zoomvroom Car Reviews, New car info

Car Review Time!

Hi there, everyone! It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve posted. School and a new job (exciting, I know!) got in the way. All of my apologies being said and done, it’s time for a new post! I’ve been in the market for a new car for a while, but it was only recently that I started test-driving. I will be posting my reviews of the cars I test drive here…stay tuned! And of course, I’ll tell you what I end up buying (lips are sealed until then). Until then, here’s my reviews of a 2015 Subaru Forester and a 2014 Subaru Outback.

2015 Subaru Forester: The Subaru Forester is a staple for many Americans. It’s a very capable compact SUV in a lot of areas. It’s got a lot of room for whatever you might want to put in the back. I could easily take a couple of friends camping without having to fold the rear seats down. Fold the rear seats down, and you could sleep in the back! If the trunk does get dirty, it’s easily cleanable. Visibility is amazing, thanks to large, airy windows that give the impression of the interior being much larger than it is. That feature is great for taller people like me. The only downside to so many large windows is that it takes a while to heat up or cool down. If you’re tall, you’ll find decent, but not great leg space in the rear seats. You can fit, but you won’t be as comfortable as you would be in the larger, longer Outback. In the driver’s seat, you’ll find comfortable seats for people of most shapes and sizes. The seating position is excellent. You sit high up, and have a commanding view of the road. The mirrors are large, and you are always aware of where the vehicle is on the road. The model I drove wasn’t fully loaded, but it wasn’t unnecessarily loud. It was fairly quiet, but it could certainly do with more sound insulation. There aren’t many buttons to fiddle with, and there weren’t a ton of options. The interior is somewhat bare-bones. To fix that, you have to step up to the loaded model. Now, let’s move onto how it drives.

The Forester is decently quick. Be careful when you’re leaving a stop though, as the throttle tip-in is very aggressive. You’ll scoot across an intersection in no time. One benefit to this is if you’re trying to pass somebody at any speed. The engine can get a little buzzy at higher RPMs, but you never really need to floor it. It’s got more than enough power for everyday driving, and if you want more, Subaru offers a turbocharged engine. The AWD system is great just about everywhere. It turns on a dime. On the test drive, I was able to pull a U-turn on a 2-lane road. Obviously, this is a massive benefit for parking lots, large cities, and off-road. The Forester’s short wheelbase also helps with this. Subaru has been utilizing continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) for several years now, and while I’m not a huge CVT fan, the Forester’s CVT is one of the best on the market. If you’re coming from a car with a conventional automatic transmission, or a manual transmission, it will take a while to get used to no shifting. If you want to have more control over the transmission, the “Sport” mode for the CVT mimics a 6-speed automatic. Is it like an actual automatic transmission? No, but it does a good job of trying!

The Forester has light, communicative steering. You can feel the road surfaces, but you won’t be fighting for control of the car if you hit a large pothole or go over a speedbump. It has great suspension tuning. However, a downside to cars with short wheelbases is that they can feel busy on bumpy roads or on the freeway. It’s not a bad thing, but you do have to make constant, small adjustments to keep the car going straight. It has strong brakes, and the brake pedal feels firm. You have a lot of confidence when you’re braking. It’s got a nice engine note. It’s not that classic Subaru rumble, but it doesn’t sound terrible either.

While I wasn’t able to take the Forester off-road, there are many owners who have. The short wheelbase and AWD means that the Forester is able to go through mud, snow, down a rutted dirt road, through sand, and over most obstacles with ease. It instills a sense of confidence in the driver, especially if it has all-terrain tires. It should only seem obvious why active people flock to the Forester. It’s got plenty of space, is capable off-road, fun on the road, gets decent fuel economy (I averaged about 26 mpg on the test drive), and is easy and affordable to maintain. Plus, it’s safe (5-star NHTSA overall crash test rating)! I would highly recommend the Forester for: young families, active people, people who need a compact SUV, and those who want reliability and safety. A new Forester will start off anywhere between $22,000-$33,000. That’s before options, of course. But, that’s exactly what all of it’s competitors cost. A used Forester (let’s say 2014 and up) will cost about $20,000 or so. That’s not a bad deal, and you get a whole lot of car for the money. Image result for subaru forester

This is a 2018 Forester (image from the Subaru website, all credit given to their talented photographer). This might be my favorite color for the Forester. What’s yours?

