in at just over $31,000, with a full compliment of standard and optional equipment. But are there still enough Americans who want what the G8 offers, even if it is priced right? Pontiac expects to bring in about 40,000 G8s in coming months. That's sufficient to put a noticeable dent in Dodge Charger sales, but will it be enough to spark a genuine reinvention and revival of Pontiac? I think there will be good word-of-mouth for the G8 but it's got to have a witty and precisely targeted marketing effort to make sure everybody who ought to give it a look does so. --- Mark Tapscott What Others Say About the Pontiac G8: "Robert Lutz became the GM product sheriff in 2001, with a directive to inject car-guy sparkle into the insipid, fluorescent-lit catalog. All car guys know that fun lives largest in rear-drivers. The first rummage in GM’s antipodean attic produced the 2004 Pontiac GTO. It bombed, but Lutz and company remain undaunted in their plan to pull Pontiac’s performance bona fides out of mothballs using the next generation of Australian-engineered-and-built rear-drivers. The agenda includes the G8 sedan and, the industry trades claim, a forthcoming sport wagon and an El Camino reboot. "If—a prodigious 'if'—it survives hikes in oil prices and federal fuel standards, the strategy promises Pontiac a full lineup of USDA-cut, Euro-style sports machines. That’s not available elsewhere—at least not since Dodge announced the Magnum's demise after 2008. Will the crowds come, especially when the gas pumps are biting? We’ll know soon, as the G8 is already on sale. Meanwhile, this Pontiac is spacious, fast, and agile. It’s a looker, and it’s surprisingly affordable. It’s the best thing to happen at Pontiac since KITT the gabby Trans Am. "The G8 lives within a narrow price band, and the optional furbelows are few. Just $27,595 puts you into the base G8, with a 256-hp, 3.6-liter four-cam V-6 and the 5L40 five-speed automatic. The GT, with its 361-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 and six-speed 6L80 Hydra-Matic, starts delivering 5.3-second barrels to 60 mph for $29,995. With all options, the GT rises to $32,745. A Hemi-equipped Dodge Charger R/T starts at $31,430 and offers more checkable boxes, including all-wheel drive." --- Aaron Robinson, Car & Driver "How will the G8 GXP's handling compare with the Charger SRT8's? In our April story, Art St. Antoine found the G8 GT more nimble, with better handling than the Charger R/T's. And you can turn off the G8's StabiliTrak stability control, while the Charger's system refuses to give up completely. "Predictably, the GXP's suspension will stiffens things up. It's race-ready with virtually no modifications, Shipman says. The MacPherson strut front and multilink coil-over rear carry forward with a direct-acting front anti-roll bar, decoupled rear stabilizer bar and lateral ball joints on the rear for more lateral stiffness. Caster, camber, and toe are adjustable in front, and camber and toe are adjustable in the rear. P245/40R19 summer tires are standard and limit the car's top speed to a near-autobahn-perfect 150 mph. All-season tires are among three options available on the GXP. The others are the transmission choice and a sunroof. "Building a poor man's M5 is a tall order, though. BMW's ability to balance extreme handling prowess with a relatively supple ride is magic. 'We don't want it to be too stiff, where it's bouncing you out of the car, but it's also got to have some performance,' [Pontiac's Brian] Shipman says. "So I think it's going to be a nice blend.'" --- Todd Lassa, Motor Trend Car Reviews |
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Honda.com is the most effective automotive manufacturer web site at motivating prospects to actually visit a dealership and buy a vehicle, according to a new rating by ForeSee Results Automotive Web Site Satisfaction Index. Nissan.com garnered the last place in the rating, with Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler filling the slots in between. Car Reviews |
 It is always difficult when evaluating a new vehicle upon which a carmaker's future may well depend to avoid being either too generous or excessively harsh. This is doubly so with Chevrolet's third-generation Malibu because, more than anything else from the fabled Stovebolt division, this car tells the tale of whether GM really can produce a mid-size family sedan capable of going head-to-head with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Let me say at the outset that in my view the Malibu is almost completely successful in making the case for GM's claim to know how to compete with its Japanese rivals. Let me give you one telling detail that spoke volumes - at night, the front door handle recesses have soft lights, so you don't have to search for the lever. A very small detail, to be sure, but one that suggests somebody was focused on just such little things that can make all the difference in the world for a skeptical prospect. Happily, there are quite a few such happy "small" details in the Malibu. Other more substantial details tell a similar tale. The new Malibu's interior design, appearance and feel is light years ahead of anything heretofore seen on any other GM product except the new CTS. The basic theme is set with the sweeping curves of the instrument panel and its cockpit-like areas for driver and passenger. .jpg) The two-tone cocoa/cashmere color treatment of my burgundy V-6 powered LTZ tester provided just the right amount of contrast and continuity for the eyes. And the grainy feel of the soft plastic and leather covering various surfaces give the Malibu a distinctively up-class appearance. The steering wheel is just the right