TIREKICKER

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus IS350 C

2013-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

If you want proof positive that Lexus is serious about building more exciting, involving automobiles for enthusiasts, this is a good place to start. See the picture above? That's the 2013 Lexus IS350C, a retractable hardtop.

What's so great about it? Well, Lexus chose to make its retractable hardtop using perhaps its best drivers' car...the IS. And that's an improvement because last time around, Lexus gave us the SC430. Go ahead, click that link. You'll get a visual reminder of the car that found its way onto Top Gear's "Worst Car In The World DVD", along with a list of the areas in which the long-running SC missed just about every target.

No such worries for the IS, though. A car that already is so good that non-believers say "This is a Lexus?", the ability to take the top down and enjoy some open-air motoring is just icing on the cake.

$46,790, while not cheap, is a reasonable starting price for a four-seat convertible from a premium manufacturer. Especially when you factor in the 306 horsepower 3.5 liter V6, six-speed transmission, 17-inch wheels...oh, and rear-wheel drive.

The engine/tranny combo not only delivers some sport, it keeps the fuel economy in good shape too, with the EPA estimateing 19 city, 27 highway, numbers that seem right in line with what we saw in our week with one.

The interior is beautifully done....with perforated leather trim, 10-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats, dual-zone climate control, a three-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel, a premium audio system and power everything.

No one would blame you for just taking one stock, but Lexus, as with most manufacturers, is more than happy to upsell. Our tester added the F-Sport package, getting us 18-inch wheels and summer tires, a revised suspension, heated and ventilated front seats, and some nifty cosmetics ($2,550). High intensity headlamps with LED DRLs added $875. Headlamp washers were another $100, Intuitive Parking Assist $500, satellite navigation with an upgraded audio system $3,520, plus $105 for a trunk mat and $64 for a cargo net. With delivery fee ($895), the bottom line comes to $55,399.

Regular TireKicker readers know I often advise ditching unnecessary options and, again, the IS350 C is great stone cold stock. But...F-Sport makes a sweet ride sweeter. If nothing else, popping the extra $2,550 for that is a good idea. And if you bought one loaded like our tester, you'd get no arguments from me. There's nothing in that $7800 worth of options that strikes me as money wasted.

Bravo, Lexus for making the leap from SC to IS for your retractable.

New Car Review: 2013 Honda Accord Touring V6

2013-06-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Mojo is a horrible thing to lose. And for much of the last decade or so, it appeared Honda had lost it. The products became too big, too plastic, too...boring. And the Accord became all those things. It was as though Honda decided to out-geezer the 1999 Avalon. I expected to find coupons for the Early Bird Special at Hometown Buffet in the glove box.

Well, forget all that. The company that won Boomers over 30 years ago by showing that jewel-like quality, advanced engineering and just plain fun could co-exist in an affordable automobile (four of them, actually...Accord, Prelude, Civic and CRX) is back with the 2013 Honda Accord.

First things first: They cleaned up the styling. While the Accord is still a large-ish sedan by contemporary standards, it is leaner than last time, and looks it. The stylists have worked in all the right lines and creases in all the right places to reduce the impression of mass. It looks lean, muscular (within the bounds of the segment) and purposeful.

We haven't had the four-cylinder yet. or the coupe (space available, Honda press fleet folks!), but the four-door V6 Touring model we drove was a revelation. The 276 horsepower engine gets up and runs. The six-speed automatic transmission makes sure it doesn't guzzle fuel while doing it (EPA estimates 21 city/34 highway), the smaller, better designed body means easier visibility, improved sightlines that give you more confidence behind the wheel...all the better to explore the handling that benefits from front and rear stabilizer bars. It's not tossable to the degree our favorite Acura, the TSX is, but that would be asking a lot from this bigger, more commodious family sedan.

And then, there's the interior...where Honda seems to have re-found its old-time religion: Keep the dash as low as you can, improving visibility ahead. Put things where they naturally fall to hand. And simplify wherever possible. They've got a way to go with that last, but the number of buttons is finally starting to drop to a reasonable number (probably because there are now two screens).

About the little screen. That's where HondaLink lives. The promise is a great one. It's a cloud-based system that gets your phone and the car together, giving you access to Aha by Harman, Pandora, and a bunch more. In fact, just take two minutes and watch how Honda pitches it:

Sounds pretty great, huh?

It would be...if it worked.

The app crashes like a moth....um...a lot.

I thought it was me. I went to the iTunes store to re-load the app. That's when I saw the reviews: 2 stars out of 5. And six months without an update despite the complaints.

Here's the problem: In the 80s and 90s, Honda WAS Apple. Here's what I mean by that. In the same way that Apple has come to mean cool technology and good design that functions in a trouble-free way today...that's what Honda stood for in the 80s and 90s. They'd be the company most likely to get something new and cutting-edge right.

