2011 Audi Q5 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic

Elegance, Performance and Luxury in Smaller Crossover

by Jim Woodman

2011 Audi Q5 2.0T

My wife and three boys – ages 12, 10 and 6 – would put the Q5’s seating and cargo capacity to a stern test.

For those that may recall, the Audi Q5 was one of our ALV finalist vehicles for Luxury Onroad for 2009. When it was introduced in ‘09 as a smaller crossover alternative to the Q7 – and mainly to compete with the Mercedes GLK and BMW’s X3 – I was convinced it could be my next car. Of course, somewhere a few extra bundles of cash would have to fall my way as the Audi is certainly one of the pricier options when looking at smaller crossovers. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Audi A7 Sedan

Five doors, four passengers, and one stunning design

By Nina Russin

2012 Audi A7

The collective eyes of my neighborhood are focused on the Audi A7 parked in our driveway. The new A7 combines five-door practicality with coupe styling. To call the exterior breathtaking is not an exaggeration.

Audi’s press materials claim that the five-door sedan has the versatility of a wagon. It doesn’t. The roof’s severe rake makes the cargo area too shallow to hold bicycles and other large cargo which could fit into a wagon or a more traditional hatchback. But with its folding rear seats, the A7 can easily hold long items such as skis and snowboards. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system makes getting through the snow a non-issue.

Power comes from a supercharged 3-liter V-6 engine rated at 310 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque. Superchargers have a reputation for providing exceptional low-end power with no throttle lag: the block in the A7 is no exception. Peak torque is available as low as 2900 rpm.

Equally impressive is an eight-speed automatic transmission with manual gear selection. The Quattro all-wheel drive system maintains a 40/60 front-to-rear torque split under normal driving conditions. It can prevent understeer by applying the brakes to the inside rear wheel if the car starts to push in a corner.

Base price is $59,250, not including the $875 delivery charge. A prestige package on the test car adds larger wheels, navigation, a connectivity system, four-zone climate control, upgraded Bose audio system, a rearview camera with ultrasonic parking sensors, adaptive headlamps and a seven-inch information screen ($6330).

Twenty-inch rims with performance tires cost $1200, while Audi’s blind spot detection system adds $500. Special metallic paint ($475) plus the options above bring the price as tested to $68,630. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Lexus RX 350

Luxury crossover vehicle seats five passengers

By Nina Russin

Lexus RX 350

The RX 350 is the smallest of three utility vehicles Lexus produces. It is also by far the most popular. Unlike the larger GX and LX, the RX is a unibody-constructed crossover, giving it the ride-and-handling characteristics of a passenger car.

While the available all-wheel drive system doesn’t have the ability to navigate extreme off-road trails, it gives the RX four-season capability. A locking mode which works at speeds under 25 miles-per-hour mimics some of the functions of the low gear range on four-wheel drive vehicles.

Lexus introduced the current RX in 2010: the third iteration since the model rolled out in 1998. Twenty-eleven models are basically carry-over, with the addition of a new smart stop safety feature. 
 
Power comes from a 3.5-liter V-6 engine rated at 275 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission with manual gear select option. Ninety percent of the engine’s peak torque is available at 2300 rpm, giving the RX good acceleration off the line, and in the 20-to-50 mile-per-hour range drivers use on freeway entrance ramps.

Base price for the front-wheel drive model is $39,375, not including the $875 destination charge. The test car includes three rather expensive option packages: a comfort package which includes rain sensing wipers, adaptive high-intensity discharge headlamps and heated/ventilated front seats ($1950); a dual-screen DVD rear entertainment system with navigation, XM traffic and weather updates and Lexus Enform ($5005); and a luxury package which adds semi-analine leather front seats, a power moonroof, wide-angle camera, 19-inch wheels, a USB audio plug and heated folding outside mirrors ($4900). Two additional options, a twelve-speaker audio system and cargo net, bring the price as tested to $52,774. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Infiniti G37 Sedan 6MT

Versatile sport sedan for driving enthusiasts

By Nina Russin

2011 Infiniti G37 Sedan

At the same time, a versatile interior, spacious trunk and tech-savvy features including Bluetooth, XM real-time traffic alerts, keyless start and navigation make the sedan a practical choice for commuters in large urban areas.

