Most significant is the fun factor. This truly is an addicting car when the weather is nice. The six-speed manual is golden. It's truly an interactive, enthusiasts' car. Dropping down gears during turns with the top down and enjoying the grip from this tight chassis is an absolute riot. Steering is precise and rigid.
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CHERYL BLAHNIK: After being in a wagon for more than a week, I thought this car would feel like a matchbox. To my surprise, it felt extremely roomy. I like the fact that it has four doors to make taking full advantage of the back seat easier. Last night, I picked up some rather large items from the store and when I first opened the back door, I wasn't sure they would fit, but they did and I was pleased.
Then there is the fact that this car is priced at less than $20,000 and comes with AWD. Inside and out, the car felt put together better than all of the previous Suzukis that I've been in. Maybe the quality of cars is now catching up to the motorcycles Suzuki makes. I thought the car looked good. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing more and more of these little cars on the road.
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Like any SVT vehicle, the Raptor is capable of mundane tasks such as flying to the grocery store or winging through commuter traffic.
But this SVT truck is at its best when it's swooping down the desert floor at full speed, dodging rocks and sailing over whoop-de-dos.
Based on the F-150 pickup, the Raptor body is widened by seven inches to accommodate honking 35-inch-tall desert tires and extra wheel travel--11.2 inches front and 13.4 inches rear. From the A-pillar forward, it gets all-new SMC body panels that wrap around the stock three-valve, 310-hp, 365-lb-ft, 5.4-liter Triton V8 (320 hp and 390 lb-ft on E85, if they sell it in your part of the Mojave). The black Raptor grille is wider than the stock F-150 grille, and the skid plate angled below the bumper replaces the stock air-dam lower panels.
The Tribeca drives well. It's quiet and it feels much lighter than its 4,250 pounds. That's nearly 1,000 pounds less than General Motors' crossovers and the Subaru is a more fun, more flingable ride as a result.
The power is decent and the transmission is mated well to this engine. For the most part, the interior is good though a few materials could use an upgrade for the price.
That price is quite ambitious, and I'm trying to be nice here. GM's crossovers start at roughly the same price, and the Toyota 4Runner, the Honda Pilot, the Hyundai Veracruz, the Jeep Commander, the Mazda CX-9, and the Toyota Highlander all start at less.
All the same, the car is a fun runner, clipping through the gears and winding up nicely to redline. That combined with the taut Z suspension and precise steering means the car remains a lot of fun, but with a quiet, nicely upholstered side that might almost allow someone to make a phone call while driving. In a Z, that just should not be a consideration, but in this one, it is. Sad.
INTERACTIVE EDITOR DALE JEWETT: We've sung praises for the Mercedes-Benz C-class before, and this example does nothing to change that tune.
The 3.0-liter V6 is powerful and smooth, capable of rocketing away from an intersection or getting you up to speed quickly on the freeway on ramp. The seven-speed auto snaps off crisp shifts, even in the Comfort setting. The chassis is rock solid, a real benefit as nearly every street in my neighborhood seems to be under construction right now.
The power driver's seat and power tilt and telescope for the steering column make it easy to find a comfortable driving position. And the seat heater is strong and soothing on a back that was tired from a weekend of yard work, digging and planting.
This brings me to a note about the C-class trunk--it can hold a bunch of stuff. I filled it with six bags of mulch, two bags of decorative rock, some edging, weed block and a few paving bricks with no hassle.
On the down side, setting the driver's seat for a full-size adult leaves very little leg room for the rear passenger, unless the driver is kind enough to scrunch up a bit.
SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: It's hard to bitch about a drive in any Porsche, but this Cayman somehow left me wanting for more. Don't get me wrong, the car is spectacular in many ways--steering, handling, styling, braking--but somehow, it falls just short of my expectations, especially at this sticker price. Start with the power, which is strong but runs out of punch before I expected, and it doesn't provide the same accompanying symphony as other Porsches, or what you'd hear in a Boxster S, top up or down. I kept looking for the Sport button, but it's not there in this model, so the engine always felt a little underwhelming compared with what I knew was possible.
