The Car Exam Quick Quiz #8: The Chevrolet Camaro (2) SS

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

The Car Exam: Quick Quiz #4: The 2010 Cadillac SRX

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

Flex-ing its Muscle: The 2010 Ford Flex SEL

Either you like it, or you don’t–the styling of the 2010 Flex is quite polarizing, to be sure. While that may be the case, all can agree it’s big on utility–and especially power–when it’s packing the optional 3.5 Liter, twin-turbo charged 355 horsepower Ecoboost V6 engine under the hood.

To be fair, I don’t particular like the styling of the Flex. To me, it worked much better as the higher-riding Ford Fairlane concept several years back. It simply looks better sitting higher off the ground. Now that I have that out of the way, I’ll tell you the things I do like about it–which is actually a lot.

Back to the Ecoboost: what a blast! It’s a smooth, gutsy power plant with plenty of muscle to get you where you need to go–and quickly. That’s very impressive for a 4800 pound vehicle. The standard 3.5 Liter V6 touts 262 horsepower, but I didn’t drive a Flex with that engine. However, based on the 2010 Taurus Limited I drove with the same engine (I’ll feature that in an upcoming review), that weaker engine seriously lacks power in comparison to the Ecoboost V6.

The smooth six-speed automatic transmission (with paddle shifters) works well with the Ecoboost engine, too. Braking was decent–it could have been better, but decent. For people wanting a vehicle with high fuel economy, they may skip the Ecoboost Flex: the EPA ratings for city/highway driving: 16/22 mpg–not so good. In spite of its name, the Ecoboost could probably use some more economy. That’s the price you’ll have to pay for its strong rush of horsepower, though.

The Flex has comfortable seats, lots of leg and head room (excellent overall interior room, I must say), and good ergonomics. The dash seems generally well laid out. In fact, the interior is impressive–which shows just how far Ford has progressed the last several years. The quality–total fit and finish–is much better than Fords of old.

Other goodies include: a push-button ignition starter, the Microsoft SYNC system, heated seats and mirrors, BLIS mirror system (blind spot information system), a navigation system with rear backup camera, ambient lighting, moon roof, three-row seating (with rear climate controls), lots of cup holders and great outward visibility from all sides.

It sum it up, I was surprised how much I liked the 2010 Ford Flex SEL. Its exterior styling may leave a lot to be desired (its cousin–the Lincoln MKT–is less attractive) and the fuel economy isn’t the best–but for those buyers who can get past those shortcomings, they will be rewarded with one heck of a crossover utility vehicle.

The Car Exam Grade: B+

The 2008-09 Suzuki SX4: A Decent Alternative

The Suzuki SX4 I tested doesn’t really stand out in terms of overall driving experience (the 2.0 liter, 143 hp four cylinder engine handles most situations well enough–yet the fuel economy isn’t anywhere near the best in its class), but the SX4 may offer an alternative for buyers wanting something different than its rivals (Civic, Corolla, Sentra, and Focus, Elantra and the new Kia Forte) have to offer.
The SX4 has great all-around visibility. The is a lot of glass, which provides good all-around views of the outdoors. The seating position is high, so you have good vision from the driver’s point of view, as well. The driving experience is okay; it picks up speed adequately, and the brakes work well. However, the engine could be quieter, smoother and more fuel efficient (averaging city fuel economy in the low 20’s and highway mileage in the mid 20’s won’t get it done in the compact car segment). Handling seems acceptable, though.
Inside, dash readouts are orange– my least favorite color, but at least there is an outside temperature gauge–always a handy feature. However, controls and dials are easy enough to use. The Cruise Control and Stereo controls are on the front of the steering wheel, which is a nice touch and helpful to make sure drivers keep their eyes on the road. The seats have adequate comfort. I wasn’t crazy about the seat material though, because it feels funny. Trunk space is okay, which should make weekend travelers and grocery shoppers happy.
Is the Suzuki SX4 reliable? That depends on what source you read; its reliability during the last three years has ranged from from mediocre by J.D. Power to excellent by Consumer Reports. If you want something different from the competition, maybe give it try. If you want play it safe, you may choose something different. The ball, as they say, is in your court. 🙂

The Car Exam Grade: B-

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