Accelerate Mpls

Just posted by VWMico is the pricing and details of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.  Quoted below is the information from that post, but a few key facts for the quick rundown for your viewing pleasure below-

• 2011 Jetta will start at $14,995
• 2011 Jetta will come base with 115 HP/125 lb-ft 4 cylinder (party like it’s 1999!)
• 2011 Jetta TDI starts at $22,995
• 2011 Jetta GLI is absent from this list so it will either appear later or as a 2012 model possibly
• Dealerships are taking orders

Jetta Base: Includes S features, minus: manual A/C, RCD 310 radio, remote keyless entry, power exterior mirrors – $14,995

Jetta S: 2.0L, 115 HP / 125 lbs-ft, 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual transmission OR optional 6-speed automatic transmission, front disc brakes, rear drum brakes, 15” steel wheels w/ full covers & all-season tires, power & heated black exterior mirrors, black grille, manual A/C, RCD 310 radio w/ CD player, aux. input & 4 speakers, power locks w/ remote keyless entry, power windows w/ one-touch auto up/down on all four windows, 6-way manually adjustable front seats, 60/40 split folding rear seat, tilt & telescoping steering column, temperature display, front airbags, side & curtain airbags, ABS, ESC, TPMS, LATCH, daytime running lights, immobilizer – $15,995

Jetta SE: Includes S features, plus: 2.5L, 170 HP / 177 lbs-ft, 5-cylinder engine, 16”steel wheels w/ full covers & all-season tires, body color exterior mirrors w/ turn indicators, V-Tex leatherette seats, front center console w/ storage box, chrome interior accents, carpeted floormats, illuminated vanity mirrors, rear center armrest w/ pass-thru, cruise control – $18,195

Jetta SE with Convenience: Includes SE features, plus: 16” Sedona alloy wheels w/all-season tires, heated washer nozzles, heated front seats, leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel, brake handle & shift knob, Bluetooth®, MDI w/ iPod® cable, Sirius® satellite radio, 6-speaker sound system – $19,545

Jetta SE with Convenience and sunroof: Includes SE w/ Convenience features, plus:power tilt & sliding sunroof, Premium VIII touch-screen radio w/ SD memory card reader – $20,795

Jetta SEL: Includes SE features, plus: 17” Joda alloy wheels w/ all-season tires, 4-wheel disc brakes, chrome front grille & window trim, fog lights, RNS 315 touch-screen navigation w/SD memory card reader, keyless access w/ push-button start, trip computer, driver lumbar adjustment – $21,395

Jetta SEL with sunroof: Includes SEL features, plus: power tilt & sliding sunroof –$22,295

Jetta SEL with Sport package: Includes SEL w/ Sunroof features, plus: sport suspension,sport bolstered comfort seats, sport pedals & door sills – $22,995

Jetta TDI: Includes SE w/ Convenience & Sunroof features, plus: 2.0L, 140 HP /236 lbs-ft, TDI® Clean Diesel engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, 16” Mambo alloy wheels w/ allseason tires, trip computer – $22,995

Jetta TDI with nav: Includes TDI® features, plus: fog lights, chrome grille & window trim, RNS 315 navigation w/ SD memory card reader, keyless access w/ push-button start, driver seat lumbar adjustment – $24,195

Add Destination charge of $770 to all models, and $1,100 for automatic transmission.

Source- VWMico

Somehow the boys over at Hyundai Blog managed to get their hands on an image of the 2011 Hyundai Elantra interior.  I must say wow.  That is not bad looking for the vehicle class.  The updated Elantra will battle the new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Ford Focus among others.  We have already seen the exterior when Hyundai showed the Avante which is essentially the Elantra in other markets.  They exterior styling takes cues from the new 2011 Sonata.  We can assume the refreshed 2011 Elantra will make a debut in the upcoming auto show season.

