Newman signs 1-year extension with Stewart-Haas

 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Ryan Newman confirmed Thursday he has signed a contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing for next season.

Newman is in the final year of the deal he signed in 2009. The extension is a one-year agreement, and he said he took a cut in pay just as nearly every driver has of late.

"I think in general everybody out there right now has taken a pay cut," Newman said. "No different than the cost of a seat in the grandstands is down. It all correlates."

SHR is searching for heavy sponsorship for next year after taking two big hits this summer. The U.S. Army, primary sponsor of Newman's car, said earlier this summer it isn't returning to NASCAR next season, and Office Depot said Sunday it won't be back as co-primary of Tony Stewart's car.

Newman said he isn't aware of any signed sponsors for next season on his No. 39 Chevrolet.

"I feel fairly confident that we'll have good branding on the car," he said. "I can't sit here and say exactly who it is going to be and how it's going to lay out and what race they're going to be at. I can tell you this for sure — it's going to be multiple sponsorships."

Newman is one of many drivers on the bubble of making the Chase for Sprint Cup championship heading into Saturday night's race at Richmond. He can only make the Chase with a victory.

JR Motorsports parts ways with Tony Eury Sr.

 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — JR Motorsports and competition director Tony Eury Sr. have parted ways, effective immediately.

Eury Sr., known as "Pops" throughout the industry, is team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s uncle. General manager Kelley Earnhardt-Miller said Friday the decision to split with Eury Sr. came during a hard conversation about team performance.

"The conversation Tony Sr. and I had was one of the most difficult I've ever been a part of," she said. "I believe Tony Sr.'s passion for the sport is exceeded only by his yearning to excel in it, and that itself became the issue that both he and I struggled with. At JR Motorsports, we do this to win races and compete for championships, and lately we have not met that standard. Being the competitor that Tony Sr. is, I know that bothers him more than anyone."

JR Motorsports has won nine Nationwide races, but none since Jamie McMurray's win at Atlanta in 2010.

The team this year fields cars for Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt, and is winless on the season. Eury Sr.'s son, Tony Jr., is Patrick's crew chief.

The organization in April put Bruce Cook on the pit box for Whitt in place of Eury Sr. as crew chief of the flagship No. 88 Chevrolet. Whitt responded with eight top-10 finishes in 19 races.

Eury Sr., meanwhile, oversaw the partial entry that Earnhardt and Ron Fellows have driven. That car finished fifth in three of its four races.

"I want what's best for Dale Jr., Kelley, Tony Jr., and all those employees. I really do," said Eury Sr. "We accomplished a lot in a short time, and nobody is prouder of that than I am. I'm not sure what's next for me, and I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to find out."

Eury Sr., who is 58, has been with JR Motorsports since 2007. He's won 55 races in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series in a career that has spanned 28 years. He spent 21 years at Dale Earnhardt Inc., leading Earnhardt Jr. to the Nationwide titles in 1998 and 1999.

"I can't think of anyone who has impacted my career and development as a driver more than Tony Sr.," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I know my dad ultimately put me in the Nationwide Series car back in the '90s, but Tony Sr. was the one who convinced him to do it. He was with me through two Nationwide Series championships and five full seasons as a Cup driver.

"We won a lot of races together, and as much as he impacted my career as a race car driver, he means more to me on a personal level. He's done a lot for this organization, and I thank him for it."

2013 Range Rover

The 2013 Land Rover Range Rover is engineered from the ground up to be the most capable, most refined Range Rover ever. It is lighter, stronger and has new levels of refinement.

As the fourth generation of the Range Rover line, this 2013 model has an all-aluminum unibody structure that is 39 percent lighter than the steel body in the outgoing model. This enables a total vehicle weight savings of up to 700 pounds. It delivers significant enhancements in performance and agility, along with an improvement in fuel economy and reduction in emissions.

Source:

Land Rover

©Motor Matters, 2012

My Ride: 1934 DeSoto Airflow Coupe

 

My favorite car, a 1934 DeSoto Airflow coupe, has been in my life for almost 30 years now. It wasn't until I restored it in the last five years that I realized how special and rare it is. The car's design was so futuristic that it really isn't too far out of place in today's traffic, nearly 80 years after it was built!

I first met the car when it was given to my father by my grandfather. He had bought it new from James Waters DeSoto Plymouth on Van Ness Avenue, which in 1939 became Ellis Brooks Chevrolet. My grandfather, Eugene Barr, carved his initials "EB" on the horn-button, and they're still there today.

We used the car for camping and fishing trips until the late 1940s, and by the early '50s I had taken over maintenance duties. For the next few years I ground valves, shimmed bearings, rebuilt the carburetor and fuel pump and worked on the brakes. My father taught me how to drive in the DeSoto, and with it I obtained my first driver's license. I began scouting around for parts with an idea of rebuilding it sometime in the future.

The car declined over the next few years, however, and by the time I entered the Navy in 1959 the DeSoto was completely out of commission. When I came home three years later, I found that my father had given the DeSoto away! But I had a life to begin - education, marriage and family. Even so, every once in a while, I thought about my old DeSoto. I would look through my father's boat-building diary to find whom he might have given it to, but nothing ever clicked.

In early 2002 I went to an Airflow website and asked, "Has anyone seen this car?" Weeks, then months went by. I began losing hope. Then one evening in November 2002 I received a phone call from Indianapolis from a Mr. Cochran who said, "I think I have your car." I could not believe it! I was blown away, and I asked him to send pictures.

When they arrived, my amazement continued. It still had its last California license plate on it! My old coupe was really in sad shape: it had no engine or running gear - just two axles, a steering gear and a body shell. The bottoms of both doors, the after-deck lid ("trunk" lid in modern cars but spare tire compartment in this one), and hood were pretty well rusted out. The bottoms of the rocker panels were totally gone. Work began early in 2003, and during the five-year restoration I got to know every inch of the DeSoto.

A really wonderful aspect of this car is what its designed capabilities were. It was the first automobile to break Auburn's dominance of speed trials that had been held since WWI.

The Airflow was designed for today's highways, and unlike many vintage cars it can easily keep up with modern traffic. Its construction eliminated the squeaks that plagued many older automobiles, and the DeSoto's aerodynamic design significantly reduced wind noise.

This is quite a rare car; there are no more than a half-dozen restored in existence today. Yet their innovation lives on in many other cars around the world. When this 1934 DeSoto Airflow coupe was rolled out, Fernando Porsche finalized his design of the (very similar) Volkswagen Beetle, which became one of the best-selling cars in the world.

While the design fizzled in the United States, Europe and Japan embraced it. Toyota's first car was almost an exact copy of an Airflow sedan, and European makers such as Citroen and Borgward began designing aerodynamic cars with similar characteristics. So even if the original was a flop in the marketplace, its children did very well indeed.

We want to know what you drive and why! Submit story ideas with the subject "My Ride" to cars@sfchronicle.com.

 

Sadler believes he can win Nationwide title at RCR

 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Elliott Sadler confirmed Friday he will not be returning to Richard Childress Racing next season.

The Nationwide Series points leader doesn't think his impending departure will hurt his chances at winning the championship this year.

"I think it's going to be pretty easy to stay focused," Sadler said at Richmond International Raceway. "It's not every day that you get a chance to win a championship. Me and my guys are very focused — a lot of guys on my race team have never won a championship. I've never won a championship in NASCAR's top three levels.

"Even though it looks like I will not be a part of RCR next year, I think to be in this situation we are in, in the points battle we are in, and having the success we are having, I think it's going to be pretty easy to stay focused."

Sadler headed into Friday night's Nationwide race at Richmond with a 12-point lead over defending champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with nine races left in the season. He shed little insight into why he's leaving RCR, which bought out Kevin Harvick Inc. last year and inherited Sadler in the deal.

He is teammates with Austin Dillon, Childress' grandson, and Ty Dillon is waiting in the Truck Series for an eventual promotion to Nationwide. The future of RCR clearly rests with the Dillon brothers, but Sadler did not cite any specific reason for the pending split.