Power for the G37 comes from a 328 horsepower V-6 engine, mated to a close ratio six-speed manual transmission. Both the block and heads are aluminum, to keep weight off the chassis. The sedan’s hood is also aluminum, for the same reason.

By locating the engine behind the front axle, engineers achieved a near-perfect front-to-rear weight balance: 53/47 in the sport model tested. Because of the engine’s high compression ratio, the G37 requires 91 octane premium unleaded gasoline.

The sport is the only grade which comes with a manual gearbox in lieu of an automatic transmission. Base price is $39,450, not including the $875 destination charge. High friction brake pads on the test car add $370, bringing the MSRP to $40,695. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring

Iconic Sports Car is Forever Young

By Nina Russin

2011 Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 is as much a product of the 1960s as it is the twenty-first century. It is the only mass-produced car which uses a rotary engine, based on the design Felix Wankel developed in 1957. The engine uses a triangular-shaped rotor rather than reciprocating pistons to compress and ignite gasoline. The engine, which is shaped like a cocoon, is a fraction of the size of a traditional block; yet it can develop exceptional power.

When I was a kid growing up in the 1960s, the Wankel engine was big news. I remember seeing one on display at the 1964 World Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, and I also remember seeing its first production application, in the Mazda Cosmo 110S. I was amazed that such a small engine could produce so much power. Frankly, I still am.

Even after the advent of computer controls, the rotary engine continues to outperform other engines of its size in terms of horsepower and torque. For example, the 1.5 liter engine is the Mazda2 develops 100 horsepower, as opposed to 232 horsepower from the 1.3-liter rotary Mazda RX-8 engine.

There is a downside to the engine: that being fuel economy. In order to produce adequate power for a 3100 pound car, the rotary engine revs very high: about 3500-4000 rpm under normal driving conditions. Fuel economy for the test car is about 18 miles-per-gallon on average, and the high-revving engine requires premium gasoline. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Convertible

Soft top adds open-air dimension to Chevrolet’s muscle car

By Nina Russin

2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

Car aficionados often describe the Camaro as a baby brother to the Corvette, or Chevrolet’s answer to the Mustang. While both monikers fit, the Camaro is first and foremost, its own animal. When Chevrolet reintroduced the model in 2009 after a lengthy hiatus, fans flocked to the showroom, despite some bad blood over discontinuing it in the first place.

Unlike the previous F-body, the current generation pays homage to Camaro’s muscle car era roots, with styling reminiscent of 1968 and 69 models. However unlike those cars, the newest Camaro is truly an international endeavor, since development took place at General Motors’ Holden division in Australia.

Chevrolet debuted the production version of the convertible at the 2010 LA Auto Show. Convertibles began arriving in dealerships this past February, offering similar V-6 and V-8 options to the coupe.

The test car is the 2SS V-8, powered by the same 6.2-liter LS3 engine as the base Corvette. A six-speed Tremec manual gearbox is standard, though buyers can opt for an automatic instead. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Porsche Panamera 4

Porsche adds a V-6 engine to its four-door GT line-up

By Nina Russin

2011 Porsche Panamera 4

Porsche rolled out the four-door Panamera for the 2009 model year: the name comes from the Carrera Panamerica races in Mexico during the 1950s. As its moniker suggests, the Panamera is the ultimate road trip car for automotive cognoscenti.

Proportionately, the Panamera more closely resembles a coupe than a sedan, with a bullet profile reminiscent of Porsche’s two-door sports cars. But the Panamera is no more a stretch version of the 911 than it is Porsche’s answer to the 7-Series. It is, in short, its own animal.

This year, Porsche adds a V-6 engine to the Panamera line-up, including an all-wheel drive variant. 2011 models also get standard Bluetooth interface and MP3 compatibility. Porsche’s communications management system and bi-xenon headlamps are standard on the all-wheel drive Panamera 4.

