2014 Lexus LS460 AWD Sedan

On September 14, 2014September 15, 2014 By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, LexusLeave a comment

The most recent press loan car that I received was last week, a Lexus LS460 4-door sedan with all-wheel drive. The team that delivered the car to Greeley was Rocky Mountain Redline, a fleet management firm in Dacono. The car came in Liquid Platinum (silver) metallic and the interior was black semi-aniline (perforated) leather. The car seated five comfortably because the LS (M.S.R.P. $90,444.00) is big, with a wheelbase of 116.9”, overall length of 200”, height of 58.1”, and width of 73.8”. Weight is 4,652 lbs.

Power for the Lexus is provided by a 4.6 liter, 360 horsepower (@6,400 rpm) V-8 with a fuel economy rating of 16-city, 23-highway, and 18-combined mpg. My fuel mileage during the week with the car was 23.6 mpg, and the car held 22.2 gallons of premium gasoline. Torque rating for the Lexus is 347 lb. ft. @ 4,100 rpm, and the transmission is an eight-speed sequential-shift automatic with manual control setup. Acceleration was smooth and supple, and reportedly the LS460 will go zero to sixty in 6.0 seconds and top out at 130 mph. An adaptive air suspension system was featured on this LS, enhancing the ride appreciably.

My wife Ruth and another couple all jumped into the Lexus recently to go to Denver to have dinner at the Denver Press Club. That couple was Mr. and Mrs. Bud Wells, Bud being the long time auto columnist that was with the Denver Post for over three decades. The LS, of course, gave us a superb ride and we got lucky and parked right in front of the restaurant on Glenarm Street. Dinner was great and Mr. Wells had many stories about his days of visiting the PC after late nights meeting deadlines at the Post.

This car came equipped without the lane departure warning and radar cruise control, but it had a big navigation screen (12.3”) and 19 speaker, 450-watt Mark Levinson stereo with satellite radio, moon roof, and blind spot monitor. Also, the LS had Bluetooth, Lexus Enform app suite, and power tilt/telescope/heated bamboo steering wheel. All the windows powered up or down (out of sight), the mirrors folded in when the car was locked and a proximity key fob and pushbutton starter button were in the car. The front buckets were superb and adjustable in 16 (driver) and 12 (passenger) ways. Stitched leather was all over the interior, including some well-designed door panels. All four corner seats were heated and air conditioned, something for all the seasons, and the trunk held 18 cubic feet with a lid that powered up and down. The rear seats had a reclining feature, and sunshades were installed in all three rear windows.

The styling of the car was a striking, metallic silver, and up front resided LED lighting for day or night attention. Taillights have three “L’s” molded within each, and an appropriate amount of chrome is installed on the car. The wheels were 19” split-seven spoke forged alloys surrounded by 245/45R19 all-season radials. The twin exhausts puffed out of two sculpted chrome finishers molded into the rear fascia.

Driving the LS is a pleasure, the styling of the car is fine, and comfort for all people inside is top notch. The competition is fierce in this segment, but shoppers for a luxury sedan should not bypass the Lexus dealer during their search.

2014 Mazda2 FWD Touring Sedan

On September 10, 2014 By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, MazdaLeave a comment

This past week I had the opportunity to test a new 2014 Mazda2 sedan courtesy of Greeley Mazda, located at their new location at 2805 Eighth Avenue in Greeley. The car was painted Liquid Silver metallic and featured black cloth upholstery with red piping.

The Mazda2, known as the Demio in Japan, is in its third generation iteration, having been introduced at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. Actually the American 2 was introduced two years later in Los Angeles , and the 2 is a car that has existed in one form or another since 1987.

M.S.R.P. of the Mazda was $17,050.00 (base) and only freight was added onto the price to bring the total to $17,845.00. The 2 was the least expensive automobile that I have ever tested, but I cannot say it was the least attractive. And driving it was fine, as well, with power supplied by a 1.5 liter, 16-valve four cylinder engine with 100 horsepower (@6,000 rpm) and 98 lb. ft. (@4,000 rpm) of torque. Coupled to the front-wheel drive setup was a four-speed automatic electronically-controlled overdrive transmission. The engine burns regular unleaded gasoline, has an 11.3 gallon tank, and rates 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

Weight of the little Mazda was 2,359 lbs., and the five passenger hatchback was 155.5” long, 66.7” wide, and rode on a 98” wheelbase. Wheels were 15”, eight-spoke alloys fitted with P185/55R15 Yokohama S34 mud and snow radials. Cargo capacity behind the second row of seating was 13.3 cubic ft., and that number doubled when the back seat was folded flat. I found the back seat to be adequate for up to three persons, and the front buckets were supportive and attractive.