"I just think sometimes circumstances, the stars don't always line up," he said. "I don't think it's a big deal, we're just not going to be able to race for those guys next year."

Sadler insisted he has no deal locked up yet for next year, has no sponsor to shop around, and is exploring both Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series rides. But he is believed to be close to a deal to drive one of the Nationwide entries at Joe Gibbs Racing next season.

He credited Childress for salvaging his career after a rough stretch with Richard Petty Motorsports. He was winless in six consecutive seasons and dropped each year in the standings — from ninth in 2004 to 27th in 2010, his last year under contract.

Harvick hired him for the Nationwide Series, and Sadler challenged last year for the title despite going winless. Now he's under Childress' umbrella, and has four victories this season. It's given him options for next year.

"It's been a tough last four, five years, different things I've been through; this is not tough at all," he said. "I've been through way worse situations with race teams. Right now I feel pretty good. Great equipment, good race team, fast race cars. It's tough when the phone's not ringing. When I went through the stuff I went through at RPM and you're calling everybody and no one will call you back, that's way tougher.

"It's a lot different now when you're having different dialogue with different teams and you're sharing a lot of information on what the future holds, different opportunities. Hopefully we can find the right situation that's good for me."

Man burning from Conn. car fire seeks help at park

 FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Authorities in Fairfield, Conn., say a man in flames after his SUV caught fire ran about 200 feet to a park for help from people at a Little League game.

Fairfield Police Chief Gary McNamara said two Little League coaches at Tunxis Hill Park helped the man until firefighters arrived. He was taken to a Bridgeport hospital with serious burns. His name and condition weren't immediately released Thursday night.

McNamara said witnesses heard popping in the parking lot and saw the four-wheel drive Chevy Tahoe on fire at about 6:30 p.m.

McNamara said the coaches helped give the man a chance. He said it was a "horrific" scene for the young ballplayers to witness.

Authorities said it's too soon to say what caused the fire, but it will be fully investigated.

Patrick says she's still looking for Indy 500 ride

 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Danica Patrick said Friday she is still looking for an opportunity to race in the Indianapolis 500 next season — if she can get a competitive ride.

"I'd like to if it's with the right team," Patrick said at Richmond International Raceway. "If it's not, then there is no point for me. I feel like I'd still be able to get in a seat and get comfortable with the amount of practice time there is in Indy and have a shot to win the race. But again, if I don't have a shot to win the race or feel like it's a real opportunity, then I am not going to do it."

Patrick made seven Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of third in 2009 — the highest ever finish for a woman in the field. She left IndyCar at the end of last year for NASCAR and is scheduled to run the full Sprint Cup season in 2013.

In that Cup job with Stewart-Haas Racing, Patrick would be committed to run NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day as the Indy 500. The last driver to run both races on the same day was Robby Gordon in 2003.

There is only a handful of team owners in IndyCar who could field a potential winning car for Patrick, since any effort would be just for her and for that race. Putting together a team and finding the sponsorship needed to fund the effort might not be easy.

"We're working on it. I'd like to do it if we can," Patrick said.

She also said she would like to run Nationwide races next season. Patrick ran a limited Nationwide schedule the last two years with JR Motorsports and is in her first full season this year.

"I would like to run some Nationwide races next year, for sure," she said. "The big tracks because they definitely relate the closest, Daytona and Talladega. And I'd like to run some of the tracks that are more challenging and difficult, and tracks that benefit from just pure track time. Things like that are good for me to run next year and get that extra track time. Obviously it's a matter of figuring out how that's going to work in sponsorship, but I would like to run some."

Providence wants to host Grand Prix auto race

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The mayor of Providence says he's hopeful Rhode Island's capital city could someday host a Grand Prix race.

WPRI-TV reports (http://bit.ly/QehiXK ) Mayor Angel Taveras (tuh-VEHR'-us) is working to bring an IndyCar race to Providence as a tourism event. Taveras attended a race Saturday in Baltimore.

Jim Bennett, the city's economic development director and chairman of the state's Convention Center Authority, says the final decision is up to IndyCar, which is the trade name for Indy Racing League LLC. The company runs the Indianapolis 500 car race.

Bennett says a Providence Grand Prix would have a big economic impact on the area and help market Providence as a tourism destination.

There's no word on where the race would be held.

___

Information from: WPRI-TV, http://www.wpri.com/

What's up with "self-inflating" tire?

The tires on my wife's '05 Infiniti FX35 are about six months old. We had no problems with them, until three weeks ago. When driving down the highway, the tire-pressure warning light came on. I pulled over to see which one had gone flat, but lo and behold, the right front tire was registering 57 psi! I reduced the pressure to 36, continued my drive home, checked the tires the next morning, found everything OK, figured it was just a fluke and forgot about it. Then, a few days ago, the exact same thing happened again. Same car, same tire, same highway. I've taken the car back to the reputable dealer where I purchased the tires. No one has heard of this before, and they can find nothing wrong with the car or the tire. I don't even think they believe me. What do you think, guys? - Rob

TOM: We think you're a liar, Rob. There's no way a tire can double its own air pressure without human

intervention. One of my ex-wives put you up to this, didn't she?

RAY: I agree that a tire can't gain that much air on its own. Now, tire pressure does go up about one pound per square inch (psi) for every 10-degree rise in the tire's temperature. But even that won't explain what happened in your case.

TOM: Think about it - even if your tire started at 60 degrees in your driveway and went up to 160 on the highway (which is high), that would add only another 10 pounds of pressure - not 25.

RAY: Nor does it explain why the pressures in the other tires didn't go up by the same amount. They were on the same car, on the same highway.

TOM: I suppose it's possible that if you had a brake caliper that was sticking on that wheel, highway driving could heat up the wheel itself, which would then heat up the tire. So you can ask your repair person to check for signs of a sticky caliper on that wheel. But to get that hot, it would have to be so sticky that it would be almost seized.

RAY: So the most likely explanation is that it was a measurement error. Did you actually use a tire gauge to check all four tires? Or did you just look at the tire-pressure monitor readings on the car's dashboard?

TOM: If you were just reading the pressures from the dashboard monitor, then I suspect that the pressure sensor in your right front wheel is faulty. Each wheel has its own sensor that sends its pressure reading wirelessly to the car's computer. Sometimes those sensors go bad. It may even have been damaged when you had your new tires installed six months ago.

RAY: So, the first thing you should do is spend 10 bucks and get yourself a decent digital tire gauge. Then, next time this happens, get an actual reading from the tire itself. If it's the same as the other tires, then the tire-pressure sensor probably is bad, and for less than a hundred bucks, you could have it replaced.

TOM: If, on the other hand, a reliable tire gauge actually reads 57 pounds of air, then residing in your front tire is a new species of prolific, rubber-eating, flatulence-producing bacteria that has heretofore been undiscovered by science.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at www.cartalk.com.

© 2012 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

NASCAR puts limits on Hendrick development

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — NASCAR on Thursday passed a rule that will curb the ability of teams to set their cars up in a way that gives the driver easier rear steer.

The technical bulletin issued by NASCAR goes into effect next week at Chicago, when the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins, and many believe it is aimed directly at powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

Drivers have alleged for months that Hendrick made gains in the rear housing this season that gave its cars an aerodynamic advantage. NASCAR has maintained through the complaints that the Hendrick teams weren't breaking any rules, which four-time champion Jeff Gordon reiterated.

"When we presented it to NASCAR for approval, they didn't act like it was something they had never seen before," Gordon said. "I don't even think we were the first ones to do it."

Gordon also alleged most everyone in the garage is doing the same thing now, which Kyle Busch confirmed — with a caveat.

"We all started working on it once we saw what they were doing," Busch said. "It's follow the leader. You really don't have many secrets here in the garage area very long. We started going to work on those kind of things, too, and trying to manipulate some of the same things they were doing."

Starting next week, NASCAR is limiting the amount of movement of the bushings located in the rear suspension to a quarter of an inch. The bushings are sleeves made of rubber or other materials located near the rear mounting points. Hendrick teams found a way to make them softer and softer in an effort to let the truck arms move and help steer the rear of the cars in the turns.

