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December 15, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Car Reviews, Gifts for the Car Enthusiast, New car info, Random

The Best Cars for This Holiday Season

Yes, this is a holiday tradition for me. I love picking out cars that are perfect for this holiday season. I know that none of you will run out to the dealer and order one as soon as you’ve finished reading this post, but I can keep wishing, right?

Ford Focus RS: If you want a hot ticket into the performance car world, this is it. It’s got AWD sending somewhere around 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels through a six speed manual transmission, this car is definitely going to be eating Corvettes and Honda sportbikes all day long in the canyons and some race tracks. It’s going to be one fun ride. Car & Driver was lucky enough to take a ride in one, and I’ll be a tad bit jealous at them for a while. They said it’s an experience few cars can replicate.
It looks like a legitimate rally car without all of the stickers, doesn’t it? The fans will be right behind you, don’t worry about that!
Chevrolet Colorado: Any version of the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado is going to be one of the best trucks on the market. It won the 2016 Motor Trend Truck of the Year award. I should also mention it won the 2015 Truck of the Year award as well. The engine that I would recommend is the 2.8-liter four-cylinder Duramax diesel engine. It gets 26 mpg combined, according to Motor Trend’s “Real MPG” testing procedures. That’s almost as good as my Mazda 3! According to the Real MPG program, a Colorado with any of the available engines (a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a fantastic 3.6-liter V6) will have class-leading mpg. That’s really saying something. If you go for the Duramax, it will tow 7,600 pounds, and will get better mileage than any other Colorado engine. Oh, and it will be much smoother and rewarding to drive. The Colorado, and it’s GMC twin, the Canyon, both received a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Chevrolet designed the Colorado to be a daily driver for any kind of driver, so it should come as no surprise that it drives like a fullsize sedan with a light rear end. If I was going to recommend any one truck, this would be it.
It looks really sharp, doesn’t it? This is the Trail Boss model, which adds knobby tires, a lightbar, and skid plates.
Volvo XC90: Some of my older readers will remember and love the Volvos of the 1970s and 1980s. They were big tanks of cars, designed with utility rather than sexiness, yet they were so exquisitely built that people bought them over a Mercedes-Benz. Something as simple as the XC90’s key shouldn’t be worth mentioning, yet this one is wonderful. It is made of the same Nappa leather that covers it’s three comfortable rows of seats. Volvo is a really small player in the U.S. Toyota made nearly three times as many Priuses as Volvo sold cars. BMW sells seven cars for each one that Volvo sells in the U.S. You might be surprised to hear that the only engine that you can get with the 2016 XC90 is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Before you get up in arms about that, just know that it cranks out 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. How does it do that? A gigantic turbocharger and a small supercharger that steps in when the turbo is spooling up. It gets 22 mpg combined, according to the EPA. It’s far quieter than the also-new Honda Pilot, which has a screaming V6 that will scare the deer off the road. AWD is standard. Right now, the only powertrain upgrade is to the T8 model, which Volvo claims to be the first seven-seat plug-in hybrid. It makes 313 horsepower from the same engine, but has an electric motor powering the rear wheels, bringing total power output to 400 horsepower. It has some seriously long gearing (80 mph in 3rd gear). Yeah, Volvo is still going after hauling families over hauling some butt. The XC90 has a gigantic touchscreen that Motor Trend called “almost Tesla-like.” A Volvo wouldn’t be a Volvo if it didn’t have more safety features than a crash cart in a hospital. All seven seat belts have pyrotechnic pretensioners, and the front seat frames have energy absorbers to cushion vertical forces during impact. It has a bunch of really great features, but I’m going to skip over most of them. One final safety feature worth mentioning is that the XC90 will automatically activate the brakes if the driver attempts to make a left turn into oncoming traffic. You’re on your own if you somehow make a right turn into oncoming traffic, though. Just like the Tesla Model S was a pivotal car for electric cars in 2013, the Volvo XC90 is a game changer, a moonshot for SUVs.
I don’t care what people say about it – I think it looks really nice for something it’s size.
Subaru WRX: This list wouldn’t be complete without a Subaru on it. Of course I chose the WRX. While Subaru doesn’t make it as a hatchback anymore, which is a true shame, it doesn’t make the WRX any less spectacular. It’s got that wonderful Subaru boxer engine growling howl, and is probably the perfect all-weather car. It can handle it’s own on just about any surface. Good luck keeping up with one with summer tires on a racetrack, or one with winter tires in inclement weather. It’s a stylish jack-of-all-trades.
It doesn’t look like much, but I can tell you it looks mighty intimidating with that gaping hood scoop and wailing four-cylinder.
Audi A3: It starts off at nearly $31,000, so the opening bid itself is a good proposition to buy one. It’s a good-looking car by all means, but it doesn’t advance Audi’s design at all. The car gets more fun to drive as you add on the speed. It just gets really expensive, so keep that in mind when you pile on the options.
See what I mean? It looks nice, but it’s no huge design advancement for Audi.

That’s it for this list. I know it’s shorter than ones in years past, but I think these are all solid choices. You can’t go wrong with any of them. I wish you all a wonderful, safe and happy holiday season. As always, I will be taking a week off about next week, but I’ll update you on Friday about that, don’t worry!

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Gifts for the Car Enthusiast

The Best Sleepers Sold in America in the Past 25 Years

Many people like to own cars that are beautiful and naturally garner attention. They drive cars like Aston Martins and Jaguars. There are also a lot of people who can’t afford cars like those, but still want their cars to grab attention, so they drive cars like Subaru WRX STI’s and Ford Mustangs. Those cars are loud and proud of it. They grab attention through their noise. It just comes down to a matter of personal choice, and that’s fine.

Many people really like having a car that has great performance, but doesn’t attract throngs of people and law enforcement. Their cars of choice are seemingly Plain Jane cars on the outside, but that doesn’t mean that their performance capabilities are any less than something like an STI.

Here, in no particular order, are the absolute best sleepers that have been sold here in the past 25 years.