Other interior appointments included cruise control, power locks/windows, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, 6-speaker CD/stereo, and a USB/12 volt outlet. Also present, thankfully, was air conditioning capable of cooling this driver in 95 degree heat. Visibility was fine, as was guidance, ride, and handling. No excessive road noise was present, and acceleration was adequate, considering that the car has 100 horsepower. Reportedly, the zero to sixty timing is a little over ten seconds. Front suspension is of the MacPherson strut variety and in the rear is a torsion bar setup.

I think that the styling of the 2 is a strong suite. It has rakish lines, is hiked up in the rear where the hatch is, and has a visor over the rear hatch where a wiper resides. Front styling is along the Mazda family theme; the Mazda family having an attractive lineup to offer.

The Mazda2 appears to this review to be a good choice in the B-segment category. It’s comfortable, drives nice, is good-looking, and won’t break the bank at purchase time.

57 Years Later

On September 7, 2014November 15, 2014 By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, Lexus, |OF INTEREST|Leave a comment

Yesterday, I took my current test car to Grant, Nebraska to get a photograph at the park where my Nomad posed in front of my camera in 1966. Grant is my home town, and I was there to attend the Bullock Chevrolet auction, where 200 cars and 2,000 people were on hand. I have the silver car pictured for a few more days, and have posted a review elsewhere in this blog. It is a 2014 Lexus LS460 with an M.S.R.P. of $90,444.00. The 1957 Nomad would have brought about the same amount of money, had it been down the street and for sale at the auction. I should never have sold it, but did, in 1968.

2014 Tesla Model S

On September 1, 2014December 25, 2014 By stuwright47In *HYBRIDS/ELECTRICS, TeslaLeave a comment

Computer and internet whiz Elon Musk joined Tesla Motors in 2004, a year after Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded the company. He is generally considered a co-founder of Tesla, as he is of PayPal, Space-X, and Zip2. The South African-born Musk is an American citizen and holds the position of CEO and Chief Product Architect at Tesla, based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla designs and manufactures premium electric vehicles.

I was recently in San Francisco and made arrangements to go by Tesla’s nearby headquarters to pick up a 2014 Model S for testing. Communications specialist Alexis Georgeson was there to meet me and turn over the keys to the solid black four-door sedan with black leather seating. I was pleased to discover the “P85+” badging on the trunk of my test car, emblematic of Tesla’s biggest battery installation and a high performance drive inverter. The 85 kWh battery/motor combination puts 416 horsepower to the rear wheels at between 5,000 and 8,600 rpm. Peak torque on this automobile is 443 lb. ft. at any rpm between zero and 5,100.

Range of the performance Tesla Model S is estimated by the manufacturer to be 300 miles at 55 mph. EPA 5-cycle certified testing results are 265 miles, and such testing is at higher speeds and with operating electric accessories. I drove 214 miles, but stopped at a Tesla Supercharger to top off the battery midway through the test. I wanted to experience the stop at their facility, where a 30 minute charge brought my battery up to 262 miles of range. The procedure was simple, located in Fremont, and a suitable lounge was on hand for motorists, some of which were monitoring charging progress on their smartphones. The company provides the battery charging at no cost to Tesla performance S owners at the facilities, which number 85 in North America and 14 in Europe. Of course, the Tesla can be charged pretty much at any location with 110 or 240 volt AC power, including at home.

I familiarized myself with the test car before heading north on U.S. Highway 101 toward the Inn at the Opera in San Francisco, where Ruth and I were staying. The prodigious power of the Tesla is confidence-inspiring on the freeway, assuring the driver that he can jump into the next lane, merge, or pass with instantaneous response. The car is all-electric, and has no gas tank or gas engine, with a battery that is under the passenger compartment, about 5’ by 8’, and shaped like a graham cracker. Tesla batteries, in two incidents, have been pierced by road debris, causing fires without fatalities. The company has recently added shielding under the Model S to prevent further incidents and is retrofitting owned Teslas upon request at service intervals. The NHTSA looked into the fires, and recently closed its investigation without pushing for a recall.