2014 Subaru Outback: Essentially a longer Forester, the Outback is also a staple for many Americans. The 2014 Outback I drove was great. I loved it. You don’t sit as high up as you do in a Forester, but you still have a great view of the road. It’s a bit slower than the Forester, but it has enough get up and go for something it’s size. Neither the Outback nor the Forester are sports cars, no matter how hard they try. But hey, trying hard isn’t a bad thing! Subaru really makes some fun cars to drive! The Outback isn’t as sporty as the Forester, but it’s not what Subaru’s engineers designed it to do. It’s not boring by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not enjoyable in the way that the Forester is. But I’ll get to that later, OK?

Inside the Outback, it’s not nearly as airy as the Forester, but that’s OK. There’s a whole lot more room, especially in the backseat. The interior feels more high-quality as well, despite being the same materials. The seats are even more comfortable, which is an added bonus for long road trips. The backseat has much more space than the Forester. I was able to sit behind my seating position, and have plenty of space. The Outback is much more of a family car than the Forester. The whole interior is much more user-friendly for kids (and adults). Plus, there’s more bells and whistles than the Forester (even in the base model Outback I drove). The trunk is gigantic (the Outback is basically a station wagon branded as an SUV). I could easily fit two bicycles into the trunk without having to fold the rear seat down. Plus, if I wanted to put something onto the roof rack of the Outback, it’s a significantly lower car than the Forester. I wouldn’t have to lift a kayak or mountain bike above my head to put it up, unlike the Forester. The Outback is like a library inside. Even when I floored it and went on a rough road, it was very peaceful inside.

Now, how does the Outback ride and drive? Quite well, if I do say so myself. It’s not as busy of a ride as the Forester is, primarily due to it having a much longer wheelbase. As I previously mentioned, the Outback rides much better than the Forester. It’s smooth and quiet. It’s not as quick as the Forester, but it’s got pep aplenty. It’s still got aggressive throttle tip-in, but it doesn’t rocket off the line like the Forester. It isn’t as fuel-efficient as the Forester, but you don’t buy a Subaru for fuel economy. I averaged about 22 mpg on my test drive, but it’s not unheard of for owners to get anywhere from 18-24 mpg. The Outback doesn’t turn quite as well as the Forester (again, long wheelbase), but it still turns well for how long it is. Thank the AWD for pivoting the car around. The steering feels similar to the Forester’s. For all essential purposes, the Outback rides and drives like a more refined Forester.

Just like with the Forester, the Outback’s AWD is a wonderful feature. Because the Outback is much longer than the Forester, it’s not as good off-road, but it’s still quite capable. There are a few local vineyards that traded in their trucks for Outbacks because the Outbacks are more comfortable, fuel efficient, and just as capable off-road. If you go camping, kayaking, mountain biking, or have an active lifestyle, the Outback is the way to go. The tradeoff in fuel economy for the added space, the better ride and drive, and cushy seats is well worth it. The salesman told me that the Outback was designed for dirt roads, sand, mud, and snow. It’ll follow a Jeep everywhere but rock crawling. Just like the Forester, the Outback is incredibly safe. Think of it as a larger, nicer Forester. Of course, there’s some downsides to a larger vehicle built on the same platform. You’ll get worse miles per gallon, if you go off-roading, you won’t be able to go as far, and how often will you be using all that space?

Image result for 2014 subaru outback

This is, for all essential purposes, the Outback that I test drove.

If I had to choose one of the two, which one would I pick? That’s a hard question, but for me, I would have to go with the Outback. Even though it gets worse miles per gallon, and I probably won’t use all the space it has to offer sometimes, and let’s be honest here: how often am I going to go off-roading? The Outback rides and drives better than the Forester, is much more comfortable, and is an all-around better fit for me than the Forester.

