Category Archive:
Posted by George Peterson on February 5, 2016 at 1:37 pm
AutoPacific, an automotive specialist research and product planning consultancy, forecasts that trucks, including XSUVs will be about 60% of the market for the foreseeable future. In fact, reading the crystal ball for the next five years, this percentage of the mix may be low. The charts above detail how cars and truck sales and market penetration have evolved since 1987 and the forecast for the future.
The hottest product segment in the American light vehicle market is the crossover SUV (XSUV). A crossover SUV can be as large as a Chevrolet Traverse or as small as a Chevrolet Trax. There are dozens of XSUVs in between. And there will be more.
The XSUV segment has become so hot because this type of vehicle corrects the criticisms buyers had of traditional SUVs which sold very well, but were not optimal. Buyers wanted products that were not hard-core off-roaders, but more civilized and city friendly. The SUV market exploded in the early 1990s with the introduction of the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It wasn’t until 1996 that the crossover SUV began slipping into the marketplace. First the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V appeared. They were followed by the luxury crossover RX300. Clearly the manufacturers were listening and reacting.
Here are just a few of the things we know about the evolution of the SUV market over the next five years…
Cadillac Cadillac states that it has too few XSUVs (one, the upcoming XT5) and wants to add two or three more to its lineup while adding one more car as a range topper between now and 2020.
Buick Buick is adding the small Envision XSUV to its lineup this Spring. Envision is assembled in China.
FCA Drops Cars to Add XSUV and Pickup Capacity Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is dropping its Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart in favor of more capacity for XSUVs and pickups. The Ram pickup will take over the FCA Sterling Heights, Michigan Plant when the Chrysler 200 is dropped. FCA’s huge Belvidere, Ilinois plant will be populated by XSUVs when the Jeep Compass and Patriot plus the Dodge Dart fade away.
Toyota Pushing RAV4 Toyota Motor Sales has stated that they would not be surprised if the RAV4 XSUV overtook the Camry mid-size car as its best selling product. Camry was the best selling car in the USA in 2015.
Lexus will add a 3-row XSUV above the RX350 in the next few years.
The charts above show the impact of crossover SUVs on the light truck market. Huge volume increase and market share increase.
Hyundai Aggressively Adding XSUV Capacity Hyundai is replacing 50,000 units of car capacity in its Montgomery, Alabama assembly plant with the Santa Fe Sport. That drops capacity for the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra from 400,000 to 350,000 units per year. Hyundai admits that they underestimated the demand for XSUVs years ago. This capacity move reacts to market demand and dealer pressure to get Hyundai dealers more XSUVs that are easier to sell and require less incentives and discounting.
Hyundai will add 45,000 units to its Tucson compact XSUV volume this year. Built in South Korea, Tucson has been limited because it is popular around the world and the vehicle was capacity constrained.
Hyundai also recognizes there is a hole at the bottom of their XSUV lineup and are adding a sub-compact B-Segment XSUV to fill that hole. There is a possibility that a smaller A-Segment XSUV will replace the Hyundai Accent hatchback.
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Posted by George Peterson on October 19, 2015 at 9:05 am
Cheap and cheerful is gone. The 2016 Honda Civic sedan has raised the bar for a compact car to new levels. After realizing that the 9th generation 2012 Civic was a dud, and quickly adding band-aids for 2013, Honda has gotten very, very serious with the all new 10th generation Civic. In fact, for awhile there the automotive analyst and journalist community was sensing Honda was losing its mojo. After updates to the Accord, the new Pilot, the HR-V and now the New 2016 Honda Civic, it is clear Honda is back. Honda’s development name for the new Civic is “EPIC” Civic and it fits. To achieve this “epicness” Honda benchmarked not only the usual suspects, but also the C-Class entries from Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
For reference, the 2016 Honda Civic has 5 basic trim levels: LX, EX, EX-T(urbo), EX/Leather, Touring.
More Expressive Styling: While still quickly identified as a Honda, the new Civic is much more expressive than any Civic before it. The car is larger with a 3.0-inch increase in overall length and a 1.2-inch increase in wheelbase. The car is 0.8-inches lower and going back to an old Honda trick, its cowl is 1.6-inches lower giving better forward visibility. The car is lower and wider to give it the look of a more premium car. The Civic adopts its own version of Honda’s evolving face using an upscale looking grille. Innovative front lighting gives the car a unique look. LED daytime running lights are standard. The top-of-the-line Touring model has LED headlamps as well. The bodyside is creased as is today’s fashion with a slight bulge over the front wheels leading to a upper body character line ending in a muscular bulge over the rear wheels. The C-Pillar has a sharp crease separating the roof from the rear fender. The standard LED taillamps are huge V-shaped affairs.
