2015 Lexus RC 350 Luxury review | road test

A punchy V6 propels Lexus's first purpose-built sports coupe - it's thirsty, hefty and fun to drive. The RC350 is designed to make a statement for Lexus - a loud one, judging by its in-your-face front-end design.

The bold and brassy new trademark "spindle grille" may not be to everyone's taste but it certainly catches the eye. And so does the price of Lexus's first purpose-built sports coupe: $66,000 for the cheapest 'luxury" model.

That price is considerably lower than similarly equipped German rivals and it marks a new strategy of making Lexus the "accessible" luxury brand. It's also a departure from Lexus's dependence on hybrid technology, as it is powered by a V6 that is anything but environmentally friendly.

DESIGN

The front end could be criticised for being too busy yet the car looks great in profile, with muscular haunches, low-slung roofline, long snout and big machine-finished 18-inch wheels. By design or coincidence it looks a bit like a modern interpretation of the Toyota Supra.

Inside there are penalties to be paid for the raked profile; headroom for the driver is less than generous, while even kids could feel a little claustrophobic in the rear seats, where head and legroom are at a premium. Access to the rear is relatively simple, though, with the front seats sliding forward at the press of a button.

Elsewhere the cabin is a good mix between sportiness and luxury, with quality materials, tasteful ambient lighting and modern graphic displays. The mouse-style touch pad to control the infotainment takes a bit of getting used to, though.

ABOUT TOWN

The RC350 is well equipped to take on the daily commuter grind, with comfortable heated and ventilated seats, quiet cabin and high-quality audio. As with most sports cars, rear vision isn't great, although it compensates with a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

Unfortunately it misses out on safety equipment available on more expensive models in the range. It also has no fuel-saving stop-start technology. In heavy traffic, the RC350 is thirstier than its rivals.

ON THE ROAD

As a sports car, the RC350 is pretty heavy, weighing in not too far shy of Falcon and Commodore territory. That weight is discernible in hairpins and tight corners but overall the Lexus is rewarding and precise on twisting country roads, with good steering feedback and impressive body control. On choppier surfaces you feel the bumps, but the ride is comfortable for a sports coupe.

PERFORMANCE

The 233kW V6 likes to rev and sings sweetly when pushed hard, although it doesn't provide the crackle and burble of, say, an Audi TT. The eight-speed auto provides relaxed, smooth changes when cruising around town, or more rapid responses when the drive select system is in sport.

For a big car it gets off the line pretty smartly. Lexus claims a 0-100km/h time of 6.3 seconds, which is quick but about half a second slower than the claim of the similarly priced, turbocharged four-cylinder BMW 228i. It's also thirstier, with an official combined city-country rating of 9.4L/100km.

VERDICT 

The RC350 is a great entry point to luxury sports tourer-style driving. It's well equipped, stands out from the crowd and has a classy cabin with quality finishes. It is thirsty and heavy for a coupe but the pay-off is a car that is loads of fun to drive.

WHAT IT HASN'T 

The cheapest model doesn't get blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, active cruise control, auto high beam or rear cross traffic alert for backing out of driveways. No stop-start either.

OWNERSHIP 

Lexus's four-year, unlimited kilometre warranty is more generous than some of its luxury rivals but it doesn't have capped price servicing. This is a new model so resale is hard to judge. Lexus has a reputation for A-grade reliability and customer service.

PICK OF THE RANGE 

The more expensive models get more safety gear and adaptive suspension but the cheapest model in the range delivers plenty of fun without breaking the bank.

ALSO CONSIDER 

• BMW 228i $64,400 Great to drive, silky engine and transmission, but light-on for creature comforts.
   
• Audi TT 1.8 $69,350 Killer looks, great exhaust note, elegant cabin but missing some features at the price.
   
• Mercedes-Benz C250 $70,900 Sleek looks, badge cred, punchy turbo engine but due to be replaced this year.

Specifications

Price:	From $66,000
Warranty:	4yr/100,000km
Engine:	3.5-litre V6-cyl petrol, 233kW/378Nm
Transmission:	8-speed auto; RWD
Thirst:	9.4L/100km

Mercedes-Benz G500 4x4²

For many years, killing off the Mercedes-Benz G-class was a recurring topic at Daimler board meetings. The boxy off-roader, an offspring of a vehicle developed for military applications, simply came from another era. Weren't there better, modern SUVs in the lineup?

More recently, the topic has disappeared from agendas. As luxury customers seek vehicles that are both distinctive and which exhibit some actual authenticity, G-wagen sales are better than ever. Indeed, with 14,000 units sold last year and some hefty profit margins built in, Daimler has started having fun with the G—so much fun, in fact, that it has authorized a considerable budget for low-volume derivatives.

Two years ago, the world was flabbergasted by the G63 AMG 6x6, a non-U.S.-market variation based on a project for the Australian armed forces. There was one problem: Impressing folks with the 6x6 may be a breeze in the deserts of the Middle East, but not so much in European inner cities. It takes considerable skill to direct that three-axle behemoth with anything resembling grace.

It will be far easier to pose and maneuver in the G500 4x4², a prototype of which we just drove. Daimler won't yet officially confirm series production, but with more than 100 units of the hyper-expensive 6x6 having been sold—far beyond expectations—before production ended, the potential for this similar new model is considerable.

