Audi’s sizzling S5 Quattro

I’ve had the good fortune to test drive cars for the manufacturers for almost 15 years now, and often said that I’ve driven a lot of beautiful cars; cars that stir the imagination and get the blood going. The truth is, my acid test of a vehicle that costs let’s say, over $40,000 is, will that vehicle make it on my short list of cars that I’d spend lots of dollars for. Well, the Audi S5 easily makes that list. Like a lot of others I’d seen the pictures, but this car is so much more up close and personal.
The S5 is, of course, the performance iteration of the A5 that joins the 2008 lineup and is the big brother to the TT coupe and R8 sports car a trio that gives Audi a pretty solid complement of performance coupes. The S5 does in fact incorporate a lot of the features of the Nuvolari concept car that debuted in 2003, and it offers a beautiful balance of sport and elegance that prompet VW Group Design head Walter de’Silva to describe the S5 as “the most beautiful car I have ever designed.” Walt, I couldn’t agree more.

The powerplant is Audi's 354 horsepower 4.2-liter FSI V8 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission that delivers power to the renowned Quattro all-wheel drive system. There is a Tiptronic automatic coming but I really like this car with the manual. The asymmetric all-wheel-drive system applies power on a 60/40 split which puts more power to the rear wheels to maximize cornering and handling dynamics.

The LED lights that frame the bottom and sides of the headlights are the daytime running lights and they give the S5 one of the coolest looks I’ve seen, and the stance on this car is perfect. It’s a great balance of form and function and while $57,000 is not inexpensive, you’ll get phenomenal bang for you buck if you buy this stunning car.
So, the word that describes the S5 for me is simply wow. It’s not the fastest or the edgiest car on the road and it’s not a classic beauty. But it is, paradoxically, a gorgeous automobile and a blast to drive. Check on out, I do believe you’ll like it.

More on the S5, including some video I shot coming soon to our website; www.twofortheroadusa.com.

JUST RELEASED TO TWO FOR THE ROAD USA

SCION REVEALS HAKO COUPE CONCEPT
AT THE 2008 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

NEW YORK, March 19, 2008 -- Scion unveiled its Hako Coupe Concept vehicle at a press conference today at the New York International Auto Show.
Scion’s Hako Coupe was developed by Tokyo Design Division, which studied global, youth-inspired trends. Japanese and American youth cultures often influence each other and are interpreted with a unique twist. The Hako Coupe Concept was inspired by the iconic xB and the emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters.
"Scion’s Hako Coupe Concept embodies a distinct global perspective on today’s youth," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "This type of forward thinking complements the Scion philosophy of intently listening to our customers and being willing to take risks to help us see where our brand should be. We took the xB’s iconic boxy shape and explored something more vivacious, yet just as emotionally appealing. This concept is the sporty version of a box."
Tokyo Design developed the Hako Coupe with classic American coupes in mind. The car’s geometric profile conveys a powerful stance in a compact and bold package. Its trapezoidal LED headlights lie parallel with a large and aggressive, rectangular upper grille. The lower rectangular grille anchors the front fascia and continues to communicate the Hako’s aggressive attitude. Round fog lights, symmetrically placed high on the front bumper, have integrated turn signals.
The Hako’s silhouette is accentuated by slim, race-car-inspired side mirrors that also feature integrated turn signals. Powerful, flared fenders add dimension and contrast to the concept’s boxy shape and smooth surface planes. The Hako concept hugs the road with custom 18-inch deep dish five-spoke wheels and tires with a "Scion" custom tread.
The Hako Coupe features a vertical windshield as the concept sits upright and ready to attack the road. A high linear beltline along with a blackened and chopped greenhouse seamlessly wrap around the rear to provide a mysterious profile. As an example of potential personalization, the concept is equipped with a
flat, panorama roof that features a random, barcode-like pattern that can be seen on the exterior and from the interior.
The rear features LED taillights that echo the shape of the headlights. To complete the package, the rear bumper has an integrated fog and back up light on the left and exhaust on the right.
Inside, the Hako is accented with orange and metallic detailing that exudes a modern environment with entertainment possibilities. The front and rear seats are covered with urethane and rubber-like upholstery for easy cleaning. The contemporary front bucket seats flow to the floor and incorporate a geometric design on the seatback. The seats are separated by a center console that features a large storage crevice for storing magazines, cell phones, and other small items. Two cockpit-like rear seats also share a storage crevice.
The orange driver’s seat has a gaming theme. Instrumentation and warning lights cascade from the art inspired instrument panel to the steering wheel. The shifter, located on the center console, resembles a large joystick. On the steering wheel is a simple button to start the engine and a track-ball type control for the Hako’s entertainment system located on the passenger dash. The entertainment system consists of two video monitor screens mounted on the dash for radio, video, and music capabilities. Users can upload their videos and music through a Bluetooth® connection. The front passenger controls the system using a large rollerball mounted on the center of the dash. A black seat differentiates the front passenger area.
Video monitors located on each door and on each side of the rear seating area project distorted fish-eye images from orange filtered cameras mounted beneath the A-pillars. While the vehicle is parked the driver and passenger can edit the scenes captured by the cameras to show their friends where they have been and perhaps even post the clip online for others to see.
"As you know, polarizing style fits in well with our lineup," said Hollis. "And of course we love a good box. We’ll listen to the feedback from this concept to help us determine how our brand could evolve and grow over the next five years."