Interior Much, Much More Upscale: The front edge of the instrument panel sweeps below the windshield in a smooth unbroken arc from A-Pillar to A-Pillar and continue down the door trim panel. This adds a sense of width to the car. The instrument panel pad feels very high quality and nowhere near the hard plastic some cars in this class had in the past. The seats are very comfortable – at least in the EX-L trim level with leather interior – and trimmed in high quality leather. The instrument cluster includes a digital speedometer surrounded by an analog tachometer. Nicely done. Honda has paid a lot of attention to the transformer-like center console. The conventional shifter is where you would expect, but ahead of the shift lever is an area for your cell phone or iPad mini. Next to the driver’s knee is the switch for the electronic parking brake. There is a sliding lid that reveals cupholders and space to hold an iPad. Since all Civics have keyless start, there is storage for the key in the console.
Two Engines – Both Upgrades to Predecessor – Honda’s First Turbo in USA: The base engine for the 2016 Honda Civic is a 2.0L double overhead cam 4-cylinder with 158-horsepower (the old Civic had a single overhead cam 1.8L 4-cylinder with 143HP). The upscale engine is Honda’s first turbo in the USA, a 1.5L double overhead cam 4-cylinder turbo with 174-horsepower. The base engine is available with a 6-speed manual transmission or CVT. The Turbo is available only with the CVT. The 2.0L I4 has more power than Corolla, Elantra or Mazda3. The base Ford Focus with a 2.0L 4-cylinder has 160-horsepower edging out the base Civic by a couple of ponies. The Turbo is bested by entries like Ford’s 252HP EcoBoost 4-cylinder Turbo in the Focus ST (manual transmission only) and 350-horsepower in the Focus RS, but those are rarefied enthusiast entries, not mainstream like the Civic Turbo will be.
Joins Democratization of Technology Club: As with many car lines down the price spectrum, Civic now comes with a long list of available technology features capping out with its Honda Sensing system that includes adaptive cruise control with low speed follow, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane departure warning. Honda Sensing is standard on the top of the line Touring model and optional for $1,000 on the lower spec models. Even the base LX is pretty well equipped with automatic headlights, auto up/down power windows, ambient interior lighting. LCD color audio system, electronic parking brake and automatic climate control. You get Lane Watch and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto when you move to the EX model. When you go the EX-T you get the 174HP Turbo engine, heated seats XM and HD radio and dual zone automatic temperature control. When you pop for leather, you get an 8-way power driver’s seat. Touring gets the full package: Honda Sensing, rain sensing wipers, LED headlamps, power passenger seat, navigation.
Driving the Civic Turbo: Honda is, after all, an engine company and the new 1.5L Turbo shows that. It has good power to move the car easily. It is smooth and nicely damped from the interior. The engine is quiet even when outside the car. The CVT, a usually reviled transmission type, has been developed to a point where you cannot really tell it’s a CVT. While you expect Honda to provide an outstanding powertrain, it is the solidity, ride, handling and braking that set this Civic apart from its predecessors and many other small cars out there today. It appears that they implemented many of the lessons learned when benchmarking European luxury car competitors. It is that good. No complaints on the dynamics of the car at all.
Pricing: The base price of the 2016 Honda Civic LX is $18,640 with $835 destination and delivery on top of that. The top of the line Touring Edition comes in at $26,500 with $835 D&D. Comparatively, a 2016 Ford Focus S starts at $17,225 with $875 D&D. The Focus S does not have the feature load of the Civic LX. It lacks a 6-speed manual transmission, automatic climate control and one-touch windows all around. The Focus Titanium with (almost) all the boxes checked comes in at $26,125 plus $875 D&D. So from a MSRP standpoint, the two cars are pretty close and Ford dealers are more likely to go for the deal vs. a hot out of the box Civic.