The exclusive, common denominator between the G63 AMG 6x6 and the G500 4x4² is the portal axles, which use gears in the hubs to allow the axle to sit higher than the wheel centers in the name of increased ground clearance. The result is a vehicle that can clear 17.7-inch-high obstacles, versus the 8.3 inches of a stock G, as well as ford water up to 39.4 inches deep. The front and rear tracks are also wider by 11.8 inches, and while the standard G-wagen is relatively narrow, this variant comes in at 82.7 inches wide—still not so much that urban driving becomes a chore. On the other hand, its height of 88.6 inches will render many parking structures forbidden territory.

The regular G-wagen seems hard to beat off the road, but thanks to the portal axles, the 4x4² pushes the boundaries of capability to new extremes. We tested the prototype in a half-dry riverbed and on steep, rocky slopes that forced the regular model to throw in the towel—the mega ground clearance and the massively superior approach, departure, and breakover angles of the 4x4² allow for scrambling over even the gnarliest terrain. And thanks to the wide track, it feels stable and planted, with a tip-over point virtually unchanged from the basic G. Helpfully, you can opt for off-road-sized 37-by-12.5-inch mud-terrain tires on 18-inch beadlock wheels; these can be swapped out for 325/55 rubber on 22-inch wheels for on-road pursuits.

These side pipes merely accentuate the ultra-aggressive styling, which comes as a welcome result of the jacked-up, wide-track suspension. The wheel arches are made of carbon-fiber composite, and the front fascia is taken directly from the G63 AMG and the G65 AMG. Pricing, by the way, will be somewhere between these two models—if the board decides to move forward on building the thing. We would be very surprised if they don’t—it’s too impressive and bad-ass not to.On pavement, of course, the G500 4x4² can't perform miracles. Its electronically controlled dampers can be switched between Comfort and Sport settings, and doing so makes a discernible difference in ride and handling, but the steering remains as vague and imprecise as in any other G-wagen. In a straight line, however, the thing moves out with alacrity, thanks in large part to the brand-new, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, which is derived from AMG's M178 engine. It will show up in many Mercedes-Benz cars in the future, and launching it in a G-class prototype speaks volumes to the importance of this SUV model. Rated here at 416 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, the new V-8 is likely to yank the 4x4² to 60 mph in less than six seconds, while top speed is rated at 130 mph (Daimler advises that you keep it under 100 mph with the off-road tires fitted). The near-explosive power is underscored by a soundtrack worthy of an AMG, which is trumpeted by dual side pipes that exit ahead of the rear wheels on both flanks.

2016 Porsche Cayman GT4

The Cayman GT4 manages the neat trick of being both reassuringly familiar and radically different. Nobody with prior experience of any GT-badged 911 is going to be either offended or surprised by the way the über-ized Caymandrives, or the clinical competence with which it deals with the all-important business of being thrashed around a racetrack. Yet, within the rarefied world of Porsche’s GT division, the very fact that the Cayman doesn’t have its engine hung behind its rear axle is a ground-shaking departure from the norm. Then there’s its price tag: $85,595. That might seem like ludicrous money for a Cayman, but this is the cheapest GT-badged Porsche ever sold in America.

A PARTS-BIN SPECIAL

The GT4 development team made one critical decision—to give the car an engine from the mainstream side of the Porsche business. In this case, the 3.8-liter flat-six from the 911 Carrera S. Doing this enabled money to be spent on other areas, including giving the Cayman many of the same suspension components as the current 991 GT3. But it does mean an engine that, on paper, lacks some of the high-revving Götterdämmerung we’ve come to expect from a GT-level Porsche.

Just getting the engine into the Cayman required some engineering gymnastics, including turning it 180 degrees so it sits on the other side of the rear axle. Exhaust and intake systems are necessarily new, but the internals are unchanged, and the only other alteration is a lighter flywheel. Officially the GT4 has 385 horsepower—45 more than the Cayman GTS but 15 fewer than the same engine in the 911. But we’ve been assured that output figure represents the very least number of horses any GT4 will ever deliver, likely while climbing a mountain on a hot day.

HARDER EDGEYou’d struggle to improve on the rest of the mechanical specification. The really good news is the presence of a six-speed manual gearbox, proof that the GT3’s PDK didn’t find universal favor. Beyond that there’s a limited-slip differential, Porsche’s torque-vectoring system, and the firm’s active transmission mounts. The front suspension has been pretty much taken straight from the GT3, with the two cars sharing hub carriers, shim-adjustable control arms, and the same steering rack. The rear suspension is similarly beefed up, with ball-jointed links and “helper springs” to pre-tension the main springs. The GT4 sits on track-biased Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and the aerodynamic kit—which replaces the standard Cayman’s pop-up spoiler with a carbon-reinforced polymer wing that looks like it could shave a whale—develops actual downforce. The GT4 is a parts-bin special at heart, but what a bin.

Porsche took us to Portugal to drive the GT4, being keen for us to experience the car (and its aggressive tires) in warm, dry conditions. The company had also booked exclusive use of the very impressive, if little used, Autódromo Internacional Algarve in Portimão. Before that, however, there was the chance to drive the ultra-Cayman on some of the twisting inland roads that give the Algarve region much of its touristic charm, as well as an alarming percentage of its accident statistics.