ALL-NEW 2008 G8 LAUNCHES AS PONTIAC FLAGSHIP SEDAN

That’s how the headline read in the press info we received in San Diego where we were invited to spend some wheel-time in GM’s all-new rear-wheel drive HALO car from Pontiac.

There has already been a lot written about this car, most of it positive, and a lot of that has to do with bang for the buck. The numbers are easy to understand; a plenty potent 256 horsepower 3.6 liter V6 with a 5-speed automatic transmission bases at $27,595. However, what's really exciting is that you can get the 6.0 liter 361 horsepower V8 GT iteration mated to a 6-speed automatic for under $30,000.

And if you think that loading the GT up with options will jack the price up significantly, guess again. Pretty well loaded out including a sun-roof the G8 GT still comes in under $33,000, not bad for what you get. I’m going to be addressing the GT in this blog because this is where I feel Pontiac really got it right.

The 6.0 small-block puts out the aforementioned 361 horsepower which is substantial, but more importantly it pumps out 385 lb-ft of torque which allows for a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds. The 6-speed Hydra-Matic transmission is linked to a limited-slip differential and the Drive Shift Control feature works very well on twisties with its rev-matching down-shifts being very tight, but I must admit it doesn’t up-shift with the same tautness however that said, it does not upshift on it’s own so you can maximize performance but keep in mind, the rev-limiter will prevent the engine from exceeding redline.

The G8 performs as well as some of the best European performance sedans costing thousands more according to vehicle chief engineer Doug Houlihan, and I don’t think it’s a big secret that he’s referring to BMW’s 5-Sedan. In truth he's pretty much on target according to the numbers I’ve seen coming in but I want to be quick to point out that non of the exec’s we talked with are in any way comparing the G8 to the Beemer. They’re simply saying that the G8 GT performs in the same league, and having driving both cars I’m inclined to agree.

There’s a lot to talk about with this sedan and we’ll be doing just that on our website soon but the G8 seems to be another positive step that American manufacturers are making and that’s good news for the buying public and everyone in the industry.

For more information visit http://www.twofortheroadusa.com/.

Taking the shine off new cars

In the ever more difficult search to stand out from the maddening crowd car buyers are taking a shine to a car with a matte finish. While it isn’t surprising to think of some small concept cars like Chevy’s Groove or Jeep’s Renegade diesel-electric or Mazda’s concept Furai with a matte finish, how does a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or Audi R8 V12 sports car strike you?

Well, a matte finish is available in all the above, and according to a lot of people at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, people have well, taken a shine to matte finishes. Not that matte finishes haven’t been used on vehicles before, it’s just that it was mainly used to accent and highlight special features on a car like on this Jeep Renegade Concept.


Interestingly, a matte finish allows the design features of a vehicle to stand out because the eye is not drawn to the finish of the vehicle because there are no reflections to detract the focus from the car itself. Not surprisingly manufacturers understand that Millennial’s are used to matte finishes on their cell phones and laptops so it stands to reason that they’d look for the same finish in their cars.

Chevy Groove Concept

It will be interesting over the next few years to see the emergence of exotics that use more matte finishes to enhance the visual effects of their intricate design cues. These are just a few of the cars that you’ll find with a matte finish.


Mazda Furai Concept

Watch the smoking tires on the IS-F

Bill Z with Two for the Road USA tickles the throttle on the IS-F in Vegas

TWO FOR THE ROAD - MEETS WITH GM CEO RICK WAGONER OF GENERAL MOTORS

Rick Wagoner, GM CEO

Bill and I were able to meet with Rick Wagoner, GM CEO of General Motors, at a press conference organized by Jeff Holland of GM communications. Mr. Wagoner was in Arizona to celebrate the opening of Brown and Brown's new Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealership in Gilbert.

The Press asked a few questions about the Big Three and GM's ranking with regard to Toyota. Rick was diplomatic in his answer, citing the few cars that made the difference, and congratulated Toyota on a job well done. Another topic of interest was the future of dealerships; closing some and combining brands and models under the GM badge.

