Accelerate Mpls

2011 Audi A8

The Minneapolis Auto Show has finally arrived.  I must admit that I look forward to the show every year.  The show is not large compared to others and, in reality, many concept cars go to the larger shows and skip us.  The reason I like our show is it is local and I am on my own time.  I can go with my friends with no scheduled agenda.  The big shows like Chicago and Detroit are a lot of fun but this is just different having a show near home.

The show was busier then I expected.  I talked to quite a few people that noted how the attendance numbers were up from last year already on the second day of the show.  The economy is in a slightly better place and car sales are starting to pick up and the attendance at the show is reflecting it. I am guessing that Ford was a major sponsor this year as many new Taurus’s were strewn about outside of the entrances.  I overheard several consumers commenting on how they liked the look of the new Taurus and most didn’t even know what it was.

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Concept

Some of the highlights included the special edition Synergy Green Camaro and the Silverado ZR2 Concept truck from Chevrolet.  Though many General Motors concept cars were missing, I was surprised to see the Cadillac Converj concept at the Cadillac Stand.  Ford had the new 2011 Edge along with the new 2011 Fiesta Sedan.  The updated 2011 Shelby GT500 Mustang was on the show floor with the hood open and, although the doors were locked, it was what was under the hood that was important.  Audi had the mighty R8 5.2 in a copper brown color with carbon fiber side blades.

2010 Audi R8 5.2

Some things I noted about the show: BMW, Porsche Infiniti were all absent.  While a few talked about Porsche, I’m not sure anyone noticed Infiniti was gone and the largest complaint of the show that I heard was “Where’s BMW?”  I spoke with one of the local BMW dealerships and they said that their research indicates that they do not sell enough cars by being at the auto show to warrant the expense. This absence just gave the competition such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz a chance to have BMW owners sit in their cars.  Another anomaly was Nissan.  They found it important to have the GT-R with a base price of $80,790 but not to have a 370Z, which starts at $29,990.  I was told that the reason was, “That is what they sent us…”.  Not a terribly good answer in my opinion.

Ross Testing the Man Step

I personally think many manufactures should take notes more from Ford.  They have been building terrific booths at the shows lately.  They engage the consumers and have a lot to look at, and I am not just talking product.  There are interactive games such as foosball and driving simulators not to mention the computers filled with information.

Overall the show was better then last year.  With more manufacturers in attendance and consumer attendance up, the atmosphere was a bit more upbeat.  The Minneapolis Auto Show’s tag line is “Your License to Dream” and I believe that is exactly what this show did for many consumers this year and with the products coming in the next year, I am sure next year will be even better for consumers.

Volvo has had an interesting run lately.  Just a few years ago sales were good and profits were actually being made.  Now sales are nothing to brag about and the revenues, well, what revenues?  With the pending sale to Geely, the future is really cloudy but they say that letting Volvo be Volvo will be their plan.  That is definitely a plan, but as that may be, every new Volvo launch better go off without a hitch.  The XC60 is off to a good start as Volvo’s new entrant to the entry level luxury crossover market.  This is a hotly contested arena in which large players are throwing their weight around.  The XC60 is a fresh and dare I say, Swedish approach to this category.

The XC60 slots right between the XC70 and the larger XC90.  The interior is nearly the size of the segment champion, the Lexus RX.  The front is spacious with plenty of head and leg room.  The seats were terrific and the tilt and telescoping steering wheel made finding a comfortable driving position a cinch.  The interior is filled with soft touch materials and the gauges are easy to read.  The button lay out is very similar to other Volvos which is a good thing.  Overall, the interior is easily in the top of its class.

The exterior is typical Volvo with styling that stays with the family but pushes the edges a little. With curvy hips in the rear in place, the front is slightly more aggressive than the current line up.  This front clip is an evolution of the current styling, and we will be seeing these design cues on the 2011 C70 and 2011 S60.  Personally, I am a big fan of the use of light pipes next to the grille.  The fog lights actually provide a good amount of light on the ground, making a noticeable difference when driving at night.