The GT4 starts off doing a remarkable impression of the 991 GT3. Given the price disparity between the two cars (the GT3 starts at $131,395), this is a good thing. Yes, the mid-engine Cayman’s mass sits much farther forward than that of the 911, but at road speeds it generates so much mechanical grip that you don’t feel much difference beyond the fact that the GT4 is smaller and lighter, making it easier to place on the tight-fitting roads and giving it a greater enthusiasm for obeying directional inputs. The steering feels pretty much identical to the GT3’s—not too heavy, with a strong caster feel and delivering far more information than Porsche allows to pass through the electrical assistance of its regular cars.

The sweet-shifting manual gearbox delivers plenty of compensation. The engineering team acknowledges it’s not as quick as the PDK would have been, but we’d say that it’s at least 400 percent more involving, although—as in all Porsches—the gearing is still toweringly tall (second runs out at 81 mph). Sport mode also brings a rev-matching function if you’re not willing or able to do your own heel-and-toe downshifts.Against that, the engine is a slight disappointment. And we stress slight—the GT4 pulls harder than any other Cayman, sounds great while doing so, and delivers the sort of perfectly proportional throttle response that vindicates the decision to stand against the turbocharge-everything orthodoxy that’s sweeping the industry. But while it has plenty of midrange punch, it can’t come close to matching the GT3’s enthusiasm for revs. The Cayman’s fuel cut arrives at 7800 rpm—impressive by modern standards but pretty much exactly where the GT3’s engine starts to do its best work.

Predictably, the rest of the GT4 is far harder edged than even the Cayman GTS. The car we drove had optional fixed-back carbon-fiber bucket seats, which would probably start to bite hard after a couple of hours at the wheel, and the suspension never feels anything other than very firm (even with the switchable dampers in their default, softer setting). The upside is mighty body control even over broken road surfaces. And let’s be honest—if you’re looking for ride comfort, this probably isn’t the car for you.

NOT LIKE A PENDULUM

The track at Portimão has been cleverly designed to deliver big surprises. Although none as large as that handed to the taxpayers who helped fund the building of this vast elefante branco, which hosts little more than a round of the MotoGP championship when not being used by manufacturers or for track days. The course features a tough combination of corners and crests, several of which leave you facing an empty horizon and the knuckle-whitening hope that you’re going to find the apex where you expect it. That said, it’s also immediately clear that the GT4 is in its natural environment.

But the higher loads of track use also brought out a different side to the GT4’s character—it starts to feel mid-engined, in the same way you only really realize how much mass the GT3 carries at the back under really hard driving. The GT4 turns in more keenly than the 911, and feels more stable under hard braking, but it lacks the corner-exiting traction its big-assed sister can generate. Nor does it have the sensation of trying to steer a pendulum that the 911 delivers on the limit. It’s a less demanding car to drive hard, but it’s not less of a car for it. Even in very close proximity to its limits, the GT4 stays predictable and even playful; we ignored the official instruction to leave the stability control switched on and discovered that the Cayman is profoundly unscary even with it fully defeated. Grip fades progressively and slides are easily corrected or extended, according to individual preference.Most of what we learned on the road is true here, as well. The Cayman’s steering remains wonderfully accurate, its resistance to understeer near total. Even Portimão’s longer straights don’t make the car feel in any way slow, and the gearbox seems to work even better under the increased pressure of track use. We drove cars fitted with both steel and the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, with neither system showing any signs of wilting under the sort of use that would boil the brake fluid in most sports cars.

It’s tempting to see the GT4 as a little brother, yet in many ways it’s not. Its official Nürburgring Nordschleife time is 7:40, a respectful 15 seconds behind the 991 GT3’s. However, Porsche told us at that car’s launch that the 911 GT3’s active rear steering and PDK gearbox (neither of which is present here) together shaved more than 15 seconds off of its ’Ring time, meaning the GT4 is closer than you’d think.ENTER THE GATEWAY

The bigger mystery is why Porsche’s GT division—which has long proved capable of selling every car it makes and which has very limited production capacity—should have gone to the trouble to develop something cheaper rather than one of the familiar 911 variants, which would have had lines forming around the block. The answer, of course, is that the Cayman GT4 is a gateway drug, designed to introduce a whole new generation of potential addicts to one of the most expensive, and exciting, automotive addictions there is.

2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4MATIC Coupe

As the technological leader of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the big coupes have sent us searching for superlatives for decades. The new S-class coupe is awesomer than ever. See? We’re still searching.

Built on a shortened version of the all-singing, self-driving S550’s bones, the S550 coupe is a stunner in person. There’s real presence here, from the lack of a B-pillar, to the chrome ring around the greenhouse, to the small chrome dots on the grille that look like the knobs on a dresser drawer. The S-class-based coupes have always drawn envious stares from men old enough to remember when personal luxury denoted two-doors with names like Toronado and Eldorado, but this Benz’s new styling had strangers of all ages eyeing it.

Personal luxury is just that—it’s personal. And, to that end, the S550 is a sublime car for the solo pilot. The structure is made up of welded stampings, just like other cars’, but the silence and solidity suggests forging. Not much disturbs the cabin. Wind noise is eerily absent. A slight hum from the wide tires is the only audible indication of motion. Only under extreme use does the 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 raise its voice. Even then, it emits only a 79-decibel snarl.