GMC Syclone/Typhoon: Some of my readers grew up in the 1990s. It was a technological revolution, and also a time of rebellion and shattering societal norms. GMC’s decision to build the Typhoon and Syclone was probably one of their best. 280 horsepower isn’t very much horsepower for a truck, but all the way back in 1991, it meant 60 mph in five seconds. That’s right on pace with a modern Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang. Thank the 350 lb-ft of torque and the AWD system for that. Most people won’t know what they are looking at. They will see an old truck or SUV that is pretty darn small. That punk in the Honda Civic next to them will have no idea that it will blow his doors off at the stoplight. Trust me, you’ll have to have a bona-fide performance car to beat a Syclone or Typhoon in a drag race. Plus, they are very reliable – Jay Leno daily drove one for years without any problems.
One of the most legendary trucks, let alone sleepers, of all time. It looks so innocent!
Mercedes-Benz S600: Even people who know nothing about cars know about the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. They know it’s expensive and luxurious, but nothing past that, really. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice the W220 (chassis generation, just like people know generations of the Ford Mustang as the Foxbody, the SN 95, the S197 and S550) anymore. It still looks dapper, but at this point, it’s generic enough that it flies under the radar with ease. Only us car people will know what they are looking at. Any S600 is going to be quick, but the 2003 update made it something fearsome. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12 snarled out 493 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. It’s the banker’s hot rod, just like the Hudson Hornet was in the 1950s. Oh, and if you put a straight piped exhaust on the S600, it sounds like a Formula 1 car.
While it still looks nice, the average person would brush it off as just another Mercedes-Benz. However, any Mercedes with these wheels will blow the doors off of just about anything.
Mercury Marauder: Ford’s Panther platform always had potential for performance, but Ford was always interested in selling Crown Victorias, Grand Marquis and Town Cars to retirees, limo companies, law enforcement agencies and taxi companies that they left most of the performance potential untapped to enterprising tuners. That all changed in 2003. The Mercury Marauder was a souped-up Grand Marquis that had a lot of parts borrowed from the Crown Victoria P71 (Police Interceptor Package). It also borrowed some go-fast goodies from the Mustang. Very few people could tell the difference between a Grand Marquis and a Marauder, but under the generic sheetmetal, the Marauder was something to be feared. It had a 302 horsepower V8 and a heavily improved suspension. It didn’t drive like a Grand Marquis or a Crown Victoria. The entire point of the car was to show the world “Why not?”
Doesn’t look like much, does it?
Volvo V70 R: Station wagons haven’t been the preferred method of kid schlepping in many years, which is a true shame. Even when they were popular, they weren’t cool. Any station wagon that has a Volvo badge on it is going to be recognized as safe, but nobody ever drives a Volvo aggressively. Now, chuck all of what I have just said out of the window. Never think or speak of it again. The Volvo V70 R had an inline five cylinder engine that cranked out 296 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque that went to the wheels via a Haldex AWD system. It hit 60 mph in under six seconds, which made it ideal for the dad who wanted a Mazda Miata with room for his wife and their kids and dog.
Saab 9-2X Aero: While the Subaru WRX is a great car in it’s own right, it’s the exact opposite of a sleeper. It’s loud and it attracts more attention than the cute girl in high school. If you liked how the WRX drove, but wanted something more toned down, look no further than the Saab 9-2X Aero. It used to be that there was no option like the Saab 9-2X Aero. Then some brilliant mind at GM decided that they needed to dive into the compact luxury car market. The result was the Saab 9-2X Aero. It was based off of the WRX, but the interior was much more premium, the car wasn’t nearly as loud, the looks were toned down, but at heart, it’s still a Subaru WRX.
It’s just a luxurious Subaru WRX. It’s really compact, which is great if you live in a city.
Mazdaspeed 6: In the midsize sedan segment, many cars will put you straight to sleep. The Mazda 6 has never been one of those cars, and as such, is always my first suggestion for a family sedan. Even though it’s fun to drive, it’s still nothing special at the end of the day. However, Mazda decided to throw practicality and sensibility out the window. They handed a Mazda 6 over to the brilliant minds over at Mazdaspeed, and let them work their magic. The result was a 270 horsepower, turbocharged, AWD sedan with a six speed manual. Pure brilliance. It could hit 60 mph in under 5.5 seconds, yet looked like an average Mazda 6 to the untrained eye. And yes mom, it still has all the practicality of a family sedan. It just happens to be far faster than any other family sedan.
It looks like just another family sedan. However, anybody who has read this post knows what’s up with this car.
Chevrolet Cobalt SS: The Chevrolet Cavalier was a truly terrible car. While it’s replacement, the Cobalt, was a vast improvement, it wasn’t a good car by any stretch of the imagination. It was an inexpensive car that catered to those who needed a brand-new economy car despite the fact that a three-year-old Toyota Corolla was a much better car. It sold well. Chevrolet somehow managed to redeem the Cobalt. The Cobalt SS was probably one of the greatest pocket rockets to ever race around. It was unexpectedly fast, and incredibly adept on any race course or autocross course. A 205 horsepower version came out first, but the real gem was the 260 horsepower turbocharged version. Even with a gigantic rear wing, nobody expects a Chevrolet Cobalt to be that fast. One way to make it even more of a sleeper is to remove the wing and put on non-SS Cobalt wheels. Talk about a sleeper of epic proportions!
It looks like just another Chevrolet Cobalt, but with big wheels. Acceleration is best achieved by flat-footing it (where you keep the gas pedal planted, and shift without lifting).
Ford Taurus SHO: While the original Ford Taurus was a great car, the original Taurus SHO (Super High ) is a legend in the performance sedan world. The current generation does not look at all like a performance car. It’s a comfortable cruiser and a good police car, but it looks like nothing special. Part of what makes the current SHO such a sleeper is that the automotive press basically wrote it off when it was introduced. Even in the SHO trim, it’s meant for being an effortless cruiser, not a canyon carver. This doesn’t mean that you should try and do a stoplight drag race with one. An SHO can hit 60 mph in just over five seconds to 60 mph.
If you’re a fan of fullsize sedans and the word stonking fast, look into getting a Ford Taurus SHO.
Chevrolet SS: Even though this is a list of sleepers sold in America over the past 25 years, the Chevrolet SS truly deserves to be on the list of all-time sleepers. How many cars can claim the accomplishment of having basically nobody know they exist? While some reviewers would consider it a flaw that the SS blends in with all of the boring cars, it’s actually a good thing. 99% of the people you pass in the SS will think it’s a Malibu, if they even notice it at all. They are wrong because it has a 415-horsepower Corvette engine, a six-speed manual and a magnetic suspension sourced from the Corvette. It’s the car that’s so anonymous that no cop will pull you over.
Really looks like nothing, doesn’t it? Here’s to hoping that the FBI has good taste in cars and starts using these!

August 14, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, Car Reviews, Gifts for the Car Enthusiast, New car info, Random

The Best New Trucks for Working and Towing

Pickup trucks are some of the most popular vehicles in the U.S. But, they don’t come cheap. Fully optioned models can fetch prices well over $70,000. Not all consumers want a truck with more bells and whistles than a BMW. Here are my suggestions for the best trucks for working and hauling. If you’re in the market for a new work truck, or know somebody that does, this might be helpful for them!

