Travis Pastrana has just revealed his new 2011 rally car livery in the best possible way, by spoofing Ken Block’s viral videos. Ken Block’s formula is typically hot chicks + cool car = views. Pastrana took it one step further, “hot” old chicks + cool cars + ripping on competition = views.
Couple of things that take the video to the level of awesome:
Pastrana mentions how it’s going to be amazing when he beats Ken at the X Games again
Pastrana notes that his new DC Team gear will be available after Ken’s, since Ken’s the boss
Pastrana points out that his schedule is busier than Ken’s
Old chicks dancing in skimpy clothes
Whether or not you follow the X Games, it is likely that you’ll find this video hilarious.
As some of you know, I sold my Jeep. Funny thing is, when I put it up for sale no decision had been made on its replacement. Now that the dust has settled and my Jeep will be going to its new owners this weekend, it is time to get serious about what my next vehicle will be.
Over the past three weeks I have narrowed the choices down. Some were impractical, while some were going to just be money pits. In the end some clear winners have emerged – unfortunately they are all so different and I am having trouble deciding. Each choice has an upside and of course, like everything else, a downside. Lets get right to it. Read More…
When I was a kid, I drooled over cars like the Subaru WRX STI, and the Mitsubishi. Not for just for their high output four cylinders, but for their entire drivetrains. Those high output four cylinders combined with the rally bred all-wheel drive systems are just a marvel to behold. When given the chance to have a 2011 Mitsubishi Evo MR Touring in my driveway for a week, I jumped all over it. Is the little rally bred street racer all I hoped? After spending a week with it, I finally have some answers.
The exterior of the Evo is menacing. I mean really, the front looks like it is going to eat you. From the sculpted hood with heat extractors and air inlet, to the gaping mesh grille, it all works. And don’t forget about those scowling headlights.
More than one person during the week asked me what that big silver thing was towards the bottom of the front clip. That my friends, is a nice big intercooler. It helps keep the hopped up four banger cool.
My Evo MR test vehicle sported some very nice light-weight 18″ BBS wheels shod with Bridgestone snow tires. Peeking behind those great looking wheels were a terrific set of Brembo brakes that kept this little beast in control at all times.
From the side view, the Evo MR almost looks like a normal Lancer, almost. The body kit has side skirts that extend from the rocker panels quite a bit, enough to make you pay attention when entering the car. If you aren’t careful, you’ll get a leg full of snow and slush.
My favorite part of the rear is definitely the taillights. Both during the day and even more so at night, they appear to be scowling at you. The MR deletes the big stupid boy racer wing off the trunk, and replaces it with a tasteful lip. Below the bumper lies an aggressive diffuser with two chrome exhaust tips protruding out.
Bottom line on the exterior of the Evo MR: it’s aggressive. The MR ditches the silly wing and makes the Evo almost passible as a car that doesn’t shout “Hey look at me Mr. Police man,” though I did say almost.
Before I get to the interior, lets get one thing straight….this car is about driving. The powertrain is what makes this car. This is evident in the interior.
If you read my review of the 2011 Lancer Sportback ES, you’ll know the interior materials on that car are a letdown. With hard plastics that can scratch easily, it just looks cheap. The Evo shares this interior because it is based off the Lancer.
The touring package blesses the Evo with terrific heated Recaro leather seats that are manually adjustable. These seats are terrific and also worth noting, absolutely not made for overweight Americans. I fit just fine, but many people will find these seats to be uncomfortable. They grip you in all the right places. When flying around a track, your body will not be moving around. That is exactly what you want from sport seats.
Sound was provided by the Rockford Fosgate Punch sound system. This system puts out 710-watts and is connected to 9 speakers and a 10″ subwoofer. In a word, it’s boomy. The highs are messy and the lows are loud, but muddy. In a car like this, how much does a sound system really matter anyway though, right?
Overall the interior is somewhat cheap, but hey, once you hit the go pedal you really don’t care. I assure you of this. Oh, and the seats make up for any problems you have with the crappy plastics.
Now what we have all really been waiting for: the powertrain and driving impressions. The Evo has one engine choice, a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder that has a twin-scroll turbocharger. This is good for 291-horsepower and 300 lb-ft, which of course goes to all four wheels.
The base Evo has a 5-speed manual transmission while the MR model features Mitsubishi’s 6-speed TC-SST transmission. The TC-SST transmission is Mitsubishi’s dual clutch transmission.
The TC-SST transmission has three modes: Normal, Sport, and S-Sport (Super Sport). These modes can be changed via a toggle next to the shifter. One thing to note: you can change the modes while driving, but to put the car in S-Sport you must be fully stopped, and hold the toggle for a few seconds. It is almost like a hidden mode. Normal is what you would expect, normal. Though it does seem to do exactly what you want when you want it in most conditions. Sport takes things up a notch keeping the revs higher, and shifts are a little harder. S-Sport is really just ridiculous for street use, it keeps the revs nearly always above 5,000 RPMS , and hits redline every time. Oh, and it also shifts so hard that you feel like you just hurt the transmission. I almost felt bad for it.
