Lucas Auto Care

2010 BMW 335i xDrive Sedan – Quick Spin

tygerjr — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:59:57 +0000

WHAT IS IT?

How do you sharpen the BMW 3-series to keep pace with the threat of the new 2010 Audi S4? You buy an M3, seeing as the supercharged Audi beat the 335i sedan in our recent comparison test of the two. For anyone who still prefers the idea of a BMW over an Audi but wants all-weather flexibility, the 335i xDrive is the answer. With all four tires biting the pavement and 300 turbocharged horses on tap, the 335i xDrive is seriously capable. Although xDrive comes straight from the factory with a rearward power bias, the system can jostle power to the wheel with the most grip. While that’s good for things like snow and rain, the system also makes for gutsy launches that take full advantage of the engine’s power and torque. The xDrive is decidedly heavier than the standard 335i, but it makes a strong case for itself from the first plunge of the throttle.

HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

Despite the 2010 S4’s prowess, odds are that the first entry under “sports sedan” in your reference book of choice will be for the BMW 3-series. Like it or not, the model continues to be a benchmark in the increasingly competitive segment, and the 335i xDrive earns its spot in the hallowed halls of Bavarian metal with some ease. The twin-turbo 300-hp, 3.0-liter straight-six is smooth and rapid, and the six-speed manual is a blessing. It’s easy to feel the added pounds from the xDrive system, however, and because BMW’s sport-suspension tuning is only available on rear-drive models with the Sport or M Sport packages, the all-wheel-drive 3-series rolls more in corners and isn’t as sharp as these cars.

First Drive: Porsche Panamera Turbo

tygerjr — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:08:32 +0000

Is it understeering much?” I howled out to the driver of the $133,550 500-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo, as I braced for a ninety-degree left that was approaching with comical speed. “Oh, naaaa. It just goes where you point it” responded the Zen-calm Porsche test driver. Nuts. Our technical introduction to Porsche’s new four-door hatchback sedan at the autoamaker’s Weissach think tank had concluded with an unexpected series of flying laps around Porsche’s kart-tight test course — but with we journalists as passengers only. No driving, and hence no driving impressions. Porsche has planned that for later. And now my clumsy attempt to dupe the driver into just giving me a hint of what he was feeling had been greeted with a diplomatic, but uninformative, answer.

Click to view GalleryOr was it? Actually, the car did seem to be going exactly where it was aimed. And moreover, while producing utterly improbable, face-twisting lateral g loads for a car that weighs 4344 pound and stretches 195.7 inches. This is a big, big car, and it’s snaking around the track’s narrow ribbon of asphalt fast enough to give Captain Bligh motion-sickness. Maybe a trio of g-hardened test pilots could stand this for awhile, but otherwise it’s essentially a car that’s faster than mortal passengers can endure.

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admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:05:54 +0000

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2010 Porsche 911 Turbo First Drive

tygerjr — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:28:31 +0000

“No! You did it again. Never let the car roll.” That’s what Mike den Tandt, my 20-something German instrukteur, said as we caught the tail of the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo with much more than a dab of opposite lock.

He was right, because we were doing it wrong. In our misguided effort to drive the new Turbo into the corners as smoothly as possible here, we were being too gentle and too timid. It appeared the only way to drive the new 500-horsepower all-wheel-drive 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo would be to grab it by the scruff of its neck and throw it past the apex on the gas, and always on the gas. Slow-in, fast-out. It is, and always has been, “The Porsche Way.”

He continued, “Nixt co-nah, brick ha-dah, off szoon-ah, then kvickly on zeh gaz. Don’t let it roll — and you just missed the second apex! Tell me agin vhat you do for a living?”

That’s pretty much how our first-ever lap of the 2.7-mile Autódromo do Estoril circuit in Portugal went in the seventh-generation $133,775 911 Turbo. Our instructor seemed happy that the Porsche Stability Management (PSM), also known as “Physician Survival Mode” system was keeping a watchful eye on the attitude of the car, even with the racetrack-tuned “Sport Plus” button selected.

Read more at: http://www.insideline.com/porsche/911/2010/2010-porsche-911-turbo-first-drive-and-video.html

2010 BMW M5 Review.

tygerjr — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:10:53 +0000

We want to love the 2010 BMW M5. Who wouldn’t, with its race-derived, 500-horsepower V-10 engine, and a 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds?

Despite its charms, we can’t get past the M5′s serious flaws, the result of timing and a product at the end of its life cycle. An overabundance of technology almost kills the joy of that huge power. For starters, BMW’s semi-manual SMG transmission is only for fans of a truly harsh shift experience. You’ll need to choose the no-cost six-speed manual to enjoy the M5 to its utmost, thanks to crisp throws, precise gates, perfectly arranged pedals, and surprisingly smooth clutch engagement.

But you can’t opt out of the technology that commands the M5′s suspension, steering, and throttle inputs. They offer a bewildering 279 combinations through an MDrive menu that can be linked to the steering wheel’s MDrive button, which might as well be a panic button for users who can’t figure it out.

Read more at http://www.thecarconnection.com/review/1046048_2010-bmw-m5

First Drive: Corvette ZR1

tygerjr — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:22:29 +0000

The Corvette ZR1 is one of those cars that just screams “America can do it”. America can build a world quality sports car. Yes, you read that correctly. America can build a car that competes with and can beat Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s and more. While in development, the ZR1 was code named the Blue Devil with the reasoning behind that the current CEO at the time, Rick Wagoner, went to Duke and the mascot is the Blue Devil.

