Audi Q5 3.2 Test Drive and Review - Still Sublime

The 2010 Audi Q5 is another example of excellence in Audi engineering. As typical Audi, the interior is top notch. Granted most SUVs are not exactly exciting to drive so they better be easy and comfortable. This one isn’t for performance or off-road capability but rather practicality. Not too big, but just right.

Equipped with the 3.2 liter V-6 producing 270 horsepower, it’s quite adequate for daily driving and the owner reports the trip computer states 26mpg at 70-80mph cruising. Audi states a 0-60mph time of 6.7 seconds as well. It does require premium gas but you pay for what you get. I immediately think of some popular V-6s that are 3.5 liters or larger before having that horsepower mark.

It’s really about utility and the automatic rear hatch has a height adjustment for ease of closing. It also has a nice cargo cover and very well thought-out floor plan.

The 3.2 Premium Plus package includes the 2-panel Panorama sunroof, one of the most distinctive features. The rear panel is fixed but the front offers a nice large opening for fresh air. It has a perforated power sunshade as well that isn’t taut. After all, it is pretty large. What is a neat feature is the shade can be closed with the roof open so that you still get the airflow but not the sun beating down on you. There will be some flutter from the shade, however.

While reaching for my pen that fell on the side of the seat, I discovered the button for lumbar support. This one had all the great features of the A5 I reviewed including the integrated navigation, satellite radio and iPod controls in the fantastic MMI multi-media interface. One negative feedback point from the owner is the 3-D view of the navigation system is disconcerting in dense downtown areas with high-rise buildings. Take a look at the Interior Link below and click on photo #5 supplied by Audi. If you use a navigation system currently, you might relate to this complaint.

Driving the SUV…wait, Audi calls this a crossover. Well that really means it’s a lifted station wagon with more headroom and taller cargo area. The other “crossovers” like the Honda Accord (see my San Jose Auto Show article and photos) are just lifted wagons. Alright, so back to the driving impression. Typical Audi turbine-like smoothness. The 6-speed automatic works very well.

The mirrors, while large and excellent for side/rear visibility blocked my vision when turning. Then again, not everyone’s eyes are in the same place when seated. What was also noticed when turning was somewhat heavy off-center steering feel.

The ride is firm yet smooth, a common description with many premium cars. When in the market for a mid-size SUV yet desiring luxury features, the Q5, especially the V-6, offers all the benefits of a sedan, isn’t oversized and offers excellent cargo capacity. Practical, rather efficient and excellent quality.

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Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance 2010: Stunning Again

It never fails; the 3rd weekend in August is special for a reason and Sunday in particular. Its one thing to see incredible factory production cars, quite another to see examples of greatness from decades or even a century ago that will never be produced again. Cars you've never heard of, never knew existed, and now never can afford. Just to see them up close is a special treat. This year is the 60th annual event and it has raised over 14 million dollars for local, national and international charities.

Buy tickets before the show to avoid the same-day mark-up and lines. When you arrive, be sure to park near the posted bus stops and not in a location where there just happens to be cars. Otherwise, it's a long walk to the next stop. Traffic management is pretty good, even arriving late works out well. Be sure to wear walking shoes and even when overcast you can get a sunburn.

The paintwork is flawless, the curves R-rated, the bright work perfectly reflective…you get the point. This year featured Alfa Romeo, Pierce-Arrow, Jaguar and the designs of Ghia. Additionally the Lakesters, Bonneville racers, past Indy cars and antique motorcycles added additional variety.

Even if the overall shape of the car looks identical, take a look at the multiple details inside and out. Rolling sculpture and jewelry before true mass production and aerodynamically perfect details took over. Read the signs in front of them, sometimes their history is also fascinating it's a story you can see in your mind's eye.