Two engines are available.  The vehicle I was testing was equipped with the base 3.2 liter inline six cylinder putting out 235 hp and 236 ft-lb through the optional all wheel drive.  The optional engine is a 3.0 liter inline six cylinder with a twin-scroll turbo (T6) putting out 281 hp and 295 ft-lb.  Both engines feed the power through a six speed Geartronic transmission.  Geartronic is Volvo’s speak for automatic with self shifting capabilities.  The 3.2 liter is rated at 18/27 mpg while the T6 drops down to a rated 16/22.  I observed an average of 18.2 mpg.  All wheel drive is optional on the 3.2 liter while standard on the 3.0 liter turbo.  The XC60 weighs barely over 4000 lbs which is certainly no light weight.  It is still light when compared to its competitors.  Getting that large mass moving is no small task and the 3.2 liter inline six I was equipped with did its best.  Its best was not good enough to satisfy my urge to get going.  Things were better once started, it was the act of getting underway that took a little longer than I would have liked.  Slamming the gas incurred the vehicle to say, “Oh you want to go now? Ok we will work on that.”  I think the optional T6 engine would be a better choice for me personally.

While the XC60 may not be a canyon carver, it handled itself quite well when it came to quick lane changes.  The mass was kept in check and overall handling was good with less body roll then expected.  This is probably one of the “sportier” handling vehicles in the class.  The steering was not as light as I expected at parking lot speeds but it did feel natural.  On center feel was great while on the highway.  Volvo says the steering is speed dependent.  While I can definitely notice a difference between highway speeds and parking lot speeds, the steering never felt over boosted.

The XC60 comes with some decent technology as standard equipment.  Both bluetooth handsfree for calling and HD radio are standard.  City Safety is the system that can help lessen or completely avoid an impact below 18 mph is standard.  The vehicle I had was by no means loaded but was nicely optioned.  Equipped with the premium package, climate package, convenience package, laminated panoramic sunroof, PCC (Personal Car Communicator), and integrated child booster seats.  Part of that climate package included both heated front and rear seats along with heated windshield washer nozzles.  A rain sensing system is also part of that package.  I did not get to test it due to the lack of rain and abundance of snow.  The convenience package gave me the power operated tail gate along with other niceties.  Oh, and that power tailgate might quite possibly be the loudest power tail gate in the history of power tail gates.  The panoramic sunroof is a crowd pleaser, though I could not test it due to frigid temps and the pile of snow sitting on top of the car.  PCC is pretty cool as a $550 dollar option.  PCC is essentially an advanced keyless remote that has two way communication with your XC60.  When you push the information button on the remote when within 200-300 feet of the car, the remote will “check in” with the car and inform you of the status, including whether the car is locked, unlocked, or a heartbeat is detected inside the car.  If you press the information button outside of the 200-300 foot range, the remote will report the last known status before you went outside of the range.  I have heard strong opinions on the optional navigation unit and will hopefully experience that when I test the T6 model.

Overall, the XC60 is a competent vehicle.  I would definitely rate this high in its class right next to the new Audi Q5.  Gas milage was acceptable with the 3.2 but from the ratings I know that the T6 is thirsty.  Truth be told, I am guessing that is the engine to have in this vehicle since 3.2 is a bit sluggish.  Though I am willing to bet that the general public will accept the 3.2 performance just fine.  In the end, I personally liked the XC60.  It is sportier than the Lexus RX while having almost as much room.  With a starting price of $32,995, the vehicle I was in had a sticker price of $40,645, and for that money you were getting a competent vehicle.  The XC60 is just a few tweaks away from a class leading vehicle.

Full Disclosure- Vehicle was provided for review by a local Volvo dealership.

Episode 12 starts by discussing the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls. The week in review included people buying old GM stock, and the social media at NAIAS along with the my take on the major reveals at NAIAS.  We move along to a new segment we are introducing talking about the major news of the week.  This week included-

• Cadillac CTS Wagon gets a price drop
• Audi suspending A3 production
• The Mini Cooper Countryman
• 2011 Mazda5

We then proceeded to introduce another new segment called clip of the week.  This week we featured the clip of Conan O’Brien using the Bugatti Veyron to get back at NBC.  This was truly a hilarious stunt pulled by Conan.