Now for the Nitpicks: There are, of course, no perfect cars even though Consumer Reports contends the Tesla Model S is better than perfect. Here are my nits for the Civic. 1) The steering column adjustment lever is a long reach under the instrument panel. Even though you might not use it often, it is tough to get to. 2) Radio volume control is a slide on the touch screen for the audio system. Might not be too much of a problem once you figure it out, but it would fail the rental car test. 3) Blind spot monitoring system with cross traffic alert is not available. Honda contends this is not now appropriate for the Civic class of car even though several competitors offer it. It appears that Honda is depending on Lane Watch to handle this important safety chore, but Lane Watch will not help you pull out from between two Suburbans in a parking lot and warn you of approaching traffic. Honda used a similar rationale on the Accord where Blind Spot Monitoring is only available on the top of the line. 4) Honda has lowered the front seats by about 1.5 inches. This reduces the hip to floor distance, creates a more laid-back driving position and hampers ingress/egress. The higher seat height in the previous car was better.
Overall: Great Job on the EPIC Civic.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 20, 2015 at 10:40 am
Raising the Bar in a Competitive Segment The Koreans keep getting better and the new 2016 Hyundai Tucson (product code TL) is an example of how Hyundai has executed a segment-beater. Competing against big sellers Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, Chevrolet Equinox, Mazda CX-5, etc. the new Tucson checks all the boxes. It is well styled and immediately identifiable as a Hyundai (looks almost too much like the Santa Fe Sport). It has a great package – good visibility, spacious front and rear seating, good cargo room, easy ingress/egress. The fit and finish is excellent inside and out. The interior trim materials have moved upwards – almost up to the next higher price class.
MY16 Hyundai Tucson
MY16 Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Fell Behind in Segment – 2016 Hyundai Tucson Provides Conquest Opportunity The product is good enough to begin some serious conquesting. As the compact crossover SUV market has boomed over the past several years (growing 14.9% 2015CYTD), Hyundai has been left with a less-than-competitive product capable of selling around 45,000 per year. As such, Hyundai Motor America’s share of the segment slipped from about 6% to 2.5%. Some of that is due to capacity constraints from its Korean plant. A new plant in the Czech Republic has come on line and will be supplying Europe freeing up Korean capacity. With the new Tucson on sale in August, 2015, HMA’s volume is expected to rise to 56,200 in 2015 and up to 90,000 or higher in 2016. The 2015 Hyundai Tucson is good enough to pull that off if there is strong marketing support behind the vehicle (the last generation was essentially a “launch and leave” proposition with little marketing support). At 90,000 units, the Tucson will have about 6% of the segment.
Pre-Family Market Target Who will buy the 2016 Hyundai Tucson? HMA sees this as the entry targeted at “pre-family” singles and couples. Tucson is 8.5-inches shorter than the Santa Fe Sport that is targeted at “post-family” couples who no longer need the seven-passenger three row capacity of the 8.5-inch longer (than Santa Fe Sport) Santa Fe. Santa Fe is targeted at “core families”. Tucson democratizes technology by offering most of the latest gee whiz electronic features available on higher classes of products.
Hyundai describes its styling as bold and confident and it certainly comes across that way. It has a slightly more vertical windshield that helps ingress to the front seats. Tucson adopts Hyundai’s new corporate face with the hexagonal grille. From the side view, the Tucson is lean and wedgy. Exterior styling was by Hyundai’s European studio. The interior was styled in California. Ergonomics are outstanding with controls placed where expected. There is an 8-inch information screen with navigation and Hyundai’s BlueLink interface. The only criticism is with map graphics that don’t show enough detail and seem to show only major arteries, not the interesting spur roads you pass.
MY16 Hyundai Tucson
Powertrain OK but Full Throttle is Disappointing The base engine is Hyundai’s Nu 2.0L GDI 4-cylinder that has 164-horsepower and 151 lb ft of torque. The 2.0 L mileage figures are 23/31/26mpg. The 2.0L gets a six-speed automatic transmission. The optional engine, and the engine on the majority of Tucson models, is the Gamma 1.6L 4-cylinder Turbo with 175-horsepower and 195 lb ft of torque. The 1.6L mileage figures are 26/33/29mpg). The 1.6L gets a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. You definitely want the higher torque 1.6L Turbo. The torque is the key to performance feel. In the examples of the Tucson I drove, there was a noticeable lag when full throttle acceleration was wanted or needed from a stop (with traffic approaching, for instance). Pedal to the metal was disappointing. On a part throttle take off, this was not evident. It seemed to happen only when you really wanted the oomph. This is a characteristic an owner will learn over time, but Hyundai should sort it out ASAP.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 8, 2015 at 6:33 am
Owners rate Kia K900 top car, Ford F-150 top truck. Tesla Top Brand
TUSTIN, Calif. (July 8, 2015) – AutoPacific today announced its 19th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSAs), identifying the most satisfying vehicles on the market. An industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new vehicle, VSAs are based on survey responses from over 66,000 owners of new 2015 model year cars and light trucks.