The artwork in the tent on the grounds is breathtaking although this year had fewer exhibitors than a few years ago. The food is good, service is excellent and the clothing/memorabilia items are top quality.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attended again and Jay Leno is always bitingly funny announcing the raffle. Edward Herrmann always does a great job announcing the show. Being a fan, I thanked him Thursday night for his contributions and film work at the Credit Suisse cocktail reception.

Other celebrity attendees were seen as well. A new Orange County Housewife and Brittny Gastineau (Mark's daughter) were spotted by my Lovely Navigator. Yes, the cars were that good. But who is really important is the panel of judges.

The judging panel is a who's who in the automotive world. It is an honor and privilege to attend an event where they gather to assess the rolling artwork.

The automobiles that are not entered in the show are stunning as well stay tuned for an upcoming article on the cars outside the Concours, especially if you're an enthusiast of the latest generation of exotics.

The Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance is a must-see for any auto enthusiast. Even if your tastes don't towards the pre-war classics, the variety, ambiance, presentation, people watching and overall experience should be on your must-do automotive wish list.

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Dodge Caliber SXT Review and Test Drive

When driving a car that is new to you, don’t you want to like it? Unfortunately with the 2009 Dodge Caliber SXT, that wasn’t the case. If you have one, don’t read further. I just can’t recommend this vehicle as much as I was hoping to. I don’t want to offend owners, but some people buy a car to be a little different and if they are fairly comfortable, they are happy. Others demand more from what is typically their second largest purchase in their life.

Having driven it for several hundred miles over the course of a few days a number of issues made themselves known. I had issues with the interior , ride, engine, transmission, etc.

The ride was rather floaty with side-to-side head-toss over bumps and dips. In other words the motion would rock the vehicle and that movement is transmitted to the least “secured” part of the body with a weight on top of it – the neck.

Excessive road noise from the tires filled the cabin. When the cargo area is shared with the passenger compartment without a bulkhead or folding seats as a divider, sound management is important. It was loud on the highway and I found it fatiguing.

The steering wheel sat too low interfering with the legs. Oddly, the dashboard actually slopes up towards the windshield where it meets with the upward sloping high hood-line. Adjusting the seat for comfortable position to the steering wheel and pedals meant the exterior view was compromised. With the windshield being so far from the front occupants along with the seating position, the A-pillars caused blind spots that were disconcerting.

This is not a vehicle for those that make frequent trips in nice clothes. The seats had such an abrasive fabric they would wear out a nice pair of slacks rather quickly. If you’re a traveling salesperson and are stuck with this car, buy a seat cover.

It has a continuously variable transmission which is annoying for anything other than casual acceleration. Otherwise it’s buzzy and seems as if it is continuously slipping. A common complaint among CVTs. I don’t find it appealing.

The gauges were easy to read, the radio was fine and the AC cooled nicely. However the vents can’t be moved side to side. I can’t tell you how ridiculous this is. Why in the world is this even allowed in a production car? Maybe it’s marketed to those who hardly ever turn on the air conditioning versus those that are hot all the time. Guess which group the author falls in?

Interior storage is clever. The phone storage is handy and a two level glove box is pretty neat too. A binnacle on the left might be suitable for a Bluetooth earpiece but that is about it. Definitely not for change or for your second cell phone (like personal vs. company issued). The middle storage binnacle has a lower edge that reveals the production tolerances are just okay.

17” wheels and tires were a nice addition. But overall the styling still struck me as odd, related to the Chevy Aztec.

The one thing that I stuck with me more than anything else and for the longest time is the granite-like, narrow inside door edge. If you like to put your elbow up when you drive, it will hurt within moments. It was horrible. I didn’t even put it in my notes and it’s still burned in my memory.

In all fairness, the Caliber is available with some neat features. See the link below for a window sticker. If you’re shopping for a Dodge Caliber, and these things matter to you, buyer beware. If you don’t mind it, you like the styling, its functionality suits you, then go for it.

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Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance: Exotics and Events Outside the Shows

My favorite part of the Monterey Weekend Of Automobiles (MWOA!) is actually the cars outside of the Concours D'elegance that are primarily featured on the day of the show. Sometimes you get a peak a day or two before. Others are seen at the various auctions.