Brad Keselowski has been one of the most vocal critics of the development Hendrick has done, but NASCAR could do nothing.

"It's an advantage, but it's a legal advantage," Busch said. "There is nothing illegal with what they were doing."

But there will be limits starting next week, when Hendrick will have at least two and possibly all four of its drivers racing for the championship. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are already in the Chase, while Kasey Kahne and Gordon are trying to lock down wild card spots Saturday night at Richmond.

Gordon said the Hendrick cars are doing the same thing as everyone else in the garage.

"When you watch on TV and see the cars skewed, running sideways down the straightaways, it's pretty obvious what everybody is trying to do — everybody is trying to get as much downforce in the car as possible," Gordon said. "And every time NASCAR comes up with a rule, you go OK, 'How do we get around the rule?' I feel like that's what everybody is doing, and our guys have done a lot of work in that area to gain that advantage and I give them all the credit in the world."

Earnhardt and Gordon take front row at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — It's a Hendrick Motorsports front row at Richmond International Raceway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for Saturday night's "regular-season" finale, turning a lap of 127.023 mph in his Chevrolet to bump teammate Jeff Gordon from the top starting spot.

"I was as surprised as anybody," said Earnhardt, who won the 11th pole of his career. "It feels good. I've not really been the best of qualifiers the last couple of years. We have a lot of improvements we've made this year. It feels good to get a pole."

It's the first pole for NASCAR's most popular driver since the 2011 Daytona 500.

It came at the expense of Gordon, who is trying to race his way into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Gordon wound up second, and was pleased with the effort.

"Mission accomplished," he said.

Gordon needs a strong race Saturday night and a little bit of help to earn one of the two wild-card berths in the 12-driver Chase field. Although eight drivers go into the race mathematically eligible for the final two spots in the Chase field, the talk has focused on a battle between Gordon and Kyle Busch for the last slot.

Busch, a four-time Richmond winner who picked up his only victory this season here in May, qualified 15th. But Gordon knew that's not far enough in the pack to not worry about Busch.

"In my opinion, it's really Kyle's to lose," Gordon said. "For us, it's really nothing to lose, everything to gain."

Earnhardt is already locked into the Chase and is racing only for bonus points Saturday night. The Chase field will be re-seeded after the race, with everyone but the two wild-card drivers starting their title hunt with three bonus points per victory.

Earnhardt has one win this season.

"I think everybody wants to get the win to kick the Chase off, and go into the Chase with a lot of confidence," Earnhardt said.

The top seed will be Denny Hamlin, who has a series-best four wins this season and goes into his home track coming off consecutive victories the last two weeks. He qualified 11th and has said all week his focus Saturday night will be in helping Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Busch make the Chase.

But Hamlin could be joined by another driver in a tie for the top seed: five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and defending champion Tony Stewart are all tied with three wins this season. If one of them wins at Richmond, they'll tie Hamlin with 12 bonus points to open the Chase.

Hamlin, a two-time winner here, isn't ruling out stretching his lead with yet another victory. He's coming off wins at Bristol and Atlanta.

"I think we've got a great shot at three in a row," Hamlin said. "We've just got to keep it going."

Regan Smith, not eligible for the Chase, qualified third and was followed by Chase drivers Clint Bowyer and Johnson. Sprint Cup Series points leader Greg Biffle qualified 23rd in a rough day for Ford drivers.

Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, Biffle's Roush Fenway Racing teammates, qualified 16th and 17th. Edwards, who lost the championship to Stewart last season on a tie-breaker, is clinging to the outside possibility of making the Chase. He's winless this year, although a late penalty for jumping the restart cost him the win here in May.

He said he's rooting for "an insane race" Saturday night.

"I want things to just be off the chart. I want rain delays and oil on the track. I want things to happen," he said. "I need this race to be insane. I need people running out of fuel and crazy cautions and four-wide down in turn one. That's what I need and I'll take whatever I can get."

That's exactly what Busch doesn't want to happen.

"I hope it's not crazy," he said this week. "If I had my way, I'd just as soon see somebody already in the Chase win the race and I finish second."

Busch can clinch a berth by winning the race, or by losing 12 or fewer points to Gordon.

It's Busch vs Gordon in race for final Chase berth

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — NASCAR trotted out eight drivers Thursday who are all mathematically eligible to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

In reality, Saturday night's "regular season" finale is a race between Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon for the final berth in the 12-driver field.

The two wild card berths are both technically open. But with two wins on the season, Kasey Kahne is in strong shape to lock one of them down. So Busch and Gordon talked as if it's just down to them for the last slot.

"I think it's just Jeff and I," Busch said. "Nothing against any of the other guys, but the way past history preserves itself, I think it's just Jeff and I."

Busch can clinch a berth by winning the race, or by losing 12 or fewer points to Gordon. It doesn't hurt that Richmond is one of his best tracks.

He's a four-time winner at Richmond, and his May win here is his only victory this season. He's got an average finish of 4.7 and has 13 top-10s in 15 career starts. With that track record, he didn't seem too stressed Thursday.

"It certainly relieves a little bit of pressure than if (the race) was anywhere else," Busch said. "Richmond is a really good race for me, but it is a short track where anything can happen."

Gordon only makes it into the Chase by finishing 13 points ahead of Busch. And, a week after failing to knock Denny Hamlin out of the way at Atlanta for what would have been a crucial victory, Gordon is vowing to do anything needed to make the Chase.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to win, whatever that means," Gordon said Thursday.

What it doesn't mean, though, is asking for help. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are already locked into the Chase, and although Kasey Kahne isn't yet, it would take an epic failure and a litany of other scenarios for him not to claim a wild card.

Gordon wants them to run their own races on Saturday night.

"I'm not going to ask them to do anything for me," he said. "It they choose to do anything on their own, that's on them."

At the same time, Gordon said he won't give anyone any breaks, even his teammates. At Atlanta, on the final restart, he had a chance to knock Hamlin out of the way and steal a win that would have given him two on the season and put him in prime position to grab the last Chase berth.

He's been kicking himself ever since, and even wondered if he's getting soft in his later years. It won't happen again on Saturday night.

"Right now, we're going to be treating anybody that's in front of us as if they are the enemy," Gordon said.

Busch understands that it could be anything goes in the closing laps on Saturday night. His preference is for a quiet race, with a driver already locked into the Chase winning, and Busch finishing second. But if he's got to move Gordon for the win, he'll do it, and knows Gordon will do the same to him.

"It would be in line with what's on the line," he said.

Local car dealers say bailout was "the right thing to do".

President Barack Obama enjoyed by shaking the cheers at the Democratic National Convention of the decision of his administration to bail the GM and Chrysler in 2009, but the local automobile dealers were divided Friday on whether it changes their political views when he seeks re-election.

"", Four interviewed agreed that any president would have done the same thing - same GOP named Mitt Romney, who defended against a rescue in a piece of op - ed 2008 New York Times that said managed bankruptcy "may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring, that the industry is in need."

"Despite what said Romney, he would have, too," said Carroll Smith, owner of Monument Chevrolet in Pasadena. "I think that anyone in this seat would have, because it was the right thing to do." How could you not? »

Smith explained: "I am very conservative and free market advocate, but it is not a free play then market." The credit market is closed completely, and no there was no money to be borrowed. »

He and the others interviewed said the impact on the economy in general to major automakers fails is unimaginable.

"I cannot think of the United States of America and that we weren't motor construction," said Wyatt Wainwright, president of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association. "It was part of our fabric." It would have been so great if she had disappeared. It would impact downstream with the same suppliers. It would have been disastrous. »

"What is good for America."

Steven Wolf, vice president of Helfman Dodge Chrysler Jeep, also painted the rescue plan, with respect to the common good.

"I think it's good for the industry and, most important, good for America," he said.

Unanimity is the end. The president should not expect everyone in the automotive sector to support in November.

Jeff Kuhl, sales at McRee Ford in Dickinson consultant, said that he plans to vote for Obama, which he attributed "a lot of things to stay afloat."