Stay tuned for future car reviews! I’m glad to be back and writing!

zoomvroom Car Culture, Tech Talk, World News

The First Recorded Crash Involving Tesla’s Autopilot Feature and Why It Is So Important

While I know that this crash has been highly publicized in the past few days, I find it only fitting that I should publish a blog post on this.

On May 7, in Williston, Florida, a fatal accident occurred. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise to many, it should It doesn’t matter that the deceased driver of a Tesla Model S became one of the 3,287 daily deaths from automotive crashes every day. It certainly doesn’t make it any easier to digest.

This incident was the first self-driving car death on record. Between Tesla’s extensive testing of the semi-autonomous Autopilot feature, and owners’ use of the feature, there are 130 million miles of Autopilot being used.

The fatal accident occurred when a tractor-trailer made a left turn at an intersection without a traffic light in front of the Tesla. The driver, Joshua Brown, died of injuries sustained in the wreck.

Tesla published a blog post saying that the Model S was travelling on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when the tractor-trailer crossed its path.

“Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied. The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S. Had the Model S impacted the front or rear of the trailer, even at high speed, its advanced crash safety system would likely have prevented serious injury as it has in numerous other similar incidents.”

Tesla went onto say that they were saddened by the loss of Brown, who was a “friend to Tesla and the broader EV community,” as well as stating that the risk of injury will decrease as Autopilot gets better over time, as it is currently in a public beta stage. Whenever Autopilot is engaged, a warning is displayed to remind the driver that the technology is in public beta and that the driver should have both hands on the wheel at all times, in the event of an emergency such as this.

Per company policy, Tesla notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration when they heard of the incident. NHTSA has since launched an investigation into the crash and Autopilot.

The AP (Associated Press) reports that the driver of the truck, Frank Baressi, says that he heard a “Harry Potter” movie playing in the Tesla following the crash, however he was not able to see where it was coming from. NHTSA investigators do not believe it was playing on the massive infotainment screen in the Tesla (which would require hacking into the operating system of the car). However, the report does state that a portable DVD player was found in the car following the crash, but it is unclear whether it was playing at the time of the crash.

Baressi could face charges for making an unsafe maneuver, but he claims that he was unable to see the Model S, as it was travelling at a high rate of speed. It appears that Baressi failed to yield to the right-of-way when making a left turn, especially in something large and heavy enough that he could not accelerate quickly enough to get out of the way.

It is understandable to me why Tesla, ever the perfectionist, would not want to release Autopilot as a final product just yet. To me, Tesla should not have named Autopilot as such. It implies that the car can fully drive itself without ANY control from the driver (it can do about 75% of that).

The co-developer of the Autopilot technology used in the Model S, Mobileye, said that the technology was not designed for such circumstances. The automatic emergency braking feature built into Autopilot is specifically designed to avoid rear-end collisions, and the incident was one that it could not have prevented. Mobileye went onto say that by 2018, there will be a Lateral Turn Across Path detection capability in it’s systems, and said feature will be included as part of the Euro NCAP safety ratings in 2020.

While we will have to wait for the official NHTSA report to come out, we can only speculate. Here’s my two cents:

This was a clear case of user error. Whether Brown was watching Harry Potter at the time of the crash or not, he obviously did not see Baressi’s tractor-trailer pulling out in front of him. It doesn’t matter how fast he was going – the crash would have likely happened regardless. That’s not to say that speed wasn’t a factor in the crash. If Brown had been going slower (the speed he was travelling is not currently released to the public), he might be alive. Baressi clearly did not see the Model S, or he would not have made the turn.

2016 Tesla Model S

zoomvroom Biographies or "the who" in the auto industry, Car Culture, Random, Recall Alert!, Tech Talk, World News

FBI Alerts America to the Dangers of Car Hacking

Earlier this week, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning drivers of the dangers of car hacking. The announcement tells drivers how to prevent cybersecurity attacks, and what to do if the vehicle is hacked.

