2010 Nissan Armada

Full-sized sport-utility vehicle is ready for adventure

By Nina Russin

2010 Nissan Armada

The Armada is Nissan’s largest sport-utility vehicle, with seating for seven passengers. As its name suggests, the Armada has the durability to traverse extreme off-road terrain, sharing the same truck platform as the full-sized Nissan Titan.

A two-speed transfer case gives the Armada low gears for maneuverability on uneven trails. Towing capacity for the four-wheel drive version is 9000 pounds.

This year, Nissan dresses up the Armada with two new up-level grades: the Titanium and Platinum editions. I recently had the opportunity to drive the Platinum 4, priced from $52,190. Standard comfort and convenience features include keyless ignition, leather seating, navigation, a rearview camera, heated seats and steering wheel, a DVD entertainment system and a 9.3 gigabyte music box hard drive. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix S

Compact hatchback has an active lifestyle focus

By Nina Russin

The Matrix is the five-door version of the Toyota Corolla, combining the sedan’s positive fuel economy with a larger, more versatile cargo area.

Every time I drive the Matrix, I find a new reason to love

2009 Toyota Matrix

 the car. The hatchback averages 29 miles-per-gallon on the highway, has a standard 115-volt outlet in the center stack, and can hold my mountain bike without removing the front wheel.

Tracks in the cargo floor hold tie-down hooks to secure large cargo.  A cargo light illuminates the back of the car, making it easier to load up at night.

For this test drive, I have the mid-level S grade, with a 158-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission. The S adds a couple of important features over the base model: the 115-volt outlet, and a fold-flat front passenger seat. A hard seatback surface serves as a work table. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Lexus GX 460

Second-generation model gets standard third-row seating

By Nina Russin

2010 Lexus GX 460

The GX is the mama bear of the Lexus sport-utility family, positioned between the compact RX and full-sized LX. Structurally, it’s closer to the LX: a body-on-frame truck designed to go off-road and tow heavy loads. While the unibody RX is engineered for optimum on-road performance, the GX has a two-speed transfer case for extreme off-road terrain.

The first-generation GX, that rolled out in 2002, gave active families a less expensive alternative to the high-luxury LX, with better fuel economy. The second-generation model that arrives in dealerships in January features a new V8 engine, similar to the base engine in the current Tundra pickup. A six-speed automatic transmission replaces a five-speed gearbox on the original model, for better fuel economy and launch characteristics.

EPA statistics for the new model show a two gallon-per-mile fuel economy improvement over the GX 470. On my 35 mile test drive, including surface streets, highway and dirt roads, the average gas mileage was 17.8 mpg: almost a gallon better than the EPA estimate.

Lexus’ kinetic dynamic suspension system gives the GX a surprisingly smooth ride. The system can electronically decouple the front and rear sway bars to maximize wheel travel on off-road trails. On paved roads, the technology prevents the chatter common to body-on-frame trucks with live rear axles. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Subaru Legacy

Sport sedan takes a ‘go anywhere’ attitude

By Nina Russin

2010 Subaru Legacy

Subaru was one of the few automakers to turn a profit last year. While the company has never been a volume leader, Subaru has maintained a loyal following by staying true to its mission and listening to its customers. Subaru was one of the first car companies to pursue buyers with active lifestyles: sponsoring the US Ski team in the 1970s.

The Legacy is Subaru’s flagship sedan: geared towards upscale buyers. Having said that, Subaru approaches the luxury audience with its own, unique strategy. The base Legacy comes with a cloth interior: easier to clean after a day on the trails. All-wheel drive is standard, giving the Legacy moderate off-road capability.

The six-speed manual transmission, standard on the base model, comes with a reverse lockout ring. While not all of its owners will drive the Legacy for sport, the lockout ring gives the gearbox extra durability. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Infiniti QX56 4WD

Full-sized luxury SUV with off-road capability

By Nina Russin

Infiniti QX56

The QX56 is the big kahuna of sport-utility vehicles. Stepping inside the expansive passenger cabin, I am humbled by its scale.

Just how big is it? The QX56 measures seventeen and a quarter feet end-to-end. The wheelbase is 123 inches. Curb weight is just over three tons. The QX56 can tow up to 9000 pounds: over twice our ALV minimum towing standard.

Power comes from a 320-horsepower V8 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. The QX accelerates surprisingly well for a vehicle of its size. The down side is poor fuel economy. On the test drive I averaged 13.7 miles-per-gallon: slightly lower than the EPA estimate. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD

Ford’s flagship sedan gets a 21st century makeover

By Nina Russin

2010 Ford Taurus

The Taurus has been Ford’s bread-and-butter car since I started writing about this industry two decades back. Over the years, the Taurus evolved from a plain vanilla sedan into the automaker’s flagship. The 2010 Taurus that rolled out this summer had multiple shoes to fill. It needed to appeal to a new generation of technology-savvy buyers, as well as former Crown Victoria owners, since the full-sized sedan has been discontinued.

