Lexus IS-F
07:00 PM
2008-05-07 08:42:43Sometimes, I just don’t get car companies.
For example, Lexus is one of those companies well known for making technically sound upscale vehicles even though those vehicles often lack flair and excitement. And in the past, that’s apparently been OK with the higher-ups there because they view their owners as simply wanting to get from point A to point B (albeit wanting to do it in a premium vehicle).
Then along comes an engineer with a passion for driving and a penchant for performance and the next thing you know, Lexus has an M3 fighter – the IS F.
The brainchild of long-time Toyota engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi, the IS F was first shown to the world at the 2004 New York International Auto Show as the LF-C concept. That drop-top coupe defined the styling of the second generation IS sedan and was powered by a high-output V8.
The new IS sedan was unveiled at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show, with the high-output V8-engined IS F confirmed at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.
Lexus promotional material refers to it as “The Beast”. That has all those neat untamed, powerful connotations tied to it, but is it really appropriate? The car rolls along the highway like a … well … like a Lexus, with nary a hint of that unbridled fury for which beasts are known.
Maybe it’s not meant to be so much a “Godzilla” like beast but more of an X-Men like Beast – refined and educated but capable of unmatched power and quickness when fighting for a personal cause (and he’s blue, too).
Maybe the IS F is meant to convey more of a cheetah-like beast (powerful, quick and purposeful), but Lexus waited too long to make that connection and Infiniti beat it to the punch with its bionic-cheetah car (the FX crossover).
Maybe it’s more of a “Jekyll and Hyde” beast – meek and demure in everyday life but harbouring an uninhibited and violently powerful alter-ego – that can furiously shred a set of screaming tires with an agonizing howl of triumph.
It’s a “Sexy Beast”, that’s for sure, with crisp clean lines reminiscent of its less-powerful siblings and a well appointed leather interior.
The IS F’s 5.0-litre V8 (from Yamaha) makes 371 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm and gallops with the force of 416 horses. It’s enough to spur the car to 100 km/h in a reported 4.8 seconds (equal to both the BMW M3 and the Audi RS4). A new iteration of Lexus’ dynamic stability control (VDIM) keeps the rear wheels from spinning away traction on launch or from looping the rear end on high-speed corners … that is, unless you turn it off!
The reins are eight speeds in an automatic transmission. Keep it in Drive and you can go about your daily routine in a docile fashion. Flip the leaver toward the driver and you can push and pull through the gears or use the steering wheel paddles behind your left hand to go down a gear, or the right to go up one. But, you have to remember to shift because it won’t.
A single beep tells you when you’ve successfully engaged the next gear up; a double beep tells you that a downshift has been rejected. A successful downshift is indicated with a blip of the throttle (just like the real racecar drivers do it!).
Lexus readily admits that it is showing off with this transmission – it wanted to dispel those thoughts that in order to have a truly sporty performance car, you need the characteristics and challenges that only come with a manual transmission. With this tranny, Lexus keeps the characteristics of the manual and banishes the challenges.
The suspension is a tweaked up version of the front wishbone/rear multi-link set up. Here, it keeps the car stable through just about every lateral manoeuvre, and keeps the nose up under braking and keeps it down under power. About the only time it gets tedious is over continuously broken pavement.
Wheels are, naturally, performance rubber from Michelin or Bridgestone mounted on 19-inch wheels – low-profile 225/40R19 at the front; wider, lower-profile 255/35R19s on the rear.
And if you get a bit too exuberant with the acceleration or the turning, Brembo 14.2-inch drilled and vented rotors at the front and 13.6 drilled, ventilated discs trailing bring the car to a standstill faster than you can say Porsche 911.
As for the interior … yeah, the IS F has one of those. And a trunk, too.
