Driving to Excel

Bondurant program gives disabled drivers the performance edge

By Nina Russin

Todd Crutcher doesn’t remember much about December 24, 2009, when a seizure caused by a cavernous malformation in his brain caused him to collapse at work. The director of business development at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was unconscious during the Medevac flight to the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Crutcher’s slow path to recovery following surgery required twelve days in an induced coma due to an ICU psychosis.

But he will never forget how Jo Crawford and her team at the Barrow Connection helped him to rehab and get back to work. In addition to occupational therapy, Barrow and her team plan recreational events outside the hospital to help patients “get back into the world.”

When he finally got the green light to leave the hospital, Crutcher came up with the idea of a day at the track for Barrow patients. The program would include exercises on the skid pad and hot laps on the track with the school’s team of professional driving instructors. Owner Bob Bondurant agreed to the idea, donating his facility free of charge. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Los Angeles Auto Show

Electrification and a slightly sunnier industry forecast

By Nina Russin

Jaguar C-X75 Reveal

As the first major North American auto show of the season, Los Angeles is also the place where automakers report on the state of the market. While the industry has yet to return to 2008 sales levels, traffic into the showrooms appears to be on the upswing. Land Rover reported that its US sales were up 23 percent year-over-year, thanks to the success of the new LR4.

Mercedes-Benz also enjoyed a spike in sales, up twenty percent for the first three quarters of 2010 compared to last year.

Sales for the all-new Honda Odyssey are up 52 percent compared to the outgoing model, while overall sales for October are up 20 percent year-over year.

Korean automaker Kia set sales records seven out of ten month in 2010, thanks to the popularity of its US built Sorento. Sorento sales have exceeded 100,000 units since the roll-out: a first for the brand. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 Dodge and Chrysler Roll-Out

Reinvigorated brands introduce all-new Charger, Durango and Chrysler 200

By Nina Russin

2011 Dodge Charger

Almost twelve months to the day after its merger with Fiat, Chrysler emerges as a leaner, meaner and more profitable machine. For 2011, Dodge rolls out an all-new Charger mid-sized sedan and Durango sport-utility vehicle, while the 2011 Chrysler 200 replaces the outgoing Sebring.

In addition, the Dodge Journey, Grand Caravan and Challenger get mid-cycle facelifts, as does the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. At a recent northern California media event, execs stressed the far-reaching effects of the new corporate environment, which impacts everything from the way designers and engineers develop new product to the brand umbrellas. Read the rest of this entry »

Winter Tires Enhance Cold Weather Safety

New Blizzak and X-Ice Xi2 models boost performance on ice and snow

By Nina Russin

Photo Courtesy of Volvo

All-season radials are a good news/bad news story for the motoring public. On the plus side, drivers living in mild climates can go through the year on a single set of treads. The flip side is that car owners take the term literally, not realizing the safety risks until it’s too late.

“A car’s safety systems are only as good as the traction the tires provide,” explained TireRack.com vice president, Matt Edmonds. TireRack.com, the world’s largest independent tire retailer, tests tires internally using a specially-designed track at its South Bend, Indiana headquarters. For its winter tire tests, Edmonds and his team go as far north as the Arctic Circle to assess performance under extreme weather conditions. Read the rest of this entry »

SEMA 2010

World’s largest aftermarket expo fills the Las Vegas Convention Center

By Nina Russin

Mopar Ram Runner at the 2010 SEMA Show

Here’s an idea for a marathon: Start in the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Walk every aisle of the SEMA show, which fills all three buildings as well as the space out front. The indoor exhibits alone stretch 26 miles end-to-end. Anything even remotely car-related is there, be it racks, tow hitches, camping equipment, wheels, tires, electronics, custom paint and custom cars.

Although SEMA is technically an aftermarket show, the manufacturers use the event as an opportunity to display concept cars they might not bring on the auto show circuit. While many of the cars are street rods, some are eco friendly, such as Honda’s CR-Z Hybrid customs. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 ALV of the Year Winners

By Larry Edsall

2011 ALV Ride-and-Drive

Whether transporting bicycles, kayaks, skis, or other athletic gear over varying terrain, athletes need vehicles that accommodate their lifestyle. To help those people identify the cars, trucks, utility vehicles and crossovers that are as fit as themselves, the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year Awards provide a unique perspective.