The ones I've wanted to see for a long time in the past year or so were present: Ferrari 458 Italia, 599 GTO and the one and only P540 Superfast Aperta based on the 599 GTB. Also a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, McLaren MP4-12C, Porsche 918 Spyder, 911 Turbo S, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, and others. Some surprises were there as well such as the gorgeous Morgan EvaGT and the Lotus Evora Cup GT4 which has the horsepower output the production Evora desperately needs.

The Ferrari display just outside the Concours is up the ramp from the shops near the main entrance. The display was wonderful and deserved a higher traffic location. Some even missed it. The Italia was a very nice dark blue and of course the GTO was red. The only P540 in existence, part of the Ferrari customization program is gold colored.

The Bugatti, an even darker blue-black was especially understated. Even the McLaren was the wrong color, silver, and looks like a small car, not a wide sports car. An interesting perception, I'll be curious to see other colors on the road, hopefully.

The CTS-V is "V-rated" just like the sedan version. Wheels, brakes, hood and grill distinguish it from the standard coupe just like the sedan. The rear end just looks too disproportionately large. A comment overheard was it looks just like some simple trapezoidal shape. There is a very strange cut line near the door touch pad opening that looks like a little square filler instead of being part of the body work.

The Porsche Spyder is simply outrageous. A shorter, more curvy looking ancestor of the Carrera GT, it was also the absolutely wrong color, somewhat of a muted beige silver that didn't do it justice.

The Morgan EvaGT was a stunner. Elements of the 3rd generation Corvette could be seen but with European supercar lines. It's curves were R-rated, not suitable for those with delicate sensitivities. Really, this car is like a Frederick's of Hollywood model lounging in her lingerie on the putting green.

Jaguar's weekend kick-off event featured the remaining 12 of the 16 XK-SS Roadsters at the entrance to the party. An impressive historical sight while all their stunningly elegant models were on display. Race car driver Roberto Guerrero was even one of the very friendly product specialists. The food and large room dedicated for desserts was far more memorable than the fun dance floor.

The auctions offered some other stunners as well such as some gorgeous Ferrari's at the RM Auction held at the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center. In fact, the top seller was a Ferrari that sold for $4,620,000. Now the auction charges $40 per person just to view the cars and even more to attend. Considering the crowds at night, this is a necessary but unfortunate fee.

MWOA is a spectacular time of year. Be sure to mark your calendar for the third weekend in August and be prepared to check off all the "greats" you read and see in the magazines, on Top Gear and You Tube all year.

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Toyota FJ Opinion

Brandon from Brandon, FL writes:
I am always in the market for a new ride I like the Accord. But I really enjoy a Crossover-SUV with the higher up feeling. But there are none that are in my price range so for the past year I've been stuck. But with my warranty now up I am back to searching for a good weekend deal in the paper. What do you think of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, black on black with dual exhaust? It has a good sporty look to it. I also am not really worried about gas I don't drive much at all. My current ride gets about 16/21 mpg city/highway.

Brandon,
The Toyota FJ is a nice beefy, ride. Toyota reliability and distinctive, retro styling are nice touches. In fact, my sister really wants one! It definitely has off-road intentions so that part might be wasted in your neck of the woods. There is nothing wrong with that if gas consumption isn't a concern.

I suggest two things though. If you tend have rear seat passengers or cargo, try climbing in and out and see what you think in terms of access. Second, take the car into a crowded parking lot and park it between cars and back it up a few times. See if the visibility is acceptable for the daily driving you'll be doing. Good luck in your search!

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2011 Ford Mustang GT Automatic Soft Launch?