But GM's got MyChevy and MyBuick and Toyota has Entune and Lexus has Enform and....they all work. So it's not just that Honda uncharacteristically blew it on something where no one has feared to tread. They've failed to keep up with the other guys.

Truth be told, both the nav and audio functionality are hopelessly out-of-date. Honda needs to spend the money, hire the people, whatever, and get about three steps ahead of the rest of the industry. Right now, the interface looks very 2003-ish.

But...that's it. The only thing wrong. Everything else about this car simply wowed me in the same way the '84 Civic won me over enough to pull out the checkbook after a 10-minute test drive.

The Touring V6 starts and stops at $33,430. Everything (a long, long, long list...just go here) is standard. Add $790 destination and handling and the tab is $34,220. Not cheap, but it's a lot of car with a lot of features for the money.

HondaLink? If they can get the car this good, they can fix the app (if they don't they're going to have to deal with some very angry owners of $34,220 Accords, and Honda's always had the public relations/customer service thing down). So, betting that they'll do that, it's thumbs up on this one...as Honda returns to glory, and knocks our favorite family sedan, the Nissan Altima down a peg on the TireKicker's Top Ten Cars (so far).

New Car Review: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 70s Edition

2013-06-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have one question regarding the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 70s Edition:

Did they actually ever make them in this color, or anything close to it in the 70s? I was around for the last decade of the Beetle soft-top, and I remember orange, and yellow and by the final two or three years, very nearly every one was triple-white. But Toffee Brown Metallic with beige top and beige interior? Not ringing any bells. Maybe it's an earth tones reference. We were big into those back in the day.

Anyway, despite having no idea what makes this a 70s Edition (where are the Coco Mats?), I have to say the Beetle Convertible is a very nice ride.

Let's face it. The "New Beetle" from 13 years ago was through. Everyone who wanted one had one. And the Beetle that replaced it a couple of years ago isn't exactly setting the sales charts on fire. Where to find some charm and some fun? By making the top go down.

Of course, making the top go down makes the price of a car go up, and the Beetle Convertible is no exception. A standard droptop Bug (am I the only one referring to this Beetle as that?) starts at $24,995, but the 70s Edition with its color-coordination and 18-inch wheels begins at $28,595. So you'll be crowding $30,000. But unless you go for little add-ons like cargo organizing blocks, custom floormats and the like, the 70s Edition comes as one-price, one-spec package. The only added cost then is destination charges. And that keeps you on this side of $30K (not including tax).

You've got the same basic setup as the base Convertible...a 2.5-liter, 170 horsepower five (yes, five) cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. For more than that, you have to skip the base and decade models (there's also a 50s Edition, and a 60s Edition) and go for the Turbo Convertible, which gets you 200 horsepower and starts at $28,470.

But all the stuff you'd imagine as optional are part of the standard 70s package: Cruise control, trip computer, keyless entry, multi-colored ambient lighting, satellite radio, navigation, a killer Fender audio system with 400 watts...the list goes on and on. In the interests of space, just go here for the whole thing.

And as you can see from the photo above (which depicts a Euro-spec version and a manual transmission we can't have), it's a lovely environment in which to take a drive. The interior of the current Beetle is a huge leap over what came before...and the 70s Edition Beetle Convertible's inside is filled with things that delight the eye. I'm struggling to remember anything from the 1970s that was ever this tasteful.

It won't punish you at the gas pump, either, with an EPA estimate of 21 city/27 highway that we had no problem equaling during our week at the wheel.

So despite some struggles with the concept of this being a 70s Edition, let's just say this: It's a fine one. If I were in the market for a Beetle, this would be the one calling my name the loudest on the showroom floor.

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus GS450h Hybrid

2013-06-07T12:31:00.002-07:00

A lot of people think “hybrid” and see a small car. Let’s face it, the Toyota Prius has had a lot to do with that over the past 15 years. But small cars generally get pretty good mileage to begin with. If you’re looking to make a difference in fuel consumption, bigger is the way to go…and Lexus has gone there with the new GS450h.

The GS is all new after a lengthy run (so long, in fact, that until three years ago, they were still equipped with cassette decks in the dashboard as standard equipment)…it’s lower, wider, much more aggressive looking…and now, it’s capable of startling mileage for its size and class. The gasoline-powered version, the GS350, has an EPA estimate of 19 city and 28 highway. Step up to the GS450h hybrid and the highway number goes up by 6 miles per gallon to 34…but there’s a whopping 10 MPG improvement in the city estimate.

That’s because the car shuts off at stop lights and benefits from a pure electric mode that covers a lot of city driving. Use a light throttle foot pulling away from a red light in traffic and you can get up to 40 miles per hour before the gasoline engine kicks in. That’s 10 to 15 miles per hour faster without burning a drop of gas than most hybrids.