We couldn’t stop staring at the leather-lined interior. Most cabin pieces are shared with the S-class sedan, but the coupe receives a unique upper instrument panel. It’s a more playful design, as if Italians had been asked to redo the S-class’s interior. Our test car arrived with the optional Designo package ($3250) that wraps even more surfaces in leather. Add the Premium package’s massaging front seats and the Warmth and Comfort bundle’s heated seats, steering wheel, and armrests and you won’t want to get out. You’re putty in the S550 coupe. Just sit back and melt into the heat while the $6400 Burmester audio system plays whale sounds. Driving? You should probably park if you’re that relaxed, but the $2800 Driver Assistance gadgets mean the S550 coupe can practically drive itself. Back-seat riders might want to get out, though. There’s adequate space for two adults back there, but rear legroom is limited despite a long 115.9-inch wheelbase.

Not much upsets the serenity, even if you begin treating the 4761-pound Benz like a Mazda Miata. Cornering grip is good for something this large, at 0.92 g, and the handling is secure. The steering doesn’t serve up sports-car feel, but it is accurate even at triple-digit speeds. Acceleration is strong, but there is slight delay before the wick lights the 449-hp charge. Sprints to 60 mph take 4.5 seconds, four-tenths quicker than the rear-wheel-drive S550 sedan. Standard four-wheel drive makes for repeatable runs. Top speed is governed at 130 mph for U.S. versions, despite the Y-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 tires.

Mercedes-Benz certainly charges full price for its personal-luxury experience. Prices start at $120,825, but our test car cost $149,575. We’d suggest avoiding some of the more expensive options on our example, but if you can afford this car in the first place, we wouldn’t dream of denying you of your personal luxury.

2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Nighthawk

The last time we reviewed a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, it was 2009, and none other than P.J. O’Rourke wrote an enlightened piecefull of magnificently qualified praise for the glittery land yacht, with cheeky nods to the people who buy them. We certainly won’t attempt to match O’Rourke’s sage perspective, social insights, and penchant for literary flourish. But we can tell you about the new Phantom Drophead Coupe “Nighthawk”, one of nine produced exclusively for the U.S. market, and how it feels to drive it in an area of the country where the car is even more in its element than O’Rourke’s New Hampshire ’hood: Los Angeles.

STEERING CLEAR OF TMZ

The car hasn’t changed a bit since 2009, at least mechanically, which is why we didn’t bother retesting it. Unless the laws of physics have changed, the 5800-plus-pound cabriolet probably still hits 60 mph in about five and a half seconds, still negotiates corners with roughly 0.76 g of lateral grip, and comes to a halt from 70 mph in 177 feet give or take.

As for driving it today, being at the helm of a three-ton, $570,000 beast as it lists like the Costa Concordia on Mulholland Drive’s notorious S-curves can be pretty terrifying. It’s all about the consequences: Put a wheel off in the Rolls and you’ll make the evening news. Or worse, TMZ.

BORN FOR THE BOULEVARD

And so, this baller Roller is happiest when wafting along PCH or one of L.A.’s famous boulevards at a prudent pace. It is there that one notices the eerie, mausoleum-like quietude with which the Rolls-Royce glides along, as if in its own cone of silence. We’re moving, but is there a V-12 underhood? The top is down, but where are the wind and tumult? We see cracks and expansion joints, visible just beyond the famous Spirit of Ecstasy, but were they suddenly filled by the time our tires reached them? The Drophead Coupe feels as utterly disengaged from the road as its customers feel to the bourgeoisie, which is entirely appropriate, as there’s comfort in isolation.

Unless you live in Beverly Hills, Monte Carlo, or perhaps West Palm Beach, a Phantom sighting is rare. But alas, we encountered no fewer than three other Phantom Drophead Coupes during our 72-hour tryst. That’s where Bespoke comes in.

“BESPOKE”—NOT JUST AN ADJECTIVE ANYMORE

In Rolls’ lexicon, Bespoke is not just an adjective, it’s a division, and its sole purpose is to do things that can’t be done from the company’s conventional list of can-dos—some $62,350 worth of them appear on the Nighthawk. Specifically, these include seat piping ($3375), special wood veneer ($6710), and contrasting RR monograms on the headrests ($1450). And there’s a flat charge of $44,115 for the Diamond Black “matt” (sic) paint applied to the hood, windshield surround, and grille surround; the full carbon-fiber dashboard, dials, and clock face; and the leather-lined trunk and leather-covered driveshaft hump. Plus a $3400 charge for the privilege of ordering Bespoke interior stuff in the first place. All that is in addition to the veneered steering-wheel spokes ($1025), heated rear bench ($1450), black headliner ($1650), and seven-spoke 21-inch wheels ($9875) that are on the regular options list. All together, the extras swelled the Phantom Drophead Coupe’s $484,875 base price to $569,600. The bourgeoisie need not apply.

A word about the matte finish on the hood and windshield surround: It’s the same Diamond Black Metallic as the gloss paint, only it’s not shiny. It is sheeny, though, and we’re not sure it works that well: Up close it looks great, but from 10 paces, it almost looks as if the car had been left outside since the Nixon administration, or the butler waxed the hood in the dark.

READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP

Admittedly, though, the Nighthawk turned out rather fabulous, even by Rolls-Royce standards. The Nighthawk’s black-on-black over black-and-red color scheme fit right in to the exotic-car parade that is Sunset Boulevard on a Saturday night, it appears a touch crass for an afternoon lunch on Rodeo Drive, and it is suitably glamorous swinging open its coach-style doors at the Hollywood Bowl—and we experienced all three. But where it felt perhaps most at home was creeping around the Hollywood Center Studios lot, to which—after a few phone calls—we were graciously granted access on a Sunday morning for our photo shoot. (It’s all about who you know in this town.)