“2015 represents a year of diversity,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “Competition is fierce and no one automaker dominates the results.” The 2015 winners are spread across nearly every manufacturer, with wins by 9 out of 11 automakers. General Motors receives the most wins with 5, followed by Kia and Nissan, with 4 and 3 wins, respectively. Honda, Toyota, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobile), Volkswagen and Ford follow with 2 wins each. Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai each take home 1 win.
“For the 2015 model year, there are 274 models and 33 brands from which to choose a new vehicle,” says Peterson. “It can be daunting for consumers to sort through all of those options and try to predict which one will work best for them in the long run. AutoPacific VSAs help to give them a strong starting point.”
The average VSA score for 2015 is 25-points higher than in 2014 confirming products and customer handling are improving markedly. The brands with the greatest year-over-year improvements are Jaguar – improving eleven positions; Volkswagen – improving ten positions; Ford – improving nine positions.
The Kia K900 – Kia’s range topping luxury car – set an all time high and wins AutoPacific’s President’s Award. This award is given only when the overall score tops the previous high score. Interestingly, the all-new aluminum bodied Ford F-150 would have won this award if the Kia was not in the running. The previous President’s Award winners were the 2014 Mercedes S-Class and the 2010 Hyundai Sonata.
Korean Manufacturers Take Over Top Spot in Satisfaction
Tesla, a domestic brand with only one vehicle, is the top scoring brand overall. General Motors’ GMC division is the top scoring mainstream brand. In aggregate, Korean brands are the top source of high scoring vehicles. With 5 winning vehicles, including the top ranking Kia K900, Korean manufacturers Kia and Hyundai come out on top in combined average score, taking over the position previously held by European manufacturers. “Kia and Hyundai are continually improving owner satisfaction in key areas like reliability and quality, yet are also hitting the mark with safety, braking, handling, styling and seat comfort, not to mention a very satisfying warranty program,” explains Peterson.
AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards objectively measure owner satisfaction with 50 separate attributes ranging from interior comfort and styling to fuel economy and performance.
“In many cases, an extremely satisfying vehicle is not the car or truck that has the best absolute build quality or the best safety rating,” says Peterson. “VSAs look at the big picture, which includes owners’ experiences with their vehicle’s quality and safety, but also goes deeper into the heart of the ownership experience.”
About AutoPacific
AutoPacific is a future-oriented automotive marketing and product-consulting firm. Every year AutoPacific publishes a wide variety of syndicated studies on the automotive industry. The firm also conducts extensive proprietary research and consulting for auto manufacturers, distributors, marketers and suppliers worldwide. Company headquarters are in Tustin, California, with an affiliate office in the Detroit area. Additional information about AutoPacific and the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards can be found on AutoPacific’s websites: www.autopacific.com and www.vehiclevoice.com.
Contacts
Dan Hall dan.hall@autopacific.com 714.838.4234
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Posted by George Peterson on June 2, 2015 at 12:10 pm
New Maxima Job #1 in April 2015 The 2016 Nissan Maxima is assembled at Nissan’s huge Smyrna, Tennessee plant. Smyrna has become the highest capacity single plant in the United States with a capacity of over 650,000 units per year. The 8th Gen Maxima Job #1 was in April 2015 and dealers began getting the cars in early June. Competing with the likes of the Toyota Avalon, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus and Acura TLX, the new Maxima pushes the design envelope with its “energetic flow” styling. The styling is head turning and certain to be controversial. 
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Posted by George Peterson on May 20, 2015 at 12:00 pm
The Honda Pilot, good as it might be, has been a blight on the road. Its eyeball searing gawky looks were only short of the not-lamented Pontiac Aztec. These are harsh comments, but a vehicle that makes you scream when you first see at an auto show is certainly a show stopper and not in a good way. Honda defends the previous Pilot as having traditional sport utility vehicle styling. That may be so, but it was very third world and inappropriate for the American market. Lasting for an extremely long cycle for Honda – seven years – the Pilot was a very good vehicle under the skin and its interior was commodious to say the least. But, now it’s thankfully dead and to be replaced by the third generation 2016 Honda Pilot on June 18, 2015.