On the second day with the Tesla Model S, my wife and I drove to Alice’s Restaurant on Skyline Boulevard in Woodside, California. At Alice’s, “you can get anything you want”, according to Arlo Guthrie, and I chose French toast. As I understand it, residents of Woodside can get almost anything they want, with median family income of nearly $200,000.00. So it was no surprise that the locals in the diner were accustomed to cars such as the Tesla Model S making an appearance at Alice’s.

The drive to Woodside is through tall redwoods on a serpentine two-lane road where the Tesla flexed its muscles with a remarkably low center of gravity, Michelin staggered Pilot Sport PS2, Z-rated tires, front double-wishbone/rear multi-link suspension and near 50/50 weight distribution. I had never driven a car with 35-aspect tires, and I was surprised at the acceptable ride of the Tesla – the handling was not a surprise.

Inside the cabin of the Model S resides a 17” touchscreen navigation/stereo system, panoramic moon roof, supple leather buckets, and a console tray perfect for the wife’s purse. The navigation display is replicated on the dash just ahead of the driver, and I liked that for getting through California traffic. Some options are absent on the Tesla such as blind spot monitor and adaptive radar cruise control. The rear camera, however, can be turned on at any time, not just while in reverse.

No gas mileage ratings (no gas) are published for the Tesla Model S, but to drive 25,000 miles, the Tesla will require $778.00 worth of electricity (.11 per kilowatt/hour). So at $3.80 per gallon, a gas-powered vehicle would have to get 122 mpg to go that far for that much money. A Tesla owner could sneak in a few Supercharger refills and lower the cost-per-mile even further. Cost of the car, on the other hand, is high, with a base price of $89,900.00. My test car was loaded with options – seven passenger seating, alcantara headliner, 21” alloy wheels, tech package, high fidelity sound system, et al, and thus the total M.S.R.P. was $127,020.00. Federal and in some cases state tax credits can help mitigate the investment in a Tesla.

By the end of 2014, Tesla will be introducing an SUV called the Model X. It will share a lot of the Model S technology, but offer all-wheel drive with electric motors both front and rear. Falcon doors that swing up and above the vehicle will be a feature of the Model X. Another Tesla, the model E, will be a smaller sedan reportedly available in 2016 and is to be priced under $50,000.00.

I came back from California thoroughly impressed with the Tesla Model S, had a good time driving it, and thought the people at the company were very accommodating to this journalist. It’s hard to bet against this company as they try to bring electric vehicles into the American automotive mainstream.

2014 Subaru Crosstrek XV AWD Hybrid

On August 24, 2014August 24, 2014 By stuwright47In *CROSSOVERS, SubaruLeave a comment

Last week my wife and I drove a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid to Vail, picking up our daughters in Denver on the way through. In the past I have tested several Subarus, none with as stunning a paint job as the Touring edition that was brought to the house prior to the trip. The color was called Plasma Green Pearl metallic, and I became pretty fond of it during the week that I tested the car.

Subaru unveiled the XV Crosstrek Hybrid at last year’s New York Auto Show, and the car was rolled out from behind screen prints of trees to quite a bit of fanfare in front of the automotive press. It is Subaru’s first foray into the green car world, mating Subaru’s outdoor reputation with a reduced carbon footprint. All the world can see that the Subaru is a hybrid with the distinctive badging on each front door.

The Subaru Crosstrek XV Hybrid has 8.7” of ground clearance, the same dimension as the Crosstrek 2.0i, the company’s non-hybrid offering. The wheelbase of the XV Hybrid is 103.7”, overall length is 175.2”, and the car weighs 3,484 lbs. Symmetrical all-wheel drive is included in this model, which carries a base price of $29,295.00. My test car had no additional equipment with it, so with freight of $825.00, total M.S.R.P. was $30,120.00.