size, and all of the instrumentation in the center binnacle is arranged logically and within easy reach. There is also a stowage compartment directly above the center binnacle that has a latch with just the sort of solid feel when used that you expect to find in a much more expensive sedan. Best of the all, the front seats and all of the controls - the pedals are power adjustable and the steering is standard with tilt and telescoping - seems proportionate and comfortable. I spent a lot of time in the Malibu during its week with Claudia and I and every time I returned home in it, I wanted to keep driving. It's been a very long time since anything from Chevy other than a Corvette or a Camaro Z28 inspired that reaction in this corner. On the downside, the rear seating area is not quite so generous as the front, but the problem seemed mostly attributable to the appearance of a lack of foot and elbow room, which is in part a function of the Malibu's high beltline. I didn't spend much time in the rear seats, though, so my perceptions here may not be useful. Also on the downside regarding the interior, the fit and finish throughout seemed first class, with one glaring exception. The space between the driver's side door and the instrument panel at the A-pillar was at least a half-inch wide, whereas the same joint on the passenger side was snug and tight. Perhaps this was unique to my tester, but it was still a deflating note in an otherwise inspiring interior. Even so, on reflection, I keep coming back to the fact I wanted to keep driving the Malibu and the elation that inspired that such a vehicle was again coming from Chevy, which was the brand of my family loyalties during my childhood. Dad's first new car, a black and white 55 210 with the 265 V-8 and overdrive, remains to this day my all-time favorite car because for its time it epitomized clean, trim style and spirited performance. I think I sense a generous portion of that old nature in the new Malibu. Certainly the performance summons anew the idea of a trim Chevy sedan that moves. The 3.6 liter DOHC V-6 under the hood is good for 252 horses at 6,300 rpm, and there is 251 lb-ft of torque available at 3,200 rpm. .jpg) Mated with the six-speed automatic transmission that features manual shift paddles behind the steering wheel's horizontal spokes, the V-6 produces very healthy acceleration. Other testers have reported mid-six sedond 0-60 mph times, which I also got, but the more impressive characteristic was how the Malibu LTZ's top-gear acceleration made it seem genuinely fast. Once the tranny found the right gear, that is. Unfortunately, the six-speed's ratios and software are obviously tuned for producing good highway mileage figures, so the tranny not infrequently seemed like it wasn't quite with the program. This is a driving characteristic that Chevy must cure if the Malibu is to provide the sort of driveline refinement that Camry and Accord owners take for granted. The suspension calibration represents a nice balance between the firmness of a sports sedan and the comfort of a tourer. The Malibu's steering is precise and the car turns in eagerly, plus the brakes are excellent in terms of feel and modulation. So the combination works, especially with the LTZ's 18-inch alloy wheel/tire package to encourage a level of corner carving enthusiasm that, while certainly not approaching the flingable delights found in the Acura TSX, easily rivals the Accord and surpasses the Camry. Outside, the Malibu's handsomely clean and crisp greenhouse and flanks, aggressive stance and sleek front end clearly identify it as a product of Chevy's new styling approach, but the overall appearance strongly suggests a more upmarket and expensive sedan. Chevy has priced the Malibu quite competitively, with my loaded LTZ tester checking in at $27,540 on the bottom-line. I haven't done a side-by-side, option-by-option comparison, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find comparably Camrys and Accords to sticker at least $1,000 higher than the Malibu. There was brave talk last fall about Chevy encouraging dealers to put Camrys and Accords alongside their showroom Malibu, while encouraging prospects to rigorously compare the trio. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much of that kind of aggressive marketing in the months since, even though GM has spent substantially more promoting the Malibu than any other new design in years. And maybe Chevy is right to be quieter about the Malibu. It is strong enough on its own merits that it likely will generate a lot of positive word-of-mouth marketing, as more people buy them and begin telling friends, family and associates about how satisfied they are with their new Chevies. If Bob Lutz does nothing else for GM, the Malibu would be a worthy legacy. This is an excellent car and with continued development, Chevy can make it a great car. Car Reviews Autos Chevrolet Malibu New Car Reviews GM Family sedans Toyota Camry Honda Accord |