According to the statement, vehicles have become “increasingly vulnerable to remote exploits” thanks to connectivity features. What connectivity features? Keyless entry and ignition, tire pressure monitoring, infotainment, navigation and diagnostic systems. All of these allow the bad guys to easily access cars. The FBI cautions drivers about the dangers of connecting a third-party device to ports in their vehicles.

The FBI also tells you to be on the lookout when installing updates recommended by the manufacturer. Criminals may send illegitimate emails to owners and trick them into downloading malicious software. This happens with computers and phones, so it should come as no surprise that automotive computers are just as vulnerable. How does one prevent this? Be very careful downloading software from third-party websites or file-sharing programs. Always check the manufacturer’s website to ensure that a software update is truly needed. It’s always a good idea to use a trusted USB or SD card when downloading and/or installing software on a vehicle. Basically, the same precautions you would take with your computer.

What happens if you believe your vehicle has been hacked? First of all, don’t take it lightly. If you think your car has been hacked, check for outstanding vehicle recalls. You should also contact the vehicle’s manufacturer or an authorized dealer. You should also contact NHTSA and the local FBI field office.

Several security scares have come to light in the past few months. A pair of hackers has already demonstrated how they were able to remotely control a Jeep Cherokee via it’s Uconnect infotainment system. Different hackers also were able to hack into a Tesla Model S. Both Jeep and Tesla have taken steps to fix these vulnerabilities. Another security scare was with the Nissan Leaf. The mobile app for the Leaf was shut down by Nissan after a massive security breach.

I guess the solution is to build an old-school hot rod without any electronics on it!

zoomvroom Humor, Random

Why You Should Never, Ever Test Drive a Ferrari 458 Italia Like You Stole it

I’ve been talking a lot about Ferraris recently.  However, I don’t quite think this is the kind of publicity Ferrari, or anybody for that matter, would want.  Test-driving a car like you stole it is never a good idea.  Driving a car like you stole it, even if you DID steal it, is also not the smartest thing to do.  Apparently, this German driver thought otherwise.  This 458 was only a month old, but you might have a toilet or toaster oven with a Ferrari logo on it in the near future.

The crash happened in the German city of Hannover.  According to the police, the car was being driven very aggressively, despite wet and slippery conditions.

After merging from the left and initially overtaking a slower vehicle, the driver of the Ferrari then attempted to take a highway exit at speed, at which point the car spun out of control.  Despite the car spinning, ending up on it’s roof, and then flipping back over, the 47-year-old driver and his 69-year-old passenger were miraculously unhurt.

The dealership selling the car had it on display at a stadium in Hannover, which is why it’s got all of the promotional gear.  Talk about oops.  I’ve always wondered what would happen on a test drive if you spun a car.  Now I know.

Speaking of Ferrari 458 Italia’s, there’s been a recent NHTSA recall involving the car because the trunk cannot fully open from the inside.  If you’re a wealthy human trafficker, don’t get this car.  Now your trafficking victims can escape you!

Ferrari 458 Italia that crashed during test drive (Image via Andreas Eickhoff, NW-News)

zoomvroom Car Culture, World News

Crash-Test Dummies Now Have Genders!

Even though it has been about a year since female crash-test dummies came onto the crash test scene, the news passed many of us by.  Had it not been for the comment of reader, I probably wouldn’t have thought to write a post on it.  I just know what the ladies in my family are saying…

In the 1950s and 1960s, crash-test regulations were relatively relaxed.  Ralph Nader (the man who wrote Unsafe at Any Speed) was one of many who argued that the government should focus more on redesigning the cars, not simply training and policing drivers.  These efforts payed off in 1966 with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which kicked off America’s now tough safety rules.  Automakers hated this act, along with Standard 201 (which basically said that occupants of a car weren’t injured in the first part of the collision, they were actually injured when they hit the interior of the car).  I have family members who can attest to that fact.  The automakers said that it was against the rules of physics, even though they knew that it wasn’t.