Engineers also brought back the SHO moniker, hoping to build on equity from the original model. While the base Taurus comes with the 3.5-liter Duratec V6 engine, the high-performance SHO features Ford’s all-new EcoBoost V-6, which uses twin turbochargers to boost both power and fuel economy.

Ford is using the Taurus to showcase the company’s newest safety technology, including adaptive cruise control, collision warning with brake support, and a blind sport information system with cross traffic alert. Infotainment options include Ford’s Sync voice-activated communications system, a Sony surround-sound audio system, massaging seats, and voice-activated navigation with real-time traffic updates. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Active Lifestyle Vehicle Awards

San Diego area athletes weigh in on this year’s entries

Athletes Judge the Best Value Category

This week, two dozen San Diego area athletes got their turn to drive the 2010 entries for Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year, and cast their votes. The awards program, now in its sixth year, recognizes new cars and trucks that best meet the needs of active buyers. The program is sponsored by AAA and the Active Network. The Active Network has hosted the one-day ride-and-drive program since 2005.

Twenty manufacturers participated in the 2010 competition, entering vehicles in seven categories. A panel of twelve automotive journalists, including Larry Edsall, Denise McCluggage, John Stewart, Jim Prueter, Sue Mead, Tamara Warren and others drove the initial field of entries and pared the group down to 28 finalists.

Athletes on hand included members of Team Aquaphor, Active Network Media, and the San Diego Triathlon Club, participating in sports that ranged from surfing and sprint triathlon to ultra-distance running. The athletes’ votes weighed fifty percent in the final tally: jury panel votes comprised the remaining fifty percent. Read the rest of this entry »

SEMA News

Automotive aftermarket show features accessories for active lifestyles

By Nina Russin

Yakima Rack-and-Roll trailer

SEMA is the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association: the biggest organization of aftermarket equipment suppliers in the world. Once a year, members gather in Las Vegas for a trade show of overwhelming proportions.

How big is it? According to a colleague, the 2007 SEMA show had twenty-six miles of exhibits, filling all three halls in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

While the current show is slightly smaller, it’s still an impressive display. In addition to the exhibition halls, hot rods and customs fill the open air spaces in front of the convention center. Despite the fact that admission is limited to industry members, attendance is huge. By mid-day, it’s hard to find space to walk down the aisles.

Among the thousands of participants are all the major manufacturers of roof racks, camping supplies, navigation systems, specialty suspensions, tires, and towing equipment. Following are a few of this year‘s highlights.

Roof and hitch racks

Yakima‘s new Rack and Roll trailers are an ergonomic alternative to roof racks. There are two models: a 66-inch wide rack that weighs about 130 pounds empty, and a slightly heavier 78-inch wide rack that can hold up to eight bicycles. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Audi Q5 3.2 quattro Tiptronic

Style meets performance in Audi’s first compact SUV

By Nina Russin

2009 Audi Q5

This year, Audi expands its sport-utility lineup with the Q5: a compact alternative to the full-sized Q7. Built on the same chassis as the A4 sedan, the Q5 melds Audi’s race-inspired performance with sleek, upscale styling. Base price for the Q5 is $37,200, not including a $825 delivery charge.

Power comes from a 270-horsepower V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The Q5 accelerates from zero-to-sixty miles-per-hour in 6.7 seconds. Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system maintains a rear bias under normal conditions, but can transfer engine torque between axles and wheels to maximize traction.

The Q5 tows up to 4400 pounds: well above our 3500-pound ALV minimum standard. A new navigation system displays maps with three-dimensional graphics, and includes real-time traffic updates ($3000). I found the graphics hard to read while I was driving: simpler is better to keep drivers focused on the road. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Audi Q7 TDI Premium quattro Tiptronic

Full-sized SUV with a green footprint

By Nina Russin

2009 Audi Q7 TDI

Which technology is greener: gasoline-electric hybrids or clean diesel? Engineers on both sides of the fence can make good arguments in their favor. Hybrids yield exceptional fuel economy in stop-and-go traffic, whereas the fuel economy gains for diesel cars are smaller, but more consistent across-the-board.

Over the long term, owners of hybrids must address the issue of battery life and disposal: a problem that doesn’t exist for diesel. On the other hand, gasoline is still more readily available than diesel in the US, and in many cases, costs less.

Traditionally, American drivers have shunned diesel technology, primarily because of bad experiences with vehicles built several decades back. I can’t emphasize enough how different the current generation of diesel cars are from their predecessors. A relatively recent technology known as common-rail diesel uses on-board computer controls and very high fuel-line pressures to give the new cars power and performance comparable to gasoline cars.

The new clean diesel cars have excellent throttle response, and vastly reduced diesel tick. Audi has reduced particulates out the exhaust by 98 percent, compared to cars built in the late 1980s. Torque is up 70 percent. In short, the cars are environmentally friendly, fun to drive, and remarkably fuel-efficient. Read the rest of this entry »