Category: On The Road: Driving Impressions

Cruising down the scenic roads along the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon can be a real treat, especially while driving a Dodge Challenger Hellcat with its mean-sounding engine roaring through the twists and turns of this pristine wilderness road.

A few months back, Chrysler invited a few journalist to test drive the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, along with its entire Challenger lineup. The Challenger Hellcat was a blast to drive, and delivers so much power that it is almost scary to drive. And after our not-so-mellow morning cruise along the river, we were invited to test the Hellcat’s limits by driving laps around Portland International Raceway, trying hard to keep the car in a straight line. But the real fun was just driving the Hellcat around town [...]

Powered by a 707-horsepower 6.2L Supercharged HEMI V8, the Hellcat is a range-topping $64,000 handful. Dodge staged the review of the new 2015 Dodge Charger out of Washington DC and offered on-track driving at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. On a chilly, drizzly day, taking the Hellcat out on the rural roads around Summit Point allowed only about 20% of what the car is capable of. Punching it on a clear straightaway spooled up torque that pushed the car sideways. Careful, careful, it felt almost as if you were idling and the car wanted to surge ahead. You always knew that there is more there that can be used.

 

Monticello Raceway, Monticello, New York

Lexus is pushing forward with the F. This time with the all-new 2015 RC F sports coupe. Outfitted with a 467 horsepower 5.0 liter V8 with a close-ratio eight speed automatic transmission, this coupe delivers on Lexus’ promise to continue the fight in the luxury performance arena.

The Look

Showing it’s relationship to the LF-NX Concept shown at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, the RC’s exterior design is aggressive. The rising beltline and stretched head and tail lamps give the vehicle an athletic look. The spindle grille contains the “F” motif repeated in the mesh with cooling ducts moving air to the vehicle’s oil coolers. Of course, the front hood is raised to accommodate the V8 and send the right message to other drivers.

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.

Part of luxury in the United States has always been big; big homes, big cars, and big diamond rings. And a luxury car has always been big, bold, and unapologetic. Elvis had a Cadillac. Elizabeth Taylor a custom-built 1956 Mark II. Arnold piloted a Hummer.

A common belief today is that younger buyers do not have the same affinity to big and bold. The storyline is that economic instability, and a renewed sense of environmentalism has changed the landscape for future luxury buyers. Armed with this story, luxury  brands are embarking on a downsizing strategy intended to bring in these new buyers to build their brands for the future.  But luxury attempts at compact vehicles have a checkered past: BMW 318ti, Mercedes-Benz C230, or, further back, the inglorious Cadillac Cimarron. Given history, low [...]

Ford's One Ford strategy dictates that vehicles be as common as possible around the world. While the E-Series has been the top selling large van in the USA for years, it was basically a North America only product. The European Transit van was completely different. Also, the American E-Series never had the breadth of product choices that the European Transit had. Now that has changed with the American-made Transit about as complex as the European model.

The 2015 Lincoln MKC hit Lincoln dealerships in June 2014 and promises to be the 2nd volume entry for Ford's premium brand after the award-winning Lincoln MKZ. Lincoln is the top brand in AutoPacific's 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research and the MKZ and MKZ Hybrid are the winners of their product categories. The MKC is joining a booming market for smaller crossover SUVs and, based on our brief drive of the vehicle, should do very well in AutoPacific's 2015 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research..

The iconic VW Golf is renewed with the seventh generation car coming to the USA beginning in June, 2014. Having been launched in Europe in 2013, the American market has had to wait a year before getting hands on this newest generation of the car. The Golf is very evolutionary in styling both interior and exterior. At-a-glance, it is clearly a Golf but with a bit more attitude. Its 5-door hatchback bodystyle has basically the same proportions as before. Clean styling with Germanic conservatism. The interior of the car is very straightforward with good ergonomics. Visibility is excellent.

AutoPacific's Vice President of Industry Analysis has always had an affinity for small cars with a performance personality and a load of equipment. Our recent week-long evaluation of the 2014 Kia Forte5 SX seems to fit his requirements. The Forte5 SX is a front wheel drive five-door hatchback that provides a lot of utility for a small family. Its useful interior package is wrapped in a very nice looking and sporty skin.

Audi A8 in a Smaller Platform  For a car that is slightly smaller than the Honda Civic sedan and the Ford Focus sedan, the designed-for-America (and China) 2015 Audi A3 sedan comes across as a premium piece.  The A3 previously was a slow selling hatchback.  Now adding the three-box notchback with a trunk bodystyle Audi can substantially broaden its appeal in the USA.  For decades, American buyers have perceived hatchbacks to have less safety (less rear crash protection – a perception) and less security (from bad guys seeing into the cargo area and stealing what is there).  The sedan clears those negative perceptions and gives Audi a strong platform to build the bottom end of its brand.