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Posted by George Peterson on May 15, 2015 at 2:33 pm
The 2016 Ford Explorer marks the 25th anniversary of the vehicle line. When it launched as a 1991 model, the Explorer redefined what a sport utility vehicle should be – it was a high volume SUV with 4-doors (Ford wrongly estimated 4-door sales would be 30% of the mix – later, it became 100%). 7,000,000 sales later, Ford is launching a nicely updated mid-cycle product change. When the 2016 Ford Explorer launches, most people won’t be able to tell the difference from the present Explorer. While the vehicle’s sheetmetal ahead of the A-Pillar is all new and the liftgate and taillamps are all new, the differences are subtle to the casual observer. So while the change for 2016 is major, its appearance change is minor.
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Posted by George Peterson on February 12, 2015 at 3:05 pm
Fun to drive can be defined an infinite number of ways. The sports car driver will say power and acceleration, braking and handling are the main contributors to fun to drive. There is also the element of sexy head-turning styling ringing the sports car driver’s bell. The sport utility driver will add functionality to that equation. A smart fortwo driver may think its quirky styling, minuscule size (even with its funky transmission) add to the fun to drive experience.
The most fun to drive vehicles in AutoPacific’s New Vehicle Satisfaction Research – those with 85 % or more of their drivers totally satisfied with its fun to drive characteristics include:
1. Chevrolet SS: We can certainly understand this one. Fully loaded 4-door sedan with a Corvette V8, the SS is a great value and adds sedan functionality to a high performance platform. Not a big seller, the SS buyer certainly understands the special car they are driving. One hundred percent of the respondents were totally satisfied with its fun to drive characteristics.
2. Chevrolet Corvette: Corvette is the quintessential American sports car. Big with dramatic styling and powered by a large displacement push-rod V8, the Corvette not only has the dynamics for a fun to drive winner, but also the looks.
3. Porsche Cayman: Curvaceous styling with Porsche DNA, German precision and sprightly dynamics have 94% of Cayman drivers totally satisfied with the fun to drive of their car.
4. Porsche Panamera: The most expensive of the fun to drive vehicles is the Porsche Panamera 4-door sedan with 93% of its owners totally satisfied. Sometimes criticized for its ungainly looks, it checks the boxes for fun to drive. Panamera is in the top ten in power and acceleration. Panamera is top ranked for braking. Panamera is in the top five for handling. Not bad for such a large car.
5. smart fortwo: There are fifteen cars that score 85% or higher in fun to drive. Surprising is one of them is the smart fortwo with 92% of its drivers totally satisfied with its fun to drive. Acceleration and powertrain performance clearly are not strong suits for the fortwo. Only 28% of fortwo owners are totally satisfied with power and acceleration, so there are other things contributing to its fun to drive. Maybe it is handling? – 72% are totally satisfied with its handling. Maybe getting good fuel economy is a contributor? – 76% are totally satisfied with fuel economy. Maybe just fortwo’s quirky styling just puts a smile on their face?
6. Porsche Boxster: The first of the “baby” Porsche entries has sometimes been called a chick’s car, and maybe it is if you watched the episode of Two and a Half Men where Alan buys one, but its owners 91% of its owners are totally satisfied with how fun to drive it is. Owners rate the Boxster in the top ten of totally satisfied with power and acceleration, braking, and handling – all strong contributors to fun to drive.
7. Nissan 370Z: A “classic” sports car, 90% of Z-Car owners are totally satisfied with its fun to drive attributes. It is in the top ten in power and acceleration, but comes up shy in handling ranking 12th and poorly in braking where it ranks 53rd.
8. Jaguar F-Type: Jag’s new sports car entry has 90% of its owners totally satisfied with its fun to drive. F-Type is in the top ten in power and acceleration, 11th in braking and 25th in handling. Clearly, F-Types powertrain strongly contributes to its fun to drive and combined with its classic styling owners score the car very strongly.
9. Subaru BRZ: The BRZ may be a new category of sporty coupe. It is built to be extremely maneuverable and fun for a young person. Small, rear wheel drive, and with the ability to drift around corners, 89% of its owners are totally satisfied with its fun to drive. In the case of the BRZ, its power and acceleration does not deliver on its looks or fun to drive image. Only 30% of BRZ owners are totally satisfied with its power and acceleration ranking it 225th. About 56% BRZ owners are totally satisfied with its braking. Where BRZ shines is in handling with 84% of its owners totally satisfying. It appears that Subaru could improve the standing of the BRZ if engine power was increased substantially.