Indeed, if there is any car in the world that can make someone feel like an A-list movie star, it’s a Phantom Drophead Coupe. With that in mind, we imagine our visit re-created an oft-spied scene at the studio over its near-century in business: a Rolls-Royce perched just outside the huge barn doors of the lot’s numerous sound stages, at times mixing it up with production trucks, stage hands, and forklifts. We saw no movie stars, at least none that were suitable to command a car like this, yet it was all very Hollywood—because it was Hollywood. With respect to our friend Mr. O’Rourke and those who drive a Phantom Drophead Coupe anywhere else in the world, Los Angeles is where this car belongs.

2015 Lamborghini Aventador - Review

The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is now a familiar car in supercar circles—but it is, and will remain, a hyper-exotic design icon for leagues of fans including the young and the young at heart. 

The Aventador is Lamborghini’s top production model, and as such is its most high-powered standard offering, whether in coupe or roadster form. It’s also the most head-turning Lamborghini available to most folks—a handful of even more exotic, small-batch cars have been built, but the Aventador’s edgy style remains a crowd-pleaser.

Inside the cabin it’s much the same: futuristic, edgy, and jet-inspired. The space doesn’t feel much like a typical street car at all; it feels more like a Tie Fighter. 

A wailing 6.5-liter V-12 engine rates 691 horsepower, uncorking its ferocity right behind the two seats in the snug, low-slung cabin. A special 50th anniversary edition for the 2013 model year got LP 720-4 50° Anniversario badges and a bump in power to 710 hp, should the standard model’s 691 hp prove inadequate. The result of all this power, driving all four wheels through an ISR (Independent Shifting Rod) automated manual transmission, is 0-60 mph acceleration in under 3.0 seconds, and a top speed claimed at 217 mph. 

The Aventador, despite its largely carbon fiber construction and low-slung stance, is a fairly heavy car—weighing in excess of 3,700 lbs. The result is a car that feels lightning quick in a straight line, but lags in the corners. Its immense width can also make the Aventador feel somewhat cumbersome around town, when parking, or navigating narrower lanes and streets, though a self-raising nose feature does help improve clearance over speed bumps and driveways. The ride quality of the Aventador, whether in coupe or roadster forms, is rather stiff, but not always objectionably so—unless you switch the adjustable driving mode from Strada (Street) or Sport to Corsa (Track). 

The only problem with the Aventador’s manners in Strada mode is the awkward engagement of the gears by the ISR transmission—it’s slow to engage, resulting in a herky-jerky take-off from a stop. Swap to Corsa mode and the shifts become lightning fast—and hit-by-a-bus brutal. The happy medium lives in Sport mode, where the shifts are quick enough to be comfortable, but not so violent. 

Inside the cabin itself, the Aventador isn’t especially spacious, despite its width. The low-slung nature and scissor doors mean you have to half-slide, half-fall into the seats. Once there, the seats are snug, and leg room is enough, but not ample, especially for six-footers. Fitting a weekend’s worth of luggage in the front trunk area is possible, but it’s tight. 

Gas mileage, as you might expect, isn’t phenomenal—but then this is a $400,000 supercar, so you shouldn’t really be pinching pennies at the pump. At 11 mpg city, 17 mpg highway, and 13 mpg combined for the coupe (or 10/16/12 mpg city/highway/combined for the roadster), the Aventador is rather un-green even by supercar standards, however. 

Like any good supercar, and any modern Lamborghini, the Aventador is nearly endlessly personalizable, thanks to the company’s Ad Personam program. Every shade and hue under the sun, nearly any material of upholstery, and most of the features or technologies you could want can be yours—for a price. But you’re buying a headline-making, neck-snapping supercar, so why skimp? Build your dream.

2-Door Coupe Specifications

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MSRP: $397,500

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Quick Specs

EnginePremium Unleaded V-12, 6.5 L

EPA ClassTwo-Seaters

Style Name2dr Cpe

DrivetrainAll Wheel Drive

Passenger Capacity2

Passenger Doors2

Body Style2dr Car

TransmissionTransmission: 7-Speed Automated Manual w/ISR -inc: ISR: Independent Shifting Rods

Geneva 2015: Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Debuts

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Following the GT3s from Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is the next one to bow at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show.

Each of the 100 Vantage GT3s lost 220 lbs over the standard Vantage S, thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber on items such as the front wings, roof and hood. Polycarbonate rear windows and a lithium-ion battery further contribute to the weight savings.
Power for the Vantage GT3 comes via a 6-liter V12 pushing 600 horsepower to the rear Michelin Super Sports.

Geneva 2015: Aston Martin Vulcan Bows

Before competition starts in 2016, the highly limited Aston Martin Vulcan track car officially debuted at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show.

Only 24 examples of the FIA-certified Vulcans will ever be made, with each one to go for $2.3 million. For that price, one receives a 7-liter naturally aspirated V12 making a minimum of 800 horsepower, which is sent to the Michelins in the back through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
Stopping the beast is done through Brembo race calipers mated to carbon ceramic discs, while cornering is helped by Multimatic’s Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve adjustable dampers, anti-roll bars, and push-rod suspension.
The chosen few to pilot the Vulcan will be invited to improve their skills in an intensive driving course involving a few of Aston’s offerings, including the One-77, V12 Vantage S and Vantage GT4, before competing in a one-make series in 2016.