Source – Hyundai Blog

That is correct!  The owner of the infamous Imola Motorsports is selling the vehicle that brings us all such joy when it pulls into Cars & Café with doughnut holes each and every month.  The vehicle is Kevin’s personal 2006 BMW M5.  This is the car I always seem to be taking pictures of and tweeting about for your viewing pleasure.  I have personally had a ride in this car and it is just terrific.  The exhaust system sounds heavenly.

Below are some details.

• Exterior- Interlagos Blue
• Interior: Black
• Approx 38,800 miles
• SMG transmission
• Alcantara Roof
• Heated seats
• Edmunds Certified used car value $49,284
• Asking $49,000 with ALL the modifications listed

All service completed either at BMW Motorwerks or Imola Motorsports.
transferrable CPO warranty through BMW

Factory Options:

• 322 Comfort Accesso – $1,000
• Smart card / smart key automatic, includes central locking and includes ignition starter
• 416 Rear Electric Sunshadeo – $575
• Side manual blind; Rear electric blind
• 453 Seat Ventilationo – $800
• Driver and passenger ventilated seat; Requires: [X2xx] Full Leather w/ Alcantara Roofliner And [4MA] M Multifunction Seats w/ Active Width
• 465 Fold Down Rear Seatso – $475
• Rear seat center armrest with ski bag; Asymmetrical front facing rear seats
• 4MA M Multifunction Seats w/ Active Widtho – $1,900
• Active backrest width adjustment
610 Head-up Displayo – $1,000
• Dashboard with head-up display
655 SIRIUS Satellite Radio – $595
• Audio system with satellite
X3xx Full Leather w/ Alcantara Rooflinero – $3,500
• Leather seat upholstery with additional leather; Luxury trim leather on dashboard; Leather handbrake; Excludes: [X2xx] Full Leather w/ Alcantara Roofliner
BMW IPOD Integration kit – $550

Modifications:

Exhaust:

• Eisenhauso Meisterschaft GT with Carbon tips ($2200)

Wheels & tires:

• Radenergie 20×9 Fronts ($1400 each)
• Toyo T1-R 255/35-20
• Radenergie 20×10.5 Rears ($1800 each)
• Toyo T1-R 285/30-20

Suspension:

• Eibach Springs

Lighting:

• Full LED interior ($100)
• Factory European headlights with clear corners ($1450)
• Euro Angel Eyes ($249)

Body:

• Vorsteiner Carbon splitters ($600)
• Vorsteiner Replica hood ($1200)
• Painted Hartge rear diffuser included
• Painted rear windshield spoiler included
• BMW Carbon Emblems
• Black front grills
• Black side grills
• Front Clear Bra

Tell your friends and empty your piggy banks kids.  This is one sweet ride.  If you are interested sound off in the comments and I will see if I can’t swing you a super deal.  I already checked and my piggy bank and find myself a little short. Otherwise I would consider this fine piece of V10 beast for my garage possibly.

Possibly one of the greatest license plates seen on a Tesla Roadster.  One has to wonder if this is a customer car or if the car is owned by Tesla.  Either way it is hilarious.

Source- Automopedia

While I was up north this weekend (sadly I can not be in two places at once, yet), the 2010 Car Craft Nationals invaded the Minnesota State Fair grounds.  To still bring you some coverage of the event I convinced (took some real arm twisting) photographer extraordinaire Alex Bellus to attend the event and report back.  His pictures are (as expected) breath taking and the event sounded like a complete win.

Some features of the show-

• Burnout Contests
• Car Corral, Fun Zone and Performance Marketplace
• Real Street Eliminator of the year awarded to the vehicle showcasing the best braking, handling and horsepower generating abilities in the nation
• QA1 Autocross
• Lucas Oil Dyno Challenge which was presented by E3 Spark Plugs
• Launch Box – Combination acceleration and braking testing performed in 150 feet
• Miller Electric Main Stage
• Editors and photographers from Car Craft, Chevy High Performance and Hot Rod magazines were all in attendance, including Car Craft’s Editor-In-Chief Douglas Glad
• Miss Car Craft Summer Nationals contest

Of note is the fact that GM Performance Division is a huge sponsor of this event.  This year they brought along the Corvette Centennial Concept among a ton of other performance cars and concepts.  Of course the Corvette Centennial Concept drew much attention to itself and the GM Performance Division booth.

