By Roger Boylan

The logic of people who are neither builders nor ranchers driving full-size pickup trucks in lieu of cars escapes many. I know it escaped me for a long time, even after I’d been living in Texas, world capital of pickupdom, for many years (after all, I’m an ex-New Yorker, and for a long time hardly even got the point of cars). But I finally get it: for a smallish family, a big, high-riding pickup can serve as a cut-rate SUV. Whereas a Toyota Sequoia, for instance, starts at $39K, a Double-Cab Tundra, the Sequoia’s truck cousin and platform mate, can be had for $26K. My test vehicle, which I have to thank for this revelation, was, in fact, one of these: a 2010 Tundra Double Cab SR5.

Its arrival was timely, obviating the need to subject our aging domestic fleet (Jag S-Type, Chrysler PT Cruiser) to the rigors of a road trip. Our daughter had recently started her college studies in Dallas, a drive of some 250+ miles from the Boylan demesne in south-central Texas. Over the Labor Day weekend, to help settle her in and provide her with a brief but intense dose of parental fussing for old times’ sake, my wife and I loaded up the Tundra and drove up to the big D.

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By Kevin Miller

The Chrysler Sebring is not the most modern, most spacious, best-equipped, or best-handling sedan in the mid-sized class. If anything, it is the most under-rated sedan. Slightly revised for 2010, the Sebring lost the odd hood strakes that were eye-catching (though not pretty). Even in Limited trim with chromed aluminum wheels, the Sebring has a particularly anonymous look. With Chrysler’s ongoing financial troubles and and an uninspired design, sales have been slow (despite picking up in August 2010, which is surely heavy with fleet sales). The Sebring sedan has become a rental fleet queen as a result.

Nevertheless, the Sebring is the Chrysler brand’s entry in the crowded mainstream sedan segment, and the company is pressing on with production and sales.  The good news, however, is that Chrysler has acknowledged this car’s shortcomings and is planning to sell a revised Sebring with an improved interior and more refined exterior design later this year until a new sedan can be put in to production (perhaps the 200c we recently wrote about).  Many Sebrings spend the early part of their lives in daily rental fleets, but those Sebrings aren’t the top-spec Limited model that Chrysler provided for a weeklong evaluation.  Perhaps this under-rated and under-appreciated car is slightly more desirable with all of the option boxes checked off.

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By Chris Haak

How deep does the 2011 Mustang GT Convertible’s beauty go? Hopefully it’s more than just skin deep, but we set out on a week’s worth of using the car for everything from commuting to the office, to running errands, to hours-long drives off the beaten path to definitively find the answer to that question.

Surely, it’s an attractive car. The design improvements made to the 2010 Mustang, which carry over nearly intact in the 2011 model, improved the breed by adding additional contours to the car’s flanks, plus chamfered corners that lend a sleek look to the original pony car, as well as helping the car’s aerodynamics. It retains all of the classic Mustang styling cues, yet manages to look trim and modern as well.

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By George Straton

The ancestor to this 2010 Nissan 370Z, the company’s1969 Fairlady 240Z (then branded in the U.S. as a Datsun), launched more than four decades ago, still holds a soft spot in the hearts of Nissan devotees. These enthusiasts wanted a sixth-generation Z car which was closer in spirit and form to the original 240Z, rather than what they got from the previous 350Z.  Many Z car fans claimed the 350Z car was all about go and not enough about show, lacking the true refinement and style that permits entry into the non-exotic two-seat sports car pantheon. Autosavant recently had the opportunity to spend a week with the 2010 370Z to evaluate whether the current-generation 370Z finally answers the devotees’ prayers.

When the L-shaped headlamps and tail-lamps first appeared on the new Maxima sedan in late 2008, many wondered what Nissan was thinking. With the 370Z, those tapered-back eyes provide a visual effect of elongating the hood.  The tapered rear blinkers along with an integrated rear spoiler make the rump seem far less squat and rotund than it should. Even “Godzilla,” the Nissan GT-R, donates an exterior styling cue in the form of the sculpted valley which runs the length of the center of the roof. Combined with a “shark’s grimace” air intake as well as a more cohesive integrated rear spoiler, the net styling effect is definitely more 240Z than its predecessor was.

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By Kevin Miller

In 2003, Volvo delighted members of their enthusiast community when they launched the 2004 S60R sedan and V70R wagon. Equipped with a high-output powertrain and all-wheel drive, the R vehicles had blue-faced instruments, more aggressive styling details, and sporting aspirations. The R brand never expanded beyond the initial two products and was quietly discontinued in 2007 as Volvo chose to focus on safety rather than performance, but the aggressive styling cues from those cars lives on visually in the R-Design trim packages, which are available on most new Volvo vehicles. The XC60 luxury CUV is the latest Volvo to get the R-Design treatment.

A vivid Passion Red XC60 T6 AWD R-Design recently spent a week in the Autosavant garage. While the base XC60 has a curvy, sensuous shape, the R-Design package adds 20” wheels, side sill extensions and a rear diffuser in silver which enhance the XC60’s sporting pretensions. My logbook notes that the XC60 has “lovely, shapely bodyside curves that accentuate the sexy/sporty look of the XC60.” That being said, I wish that the tail lamps extended down to the rear bumper. Too, the sill extensions collect water in bad weather, threatening to get pant legs dirty just like in Volvo’s XC70. The XC60 immediately followed an equally-bright red Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 CUV in my test vehicle schedule, so I had a good opportunity to see what works in this segment and what doesn’t. Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

In December 1967, South African surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant.  Though the patient unfortunately died, Dr. Barnard’s procedure was the first of many heart transplants to occur around the world.  Today, some 3,500 heart transplant operations occur annually, extending the lives of the patients and improving the quality of life for those individuals and their loved ones.  So what do heart transplants have to do with a Mustang?