But the step up in price…that’s worrisome. There’s only a $2,750 difference between the smaller Lexus ES350 and the ES Hybrid. The gap between the gasoline and hybrid versions of the GS is a startling $12,050. That’s money you won’t get back from savings at the pump anytime soon (the Orlando Sentinel has a nifty hybrid cost calculator…http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-hybridcalculator-fl,0,2196084.flash…and it estimates the GS hybrid will take 21 years and 8 months to pay for itself).

That shoots down one of the big rationales many hybrid buyers use for the added expense of the technology. So what else does the GS450h have that makes it worth consideration even at the added cost?

Well, it may seem contradictory, but the GS450h is actually more powerful than the gasoline-powered ES350…packing 32 more horses. And the list of standard features is much more extensive and features items that are extra-cost luxury options in the gasoline model. Of course, it has a menu of extra-cost options of its own, which is how the as-tested price ($69,827) ended up more than $10,000 higher than the base price ($58,950).

Near as I can tell, the GS450h is for the driver who doesn’t want to compromise speed or luxury, and wants to do his or her part for the planet, both in terms of consumption and emissions, without worrying about whether the money comes back to them or not. The car may be about to prompt a new term…”Eco-philanthropist”. There are certainly worse things.

New Car Review: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

2013-05-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

The original idea behind the crossover SUV was to get people from huge trucks to carlike sport-utes...eliminate some of the bulk and achieve some efficiencies in both packaging and fuel economy. For the most part, it's worked. But there's one thing the Suburbans and Tahoes and Expeditions whetted an appetite for that's not going away...and that's the third row of seats.

Many manufacturers have simply crammed in a final row at the expense of cargo room. Others are making their crossovers bigger to accommodate the extra seating. Hyundai, on a roll lately, came up with what looks to be the intelligent solution...keep the Santa Fe at its current size as a five-seater and offer a new, slightly larger model with three rows of seats.

The only confusion is, to capitalize on the equity in the Santa Fe name, that's what they're calling the new three-row crossover. What was the Santa Fe last year is now the Santa Fe Sport. But it's been re-designed, refined and just plain made a lot better.

If you don't need three rows, the Santa Fe Sport is a great way to go. Sensibly sized, more than decently powered, with a 264 horsepower 2-liter turbo four and a six-speed automatic (or, for $3,000 less, a 190 horsepower 2.4 liter normally aspirated four) ...a combo that delivers an EPA estimated 19 MPG city and 24 MPG highway.

Our tester was the all-wheel drive 2.0T version and for a base price of $29.450, it comes loaded with stability control, anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring, 19-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, chrome twin exhausts, windshield wiper de-icers and heated side mirrors, pushbutton start, power driver seat, heated front seats, cruise control, an AM/FM/Sirius XM/CD/mp3 audio system with USB, iPod and Auxiliary jacks, a full tank of gas, and Hyundai's 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

You could stop right there and never feel deprived. But spend just a bit more, and the words "luxury" and "Hyundai" edge closer to each other. $2,450 gets you the Leather & Premium Equipment package (turn signals in the door mirrors, leather seating surfaces, a power passenger seat, sliding and reclining second-row seats, heated rear seats, dual automatic temperature control with CleanAir ionizer, a 4.3 inch color audio display, a rearview camera and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink and compass. Toss in $100 for carpeted floor mats, $50 for a cargo net and $150 for a cargo cover and you've got one equipped just like our tester, with an as-tested price (including $825 freight and handling) of $33,025.

I'm consistently surprised how many people don't know how far Hyundai has come...the stunned looks in their eyes when I tell them just how good these cars are now. If you're among those stuck in the 1990s, it's time for a test drive.

New Car Review: Lexus GX460

2013-05-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

15 years as a professional TireKicker (automotive journalist) and there are still things to learn.

When I got the Lexus GX460 for a week, I thought it was a spectacularly dumb design for one thing...the tailgate. The window would open upward, but the whole assembly didn't swing up and the gate below the window wouldn't swing down. Drove me nuts. Why would Lexus build a $60,000 SUV and make you load the cargo compartment from the rear seat?

A few hours later, my teenage son walked up to the GX for the first time, and opened the door out to the side.

Duh.

I could cut myself some slack and say it's an unusual, if not unique design for a rear door on a big SUV, but for many years I owned a Suburban with barn doors, so I really have no excuse.

Why am I telling you this? Because it's the only thing I could find wrong with the GX460...and it wasn't.

Oh, on some level I could argue that it's too big, too heavy, too thirsty....but big and heavy are as big and heavy do and the GX460 doesn't drive big and heavy. It's nowhere near as ponderous as a Nissan Armada or Infiniti QX56. Thirsty I could probably make stick. The EPA says 15 city, 20 highway, and cracking 17 in a mix of the two was a chore.