Judging is equally weighted between two groups – a panel of automotive journalists who drive the vehicles as part of their work and a group of athletes, who earlier this year gathered at The Tire Rack campus in South Bend, Indiana, to evaluate all of the entries.

The results of the 2011 Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year Awards, presented by TireRack.com, with additional sponsorship from Michelin, are being announced during the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Those winners are:

Urban ALV of the Year – Volkswagen Golf
Best Value ALV of the Year, On-Road – GMC Terrain
Best Value ALV of the Year, Off-Road – Nissan Xterra
Luxury ALV of the Year, On-Road – Porsche Cayenne Turbo
Luxury ALV of the Year, Off-Road – Land Rover LR4
Green ALV of the Year – Audi A3 TDI
Family ALV of the Year – Toyota Sienna
Read the rest of this entry »

Jeep Upgrades Patriot and Wrangler for 2011

Sport-utility vehicles get refreshed styling; more upscale interiors

2011 Jeep Patriot

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has created momentum in the showroom, boosting sales by 65 percent in September compared to last year. Product planners hope refreshed Patriot and Wrangler models will make the buzz about Jeep even stronger.

A new Patriot model called the Latitude offers enhanced content over the base grade, giving customers for the compact sport-utility vehicle more bang for the buck. Pricing for the front-wheel Latitude begins under $16,000.

Designers revised the Patriot’s front and rear fascias to give the truck a more substantial look, added standard 17-inch alloy wheels for the Latitude, and redesigned the seven-slot grille. Fog lamps are now inboard to do a better job of lighting. A fatter rear fascia conceals the muffler which is now painted black. Upscale Patriot grades get chrome exhaust tips.

Inside the Patriot features soft-touch door panels, a four-spoke steering wheel with redundant audio and Bluetooth controls and new cloth interior.

The four-wheel drive Patriot with an off-road package meets Jeep’s trail-rated standards. All trail-rated Jeeps must be able to negotiate the challenging Rubicon Trail outside Lake Tahoe, California.

Engineers re-tuned the Patriot’s suspension for reduced noise, vibration and harshness. Buyers can choose between two four-cylinder engines and a five-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmission. Jeep builds the Patriot at its Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant. Read the rest of this entry »

ALV 2011

Expanded program adds driving instruction, tire safety demonstrations

By Nina Russin

Photo by Larry Edsall

At the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year ride-and-drive program this year, athletes found themselves not only behind the wheel, but in the classroom and on the test track as part of an enhanced ALV event. ALV is the only car-of-the-year program that puts athletes behind the wheel, driving and voting on vehicles that best meet their lifestyles. Read the rest of this entry »

Athletes, join us in South Bend, IN Aug. 23-24

Tire Rack National Headquarters

You’ll get free dinner, prizes from Michelin tires and a day driving on the track and offroad. This event is a ton of fun and great opportunity for athletes to see why manufacturers are adding specific features to meet their active lifestyle demands. To get all the details and to RSVP for the event and/or dinner, please view Program details here.

Pedestrian Detection Debuts in Volvo S60

New sedan automatically brakes for pedestrians

2011 Volvo S60

The 2011 Volvo S60 rolls out this fall, with a ground-breaking safety system that will make the streets safer for pedestrians. Pedestrian detection is the newest component of Volvo’s city safety technology. City safety, which debuted in the XC60, automatically applies the brakes if the driver fails to see a vehicle stopped ahead.

Pedestrian detection takes city safety one step further by applying the brakes if a pedestrian moves in front of the car. The system uses a radar sensor in the car’s grille and a camera in front of the rearview mirror to monitor for pedestrians.

The radar device detects objects within a sixty degree range: about five degrees to either side of the headlamps. If the on-board camera identifies the object in front of the car as a pedestrian and the driver fails to slow down, the vehicle automatically applies full braking.

At this point, the detection system cannot recognize bicyclists or small animals. Volvo engineers are currently working on expanding system capabilities to protect these groups as well.

Pedestrian detection can bring cars travelling under twenty miles-per-hour to a complete halt, and slow vehicles moving at higher rates of speed by as much as 22 miles-per-hour.

Volvo’s research indicates that eleven percent of all traffic fatalities in the US are pedestrians. Pedestrian detection has the ability to prevent or greatly mitigate pedestrian injuries caused by inattentive drivers.