Review: 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude 4×4

The current Grand Cherokee has been a huge success for the Jeep brand. The handsome vehicle is available with four engines, five drivelines, and in many trims, best of which can give the Range Rover a run for its money. The Altitude, introduced for 2014, is an interesting model, where Jeep takes many desirable features, wraps them in a monotone exterior with sporty black wheels, and prices the package well.
In the past I have reviewed Grand Cherokees with V8 and diesel engines. The Overland V8 felt like a hot-rod with tons of instant power but the fuel economy was predictably poor. The EcoDiesel is a smooth operator with a ton of torque and great gas mileage, but it comes at a high price. Could this nicely optioned V6 model be the happy medium?

The Pentastar 3.6-liter generates 290hp, which is more than the hot rod 5.9 Limited did in the late 90s, and 260lb-ft of torque. In this configuration it is mated to a new-for-2014 eight-speed transmission and the base Quadra-Trac I 4WD system with a single-speed transfer case. The EPA rates this combination for 17mpg in the city and 24mph on the highway, with 19mpg combined. Those numbers are very close to the ones I got real world driving, where I averaged about 18mpg with somewhat of a heavy foot around southern Florida.
This engine is surprisingly smooth, quiet, and has plenty of power on tap. Acceleration and highway passing are effortless and it loves to cruise. The transmission has a regular mode, which makes things a little lethargic until you really stomp the gas pedal, and a sport mode which magically quickens the throttle response and changes shift points to where they should really be. There also an evil Eco button which is suppose to save more fuel when engaged but in really it just makes things slower.

The Pentastar-powered Grand Cherokees are rated to tow a maximum of 6200lbs. Unless towing is a serious buying objective, or you have a perfectly understandable diesel fetish, there is really is no good reason to select any of the other engines for the basic purposes of getting to work or hauling the kids around. The EcoDiesel and V8-powered Grand Cherokees, including the SRT, are rated to tow up to 7400lbs (7200lbs for 4×4 models).
The black twenty-inch wheels, which are wrapped in 265/50 GoodYear Fortera HL rubber, don’t exactly scream “Trail Rated” but the ride is surprisingly smooth and quiet. A tire’s side profile is the percentage of its width, so despite this being a dub, there is still a good amount meat to absorb potholes. I know a handful of people who own the JGC with twenty-inch wheels and none of them has bent a wheel yet. I reviewed the EcoDiesel Grand Cherokee with similarly sized wheels in the winter and that Jeep got through deep (6″-8″) fresh snow surprisingly well. The Altitude has the base coil-spring suspension with conventional shocks, unlike some other models that have the height adjustable air suspension. Like the V6 engine, for a vast majority of people this setup offers a very nice blend of ride comfort, handling, and payload.

The dash is cleanly laid out with the minimum amount of buttons and just the right amount of knobs. The gauge cluster consists of center screen which is configurable in a multitude of ways via steering wheel controls. The seats are comfortable but could use more support overall, and the headrests have a nice tilt feature which can support your neck on long drives without putting you to sleep. The center console has a cubby for your phone with all connections, two cup holders, and a large segregated closed compartment. The rear seats recline and are split 60:40, but don’t have a center pass-thru. The rear window does not pop up like it once used to.
The touchscreen Unconnect is one of the most user-friendly systems on the market, with soft buttons for all major functions and auxiliary audio controls on the back of the steering wheel. If there is a downside, it’s that the heated seats/wheel controls are also hidden in it. The system streams music over every phone app imaginable, including Pandora and IHeartRadio. Your phone can be connected via Bluetooth, USB, or auxiliary input. There is also an SD card slot. The system even has a hotspot (subscription required) to stream music independently of your phone data program.

The interior is not perfect, however. The visibility is not great and there are blind spots in the back as well as in the front due to a large A-pillar, big side mirrors, and mirror mounts. Being picky, I noticed some wiring and not covered metal body under the seats, visible when you drop something, for instance, and uneven trim around the sunroof when looking from the outside in. The biggest annoyance is the electronic shifter which toggles like a joystick, requiring a look down or at the gauge cluster for gear indication.
The Altitude is priced and positioned between a loaded Laredo and Limited with some options. For $37,095 the Altitude offers SRT-like body-colored claddings, fascia, and grill, glossy black badges, black light trim, and black wheels. Inside are black heated leather and suede seats (the only color choice) and a large 8.4″ Uconnect touch-screen, sans nav. The driver gets a power seat but it lacks the memory feature. Power hatch, 115vAC receptacle, and a remote start round out the Altitude package. Sunroof is $1095 extra, 506-watt audio is $495, back-up camera with sensors is $395, and the destination charge is $995, for a total of $40,075 as seen here.

The Altitude has many desirable features and it certainly looks good. It is priced well by skipping the features that the majority of buyers won’t care for, but it lacks some things, such as the roof rack. Some options are not available on it, specifically blind spot detection and the active forward collision warning and crash migration which can literally save your life – those are only available on the loaded Limited and higher models. Other versions of the Grand Cherokee provide some very impressive off-road hardware and/or road performance but no one will buy the Altitude for its power or off-road abilities but rather for the peace of mind and functionality that an all-wheel-drive SUV provides.

Kamil Kaluski is the East Coast Editor for Hooniverse.com. His ramblings on Eastern European cars, $500 racers, and other miscellaneous automotive stuff can be found there. In the past he has owned two Jeeps, a CJ-7 and a TJ Wrangler. His mother just bought a new Wrangler which he may have started modding. 
FCA US LLC provided the vehicle for the purpose of this review while I was thawing out in Florida.