Nissan Frontier: Midsize pickups are probably the best vehicles for deliveries in congested urban areas. The Nissan Frontier King Cab SV V6 4X2 should fit the bill for you. It has a payload of 1,471 pounds with a six speed manual and 1,449 pounds with a five-speed automatic. Let’s say you are a fleet owner in a big city like Los Angeles. The 22 pound decrease in payload will save more money in the long run. You won’t have to worry about burning up the clutch. You can tow up to 6,500 pounds with either transmission. The King Cab SV V6 4X2 configuration has the highest tow/haul capacity of any Nissan Frontier configuration.
Toyota Tacoma: This is the main competitor to the Nissan Frontier. You can get a 2015 model for relatively little money, as the redesigned model is coming out next year. There are going to be massive incentives and discounts on this generation of the Tacoma. The models with the available, sturdy 4.0-liter V6. The PreRunner model with 2WD has a payload rating of 1,500 pounds and can tow 6,500 pounds. Stepping up to the Double Cab (crew cab) will retain the towing capacity, but payload drops to 1,305 pounds. It just boils down to whether you want a Toyota or a Nissan.
Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon: The Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon used to be only good for work trucks. However, the redesigned Colorado and Canyon are incredibly refined trucks. Their ride has been compared to a car’s. An extended cab with 2WD, a four-cylinder engine, and a six-speed automatic is the most affordable model. That truck can haul 1,580 pounds and tow 3,500 pounds. Should you need to tow more, you can get the Z82 trailering package, which bumps the towing capacity up to 7,000 pounds, regardless of configuration. The highest payload rating for the V6 model is 1,560 pounds with the crew cab body, the short bed, and 2WD. The new 2.8-liter Duramax diesel engine will arrive for the 2016 model year (fall of 2015). That model will tow 7,700 pounds with 2WD and 7,600 pounds with 4WD.
Nissan Titan: The outgoing generation of the Nissan Titan is old. It hasn’t had any updates since it’s release in 2004. That’s why Nissan is selling the new generation of the truck next year. In the meantime, this generation of Titan is a perfectly good work truck. The Titan King Cab S 4X2 has a maximum payload of 2,102 pounds and can tow up to 7,400 pounds. That’s more than enough for most people. The truth is, if you need to tow and haul more, step up to a heavy duty pickup. Should you need to tow more, the Titan King Cab SV can tow up to 9,500 pounds, but payload drops a little bit to 2,053 pounds. The Titan is outdated, and it shows. The interior looks like it’s from the 1990s, but the powertrain is punchy and the truck handles itself well for something it’s size.
Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra: The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are true workhorses. Getting a Regular Cab model with the long bed will net you a very good work truck for not very much money. In addition, the 4.3-liter V6 that comes standard with these trucks makes 297 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. That’s more than some V8s! In fact, it produces the most torque of any V6 engine in any pickup truck! The Silverado and Sierra can haul 1,980 pounds and tow 5,900 pounds in this configuration. Should you need a V8, the 5.3-liter V8 is a very good choice. It increases the tow rating all the way up to 9,800 pounds without sacrificing any hauling capacity.
Toyota Tundra: Toyota has several Tundra models, but a 2WD regular cab with the long bed and the optional 5.7-liter V8 has the highest payload rating of 2,080 pounds. It can also tow 10,500 pounds. That’s what heavy-duty pickups were rated to tow five or six years ago! No matter how else you spec out this truck, this combination is the strongest.
Ram 1500: Long one of my favorite trucks, the Ram 1500 is a fine looking work truck. It’s got sharp, clean lines. It doesn’t look big and blocky like the current Ford F150. In it’s most basic configuration, it can haul 1,900 pounds of whatever you want in it’s long bed. If you get the available 3.55:1 rear end gear ratio, it can tow a whopping 7,280 pounds! Step up to the available 5.7-liter HEMI V8 to tow 10,650 pounds, but payload will drop slightly to 1,720 pounds. If fuel economy matters more than towing and hauling capacities, get the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. The small diesel engine delivers in spades. The maximum payload rating for the EcoDiesel engine and the 3.92:1 rear end gear ratio is 1,500 pounds, and it can tow 9,200 pounds. That’s still more than most people will ever use.
Ford F150: While the Ford F-Series Super Duty is one serious work truck, most people don’t need something that heavy duty. The new Ford F150 shows promise. The F150 XL Regular Cab with the long bed and the standard 3.5-liter V6 is an affordable lighter-duty work truck. It can haul 1,910 pounds and tow 7,600 pounds. If you need to step up a bit, the F150 comes with an optional 5.0-liter V8. With this engine, it can haul 3,300 pounds and tow 11,100 pounds. If you want to get turbochargers with your F150, get the F150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. It can haul 3,270 pounds and tow an insane 12,200 pounds.
Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD/GMC Sierra 3500HD: These heavy-duty twins offer more bed/cab/engine transmission combinations than McDonald’s does with their happy meals. A 4WD 3500HD Regular Cab with the long bed, dual rear wheels, and the Duramax diesel V8 can tow 23,200 pounds from a fifth wheel hitch in the bed, or 16,000 pounds from a standard bumper receiver. It can also haul 5,817 pounds in the bed. If you don’t tow very often with a fifth wheel, but do tow a lot with the standard receiver, you should go with the aforementioned model, but with a Crew Cab. That model can tow 19,600 pounds with the standard receiver or a still-impressive 22,600 pounds from the fifth wheel. Payload for that model is rated at 5,205 pounds. If all you care about is hauling stuff in the bed, get a 2WD Regular Cab with the long bed, dual rear wheels and the 6.0-liter gasoline-powered V8. That model can haul 7,374 pounds and still tow 14,200 pounds with either hitch.
Ram 3500 Heavy Duty: The Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Regular Cab 2WD with dual rear wheels and the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline six cylinder engine can tow 30,000 pounds. Payload for that model is a respectable 6,580 pounds. The 2016 model (I’ve been talking about the 2015) can tow as much as 31,200 pounds. Going from the diesel engine to the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 will diminish towing capacity to 16,520 pounds. However, payload capacity goes all the way up to 7,390 pounds.
Ford F-Series Super Duty: If all you want to do is tow, go for the Ford F450, which delivers in spades. The monster comes in one configuration only: Crew Cab, long bed, dual rear wheels, 4WD and the 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8. It can tow 19,000 pounds from the standard receiver and 31,200 pounds from the fifth wheel. It can also haul 5,450 pounds. For those who don’t care as much about towing, but hauling is more important, there is an F-Series Super Duty for you. The 2WD F350 Regular Cab with a long bed and dual rear wheels can haul 7,260 pounds. It doesn’t matter if you get the 6.2-liter gasoline-powered V8, or the Power Stroke if you want to tow – it will tow 12,500 pounds from a standard receiver.

You know that automotive technology has advanced so far that you realize that when you throw around terms like “respectable” for trucks that can tow and haul massive amounts of whatever you want! Tell me your choice of truck, and if you have one of these trucks! If you’re in the market for a new work truck, I hope that this list helped you narrow it down somewhat!

March 11, 2015 zoomvroom Car Culture, New car info

The Cars that Deserve a Stripped-Down Track Version

Some cars are just born to be demons on the track. The track doesn’t necessarily need to be a road course – it could be off-road also. These are the cars that deserve to be stripped down to the basics for maximum fun.

Audi TT: The Audi TT has always been a decent sports car, but it’s always cried out for more power and aggression. This is why it deserves to have the sound-deadening materials yanked out. Audi being Audi will never do this, but who’s to say that some very smart person won’t? In my humble opinion, I think it is perfectly sized for rallycross, which is like autocross in dirt or gravel. It’s awesome. Just add a vented hood, a spoiler, more power, beefy tires and suspension, and a rollcage, and you’re good to go. Audi has a history of legendary rally cars, so it seems fitting to me to introduce it.
Chevrolet Corvette: Yes, the new Corvette ZO6 is truly a monster at the track, but it also weighs more than it should. I love supercharged engines, but they end up with heat soak after about 20 minutes, and then what? If Chevy put the C7.R endurance race car’s engine in, it would weigh less and have as much power. My idea of a ‘Vette track special would borrow heavily from the C7.R parts bin, and would utilize carbon fiber and titanium. It wouldn’t be cheap, but it would beat just about anything this side of a race car.
Jeep Wrangler: Jeep needs to build a pickup again. Several aftermarket companies will sell you a kit to turn your Wrangler into a regular cab pickup. It’s time for Jeep to do that…from the factory. If Jeep put the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 under the hood, the Wrangler pickup could actually tow and haul. Better yet, Jeep could put the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 under the hood. Now, that would be something that would sell like crazy! It would be big enough to haul dirtbikes, an ATV, firewood, camping gear, and other important off-road items. If Jeep offered a toolbox where you could store stuff, that would be awesome. I’m starting to get carried away with this now. I’m going to let your imaginations continue your dream Jeep pickup.
Chevrolet SS: The Chevy SS is Chevy’s big performance sedan. It has the LS3 V-8 from the Camaro, and it comes with a stick! It’s a stealth tire shredder, but it’s not very fast around corners. If Chevy put the trick suspension and computer electrickery from the Camaro Z/28 or ZL1 in, talk about a real sleeper! It really doesn’t need more power – it just needs less weight.
GMC Canyon/Chevrolet Colorado: The new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are great little trucks. The Canyon just doesn’t stand out all that much from the Colorado. Here’s my idea: Make a street brawler version of the Colorado available only in 2WD (jam the 5.3-liter EcoTec V-8 from the Silverado in, along with the Corvette’s 8-speed automatic), and make an off-road monster version of the Canyon that would compete with the Jeep Wrangler and Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. It would be about the same size as the Wrangler, yet have more utility. It would also come with the V-8, but it would be the big Duramax diesel V-8 and Allison 6-speed automatic from the heavy-duty pickups. It would be loud, and have the perfect gearing for bombing around the desert or rock crawling, thanks to the big tranny.
Jaguar F-Type: The Jaguar F-Type is already a holy drifting terror. If you go onto YouTube and find hotlap videos of it, you’ll see what I mean. It’s too much engine and not enough tire. Jaguar should start a Formula Drift team with this car. If they put on less-sticky tires, increased the steering angle, and put in super high gearing, they would have a drifting beast. I would buy it.
Ford Mustang: It’s the first mass-produced Mustang to come from the factory with independent rear suspension. Recent reviews haven’t been exactly kind to it, however. They say that it’s chassis is still slightly hairy. Well, let me tell you something, grumpy overworked people: GET OVER IT! This is one of the best Mustangs to come out of the factory doors in recent years. If Ford irons out the suspension kinks, the Mustang will be a much better car. I know, I’m harshly critical too, but the Mustang desperately needs to impress. It’s already got plenty of power from it’s 302 cubic-inch V-8, which I might add, is the second most-popular crate engine sold in America. I would take it out and put out Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which has twin turbos, but turbos do not a car make, Fast & Furious fanboys. The reason I would choose this engine is that it is much lighter than the V-8, can easily be tuned to make as much, if not more power, and meets smog requirements with ease. Oh, and I can mention that it has a race pedigree in endurance racing.

