Accelerate Mpls

It has been four long months of winter wonderland but the sun has finally broken out and the snow is melted.  Another season of Cars & Café has come upon us and the first one of the season did not disappoint.  I was a little nervous as the weather predictions for Saturday were calling for rain, but that all changed last Friday.  I started to get hope as the prediction changed to a chilly 51 degrees and sunny.  I woke up early Saturday morning (late, I was supposed to get up at 6 but had a major alarm clock fail on my part.  I forgot to turn it on and woke up at 6:37 am) and looked outside to find the sun breaking cover.  Excited, I hopped in our 1990 300ZX and headed out to the AutoMotorPlex in Chanhassen.

Our 1990 300ZX

It was a chilly 42 degrees at 7:38 am when I rolled into the AutoMotorPlex.  Gates opened at 6:30 am and only a few tuned up Audi’s and a lonely (read awesome) BMW Z8 were there so far.  I parked in the Japanese parking area and started mingling.  Cars started pouring in around 8 am and it just never stopped.  The sun started warming things up and we reached a nice 57 degrees.  It turned into a huge turnout with couples, families and enthusiasts alike, all coming together with the passion of automobiles.

Some of the more notable (read interesting) rides included a first generation Scion XB that was white with plain steel wheels.  What made it really interesting was it was lowered, had the windows tinted, and had strips of LED lights taped (yes, taped with black duct tape) directly above the headlights.  Parked next to that was a Nissan 240SX with a broken up body kit that was held on with zip ties.  Yes, you read that right zip ties.  The 240SX was painted green with John Deer graphics.  The owner commented on how the zip ties break all the time and he replaces them constantly.

LS1 Shoved into a mid 80's Mazda RX7

All was not lost though because many really awesome cars where there as well.  There were more Corvettes from all different eras than I could count.  Some Corvettes were heavily modified some were plain stock though most were tasteful (save for a few).  A Volkswagen bus showed up and was in really good condition.  When a mid 80′s Mazda RX7 pulled in, I knew something interesting was under the hood mainly because of the sound coming out of it.  Upon further inspection the owner had shoved a LS1 engine under the hood with a custom exhaust system.  One of the most questioned cars was the original Mini Cooper but it was a stretch limo version.  The owner informed people it was originally owned by the Spice Girls and was actually signed by them on the rear.

Spice Girls Mini Cooper Limo

De Tomaso Pantera

The cars garnering the most attention were the Ford GT, Lamborghini Murcielago, De Tomaso Pantera and the Aston Martin(s).  A ton of American cars showed up and they even had their own (decent size) section.  Three Pontiac G8′s were in attendance all parked next to each other.  Two were GT’s and one was a GXP.  The GXP had a Holden badge on the rear and one GT had a custom hiding (flip down) front license plate.

The turnout was terrific. The weather held out and really ended up being beautiful.  I am not sure we could have asked for a better Cars & Café to kick off the season!  Here is looking forward to the first Saturday next month.

Cop cars: No one really wants to see them in the rear view mirror, and yet everyone seems to slow down and gawk when someone else is pulled over.  For a long time, the Ford Crown Victoria, known as the Police Interceptor, has been the police vehicle of choice; with a body on frame design and rear wheel drive these cars were street tanks.  Pulling bent frames, replacing panels, rebuilding and replacing rear ends has become commonplace for police departments.  In all reality, we knew the current Crown Victoria would not soldier on forever and reality has finally set in for the Crown Vic.  Currently, the Chevrolet Impala and Dodge Charger are both being sold for police duty but Ford’s Crown Victoria is still the reigning champ when it comes to the number of police vehicles on the road. But, current Dodge Charger police vehicles walk all over the current Crown Victoria in performance.

New Caprice PPV

Last October, Chevrolet showed off the upcoming Caprice PPV (police patrol vehicle).  This vehicle is based off the Zeta platform, the same platform the now dead Pontiac G8 was based off of.  GM is utilizing the long wheel base version of this platform currently being used in the Caprice in the Middle East market.  GM says that this vehicle will only be sold for police use.  They interior has been modified for police duty, including the seats which are designed to accommodate utility belts.  The center stack is designed to allow a computer to be installed along with the high technology needed. A large touch screen is optional and will take up almost the entire center stack. In the rest of the vehicle, the trunk measures 18.5 cubic feet.  For power, the engine will initially be a one choice E85 capable 6.0 liter. V8 pushing out 355 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque channeled through a six speed automatic to the rear wheels.  After about, a year a V6 should join the engine line up.  Of course, all the heavy duty upgrades will be implemented such as brakes, alternator, transmission and other bits, all upgraded for police use.