Review: 2015 Honda CR-V Touring

 

Refreshed, redesigned or updated, whatever you want to call the changes to the CR-V for the 2015 model year, it’s hard to argue with this model’s success. The CR-V isn’t just the best-selling compact crossover in America, it’s the best-selling crossover period and the 7th best-selling vehicle overall. With sales success on the line Honda did what any Japanese company would do: make minor changes that give you more of what shoppers want without upsetting the apple cart. Does that make the CR-V just right? Or is it a compact bore-box?

Honda gave the CR-V its last redesign as a 2012 model year vehicle. The “old Honda” would have allowed the CR-V age unchanged for 5-6 years, but the new Honda seems to prefer making incremental changes to keep things fresh. While the 2012 CR-V wasn’t the same kind of mis-step the press thought the 2012 Civic was, competition is fierce and the 2012-2014 CR-V’s performance and fuel economy weren’t exactly compelling.

Exterior
Because this is a refresh and not a redesign, none of the “hard points” in the vehicle changed. Up front we get more modern looking headlamps with LED DRLs in most models and the fog lamps became rectangular. The grill has lost the Ford-like horizontal slats in favor of a simpler design with a larger Honda logo and a chrome “smile” reminiscent of the Accord and Civic. Changes to the rear are similar with new lamp modules, a tweaked bumper with silver painted inserts, more chrome on the tailgate and a style that still reminds me of a Volvo wagon in a way.

Interior
The CR-V’s interior slots somewhere between the Civic and the Accord in terms of both quality and theme. The instrument cluster is [thankfully] styled after the Accord with a large central speedometer flanked by three additional physical gauges.  The small monochrome LCD in the center of the speedometer is still a novel concept, but five years after Honda launched this look it is starting to feel dated compared to the large color LCDs you find in some of the competition. The dashboard and doors are a combination of hard and soft plastics which is again a middle road between the Civic and the Accord. For 2015 Honda has added a few extra features to keep things fresh including a standard console armrest, telescoping sun visors and rear HVAC vents. Since the CR-V never suffered from the unfortunate amount of questionable plastics that the 2012 Civic had, Honda spent the interior budget largely on the infotainment system.

Infotainment

Base CR-V LX models get a 4-speaker 160-watt sound system controlled by large physical buttons and the same small screen that also handles trip computer functions (at the top of the picture above). Thankfully EX and above (which are the majority of sales) use essentially the same 7-inch touchscreen system found in the current Honda Civic with physical buttons instead of touch-controls. Dubbed HondaLink Next Generation, this is not the same system you find in the Accord. Rather it is Honda’s lower cost alternative which I think is also a better value. While there aren’t as many built-in features as you find in the Accord, this system has all the basics like Pandora and Aha streaming, Bluetooth and USB/iDevice integration and available factory navigation. Unlike many systems however it also supports iPhone integrated navigation via a $60 app. (Sorry Android users, there is no love for you at this time.) Unlike the BrinGo navigation we find in certain GM products, this solution doesn’t just store data on the phone and have the head unit render the mapping interface. Instead the iPhone is generating all the video and processing touch inputs but the head unit is displaying the video via an HDMI cable. Shoppers should note that this is not Apple CarPlay but Honda’s own solution that was created prior to CarPlay and is not upgradeable to support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. For occasional nav users this represents a significant discount over the factory software (assuming you have an iPhone) but there are some limitations. Your iPhone has to stay on the nav app for the system to work, so if you check your email at a stop light, the nav map will disappear. Your iPhone’s data plan will of course get consumed and if you’re out of a coverage area then your mapping will be limited or non-existent depending on how much your device has cached.

Drivetrain

The biggest change for 2015 is under the hood where we find a revised version of the 2.4L “EarthDreams” four-cylinder engine we saw in the 2013 Honda Accord. For 2015 Honda has added counter-rotating balance shafts to try and help cancel out some of the vibrations. Power stays the same as before at 185 ponies, but torque is up to 181 lb-ft and across a broader range than in 2014.
In order to improve efficiency, Honda does something a little different with this 2.4L engine, they offset the cylinders about 8mm from the engine’s centerline. This trades reduced friction for increased vibration, hence the need for the additional balance shafts. The balance shafts certainly help, but some customers have complained about the added vibration especially at idle and indeed it is not as smooth as the 2014 model. Is the vibration worth a 4 MPG bump in the city and 3 MPG improvement overall? I’d say so, but be sure to sound off in the comment section. Also improving economy is an AWD capable version of the CVT found in the Accord bumping the numbers to 27 / 34 / 29 (City / Highway / Combined) for FWD models and 26 / 33 / 28 for AWD.

