ALV Award at San Diego Auto Show

Ed Witt and Jim Woodman

The sixth annual Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year program concluded this week with an awards presentation at the San Diego Auto Show. ALV co-founder and juror, Jim Woodman, presented the award for best luxury on-road vehicle to Ed Witt, owner of Witt Lincoln Mercury. Witt was accepting the award for the 2010 Lincoln MKT.

Athletes who drove the MKT were impressed by the performance of Ford’s new EcoBoost engine, innovative safety features such as blind spot warning and cross traffic alert, as well as the vehicle’s versatile interior.

The Active Network Inc., one of two program sponsors, has hosted the athlete’s ride-and-drive event at its San Diego campus for the past five years.

“We were honored to host the 2010 Active Lifestyle Vehicle Awards,” said Jon Belmonte, chief operating officer of The Active Network. “This event has had great success in connecting auto manufacturers with active consumers.”

The San Diego Auto Show runs through January 3 at the San Diego Convention Center.

My Three Thousand Mile Year

Running shoes

Actually, it was 2970 miles. A slight calf pull at the beginning of December kept me from running the sixty-plus mile weeks that I needed to reach 3000 by January 1.

If one were to string the past 52 weeks worth of runs end to end, it would be the equivalent of running across America. It makes me wonder what it would be like to run or bicycle across this country: to watch the terrain change from hardwood forests to the grasslands, the desert, and eventually the Mediterranean climate of southern California.

While I have contemplated such a journey, it has never been a goal of mine, any more than running the equivalent mileage was. Looking back at my diary, my goals for 2009 were to stay healthy, enjoy running, and jump into a half marathon or two. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Mazdaspeed3 Sport

Form meets function in Mazda’s five-door hatchback

By Nina Russin

2010 Mazdaspeed3

Of the hundred or so cars I test drive each year, a handful are models I can envision myself owning. The Mazdaspeed3 is one of those few.

Simply put, Mazda’s performance-driven hatchback fills all of my squares. It’s affordable, stylish, versatile enough for my modest cargo needs, and a lot of fun to drive. The turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine is thrifty at the fuel pump, while providing an abundance of power.

The six-speed manual transmission has a light enough clutch pedal to function in traffic, with plenty of range in each gear. Steering response is positive, yet fluid.

Stabilizer bars on the front and rear axles keep the car flat in the corners. Yet the suspension has enough compliance to provide a comfortable ride on uneven road surfaces. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL

Global design team reinvents Buick’s full-sized sedan

By Nina Russin

2010 Buick LaCrosse

My love affair with cars began with a ‘64 Buick Wildcat convertible that lived down the street from me. Its 401-cubic inch V8 engine seemed to stretch from one side of the county to the other. The exhaust note was epic. A standard three-speed manual transmission made it easy to melt the tires: something my parents never shared my appreciation for.

Over subsequent decades, Buick lost its way, acquiring a reputation for lackluster performance, with styling to match. It was heartbreaking to see the brand that revolutionized car design with Harley Earl’s Y-Job concept car relegated to the far reaches of nursing home parking lots.

Recently, Buick reversed the tide with the Enclave crossover vehicle, geared towards active lifestyles. Last summer, Buick introduced an all-new LaCrosse, using a global design team to recreate the full-sized sedan for younger buyers.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Jaguar XF Premium

Sport sedan is more than a pretty face

By Nina Russin

2010 Jaguar XF

It’s hard not to love a beautiful car. The Jaguar XF is an exquisitely-designed sport sedan with performance befitting the most powerful feline predator.

A naturally-aspirated, five-liter V8 is one of two new direct-injection gasoline engines available in the XF. Jaguar is also producing a diesel XF for Europe. With the new engines, the XF becomes a four-passenger version of Jaguar’s XK sports car.

The premium model tested is one of four available grades. This year, Jaguar adds two upscale models: the stylish XF portfolio with special wheels, interior and audio upgrade, and the high-performance XFR, powered by a supercharged version of the V-8 engine. Engineers made Jaguar’s active differential control and adaptive dynamics systems standard on the XFR, giving the sedan better traction at speed. Read the rest of this entry »

Winter Tires Add Traction in Extreme Weather

By Nina Russin

Winter Tire Test at Tire Rack

When I was a kid, using winter tires was common practice. Before the days of front and all-wheel drive, winter tires were the only way drivers could give their cars better traction for driving on ice and snow.

While technologies such as electronic stability and traction control enhance a car’s all-season performance, winter tires add an important measure of protection. Rubber compounds are temperature sensitive. Summer performance tires work best in temperatures above freezing. All-season tires maintain traction over a wider range of temperatures, but still don’t perform as well as winter tires in extreme cold weather.

Tread patterns on winter tires are designed to move moisture away from the surface, so the tires maintain their contact patches with the ground. If the tires lose traction and the car hydroplanes, none of its other safety systems can bring the vehicle back under control. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Toyota Sienna

Third-generation minivan features new sport grade

By Nina Russin

2011 Toyota Sienna SE

What was once old is new again. The minivan is, after all, the original active lifestyle vehicle. At its peak in the late 1990s, the minivan segment commanded a million unit sales annually.

Minivans are more aerodynamic, and hence get better gas mileage than sport-utility vehicles; yet they hold as many passengers and carry as much gear. The 2011 Toyota Sienna that rolls out in February is available with all-wheel drive. Three rows of seating hold up to eight passengers. The V6 model’s 3500-pound towing capacity meets our ALV minimum standard.

A new sport grade with a unique exterior, larger wheels and special suspension tuning rivals like-sized crossover vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 GMC Terrain

GMC’s smallest sport-utility vehicle is big on active lifestyles

By Nina Russin

2010 GMC Terrain

The Terrain is GMC’s newest, and most compact sport-utility vehicle: built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Equinox. Both cars come with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder or V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

Whereas the Equinox focuses primarily on value, the Terrain carries forth GMC’s “professional grade” strategy with more aggressive styling, and convenience features that appeal to truck enthusiasts. The truck’s front-end design is similar to treatments on the Acadia and Yukon: GMC’s mid- and full-sized sport utility vehicles.

The test car is the SLT-2: the more upscale of two available grades. Base price for the all-wheel drive model is $31,000, not including a $745 destination charge. The 3-liter V6 engine is a $1500 option, as are 19-inch chrome wheels: an upgrade from the standard 18-inch brushed aluminum rims ($900). A towing package ($350) gives the Terrain 3500-pound capacity, meeting our minimum ALV standards.

While the V6 can’t compete with the four-cylinder engine’s 32 mile-per-gallon fuel economy, I think it’s a better choice for buyers who live in climates with bad winters. The bigger engine has fifty more foot-pounds of torque, which makes a big difference in low-end acceleration. In other words, the V6 is better equipped to crawl out of a snow drift, and has enough power to accommodate a full-load of passengers plus athletic gear. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

Modern-day muscle car takes no prisoners

By Nina Russin

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

The Dodge Challenger is not a car for everyone. Based on the classic Mopar of the 1970s, the Challenger is a large, brash, noisy hunk of Detroit iron. The front end has the demeanor of a defensive tackle: a wide, grinning grille with beady round headlamps, flared fenders and huge tires. The large hood scoop takes a periscope to see over. The 376-horsepower hemi engine is very big, very loud, and has enough low end torque to strip pavement off the highway.

The Challenger reminds me of the cars I grew up with more than anything else on the road today. I love its pistol grip shift lever, chrome gas cap and dual exhausts. I love the fact that it stands out in a crowd. In a world of cars designed by committee, the Challenger’s bold design is a breath of fresh air.

Options on the test car upgrade the standard 18-inch rims to 20-inch chrome wheels, and add the R/T hood-to-fender stripes. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Los Angeles Auto Show

Eco-friendly cars pave the way to economic recovery

By Nina Russin

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Los Angeles has become known as the green auto show: a hot bed for sustainable technology. Since LA is the first major North American auto show of the season, it also sets the tenor for those that follow. While the 2009 show lacked some of the bells and whistles of more prosperous times, automakers had a more optimistic outlook than they did the year before.

Fuel-thrifty compacts

Chevrolet kicked off the media preview with the North American debut of the Cruze: a compact sedan that replaces the Cobalt. The Cruze is already on sale in Europe; it rolls into North American dealerships for the 2011 model year. A 1.4-liter turbo-diesel engine and six-speed automatic transmission give the Cruze superior fuel economy: up to 40 miles-per-gallon on the highway. All grades come with antilock brakes, electronic stability and traction control, ten standard airbags and GM’s Onstar telematics system. Read the rest of this entry »