MSRP for the Panamera 4 is $78,900, not including the $975 delivery charge. Options on the test car include black metallic paint, heated front seats and steering wheel, a ski bag, special 19-inch rims, an audio upgrade with XM radio and headrests with the Porsche crest, bringing the price as tested to $86,690. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid Tiptronic

Full parallel hybrid system delivers powerful performance

By Nina Russin

2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid

Last year Porsche introduced a gasoline-electric hybrid version of its Cayenne sport-utility vehicle. The parallel hybrid system can run in fully electric or gasoline modes independently, as well as a combination of the two. The electric motor boosts power from the V-6 supercharged gasoline engine to mimic the performance of a V-8 with better gas mileage: about 24 miles-per-gallon on the highway according to the EPA.

For the German automaker to have developed a hybrid simply to reduce the car’s carbon footprint would have been out of character for the brand. Porsches are always first and foremost about performance. Engineers who developed the Cayenne’s hybrid system made sure that the new SUV was no exception, delivering a driving system which is both unique and distinctively Porsche.

Peak torque of 428 foot-pounds is available at 1000 rpm. As a result, the new Cayenne accelerates off the line with the alacrity of a quiet rocket ship. Once up to speed, on-board computer controls utilize large overdrive gears on the eight-speed automatic transmission to maximize gas mileage. It’s hard to make the car rev over 2000 rpm, except when accelerating.

Engineers also added a rather magical feature which they call “sailing.” When the Cayenne is travelling at steady speeds up to 97 miles-per-hour, the gasoline engine can cut out completely. An electronic clutch couples and decouples the electric motor and gasoline engine. The entire process is so seamless as to be imperceptible to the driver.

Base price on the Cayenne S Hybrid with Tiptronic is $67,700, not including a $975 delivery charge. Options on the test car include leather trim and a silver metallic exterior, 14-way power seats with memory, air suspension with an adjustable height feature, extended range fuel tank, heated front seats, navigation, park assist, a trailer hitch and bi-xenon adaptive headlamps, bringing the price as tested to $84,590. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon Technology

Dynamic performance meets active lifestyles head on

By Nina Russin

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon

Being a car enthusiast with an active lifestyle can be an exercise in frustration. Cars and trucks designed to hold large cargo don’t necessarily burn up the road. I’ll admit it: horsepower is like a drug to me. Slow cars don’t make me happy.

Imagine my delight when the new Acura TSX sport wagon arrived in my driveway. Could this be the best of all possible worlds? The athlete-friendly version of Acura’s sport sedan combines the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine with Acura’s unique talent for designing steering and suspension systems driving enthusiasts crave.

The best part is, the sport wagon can hold a bicycle in the cargo area, and a kayak up top. The wagon’s low lift-over height makes it ideal for smaller drivers, who might struggle to load similar gear into a high-profile sport-utility vehicle. The test car even has a power liftgate. How cool is that?

The test car is the upscale Technology model, which adds navigation, a premium surround-sound audio system, real-time weather and traffic updates, automatic climate control and the power liftgate. Base price is $34,610, not including an $860 delivery charge, bringing the MSRP to $35,470. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium Sedan

Mid-sized sport sedan with all-turbo engine line-up

By Nina Russin

2011 Saab 9-5 Sedan

Saab is to the Swedish car world what Porsche is to the Germans: a niche manufacturer focused on performance. While Saab shares Volvo’s safety focus, the automaker has more specifically targeted driving enthusiasts who enjoy its uniquely Scandinavian designs and small, peppy engines. The 9-5 mid-sized sedan is Saab’s bread-and-butter car, appealing to the largest segment of its buyers.

The newest model which rolled out last fall competes against European sport sedans such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. There are four available grades in the United States: two four-cylinder turbo front-wheel drive models, and two all-wheel drive V-6 sedans. All grades come with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual gear selection.

The test car is the 9-5 Turbo4 Premium: the more upscale of the four-cylinder grades. A modified two-liter 220 horsepower engine can run on E-85: a renewable fuel.

Base price is $43,435, not including the $825 destination charge. A technology package adds a heads-up display, lane departure warning, xenon headlamps, automatic headlight leveling and park assist ($2490), bringing the price as tested to $46,750. Read the rest of this entry »