The interior and comfort and convenience features also seemed lacking at this price, with what seems like little attention paid to the driver interface. The controls are there, but punching up the right button while concentrating on driving isn't as intuitive as one might like. Steering-wheel-mounted redundant buttons would help.
All that said, again, it's hard to complain about any Porsche. At the same time, when a company sets a high mark, it needs to meet or exceed it every time. This Cayman may not.
SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: The New GM should make some effort to find a place for cars like this. This one is especially painful, because the car is almost stillborn, getting just one model year before its division and its chassis head for the scrap heap.
That's too bad, because despite some shortcomings (see later) this is one fun little ride. There's just enough fiberglass smell emanating from the removable roof panel, and just enough crease in the fenders, and just enough zip to the engine, and just enough responsiveness to the chassis, to make this feel every bit like a poor man's Corvette.
I think the coupe's styling runs circles around the Solstice roadster's chopped look, while its hatch-under-glass storage provides some reasonable room for cargo. The interior is nothing special, with a little too much ugly plastic covering large unbroken swaths of dashboard and center console, but the seats are good and the driving position is excellent.
We've driven faster cars before. Heck, we've driven faster Ford Mustangs before, but few cars, no matter their make, model or country of origin, have bested the all-out balance--and fun--of Roush's latest creation, the 2010 427R Mustang.
With 435 horses on tap and a full 400 lb-ft of torque twisting the tires via a
supercharged and intercooled 4.6-liter V8, the 427R certainly makes exhilarating off-the-line starts. Power is prodigious and nearly endless, the car showing only a bit of lag before launching in a glorious roar at every twitch of the right pedal. As you let the revs build, the supercharger screams to life, its climbing wail joining the Roush exhaust's growling, spitting, bubbling rumble in a cackling mélange of sound.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT JONATHAN WONG: Most of the time, it's sad to see a car grow up and become more mature and accommodating to the masses. More often than not it means a car loses its original identity that set it apart from the crowd. Thankfully, the new Mazda 6 has retained many of the traits that made it such an enjoyable driving midsize sedan during the previous generation.
Dimensions have grown in every direction for a larger interior space and trunk. There is a clear jump in interior quality with a more stylish layout and soft-touch materials on major surfaces. Seating position is comfortable and the backseat appears to be more accommodating for passengers compared to the last car.
The new car is good looking on the outside as well with a fuller, more distinctive appearance, while the flared front fenders styled after the RX-8's keep it sporty.
You see, Americans, fickle as they come, have never warmed up to hatchbacks. Sure, we bought VW Golfs and Honda Civics, but those were entry-level cars. Granted, this is no econobox hatch, and BMW's two-piece tailgate separates the car from all others, although right now the GT is the only player in this particular segment. The tailgate can operate as a hatch, opening up the entire rear of the car, or simply open a small trunk-like opening.
The V looks sharp and sounds impressive, even at idle, but it doesn’t really jump out as something as special as it is--which in my book is a great thing. No need to alert the authorities, or the competition, of your true capabilities.
There is a huge amount of legroom. I generally like to sit up close to the steering wheel, and, well, being short, I need to be close to reach the pedals. Even so, I felt like it was spacious; I could be close without feeling like I was kissing the windshield. Another plus was the large trunk.
Or we should say the modern Spyker has been lurking. Spyker started building coaches in 1875 and cars in 1898. It built cars and airplanes until 1925 when it went on hiatus for 75 years. In the late '90s Dutch lawyer and businessman Victor Muller started thinking he could make a better supercar than what he saw out there. He asked the Spyker family if he could use the name, then designed and built a car that he showed at the British Motor Show in 2000. He and Spyker have been going ever since.
Not too many people are aware that Spykers have been certified for sale in the United States since 2005. Now Spyker is launching a nationwide marketing push to let select customers of its 18 U.S. dealers know what a great couple of cars they have.