The Subaru I tested was the Touring model, which is top-of-the-line. With this model, the owner gets leather upholstery, power moon roof, GPS navigation setup with 6.1” screen, XM radio, rear-vision camera, and keyless proximity access with pushbutton starter. Also included is a 6-speaker stereo, heated buckets, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt/telescope, and a 60/40 fold-down rear seat. Cargo capacity behind the second row of seats is 21.5 cubic feet – that number increases to 50.2 with the back seats folded flat. I thought the black Subaru interior was tasteful, and it is evident that the company added sound-deadening materials to the Hybrid – it was quiet and had a solid feel.

The styling of Subaru’s Crosstrek XV Hybrid is eye-catching, and matches that of the non-hybrid car. Chrome-trimmed door handles are attached and the 17” five-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels are aerodynamic and fitted with 225/55R17 Yokohama Geolandar G91 all-season, low-rolling-resistance tires.

Power for the Subaru is supplied by a “boxer” horizontally-opposed four cylinder, 2.0 liter gas engine with a 13.4 horsepower electric motor integrated into the drive train. Total system power is 160 horsepower (6,000 rpm) with 163 lb. ft. of torque (2,000 rpm). Transmission is a Lineartronic continuously variable unit with manual-mode paddle shifters. Some shuddering occurs at a standstill when the gas engine is starting, as needed. This is typical, and an EV mode (all-electric) is available up to 25 mph, resulting in zero emissions and zero fuel consumption. Economy ratings are 33-highway, 29-city, and 31-combined. The city rating is the one that stands out for the hybrid, at about 20% improvement over the conventional 2.0i Crosstrek. Zero to 60 mph acceleration is reportedly in the 8 second range. In the mountains, the Subaru did an excellent job through the use of the 6-speed manual mode setup in the transmission and the paddle shifters.

Overall, driving the very appealing XV Crosstrek Hybrid was fine, with good guidance and ride (plus that quiet interior), and handling was suitable. If I were more of an outdoorsman, perhaps I would be shopping for such a car at trade time.

2014 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid Crossover

On August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 By stuwright47In *CROSSOVERS, Volkswagen2 Comments

Volkswagen’s Touareg, named after a nomadic people that inhabit the Saharan interior of North Africa, has been manufactured by the company since 2002. It is a mid-size luxury crossover made in a plant in Bratislava, Slovakia that is owned by the Volkswagen Group. That Group owns Audi and Porsche, and the Q7 and Cayenne models marketing by those firms are SUV’s based on the Touareg platform.

The Touareg, now in its second generation offering, comes handsomely equipped with power lift gate, big panoramic moon roof, navigation with 8” display, Vienna leather seating for five, heated front and rear seats, and keyless access/pushbutton start. Thus, the base price is $64,745.00 and coupled with freight, the total M.S.R.P. is $65,655.00.

The above listing of equipment is just part of the package, and the Touareg comes off as a very swanky mode of transportation. Passengers in the Touareg with Ruth and I gasped at the big, glass moon roof that of course powers open from the windshield to the middle of passenger compartment. Leather is present on the seats as well as the gear shift and heated steering wheel. My test car had black Anthracite trim inside.

Outside, the Touareg was painted Tungsten silver metallic with chrome trim on the lower four doors featuring a “Hybrid” designation. In a departure from many hybrids, the Volkswagen was equipped with large, dual, chrome exhaust finishers in the rear. A possible reason for that is the power plant, above and beyond for a hybrid. System power is 380 horsepower and the torque is a muscular 428 lb. ft. It is all lined up with an eight-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic capability, and acceleration is reportedly is zero to sixty in 5.9 seconds. The gas engine in the Volkswagen is a supercharged 3.0 liter V-6 and the drive system is 4Motion all-wheel drive.

Fuel economy ratings for the Touareg are modest, with the highway rating at 24 mpg and the city rating at 20 mpg. I observed 20.9 mpg for the week that I drove the Touareg. What Volkswagen is selling here is a performance hybrid; it would take a high mileage application to pay for the upcharge in this vehicle.

Styling is a hallmark of this SUV, and the silver paint was striking. The 19”, five-spoke alloy wheels were surrounded with Michelin Latitude Tour HP’s in size 265/50R19. On the rear was a trailer hitch and towing capacity was nearly four tons.