Interior of the new Caprice PPV

New Ford Police Interceptor

Last week, Ford unveiled the replacement for the Crown Dinosaur, which happens to essentially be a police duty Taurus.  Of course, this will not be called the Taurus, rather it will be known as the new Ford Police Interceptor.  Like the consumer Taurus, the new Police Interceptor will come in either front wheel or all wheel drive with the same base 3.5 liter, V6 pushing 263 hp and 250+ ft-lb of torque, or the optional Ecoboost V6 pushing out 365 hp and 355 ft-lb.  The base V6 routes the power to the two front wheels while the optional Ecoboost will route the power to all four wheels.  Ford has said that a police vehicle needs ‘cop brakes, a cop motor and cop suspension’.  Apparently, the new Taurus either met these requirements or has had the necessary upgrades to meet the demands.  Additionally, the seats are new and, like the Chevrolet PPV, they are designed to let an officer sit comfortably with their utility belts on.  The trunk measures in at 20.1 cubic feet.  Ford is boasting about how the new Police Interceptor can withstand a 75 mile per hour rear impact: an industry first.  Ford also promised that another Police Interceptor model would be unveiled later this year.  That model would be a utility vehicle of some sorts most likely based off the upcoming new Explorer or the Flex, both of which are variations on the Taurus platform.

Interior of the new Police Interceptor

Current Generation Dodge Charger Police Package

A new Dodge Charger should be unveiled sometime later this year as the new 2011 Charger is scheduled to start production in November.  As the current Charger is gaining traction in the police vehicle market, you can be assured the next generation Charger will have a police package available.  The current Charger uses the 5.7 liter Hemi V8 pushing 368 hp and 410 ft-lb through a five speed automatic transmission.  The interior does not have seats specifically designed for the officer like the new offerings.  The next Charger will, undoubtedly, have more specific police officer focused interior amenities.

Carbon Motors E7

There is also an oddball player that is scheduled to enter the market.  Carbon Motors is set to bring a new type of police vehicle to market named the E7.  This is a all new car coming from an all new company.  The vehicle will utilize a 3.0 liter turbo diesel engine putting out 250 hp and 400 ft-lb with all the power being pushed to the rear wheels.  Some are claiming this vehicle might be capable of 30 mpg on the highway.  This car is the definition of high technology for the police, featuring a touch screen computer in the dash, LED police lights and suicide rear doors.  The back seat will be fully washable as it is made of hard plastic instead of vinyl like the competition.  Carbon Motors is claiming over 12,500 orders for the E7 (which is a codename while the car is in development) from 350 law enforcement agencies across the U.S..  The vehicle is scheduled to be produced in Connersville, Indiana.

A quick break down of the specs we know as they currently stand-

Ford Crown Vic -

239hp and 287 ft-lbs, RWD, 20.6 cubic ft trunk, rear leg room 38 in, 4127 lbs

Chevrolet PPV-

355hp and 385 ft-lbs, RWD, 18.5 cubic ft trunk, rear leg room 43.2 in, 4075 lbs

New Ford Police Interceptor-

263hp (365hp) and  249 ft-lbs (350 ft-lbs), FWD (AWD), 20.1 cubic ft trunk, rear leg room 38.1 in, 4015 lbs (4368 lbs)

Current Dodge Charger-

368hp and 410 ft-lbs, RWD, 16.2 cubic ft trunk, rear leg room 40.2 in, 3900 lbs

So, what we have here is a new war of the cop cars.  While I do not doubt the Carbon Motors E7 will come to market, I wonder at what cost.  The vehicle is technology laden and that is probably going to be its largest issue.  The Taurus is a heavy car and adding all wheel drive adds complexity to the drivetrain.  Long term, the all wheel drive will add cost to the ownership for police departments along with those twin turbos.

I think that many markets in the snow belt, such as the Northeastern part of the U.S. and Minnesota, Detroit, Illinois and others, will embrace the optional all wheel drive in the Taurus and that the rest of the market share will most likely shift to the Chevrolet PPV.  The next generation Dodge Charger will undoubtedly sell some police units and I am sure the Carbon E7 will sell, but it is too early to tell in what numbers.  According to Ford, the police market gobbles up nearly 60,000-70,000 vehicles per year!  My sources tell me that the PPV, with the V8 costing approximately $17,000-$18,000 to the fleets, you can take about $1,000-$2,000 off that price when the V6 launches.  Time will tell who wins this war but without a question, it will be interesting to watch.  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

In my lifetime Pontiac has never come out with a car that automotive journalists have compared to a BMW, until now. When the G8 came out, the automotive community instantly starting making comparisons to the BMW 5 series.  In the beginning of 2008 when the G8 started showing up in dealerships enthusiasts knew exactly what it was and bought them quick. Now fast forward to mid 2009 and Pontiac is being killed off as part of GM’s restructuring.  According to GM the G8 is following Pontiac into the grave and the enthusiasts are crying. Now to get to why they are crying.