Overall the show was huge.  With over 5,000 muscle cars and 45,000 enthusiasts, it was pretty much one big horsepower party.

Photography – Alex Bellus

Mirko Reinhardt found this lime green Dancia Sandero.  This looks quite similar to the unique color of Porsche lime green found on Jack Baruth’s Audi S5.  The question instantly turns to is this Jack Baruth‘s new ride none of us know about?

Kamil posted this to my Facebook profile stating that this would be my house if I won the lottery.  I found it funny enough to share with all of you.  Essentially it appears to be a house/garage full of Nissan 300ZX’s.

Episode 31 starts with introducing this weeks guest Jeremy Sally from Cheers and Gears.  Moving into the garage we talk about the 2011 Lincoln MKT I was in for the 4th of July weekend, along with the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport I was in the past week. We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• New 2011 Nissan Quest Minivan Images (Link)
• Wall Street Journal believes Kia isn’t long for the U.S. (Link)
• Mitsubishi plans on selling electric car for under $30,000 (Link)
• California ends HOV lane access for Prius and other hybrids
• 19 year old steals bus and crashes it (Link)

Download this episode (right click and save)

I acknowledge the fact that I have already posted a review of the Buick LaCrosse.  Recently, I found myself with another LaCrosse in my driveway – only this time I was about to drive a ton of miles and have a quite a bit of seat time in the car.  The vehicle was painted in a red jewel tintcoat with a cocoa/light cashmere leather interior.  This was a CXS model with the optional navigation system and upgraded audio system.  Riding on the optional 19″ 9-spoke painted alloy wheels the car is a looker. Without question, people told me the car was good looking.

Getting to that road trip I mentioned earlier –  I drove the car from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Kenosha, Wisconsin and then onto Elkhart Lake, WI for the spring MAMA rally.  Then, I went back to Minneapolis, only to turn around and head up north to my cabin.  Needless to say, this all equated to over 1,200 miles in a short period of time.  That is quite a bit of seat time in a car, and one gets to know things about that car spending that much time in it.

The first thing I noted was how quiet the LaCrosse was at speed.  With the cruise set  to over 70 mph, the interior was library quiet.  The ventilated seats were very easy to adjust and find a comfortable seating position.  I did find them to be a little flat after an entire day on the road, but regardless they were comfortable.  The two cup holders in the center console are the right size.  The second cup holder gets covered by the sliding arm rest, which is quite annoying because I had the arm rest slid out covering it.  The side mirrors are rather large and this makes it easy to see cars in your blind spot (when the mirrors are adjusted accordingly).  The A-pillars are literally ginormous.  You could (and I did) lose a biker at an intersection in those pillars, and it is a real safety hazard.  This is a huge oversight and I am not quite sure how someone in development did not say something.  I found that even though the belt line is rather high (the new trend) I was able to rest my arm on the window sill – but if I set it wrong it was quickly uncomfortable.  The short hood is very noticeable when driving on the highway and it did not bother me, but I took note of it.  I would also like to comment that I think that at least on the CXL (mid trim level) and CXS (highest trim level) model, projector headlights should be standard equipment.

The infotainment system worked terrifically, but I noted a few things.  The navigation system will not let you enter a destination while moving.  This is annoying – because what if you have a passenger that can do it safely while you are driving?  I hate this little safety feature.  Also, the navigation system would not let me enter certain addresses, so I had to resort to using my Google Maps on my iPhone.  I loved the Harman Kardon branded sound system – it sounded absolutely fantastic.  This is the upgraded system and it’s really worth it.  The touchscreen worked well and there are a ton of buttons if you would rather operate the system using them.

On the way up north to the cabin, both my mother and girlfriend noted that the LaCrosse rode nicer than another family members 2006 Lexus LS430.  After questioning them to find out more details, they noted the seats (specifically the rear seats) were more comfortable.