All Evo’s have what Mitsubishi calls Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC). The S-AWC system is a really sophisticated all-wheel drive system. It has more sensors than you can probably count. It also has an active center differential. Taking things even further, we have active yaw control in the rear. This is the part that makes the power go side to side in the rear. When you go around a corner, the power is being moved around to push and pull you, even when the wheels are slipping.
The S-AWC system has three modes which you change using a button near the emergency brake (how convenient). The modes are: Snow, Gravel, and Tarmac. Push the button and it will toggle through the modes. Each mode calibrates the S-AWC for the condition of which you selected. Remember, this is/was a rally bred car.
Driving the car is like piloting a go kart on the road. Though it is a really heavy go kart. At 3,500 lbs, it is surprisingly heavy! Turbo lag is here, but you realize it quick and plan accordingly. From a dead stop if you slam the gas it is a second of thinking “hmmmm” followed by “holy crap” once the revs hit about 3,000 RPMs.
The steering wheel is a nice diameter and the metal paddle shifters that lurk behind the steering wheel are great. They are mounted (correctly) on the steering column instead of on the steering wheel. You always know where they are.
Steering is direct and very responsive. It almost does what you are thinking, literally. With only 2.7 turns lock-to-lock, it does not take a ton of input to direct the Evo. It almost feels like a precision tool meant to listen to your every command.
When you take a corner, it almost doesn’t matter your speed. The S-AWC has a little graph that you can display in the information cluster. This shows you where the power is going in relation to the wheels. Hit the gas and take a corner fast, you’ll see the power go to the front inside wheel and rear outside wheel.
The suspension is somewhat harsh. When I say harsh, some will find it a bit ridiculous. I found it tolerable, though many will not.
With a 14.5 gallon gas tank I will recommend you watch the gas gauge closely. The Evo is rated at 17/22 mpg, but good luck getting that. I averaged anywhere from 14 to 18 mpg. As you might imagine, I went through quite a few tanks of gas. A high-output turbocharged 4-cylinder pulling that much weight literally chugs premium gasoline.
Along with your gas tank issue, make sure you pack light. The trunk has less than 7 cubic feet of cargo space. Between the rear mounted battery, windshield washer fluid tank, and the subwoofer, you will not be taking the kids stroller to the park along with that picnic basket.
So after spending a week with Mitsubishi’s halo car, was it everything I had hoped and dreamed? In a word, yes. I was disappointed that it was so heavy, and while I expected the low rent interior (man you should have see the last generation), the Evo is hard to argue with. At $41,995 as tested, it is not a cheap ride, but it starts at a little over $34k and you can choose how you option it from there.
The the Evo is a ton of coin; heck you are in small premium car territory at that price. You could even buy a Camaro SS or Mustang GT for less money, but they are a different type of performance. Those are brute power kind of cars.
At the end of the day the Evo is a ton of fun, and much more refined than past generations. You just need to know what you are buying for that kind of money. An expensive small car that chugs premium fuel and has little to no cargo room in the trunk. Did I mention the Recaro seats, TC-SST transmission and the mind bending all-wheel drive?
Full Disclosure – The review vehicle was provided by Mitsubishi
Another month of spring has come upon us and that means another Cars & Café gathering on a Saturday morning. The coffee was flowing and everyone seemed very happy to see Kylee from Imola Motorsports pull in with the doughnut holes in the backseat of Kevin’s M5. This month, rain was not in the forecast and the cars started flowing in early and fast. By 8:30 the lot was full and people were already parking cars up on the hill.
My Father & My 300ZX
Some of the notable cars from last month made repeat appearances including the VW Bus and the Scion XB with the LED lights. In fact, the XB parked next to our 300ZX. On Friday night I saw a Subaru WRX that looked like it was on its way to a rally but, in fact, it was being pulled out of where it is kept for Cars and Café. The WRX was literally kitted out and looked rally ready. Two really nice last generation Toyota Supra’s were in attendance along with two Ford GT’s that seem to be regulars at the event. Two Audi R8 V10′s pulled in along with two 4.2 V8 models. Of course the myriad of Porsches, Audi’s and Mercedes were lined up. Two BMW 8 Series made it out along with an M Coupe. A custom 1978 Porsche 924 was revealed at the show and I must say it looked terrific.
Audi R8 V10
Custom 1978 Porsche 924
The AutoMotorPlex has been hard at work on newest build out of new buildings. They are in the process of building out new garages currently. As you can see in the picture, it looks like the heated floors are being laid out now (that is just a guess).