10. Chevrolet Camaro: A classic American muscle car, 89% of its owners are totally satisfied with its fun to drive attributes. Camaro ranks 17th in power and acceleration with 73% totally satisfied. It ranks 18th in braking with 77% of its owners totally satisfied. Camaro ranks 10th in handling. These are solid results for a sporty coupe showing Camaro succeeds not only on the basis of its iconic image and styling, but also on dynamics.
11. Ford Mustang: The outgoing Mustang still has a lot going it with 88% of its owners totally satisfied with its fun to drive. Mustang owners rank its power and acceleration 28th with 68% totally satisfied. Mustang falls to 95th in braking with 65% totally satisfied. It is 55th in handling with 71% totally satisfied. Clearly, style, image and reputation have gone a long way in contributing to Mustang’s position among fun to drive cars.
12. MINI Paceman: The wierdly styled MINI Paceman is totally fun to drive for about 88% of its owners. 46% of its owners are totally satisfied with its power and acceleration ranking 156th, other MINI entries rank substantially higher. About 67% of its owners are totally satisfied with its braking ranking 52nd. About 75% of owners are totally satisfied with its handling – 27th. Head-turning styling and image strongly contribute to the fun to drive aura of the MINI Paceman.
13. Mazda Miata: Miatas, or MX-5s, are famous for how fun to drive they are. About 86% of its owners are totally satisfied with its fun to drive attributes. Miata is not supposed to be blindingly fast it is supposed to be fun and most owners recognize that. Still, ranking 109th, 53% of its owners are totally satisfied with its power and acceleration. About 68% are totally satisfied with its braking – 48th. About 64% are totally satisfied with its handling – 29th.
14. Mitsubishi Lancer EVO: The last Lancer EVO ranks 14th in fun to drive with 85% of its owners totally satisfied. Generally, a car sold for its performance never lives up to the expectations of its owners in power and acceleration, but the EVO seems to be an exception. About 71% of its owners are totally satisfied with its power and acceleration – ranking 22nd. About 78% are totally satisfied with braking – 13th. About 78% are totally satisfied with handling – 15th. This is a pretty good all-around performance for dynamic attributes. Sayonara EVO, you will be missed.
15. Scion FR-S: The FR-S is the Scion version of the Subaru BRZ. About 85% of its owners are totally satisfied with its fun to drive. Like the BRZ, FR-S owners want more power and acceleration – only 33% are totally satisfied – ranked 222nd. About 52% are totally satisfied with its braking – ranking 178th. About 73% of FR-S owners are totally satisfied with its handling – that is what the car is designed for after all – ranking 37th.
Top Ten Fun to Drive Brands: The ranking of brands includes the fun to drive results for all their entries. The top ten brands are: 1) Porsche, 2) MINI, 3) BMW, 4) Audi, 5) Jaguar, 6) Fiat, 7) Scion, 8) Cadillac, 9) Lincoln, 10) Mercedes-Benz.
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Posted by George Peterson on October 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm
With the demise of the Ford Crown Vic, Dodge has been winning the police patrol car fleet battle. Sure Ford has its Interceptors and Chevrolet is pushing its Caprice from Australia, but apparently Dodge makes a financially attractive pitch for its Charger Pursuit. We’ve been seeing more and more of them rolling around Southern California as Crown Vics are retired, uh, sent to taxi fleets.
With the update of the 2015 Dodge Charger, the Pursuit has been updated as well. You can tell the 2015 Charger is different because the front end styling is clearly different. Other changes to the exterior styling are more subtle and it is a surprise when Dodge execs contend that every exterior panel is new with the exception of the roof and rear doors. Dodge continues with its distinctive LED racetrack taillamp graphic and adds LED daytime running lights to the front.
The interior has been upgraded with soft-touch materials including a 1-piece instrument panel pad with aggressive graining. Like the civilian Charger, the Pursuit instrument cluster has an added 7-inch driver information display. In the center stack there is a 5-inch screen for Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system. Unique to the Pursuit is a column mounted shifter, “police-duty” front seats designed to accommodate the belt gear police normally wear and a modified center console.