One of the things that the automakers pushed back against was the fact that Standard 201 required NHTSA to test the cars with at least two different-sized dummies.  These two dummies were supposed to show the wide range of the human form.  The larger dummies were 95th percentile dummies (meaning that only 5 percent of America’s men were larger than the dummy), and the smaller dummies were 5th percentile female dummies.  The 95th percentile dummies were around from 1949 and Sierra Sam (the result of a contract with the U.S. Air Force).

The automakers didn’t want to have to spend more money on testing with the 5th percentile dummies.  They argued that there was no such dummy.  It would take far too long to develop one, and who would know what it would like?

The fed’s regulators were beaten back when they were revising Standard 201 in 1967.  Hard.  The automakers were happy when they learned that the regulators had lost out when they couldn’t meet many criteria and rules.  But, the regulators won out with the fact that there were different-sized dummies.

But, 1973 turned out to be a bad year.  First, the oil crisis happened, then the previous rules for the crash-test dummies were thrown into the shredder.  The new crash-test dummy was a 50th percentile male dummy – basically the average American guy.  This “guy” was called Hybrid II.  Hybrid II would be our only crash-test dummy until 2011.

2011 changed everything for Hybrid II.  He lost his buddy in the passenger seat, but he did get a lady.  Because of the fact that the average American man was standing in for us for so long, a lot of women were injured quite differently than the guy.  Why?  Because they may have been shorter.  Height can make the difference between life and death for a lady in a car crash.  If the airbag was designed for the average guy who is about six feet, then the airbag will hit them in the chest, and create a cushion around their entire body.  However, shorter women can hit the airbag chin first.  This can cause severe spinal injuries to these women.

In testing with female crash-test dummies, NHTSA found that these female dummies were three times as likely to be severely injured or killed in the event of a crash than Hybrid II.  Also, the female dummy is about the same size as a 12-13 year-old child.  The female dummy is a petite 108 pounds, and a whopping 4′ 11″.  Hybrid II is 5-foot 9, and 172 pounds.  Safety activist groups are now pushing NHTSA to also make a dummy that mimics the crash responses of the elderly and ever-increasing obese populations.

However, NHTSA started out with cars that appeal to women, like minivans.  Data from the North American Trade Agreement shows that there is a large influx of women driving the popular Honda CR-V.  NHTSA is now testing vehicles with both gender dummies.  However, women should remember that these female crash test dummies are only sitting in the passenger seat.

Much progress has been made, with much more to go.  I have a mom, sister, and grandma – all of whom drive.  Let’s make driving safe for everyone.

zoomvroom Car Reviews

Seen One of These Lately?

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One of my faithful subscribers happens to be family, and snapped a picture of this wonderful 2004? Porsche Carrera GT near his house last week.  I’ll give you some background information on the famous Porsche Carrera GT, okay?  In 1997, Porsche decided to build a car that would dominate endurance races.  It had a powerful 5.7 liter V10 that pumped out a massive 750 horsepower.  It weighed a mere 2700 pounds.  Unfortunately, the FIA passed new rules stating that cars racing the 24 hours of the Nurburgring had to be racing versions of a production car.  Porsche had already invested almost 1 billion dollars on the car, and didn’t want to lose any money on it. What did they do?  They made it road-legal.  It was the fastest car of it’s day, and is still one of the fastest production cars to lap the Nurburgring, with a time of 7:57.39.  Porsche saved a lot of weight by making the engine block out of carbon fiber.  That took almost 300 pounds off the weight of the car.  When NHTSA wanted to rate the car, Porsche had not started producing their carbon-fiber chassis’.  Porsche sent a car with a racing chassis to NHTSA, where the safety tests were performed.  The results were astonishing – the car was so safe that it scored 92% on all of the tests.  Porsche then sent a carbon-fiber chassis a couple of years later, and found that it was still safe, just 10% less.  The Porsche Carrera GT could hit 205 mph, and go at that speed for over an hour before it needed new tires and a refueling.  Oh, and it cost $440,000 new.  Now, you can expect to find a “cheap” one for $400,000.  The more expensive ones can go for almost $800,000.  It’s a price well-deserved, though.  The driving experience is second to none, and it is one of the few cars that can hit 200 miles an hour with a stock manual transmission.