This LaCrosse was equipped with the 3.6 liter V-6, pushing the power to the front wheels.  The transmission was a six-speed automatic with manual shift capabilities and a sport mode.  While the car is rated at 17/27 mpg, I was able to average 28.9 mpg on the highway with the cruise set to 65 mph in Wisconsin.  Once pushed to 77 mph back in Minnesota, the mileage dropped down to a 27.2 mpg average.

After all the miles and discussion about the car with people, my conclusion is quite similar to my original review.  The car is a winner.  With a sticker price of $36,135 out the door, this is a real value for the money.  That said, it is not perfect and has a few flaws that need addressing.  However, no one can say the car is not competitive.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors

The Trailer

Early this morning while we were all sleeping at approximately 3 am EST the Evolution Motorsports team had an accident in New York.  Thankfully no one was injured though the trailer is a total loss.  The three cars inside of the trailer were the Porsche 997.1 EVT1200, 997.2 EVT650 and the Gumpert Apollo.  The 997.1 EVT1200 took the brunt of the damage while the Gumpert Apollo left the trailer without a scratch.  The summer tour has been put on hold after July 18 and will hopefully resume after August 10.

Cars Still Inside the Trailer

Todd Zuccone - Founder of EVOMS and the State Troopers

The press release is below.

URGENT – IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing
Summer Tour Suffers Set Back
Traffic Accident in New York Destroys EVOMS Trailer

Facts:
• Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing 3 car hauler accident in New York
• Everyone OK
• Occupants: Todd Zuccone- Founder of EVOMS, Matthew R. Carrick- subcontractor
• Cars on Board: 997.1 EVT1200, 997.2 EVT650, Gumpert apollo
• Summer Tour Dates after 18 July on hold.

- – -

12 July 2010 / Tempe, AZ – The Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing Summer Tour suffered a set back this morning after an accident in New York at approximately 3 am EST. All occupants were uninjured, and there were no peripheral accidents for passing traffic.

On board the 3 car EVOMS hauler were Evolution MotorSports founder and president, Todd Zuccone, along with Matthew Carrick, subcontractor for Evolution MotorSports. Mr. Carrick was driving at the time of the incident.

While everyone is okay, the trailer is a complete loss. Of the three cars on the trailer, the 997.1 EVT1200 took the most damage to the hood, front fenders and windshield. There were a few scratches to the 997.2 EVT650 and the Gumpert apollo came out unscathed. These three high performance machines were only 5 miles from their next stop at Legend Porsche on Long Island, NY for events scheduled for the 12 / 13 July.

The Evolution MotorSports & Gumpert Racing Tour, based in Tempe, AZ departed for the East Coast of the USA June 15. The tour has made dozens of stops at Porsche and Performance dealers as well as race track events in Florida, South Carolina, and several stops in the New York/New Jersey area.

The most recent stop was at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, New York on Sunday 11 July for a private viewing to club members. The two Porsches and the Gumpert apollo will continue to be on display at Legend Porsche in Massapequa, NY on Long Island as scheduled for 12/13 July.

At the end of this week, the cars will be on display at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Friday for the “Hooked on Driving” event, on Saturday with Fabspeed for a reservations required tuning event and on Sunday at Fabspeed’s facility near Philadelphia.

The company intends to have the two Porsches back in Arizona for repairs in the week of 18 July along with the Gumpert apollo. Tour dates between 18 July and 10 August must be cancelled. With the success of the tour thus far, the company plans to complete the scheduled tour dates which now has appearances scheduled through the first week of October.

For further information, contact H. Christopher Parvin, Vice President and Managing Partner of Evolution MotorSports at the number listed above.

About Evolution MotorSports, Inc.

Founded in 1997, Evolution Motorsports has been the leader in aftermarket tuning of high performance automobiles. From casual street to aggressive track, Evolution Motorsports research and product development has become the standard by which all high performance automobiles are judged. View the company website at www.EVOMS.com