 Better think twice before speeding past the latest in the government revenue enhancement revolution, especially if you failed to pay the maximum under Maryland's new tax law. It's the Gen. 2.0 Speed Law And Tax Enforcement (SLATE) system jointly developed by the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The SLATE system is being installed at one-mile intervals this month on all roads throughout the state of Maryland. The genius of the Gen 2.0 SLATE is that it eliminates the need for the traffic court appeals process and provides a permanent solution to the problem of speeding, plus it guarantees maximum tax compliance so state government employees can do all those wonderful things they want to do for you with your money. Here's how it works: If you approach a 55 mph zone protected by the Gen. 2.0 SLATE at, say, 56 mph, the 500 gigabyte databank scans your traffic and tax payment records. If it determines that this would be your second speeding offense or that you underpaid your Maryland income tax by one dollar or more, the Gen 2.0 SLATE instantly puts six perfectly spaced rounds through the windshield on the driver's side. Then, the Gen. 2.0 SLATE summons Joe Bob's A-1 Wrecker Service to haul away what's left of your Prius, the Solemnity Acres Funeral Home to bury what's left of you and a reporter from Homers for Government News Service to write your entry in the local paper's Police Blotter, so your loved ones will know why you're late getting home from work, again. If your offense was tax underpayment, a permanent lien against your entire estate is automatically registered in your county's court record. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is enthusiastic about the new traffic safety program. "We've been trying for years to make Maryland drivers so miserable they would start riding Metro but nothing has worked. I am confident this new initiative will both cause a stampede of new riders to mass transit and insure 100 percent compliance with that massive tax increase me and the boys rammed through the General Assembly," he said. O'Malley said his office has received inquiries from other states about SLATE, and he expects to see the system begin appearing on roads throughout the nation in short order. "This will create lots of new jobs for Marylanders, especially those in the towing, funeral home and heavy caliber ammunition industries," he said. How will you recognize the Gen. 2.0 SLATE unit? Easy, it will be the source of the flash that is the last thing you see in this world. And now you know what they really mean when they say "Speed Kills." Maryland |
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It wasn’t that long ago that Infiniti’s G-35 two-plus-two sports car was declared just about perfect, so why would Nissan’s luxury division change anything on a combination that is clearly right? Well, when it comes to automobiles, even perfection can be improved. Call it the Rule of Heraclitus – just as you can never put your foot into the same stream twice, the perfect car must always be changing. And so for 2008, Infiniti upgrades its marquee coupe to a more powerful 3.7 liters under the hood and a refined exterior look that is sleeker and smoother than before. The 330 horses are a 24 horse boost, courtesy of higher compression, a 500 rpm higher red line and throttle control linked to the valvetrain rather than a butterfly. The sport suspension package, which came on my tester, is retuned a bit from the G-35 specs, too, and it enhances an already well-balanced and capable machine’s ability to carve corners with confidence at velocities that will put smiles on any serious driver’s face, so long as you can accept the occasional feeling that your every input isn’t necessarily being heeded by the G-37 if it happens to be equipped with the optional four-wheel active steering system (mine wasn’t). My tester was also equipped with the five-speed paddle-shift automatic. It’s a great unit for the street, but I suspect on the track it would be less than ideal. In normal driving, though, its ratios are ideally matched to the 3.7 liter V-6’s torque curve. Expect on-command 0-60 mph times of under six seconds. The G-37’s interior is designed for long-distance running. The optional sport package includes side bolsters on the driver’s seat that do a superb job of keeping the torso in place during hard cornering, but aren’t so firm as to become uncomfortable as the miles and hours go by. The exterior look is smoother and in some ways more seductive, compared to the rougher-edged G-35. Some of the folks who commented on my tester found it drop-dead gorgeous, while others found it a little less viscerally exciting. Where the G37 remains especially attractive is on the bottom line of the sticker. Spring for every available option and you’re looking at something far in excess of $40,000. But a well-equipped sport packaged six-speed stick G-37 can be had for several thousand less with a little restraint on the option sheet. Compare that to a Three-Series Bimmer coupe and you will see exactly why the G-37 is likely to be appearing in a lot more driveways in coming months. Chart: Car Reviews |
 Cadillac's STS isn't quite as agile or fast as the CTS, but it's still a very enjoyable luxury sedan. Muscular V-6 powers improved Cadillac STS For years, luxury car makers have offered less expensive V-6 powered versions of their more costly models with eight or even 12 cylinders. Now Cadillac has come up with a V-6 under the hood of its STS that is so good, it makes the extra money for two more spark plugs seem like a frivolous expense. The 3.6 liter V-6 sports direct fuel injection and pumps out 306 horsepower. It does so with a fat torque bulge right in the sweet spot of the power curve and delivers its punch with exceptional smoothness and flexibility throughout the rev range. If you absolutely insist on having an eight, you can also have your STS with a 4.6 liter version of Cadillac’s familiar Northstar V-8 that is good for 320 horsepower. Having driven both, I can attest to the difficulty one would have in choosing between the six and the eight based strictly on performance characteristics. I love the Northstar’s rumble but that new V-6 reeks of technological sophistication. With the V-6, the STS scoots from zero to 60 mph in just a hair more than six seconds, while the V-8 can occasionally be coaxed to so the same