Shops
07:00 PM
2008-04-08 11:21:17
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Ford exploring new ground
07:00 PM
2008-03-31 23:27:04The Explorer America concept is truly exploring new ground for the popular SUV - in the form of fuel-saving technologies.Ford says that the concept can provide approximately 20 to 30 percent fuel-economy improvement over today’s current V6-powered Explorer, while still allowing up to six people to ride inside.
The Explorer America concept would be fitted with either a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine with EcoBoost technology that would produce 275 hp and 280 lb.-ft. of torque or a 3.5-liter V-6 delivering about 340 hp.
This concept would also go from body-on-frame to unibody construction to reduce weight and allow for better driving dynamics, and the engine would be mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The Explorer America is quite the looker, with Ford’s three-bar grille, as well as having muscular styling, a power dome hood, wrap-around rear glass panel window and sliding rear door.
Volks Jetta: The fair tale continues
07:00 PM
2007-12-24 22:59:06Once upon a time, there existed a very good German automobile that was accessible to all peoples of the world. It was named Beetle, and it was the best selling car in the world for some four decades.
Its diminutive exterior camouflaged a remarkably roomy interior, partly due to mounting the wheels outside the bodywork, and allowed the car to go just about anywhere on earth, regardless of path width.
It was a happy little car with a very small rear-mounted engine that could handle the dirtiest of fuel without complaint, and when it was loaded up with people, it had remarkable traction from its rear wheels, but very light steering.
But the world was changing, so Beetle’s maker (who went by the very descriptive name of Volkswagen) decided to offer a more “acceptable” car for the masses in the form of a front-engined, front-wheel-drive hatchback called Golf. Like the swan into which the ugly duckling matured, Golf was about the same size as the aging Beetle but had the versatility of a boxy design, albeit a smidgen less interior comfort for passengers, and the attractiveness of updated engineering.
Alas, in North America, the Golf was not the charming prince Volkswagen expected to awaken sales from their princess-like slumber in the largest market in the world. Even a cute bunny-rabbit name (because Americans considered Golf a diversion, not a conveyance) couldn’t get Americans to consider purchasing it.
So in 1980, Volkswagen created a four-door sedan out of Golf and called it Jetta (Bora, Atlantic, Fox, Vento or Sagitar in other parts of the world). Like the knight in shining armour, Jetta was highly regarded and widely accepted by the buyers in North America due to its slightly upscale equipment levels and the perceived premium German engineering over the Japanese compacts of the time.
Through to the latest (fifth) generation, Jetta has retained the qualities that made it initially desirable — easy access to seating, large trunk, economical engine and superb handling — while steadily improving on the things potential buyers didn’t like — heavy steering, confusing switchgear, noise in the cabin and diminished rear seat room — with each generation improving on the previous one.
Presently, Jetta receives motivation from a standard 170-hp 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine or a 200-hp turbocharged 2.0-litre four. The base engine is plenty powerful when Jetta is already moving, but makes the car feel sluggish when pulling away from a standstill. It’s by no means a tortoise, but it would require considerably better get-up-and-go to be classified as a hare.
One of the previous concerns addressed in the current generation is shift quality, with a slick six-speed manual standard fare, to be optionally replaced by a six-speed automatic with sequential shift mode (previous Jettas’ automatics were widely poo-poo’d, probably because they mostly took off in second gear unless the driver wanted more oomph by pressing the right pedal to the floor).
Fit and finish has also been remarkably improved from the early generations and Jetta doors close with a satisfying and secure “thunk.” The downside with the sure-closing mechanism is that rear-seat access is sometimes compromised in tight confines when the rear doors don’t open as wide as they are able.
Many occupants will now find comfortable seating front and rear on premium fabric upholstery that is not too cold in the winter nor too hot in the summer. Previous generations’ complaints of compressed headroom should not resurface unless said occupants followed Jack down the beanstalk.
The only drawback to extended rearseat comfort is the absence of a cupholder, which apparently is available as part of the optional centre armrest; however, surely a door pocket could be extended to create a place for a water bottle.
The final complaint to be addressed was price, with previous generations often keeping potential buyers at bay due to prices that were higher than those of Jetta’s closest competitors.
The new model year dawns with lower suggested pricing than the previous one, probably due to the strong loonie performance against the American greenback. With starting prices falling below $30,000 (all but the top of the line trim), Jetta is now priced equally to competitors such as the Mazda3 or the Subaru Impreza.
And the motto of the story is: Jetta’s a good car!
Fact File
2008 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5
As tested, before tax: $29,475
Configuration: front engine/FWD
Options: Comfortline package ($2,500) includes chrome exterior trim, front and rear floor mats, heatable washer nozzles, front centre armrest, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 16-in. alloy wheels, heated front bucket seats, premium audio system with in-dash 6-CD changer; auto transmission ($1,400); power sunroof ($1,400); electronic stability system ($450); side curtain airbags ($250)
Freight: $1,335
Engine/Transmission: 2.5L I5/6-speed automatic with sequential shift
Horsepower: 170 @ 5,000 rpm
Torque: 170 lb.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm
Fuel required: 60 litres, regular
EnerGuide fuel ratings (L/100 km): 11.0 city; 7.2 hwy.
Observed fuel economy: 8.9 L/100 km combined over 743 km
Warranty: 4 years/80,000 km
Model price range: $23,475 - $30,375
Engines available: 2.5L I5 (170 hp/170 lb.-ft.); 2.0L turbo I4 (200/207)
Transmissions available: 6-speed manual; 6-speed auto with sequential shift
Competition: Chevrolet Cobalt, Honda Civic; Hyundai Elantra; Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer; Nissan Sentra, Pontiac G5, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla
Strengths: Economical; sports sedan handling; solid fit and finish
Weaknesses: Higher price than some rivals; anemic power from standstill
Mirror Position 2.0
07:00 PM
2007-02-01 12:52:15
I’d like to spend some time to discuss proper orientation of a vehicle’s side mirrors. Ultimately, the driver should of course do whatever he or she is most comfortable with but I’d like you to take into account some of the following suggestions.
Over the years I’ve noticed that most drivers position their side mirrors in a particular fashion whereby they can see down the side of the vehicle. I’m not sure where this concept first originated but whoever taught them to drive probably showed them that this was the correct way and it was never a question after that. While the position might seem good for parking, I cannot identify any other advantage to having the mirror placed in such a way.
Eleven years ago when I was learning to drive, my parents showed me how to adjust the mirrors so the side of the car was visible. I accepted this as the correct way because I didn’t know any better. On my first practical driving lesson, I promptly entered the car and began adjusting the mirrors. My instructor asked me why I wanted to see the side of the car through my mirror and I didn’t have an explanation. He then pointed out that by angling the mirror further away form the car, I could basically eliminate both blind spots altogether. Let’s call the new idea mirror position 2.0 (or MP2.0 for short).
Have you ever seen someone merging onto the highway while hunched over the steering wheel with their head turned around 180 degrees, trying to see behind them? Adjusting the mirrors to cover your blind spots will readily render this acrobatic movement obsolete. While it is still the law to glance to the side to check your blind spot while merging, MP2.0 allows you to know exactly what is in your blind spot so that when you glance over, you will not be surprised by an eighteen wheeler that decided not to let you in. Use MP2.0 for all lane changes and you’ll see just how handy it really is.
MP2.0 is very simple to implement. Find a large parking lot and located a vehicle that is all by itself somewhere. Position your vehicle in the spot right beside the other vehicle. Don’t park too close because highway lanes are wider than parking spaces. Use your judgment. Advance slowly until you can no longer see it in your rear-view mirror. Now simply adjust the side mirror outwards until the entire vehicle is visible. Repeat on the other side of your car. You now have MP2.0 installed on your vehicle. It might take some getting used to but believe me, once you notice the increased visibility you will wonder how you ever drove with the old version.