Back inside, the Touareg features an all-around camera system to allow the driver to effectively see the vehicle from above, parking lot stripes and all. The rear camera is present, as well, and it stays on until the car is moving forward at about three miles per hour. The navigation seemed above average and driving the Volkswagen was fine. Ride, interior noise, handling, and guidance on pavement were good.

The Hybrid Touareg is an elegant vehicle and I enjoyed my week driving it.

2014 Lexus IS350C Convertible

On August 17, 2014August 29, 2014 By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, LexusLeave a comment

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury car division that has been around for 25 years, sells cars in 70 countries and is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. The name of the company’s product was selected from a list that included Verone, Calibre, and Alexis, among others. Lexus was decided on, and is a combination of the words “luxury” and “elegance.

The test car I recently has in my possession certainly was elegant, and luxurious, as well. It was the two-door convertible IS350C F Sport with metal retractable hardtop and it was painted Matador red mica with a black leather interior. The vehicle weighs 3,872 lb. and its 182.5” length sits on a 107.5” wheelbase, putting its size on par with a 3-Series BMW.

American manufacturer Ford introduced the world’s first hardtop convertible in 1957, and today I believe there are over 40 such offerings on the market. It (the Ford) was a smash when I was a teenager, and the size and configuration of it resulted in a redesigned trunk that would be stuffed with hardware when the top was down.

The Lexus, a much smaller car, actually has a little luggage space when in convertible mode, and plenty of room for four passengers. By a little luggage space, I mean 2.4 cubic feet, a number that is 10.8 cubic feet with the top up. I never attempted to carry luggage in the Lexus with the top down, but ostensibly it could perhaps hold a carry-on bag.

Buyers of this car are not interested in luggage, but in stylish motoring and superb performance from the F Sport IS350C. F Sport denotes a package of performance items including optimized steering, sport-tuned suspension, and special 18” alloy wheels. Also included with an F Sport are aluminum sport pedals, special grill, silver metallic interior trim, and “F” fender badging. The F Sport Lexus has heated and ventilated front seats, as well.

My test car was equipped with a high-intensity headlight/LED package ($875.00), navigation package ($3,520.00), headlamp washers ($100.00), and intuitive parking assist ($500.00). Along with the F Sport upgrade ($2,550.00), freight ($910.00), and a base price of $46,990.00, total M.S.R.P. came to $55,445.00. The navigation package included premium 12-speaker 270-watt audio, satellite radio, backup camera, and 7” high-resolution multimedia display screen.

Power for this rear-wheel drive two-door was supplied by a 3.5 liter V-6 with 306 horsepower (6,400 rpm) and 277 lb. ft. of torque (4,800 rpm). Fuel economy ratings are 19-city, 27-highway, and 22 mpg, combined. The fuel tank holds 17.2 gallons. A six-speed automatic transmission is employed in the power train and zero to sixty mph acceleration is reportedly 5.8 seconds. Double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension is a combination that makes the Lexus a blast to drive, regardless of where the roof is. Driving a convertible is genuine fun on a balmy August day in Greeley, and a retractable hardtop that goes up or down in 21 seconds is a convenience.

I mentioned the wheels, which were ten-spoke dark graphite alloys fitted with 225/40R18 all-season radials. Front-lip spoilers were installed on the Lexus, as well as dual chrome exhausts and light-striped outside mirrors. I like red cars, and the IS350C styling presented a beautiful visage, in my mind.

Ride of the convertible was acceptable despite the 40-aspect tires, handling was was way above average, and guidance was great. Wind noise was at a low level for a convertible of any sort, and visibility was suitable, certainly in three directions from the driver’s seat.

I had fun with the Lexus convertible, and would recommend it to the niche buyer looking for such a car.

2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Crossover

On August 3, 2014August 23, 2014 By stuwright47In *CROSSOVERS, NissanLeave a comment

This past week my wife and I traveled to Illinois to visit an elderly relative, see the Cubs/Rockies games at Wrigley Field and test drive a 2014 Nissan Rogue SL all-wheel drive Crossover. Ruth and I picked up the car at O’Hare and immediately set out for Freeport, Illinois, 100 miles west of Chicago. Wonderful weather was on hand and responsible for taking some of the grief out of Illinois road construction, particularly on Interstate 90. Through the windshield I would estimate that I viewed one million orange signs on the vacation.