AWD Controversy

My favorite Swedish magazine, Teknikens Värld, has a winter capability test where they put the test vehicle on a slope and the front wheels on rollers. The test is to see if 100% of the engine power can be sent to the rear wheels. Note that the 100% is essential here, because the incline and front wheels on the rollers makes sure no traction exists on the front axle. The CR-V failed this test because Honda’s AWD control system is programed to not lock the clutch pack if it detects zero traction up front and 100% in the rear. It also appears that traction control was disabled in the test. (The CR-V is not designed to be RWD essentially.) You will note in the diagram above that this type of system can lock the center clutch pack and get a 50/50 power split front/rear like a vehicle with a traditional transfer case, or it can slip that clutch pack to vary things from 100/0 to 50/50 assuming no wheel slip.
When wheel slip occurs, something different happens. Say just one front wheel sips. The front differential, being an open unit would send power to the wheel that is slipping, this action essentially causes the power balance to shift to the rear up to a power balance around 20/80. Leaving the traction control on, the slipping front wheel would be braked until it was spinning the same relative rate as the others. This would return the system to a 50/50 power balance because even if the front wheel was up in the air, the brakes on that wheel would be “consuming” the 50% of the power on that axle to maintain the power balance. The CR-V’s AWD system is designed to operate in this 50/50 window without issue. With your front wheels on ice and your rear wheels on tarmac, the front wheels will always have some traction and the traction control will help keep things in balance. Similarly in off-camber situations in snow with one wheel in the air, the brake based system will keep things in line. Pop the CR-V up on rollers however and the system things something is wrong.
The bottom line is that the CR-V is not a Jeep Cherokee, it was not designed with locking differentials and not designed with the Rubicon Trail in mind. It was however designed with the urban jungle and 2015 snowpocalypse in mind and 99.9% of shoppers will never even know there was a controversy. If you’re the 0.01% of shoppers that lives in a roller factory, there could be an issue of course. Is the Jeep system “superior?” Yes, but for most folks it’s also overkill.

Drive
The popularity of the CR-V is no surprise when you get behind the wheel. The CR-V drives like a slightly taller Accord which makes sense as the ground clearance has dropped over time as the CR-V has transformed from trucklet to tall wagon. The compact CUV doesn’t handle as well as the Mazda CX-5, but the wide tires, relatively light curb weight and moderately firm suspension certainly place the CUV at top end of the segment.
Thanks to the improved torque band and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) that has a much lower starting ratio than the old 5-speed (13.3:1 vs 11.7:1), the CR-V is notably faster off the line and hit 60 MPH nearly second faster than the 2014 model. Similarly the higher effective “top gear” ratio is the key to the CR-V’s large jump in the fuel economy score. As with the Accord and Civic which also use Honda’s new CVT tech, the CR-V’s transmission changes ratios much more rapidly than the Nissan Rogue’s more traditional CVT. The feel is more like a stepped automatic’s downshift than the rubber-bandy feeling you get in the Nissan.

Thanks to the programming of the CVT, fuel economy has indeed improved over the 2014 model coming in at 27.5 MPG, just 1/2 an MPG shy of the EPA rating for our AWD tester despite my commute over a 2,200ft mountain pass daily. Thanks to the lower torque band of the EarthDreams engine, the CVT can keep the engine at a lower and more efficient RPM more of the time. Unfortunately higher torque outputs at low RPMs tend to highlight the new engine’s cylinder offset which, as I said earlier, trades smoothness for efficiency. Many of you on Facebook asked if I encountered the vibrations that some shoppers have complained about and indeed I did. Was it bad? No. Was it noticeable? Yes. Would it keep me from buying the CR-V over something else? No, because for me the MPG improvement is enough of an incentive to overlook it.
2015 also brings some tweaks to the suspension and sound insulation improving ride and cabin noise by a hair. Perhaps the biggest change for the CR-V out on the road has nothing to do with the driveline or suspension however, it’s the infusion of some Acura driving aids. The new Touring model comes standard with radar adaptive cruise control, a lane keeping system that steers you back into your lane and Acura’s Collision Mitigating Braking System or CMBS which will autonomously brake the vehicle if it believes a collision is imminent and you’re going above 10 MPH. While this isn’t breaking any ground, it does help the CR-V stay competitive with the Forester’s camera-based EyeSight system and the Cherokee’s latest radar based features. The Honda system isn’t as smooth as the Jeep system, but it is more natural than the Subaru system, works better in poor weather where the camera systems become less functional and supports a broader range of speeds.

Ranging between $23,445 and $32,895 the CR-V straddles the middle in this segment after you’ve adjusted for feature content. The Forester is less expensive and more capable, but the interior is more down-market, no surprise since the standard AWD means it starts about $2,500 less than a comparable Honda. The Cherokee is the most rugged and capable vehicle in this segment but the off-road ability takes a toll on cargo room and handling while bumping the curb weight north of 4,000lbs in some trims. The RAV4’s latest redesign saw the demise of the optional 3rd row and the V6, (the two prime reasons for buying a RAV4 over the CR-V) and the addition of plenty of questionable plastics on the inside. Mazda’s CX-5 handles extremely well but isn’t as comfortable or as large inside and until the 2016 model arrives, the infotainment system is archaic.
Oddly enough, the fact that the CR-V fails to be the best in the segment in any particular category is actually the key to its success. It’s easy to create the cheapest or best off-road compact crossover (the bar is after all kind of low), a little harder to make the best handling crossover, but making a crossover that averages consistently high marks in every category is quite an undertaking. While the CR-V’s AWD system has received bad press, the same thing applies there. The AWD system isn’t the most capable in this segment but it is perfectly acceptable and won’t leave you stranded on your way to Aspen. The CR-V may lack the charm it once had, but it is still the best all-around vehicle in this segment.

Honda provided the vehicle, insurance and one tank of gas for this review.

Specifications as tested

0-30: 3.2

0-60: 7.79

1/4 mile: 16.4 Seconds @ 87.5 MPH