Police Advisory Board Input Dodge has a 22-member Police Advisory Board and their input was valuable in determining what upgrades the 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit has over the civilian Charger. With “modern” interfaces, Dodge has enabled re-mapping of the steering wheel buttons to handle aftermarket police equipment. The instrument cluster can be customized 100 ways to optimize its display for police use. The heavy duty anti-lock vented disc brakes have been upgraded and brake cooling ducts added to the lower front fascia. The performance tuned suspension has been upgraded with more durable bushings up front.
Factory upfit plans are offered for law enforcement to customize packages for their organizations. Chrysler’s Mopar accessories group has developed and tested equipment that meets and exceeds the durability cycle and test requirements of the 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit. There is a Base Police Prep Package and a Wiring Police Prep Package. Both are designed to handle the broad power requirements of communications gear, lighting, sirens, cameras and computers. There is a slide-out trunk tray available and also a trunk fan to keep all the electrical and electronics gear in the trunk cool.
V6 Pentastar A Safe Alternative for Most Pursuit Work There are two engines available: 370HP 5.7L HEMI V8 and 292HP 3.6L Pentastar V6. The Pursuit is standard with rear wheel drive and optional with all wheel drive. While patrol officers probably want the HEMI, the Pentastar V6 is probably sufficient for 90% of police applications. Word on the street is that younger officers don’t know how to handle the more powerful V8 and the V6 provides plenty of power for most applications. Safety first with the V6. Macho cop pursuits with the HEMI.
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Posted by George Peterson on October 3, 2014 at 12:24 pm
2015 Ford F-150: The Ford half-ton pickup, the F-150, is the top selling vehicle in the USA – car or truck. For the 2015 model year, Ford launches an all new F-150. And it is literally ALL NEW. In most model changes, there are numerous parts carried over from previous generations. The 2015 Ford F-150 is so completely re-done that there are probably no common part numbers with the 2014 model. The body is all aluminum with the exception of a “quiet steel” dash panel (between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment). You can lift the military grade front fender with one finger. The aluminum panels are not welded as in steel bodied vehicles they are riveted and glued. The result is a stiffer vehicle that feels even more robust than its predecessor. Ford says the use of aluminum has yielded a reduction in weight by up to 700 pounds.
The interior width in the cab is two inches wider than before. The aluminum structure allows the pillars to be smaller while meeting or exceeding all relevant safety standards. With thinner pillars, driver’s visibility is improved. The belt line has been dropped by an inch increasing downward visibility as well.
The 2015 Ford F-150 is available with a Regular Cab (2-door), SuperCab (extended cab with rear access doors) and SuperCrew (4-doors) cab style. There are three box lengths: 5 1/2, 6 1/2 and 8 feet.
Feature Laden: All those gee whiz things we have been seeing on luxury cars recently, you know, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot information system, active park assist, rear view camera, reverse sensing system, 360-degree cameras, LED accent lights, LED everything lights, information screen in the instrument cluster and MyFord Touch in the center display, are available on the 2015 Ford F-150. The lighting strategy for the truck is probably the best in the industry. When all the boxes are checked, there are LED accents for the headlamps and taillamps that communicate the F-150’s DNA. There are LED headlamps available. There are LED lamps in the bed to improve nighttime visibility. Of course, there are puddle lamps below the outside rear view mirrors, but there are also LED spot lamps on the top corners of the mirrors to allow the area beside the vehicle to be illuminated (now, if these could be used to blast the car beside you, the good ol’ boys in Texas driving with their open bottles could have a hoot).
The Interior: In the lower models of the 2015 Ford F-150 you get what you expect from a base truck. Lots of plastic, cloth seats (comfortable), minimal equipment. There are five basic trim levels: XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum. By the time you get up to King Ranch or Platinum you could be riding in a Lincoln.
Wide Powertrain Lineup: While the 2015 Ford F-150 does not offer a diesel, it does have four gasoline engines. The base engine is a 3.5L naturally aspirated V6 with 283-horsepower and 255 lb. ft. of torque. The first step up and expected to be the highest volume powerplant is a 325HP 2.7L EcoBoost V6 with 375 lb. ft. of torque. This is about the power of a small displacement V8 in half the size. There are two top-of-the line engines based on what you want to do with the truck. The 365HP 3.5L EcoBoost V6 has 420 lb. ft of torque. The sole V8 in the line-up is the 385HP 5.0L V8 with 387 lb. ft of torque. The 3.5L EcoBoost has the highest trailer towing rating of 12,200 lbs.
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