Clutch, brakes, shifter and steering are all top-notch, though the speed-sensitive steering leans toward the light side, at times feeling over assisted. Just about my only gripe. I have a suspicion this car will understeer a bit much on a track, but the balance allows for plenty of public-road-fun.
Aston Martin understands: When weather permits, aural delights this pure shouldn't be stifled behind layers of aluminum and glass and lacquer. The majestic notes of its 6.0-liter V12--a rumbling basso lifting the throaty tenors, a chorus of sopranos erupting in full song as the throttle opens wide--should flow freely, to drift on the air and bounce off the trees and dance merrily around the ears, mingling with the warmth of a summer wind and basking in the rays of a setting sun.
So Aston removed the roof of the DBS and envelopes the Volante's occupants in the full sensory experience that 510 hp delivers: those majestic sounds, the blur of the road, skin prickling in the open air. Speed is no longer something simply read on a dial; it fills the lungs.
If driving the 2009 Aston Martin DBS Volante, or convertible, sounds magical, it might very well be. But it's a magic that only a lucky 500 or so well-heeled types will be able to indulge in, starting this fall.
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SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: This is a decent little car. Very useful, with the hatch and solid fuel economy. Surprisingly good steering and interior. I guess when you creep into the $20,000 range, things should get a little nicer, but this car beat my expectations in overall packaging. Elegant wheels, good touch points inside and a radio whose face I can read easily--all smart things in my book.Acceleration was OK; I mean, it's a 2.0-liter four-banger. But it's a fairly lithe ride considering it's still a hatch. Hyundai has done a nice job of upgrading its product line from econoboxes to relatively classy rides.
Also, I liked the headlights and the styling. The shape isn't my cup of coffee, but the subtleties are well done. I didn't get much roll in corners or all that much wind resistance on the expressway. This is a solid effort overall, though not my preference for future wheels.
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Though they are increasingly fewer and farther between, there are still places in the world where you can drive full speed across the desert, foot to the floor, dodging rocks and wailing on whoop-de-dos the whole way. It's a fleeting form of freedom and if you like it, better to act sooner rather than later.
To fully enjoy these places at these speeds, Ford has made the Raptor.
Based on the F-150 pickup, the Raptor is widened by seven inches to accommodate big, honking desert tires and extra wheel travel--11.2 inches front and 12.1 inches rear. From the A-pillar forward, it gets all-new SMC body panels that wrap around the stock three-valve, 320-hp, 5.4-liter Triton V8. The black Raptor grille is wider than the stock F-150 grille, and the skid plate angled below the bumper replaces the stock air dam lower panels.
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''What a cute butt!"
Turning around to look, we had to agree, it was a cute butt. Soft and round but still muscular and altogether very purposeful-looking. We smiled.
Our 370Z roadster test car sat outside the bagel shop, on full display through the large plate-glass window. Passersby paused to look, sipping their morning coffees, admiring its wide rear stance, the curvature of the trunk line where it hugs the wheel flares, the dual rear cowls tucked in behind the fixed roll hoops--less mechanized and cold than its predecessor overall and entirely more sensuous in effect. We'd like to think that we brightened a few folks' mornings. Or, rather, that the car did.
Just a year after the 370Z coupe supplanted the fantastic 350Z, the roadster is set to do the same this September. And while it largely carries over the mechanicals from the coupe, the roadster has its own styling--and lifestyle--statements to make.
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Take an everyday Corvette, beef up its bod with wider fenders front and rear, throw on a cool-looking functional front splitter and rear spoiler, dress up the corners with unique wheels (we particularly like them in Competition Gray), then add some zing with a pair of stylized fender vents and you're halfway to Chevy's latest offering, the Corvette Grand Sport.
Slotted between the base model and the Z06, the Grand Sport is essentially an LS3-powered Z06 Light, if you will, using some of the mechanicals of the zoomier car to give folks seeking the ease of an entry-level Corvette with an extra dose of performance and visual appeal.
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