This month the organizers had something special in store. Many left the AutoMotorPlex for the first annual drag day immediately after the event. The group traveled to Eau Claire, WI to Rock Falls Raceway. Sadly, I could not attend due to a prior commitment though I heard it was a blast.
With more cars than last month and terrific weather, we are already off to a great start to the season. Next month promises to be even better as the weather warms up more.
Episode 24 starts with introductions including Justin Loyear from Cheers and Gears and this weeks guest William Maley also known as realmudmonster on Twitter. Moving into the garage we talk about the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon I was in for the past week along with the Chevrolet Equinox Colin was in. We then move along to the major news of the week segment. This week included-
Episode 17 starts by introducing this weeks guest Erich Merkle joining us from Autoconomy. Erich joins us in the second half of the podcast for the main topics of the week. I then discuss the four door long box Ram 2500 with a cummins diesel engine that I drove during the past week. What an experience. We move along to the major news of the week segment. This week included-
We tried out a new section this week called tweetmeme. This week we focused on the demise of Hummer and peoples reactions on Twitter. Zeroing in on how people reacted both initially and after the news sank in.
We then proceed to the clip of the week segment. This week we featured a newer Subaru ad about being pet approved – Parallel Parking
Next came our main topics at which point Erich joined us. This week those topics included Toyoda going to Washington and the Toyota hearings, Hummers current situation, the upcoming New York Auto Show, and we touch on the future of the industry and Chrysler.
When the deal between GM and Koenigsegg for the sale of Saab fell through Saab was in trouble. Many people, including myself, were very excited back in June when word came out that Koenigsegg was purchasing Saab. Koenigsegg is a Swedish super car maker which many felt would compliment Saab very well. The possibilities were there, Saab was going to be a Swedish company again. Many of us on Twitter were even talking about the possibility of the Aero X concept coming to fruition someday with Koenigsegg’s technology and super car knowledge. In November the deal feel through because Koenigsegg backed out.
When the deal fell through with Koenigsegg GM said they would take a few days to reconsider the situation. GM reevaluated and announced they would take until the end of December to find a new suitor. If one could not be found, Saab would be shut down. BAIC bought the tooling and rights to the old/current Saab platforms. This does not include any new or future product just the current and past line up. They plan on using the design and platforms for their vehicles. Word then came out that the only real suitor interested in Saab and the future of the brand was Spyker. While slightly different then Koenigsegg, there are many similarities. Both companies are small. Many assumed that for whatever reason Koenigsegg backed out of the deal, Spyker would follow suit. As many predicted, the negotiations broke down and it was realized that the deal would not happen no matter how much time was spent. GM announced Friday morning that they would wind down Saab operations and the brand would be killed off.
A little background on how all this came to be. GM purchased fifty one percent of Saab back in 1990 and in 2000 GM purchased the remaining portion. Saabs tag line has been “Born From Jets”. Saab started life by producing fighter jets. After World War II they started producing cars.
Many say the brand was diluted with non-Saab product. To an extent they were correct. The 9-7x was quite possibly the worst Saab ever. With that said it was one heck of a nice Trailblazer (for what it was). The 9-2x (commonly referred to as the Saabaru), while more fun the 9-7x, was still no where near a Saab. It was merely a re-badged Subaru WRX wagon. With all wheel drive and the fun of a WRX in a slightly more upscale package (emphasis on slightly) the 9-2x was the one really nice WRX, but not really a Saab.
Saab has become an after thought for many consumers. The sales numbers reflect this. In October only 513 vehicles sold in the United states. It got even worse in November when only a mere 371 vehicles sold in the United States. The vehicles are not class competitive and overall are an after thought for most people. Even many Saab enthusiasts were not buying.
The all new 9-5 was so close to production. On paper the car was promising. In my opinion, the new 9-5 just might have been the ultimate vehicle on the Epsilon II platform. I personally was excited to test the top tier model with a Turbo V6, XWD (a torque vectoring all wheel drive), adaptive suspension, and many more features. Not to mention a slick six speed manual transmission along side the automatic transmission. Many cars in this class do not even offer a manual transmission as an option. This was going to be a drivers car. The 9-4x was also close to production ready. This vehicle was going to be a midsize crossover based on and developed alongside the new Cadillac SRX.
Funny thing about the death of Saab. When the announcement came Friday morning it instantly hit Twitter. People were tweeting about this news around the world. In fact, Saab was trending as a topic for over half the day. Thousands upon thousands of people were whining and complaining. People were telling stories about their Saab experiences. So where were all these people when purchasing a car?
Things were finally looking up for Saab. They had fresh product in the pipeline that was actually class competitive. Technology was going to be a key component in their vehicles, and over all the persona of the brand seemed to be going less GM and more towards its Swedish roots. I was excited at the prospect of Saab finally getting back to being Swedish and possibly a little quirky. Nearly 20 years after GM bought Saab they are going to be killing it. Saab was born from jets as they say, but they were killed by GM.
That was all I was planning on writing but Saturday morning a new development seemed to occur in this story. Rumors swirled that the Swedish government was holding emergency meetings this weekend to try and save Saab. Something to keep in mind is that Sweden has small population. The government is probably nervous about impact the closure of Saab will have on the small nations economy. This sounds awfully similar to what happened to GM and our government this past summer.
Sunday morning the story developed a new chapter. It was said there were eleven sticking points between GM and Spyker that prevented the sale of Saab. We do not know what these eleven things where as they were not made public. It has been said that Nick Reilly who is GM’s man in Europe called off the Sale between Spyker early Friday morning due to concerns about intellectual property. One of Spykers backers was going to be Russian and this was a concern. Rumors are now swirling that Spyker resubmitted a new offer on Sunday fixing some of those concerns and set a deadline for GM of Monday December 21 at 5pm EST. (UPDATE 12/21/09 4pm- Spyker just announced they have extended the deadline for GM. No new time was given.)
It is evident that Spyker really wants Saab. Spyker themselves note many benefits to both Saab and themselves. Below is an excerpt from Spyker.
“In Spyker’s view, the ownership of Saab by Spyker Cars would add a lot of value to both parties. For Spyker, Saab would bring a strong, global distribution network consisting of no less than 1100 dealers, state-of-the-art production facilities, a truly dedicated work force and solid engineering, sourcing and research & development capabilities. Likewise, Saab would receive the financial backing required to compete as a competitive global brand, along with an entrepreneurial leadership team sensitive to the uniqueness, heritage and individuality of the Saab brand. Throughout these negotiations, both Spyker and Saab leadership have proven that they share a mutual vision for just such a partnership.”
GM continued to say upon questioning this weekend that Saab will be wound down over the course of three months beginning in January. I for one hope that Saab has a second chance at survival. I am however a realist and understand these are all rumors. We will see how this all plays out. For now the official word is still Saab dead.
What was the upcoming all new 2010 Saab 9-5
Below is Spykers press statement from this weekend about the new offer made to GM.
PRESS RELEASE
SPYKER CARS RENEWS OFFER FOR SAAB THAT REMOVES LAST HURDLES
ZEEWOLDE, The Netherlands (20 December, 2009) -Following the announcement on Friday that the intended sales terms of Saab Automobile AB between Spyker and General Motors (GM) could not be finalized, the Spyker leadership has submitted a renewed offer in the hopes of securing a future for Saab, its employees and the brand, despite the announcement that the winding down of Saab would begin.
Spyker CEO Victor R. Muller said today that an 11-point proposal had been submitted to GM, addressing each of the issues that arose during the due diligence process and that the renewed offer would remove each of the obstacles that were standing in the way of a swift transaction.
“We have made every effort to resolve the issues that were preventing the conclusion of this matter and we have asked GM and all other involved parties to seriously consider this offer,” said Muller.
“We are very confident that our renewed offer will remove the impasse that was standing in the way of an agreement on Friday, and this would still allow us to conclude the deal prior to the expiry of the deadline originally set by GM of December 31st,” said Muller.
“Despite our collective eleventh hour set-back, we are returning to the table with a renewed offer, that addresses every known issue brought to light during the initial negotiations and that has the full backing of the Saab Management. The new offer eliminates the need for an EIB loan approval prior to year end, for example, which will allow the deal to be concluded within GM’s deadline. Our efforts are based on our passion for saving an iconic brand that we would be honoured to shepherd, and the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of loyal Saab employees, suppliers and dealers around the world. Some 1,500,000 Saabs are on the road today and their proud owners would no doubt welcome the survival of this phenomenal brand,” he added.
In Spyker’s view, the ownership of Saab by Spyker Cars would add a lot of value to both parties. For Spyker, Saab would bring a strong, global distribution network consisting of no less than 1100 dealers, state-of-the-art production facilities, a truly dedicated work force and solid engineering, sourcing and research & development capabilities. Likewise, Saab would receive the financial backing required to compete as a competitive global brand, along with an entrepreneurial leadership team sensitive to the uniqueness, heritage and individuality of the Saab brand. Throughout these negotiations, both Spyker and Saab leadership have proven that they share a mutual vision for just such a partnership.
“Our company motto is nulla tenaci invia est via – for the tenacious no road is impassable,” said Muller, “And we intend to remain true to that throughout these negotiations as we bid to secure Saabs future and revive the company.”
The renewed Spyker offer is valid until 5pm (Eastern Standard Time) on Monday December 21, 2009.
