It’s been a little over six months since the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI joined our , and since then, we’ve put more than 17,000 miles on this Tempest Blue sedan. After spending much of the summer in Detroit, the Jetta TDI was road-tripped out to Los Angeles where the Autoblog staff in Southern California have been tending to the car.
Even after half a year, we are still amazed at how easy it is to get excellent fuel mileage in the Jetta TDI. Official EPA ratings for the car are 30 city and 42 highway, but rarely do we fall below that average. Twice we have averaged more than 50 miles per gallon for a tankful, and only occasionally do we drop below 40 mpg on average. Apparently, only lead-foot Michael Harley, last month’s caretaker of the Jetta TDI, knows how to get mediocre fuel mileage out of the 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder, averaging around 35 mpg during his time with the car.
This admirable fuel mileage translates to well over 500 miles per tank (we went 608 miles in between our last two fill-ups), a pleasant change compared to the frequent stops necessary with other vehicles.
Of course, there’s more to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI than its fuel mileage. Follow the jump to read more about how the other aspects of the car have fared during the past month.
Confederate Motorcycles has ripped the sheets off of its latest creation, and it’s a stunner. The X132 Hellcat is the latest in what the company calls its line of “heirloom” creations, and the bike boasts a billet aluminum engine case machined from two hunks of 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. Whereas past Confederate products have had to rely on outsourced engine cases, the company says that the X132 Hellcat is a purebred. The V-twin gurus at S&S likely had a hand in the lump’s development, however. Like every other bike to roll out of the manufacturer’s Alabama facility, the X132 Hellcat makes use of a raft of high-end components right down to its stainless steel nuts and bolts.
Of course, that level of attention to detail comes with a price tag to match. If you like what you see, you’ll have to hand over $49,500. That’s a far cry cheaper than the company’s previous efforts, and you still get to chew on 145 pound-feet of torque from a 2,200 cc V-twin engine. Did we mention the bike weighs in at a scant 475 pounds? Sounds like a dirty night on the town to us. Then again, you can buy three BMW S 1000 RR hellions for the price of the X135 Hellcat and still have cash left over to put in the tank. What you won’t have is exclusivity, however.
Confederate plans to produce just two X132 Hellcat models per week starting in January. Head over to the manufacture’s for more information and be sure to check out the press release .
has since the carmaker rolled out its new MyFord Touch system in the 2011 . Ford’s ranking in the influential Initial Quality Survey dropped from fifth last year all the way down to 23rd, in large measure because of customer dissatisfaction with the new technology and its voice recognition interface, but also because of refinement complaints about the PowerShift dual-clutch transmission in the . But unlike, say, the Houston Cougars, who plummeted in the Bowl Championship Series rankings after getting blown out in the Conference USA title game this weekend, Ford can make a pretty good case that it’s getting jobbed.
The traditional definition of quality when it comes to new cars and trucks has been based on those vehicles being free of defects. But in the last few years, the tide has been turning, in large measure because J.D. Power is increasingly weighing customer complaints related to design and, in particular, new electronic technology. Car and Driver paints the complaints that have dogged Ford among the latter, suggesting that these are less valid quality metrics than something like a poorly assembled door panel.
The venerable buff book doesn’t stop at defending Ford, however, cautioning against what it sees as a trend “toward the lowest-common-denominator solutions to reduce design ‘problems.’” Citing examples like moving its cruise control from a separate stalk to buttons on the steering wheel to appease whining customers and getting dinged on IQS for using brake pads that generate too much dust, C/D doesn’t say it outright, but certainly implies that J.D. Power is no longer pushing automakers in the right direction.
In a roundtable with reporters at an event related to the , Tetsuo Iwamura, President and CEO of American , told us that he’s been surprised by the crossover’s slow sales:
“In the case of the Crosstour, I’m really disappointed because that’s a nice car, [with] very beautiful styling, and it gives very good driving performance as well as packaging. But yet, we went a bit too far.”
The five-door CUV has been struggling since it went on sale as a 2010 model. Through November, Honda has sold just 16,679 units this year – down nearly 36 percent from the 25,927 units tallied by this point in 2010. Honda had initially projected annual sales of 40,000 units.
