Cory Wolfe

Snazzy. Though I do wish they would have done a simple coupe.

I am not impressed. Subaru just doesn't excite anymore, having become too mainstream. Looking at it in context to its competition, it's made no advancement whatsoever. The only reason you would ever buy it is because of the AWD, and even that has been neutered with a CVT as the only transmission available. I'd rather buy a Corolla... It atleast gives you the choice of a stick.

Let's start by saying that I love my GTI. Maybe I'm not as smitten with it as I was when I bought it, but I still genuinely like the car a lot. Generally, when I've had a car for nearly a year, the attraction has waned like the lover you forced yourself to marry because of the accidental child your loins produced. This isn't the case this go around likely due to the fact that it's not a Toyota Avalon. Oh, the embarrassment of telling people you bought a Toyota Avalon at the age of 23... I can't wait to become the average age of the typical Avalon buyer just so I can forget about actually buying one. That car, however, did have one thing going for it: Guaranteed reliability. While I loathed every minute of it, I had nearly 60k worth of 99% trouble free miles after 3 years of ownership and two accidents (I hate deer and I hate bears). The only thing to ever actually break was the power rear sunshade one of the few times I used it. So, moving ahead, as I was buying the GTI, I didn't expect it to be trouble free like the Toyota. In fact, I expected it to be a reliability nightmare. If it wasn't CPO, I would have bought an extended warranty. I knew it wouldn't be a matter of if something would break, but a matter of when and how often. I've actually been pleasantly surprised it took this long for something to act up enough to warrant repair. The issues themselves could even be classified as minor annoyances, though their fixes are anything but. The first issue I've been having is a bit of rattle in the engine at cold starts and under minimal load up to about 3k RPMs where it will abruptly go away. This hasn't affected driveability at all and never set off the CEL. There are two common problems with VW's TSI engine and I figured it had to be one of the two. The first is the timing chain tensioner; the original design has a tendency to loosen up and inevitably fail causing catastrophic engine failure. The second the intake manifold; a common enough problem that there is actually a warranty extension to 10 years/120k. They've diagnosed the problem as the intake manifold and are replacing it under the aforementioned warranty extension. The second is something that I wasn't originally going to bring up, but figured "since I'm here..." I might as well. Every now and then the DSG will jerk into gear from a stop. In addition, it will sometimes clank while disengaging a gear coming to a stop. Both issues only happen randomly enough that I've never really been that bothered by it. After diagnosis, they think its the differential. They way the tech described it to me is that it's located within the transmission and it's easier to just replace the entire thing. As in, the entire transmission. With that said, I love my GTI and I can't wait to have it back so I can continue enjoying its greatness. But in the words of Ricky Bobby... Thank you lord, sweet baby jesus (for warranties).

I obviously love it. Great pick.

Civic sales are up 30%... Impressive.

Actually it's more like this: Perfectly acceptable: Outrage:

The unrestricted record for Talledega is 228. Pre-restrictor qualifying laps were around 212 MPH IIRC. I'm not seeing the math that dropping 450 HP results in a decrease of only 12 MPH. If they went to 250 HP, could they still hit 180? I don't understand why we're talking about Nascar, but... You're only looking at this from a single angle. Talladega is but a 2.66 mile track. You are not going to reach terminal velocity on a track of that shape and size. The track in which the Veyron achieved its record has a straight that is 5.4 miles; That's just the straight, not including the corners or the other half of the giant track. The listed terminal velocity of 252 is likely accurate for an unrestricted Nascar racer outside the confines of a track such as Talladega. The key here is that its limits are greater than the track allows. Add a restrictor plate, reduce the horsepower to 450, and 200 mph is also likely accurate. Taking into consideration the weight (listed as 3250lbs), the aerodynamics, and cornering ability, its likely that the terminal velocity is going to be less than what the track allows. Is it really that crazy to think terminal velocity for a vehicle of that weight, power, and aero is as much as 200 mph? Case in point, a 2006 Corvette Z06 weighs about 3150lbs with 505 horspower and was drag limited to 198 mph. I bet it wouldn't take much tweaking of the aerodynamics and gearing to exceed that. Furthermore, my cutesy VW with its measly 200hp, porky 3200lbs, stubby profile and without its electric limiter is drag limited to 150 mph. This isn't the 1950's, afterall.

Tesla Model S vs Tesla Model X - Dragtimes.com Husband vs wife, sedan vs crossover, insanely fast vs unimaginably fast; All are accurate ways to describe this comparison of Teslas. The latter of which was quick enough to claim a World Record run for a crossover (or so the article states) of 11.61 seconds at 116 mph. Crazier yet is that it managed to hit 60 mph in only 3.1 seconds. Don't take it from me, though, watch the video below. Mind = Blown.