Let’s start with the specs. The hand built, supercharged LS9 V8 pumps out 638 hp and 604 ft-lb going to the rear wheels. The power is put down through a Tremec six-speed manual. The power goes to the rear wheels via two half shafts which are each different diameters to minimize wheel hop under hard launches. The driver’s side half shaft is larger to offset the weight of the battery being on the passenger’s side in the rear. Ride control features Delphi’s Magnetic Selective Ride Control system. The shocks in this set up provide real time dampening and change instantly with road conditions. There is a sport and touring mode which is controlled by a round knob on the center console. To save weight, the frame of the ZR1 is aluminum and many body panels including the fenders, roof, hood, front splitter and rocker extensions are all made of carbon fiber. The hood has a polycarbonate window that allows visibility of the intercooler and the polycarbonate window is visible on the hood while driving.

Read more at: http://www.joelfeder.com/2010/03/11/first-drive-2010-corvette-zr1/

First Drive: 2011 BMW Aplina.

tygerjr — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:11:54 +0000

Alpina is as familiar to German enthusiasts as Shelby, Hurst, Saleen and Yenko are to American gearheads. And like its American counterparts, Alpina has made a business out of taking the best vehicles from one marque and making them substantially better than anything rolling off the assembly line.

The relationship between BMW and Alpina started in 1962 when a German enthusiast named Burkard Bovenseipen realized his BMW 1500 had plenty of untapped potential. Bovenseipen developed a dual carburetor kit for the 1500′s four-cylinder, and as the carbs flew off the shelves, he realized there was a serious market for BMW-based performance parts. Mr. B formed ALPINA Burkard Bovenseipen KG in 1964 and in the decades since, the company has become known simply as Alpina.

But while the name has changed, its mission remains the same, and its line of upgrades have grown considerably since its inception. Bovenseipen’s team continues to recognize the potential in almost every new BMW product, and the small but competent company, now managed by Bovenseipen’s son Andreas (his staff calls him Andy), delivers better, less compromised, higher-performance versions of BMW production cars.

tygerjr — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:31:46 +0000

The Corvette is Chevrolet’s — perhaps’ even GM’s — most widely recognized model. The sports car has been in production since 1953, with several variants along the way. Now in its sixth generation, the so-called C6 Corvette Coupe was launched as a 2005 model.

Updated for 2008 and beyond, the Corvette Coupe receives an all-new 6.2L LS3 V8. The bump in displacement — up from 6.0L — increases horsepower to 430 or 436 with an available sports exhaust. Peak torque is 424 pound-feet on the basic model and 428-pound feet with the improved exhaust.

Other engine features include high-flow cylinder heads, enhanced valvetrain, a high-flow intake manifold larger-bore block with structural enhancements.

Channeling that added power to the rear wheels is either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The manual features improved manual transmission shift effort for 2008. The automatic delivers quicker shift times and a 2.73 performance axle ratio.

Read more at http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-corvette.html

2010 Ford GT500 First Drive

tygerjr — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:28:04 +0000

Like the 2010 Ford Mustang GT, this new GT500 isn’t an all-new car, but rather an extreme development of the previous platform. That old 2007 Shelby GT500 set the world alight with its 500 HP, 480 Lb-Ft 5.4-liter supercharged V8, offering an unprecedented level of straight line performance — running the quarter mile in the low 12-second range — for just $41,675. But it was a one trick pony, floating with dangerous imprecision around corners and offering very little feel on its way to spinning at the slightest provocation. Driving that car was an exercise in point and shoot: slam on the brakes, drive slowly around the corner, then stomp on the gas once the steering’s pointed straight. According to both Ray and Ford representatives, I’m the only person in the world who actually liked its kill-you-at-the-slightest-mistake personality.

Read more at http://jalopnik.com/5199679/2010-shelby-gt500-first-drive

First Drive 2010 Buick Regal

tygerjr — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:08:52 +0000

How’s this for culture shock? I’m driving a German-designed Buick alongside a Korean-designed Chevy through the streets of a Chinese city. Welcome to the future of General Motors. GM plans to double its sales in China over the next five years, to two million units. “China remains the centerpiece of our global growth strategy,” GM Asia-Pacific boss Nick Reilly said at the Shanghai show, where the GM stand featured 37 models, including the German-designed Buick and Korean-designed Chevy.

The Buick is the 2010 Regal. It’s an old American nameplate for a brand-new car — a rebadged version of the Opel Insignia, a stylish Fusion-size sedan that’s selling to critical acclaim in Europe, having recently been voted 2009 Car of the Year there by a jury of 59 European auto writers. The Opel-based 2010 Regal replaces the old W-body model that has been sold in China since 2003. Like its predecessor, it’s built in China by Shanghai-GM, the joint venture company operated by General Motors and Chinese automaker SAIC. GM is currently selling 5000 new Regals a month in China. (Here’s a startling contrast: Buick hasn’t sold 5000 a month of anything in the U.S. for some time.)

Read more at http://motortrend.automotive.com/110292/112-0905-2010-buick-regal-drive/index.html