Iwamura confided that, in retrospect, launching the CUV branded as the Accord Crosstour was probably a “misstep,” so the company in order to give the vehicle more of a standalone identity. In our , we praised the Crosstour’s solid driving dynamics, but criticized it for awkward styling, poor packaging and visibility, a short options list and premium pricing.
In our discussion with Iwamura, we noted that, while Honda continues to enjoy solid sales numbers for its longtime mainstream offerings like the , and , newer models – particularly niche offerings – (see: , , ). Iwamura expressed that Honda is actually “quite satisfied” with sales of most of its vehicle lines, maintaining that he sees nothing systematic within Honda that has prevented the company from generating new hit models. Further, Iwamura vowed to continue development of its niche players.
In the case of the Crosstour, Iwamura pledged, “With further refinement of styling and performance, it will be a very good success, a leading model.”
A couple of years ago we passed the point at which there were no more truly bad cars. If someone asked us, “Which car should we definitely avoid,” it was hard to give a categorical answer. Sure, there were cars we didn’t (and still don’t) like, but no matter how personally averse we might be to even some current cars, we can’t name one that’s objectively awful.
Naturally, then, if everything is decent then the only place to go is… better. That’s how you get to a brand like deciding to make a sports car and using, as a guide, the . And we do mean literal guide. During testing, Subaru engineers took a white Cayman on their international travels. We don’t blame them. When the brief is to build “a pure handling sports car,” where better to start than with the company that practically wrote and constantly revises the bible of handling, ?
As a brief for a company like Subaru to have – a company not known for sports cars and that hasn’t sold a two-wheel-drive car in the U.S. since the last millennium, which were front-wheel-drive wagons – that’s impressive enough. What’s more impressive is that they actually did it.
and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced a recall for certain models. Some vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrectly installed circuit board within the vehicle’s electronic power steering assist control unit. Nissan says that, as a result, the terminal may experience additional stress on the circuit board’s solder, which could eventually result in a failure. Such a failure could cause the power steering assist to stop working altogether, which may increase the amount of effort it takes to steer the vehicle and result in a crash.
A total of 7,365 2011 Nissan Rogue models are covered in the recall, and owners can expect to be notified by Nissan soon. The automaker will replace the electronic power steering module free of charge if necessary once the recall begins this month.
is flush with buzz surrounding the company’s new 86 sports car, and that could translate into additional performance models if the vehicle’s chief engineer has anything to say about it. that Tetsuya Tada, the mind that brought the Toyota 86 to life, believes there’s room in the stable for two additional sports cars. Tada is quoted as saying that while the 86 is a mid-sized sports car, he’d like to see one vehicle positioned below the boxer-powered coupe as well as an additional model slotted higher in the lineup.
The latter machine could potentially be a successor to the Supra, complete with a high-horsepower engine and rear wheel drive. Like the 86, that vehicle would be another collaborative project between Toyota and . Unfortunately, Tada is quick to say that nothing has been decided as of yet. Keep your fingers crossed.
is flush with buzz surrounding the company’s new 86 sports car, and that could translate into additional performance models if the vehicle’s chief engineer has anything to say about it. that Tetsuya Tada, the mind that brought the Toyota 86 to life, believes there’s room in the stable for two additional sports cars. Tada is quoted as saying that while the 86 is a mid-sized sports car, he’d like to see one vehicle positioned below the boxer-powered coupe as well as an additional model slotted higher in the lineup.
The latter machine could potentially be a successor to the Supra, complete with a high-horsepower engine and rear wheel drive. Like the 86, that vehicle would be another collaborative project between Toyota and . Unfortunately, Tada is quick to say that nothing has been decided as of yet. Keep your fingers crossed.
may not have the market share of its German rivals, but that dynamic appears to be changing. Audi announced that 2011 is already a record-setting year here in the U.S., besting its 2010 record by Thanksgiving weekend.
Audi has already sold 104,906 vehicles through November 30, better than the 101,629 units sold in all of of 2010. December is traditionally a strong sales month (who wouldn’t want an for Christmas?), which should only add more distance between the old sales record and the new mark. Audi Certified pre-owned sales also had a banner year, moving 33,102 used vehicles so far in 2011, beating the previous high of 32,108 units in 2008.
Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen sounds pleased with the brand’s progress in the U.S., attributing the success to “the steady arrival of exciting new models that have captured the imagination of the American premium car customer.” Hit the jump to read the brag-tastic Audi press release.
and Ducati joined forces a little over a year ago, and the two brands have chosen the Bologna Motor Show to mark the anniversary. The companies are showing off an and a Streetfighter 848, respectively. Both machines are painted in eye-melting Streetfighter Yellow, and Mercedes-Benz says that AMG may permanently add the color to the personal option list if there’s enough demand. The SLK 55 AMG also wears custom yellow contrasting stitching on interior pieces like the sport steering wheel, seats, and dashboard, and a set of yellow-illuminated door sill plates further reinforces the theme.
Neither the SLK 55 AMG nor the Streetfighter 848 boast any performance modifications, which is just fine, since both vehicles offer plenty of giddyup right out of the box. The Benz is the most powerful SLK manufactured to date, with 422 horsepower from a naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8. The Streetfighter 848, meanwhile, is a 132-horsepower machine that weighs less than 500 pounds. Hit the jump to check out the full press release.
and Ducati highlight partnership with pair of matching vehicles
Life is full of unattainables. Most of us will never hold the keys to an expansive beach-front property, lounge on our own personal yacht or park a in the garage, and for good reason. The very exclusivity of those objects is part of their lure, but a new site looks to change all that. Jointli allows regular Joes and Janes to co-own property, vehicles, boats and more. The site’s tools allow users to chose potential co-owners in their area, sign agreements and manage time shares accordingly. So, how much would it conceivably cost to own, say, a Ferrari F430?
According to Jointli, four people could conceivably wrangle one of the Italian exotics for as little as $8,000 per person, which works out to close to $8 per hour individually. Of course, Jonli’s math means that’s the cost after selling the vehicle after just one year of use. It also excludes any unfortunate dings or repairs that may arise as the result of four people who don’t know how to drive a Ferrari being tossed the keys. The whole scenario sounds great in a perfect world. Unfortunately, our planet is about as far from that bright center as you can get. Head over to to check out the system for yourself.
A rare storm system working its way from the west coast has caused millions of dollars in damage, left many without power and spurred fires from California to Colorado. According to USA Today, wind speeds reached as high as 123 miles per hour, or the equivalent of a category three hurricane. In Eldorado County, California, a total of seven fires burnt more than 130 acres as the harsh winds whipped fueled the flames. In Southern California alone, 350,000 people lost power due to downed lines. Of that number, 270,000 were still in the dark as of Friday morning.
Meanwhile, in Utah, authorities temporarily closed Interstate 15 after ten semi trucks toppled over in the heavy gusts. Meteorologists are calling the wind storm one of the worst in recent history, and while the winds have died down significantly since they first made landfall, the storms are expected to make their way toward Oklahoma, Missouri and Indiana. Hang on tight.
Scroll through our above image gallery to see some of the automotive carnage that resulted from this storm system.
Right when it looks like , we have this: A consumer protection group is asking the United States Environmental Protection Agency to look into claims that the has exaggerated fuel economy numbers.
Consumer Watchdog sent the EPA a letter citing a litany of public criticism of the compact Elantra’s real-world fuel economy, and asking the EPA to “re-test the 2011 and 2012 Elantra models in its own facility, to seek an explanation for the MPG disappointments of so many Elantra buyers.”
Except that many Elantra buyers are actually satisfied with their mileage. When we asked Hyundai for a response to the allegations, its public relations staff pointed us to a study showing that, “Elantra owners are the happiest in the entire compact segment competitive set in terms of fuel economy.”
Hyundai did note that real-world fuel economy results often differ from EPA label values, but stopped short of writing the whole thing off as “your mileage may vary.” According to Hyundai, when Consumer Reports put the Elantra through its tough city cycle test regimen, the results were consistent with other compact cars, all of which underperformed compared to the EPA test. Hyundai said the Elantra achieved 20 mpg, which was higher than at 19, at 18, and at 17. “These results show rank-order consistency with the EPA results of Elantra (29), Civic (28), Focus (28), and Cruze (22),” said Hyundai.
The Elantra was redesigned for the 2011 model year, and , we averaged 31 mpg over a week of mixed driving, compared to EPA numbers of 29/40/33 city/highway/combined. For 2012, Hyundai has actually added its ActiveECO system that it says can improve fuel economy by up to seven percent. Sales of the Elantra were up 44 percent in November.
After spending with Senior Editor Damon Lavrinc, our long-term moved to southern California to serve our esteemed photographer, Drew Phillips. In early November, I handed Drew the keys to our long-term and stole the Countryman from his driveway. He hasn’t seen it since.
I like the standard hardtop. It is fun to toss the little 2,668-pound two-door around and it delivers decent fuel economy. However, after four weeks of living with this maxi-Mini four-door (a whopping 540 pounds heavier), I have come to the conclusion that bigger isn’t necessarily better – there is simply too much sugar in this Mini’s sweetly flavored drink.
The motoring press hasn’t had the greatest of relationships with the . When the sedan debuted, critics slammed the newest generation as a Walmart interpretation of a model many of us had grown up loving. The nicer-than-expected materials, playful handling and quiet cabin had all been scrapped in favor of a bargain basement price tag wrapped in styling as risky as sunblock in summer. The machine simply felt like the latest casualty of the campaign to become the world’s largest automaker. To make matters worse, buyers didn’t seem to care.
Despite a tide of vitriolic ink that’s risen around the 2012 Jetta, the model has seen an explosion of sales that’s left plenty of critics tapping their microphones and asking, “Is this thing on?” If anything, the exercise has proven that when it comes to moving vehicles in the now fiercely-competitive compact segment, price is still king no matter what the critics say. So, when Volkswagen promised to satiate the model’s longtime fans with a new GLI, the rank smell of skepticism came wafting through newsrooms across the country.
But with a stylish exterior, sporty indoor appointments and an upgraded suspension, the 2012 Volkswagen GLI seemingly makes up for the base model’s deficiencies, at least on paper.
It’s still unclear whether or not the all-new will be offered here in the United States (for reference, the old B-Class was available in Canada, meaning the small Benz hatch has seen plenty of time on North American shores), but these spy shots certainly give us one more reason to lust after the compact Merc. Nearly every model range in the automaker’s lineup benefits from some sort of high-performance AMG variant, and it appears that is working on something sweet for its little B-Class, as well.
Rumored to be dubbed the B25 AMG, this hotter B-Class will likely be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four capable of producing somewhere between 320 and 350 horsepower. That grunt will reportedly be sent to all four wheels via a dual-clutch transmission, though the number of speeds (six or seven) is unclear at this time.
Visually, the AMG will stand apart from the standard B-Class with the addition of larger wheels on lower profile tires, bigger brakes and a more aggressive front end treatment – you know, the standard AMG flare. It certainly seems like a potent package, and if Mercedes-Benz does end up offering the B-Class her in the U.S., we certainly hope the little AMG variant will be part of the lineup.
Ford kicked off its turn-key drag racing program with the , and since then both and have joined the party with the and the recently-introduced . With the competition from its American counterparts Ford hasn’t been able to rest on their laurels, updating the Cobra Jet in both and for . Now, Ford has revealed yet another revised Cobra Jet for 2013, with the car being unveiled at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Florida.
The biggest change for the 2013 Cobra Jet is the availability of two 5.0-liter V8 options that come in either naturally aspirated or supercharged variants, allowing competitors to compete in the NHRA Stock Eliminator category. Further updates to the 2013 Cobra Jet include a lighter body, electric power steering, a new roll cage and new suspension geometry that allows for quicker launches.
As in previous years, just 50 Cobra Jets will be produced for 2013 at the AAI assembly plant alongside road-going Mustangs, with customers being chosen on a first come first served basis. With the new 5.0-liter engine options the base price has dropped to $86,000, and the optional supercharger puts that number closer to the six figure mark. You can read Ford’s official press release , and live photos of the 2013 Cobra Jet at the PRI show can be found in the gallery above.
Cobra Jet program for 2013 with new engine options
According to the Associated Press, GM CEO Dan Akerson has said General Motors will buy back any from owners who are concerned about the vehicle’s fire risk. Akerson said that his company isn’t making the move because the plug-in hybrids are unsafe, but because GM is committed to keeping its customers happy. The CEO also said that GM is prepared to recall the 6,000 Volt models currently on the road if the federal government deems such an action necessary. As you may recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered that the several days after a severe side-impact crash and rollover.
NHTSA found that the vehicles could ignite anywhere from seven days to three weeks after the initial impact. GM believes the fires are a result of a failure in the battery pack’s cooling system because the NHTSA test involved an intrusion of four-to-five inches into the vehicle’s battery pack. Current testing standards call for no more than two inches of intrusion.
GM initially to any customer concerned with the safety of their Volt, and later said that the battery pack to better guard against this type of failure.
An outfit like keeps a tight product portfolio. Four model lines in all, when it comes down to production models. Even with the various derivatives that follow, that still doesn’t amount to a large number of new debuts from year to year. But as a racing team first and an automaker second, it rolls out a new vehicle at least once a year. What falls between, then, bridges the gap.
What comes in between a road car and an F1 car, you ask? With a rapidly escalation level of crossover in technologies, less and less. But the narrow territory we’re talking about is the XX development program – what Ferrari terms as their elite cadre of “client development drivers.” That is, the customers who are willing to shell out big bucks – and we do mean big bucks – to test out the latest technological developments on the path from F1 cars to road cars.
The program initially launched with the FXX, an Enzo-based track car that was neither homologated for any racing series nor certified for road use (save a handful of well-heeled customers in some small countries where cash can overcome regulation). That was later improved upon with the FXX Evoluzione, an upgrade offered to existing owners/participants in the program. That, in turn, was succeeded by the 599XX, which has now led, somewhat expectedly, to the 599XX Evoluzione.
For another €185,000 (about $250k) over the €1.3 million ($1.75m) purchase price of the initial 599XX – existing buyers-in to the program can opt to upgrade to the Evoluzione model. That includes a two-year extension of factory-backed “test sessions”, as well as a number of upgrades that center primarily around the aerodynamics package. Aside from the giant front splitter that juts out from the nose, you might notice a rear wing that would make a jumbo-jet blush. But it’s not just a big spoiler: it’s an adaptive one, too. Like the DRS mechanism employed in Formula One, the FXX Evo’s rear wing can be opened up for reduced drag on straightaways or closed for increased downforce in the corners.
Coupled with an incidental 30-horsepower increase in output from the 6.0-liter V12 (for 740hp total), the 599XX Evoluzione can now lap Ferrari’s private Fiorano test track in 1:15 – a full second faster than the existing 599XX… or nine seconds ahead of the 599 GTO, the fasted street-legal version of the same road-going GT. But with only 29 examples in existence – the first of which was just unveiled for the first time at the Bologna Motor Show – we’ll just have to wait for the adaptive aero bits to trickle down to the rest of us. Details in the press release .
Top Gear magazine has officially named the its Car Of The Year for 2011 after snagging top honors in the SUV category. Perhaps even more impressively, Jeremy Clarkson also named the Evoque his favorite vehicle of 2011. The compact luxury SUV faced off against the likes of the , McLaren MP4-12C and Ferrari FF among more common offerings. Top Gear celebrated in classic style by taking the Evoque on an African adventure through the deserts and mountains of Morocco. Sure beats handing an anonymous executive some cheesy trophy on stage.
Readers can find the full tale in any of the magazine’s 29 international editions. Clarkson was joined by Richard Hammond, James May, Top Gear magazine editor-in-chief Charlie Turner and the publication’s full editorial and road testing staff in picking the 2011 car of the year. The crew isn’t the only batch of writers to honor the Evoque. The model has soaked up 34 international awards since it debuted. for the full press release.