Read your 2011 Ford Mustang GT Test Drive And Overview on insidemusclecars.com (also published here: http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-san-jose/2011-ford-mustang-gt-automatic-test-drive-and-overview )

Best article yet I have read. I am a first time muscle car buyer and am 46 years old. I got the 2011 Mustang GT/CS automatic. Any suggestions for a first time buyer/driver? I tried your slammin it to the floor at 20mph and anything above 60mph and it sure is fun. I am a little disappointed in the take off from a dead stop

Thanks Jim

_______

Hi Jim,

I wish I could take credit for that article but I'm glad you liked it.

Congratulations on your purchase. I take it you're looking for

suggestions for a quicker "launch" from a dead stop? You could look

at the softness off the line as a benefit too. A fast car like that

can easily overwhelm the tires and you end up spinning instead of

moving forward. Therefore the benefit can actually be is that your

"launches" can be very consistent which many cannot claim.

However if your tires are warm and the surface can handle more power

than just hitting the gas, a "brake torque" will allow you to start

with a higher rpm, bringing the engine into the powerband more

quickly. This is only when racing, not a daily practice by any means.

The technique is left-foot braking and holding the car in place while

giving it some gas. Do not do this for very long as it can overheat

the transmission. Per the previous article, this seems to help quite a bit.

In the meantime, scan dragtimes.com and the various Mustang forums for

owners with automatic transmissions on street tires (versus drag

radials or slicks) and see what kind of 60ft times they are hitting at

the dragstrip and the techniques they used. If you're seeing 1.9x

seconds, it's pretty good. Anything below that is great. 2.0 seconds

is decent, but anything higher than that is really a soft launch.

Just doing a cursory search, it's difficult to find many quarter mile

results for automatics, let alone the manuals.

There is one owner who has timeslips showing 12-second runs at

114-115mph with 2.0 60fts but that trap speed is very suspect. I'll

go on record saying that a "stock" '11 GT Automatic will never repeat

this unless the timing lights are out of calibration or

malfunctioning. Many experienced drag racers on line are of this

opinion.

Besides technique, some custom engine tuning and intake and exhaust

modifications might help the response off the line. However, it is

that critical moment from a dead stop to rolling is the key and the

60ft is a great measurement. In other words, even though your head

isn't jerked back right off the line, if the car is cutting 1.9 60fts

or better on street tires, or even 2.0 60fts every time, you're doing just

fine.

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2011 Ford Mustang GT Automatic Test Drive and Overview

A friend of mine who is a very knowledgeable and frequent contributor to the automotive forums recently had the opportunity to rent a new 2011 Mustang GT with the 6-speed automatic. Read below for his fascinating findings and analysis: Well, I drove (the hell out of) my first 5.0 GT Mustang today. VERY enlightening. Here is what I learned - tips that anybody running mid 12's on up better heed!

CLIFFS NOTES: Race an auto 5.0 from a 25-30mph roll. Preferably 25mph in case he has the optional 3.73 gears. They have a nasty lag from WOT to pulling: 1 1/2 to 2 seconds from pedal slamming to shift nannies off and howling with full power. You want a legit race? Make him manually shift it and hold the gear. If you don't pull him below 70mph, you WILL NOT walk it down. Period. BE WARNED: all kinds of computer nanny interference means a tuned (de-nannied), CAI and catback auto is gonna be one helluva lot faster than a stock one.

Conditions: Victorville, California elevation 2900', temp 97 deg F.

Interior: I'm 6'5" and square: I had trouble fitting into it, even with seat all the way back my knees were only 2" from the dash. Head hit the roof until I lowered seat all the way down, and leaned it back a bit. <<>Driving initial impressions: Strong! Surprisingly reminds me of the LS1 Fbodies in the stiffness of suspension and surprising amount of tire noise that makes it into the cab. I like that, but most don't. Fairly stiff body for a pony car, but could definitely be stiffer. Car feels very short from inside: Having sat in a SS, Challenger, and Charger I would say the GT feels like about 5 to 8' shorter. No kidding.