Kuhl, said the president inherited from the financial crisis of the second worst in the history of the country, and it is unrealistic to think that it might be fixed in a few years. It took years to overcome depression, he added, and the forces are out of control of the Obama.

"It makes sense".

Smith, said, that it is simply more aligned with Romney when it comes to "Affairs, taxation and leadership." Obama and the rescue plan, he said, "he did and I applaud him, but I will not vote for him."

Wolf chose to talk about rescue himself, says he is paying off the coast as rebound Chrysler and GM.

"The Government will not all the money back, but probably most of it," Wolf said, "and for the security and the economic prosperity of the country, he had a sense."

Wolf refused to say that he plans to vote for.

David.Kaplan@Chron.com

Review: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

AppId is

Public beta tests are common in the computer world where a group of fanatics pound your beta to death and help you find the problems. In the automotive world this activity is not only rare, it runs contrary to the cash spent on dressing future cars in swirly vinyl. The Prius plug-in is different. Toyota built 600 demonstrators and sent them to large corporations, Zipcar fleets and, of course the press. Even TTAC was allowed to drive one for a week. What does that have to do with the final product? And how does it stack up against the Volt, Plug-in Fusion and the 2013 Accord Plug-in? Let’s find out.

There is little to distinguish the Plug-in from the “normal” Prius save the charging door on the right rear quarter panel and (if you’re in California) and the green HOV access stickers. The lack of distinctiveness is either a benefit or a drawback depending on how loud you want to proclaim your “greenness.” The lack of differentiation made financial sense for Toyota as the Prius is rumored to be redesigned for the 2015 model year. Compared to the beta car, Toyota relocated the charging port to the rear meaning I had to back into parking spots to use some public charging stations. Ever wondered why the LEAF’s port is in the nose? Now you know.

Because the Prius’ chassis was designed for a large battery, no changes to the passenger compartment were required. The cargo area is a different story. The regular Prius operates in EV mode up to 42MPH with a range of two miles if you are extremely gentle on the throttle. The plug-in’s range is 11-15 miles thanks to a bigger battery. Toyota achieved the capacity increase by using denser lithium-ion batteries (instead of nickel hydride) and converting the spare tire area into a battery compartment. The result is an increase in capacity from 1.3kWh to 4.4kWh at the cost of the spare and the jack. The beta car used a 5.2kWh battery pack that was segmented into one 1.2kWh pack and two 2kWh packs. The reason for the change was the three pack arrangement wasn’t as efficient and the beta testers complained there was no way to regenerate power back into the dual 2kWh packs once they were exhausted.

A 3.1kWh jump doesn’t sound like much until you understand how the Prius uses the battery. To preserve the life of the battery, a regular Prius will never fully discharge or charge the battery (batteries “wear” faster when their charge state is at either extreme), reducing the usable capacity to around 0.6kWh. For plug-in duty, Toyota expanded this usable capacity to somewhere around 4.2kWh. In comparison, the Volt’s usable capacity is around 12.9kWh and the 2013 Accord plug-in is 6kWh.

Under the hood you will find the same 1.8L, 98HP engine and “power splitting device” as a regular Prius. The engine and electric motors even put out the same combined 134HP. I know what Prius owners are thinking: Hang on, if it’s the same drivetrain, why is my Prius limited to 42MPH in EV mode? You won’t find the answer under the hood, it’s the battery and the software. The Prius’ traction motor (MG2) is the motor connected to the wheels and depending on how you look at the way the transaxle works (great link for tech-heads at eahart.com), MG2 is doing most of the work when you’re moving forward. That’s why MG2 is an 81HP motor. The “problem” with the regular Prius is the discharge rate. The 1.4kWh NiMH battery can deliver only 36HP peak and 27HP of continuous power. The plug-in’s larger batter on the other hand is capable of delivering 51HP of continuous power. If your power demands exceed the neighborhood of 51HP, then the engine turns on to make up the difference up to 134. This new battery pack has another benefit: greater regeneration capacity. On my daily commute I go over a 2,200ft mountain pass, a regular Prius’ battery would be full around 1,700ft. Because the plug-in was able to regenerate all the way down, I gained 7 miles of EV range to make up for the extra gas it took to get me up the hill in the first place.

The Prius isn’t an EV, and it’s not trying to be a “Toyota Volt” either. Yet, it’s more than just a CARB compliance car as well. Unlike the Volt, Fisker, or even the new Accord Hybrid, the Prius can’t live without its engine. Even for short drives. If you floor the car, the engine comes on, and while the beta car had a slick heat-pump to heat the cabin, the production car uses engine heat like a regular Prius. Instead, the Prius plug-in is a new type of car where locomotion blends two different fuel sources trading a portion of the gasoline you pay $4.35 a gallon for in California for electricity at $0.10-$0.15 per kWh. The coming Ford plug-in hybrids operate in essentially the same way.

Let’s look at these numbers in terms of a commute. I drive 106 miles a day, and my commute involves city, highway and rural mountain roads. Starting with fuel economy without charging: the Volt averaged 33MPG, the Prius averaged 50 and the Prius plug-in averaged 52. (Credit the greater ability to regenerate for the improved figure.) With charging on both ends of my commute, the Volt averaged 40MPG, and the Prius plug-in averaged 72MPG.

According to our calculations, if your commute is under 27 miles total, or 27 miles each way with charging on either end at $0.15/kWh, the Volt is the cheaper vehicle to run. The more expensive the electricity, the better the Prius’s proposition. Even at $4.35 a gallon gasoline. My average rate at home is $0.27/kWh due to my agricultural rate which bumps the operational cost of the Volt higher than the Prius plug-in at anything over a 1-mile distance. Check your rates before you plug-in.

On the road, the plug-in behaves just like a regular Prius thanks to gaining only 150lbs. As you would expect, the low rolling resistance tires deliver moderate road noise and precious little grip. The steering is numb a bit over-boosted, body roll is average and acceleration is leisurely. Is that a problem? Not in my mind. The Prius’ mission is efficiency and not driving pleasure.

When in EV mode, exceeding 3/4 throttle will cause the engine to start, something I still think is a pity. Still, the plug-in is perfectly capable of tacking mountainous terrain in pure EV mode. At speeds above about 50MPH you have to be more gentle on the throttle in order to prevent the engine from kicking in and at 62 the engine starts no matter how ginger you are. If it’s a cold day outside and you’re using the cabin heater, the Prius’ engine will turn on immediately and run to keep the cabin warm. Unlike a regular Prius , if you are in EV mode,  the engine will be essentially idling and generating a small amount of power as long as you keep your speed under 62.

Although the battery and motor are likely capable of speeds greater than 62MPH, the system’s design requires the engine to be spinning. This means that in “EV mode” above 62MPH, the EV battery provides the majority of the energy while the engine essentially idles. In this operation, we were easily getting 180 MPG while on a level freeway traveling 70MPH for 9-10 miles.

With a starting price of $32,000, or $40,285 if you prefer your hybrid fully-loaded, the Prius plug-in has a limited market in mind. You either need to want the latest in Prius tech, or be willing to pay $8,000 to use the HOV lanes for a few years. While I do believe it would be possible to eventually save money vs a regular Prius, it will take an eternity and some serious number crunching. On my commute it would take 300,000 miles for the plug-in to break even with a $24,000 Prius. If your commute is 24 miles a day, then the break even drops to 130,000 miles. But at 24 miles a day, it would take you 20 years. Still, there is that HOV lane to consider. On my route the HOV stickers would cut my daily travel by 30 minutes or  11 hours a month. How much is that worth to you? If your answer isn’t: $8,000, then click on over to our Prius C review. While the Prius plug-in may make sense for a select few, the Toyota’s beta program still succeeded in several ways. Toyota implemented some major changes to the battery systems as a result of the feedback and gained a non-stop flow of reviews in the process. If only Bentley could do the same.

Toyota provided the vehicle, insurance and fuel for this review.

