Real World Road Tests for the Automotive Enthusiast

Driving isn’t just about getting from point A to point B – it’s about the experience a vehicle imparts along that journey. As automotive enthusiasts, we won’t sacrifice everything we love in a vehicle for function. Yet sometimes our practical side demands we drive cars that can haul kids, luggage, a boat, or maybe just our golf clubs.

We review vehicles from sports cars to tow vehicles and complete our testing on real roads, with real kids, real luggage or even real trailered loads. We focus on what each vehicle is designed to do, then judge whether it delivers on those claims and describe the emotional experience of driving the car.

Real Roads, Real Car Guys Who You Can Relate With - Real World Road Tests.

Chevy Volt – Thumbing Its Nose at “Big Oil” 40 Miles at a Time

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2012 Chevy Volt
At this point, the Chevrolet Volt is well known as a game changer. We expected a car that displayed leading edge technology with great fuel economy, and we knew that our driving habits would define the cars ultimate mileage. It’s arguably the best of a unique genre. But we discovered much more. Some surprising revelations, and some maddening contradictions. What we never saw coming though, was that the car would change us. Indeed, our typical ‘racer’ style of driving vanished nearly instantly.

And that’s not a knock on the car, or how it drives. It’s suspension is actually quite capable. Well dampened, and appropriately sprung. While the steering had a distant and moderately artificial feel to it, it had admirable weighting and good on center feel. The Volt didn’t just convert one of us to “it’s way”, it converted each one of us. And we went willingly, happily, and came out of the experience with a completely different view. Continue reading →

Electric Powered Vehicles – Hype Or The Future?

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It’s election year, so why wouldn’t politicians jump on an easy target to benefit their agendas? Lets face it, life revolves around the all mighty dollar and, in too many cases, greed and power. We as consumers need to peel away the BS and discover for ourselves if electric powered vehicles could make sense for our future as individuals, and the country as a whole. Just like many of you, we had a lot of unanswered questions and really didn’t know what to believe. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when alternatives to oil will become absolutely critical. Continue reading →

2012 Touareg TDI LUX – Full of Surprises

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A Mid-size SUV That Does It All
The Volkswagen Touareg TDI has 406 pound-feet of torque and a tow rating of 7,700 lbs. This makes it really stand out among mid-sized SUVs in its class as having the potential to be a great tow vehicle. While very true and of interest to most of you, we are going to put that aside for now because it’s only a small piece of this vehicle’s story. Continue reading →

2012 Chevrolet Sonic 5-Door LTZ

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Inexpensive, but not “cheap” transportation that’s actually fun to drive!

Overview

We didn’t know what to expect when we first learned that Chevy was going to lend us a new 2012 Sonic. After all, it replaced the Aveo, which was unremarkable in many ways. It was uninspiring, loud, and slow. It also lacked some modern safety features, and did not provide a driving experience that enthusiasts yearn for.

The 2012 Sonic is a whole new car from the ground up. Because of this, it was only fitting that Chevy decided to give it a new name that’s not associated with the car it replaces. They also gave it a new Continue reading →

These Days, What’s Really an Automatic Transmission?

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Within the aviation community there’s a spirited debate about the term conventional landing gear. Traditionally, the term refers to tail dragger airplanes, those that have a tail wheel, like a Piper Cub, the Boeing B-17, and the Douglas DC-3. But since around the time of World War Two most aircraft have been manufactured with “tricycle landing gear” or a nose gear. Almost every airplane you see today is a tricycle with a nose gear; short of Home-built or other purpose-built aircraft (e.g., agricultural, aerobatics) you would be hard-pressed to find many airplanes with a tail wheel.

Yet despite the fact that most aircraft manufactured within the last half-century use tricycle/nose gear, the term “conventional landing gear” continues to apply to the tail wheel. This is confusing to people new to aviation; to them “conventional” is what they see out at the local airport every day like the Cessnas and Cirrus, or every airliner they’ll board, all of which have nose wheels. Yet that traditional term persists.

So it is with automatic transmissions in cars today. Mention “automatic transmission” to me (I’m approaching a half-century myself) and I immediately think of the old GM Hydramatic transmission, with a torque converter, an internal pump, clutches and bands, a Continue reading →

2011 VW Golf GTI

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Let’s just start with a confession: I’m not objective about the 2011 Volkswagen Golf GTI. I’ve been a “Fan of Fahrvergnügen” for 40+ years, starting back when my Dad bought a brandy-new orange Kharmann Ghia convertible; my first new car (and first race car) was a 1983 Rabbit GTi. I strayed into quattro/turbo Audis but the Golfs always caught my eye.  I even race a Golf occasionally in enduros.

I didn’t like the looks of the GTI’s predecessor. That large vertical “open nose” look of the old car, reminiscent of an Audi, just didn’t suit my styling preferences. I much prefer the standard lateral cut of a nicely-done front bumper. This new one I like. If you’re also a fan Continue reading →

Lexus LF LC Styling Analysis

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When a major auto firm decides to build a concept, it first establishes a strategy and settles on the goals for the design. People always ask, “Why do they make concept cars?” There are a lot of reasons that range from exploring new packaging and technologies, to generating interest and gauging public reaction, to ‘preparing’ the public for future forms, to merely “exercising” or rewarding their design department. Of course, they often release statements as to their reasons, but, I’d suggest that those be taken with grains of salt. Continue reading →

A Technical Look Into the New BMW 3 Series

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More, More, More…and Less

A saying goes “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but one look back at the history of BMW’s 3 series shows that it’s either gotten cheaper through the years, we got a bigger sandwich, a healthier one, or all three.
Toward the end of its run in 1991, the first M3 cost approximately $36,000 MSRP, and went from 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Heralded in its day, its fuel economy and emissions performance are primitive by today’s standards. The subsequent version, the hugely popular E36 M3, added 94 horsepower, lowered the 0-60 mph time to 5.5 seconds and Continue reading →

2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

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A well balanced fun to drive sedan at an affordable price

When Volkswagen redesigned the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, they designed the car to make it more affordable, and appeal to a broader demographic to increase sales. VW went with a smaller and less powerful base engine, a less expensive twist beam rear suspension, rear drum brakes, and a more economical interior with harder plastics. While doing this, they increased the interior room, and significantly lowered the entry price. The new 2012 Continue reading →