exercise in an equaling thin hair below six seconds. If that is not fast enough for you, there is one other STS you should know about, the STS-V, which is powered by a supercharged 4.4 liter V-8 that produces an outrageous (i.e. almost enough for yours truly) 469 horsepower. Each of these powerplants is hand-built. Too bad this monster is not available with all-wheel-drive. Anyway, the 2008 edition of the STS continues Cadillac’s steady improvement of a model that debuted more than a decade ago as an option in the The exterior styling has been refined a bit for 08, with the front end getting a trademark Caddy egg-crate treatment that works nicely with the vertically stacked head lights that recall another former styling trademark of GM’s top division. I like the way the CTS projects this same basic “art and science” silhouette a little better but the STS is still a handsome vehicle that has substance and sportiness. My sole complaint with the STS was the too-tight space between the front seat and the power seat adjustment. This is one of those important details that needs more thought because it contributes directly to it affects the comfort level of occupants. Chart:
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 Toyota hopes its success with the Prius Hybrid will transfer to the Camry, already America's mid-size favorite family sedan. When something good costs less, expect more of it to sell, right? So reasons Considering the growing demand for green vehicles – aka “hybrids” that combine gas and electric power in one powertrain – Already the best-selling mid-size family sedan in One element of the 2008 Camry Hybrid that won’t sell is that horrendous mint green shade ruining the exterior of my tester, which was otherwise exactly what you expect of a The hybrid powertrain is mostly invisible in operation, though it occasionally makes its presence known at stoplights when first accelerating away. The powertrain combines a 47 horsepower electric motor with a 147 horsepower 2.4 liter gas four-cylinder and the two work extremely well in tandem. EPA rated at 40 mpg city and 38 mpg on the highway, the Camry Hybrid should be able to travel 600+ miles on a single prudently driven tank of fuel, according to Acceleration? Don’t worry about suffering whiplash with the Camry Hybrid, but then it’s 8.50 second 0-60 mph time doesn’t quite qualify for the slow lane, either. The powertrain is mostly flexible and smooth, just going about its business with little fanfare. Inside the Hybrid is pure Camry. The power seats are quite comfortable, the gauges and switchgear are instantly recognizable as having been designed and placed according to the Being a So, exciting it’s not, but Chart: |
 Yes, the Acura MDX above is cornering at a racetrack. Acura all but invented the crossover sport-utility vehicle market when it introduced the MDX a decade ago and now the luxury division of Japanese automaker Honda has gone and reinvented the MDX. The big redesign came with the 2007 model but there are no significant mechanical changes for 2008 and only minor trim and convenience improvements. My MDX Sport with a sumptuous ebony interior was a 2007 but don’t hold that against it. Essentially, Acura gave the all-new MDX a much more aggressive exterior look and a passenger cabin that may well be the most beautiful in any SUV, plus a wonderfully muscular and smooth V-6 under the hood and an extremely sophisticated computer-controlled handling stability program. The end result is a crossover SUV that is quite capable of tearing around on twisting pieces of asphalt in the company of other seriously drivable SUVs like Porsche’s The new look up front is heavier and more in-your-face, but is quickly recognizable as being of the original MDX’s design dna. What makes the redesigned MDX stand out in a crowd, though, is the sleek curve of its greenhouse as it heads rearward past the D-pillar. The new shape not only reminds of the former MDX while giving the new one a fresh appeal, it also makes much less evident the greater heft that comes with the redesign. The MDX’s stance is authoritative, almost squat, and emphasizes that this is vehicle with purpose.
Knowing your crossover SUV has 300 horsepower under its hood is a handy piece of information to have. The 3.7 liter V-6 is Acura’s biggest ever and produces a handy 300 horsepower. If there is a more velvety V-6 on the market, I’ve yet to drive it. The MDX is swift, quiet and smooth, though its exhaust note gets a little more interesting above 4,500 rpm. A five-speed automatic is the only available transmission, but expect a six-speed anytime now. Point the MDX down a curving road and it is ready to romp. Acceleration is carefully fierce, showing a 0-60 mph capability in the high six/low seven second range, despite the curb weight of 4,550 pounds. Acura dubs its computerized stability control system the Super Handling – The MDX Sport isn’t cheap at nearly $50,000, but it is a comprehensively equipped, superbly performing illustration of just what a crossover sports-luxury SUV ought to be. CHART: |
Car and truck reviews from a real expert.
- Thoughts on the future of Indy car racing in America
- Is Pontiac's G8 really so great? Yes, it is ... if its time isn't past
- Honda tops rating for web site effectiveness
- Third-generation Malibu could be Chevy's reborn golden oldie
- Maryland Speed/Tax Camera debuts with big bang (Coming soon to your state!)
- Infiniti G37 proves that even perfection can be improved
- Carnival of Cars is Up!
- New V-6 powers Caddy STS
- Toyota lowers price on Camry Hybrid family sedan
- Acura MDX is the serious driver's crossover SUV
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