Check back Friday when I describe one of the best days of my auto journalism career? Life?

zoomvroom Recall Alert!

Yet Another Recall Alert!

Sorry I missed a blog post folks.  Most unfortunately, I had the flu.  Yuck.

I know that I’ve been yakking about the various recalls going on in the automotive industry.  When I check all the Motor Trend, Road & Track, Car & Driver blogs, there’s usually yet another recall alert as a headline.  I know that to those of you who don’t own the cars affected can get bored, please bear with me – I’m only trying to help get the word out!  If you have any interesting topics that you hear of in the automotive industry, please leave a comment.  Also, if you know somebody who has one of the affected vehicles, please let them know so they don’t go driving along blissfully unaware!

There are many vehicles affected in this recall alert:  154,604 2011-13 Ford Fiesta sedans and hatchbacks (all models) are being recalled by Ford and NHTSA for faulty airbags.  If the shotgun seat isn’t occupied, the airbag will not go off in the event of a crash, possibly causing serious injuries to the rear-seat passengers.  Ford states that they have no record of this (yeah, right!), but they will cooperate with NHTSA in the recall.  The fix is simple: Ford dealers will reprogram the airbag controller to set off that airbag in the case of a crash, whether the seat is occupied.  Worried owners can contact NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

169 2010-12 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Coupes and Convertibles are being recalled for a faulty bit of software for the tire-pressure monitoring system.  The software does not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Standard #138, which states that the TPMS warning light must pop up when the tire pressure falls below 25 percent of their cold tire pressure.  Aston Martin will cooperate with NHTSA in this recall by reprogramming the software for free.  Worried owners can contact NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

80 Lotus Evora S coupes (with the supercharged engine) have a faulty oil-feed line to the cylinder head, which could possibly leak oil all over the cylinder and other hot parts of the engine, causing a fire.  Lotus will cooperate with NHTSA by installing a new, stronger oil-feed line for free.  Worried owners can contact NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

36 Land Rover Range Rovers are being recalled because of a faulty manufacturing process.  This could mean that the windshield might be installed badly, causing it to detach in the event of a crash, causing serious injuries to the driver.  Starting November 5, Land Rover will notify affected owners of this problem and fix the windshield for free.  Worried owners can contact NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

Have a nice few days until Friday (when I will make you salivate with pictures of beautiful cars!).  Remember, notify me of any news you might hear of in the automotive market.

zoomvroom Recall Alert!, Vehicle repair, World News

Be Careful Driving These Cars!

For those of you who own a 2009-2010 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup and/or a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, listen and listen good!

The 2009-10 Dodge Ram 1500 has a problem where the variable-speed gears in the rear end will stop turning (mostly at highway speeds), causing the rear wheels to lock up.  Several people have complained to NHTSA about the rear wheels locking up while on the highway and their truck spinning out.  Of course, NHTSA started investigating, and found out that there is a small software glitch that tells the gears to stop spinning.  This means that up to 230,000 Ram 1500 pickups will be recalled.  The closest dealer will fix the truck for free!

With the amazing new Jeep Grand Cherokee, everything seemed fine until somebody called Jeep to tell them that a fire had just occurred.  Jeep, not expecting something like that, called NHTSA almost immediately.  NHTSA found out that the power-steering fluid hoses can leak onto the hot engine, which could start a fire!  If you take your 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee (with any engine) to your local dealer, it will be fixed with heavy-duty hoses.

Not only is this bad for Mopar’s reputation, but it could also cause (hopefully) false concern about the rest of the product line that SRT, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram sell.  Let’s hope that the problems are limited to these two vehicles.  If you want any more information, you can go to:  http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm for the Grand Cherokee, or http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm for the Ram 1500