Those are the cars that I think really need a track makeover. They are all amazing cars in their own right – you should own or drive at least one of them before you die. Let me know what you think deserves to give other cars a beating on the track.

August 16, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture, The auto dictionary. Look it up here!, World News

What Makes Last Week’s Sprint Car Tragedy So Special?

There’s no denying that last week’s tragedy at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York is horrific. For those of you who don’t know, Tony Stewart, a very good sprint car and NASCAR driver, had an on-track collision with a fellow sprint car driver, Kevin Ward, Jr. Ward’s car spun out, hit the wall, and suffered a flat tire. Ward then proceeded to climb out of his car and stride down the track pointing his finger at Stewart. As Stewart’s car went by, Ward was struck by the rear right wheel of Stewart’s car, sending him flying a good 20 feet down the track. Health officials said that Ward was killed on impact. The result? A massive internet phenomenon where just about every internet user has become an “expert” on sprint cars overnight. While I’m not a sprint car expert either, I do find them fascinating. The reason for this post being almost a week behind the tragedy is that I wanted to put some time behind the incident to gather more information and let everybody cool off.

Here’s what happened – Tony Stewart grew up driving sprint cars until his mid-20’s, when he became heavily involved in NASCAR and IndyCar. He still drove sprint cars for fun. After he got out of IndyCar around 2005, Stewart went full-time into NASCAR. He went into NASCAR’s prestigious Sprint Cup Series, where he won three Cups. He has won many, many races in NASCAR, sprint cars, and IndyCar. He may have a reputation for having a temper, but he’s calmed down in the last few years. According to those who know him and have interviewed him, the man has a heart of gold, but can act impulsively. When Danica Patrick came to Stewart-Haas racing, Tony personally started coaching her. He’s been a driving force in sprint car safety measures ever since he suffered a severely broken leg last year in a sprint car race in Iowa. His broken leg was so bad that it forced him to go around in a mobility scooter for a good 4 months. He had to miss the rest of the NASCAR season, making him ineligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

This year, Tony’s been back with an eye on the prize. He’s already gotten one pole at a race, and started in the Top 5 4 times. But, the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. last weekend shook him. He was scheduled to race the next day at Watkins Glen International Raceway for the Cheez-it 355, but decided not to race after the tragedy the night before. On Thursday, he released a statement saying that he will not be racing at Michigan International Speedway, and that Jeff Burton will continue to drive his No. 14 Chevrolet SS for the indefinite future.

Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle both grew up driving sprint cars on dirt tracks. Many drivers like Stewart have humble beginnings on short tracks, or start off in go-karts. Mostly in NASCAR, it’s the former. For Tony Stewart, driving sprint cars is just a fun hobby that he does for fun occasionally. However, he does have a couple of drivers driving sprint cars under his direction from Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s like Ivan “Ironman” Stewart (no relation to Tony Stewart), who is still an off-road motorsports legend. Ivan grew up riding motorcycles, and he enjoys riding them across the country with friends when he’s not helping Toyota Racing Development (TRD) with new off-road race trucks. Back to Tony Stewart. The tragedy obviously shook him to his core, and I think that he just needs to take a break from racing all together for a while to reorient himself. I don’t think that he will ever recover from accidentally killing a fellow driver, especially a 20-year-old. I don’t think that anybody can.

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, NASCAR has released new on-track protocols for drivers following a wreck. In a nutshell, drivers are not supposed to exit their car after a wreck unless instructed to by a safety official. Drivers are prohibited from going onto the track or towards other cars under all circumstances unless it is a safety vehicle. The reason for this is that some NASCAR superspeedways like Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, Charlotte, Texas, and Homestead-Miami are big enough for cars to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. When a caution happens in NASCAR, drivers are only supposed to let off the gas and coast until the pace car comes on the track. If a driver exited their car at Daytona and started striding towards another car, the result could be disastrous. Drivers are safer inside of their cars. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars are built to withstand multiple impacts of 200 mph or greater, and still allow the driver to live. The driver might have an injury like a broken leg or arm, but they will be far better off than dead. These rules might seem foolish, but they are really only common sense. There is no logical reason for a driver to approach another car on foot.

Now, let’s talk about sprint cars. These little things that look like they belong on a WWII fighter plane are tricky and super cool. Sprint car racing is different than midget car racing. Midget cars are essentially go-karts with semi-powerful engines (usually a Ford flathead V8 or a GMC “Jimmy” inline-six-cylinder) and dirt or asphalt tires. They are freakishly fast and unsafe. Sprint cars are the next step up from that. These cars define insanity.

There are a couple of different classes of sprint cars: The craziest class is World of Outlaws, started in 1978. These cars use a 410 cubic-inch naturally-aspirated V8 (6.7 liters) that can produce anywhere from 900-1,100 horsepower. These cars do not have a starter, transmission, clutch, or battery. This means that these cars must get a push from a start truck to get going. They simply use a driveshaft directly from the engine to the rear axle. Their left rear tire is 335 millimeters wide (that’s as wide as the rear tires on a SRT Viper!), and their massive right rear tire is 380 millimeters wide. The class that Tony Stewart races in is called the United Racing Company. These sprint cars use a 360 cubic-inch V8 (5.9 liters) that is based off of a Dodge/Plymouth design. That’s where the similarities to the Big 3 end. These engines are capable of producing anywhere from 700-900 horsepower. Again, these cars don’t use transmissions, clutches, batteries, or starters.

In recent years, sprint car safety has greatly increased. Roll cages are now mandatory, as well as fully tubbed chassis’. Fuel tank bladders prevent fuel leakages, and alcohol-infused fuel is now used. Six or seven-point safety harnesses are now standard, and drivers are now required to wear a 2-layer fire suit and Nomex gloves. Full helmets, arm restraint devices, right headrests, and a 1/8 inch-thick rock/debris screen on the front of the roll cage. Plus, World of Outlaws and United Racing Company require head and neck restraints (HANS devices).

Winged sprint cars are much safer than non-winged sprint cars, due to the fact that the aluminum wings are capable of absorbing a good deal of impact. When crashes happen, they are often violent, and debilitating injuries in non-winged sprint cars are commonplace. The safety of winged sprint cars was shown in 2013 when Tony Stewart’s sprint car flipped and hit a safety fence before hitting the ground upside down. Tony was able to walk away from the crash with only a severely broken leg (okay, maybe hop away).