It's an honest truck... except for that fake hood scoop. Why not make it functional and give it some cajones under the hood to boot? Your move, Chevy.

This is actually a pretty impressive vehicle, all things considered. It's good-looking, promises great fuel economy (if it delivers), doesn't have a cvt, and hits the sweet spot of the market. Depending on how everything holds up in the real world, this could be a fairly successful vehicle for Kia.

I wish they would have done more with the rear, but I suppose those changes would have been more expensive. Those taillights are still probably my least favorite part of the vehicle, even sans the frumpy front fascia of the pre-refresh. Even so, this refresh is a massive improvement overall. If the material quality inside improves to the point where it's at least on par with its rivals, it could be enough to convince more people to not buy an HRV.

This is wrong on all levels... but I sort of like it. The look suits Nissan more than it does Infiniti with the QX80.

V6 1LE... Chevy, what are you trying to do to me? My only complaint echoes what ccap said; I really don't like the hood. It's tacky, mostly due to the fact that the shape isn't great for the contrast. On the old 1LE, the hood's shape helped the contrast seem more... natural, I suppose. Maybe I'm just weird. This: Looks better than: Thanks to the intersection with the a-pillar as shown via my photoshopped arrow.

Feeling nostalgic.

All I get out of this is... Quad taillights!

I hope they can give the Trax a similar treatment soon. I was pretty disappointed with it upon actually sitting inside.

Since the pricing has already been discussed, I just want to focus on the upscale comment. I wouldn't say the Model S is a far more upscale product, by any means. Each vehicle is available with similar performance, features, and luxuriousness. If anything, the Model X will actually be more upscale due to the new features they've engineered for the vehicle, assuming they don't "trickle down" to the Model S. Really? You can't find anything about it that could make it more compelling to a prospective buyer over a Cayenne? I certainly could. Performance? The quickest Model X will reach 60 a second faster than the quickest Cayenne. Passenger Space? The Model X has more usable people space, and can hold an extra 2 people. Efficiency? The most expensive to run Model X will cost you half as much annually as the most efficient Cayenne. Compare apples to apples and that margin will grow. Despite the lower range, you will still save money in the long run. Also, Tesla's supercharger network is ever-growing. As far as luggage space, while it might not be quite as practical due the lack of a folding second row of seats, with those slid forward and the third row folded, it looks to be pretty comparable. There is also the frunk to keep in mind, as well. Really, the only areas that the Cayenne would truly trounce the Model X would be in towing and off-road ability. Every single person I know who isn't currently living in the dark ages of Amish living either admires Tesla or adores Tesla. It's not until I stumble into C&G that I ever see such hatred for its vehicles. Perhaps, in the good ol' days when an electric car was the equivalent to a back-yard Fiero kit car, they weren't relevant. Hell, even up until vehicles like the EV-1 and newer ones as recent as Tesla's own Roadster or Nissan's Leaf, that may have been true. What Tesla has managed to do, however, is to single-handedly change the game for electric vehicles. They altered the public's perception completely. People aspire to own these electric cars, hence the reason a $70k vehicle is able to outsell a $35k Volt and Leaf. Not only that, without Tesla paving the way for it, there would have been no Bolt. Speaking of the Bolt, I foresee that vehicle being the true bridge to a feasible electric vehicle future. Not relevant? Wake up and smell the roses, the future is coming sooner than you may realise. Personally speaking, as much as I love internal combustion and all the sounds and vibrations that come with it, I can honestly say that I would not hesitate one bit to jump into electric car ownership with the way this industry is progressing. Tesla and the Bolt are likely just the stepping stones to greater, more attainable things to come.

I have to disagree. Seeing it in person, inside and out, the car just looks a class above everything else in the segment. Even in lower trims, it looks like a more expensive car than it really is. If I had to levy one complaint, it would be that in the body looks a bit big for the largest wheels Honda offers. It could use a nice set of 18's or 19's to really perfect the look.

Congrats, the engine alone makes it a stand-out choice. I can attest to that. It was the only thing I really liked about my Avalon. I had nearly 60k of trouble-free miles, many including some heavy right foot usage.

I'm fairly certain that is just a photoshop.

I have added an official gallery with a selection of images from the show. Nothing fancy, just the leftovers that weren't sent to Auto Evolution. Also, I have decided to go back to public days so I can actually have a chance to enjoy the show. I went to last year's public days as well and its almost entirely different experience. It's nice to not have to be rushed around the show floor whilst carrying a back-breaking camera bag everywhere. In addition, Josh really wanted to go and we're even going to bring my Mom so she can experience it. It's just too bad I won't be able to enjoy the Volvo Lounge for another one of these: