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Updates from March, 2012

  • Having sampled the latest Lexus GS 350 at its launch, which included hot laps at Laguna Seca raceway, it’s always interesting to drive the same vehicle on home turf, just doing the things one normally does with a car. This aspect is particularly meaningful when the gap between preview and first drive is but a few weeks. In some instances, it teaches that the initial impression was wide of the mark — many previews are conducted so as to showcase the new car in its best possible light. Invariably, this means it never shines quite as brightly when driven away from that venue. In this case, it served to reinforce my first impressions — the GS is as much sports car as it is luxury sedan.

    At the preview, I was impressed by just how light the full-bodied GS felt on its tires. It felt no less lithe on home turf. The adaptive suspension does a very good job of quelling body roll without beating the riders up on a rough road. Likewise, the steering is both poised and precise. The latter is accentuated when the test subject is wearing the F Sport package — it brings a better variable-rate steering rack and, on the rear-drive car, active rear steering. The latter can turn the rear wheels by up to two degrees, which improves the turn-in and overall precision.

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    The F Sport option brings a number of other upgrades. Along with better seats and a steering wheel that has a pleasing heft to it come boy racer pedals and a body kit that adds some sporting flair, as well as better P235/40 front and P265/35 rear tires mounted on attractive alloy rims. It also allows the driver to tweak the manner in which the GS drives. Along with the Normal and Eco (forget this setting!) modes come Sport and Sport+. The Sport mode alters the throttle and transmission response, while the Sport+ mode also firms the suspension and steering as well as moving the stability control’s intervention point further out. Generally, the Sport mode is the right one for all eventualities. It is accommodating when tooling about town yet sharp enough to tackle a more enthusiastic charge.

    The other important F Sport upgrade is found in the brakes. The addition of two-piece front rotors pushes fade out to the point where it is a non-issue, even after standing on the pedal repeatedly. In the end, the F Sport package is well worth the $7,000 it commands. Indeed, I would not consider the GS without it.

    The GS 350 arrives with a 3.5-litre V6 engine that delivers 306 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. The numbers do a surprisingly good job of motivating 1,750 kilograms of leather-lined opulence. I clocked the zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour run at six seconds and the 80-to-120-km/h passing test at 4.7 seconds. Both times are more than up to snuff. Lexus also did a good job of making the GS 350 produce the right noises when it’s worked. The siren is rewardingly throaty — there’s an acoustic amplifier built into the intake system! If there is a powertrain disappointment, it is the number of gears in the transmission.

    THE SPECS

    Type of vehicle Rear-wheel-drive sports sedan
    Engine 3.5L DOHC V6
    Power 306 hp @ 6,400 rpm; 277 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
    Transmission Six-speed manumatic
    Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
    Tires P225/50R17
    Price: base/as tested $51,900/$58,950
    Destination charge $1,950
    Transport Canada fuel economy L/100 km 10.7 city, 7.1 hwy.

    Certainly, the six speeds work very well with the engine and the shifts are smooth when loafing along, yet they are snappy when the driver flicks one of the steering wheel-mounted paddles. However, given the seven-speed (Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz) and eight-speed (Audi and BMW) boxes that are becoming commonplace, it would behoove Lexus to drop the eight-speed transmission from the LS 430 into the GS 350, especially when it’s equipped with the F Sport package.

    On the flip side, the GS 350 F Sport is a true luxury car. The cabin is lined with excellent materials, the leather is first-rate and the toys are all in place, up to and including heated and cooled front buckets along with the navigation system that’s included with the F Sport package. As is rapidly becoming the norm, most of the GS’s key functions are accessed via a centrally mounted controller. Yes, there are some standalone buttons, but the deeper functions are accessed through the second-generation Lexus Remote Touch system. It looks after the media, climate, trip, navigation and phone functions. The latter proved to have surprisingly handy features. When an email or text comes into a paired phone, the system allows the driver to open it and have it read aloud by an automated voice. This simple extension eliminated the need to play with my hand-held device.

    The only other minor complaint is found in the trunk. As the rear seats are fixed (there’s only a ski pass-through), the volume is capped at 14.3 cubic feet. Thankfully, the space is nicely squared off and, as such, all of it is usable.

    The new GS signals a change in philosophy for Lexus. It is still predominantly a luxury car, but it now has the jam needed to be considered a real threat to its German competition. More remarkable is the pricing strategy. The starting point for the 2013 GS 350 is $10,000 less than the GS 300 from a decade ago. Factor in the technological advances, increased content, better performance and superior fuel economy and the latest GS is a real bargain.


    1:00 pm on March 31, 2012
     

  • The Honda Ridgeline has now been part of the truck world for six years; a chunk of time that usually heralds a next-generation makeover — not the soft upgrade we’ve received for 2012. Frankly, the changes for the coming year can be covered in a paragraph.

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    First, all versions of the Ridgeline get a new grille treatment, while the Sport (a new trim level) gets black 18-inch alloy wheels, a black honeycomb grille and black headlight and brake light housings. Also, as a result of aerodynamic and powertrain tuning modifications, Honda says there’s been a 2.5% improvement in the pickup’s fuel efficiency.

    Since its introduction, the Ridgeline has split its critics into two very distinct camps. Some love it, others hate it. Now with its seventh season on Canadian roads coming up, it appears the “love it” camp has held sway. Though its sales numbers have never been huge, the Ridgeline has built a following and met a need. For instance, from a driving perspective, the Ridgeline performs in a very comfortable car-like manner, with just a hint of rigidness. It also parks easily, offers good visibility and scoots around town in nimble fashion — attributes those looking for a part-time truck probably appreciate.

    So, as I drove this blacked-out Sport, I wondered not about the new minor changes but rather the future of this polarizing pickup. While the Ridgeline has changed little since 2006, the pickup market has changed enormously. Trucks have gotten larger and more powerful and most manufacturers have abandoned the small pickup market altogether, making the only players left that much more desirable to those looking for a truck smaller than a battleship.

    THE SPECS

    Type of vehicle Four-wheel-drive mid-sized pickup
    Engine 3.5L VTEC V6
    Power 250 hp @5,700  rpm ; 247 lb-ft of torque @4,300 rpm
    Transmission Five-speed automatic
    Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
    Tires P245/60 R18 (optional)
    Price: base/as tested $34,990/$41,990
    Destination charge $1,500
    Transport Canada fuel economy L/100 km 14.1 city, 9.8 hwy.

    This is good news for Honda. As for truck buyers (certainly, lovers of all things Honda have provided a steady customer base over the years), these changes in the pickup market itself may now bring new buyers to the unchanging Ridgeline. But, to do that, Honda has to change one thing — stop calling the truck full-sized. The automaker says its truck is a full-sized half-ton with the ability to tow 2,268 kilograms and carry a payload of 705 kg. Yes, it does that. Unfortunately, since 2006, the rest of the half-ton market has moved on. At my Canadian Truck King Challenge event last year, we towed 3,629-kg trailers and hauled 816 kg of shingles with the competing half-tons. So, when I call the Ridgeline a small truck, it’s not meant as an insult.

    In fact, while driving the Ridgeline Sport, I was reacquainted with a series of components that work well together. Its 3.5-litre VTEC V6 engine — coupled to the five-speed automatic transmission — is quiet and moderately powerful, with its output rated at 250 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. Its Transport Canada fuel economy figures of  14.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 9.8 L/100 km  on the highway is decent when compared with a world of V8 trucks.

    Still, even with minor massaging for 2012, the reality is that this has been the same powertrain throughout the Ridgeline’s life — and almost all the other companies have at least moved on to six-speed transmissions.

    The truck fairs better inside. Its four-door cab is roomy, with good entrance and exit both front and back. Step-in is reasonable — there’s no running board or parachute required. The interior is a classic utility-minded design with a lot of storage, dual-purpose features (such as the centre console) and a layout that has ease of cleaning in mind. Only the monotone grey colour needs updating.

    A nice feature of the Ridgeline is its standard VTM-4 (Variable Torque Management) four-wheel-drive system. This is not an aggressive off-road setup but it does power the wheels normally while automatically locking up the limited-slip rear differential when traction is call for. For messy road conditions it works well. However, for that occasional dirt road detour, the system also has a “locked” setting that holds power to the front and rear on a fixed basis.

    The Ridgeline sports four-wheel independent suspension supporting a closed-box unibody chassis that also has no body panel separation between the truck cab and box — still a unique design in the pickup segment.  The 6.5-foot bed (with tailgate down) will carry a full-sized ATV, something I have done with a Ridgeline previously. It will also accommodate the proverbial four-foot-wide sheet of plywood.  In short, its bed is useful.

    Also under the heading of unique is an underbed 8.5-cubic-foot storage compartment — or lockable trunk. This is a great feature as it keeps everything from groceries to valuable tools dry and out of sight. Just remember to keep the snow brushed off it — with just a couple of centimetres of the fluffy white stuff on it, it’s almost impossible to open.


    2:00 pm on February 8, 2012
     

  • The most amazing thing about the new Mercedes S 550 is not how quickly it can go fast but how slow it can make going fast feel. Indeed, Mercedes’ latest generation of turbocharged powerplants fits the 550’s character so thoroughly, it makes one wonder what took the automaker so long to get on the bandwagon.

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    Actually, that’s simple: It was competing with BMW. And, since BMW specialized in high-horsepower, high-revving race car-like engines, Mercedes — ever vigilant about competing with its crosstown rival, had to prove it could do it as well.

    Big 5.5-litre V8s powered even garden-variety S-Classes and, if you went the AMG route, you were treated to a monstrous 6.2L V8 that pumped out as much as 518 horsepower. It was big, it was brutal, it was brash. It was the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. Yet, somehow, this did not fit in with the Mercedes persona. Maybe these are just my expectations, but I have always thought of Mercedes as the lesser potentate’s Rolls-Royce — the way station on the path to ostentatious wealth. While the car should boast sufficient pace, the emphasis should always be grace.

    That’s why I think this latest turbocharging craze will benefit Mercedes more than any other luxury brand. Ostensibly, the switch from large naturally aspirated engines to smaller turbocharged ones is all about reducing fuel consumption. Performance enhancement is only supposed to be secondary.

    Don’t let the marketing weenies and policy wonks fool you: You can claim all manner of fuel economy benefits,  but, when a car boasts 429 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque, performance is the calling card.

    How that performance is dispensed, however, is the real benefit. Yes, there are 47 more ponies than last year’s normally aspirated 5.5L; an extra 125 lb-ft of torque, too. But it’s how that performance is meted out that’s the really big news. Having twin turbos — two small turbochargers are more efficient at low speeds than one large one — means there are bucket loads of torque at low speeds. Indeed, the turbocharged 4.6L V8 feels almost diesel-like, albeit smoother, quieter and more refined. In fact, low-rpm torque is so prodigious that the engine usually shifts around 2,000 rpm, seldom seeing more than 3,000 rpm.

    Except for one quick burst (only for journalistic verification of performance, naturally), I never took the big Merc over 4,000 rpm, by which time I was exceeding all known speed limits by a licence-losing margin and accelerating so hard I was scaring Corvette drivers — the engine all the while loafing as if it was hauling grandma to the grocery store.

    Despite any boasts of five-seconds-flat acceleration times and phantasmagorical top speeds, it is this effortless ability to stay ahead of traffic that is the S 550’s most enticing character. Mercedes has always calibrated its automatic transmissions for reluctant downshifts, the theory being that kicking down a gear was an abrupt intrusion into what was supposed to be an otherwise seamlessly smooth ride. The problem was, for those of us with, er, tighter schedules (right, that’s my excuse, officer — tighter schedules), the lack of acceleration would encourage us to dig even deeper into the throttle until, when the tranny finally did downshift, the flurry of revs and hard gear change was really abrupt.

    However, the new powertrain is so tremendously powerful that it simply never needs to downshift. Indeed, I kept the engine in its Economy mode (surely an oxymoron of “military intelligence” scale in a 429-hp automobile), which deliberately restricts downshifts – and the S 550 still powered relentlessly ahead. Though the S 550 gets the latest iteration of Mercedes’ seven-speed automatic transmission, it could probably restrict the V8 to two forward gears and nobody would notice. The bottom line is that the new S 550 is not only more powerful than its predecessor, it also feels much more refined.

    Refinement by way of technological advancement certainly fits in with the rest of the S 550. Not only is the sedan’s cabin imbued with all the niceties that a $100,000 luxury car should bring — leather, wood, chrome, etc. — there’s also a virtual smorgasbord of computerized gewgaws to relax, coddle and protect one from the elements.

    It should almost go without saying that the seats are both heated and cooled. Ditto the supportive padding and the leather worthy of a Bauhaus sofa. The optional Drive-Dynamic seats, though, are way trick: Not only do they massage you with the proverbial thousand tiny fingers while you lounge — oops, drive — they also automatically provide additional side bolstering via rapidly inflating air bladders when cornering. The only issue is that the seats, like anything even remotely safety oriented in an automobile these days, can be overly aggressive. Even turning into the driveway has the seat reacting as if you just tossed an SLS into Daytona’s banked Turn Three in top gear. Thankfully, they are adjustable, although I found them intrusive at low speeds even in their lowest position.

    Also available — as part of the Advanced Driver Assistance package — are such safety nannies as Distronic Plus (an active cruise control system that maintains a minimum distance from the car ahead), Active Blind Spot Assist (which uses radar to ensure you don’t switch lanes into that lowly car beside you) and Active Lane Keeping Assist (which vibrates the steering wheel like a rumble strip every time you switch lanes without using the turn signal). The Mercedes S 550 — the car as overbearing mother-in-law.

    Truly trick is the optional Splitview dual-content screen for the Comand system’s onboard computer. By dividing the screen in two, Splitview allows — through much finagling of computer joystick — the driver to view navigational directions while the passenger watches a movie. With entertainment systems are available for front and rear seats, both kids and spouse can be placated, possibly making Splitview the greatest enhancement in automotive luxury in decades.

    My quibbles with the car are few. Although fuel economy was ostensibly the reason for the switch to turbo-charging, real-world consumption is now even more dependent on one’s right foot. I averaged about 12 litres per 100 kilometres — which correlates surprisingly well with Mercedes’ official rating of 13.8 L/100 km in the city and 8.7 L/100 km on the highway — but that was in Economy mode. The poor schmo before me averaged 18 L/100 km, which just goes to show how quickly that supposed fuel economy advantage disappears if you exercise your right foot’s gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.

    On the other hand, the S 550 is something of a bargain. The short-wheelbase version I tested is actually replacing the S 450, which used to be the base S-Class. Yet, despite that massive influx of go-juice — 94 more hp than the 450, along with a whopping 177 lb-ft uptick in the torque department — the S 550’s $109,900 suggested retail price is just $1,900 more than the no-longer-available S 450. And, yes, that includes the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

    But the true upshot of the 2012 S 550 is that its new turbocharged engine transforms the big sedan’s character. At once speedier and more elegant in its comportment, it is much more the prestige automobile it has always purported to be.


    9:00 am on February 8, 2012
     

  • Nice, France • The up! is a funky urban runabout that’s just hitting Volkswagen dealerships in Europe. At its launch, it will be offered as a three-door hatchback; however, a five-door derivative is to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It is part utility vehicle and part passenger car, but it is all about function and choice — there’s Take up!, Move up! and, of course, the loaded High up!, along with the up! Black and the up! White, the car tested.

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    At just more than 3.5 metres long, it qualifies as a compact, but there’s a surprising amount of room — enough that a cowboy can keep his 10-gallon hat on without making friends with the headliner. True, there’s not much rear-seat leg space if the front seats are fully rearward, and getting back there does require agility, but for a family of four or five, it works very nicely.

    The utility side is found in the car’s  cargo-carrying capacity. With the 60/40-split/folding-rear seat upright, it makes light work of 8.7 cubic feet of stuff, and it includes a hard privacy cover, which keeps prying eyes off any valuables stored back there. Folding the seats down opens up a generous 33.6 cu. ft. The fact the space is nicely squared off and the vertical hatch is wide and cut to bumper level makes filling it up an easy proposition.

    Up front, the function continues. The cabin itself is very nicely finished. Yes, there is a lot of hard plastic, but it is nicely textured and it is butted together with the sort of precision one expects of a more expensive ride. The cloth front buckets are comfortable and the driving position is very good, as are the sight lines to the side and rear. Beyond that, there are some clever ideas. The portable navigation system, for example, not only gives directions with a marble-mouth British accent, it also houses a detailed trip computer and it allows the driver to display oil and coolant gauges, pair a cellular phone and access the audio system via the touchscreen or by telling the system what to do.

    When it comes to the engine, the up! features a diminutive 1.0-litre three-cylinder motor that puts forth 75 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque. As they appear on paper, the numbers seem awfully underwhelming. A stopwatch backs that impression up! — zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour runs take 13.2 seconds, which is verging on calendar-like. The up!-side, however, is that it feels so much more responsive and peppy. In fact, the only time the up! felt as though it could do with more motivation was when climbing some of the steeper hills north of here.

    If there is a knock, it is the same as all engines with an odd number of cylinders — the engine note, especially as the tachometer sweeps toward redline, is rather coarse and grumbly. At first, it really did bother me. However, time behind the wheel saw the aggravation factor fade into the background. That stated, if the up! is going to make the trip across the Pond, it should arrive with a four-banger. It would add a little more top-end performance and eliminate the engine’s plaintive tone.

    Much of the credit for the up!’s  surprising peppiness has to do with the five-speed manual gearbox — the only transmission offered at this point. The throws are short, the clutch is light and the ratios squeeze the best out of the engine. The first four gears focus on acceleration, while fifth brings excellent fuel economy. The up! has an average fuel economy rating (based on the European test cycle) of 4.7 litres per 100 km. That is as good as many hybrids.

    The up!’s ride and handling are also very good. The ride is comfortable and the handling is competent. The steering is also nicely weighted steering. When pushed down some pretty twisty blacktop, the up! stuck to the driver’s intended line without the sort of understeering characteristic I was anticipating.

    The up! also shines when navigating the tight confines of a European city. It’s biggest asset is the extraordinarily tight turning circle. At one point, I was heading down a back alley that was getting ever narrower. Right about the time I was beginning to regret following the navigation system’s suggestion for a shortcut, the road opened to about the width of a regular lane — the up! was turned around in a heartbeat.

    What the up! has going for it is a cute look, surprising utility and a great deal of refinement, all of which would seem to make it a no-brainer for Canada. Sadly, the up! is not likely to land here in the foreseeable future. It all has to do with price and the fact it is built in Europe.

    Ideally, for the up! to succeed here it needs to start at a loonie under $14,000. That, as it stands, is a tall order. However, an optimist might point to the fact that Fiat is managing to push 500s out the door for silly money. I would take an up! over a 500 any day.