Last but certaintly not least, we discuss our three main topics.  This week those included the 2011 Buick Regal getting priced, the latest in the string of Toyota recalls, and Honda’s hybrids being behind sales projections.

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Full Disclosure- My NAIAS travel and accommodations were provided by General Motors

Why do strippers exist?  What is the point of them?  Many people say they would never touch a stripper but I am willing to bet otherwise.  Some have even touched one without even knowing it.  Hey get your head out of the gutter!  We are talking about basic cars here.

All cars come in base or entry level trim in some form or another.  This means the vehicle is lacking certain options.  Options are all relative.  For example a base Audi A4 will include leather, power windows, power locks, power driver seat, automatic climate control, and the list could go on.  That car also has a base price starting at $31,450, with which you are paying for those standard features in that base price.  Now take for example a Toyota Camry, which has a base price $19,395.  You lose the power seats, leather, automatic climate control, prestige branding, and many more options that are standard on the Audi.  Take this one step farther and you could buy a Nissan Versa for $9,990.  What does that $9,990 get you?  A car, four wheels, an engine, and air bags, along with all the things that make the car run.  No air conditioning, no power anything, steel wheels with hub caps, though you do get six air bags and a tire pressure monitoring system.  This is the essence of basic transportation at its finest.

So why do these “stripper” models exist.  I imagine you are saying to yourself, “who buys these?”  In reality these models sell in higher volumes then you think.  Two directions are taken when it comes to sales of these models.  One is fleet sales, there are a ton of stripped down or modestly equipped Toyota Camry’s and Chevrolet Impalas in rental car fleets.  The second route is simply people that want basic transportation.  Believe it or not, there are people out there that simply care about getting from point A to point B.  Sure most say they want a stereo with a CD player, and air conditioning is usually a requirement for them as well.  The fact is a base stripped down Toyota Camry or Chevrolet Impala meets those needs.  They are also relatively inexpensive to maintain.  Most even get respectable gas mileage.

Few cars come without CD players and radios.  Almost none (save for a handful) come without air conditioning.  Modern conveniences are in tow.  Safety is always there, air bags are standard on all cars (though more are sometimes optional).  Shockingly some cars do not have ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes) standard.  I personally know a handful of people that are car guys, and they feel power seats and other newer technologies are just extra weight in a car.

The point is simple, “stripper” or base cars play a vital role in sales on different levels.  Advertising the lowest price on a base vehicle is what gets people in the door.  Once they realize how many things are missing they start to think about upgrading, but that stripper got them in the door.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Americans have a love hate relationship with station wagons. They love to hate them. I personally have never understood this phenomenon. Most car guys will tell you they think wagons are awesome. They combine the cargo hauling versatility of a SUV with the driving dynamics of a sedan. In Europe, station wagons are sold by the truck load. European fuel prices are higher then in the United States, so they never had the love affair we Americans had with the SUV.

The CTS Sport Wagon was in development before the crash of the economy and General Motors bankruptcy. The original plan was to export the bulk of the Sport Wagons to Europe where hopefully it would be a success and directly take on the European wagons from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Since diesels are more popular in Europe they were also going to make the main engine choice a new 2.9 liter diesel. Since those plans obviously are not going to pan out the future of the Sport Wagon will ride on the American public. The diesel engine is not being offered here unfortunately.

The Sport Wagon is truly good looking. The sharp looks and great stance are attributed to the form over function school of thought. The roof line is raked giving off the sporty appearance and stance. Combine that roofline with a raked rear hatch and you have a rear opening that can not take tall objects. The things that stand out to people that asked me about the car are the three foot long tail lights that are reminiscent of the tail fins of older Cadillacs, and the 19 inch wheels, which are optional. The tail lights are fully LED with light pipes running down the outside edge. Light pipes are also used in the headlights on the upper trim cars.

The car has many winning characteristics. The rear hatch is power operated and can be set with a knob on the drivers door to open full, 3/4, or off. This can come in handy if you have a garage with a low ceiling or possibly shorter and can not reach the hatch when fully opened. The interior is lifted directly from the CTS sedan. The Sport Wagon has a great cargo management system in the rear hatch. There is a storage bin under the floor in the rear end that can hold things from public view. With the rear seats folded flat you have an ample 58 feet of cargo space.