Fuel economy average over 583miles: 65

Percent of time in EV mode: 20%

Performance statistics as tested:

0-30: 3.4 seconds

0-60: 10.0 seconds

¼ Mile: 17sec @ 79 MPH

Review: 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR By Michael Karesh on September 7, 2012

Styled to resemble an Outlander Sport

Reviewing a car a week, and dispatching the great majority as boring (if not in so few words), I begin to wonder whether I’m pursuing some fantastical ideal. Perhaps the concepts of communicative steering, a connection with the car, and a visceral driving experience are just something I have in my head? Can they actually exist in the real world? As the weeks roll on, one begins to have doubts. Then fate places a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR in the driveway.

I hadn’t requested the Evo because the car hasn’t changed since I last reviewed one (with a little help from RF) over four years ago. Moreover, Brendan brilliantly reviewed a GSR last fall. But the car I was scheduled to have was pulled, and the fleet company asked if I’d be up for an Evo MR as a replacement. Would !? I already knew how it would drive, but who turns down a week with an Evo?

Warning: not an ordinary car

Well, my wife would. As she put it, “I have had quieter, more relaxing rides in the back seat of an airplane.” And she hates flying. Judging from the Evo’s firm Recaro seats, firmer ride, ever-present exhaust boom, and 1990s econo-car interior, one might think Mitsubishi did nothing to make the car suitable for daily driving. Those of us who’ve driven a previous generation Evo know better. Compared to earlier Evos, this one’s actually livable, at least for people who value the things the car does well. (Especially since it doesn’t have a ridiculous wing on the back.)

Almost elegant from this angle

The Evo X does do some things very well. Last time around I drove the Evo GSR, which has a five-speed manual transmission. This time it was the MR, with a six-speed automated dual-clutch manual transmission (“SST” in Mitsubishi parlance—we badly need a single, concise, widely recognized term for these things). In the two-pedal car, the powertrain feels even more aggressive. It’s always ready to jump into attack mode. There’s some lag from a dead stop, but once rolling, you’re apt to get a stronger response than you were seeking. In these economy- and-refinement-minded times, this is not a common occurrence. I’ve driven plenty of cars that didn’t feel as strong as their specs suggested they should have. Though the Evo pairs a no-longer-so-impressive 291 horsepower with a 3,600-pound curb weight, it’s not one of those cars. The heated driving experience exceeds the cold, hard numbers. It’s not just the quickness. It’s the immediacy.

The SST doesn’t snap off shifts quite as quickly as VW’s DSG, with a brief pause to let the engine relax instead of yanking it down, but it reacts instantaneously to your right foot, perhaps even to your brain waves. Decelerate for a turn, and it automatically steps down through the gears, so the right one will be there the instant you need it. If you feel the need to employ the lovely column-mounted magnesium paddles, you’re just not thinking clearly enough. Choose from normal, sport, and super sport modes to vary the height of the boil at which the transmission keeps the angry hair dryer under the hood.

291 horsepower from 2.0 liters

Of course, you can get far more bang for your buck in a Mustang. The Evo isn’t primarily about going fast in a straight line. It’s about handling. Not the sort of light, balanced, intuitive handling you’ll find in the best sports cars. The car is too hefty and nose-heavy for that, and the Evo even feels more than a little out of sorts in casual driving. But get jiggy with wheel and pedals, and the Evo’s hyper-sophisticated electronically-modulated all-wheel-drive system comes into play, tweaking the car into a seemingly perfect line. Wondering what car reviewers are looking for when they criticize the steering in, well, everything? This is it, firm, direct, quick, and communicative.

Much better than an Evo IX!

The harder you drive the Evo, the better it feels, and the better you feel…as long as you ignore the fuel economy readout. Economy isn’t one of the SST’s modes. The EPA rates the Evo MR at 17 MPG in city driving, and 22 on the highway. You can moderately exceed these numbers if you drive the Evo like you would a Prius. But why would you do that? Drive the Evo in the suburbs without a concern for gas mileage and mid-teens happen. Drive it like you stole it and the digits become singular.

Common sight

I hadn’t driven a Subaru WRX since that car was tweaked in response to widespread complaints for the 2009 model year. While the STI is a more direct competitor to the Evo, the Mitsubishi’s $38,490 price tag ($40,785 as tested with nav) raises the question of how much you’d really be giving up with a sub-$30,000 Subaru.

Eye of the beholder

Well, you’d be giving up nearly everything that makes the Evo an Evo. The WRX is about as quick, but even with the 2009 tweaks, it remains a far softer, less immediately responsive, less communicative, considerably less visceral car. The Subaru doesn’t beg to be flogged the way the Evo does. It’s happy to relax and go with the (traffic) flow. It’s cushier, roomier, and has a rear seat that folds to expand a larger trunk. If Subaru offered one with an automatic, my wife could drive it without complaint—and even without realizing its performance potential. For a reminder of what’s missing from nearly every car sold today, we still need the Evo.

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Versus 2012 Ferrari FF

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

A few months back, Bertel decreed that TTAC would have no more duplicate reviews. If we wanted to test a car that had already been reviewed, we’d better have a dramatically different take on it. I had a FIAT 500 Abarth for the week. Jack and Alex had already covered it on track and off. I thought someone had a comparison with the MINI Cooper S on the way. What else could I possibly compare the Abarth to that would make sense? It’s not like there are any other high-performance Italian hatchbacks offered in North America…

You’re a single guy (not me) with an appointment to keep (sadly, me) when you happen across a supermodel. You have only a few minutes to spare, but you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t chance a pass, and she’s going to reject you anyway. Except Jeff Cauley is a top-notch dealer with enough of a sense of humor to agree to an “Italian hatchback comparison test.” So here we have all of the insight I could glean from a quickie with “this is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy” looping inside my skull.

There are some differences between the FIAT 500 Abarth and the Ferrari FF. We’ll cover those. But the similarities are uncanny. For $1,590, you can grace the fenders of your FF with “Scuderia Ferrari” shields. These are yellow topped with the Italian tricolor.

The Abarth’s fenders include shields as standard equipment. They’re smaller in size, with a scorpion rather than a horse (startled by a scorpion?) displayed sable, but the colors are the same.

A 2+2 two-door hatchback configuration distinguishes both cars from alternatives. The rear seats might barely fit adults, but they’ll do in a pinch, and should serve well with smaller humans. The FF has a considerable edge in cargo volume with the rear seat up (15.9 cubic feet vs. 9.5), but it goes away when the seat is folded (28.3 vs. 26.5).

Matching fitted luggage isn’t available from the FIAT factory at any price, much less $9,967, but there are other ways to contain your empties.

The leather inside the FF is of very high quality, and covers nearly every surface. Nearly every creature comfort is either standard or (in some unexpected cases) optional. Cruise control adds $1,067, a parking camera $3,463, and a dual-screen rear seat entertainment system $5,298. The nav system is as easy to use as that in a Chrysler, perhaps because it’s the same unit. The reconfigurable LCD instruments effectively convey a huge amount of information. (Hopefully they prove as durable as they are functional.) But you can find equally opulent cabins in cars that cost half as much.

Similarly, the Abarth’s decidedly less organic interior materials resemble those in cars that cost roughly half as much (though the red-stitched and upholstered instrument binnacle is a nice touch). Unlike in the Ferrari, cruise control is standard. Nav is provided by a portable unit that plugs into a hole atop the dash, but at least it only adds $400. As with the FF, you’re mostly paying for performance hardware.

What sort of hardware? The FF is powered by a normally-aspirated 6.3-liter engine that produces 660 horsepower (PS) at its 8,000 rpm redline. Torque peaks at a similarly lofty 6,000 rpm, but there’s plenty to be found just off idle, courtesy of the Vette-like displacement. Not that you’ll want to keep revs low. The V12's tenor wail, more like that of a sport bike than any non-Italian car, is pistonhead nirvana, with never a note out of place. No manual transmission is offered, perhaps because none would be nearly as quick nor as smooth as the rear-mounted seven-speed automated dual-clutch unit. An ingenious all-wheel-drive system is standard. Instead of a transfer case, it employs a two-speed automatic transmission connected to a clutch pack for each wheel to grab power as needed (to maintain stability and traction) from the front of the engine. Is it quick? Of course it’s quick, so quick that you can barely scratch the powertrain’s potential at semi-legal speeds on public roads. In track testing, sixty arrives in about 3.5 seconds. This said, there’s more of a sensation of speed than in some other extremely powerful cars, where you arrive at 60 with little memory of the trip.