    2:00 pm on January 27, 2012
     

  • The reason the Toyota Camry has been North America’s favourite family sedan for donkey’s years is simple — it has done everything expected of it well. No, it does not stand out in any particular area, but, when the family needs to get from A to B, it does it in style, holding five adults realistically and with the trunk space needed to
    accommodate their luggage (15.4 cubic feet). The new Camry sticks to Toyota’s time-honoured formula — although some will suggest this is to the detriment of the latest version.

    First, no one is going to mistake the seventh-generation Camry for anything other than a Camry. This means a rather staid look that’s more about packaging what’s on the inside than it is about giving the exterior look any real visual punch. The toe-the-line style is a surprising move given Buick’s radical reinvention, some sweet-looking entrants from Hyundai and Kia, not to mention those competitors on the near horizon — the next-
    generation Ford Fusion (it will be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January) is a stunner and there’s a new Honda Accord on the way. Any and all would dearly love to conquest a Camry customer.

    There are no quibbles with the new interior style, which is upscale and inviting to the eye. The materials are very good, as is the overall comfort and quietness and, with the exception of a couple of anomalies, the layout is first-rate. It’s obvious Toyota spent a great deal of time getting it right. The front seats are very accommodating (sadly, be prepared to pay if you want them heated), there are no blind spots to speak of and there is enough rear-seat legroom that the Camry qualifies as limo-like — the sculpted nature of the front seatbacks adds 45 millimetres of knee room to an already spacious ride.

    The anomalies are minor but out of step nonetheless. First, the audio control module on the left side of the steering wheel looks like an afterthought, which runs contrary to an otherwise integrated execution. The second anomaly is just plain odd. Look at the centre stack and it is not immediately obvious the Camry XLE arrives with a standard navigation system as there is no button to push. Rather, one has to push the App button, tap the map icon on the touch-sensitive screen and then confirm that one will obey the rules of the road and drive accordingly. Only then does the map appear. The methodology transforms what was a one-step operation into a chore.

    Where Toyota needs to be taken to task is under the hood. With the exception of an extra gear in the manumatic transmission, the Camry’s motivation carries over from the previous generation. The test car arrived with the base 2.5-litre four-cylinder. It puts out 178 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque and it does not sound overly thrashy in the process. While the numbers are far from outstanding, there is enough at the driver’s right foot to deal with the cut and thrust of a morning commute, including passing a slower car when the need arises. The tester trotted to 100 kilometres an hour in just more than nine seconds and managed the more important 80-to-120-km/h dash in six seconds. Loading the car up with passengers does blunt the edge, but it’s not enough to fret over.

    The four-cylinder is also remarkably good on gas given the size of the car is it moving — a test average of 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres was much better than I expected. All of this stated, the four-cylinder engine does make the uplevel 268-hp V6 an important option if you’re shopping for more than acceptable.

    The new transmission works very nicely and showcases the engine in its best light. However, there is yet another anomaly. Whenever the manual mode is selected, the gearbox downshifts from sixth gear to fourth — without regard for speed. Invariably, this puts it in the wrong gear, which forces the driver to manually correct an automated move. Why is there an automatic function in the manual mode? It makes no sense whatsoever and effectively renders the manual side redundant for me.

    When it comes to ride quality, the Camry is a Japanese Buick. It takes a mighty gnarly bit of road to get the suspension to feed any jostling back to the passengers. In this regard, the Camry is first-rate. The flip side sees the overall setup being a little too soft to provide any real sense of handling. Certainly, the amount of roll is limited to a handful of degrees and the feedback afforded by the electrically assisted steering is all it should be, but the overall driving sensation does not spur the driver onward to the next set of sweeping curves. In fairness, a big part of the mushy feel/feedback came down to the snow tires the test car was wearing. They allowed the Camry to slip into understeer long before it would otherwise.

    So, carping aside, is the Toyota Camry about to lose its favourite status? I think not. The quibbles are, in the grand scheme of things, minor in nature and not enough to put a dent in the Camry’s popularity.


    8:58 pm on December 9, 2011