2009 G8 GT

The G8 is based on the Zeta rear wheel drive platform from Australia.  This is a slightly modified version of the platform the new Camaro rides on.  The G8 has a great stance that looks as if it hugs the ground.  The exterior is instantly recognizable as a Pontiac with the dart in between the grills.  The hood scoops are non functional on the GT. With that said, the scoops work for the look of this car.  The low beam headlights are projectors with tint surrounding the lights.  The overall front end is menacing.  The rear of the G8 GT has different tail lights than the plain jane G8 with a more intricate design.  The GT that I tested had a sport package. This gave the exterior 19 inch machine faced aluminum wheels which looked great.  Also included in the sport package was summer tires, sport steering wheel, and aluminum pedals.

Gauge Cluster G8 GT

The interior of the G8 is good.  The interior is not the best the GM has developed, but it is a not a bad place to spend your time behind the wheel.  This car originally comes from the Australian arm of GM, Holden.  To keep costs down, GM made the car in a way that allowed as little as possible to be changed going from right hand drive to left hand drive for North America.  Keeping that in mind, certain things are not where we would normally expect them in a GM car.

Window Switches/Mirror Controls G8 GT

The window switches and mirror adjustment controls are on the center console by the cup holders.  This made it easy for any country the car would be made for.  The radio is Blaupunkt branded which is not something you see everyday.  The stereo sounds good with decent highs and pounding lows.  The LCD in the center stack is not a touch screen and is used to display radio and climate control settings.  There is no navigation option on this car other than OnStar.  In the late 2009 models bluetooth was an option, though the car is not being built anymore so you would have to make sure to check the build sheet on remaining cars.  The trunk release button is somewhat inconvenient since it is in the glove box.  The G8 I was in had the premium package which gave it a leather steering wheel, leather covered shift knob, and leather seats.  The leather seats are heated for those in the snow belt states.

The interior is not what this car is about and neither is the exterior.  This is a drivers car.  It is not every day that you can take a four door full size sedan and say it handles like a sports car.  This also is significant because it is everyday livable.  This would be a fun and comfortable daily driver while you could go outside the city on the weekend to back country roads and toss the car into a corner all while smiling.  The G8 GT has a 6.0L V8 producing 361 horsepower rocketing the four door full size sedan 0-60 in 5.3 seconds.  These numbers are true sports car territory which is exactly what the G8 GT is.  I was happily surprised with the 6 speed automatic.  I truly thought an automatic would hinder the car.  The transmission has three different modes.  While in drive the transmission will upshift and optimize for best fuel economy.  If you slide the shifter into the manual gate it will put the transmission into sport mode. This optimizes shift points instead of optimizing fuel economy.  The third option is the manual shift gate and push the shifter for manual shifts.  I am satisfied with the shifter in sport mode.  The transmission knew when I was going full out and held right to redline before shifting.

The G8 GT is the right car in the wrong time.  Had this car come out a few years ago before gas prices sky rocketed and the economy came crashing down things could have turned out differently.  Unfortunately that was not the hand we were dealt and thus the G8 GT will fade away after this year.

As I mentioned on Twitter the day I was at The GM product and technology event, I did have a conversation with Bob Lutz about the demise of the G8.  Mr. Lutz informed me about the backlash GM was hearing with the demise of the G8 from enthusiasts and their opinions were not falling on deaf ears.  While nothing is set in stone, he did say the G8 could be a Chevrolet.  The car would be a high end model with big brakes, big motor, a modern four door Corvette.  Though it would not be a Corvette model, it would have the essence of the Corvette in a four door sedan.  Time will tell what comes of that.  Until then, if you are in the market for a four door family sedan that is truly a drivers car, the G8 GT is a true value at a sticker price of $31,755 with a big V8 and stump pulling power.

As posted late last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited by GM to an exciting event. The event started with GM showing some of the products and technologies coming in the near future. Pictures were not allowed in the design center.

2010 GMC Terrain

Front and center in the GMC design studio was a design concept, a Denali trim of the Acadia crossover. It had a body kit and larger chrome wheels with the mandatory chrome grill and wood inside. I can see this trim level coming soon and it was rather good looking. Next up was the 2010 Terrain the GMC version of the new 2010 Chevy Equinox. The exterior of the Terrain is better looking in person than it is in pictures. The interior had soft materials and a clean look. Equipped with the four cylinder, the Terrain will achieve 32 mpg on the highway, quite impressive. The most interesting vehicle was a clay model without a name. It looked reminicent of the Kia Soul. It was boxy and short with little to no overhangs and like no other current GMC. Even though is was not bad looking, I do not see it fitting in with the rest of GMC unless the future products are considerably different than the current lineup, which could happen.

