Corvette Stingray...and My return to blogging!

It has been a long while since I posted anything new and I've had a lot waiting as drafts so I've got a lot of catching up to do....and I really couldn't think of anything cleaver to title this one. :(

To put it simply, the new 2014 Corvette Stingray looks amazing!  I'm so excited about this.  This car hasn't had an obvious update in decades.  I thought GM was trying to take a page from Porsche and make all their cars look the same...  Much like the new Viper, the new design is awesome.

Performance looks optimistic too!  Carbon fiber hood and roof with an aluminium chassis and 50/50 weight distribution   Under the hood is a 6.2L V8 looking to make 450HP.  It will have a 7 speed manual transmission with auto rev matching.  The top end model comes with Magnetic Selective Ride which I can only imagine is an adaptive suspension that stiffens the ride when you need it.  Some fancy electronic LSD will be on the car also to improve handling.  They say on the website that it allows the car to make sharper turns....sounds good to me!  They've also put one of those condition selectors so you can tell the car if it's raining or you're on the track.

Excited!!! >_<

Car and Driver also did an interview with Tadge Jeuchter, the Chief Engineer for this vehicle.

The ILXer of Life. [Originally Written 6/24/12]

I took a trip over to Acura of Honolulu the other day and was surprised to see a new car...the ILX it's called. This got me thinking...Acura didn't have a small car!...and where have I been to not know about a new car!

First reaction makes me want to check it out and see what kind of car it is...but then my finical personality kicked me in the nuts as I saw the updated TSX right next to it...the inner monologue of a douche-bag came out. "I'm in the market for an Volvo S40 or an Audi A4 but they're just not Asian enough for me..."

I'm sure it's a great car, but I'm having a hard time understanding the market for Acura. They get rid of the RSX, make the TSX bigger and less sporty. Now introduce a smaller car that's basically the return of the Integra but it's more like a fluffed-up Civic... I'm probably missing something but as I am now, I wouldn't buy one.

Lincoln - Luxury Car Hunter [Originally Written 6/13/12]

Ok, I don't have a cleaver title to talk about Lincoln Cars trying to be cool again...instead you get a lame reference how Pres. Lincoln killing vampires...But I digress.

I was listening to NPR's Planet Money talk about Lincoln's attempt at being cool...in the same way Iron Man drives an Audi...which brings me to the new MKZ.  Well, first impression...Hyundai?  I'm trying to get the old person image out of the drivers seat but it's too much...I rarely dislike cars but this is pushing my buttons a bit.  There's nothing in this that makes me think of something new...except maybe the Push Button Gear Shift...that's kinda cool.

[May 2013 Update]
Having seen one in real life...The looks are somewhat of an acquired taste, if such a thing exists visually.  My concern is that it still has the old person feel...and what's worse is car has so much technology that it makes it hard to drive and now doesn't appeal to anyone...

Shocking! [Originally Written 5/22/12]

I am usually a fan of strange, and it doesn't get more different in the car market than a Nissan Leaf...it's all electric and it looks like a toad. I decided to drive one for a bit...and I must say that there's a problem. First, the range. This car gives me serious range anxiety because I'll start with 100 miles on the gauge...I drive from the airport (HNL) into town (about 7 miles). Already I'm done to 70 miles! What happened?!

"...it's ok, it's only 25 miles to the house...lots of room to make it home and back", I tell myself. Arrive at home...look at the gauge........20 miles.......0_0

I live in a town house...I can't plug this in somewhere? I'm stranded!!!!! But being me, I tell myself, "what's the worst that could happen and drive off anyway." Somehow, I return to the airport with 15 miles still on the gauge...probably because the car seems to use less electricity at lower speed and I was driving in traffic....(safe)

This is where I see a problem...the people who drive short distances live in a city...nowhere to plug the car in. The people who have homes are further away...uses more electricity and therefore not as efficient as predicted. (I might only be getting a range of 2.5 mi/kWh) Final conclusion, it's fine if you have that kind of money to blow...otherwise, just get yourself a small car (Yaris, Fit, Fiesta, etc)....

Holy $h!t.... [Originally Written 4/29/12]

Yup, no clever title on this one. I had heard that Chrysler was planning to redo the Dodge Viper a while back and thought, "Wonderful. It's about time they updated that thing.". Then I got this months issue of Motor Trend and crapped myself. I think they did a really great job.

I liked that they kept the V10...a necessary as the Viper...but updated the chassis a huge amount and reduced weight with a lot of carbon fiber and plastic. They also decided to keep the 6-speed manual transmission but I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad. I think I would have liked to see a sequential option just for modernization but a manual also keeps with the raw power feel of a Viper.

I was especially impressed by the interior! The designers claim to use the same standards as Bentley and Lamborghini in the quality of their leather and seats designed by Sabelt, who make seats for Ferrari. Then, as I'm sure you can see in the picture....a great looking body! And Chrysler says it's all functional too; either designed to help cool the engine or increase aerodynamics.

Crossing Over [Originally Written 1/8/12]

Taking a trip home to Maui for New Years, I'll usually rent a car from my favorite, Enterprise. Fortunately, they had a good selection and I took the opportunity to drive a new Mazda CX-7. Never drove one before, but on first impression...awesome.

Usually a crossover SUV feels like a regular SUV that lost its balls...like a station wagon to a sedan. The CX-7 on the other hand drove like a car. It was responsive and aggressive for an SUV. It was so easy to drive. I took this thing up to the summit of Haleakala, full of people, and it wasn't a challenge at all.

The engine was a small surprise too. 2.3L turbo i-4...I didn't think an engine like that would have that much kick. Maybe it was the AWD. Though the gas mileage doesn't look like a 2.3L i-4 either...16 MPG is what I clocked. Though that may have been from my trip up the mountain... ^_^;

How I've missed you Toyota....

I grew up thinking Toyota was the best bang for your buck. Cars like the Corolla (AE86), MR2 and Supra were great deals for what you got. Fun to drive for the working man...without the muscle car fuel economy.

However, the Corolla quickly lost it's rear drive (and soul), the Supra died and the MR2 turned into the MR-S...and died. By now, I had believed Toyota had cut off it's own balls and gave it to Korea. Basically, if you wanted a rear drive sports car that cost less than $30k was to buy the Hyundai Genesis or a Ford Mustang (V6)....(I might be over generalizing so feel free to bash be in comment form).

But with the return of a Toyota Family Member in control of the company, I feel like the soul is returning and this is the proof. The Scion FR-S (pictured) and Subaru BRZ look great and sounds like it drives great, with some tuning differences between the two companies.

The one thing that bothers me: I feel like Subaru did most of the work and Toyota gets the credit. Toyota's contribution is the design and it's direct injection technology...and Subaru got the rest of the car. I kinda hope Subaru gets more of the sales.

At least Scion has the right tag line: "Bringing the sport back to the car."