Does the thought of clutches that must continuously slip to do their job scare you? Or perhaps your environmental sensibilities cannot tolerate EPA ratings of 11 city and 17 highway? Then the 28/34 500 might be more your thing. For the Abarth, FIAT turbocharges the 500's 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine to yield 160 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. Unless you forget to hit the sport button, in which case the engine peaks around 135 horsepower, the throttle lags, and the car feels unworthy of its fancy badges. So be sure to hit the button to the right of the red-stitched, flat-bottomed steering wheel each time you start the car.

Even with the sport button pushed, there’s little torque below 3,000 rpm even once the turbo spools up. The Abarth’s song isn’t remotely as refined as the FF’s, such that “song” seems an ill-chosen term, but what it lacks in quality it strives to make up for in quantity. Some will find its boom, snap, and crackle overly raucous, but for me the Abarth’s drone is reasonably low when cruising and its exhaust doesn’t bark loudly on deceleration the way the Dodge Neon SRT4's (tuned by some of the same folks) did. The five-speed’s shifter is mounted oddly high, its shift feel is slightly sloppy, and the clutch vaguely grabs at the very top of its long travel. Despite this iffy execution, a conventional manual remains the best partner for the Abarth’s engine. A good thing, as no automated option is offered. The front wheels are driven all the time, the rears never. As in the Ferrari, the engine’s testa is dressed in rossa.

For a mere $1,445 you can get the FF’s massive calipers (which squeeze 15.7-inch rotors) in red.

The Abarth has red calipers as a standard feature (perhaps because less paint is needed). Its brakes are also much smaller, but they are charged with retarding far less curb weight, 2,512 vs. 4,145 pounds.

Both cars have reasonably raked windshields and so no need for extra-deep instrument panels. But here the similarity of their driving positions ends. To achieve a 47/53 weight distribution, Ferrari mounted the FF’s long engine entirely behind the front axle, yielding a very long hood. For less obvious reasons, the FF also happens to be very wide. Consequently, while the FF might feel lighter than it is, it doesn’t feel smaller than it is. Instead, it feels at least as large as a Panamera, and similar in overall character. The tape measure reports similar dimensions (193.2 x 76.9 x 54.3 inches vs. 195.6 x 76.0 x 55.8). The FF has less length abaft the driver but more inches ahead, and you sit a little lower behind a taller instrument panel and longer hood. But, compared to the driving position in one of the science fiction experiments from Lamborghini, the FF’s is downright practical.

The Abarth’s driving position occupies the opposite extreme. You sit so high that the car feels tippy even though, once the firm suspension takes a set, it’s not. Seat adjustments are far more limited than in the Ferrari, and unless you’re in the left tail of the bell curve you won’t be using the one for height. There’s far less hood ahead of you, and you don’t see the little there is. Excellent for forward visibility, not so good for sporting character.

During my test drive the FF’s suspension remained well within its capabilities. When well short of its limits the car feels every bit as balanced as one with a 47/53 weight distribution should. The throttle can be used to nudge the rear end around, and the FF feels more lively than the typical all-wheel-drive car, perhaps because in balls-short-of-the-wall dry road driving the front wheels are declutched. The FF’s steering is light yet fairly communicative and shockingly quick (perhaps even too quick for such a large car). Compared to a Porsche Panamera, it takes longer (and longer than I had) to become acclimated behind the control-festooned wheel of the FF. The Porsche, while also feeling like a super-sized sports car, is a more intuitive car to drive quickly. But even in casual driving the FF engages. Once everything is tweaked to taste (a mind-boggling number of adjustments are available, but unlike in the FIAT the settings appear to be retained when the car is turned off) and the Ferrari becomes familiar it would no doubt be the more satisfying car to drive.

Simply due to its could-hardly-be-more-different dimensions, proportions, and weight distribution (64/36), the Abarth handles much differently. Contrary to some other reports, understeer isn’t excessive, but you’ll never forget that the FIAT is a tall, nose-heavy, front-wheel-drive car. Despite its much more compact dimensions and lesser weight (1,600 vs. 1,950 pounds) over narrower front tires (205/40ZR17 vs. 245/35ZR20), the Abarth’s steering is less communicative and lacks the quickness I expect in a tiny hatchbac. No surprise given its much shorter wheelbase (90.6 vs. 117.7 inches), higher center of gravity, and far less sophisticated suspension, the Abarth also doesn’t ride nearly as smoothly as the Ferrari. The FF might also have the Panamera beat in this last aspect.

The FIAT 500 Abarth starts at $22,700. The 17-inch wheels add one grand. Leather adds another. A convenience package, nav, and red mirrors plus stripes (a box I’d uncheck) bumped the tested car’s price to $26,200. On the one hand, this seems a little steep given the car’s size, performance potential, and amenities. Another thousand will get you a roomier, much more capable and considerably more enjoyable MazdaSpeed3. On the other hand, the Abarth’s price is well under one-tenth of the Ferrari’s. The FF is theoretically available for just $298,750. But options added over $60,000 to the car I drove, and over $100,000 to another in the showroom. Air freight (not included in the sub-300 price) added $5,000 to a car that had been shipped to Michigan, $9,000 to one that had originally deplaned in Arizona. It’s not clear if the gas guzzler tax is included in the base price or buried in a substantial “other options” figure (both cars included far more items than could fit on the window sticker).

So, which Italian hatchback is the best one for you? The FF is an exercise in what happens when cost isn’t much of an object and the sheet starts clean. You fit a highly-tuned, naturally-aspirated V12 for seamless power, mount it far back for balance, pair it with an automated manual for quick responses, and employ all-wheel-drive on an as-needed basis for traction. The apparently unavoidable downsides of all this optimization are size, weight, and cost. Enough money fixes the last, and the second isn’t terribly evident, but the first doesn’t ever go away. The FF is very much the ultimate expression (until its replacement arrives) of the GT concept. For similar performance in a smaller car, you’re going to have to give up some cylinders, the rear seat, a lot of luggage capacity, or all of the above.

Perhaps you want a tidier hatchback that can be more fully exploited on public roads at legal speeds. Or your budget simply doesn’t extend north of $300,000. But you also want Italian style complete with red highlights everywhere the Ferrari has them and tricolor fender badges. Then the Abarth is the obvious choice.

Cauley Ferrari in West Bloomfield, MI, provided the FF. For those with smaller budgets, Cauley also operates a used car dealership with its heart in the right place—you’ll find no boring cars on the lot. They can be reached at 866-353-8629.

FIAT provided the 500 Abarth with insurance and a tank of gas.

Michael Karesh operates truedelta.com, a provider of car reliability and pricing information.

Pre-production review: 2013 Honda Accord, part 1

Redesigning the second best-selling midsize sedan in America is no easy task. It’s also one that doesn’t happen very often for fear of getting it wrong. Still, even with all the bad press the new Civic received, sales have been booming. By all appearances this has not made Honda sit on their hands however when it came to the new Accord. Honda invited us to Santa Barbara to sample the all-new, smaller, 9th generation Honda Accord. This is a bold launch event with not just a new engine and transmission under the hood, but an all new hybrid technology on offer as well. If you want to know how it drives, or how much it costs, our Honda overlords have decreed our lips must be sealed until the 10th at 6AM Eastern. Set yourself a reminder then click-through the jump for part one.

