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Quick Spin: 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4

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By Michael Harley

2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon covered in mud

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Ice skates are spectacular on frozen water, yet they are dreadful everyday footwear. I consider the Jeep Wrangler equally as specialized.

I recently spent a week with a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4. Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Wrangler Unlimited is a standard JK two-door with 20.6 inches added to its wheelbase and two additional doors bolted to its passenger compartment. While Jeep offers the Unlimited in seven different trim levels, the desirable Rubicon is the most capable when the pavement ends, as it boasts a slew of hardcore off-road tools including front and rear electronic locking differentials and sway bars that can be disengaged at the touch of a button for improved articulation. My I-Look-Like-A-Traffic-Cone test model started with a base price of $34,095 (plus $995 destination). Options including a five-speed automatic transmission, Uconnect, tow package and a premium soft top, drove the bottom line up to $38,630.

Driving Notes

  • On one hand, it would be difficult to find a new vehicle less competent on pavement. Despite its many improvements over the years, handling is still very sloppy, with initial turn-in delayed and mushy. The brakes felt strong, but stopping distances seemed long. Most of the blame is aimed at the aggressive BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires. The rubber is excellent for post-apocalyptic travel, but the tire’s large tread blocks squirmed uncomfortably when tasked with changing direction on pavement. (To allay any concerns, stability control bundled with electronic roll mitigation is standard, so it would take real effort to actually get a wheel off the ground.)
  • On the other hand, few vehicles on the market are as competent off-road – and none are at this price point. Exploring Hungry Valley SRVA, an off-road park north of Los Angeles, the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon was all but unstoppable. I drove effortlessly through deep, soft sand, climbed steep hills like a mountain goat and danced through sticky mud. Generous approach and departure angles allowed the Jeep to go where other rigs only dream, and the electronic sway bar disconnect system allowed the two live axles to articulate at obscene angles.
  • Thanks to its strong Pentastar V6 (new for 2012), the Rubicon had plenty of power. The off-road park is up near 5,000 feet in elevation, but the 3.6-liter pulled strongly and never felt out of breath. Fuel economy isn’t impressive, but that is what Jerry Cans are for.
  • The ride quality of the long-wheelbase four-door is predictably better than on the two-door. My passengers found the second row fairly comfortable compared to the rear accommodations in a compact SUV or CUV. Some occupants, especially younger ones, complained about the lack of running boards as the step-in is high (in Jeep’s defense, the low-hanging protrusions just get in the way off-road), and everyone complained about drafts from the soft top. Of course, it was nothing but smiles when the truck was flinging muddy water all over itself – kids love …read more
    Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog
Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Cadillac ATS Premium 2.0T 6MT

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By Michael Harley

2013 Cadillac ATS - front three-quarter view

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The new Cadillac ATS is an impressive sport sedan, often considered one of the most serious threats to the BMW 3 Series. Unlike GM‘s previous attempts, this four door brings aggressive styling, commendable chassis dynamics and class-leading handling to the highly competitive battle. And, like its daunting German foe, Cadillac offer several powertrain choices.

I recently spent time with the ATS 2.0T Premium on my home California turf. Fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with a limited-slip rear differential, my tester was lightly optioned, with only a paint upgrade and a cold weather package. That brought the as-tested price to $46,305, configured the way I imagine most enthusiasts would prefer. This meant I fully expected to enjoy a week with a tossable sport sedan that boasted “fun-to-drive” as its middle name, but all was not well…

Driving Notes

  • The ATS‘ stiff chassis, strong brakes and upscale interior were my favorite attributes. A close second would be the extraordinary styling that manages to be sporty and bold, yet classy and timeless at the same time.
  • Cadillac’s innovative touchscreen CUE interface with haptic feedback may work well in the showroom, but at least for this journo, its application in a bouncy and vibration-laden automotive environment is a mistake. In addition to being slow to respond and frustrating to use, it is a hair-pulling experience trying to steady a pointer finger to touch the proper real estate whether that is a capacitive touch volume bar or greasy fingerprinted flat panel display. Cadillac actually provides a microfiber cloth in the glovebox to wipe it clean, but isn’t that admitting a preexisting flaw (would you have confidence in an automaker who provided an oil drip pan with each new it car sold)?
  • I am a huge fan of GM‘s magnetic ride control suspension, but I didn’t like its tuning in this ATS. When pushed hard, the rear tires seemed to skip over imperfections in the pavement, meaning the rubber wasn’t staying in contact with the undulations in the road. The two-mode damping was almost too firm in default setting and then harsh when configured to sport mode (the console-mounted button must inexplicably be pushed twice to toggle the suspension change).
  • This segment is embracing 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines for their excellent combination of power and fuel efficiency, but I found little to like with the turbocharged engine in the ATS. It felt and sounded buzzy, with nothing but racket coming from under the hood. Plus, it ran out of steam well before redline and fuel economy on my enthusiastically driven watch was not spectacular (16 mpg around town and 26 mpg on the highway). While it did provide decent power, especially in the thick of its torque band, it desperately needs a sporty exhaust note to bring a bit more excitement to the game.
  • I generally prefer manual transmissions, yet the traditional six-speed gearbox in the ATS didn’t impress …read more
    Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog
Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2014 Mazda CX-5 with 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine

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By Seyth Miersma

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2014 Mazda CX-5 with 2.5-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder. Front three-quarter view

Back in October, we compared the relative merits of two new and very good small crossovers: the 2013 Ford Escape and 2013 Mazda CX-5. The CX-5 we tested then had Mazda’s 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine under its hood, and it managed to just edge out the EcoBoosted Ford despite being down by some 23 horsepower and 34 pound-feet of torque. Had it been available, the 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine that we recently had the opportunity to try out in the 2014 Mazda CX-5, it may have made that comparison even easier to call in the Japanese CUV’s favor.

Clearly, if you’re in the market for a reasonably sized crossover, the CX-5 should, at the very least, be on your test-drive list. The new engine offering will let buyers opt for a stronger powerplant, with 184 hp and 185 lb-ft on tap. On our second day in Austin’s Hill Country – the first was spent quick-spinning the 2014 Mazda6 i Sport, you’ll recall – we covered a couple of hundred miles and put the new CX-5 through its paces; here’s what we turned up.

Driving Notes

  • The extra half-liter of Skyactiv displacement, resulting in 29 more horsepower and 35 more pound-feet of torque than in the 2.0-liter model, is satisfying in this new CX-5. With the larger engine, the CX-5’s 0-60 time falls to about 7.2 seconds (Mazda’s estimate) from just under 9 seconds in the 2.0-liter version. Those numbers are borne out in real-world feel, too, where the new CX-5 absolutely feels quicker away from a stoplight and less strained when passing slower folks at highway speeds. The 2.5 engine sounds a bit better, too – offering a mildly enthusiastic growl up around 5,000 rpm and onward.
  • Every other piece of the dynamic driving experience is more or less exactly the same with the 2.5-liter engine as it was with the smaller powerplant. Mazda only had CX-5s with the new engine on hand at our drive event in Austin, and it’s possible that driving both versions, back-to-back, could reveal some mild handling differences. But with only a few months separating our last seat time in the 2.0-liter car from this drive, we feel safe saying that the more-potent CX-5 is every bit the nimble handler as its slightly lighter sibling.
  • With the added thrust and equal handling taken as read then, what exactly is the give/get situation relative to the smaller-engine CX-5? The larger-engined vehicle gains about 100 pounds, trim-for-trim. The 2.0-liter is the only 2014 CX-5 that can be had with Mazda’s very good six-speed manual transmission, meanwhile, though product planners hinted that we may be seeing a 2.5L/6MT combo later in the model year. (We know from the Mazda6 that the engine and manual transmission work nicely together.) Impressively, the 2.5L CX-5 only loses one mile per gallon in the city versus the smaller displacement engine (25 versus 26 mpg), and the highway ratings stay exactly the same (32 mpg). Towing capacity stays steady at a modest 2,000-pound maximum for all CX-5 models.
  • With such stellar comparative specifications versus its 2.0-liter brother, the determining factor for opting-in to a 2.5-liter CX-5 is essentially only cost. For 2014, Mazda is only offering the 2.0-liter engine in Sport (read: base) models – both all-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive flavors – while the 2.5-liter engine starts at the plusher Touring trim in both driveline configurations. That means while a true apples-to-apples comparison isn’t possible, you will have to pony up about $2,000 to get into the larger mill. A front-wheel-drive CX-5 Sport 2.0 6AT starts at $22,595, while the FWD CX-5 Touring 2.5 6AT asks $24,615 (all models have identical $795 destination charges). For AWD models, the difference between the Sport and Touring is an identical $2,020 gap – MSRPs of $23,845 and $25,865, respectively.
  • Here’s a little model-year 2014 trivia for future members of the CX-5 enthusiast clubs: This year sees three new colors (Soul Red, Jet Black, Meteor Gray) replacing three old colors (Zeal Red, Black Mica, Metropolitan Gray). The new red is a $300 option. Last year’s blue plastic engine cover has been replaced with a black plastic engine cover. Mazda’s Smart City Brake Support, which automatically brakes the vehicle in low-speed, crash-imminent maneuvers, is now standard with the Touring and Grand Touring tech pack, while the burglar alarm has been deleted from those packages. Got all of that? We’ll have a quiz next week.

2014 Mazda CX-5 with 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2014 Mazda6 i Sport

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By Seyth Miersma

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2014 Mazda6

In an automotive landscape dominated by platform sharing, technology exchange and any number of other cross-fertilization/cost-saving/amortization exercises, it’s actually pretty rare that we get to drive a new car that is as “all-new” as this, the 2014 Mazda6. With brand-spanking new Skyactiv architecture throughout – engine, transmission, body and chassis all included – this 6 represents a new era of flexible production and cutting edge running gear for the happily lithe car company.

Our own Jonathon Ramsey did a cracking job of running the Mazda6 through its First Drive paces a few months ago, and sufficiently impressed upon us just how good looking a car this is for the midsize sedan segment. Suffice it to say, now, then, that this is easily the most interesting (and quitewhat’ possibly the most beautiful) midsize sedan in the segment today. However, as Mr. Ramsey reviewed a fully contented example of the 6 – one equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission – we took advantage of Mazda’s North American launch event of the car to suss out the base Mazda6 i Sport, complete with its six-speed Skyactiv manual gearbox. This may not shock you, but the stripper’s pretty good, too.

Driving Notes

  • We’ll get right down to the meat of it: The manual transmission is far-better than the average do-it-yourself gearbox in this segment. Throws of the gearlever are light, short, and easy to put home with confidence. The clutch pedal, similarly, is very low-effort, but with a broad catch point that’s simple to operate in every driving situation we encountered. This isn’t a hewn-from-billet shifting experience, naturally, but it is a manual transmission that can be used with satisfaction in spirited driving, or mindlessly on the shopping run. The transmission is just perfectly suited to the power delivery of the smooth 2.5-liter motor, too.
  • The Sport trim car we tested had zero options – quite a rarity in the media fleet. Still, we found the cabin to be pretty accommodating and comfortable. The most noticeable interior bits on this base-level are the all-cloth seats and the old school head unit where the touch-screen display usually lives. The seats were fine – soft to the touch and seemingly resilient, with just a bit of gloss and texture to make them feel upscale without the cowhide. The head unit, meanwhile, while perfectly functional (and sure to be embraced by the luddite set in our comments section), was both drab and old-fashioned looking. Naturally the instrument panel was designed to accommodate a touch screen – this is the 21st Century, after all – so its lack hampers the design. For one thing, the lack of color and brightness afforded by the display makes the dash look sort of dark and dreary by comparison.
  • So, just how inexpensive is the base model Mazda6 i Sport? The literal answer is $21,675 after the $795 destination fee has been added on. That’s pretty good, we thought. The relative answer is, of course, slightly more complicated. In a tooth-and-nail segment like this one, you’d expect pricing among the heavyweight players to be very close, and it is. Still, the new 6 is almost the class-leader. Comparing optionless, base-model MSRPs, plus destination charges, we find this: Toyota Camry is $23,030, Nissan Altima is $22,550, Honda Accord is $22,470 and Ford Fusion is $22,245. Volkswagen’s most basic Passat is just $21,640 though – about a night at the movies with your wife (not the kids) cheaper than the Mazda.
  • Mazda is in zero danger of loosing its ballyhooed zoom-zoom appeal by way of this 6 – the handling experience is impressive. While we were perhaps a bit less bullish about the car’s nimbleness on our test drive through some very hilly, winding Texas Hill Country roads than when cruising through the French countryside (again, see our First Drive), we still found the thing to be pretty tossable. Reactions to steering inputs, especially, were impressively fast for a car this big and long. The steering experience itself was a bit weightless, with not enough of a transition from on-lock to off-lock feeling of heft, but still very accurate and easy to modulate in a quick corner. Suspension response was admirable, too, on fast switchbacks. For all of that, the cruising ride didn’t suffer, though road and tire noise on the freeway was higher than we’d like.
  • Mazda will doubtlessly sell a lot of examples of this new Mazda6 based on its stunning sheet metal and high-levels of content in the middle/high trims. Good to know that the base car is still pretty sweet then; and still a pleasantly differentiated product in a segment filled with one-upmanship.

2014 Mazda6 i Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe

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By Michael Harley

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz upgraded its SLS flagship Coupe and Roadster for the 2013 model year, and the changes are marked with them new “GT” nomenclature. Both SLS models arrive with a retuned naturally aspired 6.2-liter V8 delivering 583 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque (the horses are up from 563, but the torque remains the same) mated to a revised seven-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch gearbox. Rounding out the mechanical upgrades is a redeveloped AMG two-mode adaptive suspension. Physically, the revised models are differentiated by their new “GT” badging, darkened headlight/taillight buckets, red brake calipers, unique wheel colors and high gloss finish on the front grille, exterior mirrors and hood/fender fins. Inside the cabin are new red seatbelts, Alcantara upholstery and contrasting red stitching.

As it is nearly impossible to experience the aluminum gullwing beast on public roads, Mercedes invited out to Southern California’s Willow Springs to wring out the 2013 SLS GT Coupe on a racing circuit.

Driving Notes

  • It was impossible to feel the horsepower bump from the driver’s seat (the track’s 2,000-foot elevation negated the increase anyway), but the free-breathing V8 sounds even more spectacular each time I meet it. Gobs of low-end torque, a responsive throttle and a willingness to race to redline (7,200 rpm) make it a near-perfect driver’s companion. The automaker quotes a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds – traction at launch is a problem – with a top speed of 197 miles per hour. The SLS attacked the Streets of Willow with voraciousness. I’ve driven hundreds of laps on the circuit, but never in a vehicle so powerful that I needed to brake hard to make Turn One after rocketing down the straight (running clockwise).
  • After finding myself bumping off the limiter repeatedly while using the wheel-mounted paddles in manual mode (an LED shift light blinks red at the top of the cluster), I put the gearbox in Sport Plus and let computers do the thinking. Overall, I was pleased with its intuitiveness and I really enjoyed the throttle blips on the downshifts.
  • A near complete lack of body roll and very firm AMG Sport suspension (I chose the damper’s softest setting to combat the surface’s broken pavement) meant the rear end would break loose mid-corner if the power was applied abruptly. Smoothness and consistent throttle applications were imperative to keeping the rear end planted and exiting the corner with the nose pointed down the track. Overall balance was impressively neutral and weight distribution, fore and aft, was easily controlled with the accelerator pedal.
  • The 15.4-inch perforated front steel rotors could take plenty of abuse, but I preferred the optional carbon-ceramic brake setup as they felt unaffected by the heat generated on the tight track. As an added benefit, they weigh less and look even better through the forged spokes on the wheels.
  • Driven back-to-back on the track, the updated Coupe and Roadster were nearly identical dynamically (they both weigh 3,573 pounds). From a driver’s perspective, the exhaust note is more pronounced in the Roadster and there was more wiggle room for my helmeted head beneath its soft convertible top. Still, I wouldn’t want to give up those signature gullwing doors.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander GT

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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I’m not a gambling man, but if there were a pool for an automotive death watch, my money would be on Mitsubishi… Lincoln is a close second. To understand the plight of Mitsubishi, you only have to look at its current lineup; they all just look, feel and drive about 10 years older than they really are. With the departure of the Endeavor and merciful killing of the Eclipse (the Galant lives on, but is on hiatus for the 2013 model year), one of the worst remaining offenders is the Mitsubishi Outlander, which I recently drove in top-level GT trim for this Quick Spin.

If we had a time machine and took the 2013 Outlander GT back to 1998, it would be revolutionary. If we could take it back to 2004, it might be near the top of its class. But in the current highly competitive crossover segment of today, the Outlander just falls short. Yes, the all-new 2014 Outlander is on its way later this year, but from what we’ve seen both inside and out, the new design would look great in 2008. That being said, spending a week with any vehicle can point out surprising highs as well as lows, and there are still plenty of reasons to enjoy Mitsu’s midsize CUV.

Driving Notes

  • Unfortunately, I have to kick off my driving impressions on a negative note. There are few utility vehicles on the market that make the third row an enviable seating position, but the Outlander GT‘s rear-most seat is downright insulting. Not only is this the worst third-row seat currently on the market, it could very well be the worst ever created – that includes the uncomfortable rear-facing third row of a certain 1977 Impala station wagon I was relegated to as a kid during family road trips. The operation is clunky, the padding is lacking and the snap-on headrests are as tall as the seat back itself.
  • On the opposite end of the scale, the best part about the Outlander GT is its drivetrain and platform. Replacing the base four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission, the GT trim level brings a well-aged 3.0-liter V6 paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. Since it shares its underpinnings with the Mitsubishi Lancer, the Outlander also has a pretty good ride quality in just about any road condition.
  • My tester was equipped with Mitsubishi’s dynamic Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) sending the engine’s 230 horsepower to all four wheels, improving traction or performance depending on which driver-selectable mode has been chosen (Tarmac or Snow), and there is also an active front differential that that splits engine torque across the front axle or fully locks (in Lock setting) for better off-road performance. I didn’t have the chance to do any serious off roading in Outlander, but I was able to test out the S-AWC along sandy, gravelly roads, which the Outlander handled like a champ.
  • Thanks to a 2010 styling refresh, the Outlander is one of the better-looking budget crossovers on the market. With its gaping grille and angular HID headlights, the Outlander GT has a pretty imposing face, and the clear-lensed LED taillights are also a stylish touch to the overall look of the Outlander. While this tester’s dark blue color didn’t do its lines any favors, it’s is still a reasonably handsome midsize CUV.
  • Try as it may to look like the Lancer Evolution, the Outlander does not live up to its “GT” trim. Its car-based platform and raised stance just make it feel like a tall car rather than a sporty crossover. I didn’t have the time to put the performance aspect of S-AWC to the test, but you can tell that the Outlander is designed to be the budget-minded crossover in its segment rather than performance-minded. Speaking of budgets, the Outlander GT‘s fuel economy rating of 19 miles per gallon city and 25 mpg highway is about par for V6-powered vehicles in this segment, but it also requires premium gasoline.
  • Aside from the after-thought of a third-row seat, the rest of the Outlander’s interior isn’t all that bad. Front occupants can enjoy heated seats (with the button buried between the seat and the center console) and Mitsubishi’s easy-to-use Fuse hands-free system as standard equipment. Even the middle row provides a surprising level of comfort with a 60/40 split seat that can slide and recline allowing ample legroom and space for the unfortunate passengers in the way back. Another quirky benefit of the Outlander is the fold down tailgate that sits flat with the cargo floor making it easier to load and unload bulky items.
  • Then there’s the matter of price. Even though the Outlander starts at a reasonable $22,695, this GT tester came practically fully loaded with a $2,500 Touring Package and a $2,000 Navigation Package, which boosted the as-tested price to $33,920. You can get a lot more utility from a more stable brand for that much or lower.

2013 Mitsubishi Outlander GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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