The Rogue is a popular Nissan offering, and the company has sold nearly 750,000 units since the introduction of the model in 2007. A year ago I wrote a review of the 2013, first generation Rogue, and at that time their sales were up 13% for the year. Now I have tested a 2014 Rogue, much redesigned, and as I understand it, sales are up again this year to the tune of 14%. That percentage also applies to the change in fuel efficiency of this new Rogue, and nicely, it is an increase in such, through the employment of a reduced drag coefficient, among other things.

My test Rogue was an SL model, which is the top offering of Nissan, with leather interior and sunroof. It was painted Midnight Jade (green) metallic and the interior was almond leather. M.S.R.P. of the Rogue was $32,395.00, including the base price of $29,420.00, freight of $860.00, and a couple of options. Those included carpeted floor mats ($125.00), and an SL Premium package ($1,990.00). The SL Premium package included the following: power panoramic moon roof, LED headlights with auto levelizers, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and moving object detection. Also included on this SL was 7” touch-screen display, navigation, satellite radio, around-view monitor for parking, power lift gate, and mud and snow tires all around. They were Dunlop Grand Trek P225/60R18s, and they provided a quiet highway driving environment.

Power for the Rogue comes from a four-cylinder, 170 horsepower engine with 175 lb. ft. of torque. The all-wheel drive vehicle has an Xtronic CVT (continuously variable) transmission with a sport mode switch and hill start assist. Acceleration is adequate, but fuel economy is above average for this class of vehicle – 32 mpg highway, 25 mpg city, 28 mpg combined. This is, after all, a 3,532 lb. crossover. I observed 25.1 mpg with the Rogue in a combination of highway and city driving for a three-day weekend. The fuel tank holds 14.5 gallons.

The interior of the Nissan is tasteful, with soft surfaces in abundance and a stylish dash and console. The front buckets are power, pushbutton start is on hand as well as tilt/telescope, folding 60/40 second row seating, backup camera and Bose 9-speaker stereo. Luggage space behind all the seating is 39.2 cubic ft. Ride is good, not sporty, and guidance, visibility and handling are similar in nature.

Styling for 2014 of the Nissan Rogue is an improvement over last year’s offering, and LED daytime running lights adorn the new, bolder front end. The new car is an inch longer, 1.5 inches wider, and an inch taller than the 2013 Rogue. Dressy chrome door handles, deep tint rear windows, and ten-spoke alloy wheels all serve to enhance the look, and devotees of the 2013 Rogue can buy what is called the Rogue Select, a carryover SUV. In front of the Ulysses S. Grant home in Galena, Illinois, a lot of tourists were checking out the Rogue SL.

Inside, the Rogue probably holds the right number of people, whereas a seven passenger Rogue is a bit much. I have to admit I like the Rogue. Its evident to me why it is a top seller (#2 in Nissan’s lineup).

2014 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport Review

On July 2, 2014July 4, 2014 By stuwright47In *CROSSOVERS, SubaruLeave a comment

The 2014 Subaru Impreza Sport 2.0i Sport Premium is the topic of this week’s review. I recently got to test out a Deep Sea blue pearl 5-door hatchback model with ivory cloth buckets and a “boxer” four cylinder power plant. It was supplied by Greeley Subaru. The punch-counterpunch action of the boxer pistons in the Subaru cancel each other out and provide a smooth delivery of power. Also, the low profile, horizontally opposed engine results in a lower center of gravity in the vehicle, aiding the handling and cornering characteristics. Porsche and Subaru are pretty much it when it comes to boxer automobile engines, and the design is found in some BMW and Honda motorcycles. It is a design patented by Germany’s Karl Benz in 1896.

The little Impreza was pretty good looking and some of the things I liked included all the windows to look out of (five down each side of the car), the attractive striped cloth upholstery, the solid feel, and the functional hatchback arrangement. Horsepower is 148 @ 6,200 rpm with resultant torque of 145 lb. ft. Fuel economy ratings are 27/city and 36/highway, 30 miles per gallon combined. The transmission is a continuously variable (CVT) Lineartronic automatic transmission with paddle shifters on this model, and of course the car sports a “symmetrical all-wheel drive” configuration. This Subaru is the most fuel-efficient all-wheel drive car in America. Wheelbase is 104.1” and length/width/height is 173.8”, 68.5”, and 59.5”. Weight of this automatic transmission model comes in at 2,998 lbs.