2010 Buick Lacrosse

The center vehicle in the Buick studio was the new 2010 Buick Lacrosse which should be hitting dealerships soon. The new Lacrosse is gorgeous with tight panel gaps and great character lines. It is a car that will be competing with the Lexus ES350, the lines on this Lacrosse are much bolder. The interior has a soft touch dash and has a quality feel. Impressive! I felt the seat tracks looked unfinished. They were completely uncovered and looked as if things could get caught in the tracks. We viewed four other vehicles, two crossovers and two sedans. One of the crossovers was basically a re-badged Saturn Vue which will be launching as a Buick next year, and it will come as the first plug-in hybrid suv in 2011. It was truly unsightly and reminds me of things (re-badging) that was wrong with the “old GM.” The other crossover will launch in 12-16 months as a baby Enclave which itself is a good looking vehicle. The other two vehicles that are coming within the next 10-24 months include a midsize sedan based on the European Opel Insignia. This midsize sedan could very well wear the Regal name. The second vehicle will launch later and will be based on the new the European Opel Astra. They had two interior styling bucks for the two sedans, both of which were as good looking as the new 2010 Lacrosse. Buick seems to have gotten their mojo back in the styling department other then the re-badged Vue.

2010 Chevy Spark

The predictable future vehicles, such as the convertible Camaro coming 2nd quarter of next year and the Chevy Spark small car, was there as well. I was surprised to see a next generation Aveo, which happened to be a hatchback. The rear end was practically the same as the current generation while the front end was much more aggressive. The front end reminded me of the current generation Mitsubishi Lancer. The headlights were good looking but not very aerodynamic. The vehicle that caught me off guard was the next generation Malibu. It is drop dead gorgeous! It has a little BMW in the rear end and the front end is straight European design. The exterior was impressive and the interior had three real interior styling bucks. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe it was a Chevy interior. Keep in mind that these were production designs, not concepts. Arriving in 2011 as a 2012, the next Malibu is going to be a winner.

2009 CTS-V

The Cadillac CTS coupe will arrive next spring. It will be accompanied by a CTS-V coupe which, of course, is exciting for any enthusiast. Next the new 2010 SRX and CTS sportwagon, both of which should be arriving in dealerships now. I personally love wagons. After the presentation, I asked the director of Cadillac about the possibility of a CTS-V sportwagon. During our conversation, he informed me that there was a CTS-V sportwagon on campus and it is a shade of black. He also said that “if” a CTS-V sportwagon was to go into production, he would guess it would be in dealerships next summer. I would not say that is a promise but darn closer than “no we have no plans on making one and have not studied it as a business case.” Here’s hoping for a CTS-V sportwagon.

Three new Cadillacs were revealed to us. The first was the sportwagon. The next was a BMW 3 series fighter dubbed ATS, which will come in both coupe and sedan forms. The car is similar looking to a CTS with a more evolved look. I could see the ATS coming with a turbo and naturally aspirated four cylinder as well as direct injection six cylinder engines. The proper wheels (rear wheels) will be receiving the power and all wheel drive will be a option. The last was a car that will compete with the BMW 7 series, dubbed XTS. It will replace the quickly aging STS/DTS sedans. The styling of the XTS is reminiscent of the Cadillac Sixteen concept from years back but without the long hood. Both cars were good looking and have real potential.

Joel Feder & Bob Lutz

I had a conversation with Bob Lutz and questioned him about the future of the now dead Pontiac G8. He informed me that the response to them killing it has been overwhelming, and they are working hard to figure out how to incorporate it in the Chevy lineup in the future. Mentioning how it will die with Pontiac but could be coming back as a Chevy. He went on to say it would have big brakes, a big V8 and quickly adding, no V6 option. This would be an aggressive sports car without a doubt, the four door of Corvettes (no it will not wear the Corvette name). Though he mentioned it would most likely be expensive and probably a niche product, making only enough for demand. My question is when and how much!? I asked about the Caprice name and styling of the Asian market Caprice and he said it was not aggressive enough and would not happen. This conversation was informal and is in no way a final green light for production.

Lastly the Millford proving grounds. I drove the Camaro SS with the 6 speed. First order of business was to turn off the traction control completely. Dropping the clutch and smokey burn outs are easy to accomplish. The car is definitely heavy but carries its weight well through the slalom. While the brakes definitely got toasty and you could smell the burn, they never gave up or made me nervous of losing effectiveness. Had I been on the track longer it could have been a different story. Next the CTS-V with a automatic. I felt this handicapped the cars potential on the track. On the other hand, the automatic shifts quickly and zips around when driving it in the city on a daily basis.

After this event it is safe to say, I can say I feel GM has a real future and great product in the pipeline. The only true questionable vehicle was the re-badged Vue. Two big take aways here are that the G8 may not be dead after all and the CTS-V sportwagon is more then a possibility! I would say Toyota should be put on notice because the next Malibu and new Equinox are truly world cars.