Any sprint car is capable of reaching speeds of 140 mph or more. With winged sprint cars, the wings add hundreds of pounds of downforce at speed, making the car easier to control. Surprisingly, sprint cars are easier to control at higher speeds, thanks to the added downforce. Sprint cars are mainly steered with the throttle, which is why they are almost always sideways. They are built to turn left 99% of the time, and side visibility is almost nothing. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle also grew up driving sprint cars, and he has said multiple times in interviews that sprint cars need to have better side visibility. The wings on the sides go down to about head level of the driver, and shorter drivers have no problem with visibility. What needs to happen with sprint cars is simple:

Drivers should NOT exit their car unless it’s on fire. This would alleviate any repeats of the Ward/Stewart tragedy. When a car spins out or hits the wall, a caution is called. Drivers let off the gas, but they still are travelling pretty fast. Tony Stewart was going about 40 mph when he hit Kevin Ward, Jr. Even if he was in a street car, Ward would still be dead. Safety officials can be anywhere on a track like Canandaigua in seconds. Watch the video, and you’ll see that the safety truck was at the site where Ward was killed in under 10 seconds. The truck was heading out to help Ward’s car get back to the pits when the accident happened.
The wings on the side NEED to be raised about 6-10 inches higher for better visibility. It won’t make the cars more unstable. Look at Can-Am McLaren’s of the 1960’s and 1970’s – their wings got higher and higher. It actually HELPED the car’s stability and downforce! Sprint cars could benefit from that. Plus, it will make the cars safer, as there will be more space between the wall/catch fence/ground and the driver.
Drivers need to wait until after a caution to talk to race officials about who was at fault in the accident. It was clear in the Ward/Stewart incident the lap before Ward was killed that Ward bumped Stewart’s car and hit the wall as a result. Ward was clearly at fault in the accident, but Stewart also used his car to shove Ward’s away from his so that both cars didn’t spin. It’s a simple maneuver, yet it proved to be ultimately fatal. Race officials know who did what when, and they will assign points and/or penalties accordingly. I know that drivers become furious when their car is wrecked, but walking towards the car that wrecked yours is simply not a smart or good way to take your anger out.

I think that in the coming months, many sanctioning bodies of various motorsports will enact rules telling drivers to not exit their vehicles until told to do so by safety officials. Let me be perfectly clear: Crew chiefs and spotters are NOT safety officials. They are there to make sure that you stay out of accidents and win a race. They are not a track safety official telling you to get out of the car. I know that humans make mistakes, but Kevin Ward, Jr.’s mistake proved fatal. There’s no taking back what happened that night, but we can prevent it from happening again. It’s sad, and my thoughts go out to Kevin Ward, Jr.’s family and to Tony Stewart. I can’t even begin to fathom how sad Tony Stewart must feel about what happened that night.

I have attached the video of Tony Stewart killing Kevin Ward, Jr. Please do not watch this video if you felt at all uncomfortable reading this post. I had trouble watching the video, but I feel that it is important for you to see it. Viewer discretion is advised when watching this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5JNNXXdqM4

July 26, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture

The Most Underrated Muscle Cars Ever

Muscle cars get a bad rap for being fast in a straight line, uncomfortable, pig-like vehicles. It’s deservedly so for some of them. Some of them are just so good at what they do that you can’t help but love them, faults and all. Then, there are the good ones that are underrated. Some of the overrated ones are the modern Camaro ZL1, Mustang GT500, and the modern Dodge Charger. Here are the muscle cars that should be overlooked less:

1970 AMC Rebel Muscle Machine: How can you not love a car that is called the “muscle machine,” has a red, white, and blue paint job, and a 390 cubic-inch V8 (6.3 liters)? It was a seriously fast car, and it’s sister car, the Javelin wore the same paint scheme in the Trans-Am racing series of the 1970’s for a few years with some success. However, picking a fight with the Rebel Muscle Machine meant that you’d better have a stonking fast car to beat it. It was relatively light, made a lot of horsepower (340 stock, but could easily get boosted to well over 450), and looked like nothing else on the road. Some people bought the car, painted it it all white, and simply wreaked havoc on the streets of America in a car that looked unassuming.
Ford Torino GT: Ford took their full-size Torino, stuffed their biggest motor available into it, and turned it into what may be one of the best cars for cruising on the highway or up and down a drag strip. The big Ford Torino was one seriously fast car that could take the family in comfort. While it wasn’t exactly a looker, it came with a big black hood with a functional air scoop. It also came with a four-barrel Holley carburetor, an Edelbrock air intake, a BorgWarner four-speed overdrive transmission, and Ford’s legendary 9-inch rear end with 4:11 gears.
Jensen Interceptor: Ok, maybe it’s not a true muscle car because it was marketed as a GT car, but it’s the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law for this blog post. It’s timeless Carrozzeria Touring design makes it look Italian. Plus, you could get it with a Dodge 440 cubic-inch V8 and a Chrysler Torqueflite 4-speed automatic. That definitely makes it a British muscle car in my eyes.
1991 GMC Syclone: It should have been called the Psyclone, not the Syclone. This turbocharged mini truck was a force of nature. For just $26,000 in 1991, you could easily embarrass a Ferrari 348, a car that commanded a price of almost $180,000. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very truck-like, even with a bed, as it was only rated to carry and tow 500 pounds.
AMC Gremlin Randall 401-XR: While the AMC Gremlin may have been a terrible economy car designed on an airline barf bag, it sold in droves. But, when you turned some over to Randall Engineering, magic happened. Randall Engineering ripped out the turdy big inline-six-cylinder engine, and stuffed a massive 401 cubic-inch V8 (6.5 liters) into the tiny engine bay. The car ran high-13-second 1/4 mile times at about 90 mph. And, you could get the car for just $2,995 in 1972. And that included a donor car. Options included a four-speed manual transmission or a Chrysler Torqueflite 4-speed automatic transmission, stainless steel headers, a “Twin Grip” differential (a fancy name for a limited-slip differential), four-wheel power disc brakes, a cam kit, and a high-rise intake manifold with a four-barrel Holley carburetor.
Shelby Ford Maverick: This is quite possibly the rarest Shelby ever. Only 300 were ever sold in Mexico only. There are only a handful of pictures of the car, all of which can be viewed at http://www.maverick.to/shelbydemexico.php. They were Brazilian-made Ford Mavericks with Mustang 302 cubic-inch V8’s (5.0 liters), cool paint, and some extra Shelby odds and ends.
Studebaker Super Lark: Studebaker supercharged their 302 cubic-inch V8 (5.0 liters), and put it into their stunning Lark coupe. The car made an impressive 335 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque way back in 1963. The car weighed in right around 3,000 pounds, so it was fast. It was luxurious enough that it was called the “businessman’s hot rod.” I agree. It was also one of the first true muscle cars. It came out in 1963, about a year before the much-loved Pontiac GTO.
Mercury Cyclone: While nobody will ever really lose sleep over the Ford Fairlane, it will be harder to lose sleep over it’s interestingly-styled brother, the Mercury Cyclone. It came with Ford’s high-performance 428 cubic-inch (7.0 liters) Cobra Jet V8, and it took a mere 5.5 seconds to hit 60 mph.
Dodge Demon/Plymouth Duster: While the Dodge Demon and Plymouth Duster were certainly not the fastest nor most powerful muscle cars of the early 1970’s, they were plenty capable of smoking a larger muscle car. They were powered by Dodge’s 340 cubic-inch V8 (5.6 liters), which was a mid-lineup engine in the larger Challenger and Barracuda. That, coupled with their relative light weight, meant that they were able to be pretty darn quick in the quarter mile.
Buick GS 455 Stage 1: 510 pound-feet of torque. That’s all you need to know. Not really, but this was the most powerful motor sold in America for a few years. It was big, big, big, but very fast. It was also really comfortable. This is one of the best cars in the world for cruising the interstates. I want one.

And, then there’s this…

July 11, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture

The Greatest American Turbocharged Cars

Many people think that turbochargers belong in heavily modified import cars. Well, that’s partially true. Europe has turned out some impressive turbocharged cars, as well as the US of A. Here are America’s greatest turbocharged cars.