I mentioned the striped ivory buckets earlier, but did not mention the heated feature. Inside, the Sport also has 60/40 flat folding rear seat, cruise control, Bluetooth hands-free setup, steering wheel audio controls, tilt/telescope, center console with lots of storage and an emergency brake handle, hands-free phone connectivity, 6-speaker stereo, keyless entry, and antitheft security system. The materials in the Subaru are nice, the ride is suitable, and noise is at a minimum. These Subarus are designed for brainy people that live in a cold climate. Like residents of Colorado.

My wife and I took a ride to Loveland in the 2.0i, and I think the people on U.S. 34 were enjoying the view of our car. It has kind of a dark gray set of 17”, ten-spoke alloy wheels fitted with 205/50 R17 Yokohama Avid S34 all-season radials and the Deep Sea blue pearl paint is a great color. Big six-star blue emblems are fitted on the front and the rear, and some husky looking roof rails are installed on top.

Total M.S.R.P. of the Impreza was $22,734.00, including a base price of $20,795.00, freight ($795.00), all weather floor mats ($72.00), cargo tray ($72.00), and the automatic transmission ($1,000.00). I think it is pretty reasonable price and this five-door Subaru represents a prudent purchase.

2014 Chevrolet Volt

On June 22, 2014October 22, 2014 By stuwright47In *PASSENGER CARS, ChevroletLeave a comment

This past week I had the pleasure of testing out a new 2014 Chevy Volt four-door sedan. The Volt came in White Diamond Tricoat – a pearlescent white paint job, which is a very popular color for this model vehicle. The Volt is a version of the Chevrolet Cruze, but dressier with fancier mirrors, extra trim, and a substantial tail fin on the rear. And of the course the ground-breaking hybrid drive train.

The Volt I had possession of had a base price of $34,185.00, with premium interior trim ($1,395), rear camera/park assist ($575), navigation system ($895.00), frontal vision camera ($595.00), Bose premium speakers ($495), and the upgraded paint ($995). With freight and a cargo net, that brought the M.S.R.P. to $39,945.00. Such a price screams “pride” on the part of General Motors , but reportedly a federal tax credit of $7,500, along with a Colorado state tax credit of $6,000, serves to knock off a third of that sticker price.

Now that we have the purchase price back down to earth, let’s talk about driving the car. I took off for Denver to visit relatives last week, and the trip down there was 52 miles each way. Leaving town with a charged battery and full fuel tank, the computer said I obtained 46.5 miles per gallon, but my calculations came out better. The car ran on electricity alone for about 38 miles, and then imperceptibly moved to gasoline engine power. Actually, it was gas power generating electricity to power the front wheels. It was impressive. Coming back to Greeley, I bucked a wind and didn’t do as well on gas, 45.2 miles per gallon.

That premium trim package on the car included black and white leather seating (seats four), leather trimmed steering wheel, and heated buckets up front. I didn’t suffer discomfort driving the Volt; the ride is sumptuous. The car weighs about 3,800 lbs. with its big battery, and that gives it a luxury ride. Handling is great, as well. All the electronics were on board – backup camera, nav, Bluetooth, 30g audio storage, DVD rom, pushbutton/remote start, and Sirius XM radio. The dual 7” screens on the dash are dazzling, and the sound system is superb. To charge up the car, you use an extension cord that is about 20 ft. long and plug it into a 120v outlet for ten hours.

The gas engine is a 1.4 liter, 83 horsepower four, and the Voltec electric motor provides 149 horsepower and 173 lb. ft. of motoring torque. The alloy wheels are 17”, and are shod with 215/55R17 Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires. The warranty for the lithium-ion, 16 kWh, rechargeable battery is 100,000 miles or eight years.

My first car was a 1957 Chevy four-door BelAir, and I thought it was terrific in all respects. Back then I couldn’t have imagined a vehicle such as the Volt (or me at the wheel.) I must admit I would have thought it was a pretty neat deal.