Exterior

The previous generation Accord suffered from some slightly cartoonish styling flairs, like “bulging” headlamps and a “Jaguaresque” sloping trunk. For 2013 Honda went back to a more traditional, some might even say sedate, exterior. In contrast to the swoopy styling from Hyundai and the “wannabe Camaro” tail on the Malibu, the Accord is simple and undeniably elegant. Compared to thew new Fusion, the Accord seems decidedly less sexy. In contrast to the other entries in this segment (apart from the Camry perhaps), the Accord is playing to the family demographic with low belt-lines for better visibility for kids and high roof lines for better headroom in the rear. There are of course the requisite minor front-end tweaks to the different Accord trim-lines for differentiation. Meanwhile, the all-new Hybrid accord wears a completely different, and strangely more aggressive front end with LED headlamps. While the sedate styling isn’t really news for Honda, the Accord’s dimensions are. Despite gaining both cargo and passenger room, the 9th generation Accord is nearly four inches shorter than last year and rides on a one-inch shorter wheelbase. Despite the right-sizing, suspension changes for 2013 result in a minor increase in turning circle to 38.1, notably larger than the Camry, Sonata, and even the Fusion.

As before the Accord will also be available as a large two-door coupé. Our time with the coupé was limited, but it impressed with an expansive trunk and rear seat. The options matrix is largely the same for the two-door Accord with the exception of the V6 and 6-speed manual combination which is exclusive to the coupé.

Interior

The interior of the Accord is likely to be its biggest selling point. Honda knows their audience well and it shows with a well featured, but simply laid out interior. For 2013 Honda hasn’t radically changed the interior design, opting instead for incremental improvements on the previous model. The new dashboard is soft touch and made out of one piece of plastic to reduce squeaks and rattles. The steering wheels have been redesigned for improved comfort and in most models are not trimmed in split grain leather worthy of Lexus. Joining these improvements is a much quieter cabin than before, a common complaint about the 2012 model. Honda achieved the quieter ride by not just adding more foam, but installing an active noise cancellation system in all Accord models. The system works much like the noise cancelling headphones you wear on an airplane.

As you would expect, seat comfort was excellent for my 6-foot, 190lb frame and thanks to a standard power driver’s seat and tilt/telescope steering wheel it was easy to find a comfortable seating position for a 2 hour drive. Also improved are the touch points on the dash, doors and center console to reduce fatigue on long journeys. Despite being smaller on the outside and having a smaller wheelbase than the outgoing model, legroom is up by a welcome 1.3 inches in the rear and the trunk has grown by 1.8 cubes to 13.7 total finally putting the Accord in line with the competition. Even base model Accords are well equipped with dual-zone climate control, auto headlamps, cruise control, backup camera, and a one-touch up/down window for the driver. Largely because of the comfortable seats and standard gadgets, “easy to live with” is a phrase that kept coming to mind.

Infotainment & Gadgets

The mid-sized sedan market is an interesting segment because shoppers want reliability and the latest gadgets, at bargain basement prices. Honda hasn’t announced pricing yet, but expect a hike of at least a few Benjamins on the base LX model. Countering the inevitable increase is a bevy of new standard equipment including an 8-inch infotainment screen with HondaLink. The new infotainment software is similar in function to Toyota’s Entune and Ford’s MyFordTouch systems allowing smartphone app integration and voice commands. Honda has also tossed in SMS text messaging integration for good measure. In an interesting twist the Pandora radio and a few other functions are restricted to Apple iDevices and SMS messaging to Android devices for the moment.

Stepping up to the EX model gets you Honda’s new “LaneWatch” system which puts a CCD camera in the side view mirror and displays your blind spot on the 8-inch infotainment screen. You also get keyless entry/go and a few more speakers.

Stepping up to the EX-L model or above gets you a higher resolution 8-inch screen and a 5-inch touchscreen LCD in the center of the dash that acts as the primary audio control interface. The addition of the second display allows you to see some audio information at the same time as the 8-inch display either shows you the navigation screen (if you’ve opted for it) or some other information source.

Honda’s new infotainment software is very responsive providing a sharp contrast to Ford’s sluggish touch screen interface. Compared to Toyota’s Entune system the Honda system is a little better thought out, more responsive and has a much larger library of voice commands. All three systems perform similarly when it comes to voice commanding tunes from your iDevices, USB thumb drive or (optional) hard drive music library. Of course the big news on the Honda front is that unlike Entune and MyTouch, HondaLink is standard.

Should your pockets know no depths, Honda will be happy to sell you the latest in driving aids like radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, LED headlamps and more.

Drivetrain

No all-new sedan would be complete without an all-new engine, and no all-new engine would be complete without an eco-friendly name and a new transmission. Enter the Honda Earth Dreams 2.4L four cylinder engine and Honda’s all-new CVT. While I’m still not clear what Earth Dreams is supposed to mean, the new mill’s numbers are what are important. As you would expect from a Honda engine, 185HP arrives at a lofty 6,500RPM. What you wouldn’t expect is 181-lbft of torque arriving at a low 4,000 RPM. Should you need some V6 love, the EX-L V6 and the new Touring model come with a lightly re-worked 3.5L V6, good for 278HP and 252lb-ft of twist. Like last year, the V6 continues to feature Honda’s “variable cylinder management” system which will turn off the rear bank of cylinders when cruising at highway speeds. Honda has tweaked the system for 2013 removing the four-cylinder mode and expanding the range that the three-cylinder mode operates in. While the new 2.4L engine can be mated to either the 6-speed manual or the new CVT, the V6 is only available with a new 6-speed automatic in the sedan while the 6-speed manual is available in the coupé. If fuel economy is what you need, the CVT is the best choice delivering 27 city, 36 highway. The 6-speed manual drops economy to 24/34 and the V6 is the thirstiest in the bunch at 21/34 with the 6-speed automatic.

All-new hybrid system

The previous Accord Hybrid was an odd duck. Instead of improving fuel economy, Honda used their IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system to improve performance. The system’s lack of electric only operation and 40% lower fuel economy than the Camry Hybrid made shoppers scratch their heads and buy something else before Honda euthanized the model in 2007. For 2013 Honda went back to the drawing board and created an entirely new hybrid system from the ground up. The system starts with a new 2.0L, 137HP four-cylinder engine that uses Honda’s VTEC system to switch between an Otto and an Atkinson profile making this the first engine I have ever  heard of capable of switching between these two cycles. The engine is directly connected to a motor/generator that is used to start the engine and generate power (motor one). Meanwhile, the wheels are connected via a reduction gearset to a 166HP electric motor (motor two).

If this setup sounds similar to the Volt, let me throw a wrench in here. The Volt is more like a Prius since they both use a planetary gearset as a power splitting device. The Accord does not have a planetary gearset at all. At speeds below about 40MPH, motor two is driving the wheels solo drawing power from either the lithium-ion battery pack or from the engine via motor one acting as a generator. As you accelerate, at around 40MPH, the car will engage a clutch pack that directly connects motor one and motor two together allowing power to flow directly from the engine to the wheels. Once this clutch pack is connected the system is capable of delivering a combined power output of 196HP.

Want to know how the Accord drives? Want to know how much it costs? Check back with TTAC on the 10th at 6AM Eastern time when the embargo lifts. (Oh, and we’ll have a video with more details then you’ll ever need about the Accord Hybrid)

Honda paid for airfare and two nights at a swanky resort, travel expenses to the resort came out of my own pocket since I drove.

Capsule review: 2013 Corvette 427

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Neil Armstrong died on August 25th of this year and the nation mourned, doubly so. First for the man, and second for what he stood for: hero, explorer, icon of a time when all that was best in America rose up on a pillar of smoke and flame to dance among the heavens.

The astronauts, of course, all drove Corvettes. GM gave a white ’62 to first-flyer Alan Shepard upon his return to Earth, then a Florida dealership provided subsequent one-year leasing deals to put astronauts behind the wheel of the latest models – clever PR for sure, and yet it seemed a perfect fit. While the very first ‘Vettes were more Piper Cub than Bell X-1, those that would be piloted by the likes of Gus Grissom and Alan Bean had the Right Stuff; the fastest and best machines America could produce.

Sixty years after GM built the first Corvette (and about fifty-six since they got the recipe right), here we are with an explorer on Mars, and it’s a robot with a sarcastic twitter feed. Heroes are scarce; the cult of celebrity now shines a spotlight on the kind of people you’d cross the street to avoid. And as for the Corvette?

This convertible is the final sortie for the C6 ‘Vette; in production since 2005, the sixth-gen Corvette is now almost entirely overshadowed by the strong-selling Camaro. Rumors about the C7 flit about the internet at the speed of conjecture, but if you’d check the click-count, I’d warrant more attention is drawn by war-correspondence on the battle between the ludicrously powerful supercharged pony cars.

Still, there’s no denying the old girl’s a stunner. It’s not really a Z06 convertible, more a Grand Sport with extra add-ons like carbon-fibre body panels. Still, between the enormous alloys and serving-platter brakes, power bulge of the hood (also carbon-fibre), and those twin grey-blue stripes on the ethereal-white body, you can tell this car is something special: a tarmac speedboat.

It is, per expectation, as plastic as Heidi Montag’s left breast. Prodding the rear bumper lightly makes for some alarming flex. There’s little sense that this car is precision-engineered or built to last.

But then, these are the rules of Corvette-dom. ‘Vettes are a big Chevy V8 up front, rear-wheel-drive out back, flimsy body in-between and a woeful interior on the inside. Speaking of which…

It does not do to complain about the inside of a C6 Corvette overmuch. Everything you’ve heard about for the past eight years is true – the navigation system is dated, the quality of the materials seems unequal to the price-tag, and there are a whole host of minor annoyances. The top, for instance, has a manual latch that’s a bit fiddly and the power-folding mechanism balked several times.

But we know all this. We’ve had these shortcomings outlined to us time and time again until they’ve become gospel. Corvettes are fast, but they’re tacky. They’re uncouth. Someday the C7 might correct the short-comings, but the C6 just doesn’t measure up to European standard. Right?

Somehow, sitting in the 427, none of these “truths” seem to matter. Just as it looks from the exterior, the inside feels like that of a cigarette boat. Yes, the seats are more comfortable than well-bolstered, but this is a street-car, not a track-special coupe.

Already feeling preconceptions melting away, I push in the clutch and press the afterthought of a rectangular start button. Two minutes later, any thoughts of what a Corvette might be is left far behind in a cloud of burnt hydrocarbons as the 427 demonstrates, unequivocally, what it is.

This is a wonderful car. Absolutely wonderful. Not only is it immensely powerful, with the Z06's seven-litre mill providing 505hp, but there is also little-to-nothing separating you from the experience.

Sure, all that power is harnessed by wide, sticky Michelin Pilot sports, and the balanced chassis is suspended on the hyper-adaptable and ICP-baffling Magnetic Ride Control suspension, but the 427 is anything but buttoned-down. Apply full throttle in second gear, feel the chassis yaw and hear the change-over as the exhaust baffles snap open at three thousand rpm and the ‘Vette roars its battle-cry.

An ’80s-style heads-up display starts rolling over green-lit numbers at a ridiculous pace. If you’re used to miles-per, you’ll think you’ve switched over to metric. If you’re used to metric, you’ll think you’re looking at a hundredths and tenths on a stop-watch.

The 427 roars down the on-ramp with the unstoppable thrust of a Saturn V. Without a roof, there’s nothing to muffle the thunder of that uncorked LS7; come off the loud pedal and the resulting crump-crump sounds like the echo of far-off artillery. If you drive this thing through a tunnel and it doesn’t make you cackle like a madman, you’re probably a communist. Or dead.

Everything that was missing from my experience with the 911 can be found here. The ‘Vette has none of the finesse of the niner, and considerably less practicality. But it’s more honest somehow; analog, not digital – an F-14, not a flight simulator.

It’s unfair to call it crude; you’d not use the same epithet for a sledgehammer or a SPAS-12. The Corvette is simple, brutal, visceral and vital in a way other sports cars have forgotten how to be.

At the end of its production run, it’s just a funny plastic car with a gargantuan heart of pure aluminum. I love every single thing about it.

A 1967 427 Stingray once driven by Neil Armstrong is for sale on eBay right now, with bids rumoured to be in the quarter-million range. Ghoulishly, the car did not previously meet reserve when listed originally, but now is almost certain to reach a higher number with his passing.
It’s a battered old thing, clapped-out and badly treated, with hacked-up fender flares and a patina of abandon. Still something special though; something worth preserving.

It’s hard to imagine a modern astronaut behind the wheel of the modern 427. Not that slipping the bonds of Earth takes much less courage than it used to, but there’s less of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants air about it.

These days something like an autonomous car might be more appropriate. Or, given the successful flight of SpaceX (one step closer to Weyland-Yutani), perhaps a Model S?

No, this is not a car for today’s scientist-explorers. Instead, it’s a link back in time, an appropriate flag-bearer to mark the 60th anniversary of an exceptional automobile.

Its replacement, the C7, will no doubt be a refinement in many ways: proper seats, improved in-car amenities, better electronics, reduced fuel-consumption, probably faster as well.

Tough to say, though, whether actually any better than this, the last hurrah for the sixth-gen Corvette.

Because it’s a God-damn rocketship.

Examen : Toyota Etios, Spec indienne, en Inde

By Faisal Ali Khan, 4 September 2012

Toyota is well known for developing quality cars, but for the first time, there is an exception. This exception comes in the form of Toyota Etios, which lacks the quality that Toyota is known. The Etios has positioned itself as a India entry level sedan, where it is in competition with the Maruti Suzuki DZire (Swift sedan), Classic Ford (last generation of Fiesta) and Mahindra Verito (Renault Logan). India Toyota's reputation is such that people swear blind by the mark. However, when the company launched the Etios, many people changed their same thinking to the mark.

Toyota tries every way to sell the Etios, which is also available as a hatchback (known as the Etios Liva) the company has hired cricketer as the brand Ambassador, she launched a variant of flow limited edition TRD and even started a series to a race called the Etios car. But it works great for me.

The style is boring and the Etios seems obvious and boxy. Toyota has pumped in Rs. 3200 rupees (600 million$) on the Etios project. When he has so much money, why style gone for a toss? To cover the design exceeded, Toyota added bits of chrome here and there.

Inside and it becomes even worse. The dashboard is exceeded and levels of quality are very bad. There are gaps present abundant sign on the Etios. The positioning of wind AC is all wrong and the instrument cluster is mounted in the Centre, something that we saw in the 1990s. The space is the only good part in the cabin. The Etios abundant supply to the legs to front and passenger rear.

Rely on a 1.5 litre petrol engine which produced 90 hp and 132 Nm. power is smooth. The engine is well isolated but gets crusty in high revvs. The direction and clutch are very light and make it very easy to drive on congested roads Etios. However, the manipulation is bad and the Etios has absolutely no sensation. You get simply zero comments. However, ride quality is good, and so are the brakes.

The Toyota Etios is a car that is in need of vast improvements. The vehicle is a testimony to the fact that you can not take advantage of your brand name to sell products as of medium. The world is more and more intelligent, people are more intelligent and that they include the reduction of the gross costs. The Etios lack a roof centre lamp, height-adjustable seats and belts, electrically adjustable mirrors and safety. Toyota clearly needs to raise its game if they want to seize the space of compact sedan.

Faisal Ali Khan is the owner or the operator of MotorBeam.com, a website on the automotive industry of the India.

Editor's Note: as explained by Etios Chief Engineer Yoshinori Noritake, the Etios is tailored for the BRICs and is designed so that many people in these markets can afford it. Toyota knew very although the car would come into conflict with the image of Toyota. Noritake-P said: "people desire a true sedan with room for the family." They say they would like a Toyota, but our price is far too high. »

The Etios is designed to be built at lower cost, and which aims to establish a price. For example, a group of instruments Centre allows to adapt to lower cost of RHD to LHD. It is not for everyone. Colleague of noritake Fujita, who is in charge of the Corolla does not like it.  Launched in December 2010, the Etios crossed the mark of 100 000 in may unity and is the third largest selling sedan in its segment in the last financial year. Not too shabby for a car that had to fight with an image too expensive.  Specifications for design of the car was to make people change their thinking of the mark.