Ford Mustang SVO: The 2015 Ford Mustang has a 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, just like the SVO Mustangs of the 1980’s. The first turbocharged Ford Mustang showed up in 1979 with a 135-horsepower, turbocharged, 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. It was an alternative to the downsized 4.2-liter V8 found in the Mustang GT. But, it wasn’t until Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO, now known as Special Vehicle Tuning or SVT) got their hands on one that it became anything noteworthy. It came with a factory-installed Hurst short-throw shifter, revolutionary Koni adjustable shocks, ABS disc brakes at all four corners, a limited-slip differential, and a screaming, turbocharged 205 horsepower. Drivers even had the cool option of flicking a dash-mounted switch that allowed the car to run on lower-grade fuel for a certain amount of time. When it ended it’s production run in the late 1980’s, it was something to be feared. It looked especially menacing in grey.
1965 Chevrolet Corvair: Believe it or not, the Corvair actually had a go-fast option. It had two, in fact. One was the Crown Corvair, which used a mid-mounted 283-cubic-inch Corvette V8, and the other was a turbocharger bolted onto the engine. From the factory. It made 150 horsepower initially, but by the time the Corvair died, it made 180 horsepower. Unlike many other turbocharged cars, the turbocharged Corvair did not use a wastegate, the internal exhaust flap that opens at higher engine speeds to prevent over-spinning the turbine. Instead, Chevy engineers simply built enough backpressure into the exhaust system to prevent overboost and serious engine damage. Very few Corvairs with the turbocharged engine were ever made.
Oldsmobile F85 Jetfire: Oldsmobile was one of the early adopters of turbocharging technology. It released the powerful F85 Jetfire in April of 1962, and the car was something of a small success. It took the fabled 3.5-liter high-compression “Rocket” V8, cranked up the boost, and let it rev. It made a screaming 215 horsepower, and it was easily quicker than many naturally aspirated cars of 1962. Plus, owners got an ashtray-sized boost gauge in front of the shifter. The engine had problems with detonation, which is the process where the hot air-fuel mixture under pressure spontaneously ignites before the spark plug has a chance to ignite it. So, the Turbo-Rocket engine was fed a mixture of methanol alcohol and water (the same stuff fed to dragsters). This allowed the mixture to not ignite as quickly and get a higher octane level. Today, water/alcohol injection is commonplace in high-performance tuner car applications, but isn’t it cool that F85 Jetfire owners had to periodically fill their “Turbo Rocket Fluid” reservoir?
Buick GNX: If there’s a poster-child for American turbocharged cars, the Buick GNX wins, hands-down. The all-black, tire-smoking, Ferrari Testarossa-beating, quarter-mile waltzing Buick GNX was and still is a force of nature. Buick initially started turbocharging it’s anemic 3.8-liter V6 in 1978 for the Regal and the LeSabre, introducing the fast Regal Grand National line in 1982. It culminated with 1987 with the GNX. Buick purposefully underrated the crank horsepower at 276 horsepower, but dyno tests showed that the car made at least 315 horsepower at the wheels. This means that the car made somewhere close to 360-370 horsepower at the crank. It even beat the twin-turbo Callaway Corvette that I featured on my blog a couple of months ago in the quarter mile. The GNX would go through the quarter mile in the low 13-second range at around 125-130 mph. Just 547 GNX’s were built in 1987, each specially massaged by AMC/McLaren. Today, the turbo Buick’s are something of a legend, and many go for upwards of $30,000. The car was so successful on the street the Buick entered a naturally-aspirated V8 version of the car in NASCAR’s Grand National series (now known as the Nationwide Series), where it was extremely competitive.
1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am: The all-white Pontiac Trans Am picked to be the pace car for the 73rd annual Indy 500 was completely different than the first turbocharged Trans Am, which was all mustache and no Burt. This 1989 force-fed pony car was something completely different. I liken it as the Pontiac storm trooper to the Buick GNX Darth Vader. Pontiac subcontracted an engineering firm to swap Buick GNX engines (made by Buick for Pontiac) into the Trans Am. But, the story doesn’t (and shouldn’t) end there. Anniversary-edition Trans Am’s got better-flowing heads than the GNX, stainless-steel headers, GNX-sized Eaton intercoolers, a cross-drilled Comp Cams crankshaft, and their own engine tuning higher up in the powerband. The net result was a car that officially produced 250 horsepower at the crank, but made closer to 320 horsepower at the crank. This marked a return to the horsepower-underrating days of the muscle car, started by, you guessed it, Pontiac. It was the fastest pace car ever in the history of the Indy 500, which is impressive, given the fact that many fast cars have been chosen since then.
Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe: The Beach Boys made the T-Bird famous with the line, “fun, fun, fun, until her daddy takes it away.” The T-Bird was fun until Daddy (the EPA) introduced emissions regulations that took the fun out of the T-Bird. By 1982, the T-Bird was a horrible, anemic shoebox of a car. Happily, 1983 saw the rising of the phoenix. It’s beak-like hood had twin nostrils that meant that there was a turbocharged engine underneath that pointy hood. Other than the amazingly 1980’s-FILA edition, the T-Bird Turbo Coupe was at it’s peak in 1987 and 1988. That was when stick-shifted version of the Fox-bodied T-Bird came equipped with a whistling 190 horsepower, four-wheel ABS disc brakes, and a limited-slip differential. Those nostrils on the hood, by the way, are functional, as they feed air directly to the top-mounted intercooler.
Shelby GLHS: It’s hard to find a car that has a shape that’s more square than the Dodge Omni. The blocky Omni had all of the sporting pretensions of a worn-out water shoe. Then, you hand the Omni over to Carroll Shelby. Early Omni GLH (unofficially Goes Like Hell) cars weren’t turbocharged, but by the mid-1980’s, America was becoming obsessed with the turbocharger. So, by the mid-1980’s, the Omni GLH had enough punch to beat any VW GTI of the era. For the 1986 model year only, 500 cars were further tweaked by Shelby to become the Omni GLHS (Goes Like Hell S’More), which was a 175-horsepower breadbox with more boost, better suspension, and factory options like a roll cage and heavy-duty oil cooler borrowed from the Ram 250 with the Cummins Diesel. Quite possibly the best part of the GLHS: The uprated top speed of the GLHS was too much for the regular 85 mph speedometer of the Omni, so Shelby simply added a sticker to the bottom of the gauge with increments up to 135 mph.
Shelby CSX-VNT: Another Shelby creation was the CSX-VNT, which was based off of the homely Plymouth Sundance and Dodge Shadow. Initially, the CSX-VNT packed 175 horsepower, and like the earlier GLHS, went like a bat out of hell. Shelby built a small run of 1,001 cars for the Thrifty rental car company with slightly less power. In the final year of CSX-VNT production, 1989, the CSX-VNT included some new, unique technology previously only seen on race cars – variable turbine geometry. Computer-controlled vanes moved to direct the hot exhaust gas stream to improve spool-up time. While it’s power rating remained the same at 175 horsepower, it had dramatically better response time in the low end, virtually eliminating turbo lag. The next time this technology would show up in the U.S. market would be in 2011, with the 997-generation Porsche 911 Turbo. That was more than 15 years later.
GMC Syclone: In 1990, Gale Banks Engineering cracked the 200-mph mark at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a compact GMC pickup truck with no turbocharger or supercharger. In 1991, the streetable version of that high-powered pickup showed up on dealer lots. It’s 4.3-liter Vortec V6 engine was turbocharged with the help of Gale Banks himself. It came standard with ABS and AWD, neither of which were options on the S15 Sonoma. You couldn’t haul much with the Syclone, unfortunately, as it was only rated to haul 500 pounds. Too bad, but you could still fill the bed with the egos of every single Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati driver on the road. This all-black, one-year-only mini-truck was the fastest-accelerating production vehicle in America for a few years, easily getting off of the line, thanks to the torque-rich engine and AWD. It got to 60 mph somewhere in the low 4-second range.
GMC Typhoon: A spin-off of the one-year-only Syclone, the Jimmy-bodied Typhoon was officially rated at 280 horsepower, though dyno tests showed that it made at least that at the wheels, meaning that it made somewhere around 320 horsepower at the crank. It could easily beat a Ferrari 348 off of the line and up to about 70 mph, when the 348 really got into the powerband. Just under 5,000 Typhoons were made between 1992-1993, and unlike the black-only Syclone, could be bought in a variety of colors. In fact, Clint Eastwood used to drive a Forest Green Typhoon around in his Dirty Harry days, where he would pull up to a stoplight and ask punks if they felt lucky. Most thought they were going to beat some middle-aged guy in his SUV with their Mustang or import car.
Dodge Neon SRT4: In 2003, Chrysler/Dodge’s Street Racing Technology (SRT) team got hold of the friendly-faced Neon subcompact car, and built what is still the car to beat for bang-for-your-buck performance. A frog-eyed four-door sedan with a functional front-mounted intercooler peeking out of the grille, the tiny Neon made mincemeat out of everything from a Porsche Boxster to a Nissan 350Z. Dodge claimed 230 horsepower, though dyno testing showed that the car made at least that much, if not more at the wheels. This means that the engine was making close to 280 horsepower at the crank. Something else that is cool about the Neon SRT4 is the fact that it doesn’t have a muffler on it. This allows it to have vastly better turbo flow. Resonators keep the volume semi-sane, but the Neon really makes a lot of noise when you give it some go-juice.
Chevrolet SS Turbocharged: Initially available only as a supercharged coupe, the Cobalt SS was always OK in performance testing, but it wasn’t going to set any records. Starting in 2009, the Cobalt SS came as either a sedan or coupe with a turbocharger bolted onto a small four-cylinder engine. It made 260 horsepower. Should you want a cool sleeper, if you aren’t afraid of the ignition recall, you can get a Cobalt SS, take the badges off, swap the big chrome rims for something more discreet (like the regular Cobalt rims), and you’d have the makings of a good sleeper. It had a no-lift-shift system – just keep your right foot floored so that you don’t loose boost – and you’ll see the quarter mile fly by in under 13 seconds, and will keep up with a Porsche 911 on a road course. Take it out to the twisties out on the road, and you’ll be able to keep up with a motorcycle, thanks to the tiny size of the Cobalt.