The interior is literally lifted from the CTS sedan. Soft touch materials abound and soft white ambient lighting at night the interior is a win. The generously sized touch screen navigation rises from the dash when the vehicle is started (when chosen to have the settings that way). The navigation unit in the Sport Wagon is hard drive based. Rendering of the map was snappy and the street names were clean and crisp. Live traffic and weather is provided through your XM satellite radio connection.

The vehicle I had was the top of the line 3.6L Premium with optional 19 inch wheel package and optional crystal red tintcoat paint. The sticker price on this car was $55,630. The Sport Wagon has a starting price of $39,830 before destination charges. The summer performance tires were replaced with snow tires from Bridgestone. The Blizzaks handled well though added some tire noise. That is to be expected of snow tires. The Sport Wagon I had was rear wheel drive though all wheel drive is optional in all trims. Also optioned on this vehicle was the FE3 sport suspension which feels very European and more specifically German.

The Sport Wagon has two engine choices. I had the optional 3.6 liter V6, which features direct injection. This larger V6 puts out 304 hp and 273 lb-ft. The standard 3.0 liter V6 also features direct injection while only putting out 270 hp and 223 lb-ft. Both the 3.6 liter and 3.0 liter are rated at 18/26 mpg. With no sacrifice in fuel mileage, I would recommend optioning for the larger engine. Both engines mate to a six speed automatic transmission. The transmission operates fine in normal driving though, it hesitates for a second to kick down a gear when the throttle is slammed for passing. Moving the shifter to the right puts the transmission in sport mode. This fixes the aforementioned problem. Downshifts are quick and up shifts are not had until red line. Much sportier dynamics are had out of the transmission in sport mode. You can also shift manually with the buttons on the back of the steering wheel or by moving the gear shift.

GM lists the competition for the Sport Wagon as the Audi A4 and A6 Avants, BMW 5 series wagon, and the Mercedes E class wagon. When looking at the competition the Cadillac is definitely class competitive. It feels right in between the A4 and A6 Avants in size. The new Sport Wagon is a great extension for the CTS line and with the coupe coming next year, the line is only going to get better. The wagon aspect adds a dash more versatility without losing the driving dynamics that make the CTS such a great vehicle. With dashing good looks and a fun to drive ratio that is surprising for a wagon, this is one Cadillac that Americans can and hopefully will love.

Full Disclosure- This vehicle was provided by General Motors press fleet for review

Hennessey Performance Engineering, also known as HPE, has been tuning cars for a long time. They are very well known and tune various cars, everything from Chevrolet Corvettes to Audi R8’s and many other high performance cars.  Taking something that is already powerful and overall a great car, and making it better is truly an art.  HPE has been working hard on the new 2010 Camaro since it came out and is finally getting close to releasing the HPE700.  The heart of this beast will be the 6.2 liter supercharged LS9 V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.  This is not a simple drop and swap engine job.  Hennessey is tweaking the engine to extract even more power from this amazing V8.  The HPE700 will be rated at a incredible 725 hp and 741 lb-ft.  That power is good for a quick sprint 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and you will be stopping from that speed in just 104 feet.  Stopping will be handled by the upgraded 15 inch Brembo brakes.  Other upgrades include a carbon fiber body kit and three piece 20 inch Hennessey designed wheels This car has been in development for quite a while and enthusiasts have been waiting impatiently.  The official car is going to debut this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.  The HPE700 is set for a limited production run with only 24 units being built.

The below video was put out by Hennessey back in September of the HPE700 on the Dyno.  Note- The hp and lb-ft numbers were different then the final numbers when the video was taken.

2010 5-Series Gran Turismo

On Friday night Motorwerks BMW in Minneapolis had a private unveiling of the all new for 2010 5-Series Gran Turismo.  The car was a prototype build and thus was not for sale.

Unveiling

The car will be an all new model for BMW when it arrives on this side of the Atlantic in the spring.  Riding on the 7-Series platform this car is truly large.  The rear seats can move fore and aft to increase rear leg room or rear storage.  The rear end features a trick hatch/tailgate that can be opened two ways.  In trunk mode the rear will open with a stubby trunk lid and the inside of the car is still sealed not letting heat or cool air in or out.  For larger items the rear can be opened in hatch mode where the whole rear end opens and is more exposed to the elements.