Power: High revving powerband for sure. If you are a true veteran gearhead you can feel? sense? the VVT working. Still not near enough power below 4k though. Laggy throttle and slow downshifts are annoying to say the least- though expected in any modern car available to the ignorant, crappy driver mod public nowadays.

Transmission and gearing: The 6 speed automatic does a masterful job of hiding the deadspots. Seriously, I did launches from every 5mph incremental speed starting at zero and ending at 90mph. It acts like a virgin closing her legs to your advances at every possible location. Only one dead spot- and it's a doozy: 25-30mph. Not 20-30mph, not 25-31mph, but TWENTY FIVE TO THIRTY MPH. Massive dead spot that totally exposes the low torque engines bottom end lack of power.

This 5.0 is a rental, you know it doesn't have the track pack 3.73 gears. Drop 3-5mph for that probably. Any quick LSx 6spd or A4 will literally put 3-4 cars on an auto 5.0 mustang if you race him from that 25-30mph range.

Other than that? Well, there is one spot around 70mph where it drops down to "only" 4200rpms on the hit. That's it. Legs crossed tight, you are gonna have to take that cherry with brute force if you missed your "sweet spot" low roll starting point!

Dig? Does it surprisingly well: I was able to brake stall the converter up to 2100rpms. No shit, they must have a 2600rpm stall convertor from the factory- or a high STR 2400stall maybe? Due to that high stall, they pull just as hard from a 5mph punch as they do from a dig. Same with 10mph.

And at 20mph? Well, good luck. Pulls like a raped ape on steroids from 20mph. It's almost as hard pulling at 60mph, too: those two speeds you DO NOT want to race a 5.0 GT from!!!!!!

Nannies and torque management: They are on this car like white on rice. VERY VERY restrictive on both not going WOT when you want, to 2 second gear changes, to nannies everywhere that you cannot turn off that are keeping the engine from making power. I can EASILY see this car picking up 5 tenths with a tune and maybe another 5 tenths with a CAI, catback, and maybe tires.

Traction: mine hooked great, but it's 97 deg F outside and they were warm and the engine was down on power. The DA at a dragstrip with those conditions would require an oxygen mask!!! Bringing stall up to just before spinning the tires then dumping the gas barely let out a chirp. Just not enough torque, even with the factory high stall. --- and the high DA. Always keep that in mind while reading this post.

Top speed: honestly, it pulls better past 90mph than my GTO does. Speedo just swept on by 80, 90, 100, 110, and to 120 where I let up like it was on a dyno instead of in the middle of a desert at high noon. Very impressive for a Mustang...or most any other car not sporting 400+ real crank hp. You LS1 guys better have some breathing mods on your cars or these 5.0 'Stangs will "Supra" you.

Handling? Put the same tires on a SS and 5.0 and watch the SS walk away on any but maybe a very very tight track. Maybe the Mustang just needs bigger tires, but I think it's a geometry issue: either way bone stock it only gives the impression of being a great handling car- not the reality.

^^And yes, I can make that distinction whereas most other car guys can't. Ain't braggin, it's just the simple truth: I've spent a lot of time on road courses and in fast, modified cars. The 5.0 has the bones to be a great autocrosses, but not with that current suspension setup. And that damned yaw control nanny has to go! It kicks in at 90% of max lateral when it is just starting to get fun.

Conclusion: Do I think it's a stock 12 second car? Absolutely. Even with the annoying nannies, average drivers on average tracks should knock out 12.9-13.0 times with 2000' or lower DA. Tune, CAI, catback should be low to mid 12's.

Side note: I'm also pretty good at judging the airflow thru an engine. This 5.0 feels like it's fully capable of more power with just a cam change. Reminds me a lot of how I felt the first time I drove a LS1 Camaro- I immediately felt it needed a cam! Same here: expect cams to become a "gotta have" for the track crowd. Expect unported heads to pick up 40-50rwhp IF - and that's a big IF- the longblock can handle another 600rpms. If it can, well, ..... GM and Dodge better buy stock in Jenny Craig. Fast.

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