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 zoomvroom Car Culture, Car Reviews, Vehicle repair

10 Cars That You Just Have to Love, Even if They Were Lemons

Lots of cars are reliable. Lots of cars aren’t reliable. A lot of British and German cars fall into the not-so-reliable category. My uncle can attest to that with the fact that his 2001 Jaguar XK8 has spent about half of its life in the shop. On the other side of reliability, another one of my uncles had an Audi Quattro for something like 10 years, and he never had any reliability issues. My dad’s had trouble with his 2003 GMC Sierra 2500 HD with the Duramax diesel engine. My 2003 Chrysler Town & Country is just a few hundred miles away from hitting 200,000 miles, and it’s been one of the most reliable cars that I’ve ever seen. Anyhow, the basic premise of this blog post is to tell you the top 10 cars that we all love, even if they were (or still are) lemons.

2001-2005 Porsche 911 and Boxster: The 996-generation Porsche 911 was the first Porsche to ever have a water-cooled engine. For Porschephiles, that’s the equivalent of the Pope converting to Buddhism. The 2001-2005 Porsche 911 and Boxster had a teeny, weeny, little problem with their engines where the faulty intermediate shafts could fail, turning a fine sports car into a very expensive paperweight. Even after enough owner complaints, Porsche started fixing the problem, but only on a case-by-case basis, which meant that many owners were left out to dry unfairly. It’s easily one of the largest black spots in Porsche history, which is a true shame, because these cars were otherwise some very nice drives.
2001-2003 Subaru WRX: The first Subaru WRX to be offered in the U.S. had a massive problem with the transmission. The five-speed manuals were extremely fragile, and the tuner-friendly engine often meant that the tiny boxer four-cylinder engine was tuned to within an inch of its life. All Subarus have problems with their head gasket, but the 2001-2003 WRX often gave its head gasket up before it even reached 100,000 miles. I can forgive all of this, because aside from these two problems, it’s a reliable daily driver that’s a LOT of fun. The purity of these WRX’s means that your inner Swedish rally driver fantasies can come true.
1993-1995 Mazda RX-7: One of the last rotary-powered cars (the last was the Mazda RX-8), the Mazda RX-7 was a true driver’s car. However, apex seal failure hangs over every owner’s head like a cloud. Apex seal failure means a complete engine rebuild or replacement if the car is not maintained at the proper intervals. The massive amounts of premium fuel and oil going into the engine didn’t help matters, either. Still, the 3rd-generation Mazda RX-7 is an amazing driver’s car. Plus, many owners say that there’s truly nothing like spooling up the second sequential turbocharger. Mazda had made the RX-7 with two turbochargers – one for the lower rev range only, and the other for the upper rev range only. It’s been a long, long time since the last RX-7 was built, and I really hope that Mazda gets their act together and builds an RX-9.
1999 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra: This was a one-model-year special put on by Ford, and it was supposed to be a drag racing special for the street. However, it didn’t take long for enthusiasts, mainly drag racers, to figure out that it was making WAY less than the 320 horsepower that Ford advertised. Ford traced the problem to aluminum residue in the intake and exhaust systems. Ford did well by fixing the problem free of charge. However, the public snafu on Ford’s part caused Ford to drop production of the SVT Cobra after just one model year. The upside is that there are no other reliability problems with the SVT Cobra Mustang. Because it’s a single-model-year special-edition Mustang, it’s got potential to be a future classic. Don’t be intimidated if you see one for sale with lots of modifications – Ford designed this car to be tuner-friendly. Just make sure that there’s good documentation of the car.
2008-2010 Nissan GT-R: Like many supercars, the Nissan GT-R came with launch control. The difference was that the launch control function could potentially blow up the transmission and void the warranty, leaving the unlucky owner with a $20,000 repair bill. Nissan settled a class-action lawsuit in Decemer 2010, and the launch control was dialed back on 2011-up models. It’s impossible not to love the GT-R and it’s mind-altering ability to be an absolute freight train on race tracks of any kind, just avoid the hard launches.
2001-2006 MINI Cooper S: Anybody who was (or is) an owner of the 2001-2006 MINI Cooper S felt more like a beta tester for a video game than anything else. Here’s the relatively short list of, uh, ‘bugs:’ Electric power steering pumps that could catch fire, supercharger failure after just 80,000 miles, and head gaskets that seemed to be timed to blow up as soon as the warranty expired. Despite it being a sub-$20,000 car new (and used), it’s got maintenance costs of a 2001-2005 Porsche 911 or Boxster (see #1 on this list for reference). If you can forgive those faults, the handling is some of the best this world has ever seen.
2010 Ferrari 458 Italia: Most mid-engine Ferrari’s have a wholly undeserved reputation for spontaneous combustion. However, with the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia, the argument was valid. The adhesive bonding between the wheelwell and the engine heat shield would melt and catch fire. Reports vary, and if Ferrari is to be believed, only 11 cars were affected by this. All 1248 Ferrari 458 Italias sold until that point were recalled. Ferrari still claims that this only happened during hard driving, but asking owners of Ferraris to not drive their car hard is laughable. After the concerns of owners becoming BBQ, the Ferrari 458 Italia once again ascended to its rightful place as the best mid-engine car the world has ever seen.
2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD: These things are supposed to be bulletproof, right? Think again. The fuel injection systems on the Duramax diesel-engine trucks are notorious for the fuel injectors cracking. My dad has a 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD, and the engine’s been rebuilt something like 4 times. If you buy one of these vehicles, make sure to get it with the LQ4 6.0-liter V8. The Allison 1000 heavy-duty transmissions will go over 150,000 miles without trouble. Just DON’T get it with the Duramax! Not only are engine rebuilds expensive, but they are frequent. If you buy one, make sure you find one with good documentation, as many of these were used for hauling and towing, both of which put phenomenal stress on the engine and transmission.
1996-2005 Volkswagen Passat: This was the infamous era of VW unreliability. The B5-generation of the Passat had steering problems – the rack-and-pinion assembly was prone to stripping, which means no steering. When it stripped, it would burn out the power booster, which means that other parts are brought into the mix. Volkswagen made a lot of these cars, and some of them are good. Other family sedans are good choices.
2003 Land Rover Freelander: This is quite possibly one of THE most unreliable vehicles EVER! It was quite simply bad. The engine was bad, the cheap interior fell apart after just a few thousand miles, and forget replacing parts for it. The replacement parts were usually just as bad as the stock parts. Avoid this car at ALL costs!

