Archive for the ‘Test Drives’ Category

So, you are ready to drop somewhere between $40 and $50K on an entertaining sports car. Your eyes are set on a Nissan 370Z, but you wonder whether the Infiniti G37 IPL will deliver an extra portion of fun worth the extra $7K.

Full Review – Buying a 2012 LaCrosse could expose you to what appears to be a trick question: Do you get the 303 hp 6-cylinder or the 182 hp 4-cylinder + 15 hp electric motor – for the same price? The case for the eLaCrosse is not exactly convincing and quite confusing, but it’s something we may have to get used to sooner or later.

I’ve been watching electric cars for some time and almost fell in love with a Tesla, but concluded it made little sense, a few months ago. Recently, I had a chance to revisit this topic by living through the experiences of a friend who had bought an electric car. I still don’t think they are ready for prime time.

The Audi A7 is one of a number of Audis that actually has a named tech company behind its driver information system, NVIDIA, and it is the best blend of automobile and technology I’ve seen so far.   The A7 is pretty impressive as well and since it is designed to appeal to the young father who doesn’t want to give up his sports car and reminds me of the Aston Martin DBS V8 (just a little) in “On Her Majesties Secret Service” it is a near magical blend of practicality and fun. I’m a big fan of fun, but no so much the idea that a fun car has to be designed to be impractical.

We recently planned a roadtrip from Chicago to Santa Fe with a route that reminded us very much of the route taken by the Griswold’s in National Lampoons Vacation and appeared to be a wonderful opportunity to realize our thoughts on a modern sequel with a Cadillac CTS-V sport wagon. Given gas prices of north of $3.50 a gallon and the Caddy’s fuel efficiency of about 12 MPG, we quickly abandoned that plan and thought about an economic car instead: We chose the Chevy Cruze Eco, which we reviewed earlier and found to be capable of hitting 58 MPG in a rather unrealistic scenario. What MPG can you expect in the real world over the distance of almost 2700 miles?

It is nothing short of amazing how intelligent cars have become over the past 10 years. Provided there is enough cash available, you can load up on gadgets and gizmos and get the impression that technology can virtually drive your car by itself. We tried just that with a QX56 full-size luxury SUV from Infiniti.

The C6 Corvette gets one more big upgrade until its successor arrives: The already race-tuned Grand Sport is now available with a new suspension package that offers a seat in a serious race car and the fastest stock topless Corvette you can buy. [See the Slideshow of the 2011 Grand Sport Convertible]

Nissan’s latest Z has been available for some time now, but we were not able to get our hands on a fully decked out 370Z Touring Roadster until now. With the optional sport package, this is a Thoroughbred that is the poster board example that technology does not have to dilute the purpose of a sports car, but amplifies its talents and turns it into an addicting ride.

556 hp in a station wagon. Your best excuse if your spouse doesn’t let you have a Corvette. It’s the most exciting way to make shopping trips to Costco. It is the best American car on sale right now. [See all pictures in our slideshow]

Last weekend I went over to the new Tesla Dealership in Santana Row in Silicon Valley. This was the grand opening weekend for the dealership and there was Sushi to turn it into a high class experience. In the store, there was one Tesla sports car, in the parking garage out back, there were several more that were used as test drive mules. The store kind of got me thinking of both what Apple would do with a car dealership and reminded me a lot of how cars are sold in parts of Europe.  However, the car itself, while incredibly fast, still leaves me cold and I am thinking of a version that Apple or Porsche might deliver.

Full Review – The Nissan Juke is testing the borders of tasteful design, with a face that some told us resembles a frog. However, beneath the skin is a small SUV that is a blast to drive and, on a second look, reveals a playful and entertaining character that is everything else but boring.

Test Drive/Review – After a first look a few months ago, we recently received a Volt for an extended test drive and review. If there was ever a car we did not want to give back, it was this one.  [Extra: SLIDESHOW (48 pictures)]