One famous heart transplant recipient was racing legend Carroll Shelby, a guy who might just have had a small relationship with the Ford Mustang over the years.  By now we’ve all heard the news about how the Ford Mustang, fresh off a refreshed body and refreshed interior for the 2010 model year, has received what amounts to a heart transplant for the 2011 model year.  If you’ll humor us, you could say that the Mustang is receiving a heart-lung transplant, because in addition to a new heart in each model, six-speed transmissions have proliferated across the entire lineup.  It’s easy to argue that the powertrain and other upgrades that Ford bestowed upon the Mustang for 2011 have extended the model’s life, and certainly made it more vigorous and lively.  Like the 2011 Mustang’s two new tickers, Mr. Shelby received two heart transplants, as well as a liver transplant.

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By Kevin Miller

After months of hype including the Fiesta Movement, product placement on American Idol, and the auto show previews, the Ford Fiesta is finally here. Being a fan of small European cars that are efficient because of smart engineering choices, I’ve been eager to get behind the wheel of the Fiesta. Having recently spent two weeks driving two-ton, 300 HP luxury cars I finally got my chance, and climbing into the Fiesta SES hatchback was like a breath of fresh air. Far from bare-bones, the SES trim level of Ford’s smallest entry in the US car market has upscale features like keyless entry and pushbutton starting, and Ford’s SYNC system, the mainstream market’s best implementation of telephone and media integration.

As soon as I got the Fiesta, I installed my two kids’ car seats, loaded up our luggage, and headed from Seattle toward Washington State’s San Juan Islands. I had a ferry to catch, and two anxious kids in the back seat. Not having a lot of time to acquaint myself with the Fiesta’s features, I found myself driving between 70 and 90 MPH without significant effort. At those speeds, the Fiesta was settled on the road, not particularly noisy, and essentially right at home. We arrived at the ferry terminal about 90 minutes later, to learn that the sailing we had hoped to take was already full, and the next boat was four-and-a-half hours later. After a quick stop for groceries, we pulled in to the lot and waited… and waited longer as the sailing experienced a 75 minute delay. My daughters and I made the best of the delay, using the Fiesta as our base for snacks, naps, and activities.

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By Roger Boylan

The hybrid Lexus GS450h is the answer to a question that was probably never asked, unless that question was “What would you get if you cross a muscle car with a Toyota Prius?” Answer: the Lexus GS450h, world’s quickest hybrid car (at least until the Porsche 918 Spyder hits dealers), and one of the most expensive (excluding Lexus’ own LS600h L and any hybrid sports cars from Stuttgart): $57K is the starting sticker, and the version I tested went out the door at an even $60K.  Honestly, if I had that kind of dough, would I worry about saving a couple of bucks at the gas pump? Probably not. But that’s only part of the story, because after a week of driving this beauty I can confidently say that if I did have $60K to spend on a car, I might actually spend it on one of these for its all-round incomparable Lexusness.

Let me elaborate, starting with the muscle car angle. The first time I stepped on the accelerator, I expected a strong and steady forward surge, as with the GS’s bigger sibling the LS450, but what I got instead was a whiplash-inducing and almost totally silent rush of power. Before I knew it I was going 85, and the GS was just beginning to get up on its legs, eagerly looking forward to 90 and 100 and beyond. (We didn’t quite make it there, what with those black-and-white cars that lurk behind overpasses on Texas highways during the summer driving season.) For the record, the 0 to 60 trip took about 5 seconds, by my trusty old Swiss chronometer. Lexus claims 5.2. However you slice it, that’s quick. I disengaged the traction control for testing purposes, but it came on again above 30 mph, and didn’t seem to interfere at all with the rapid forward movement. The car stops fast, too, and its regenerative brake system (what will they think of next?) stokes up the battery every time you hit the pedal.

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By Kevin Miller

Earlier this year, BMW made a major change in their marketing – from the Ultimate Driving Machine to Joy. Though it wasn’t evident at the time, now that I’ve driven the new 535i it is clear why the change had to be made.  It’s because the 5 Series simply is not an Ultimate Driving Machine.

The sixth-generation of BMW’s 5 series is all-new for 2011. Historically, the design hallmarks of the German manufacturer’s mid-range sedan have included featured a tall greenhouse and great visibility, both of which are downplayed in the sixth-generation car. The new car has been developed based on BMW’s large 7 Series sedan, which is one of the reasons the 5 series car is not the Ultimate Driving Machine.  The car is simply too heavy. BMW did a similar downsizing when they created the 1 Series from their mainstream 3 series, with the resulting 1 Series weighing too much. Unfortunately, history has repeated itself with the new 5 Series. Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

Soft, cushy, and comfy.  All three words describe the experience of driving the all-new 2010 Lexus GX460, which is basically a softer, more luxurious, and far more expensive Toyota 4Runner.  It’s not easy to see any family resemblance when looking at the two SUVs side by side; they wear completely different bodies with different interiors.  The Lexus includes a power-folding third row, while the Toyota no longer offers it.  The Lexus has a standard V8, but the Toyota is available only with a V6 (also an overmatched four cylinder for 2010, but that option is disappearing for the 2011 model year).  Most of the Lexus’ interior boasts soft-touch materials; most of the 4Runner’s interior is covered in hard plastic.

But having spent a week in a new GX460, it’s easy to see why these body-on-frame SUVs are quickly becoming extinct in the marketplace.  It’s hard to imagine any scenario in which Toyota would create another generation of the 4Runner/GX after this generation’s life cycle has run its course.  There are just too many compromises inherent with this type of vehicle to make it feasible as anything other than as a competitor to other legitimate luxury-oriented backcountry bruisers like the Ranger Rover Sport.

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