December 21, 2013December 21, 2013 zoomvroom Car Culture, Car Reviews, New car info, Road Trips

The Best Cars for the End of the Holiday Season!

I think that this is a bit of a tradition for me. Last year, I wrote a post about the same time as this one. It was also about the best cars for the end of the holiday season. I have fond memories of picking through cars that I thought deserved to be on this list. While my list may not be as prestigious as Car & Driver’s 10Best, I would like to think of it as my personal version. Except, I will be doing a list like this for every season! That’s right: Winter, spring, summer, and fall! After much thought, I have finally decided what cars deserve to be on my list. The criteria for the cars: The cars on the list must all be new or substantially updated, they must be able to be entertaining in a snowy climate, and they must be able to seat at least four people comfortably (that way you can go on a road trip with the kids or friends!). Enjoy my list!

Bentley Flying Spur: The Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed was on my list last year. However, the Flying Spur is no longer burdened with the Continental name. It does still share a platform with the Continental, though. It’s a brute of a car, weighing in at 5644 pounds. It’s definitely as large as an elephant – it is 17.4 feet long, and it it weighs as much as a male elephant bull. Don’t despair – this car rockets to 60 mph in an equally stunning 4.3 seconds. This car will keep pace with a sprightly Lotus Evora S all day, without much drama or effort. This car has 616 horsepower mated to a superb ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The powerful W12 engine is more efficient – it gets 12/20 MPG city/highway, according to the EPA. However, snowy hoonage will likely lower that number… It has every option one can imagine, including private multimedia screens for the kids. Bang & Olufsen sound-deadening wireless headphones will keep the people in front sane.
Ford F-150 FX2/FX4 Sport Tremor: The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Crew Cab rumbled and burbled its way onto my list last year because of its substantial updates, most notably the 6.2 liter V8. This year, it’s more efficient, yet just-as-fun sister joins the party. The Sport Tremor comes in 2WD or 4WD, regular cab only. It comes with Ford’s powerful, efficient 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. Power gets there through a 4.10:1 rear end, so these trucks will be fast. I know that it doesn’t seat four, but don’t despair – you can always get the Raptor! The performance figures for the Sport Tremor aren’t out yet, but a 2012 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 Crew Cab got to 60 in a quite-respectable 6.2 seconds. Expect the Sport Tremor to get there in about 5.8-5.9 seconds. While it won’t keep up with the Bentley in a straight line, it CAN haul a whole lot more, and get better gas mileage!
SRT Viper/GTS/TA: The Viper has a ground-shaking 8.4-liter V10 that pumps out 640 horsepower. It comes with a 6-speed manual transmission and RWD only. This will play with the boys. I know that it doesn’t seat four, but hey, it’s a Viper. It’s not a Bentley! The RWD, 640 horse Viper should be a hoot to hoon around in the snow. Stability control and traction control will help.
Porsche 911 Turbo/Turbo S: The Porsche 911 Turbo is a great car to own. Not only will the 991-generation Turbo remain a collectible for a long time, but the 991 911 Turbo/Turbo S has a bunch of new technology designed to help the driver get around a track faster. It has AWD, 560 horsepower in the Turbo S, and seats for four. While the rear seats may only be fit for presents, the kids will have to suck it up and squeeze in there for a bit. But, the drive there will be worth it. The 911 Turbo/Turbo S is turbocharged, which makes it a cinch to drive fast, especially in wet or low-traction environments. This car was designed to make the worst of drivers look good, and the best of drivers look legendary. Have fun with this car.
Porsche 918 Spyder: If you own this car, I want to go for a spin in it! Porsche has had the 918 Spyder in testing for years – prototypes were running around Germany as far back as 2007. The 918 Spyder has a hybrid-electric system that distributes the gobs of 874 horsepower and an astounding 944 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. The 918 Spyder Weissach Package loses 88 pounds by using ceramic wheel bearings and film wrap instead of conventional aluminum and paint. It won’t seat any more than two, but that’s okay. This car will blow your mind at the speeds it reaches without effort, as well as the confidence it gives the driver at any speed.
Subaru WRX: Subie is legendary in the rally world for building fast, reliable cars that don’t look like much. The 2015 WRX lives up to these statements. It loses the massive rear wing found on the previous generation of WRXs, but it has power and fun. It is bigger, but it makes 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. It’s suspension has been firmed up 39% in the front, and 62% in the rear. This car will play all day with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, and be as flat as a Porsche Cayman S while cornering. The torque vectoring system uses the rear differential instead of the brakes to vector the torque. It doesn’t look pretty, but then again, no Subie in recent memory has looked mesmerizing. Subaru invests money in engineering, not in styling. That’s fine with me.
Jeep Cherokee: For those of you who remember the Jeep Cherokees of yore, close this tab, shut off your computer, grab your wallet, and go get a Jeep Wrangler. This Cherokee is NOTHING like the harsh-riding Cherokees of the 1980s and 1990s. This Cherokee comes standard with FWD, but 4WD is optional. The Cherokee Trailhawk will keep pace with a stock Wrangler or SVT Raptor all day long without breaking a sweat. The Cherokee is packed with lots of useful, cool tech. I won’t bore you all of that technology, but I will say that for those in need of something affordable with 4WD, the Cherokee deserves a second look.
Chevrolet SS: The Chevy SS is the thunder from down under. It’s based off of the Holden Commodore, and it’s got a high-performance 6.2-liter V8 with 415 horsepower. The SS is the first RWD Chevy sedan since 1996 for civilian use – the Caprice PPV is available for lucky cops, and it’s truly spectacular. It is capable of making those who owned a muscle car as a teenager feel young again, while allowing Mom and the kids to experience the fun. It’s not all about burnouts – the SS can hold its own in the twisties. The 415-horse V8 and six-speed automatic mated to RWD will make it entertaining for anybody to drive, any season, at any time. I want one, if you haven’t noticed!
2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Chevy is good at this game! Two cars on my list is kinda hard. Yet, Chevy introduced two cars capable of being on this list, which both of them are. The 2014 Silverado truly gives the buyer everything that is needed or wanted, and then some. There are literally 50 different cab/bed combinations, let alone the plethora of engine/transmission/2WD/4WD combinations. The 2014 Silverado was designed to be one of the best in the game, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s got clever tech for all of the engines to make the engines more competitive in an ever-evolving segment. The Silverado doesn’t come with the option of an extended cab anymore – safety regulations and loss of demand killed it for Chevy, but it comes with a “Quad Cab” option that offers more space than an extended cab, as well as the look of a crew cab. It starts off as a perfectly nice base model, before climbing the ladder of expensive and unneeded options to become a pure luxury truck.
Ram 1500: The Ram 1500 has long been one of my favorite 1/2 ton trucks. Ever since it’s massive – and popular redesign in 1993, the Ram 1500 has always had a brutish Hemi V8 underhood. Recently, Ram introduced an EcoDiesel V6 shared with the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s the first diesel in a 1/2 ton pickup since the 1980s. I know the deal about diesels. My dad owns a 2003 GMC 2500 4X4 with the Duramax diesel. But, the Ram 1500 offers the same noise levels as the Ram equipped with the Hemi V8. If you don’t want a diesel, you can always opt for the refreshed Hemi V8, which has more cool tech to aid in towing and hauling.

Have a fun, happiness-filled end of the holiday season! In these final days of 2013, I urge you to take a walk in the park with friends, your kids, and/or the family dog (if you have one), and do whatever fills your heart with enjoyment. Have a wonderful Winter Break!

Enjoy the pictures of the cars (and trucks!) on my list: