I had an opportunity recently to chat with Autoline Detroit’s own John Mc Elroy! I thank Mr. Mc Elroy for taking time out of his busy schedule, and I appreciate his advice!
Archive for March, 2010
The Car Exam is now on Facebook and Twitter! 🙂 Look up “Car Exam” on Facebook and you’ll find it! Go to Twitter and look up “The Car Exam.” Become a friend on Facebook and a follower on Twitter and tell your friends, too! 🙂
The Car Exam Quick Quiz #8: The Chevrolet Camaro (2) SS
Posted: March 22, 2010 in The Car Exam Grade: B+
Good Grades: Powerful 400 horsepower, 6.2 liter V8 engine and good six-speed automatic transmission, solid chassis, terrific retro exterior styling, comfortable front seats, good interior materials.
Bad Grades: This car is extremely claustrophobic–the windows all around are extremely small (and the black interior doesn’t help), limited outward visibility, huge blind spot when changing lanes, retro instrument gauges aren’t a good thing (Instrument gauges down by the gear shifter on the console? C’mon, Man!), small back seats and trunk, and the car is too heavy–it needs to be lighter.
Final Grade: If you love all-out, American Muscle, then the Camaro SS is the car for you–possibly. This car would be the near perfect muscle car if it weren’t for its glaring shortcomings. Still, it’s a blast to drive! If you want better fuel economy, go for the 304 horsepower, 3.6 liter V6 in the Camaro RS. If you want more horsepower , get the Camaro SS with the six-speed manual transmission–and you’ll get 426 hp, 26 more than the SS with the automatic transmission. The 2010 Camaro SS vs. the 412 hp 2011 Mustang GT: Let the heavyweight comparisons begin! Woo Hoo! 🙂
The Car Exam Grade: B+
Vehicle Price: $37,975
Follow The Car Exam on Facebook “Car Exam” and Twitter!
Good Grades: Solid build quality, nice interior ergonomics and quality,supportive and comfy seats, good exterior styling–in short a lot of the SHO’s good attributes.
Bad Grades: The base 3.6 liter, 263 horsepower V6 struggles to pull the 4,000 pound Taurus. You really miss the twin-turbocharged 365 horsepower V6 in the SHO—and it shows (pun intended)! My test car missed some of the goodies found on the SHO (navigation, all-wheel drive, etc.), and it shares a flaw with the SHO (short windows all around–which means a big blind spot in the rear.
Final Grade: The Taurus Limited is a good car, but it feels underpowered–especially after you drive the Taurus SHO. If you can afford to spend the extra dollars (and driving performance matters), do go for the SHO.
The Car Exam Grade: B
The Car Exam – New Car Reviews – Quick Quiz #6: The 2010 Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Posted: March 14, 2010 in thecarexam - twiiter
Follow The Car Exam on Facebook “Car Exam” and Twitter!
Good Grades: Good power for the 315 hp 4.6 Liter V8, solid 5-speed manual transmission, competent braking, good exterior styling and better interior than the 2005-2009 models, Microsoft/Ford Sync System, comfortable seats, cool sequential turn signals at the rear.
Bad Grades: Retro is fine, but the skinny numbers on the speedometer and tachometer need to go away–now! I still felt like it could use more horsepower, small back seats, and I didn’t care for the “Grabber Blue” color on my test car.
Final Grade: Chevrolet Camaro sales have been topping the Mustang for several reasons this year–one of them being huge horsepower advantages with the V6 and V8 engines. Ford freshened the Mustang for 2010, but left the outdated powertrains alone–a big mistake! If you are in the market for a Mustang, wait until spring and get a 2011 Mustang. You can get the new 5.0 liter 412 horsepower V8 Mustang GT or the new 305 horsepower, 3.7 liter V6 in the base model with a whopping 31 miles-per-gallon fuel economy on the highway (only 19 m.p.g. city), apparently a record for a 300+ hp engine. By the way, the 2011 Shelby GT 500 gains 10 hp to reach 550 horsepower. I have a feeling when I test the 2011 models, the Mustang will surely get a better grade!
The Car Exam Grade: B/B+
Follow The Car Exam on Facebook “Car Exam” and Twitter!
Good Grades: Superb interior, nice exterior styling, silky-smooth and strong V6 3.5 liter, 275 horsepower engine/six-speed automatic transmission combination, terrific ride, good braking, good interior room and stereo system.
Bad Grades: It uses premium fuel–not good, considering gas prices are on the rise again.
Final Grade: The Lexus RX 350 is (by far) my favorite luxury CUV so far. It’s best for daily driving–if you you just want a stress-free, easy driving experience. If you want a more exciting, connected driving experience–go with the Mercedes ML 350–it’s the sportiest CUV I’ve driven so far (look for it in an upcoming review soon). The RX 350 stays true to the Lexus formula–which isn’t a bad thing. Hopefully, Toyota’s woes will not expand to the RX 350 line–if they do, then THAT would be a bad thing.
The Car Exam Grade: A
….
These new quizzes will be coming soon: the 2010 Ford Mustang GT, the 2011 Kia Sorento, the 2010 Mercedes ML 350, the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid, and the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited. Look for them! 🙂
New Feature: "Mini Quizzes" Coming Up!
Posted: March 10, 2010 in Upcoming New Feature: "Mini Quizzes"….
I’ll be doing a short series of “mini quizzes” on cars that I took on brief test drives. These will include: the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, the 2010 Toyota Highlander, The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the 2010 Toyota 4 Runner. Look for these posts in the days ahead! 🙂
Good Grades: Superb interior, nice exterior styling, silky-smooth and strong V6 3.5 liter, 275 horsepower engine/six-speed automatic transmission combination, terrific ride, good braking, good interior room and stereo system.
Bad Grades: It uses premium fuel–not good, considering gas prices are on the rise again.
Final Grade: The Lexus RX 350 is (by far) my favorite luxury CUV so far. It’s best for daily driving–if you you just want a stress-free, easy driving experience. If you want a more exciting, connected driving experience–go with the Mercedes ML 350–it’s the sportiest CUV I’ve driven so far (look for it in an upcoming review soon). The RX 350 stays true to the Lexus formula–which isn’t a bad thing. Hopefully, Toyota’s woes will not expand to the RX 350 line–if they do, then THAT would be a bad thing. The Car Exam Grade: A
The Car Exam: Quick Quiz #4: The 2010 Cadillac SRX
Posted: March 9, 2010 in The Car Exam Grade: B+, thecarexam - twiiter
Good Grades: Excellent interior and exterior styling, high quality interior materials, good ergonomics, comfortable seats, good navigation system with back up camera, nice visibility, good stereo system, decent ride and braking.
Bad Grades: Weak acceleration from the 3.0 liter V6 engine is a deal-breaker; large blind spot, the ride could be a bit softer.
Final Grade: The 2010 Cadillac SRX is light years better than the cars GM used to make. It is a very impressive crossover. However, if you choose to buy it, get the SRX with the 300 horsepower, 2.8 liter turbo V6 engine. It’s more potent than the gutless 3.0 liter, 265 horsepower V6 engine (which strains to pull the 4200 pound CUV). The Car Exam Grade: B
The Car Exam 