However, the true focus of the interview was where GM stood with alternative fuels. Mr. Wagoner was able to give the press a good idea as to a timeline and commitment. Here is a capsule version of Mr. Wagoner's response to the Phoenix press association and other press related articles that same week.

GM is releasing an average of one new hybrid model every three months for the next two years that includes the Saturn Vue and Aura Green Line, and Chevrolet Malibu. This year, we've introduced the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon two-mode hybrid (the only hybrid system developed and built in the U.S. at our Baltimore, MD transmission plant) that get a 50% improvement in city mileage over gas versions. This level of performance earned the Chevy Tahoe two-mode hybrid the "Green Car of the Year" award at the LA Auto Show. For next year, we'll be launching three additional two-mode hybrid versions of the Cadillac Escalade, and Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pick-ups.

In addition, GM is significantly expanding its development work on electrically driven vehicles like the Chevy Volt and Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle. This year GM launched Project Driveway, the world's largest test fleet of fuel cell vehicles, that will have 100 Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicles distributed in California, New York and Washington, DC. Also this year, two advanced battery development contracts were announced and in August, GM and A123Systems announced an additional agreement to speed development of batteries specifically designed for the Chevy Volt's extended range electrical powertrain.

Photo of Cathy Droz, Jeff Holland , Bill Zervakos at Brown and Brown Buick Pontiac GMC dealership

Tell us what do you think of General Motors timeline and alternative fuel choices.

Two for the Road USA drives Lexus’ potent IS-F Sports Sedan

Cath and I had the pleasure of going to Lake Las Vegas with Lexus to drive the all new IS-F sports sedan. There’s a lot to say about this car and I’ll have that up soon but I thought readers might find the story behind the story of the development of the IS-F interesting so here’s what we found out about how of this killer car came to fruition.

Most people don’t know that when the idea of Lexus was first conceived some 20 years ago, the project was coded “Circle-F.” The Circle-F designation evolved into the name Flagship One, or F1, which became the code for their very first car, the LS 400. The LS of course stood for Luxury Sedan and the 400 represented the 4.0-liter engine. So, according to Lexus, taking it to the next level, the “F” now symbolizes Lexus’ special “flare” as well as a separate brand designation within Lexus. And the first production car to carry the “F” as part of the formal identification is the IS-F Sports Sedan.

I think it’s important to mention that the development of the IS-F was far from the normal deliberate process that epitomizes Lexus, but rather by a lone engineer that had a dream to produce an all-wheel-drive supercar with huge horsepower, racetrack handling and great stopping power. The problem, Lexus didn’t buy into the idea so, an engineer that had been with Toyota for over 30 years who had been involved with performance cars like the turbocharged Toyota Supra, took things into his own hands and designed the IS-F pretty much after hours with a very limited team and an even more limited budget.

Basically what happened was that Yukihiko Yaguchi wanted to build a car that he wanted to drive and own that would be a take-no-prisoners Sports Sedan that would combine comfort, sophistication and performance to compete or beat the best that the world had to offer. He got tired of waiting for an okay, so he decided to figure out a way to build it, and he did. While it’s easy to romanticize about an engineer having the spunk to challenge a company like Lexus and completely circumvent product planning and come up with a winner, well let’s just say Yaguchi earned his stripes. Non-the-less, it is a remarkable story.

Yaguchi pitched his concept to product planning which is unheard of, and after a lot of negotiating, he received approval to go ahead with the project. That was the good news, the bad news was, there was no budget for the project. That didn’t deter Yaguchi because like a true gear-head Yaguchi recruited his own special “Skunk Works” team to work under the radar in their spare time and between assignments and the result is one incredible Sports Sedan that I absolutely loved driving.

This is what Lexus PR said about testing the IS-F in their press info. “To be certain performance targets were met on the IS F, it was tested at racetracks that count, at tracks that have challenge and heritage. Those test tracks include the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife, in Germany’s Eiffel Mountains; Circuit Paul Ricard, in the South of France; Circuit Zolder, in Belgium; Laguna Seca Raceway; and at Fuji Speedway, in Japan.
In fact, the “F” logo design comes directly from the shape of Turn One at Fuji Speedway, the home circuit of IS F.
The “F” might also mean “fast,” or “fun,” “fascinating,” or “formula,” suggesting a precise recipe for excellence. But as much as anything else, it’s also a symbol of our “focus” on satisfying every element of the market.
Most importantly, it could also mean “finally.” If it means that, it’s only because it signifies our relief that there’s now a serious, fire-breathing enthusiast’s car that embodies all of the Lexus flagship DNA.”

I’ll have a lot more about the Lexus IS-F on our website, Two for the Road USA soon.