Rear opened in trunk configuration

Rear opened in hatch configuration

Styling of the 5-Series Gran Turismo foreshadows the upcoming all new 2010 5-Series.  The interior is probably close to a spot on copy of the next generation 5-Series while the exterior front is close and the rear obviously the styling will be slightly different adapted for a sedan.  The styling is obviously reflective of the new 7-Series with a blunt front end and BMW double kidney grills.  I over heard many people excited about this car and I am sure it will be a huge hit for BMW.  The fact is there is no real direct competitor currently.  This is a whole new niche that, for the moment BMW has all to itself.  I am sure that will not last long and the long awaited and rumored Audi A7 could end up being a direct hatchback competitor.  This car is already had a few reviews done on it in Europe and the one thing that kept coming up was the frameless windows.  Without full door frames wind noise at high speeds or even highway speeds could seep into the cabin.  I will have to wait for a road test to see how that is dealt with but it is something of note.  Price is not finalized at this time though I heard numbers of around or over $65k being thrown around quite a bit in the crowd though that is just hearsay definitely not legitimate numbers given by BMW.  Stay tuned for a road test in the future of this segment bending vehicle.

This Saturday EuroCars will be hosting their annual OktoberFest.  They have a few rare cars among their already nice inventory.  Notable cars that will be in the showroom include a Noble M400, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, a tricked out Acura NSX, and an Audi S8 and a Porsche 911 C4S.  Along with these they also carry other European (and Japanese) makes and models that will be on hand and for sale.  More then just cars, this event will have authentic German food, beer, and other assorted beverages.  They will be giving away Minnesota Vikings tickets and car detailing packages during the event.  Attendance is free and I think it will be a good time for all.  Bring the family and take a stroll through the showroom while eating some great food and meeting new people.

Once a month a magical event called Cars & Café where car guys gather to gawk at cars and drink coffee.  On the first Saturday of the month from early spring to late fall this event is held at the Auto MotorPlex in Chanhassen, MN.  Normally 400 to 500 cars show up with some being on site already stored in garages.  There are set parking assignments based on the cars origin.  This month’s event happened to be a mere 49 degrees and drizzling rain.  This is not the opportune weather for such a event and because of that the turn out was closer to 100 cars then 500.  I heard people calling the turn out everything from “weak” to “terrible”.  I personally was happy even with 100 cars though obviously would have preferred 500.

Parking Assignment Diagram

Ford Mustang with the BMW identity crisis

There are a good variety of cars that show up to this event and this month’s was no different.  Everything from the Ford Mustang with the BMW identity crisis to the Porsche with the Chevrolet small block V8 with supercharger as the engine.  Nothing truly seemed out of the ordinary here.  Coffee and doughnuts were provided by the sponsors.  I even caught Kevin Tan, pulling in.  Kevin owns the new European automotive shop in town called Imola Motorsports.  Also of note, Imola Motorsports is one of the various sponsors of Cars & Café.  Many of the garages at the complex are dreamy to say the least.  With car lifts, full kitchens in some, not to mention they are fully customizable to suit the owner.  The Auto Motorplex is one sweet place to be.  My buddy brought his Honda S2000 and I took our 1990 Nissan 300zx.  Of course the cold drizzle and sloppy roads made all the cars quite a mess once at the event.

Porsche with Chevrolet small block engine and supercharger

Blue on Blue Ferrari

Free and open to the public you do not even need to own a car worthy of being shown.  Many people come to be around car guys and look at the cars.  Parking is available right outside the gates.  The people that come whether with a car to show or not, are everything from the true car enthusiasts to people that just like to look at cool cars not to mention kids.  The first Saturday of November will be the last one for the 2009 season weather depending.  Between the coffee and the cars you should definitely check out Cars & Café.  My guess is with the weather the way it was today I will be done for this season.  Until next years Cars & Café……

My father and my 300zx with my buddies S2000

My buddy in his S2000 with his 1 ticket and 4 warnings on the way home...priceless

Pantera

DeLoreans

Note- For all the pictures check out my Flickr stream. My Flickr Stream