But as with most vehicles with the big stylized "L" on the grille, it's about what you get for your money...and for the base price of $58,240, the GX is very well equipped.

It's certainly not wanting for power, with a 301 horsepower 4.6 liter V8, the 6-speed automatic makes the fuel economy as good (relatively) as it is (c'mon, 8-speed), it is more than capable off road and in bad weather, with full-time four-wheel drive and a Torsen limited-slip center differential, and it's civilized on pavement thanks to a kinetic dynamic suspension system.

And then there are the niceties. Every safety technology known to man. 10-way power heated/ventilated front seats, wood interior trim, memory for the seats, steering wheel and mirrors, a reclining, sliding 60/40 second-row seat and a power fold-flat 50/50 third row seat. There's a moonroof, a nine-speaker audio system, with 6-disc CD changer, USB, Bluetooth and satellite radio, privacy glass and as David Bowie once said, "leather, leather, everywhere."

But wait...there's more, if you're willing to pay for it. The options on our tester included a nav system with upgraded Mark Levinson audio system including 17-speaker 7.1 surround with audio and video ($3,930), Intuitive Parking Assist ($500) and wide-view front and side monitor, pre-collision system with driver attention monitor, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, intelligent high beam headlamps and crawl control ($3,170). Oh, and $64 for a cargo net.

With $895 destination, it came to $66,799.

Cheap? Hardly.

Overpriced? Um....no. Not when you look at the competition and the level of equipment and capability. And the back door opens!

Spock vs. Spock for Audi

2013-05-07T16:22:00.001-07:00

Will this sell Audis? Will it cause Mercedes-Benz intenders to have second thoughts?

Don't know. Don't care. This spot is priceless. Use the little buttons at the bottom of the post to share via Twitter, Facebook and/or e-mail.

New Car Review: 2013 BMW X1

2013-05-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Comes a point when a crossover becomes so carlike that the term "crossover", much less "small SUV", no longer really fits.

The BMW X1 is at that point. With low ground clearance, this really is more a station wagon than anything else, though BMW likely won't be happy I said that.

The good news is, it's a very good station wagon...and rather attractively priced, too.

All this comes as a surprise because BMW's Sport Activity vehicles thus far, the X5 and X3, have started out big and heavy and simply gotten bigger and heavier. The tidy dimensions of the X1 are a pleasant change of direction.

Base price is a reasonable $30,650. For that, you get a 2-liter 16-valve four cylinder turbo, an 8-speed automatic transmission and automatic stop and start (shutting the engine off at red lights and re-starting when your foot comes off the brake). Those three things combine to deliver some remarkably good fuel economy...an EPA estimated 24 city, 34 highway.

That entry price also delivers halogen fog lamps, dynamic stability control, brake energy regeneration, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and dynamic brake control, rain-sensing wipers, a 3-spoke leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, standard Bluetooth, and AM/FM/CD audio system with HD Radio, iPod and USB adapters, and a full complement of passive safety features.

Take one with zero options and you've got a capable, well-equipped machine.

However, the BMW press fleet folks checked a few option boxes on the one we drove for a week, adding $3,000 for the M Sport Line package (sport suspension, special aerodynamic front and rear bumpers and side skirts, sport seats with cloth/Alcantara upholstery and variable ambient lighting), $1,200 for the lighting package (more ambient lighting inside, Xenon headlamps and automatic high beams), $3,950 for the Premium Package (universal garage door opener, keyless entry, panoramic moonroof, auto-dimming mirrors, power front seats, lumbar support, and an interior mirror with a compass), $250 for Servotronic power steering, $350 for satellite radio with a one-year subscription and $895 destination charge. Total as-tested price: $40,295.

In BMWland, that's still not big money. But getting one for nearly $10,000 less sounds way more compelling. You're still getting the impeccable BMW road manners and high-quality materials and workmanship.

There's only one feature I'd like to have veto power over...and that's the standard auto stop-start. Yes, it helps deliver strong gas mileage...but a quick peek in the owner's manual reveals a warning that it can cause premature wear of the parts involved (presumably the starter)...and that could be an expensive fix when it happens.

New Car Review: 2013 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design

2013-05-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

The phrase “Mid-size Volvo sedan” no doubt causes some eyes to glaze over, especially for those who think they know what Volvo’s all about. But the key is to ask “Which mid-size Volvo sedan?”

Yes, they’re all called the S60, but that car comes in three different turbocharged flavors these days: The T5, a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder with 250 horsepower; the T6 AWD, which adds half a liter, one cylinder, two more driving wheels and 50 additional ponies; and the T6 AWD R-Design, which pulls 325 horsepower out of the same 3-liter six. And that’s the one we’re talking about here.

First, the color: While you have a choice of three, including Ice White and Passion Red, the majority of the R-Designs in Volvo press materials and press fleets this year seem to be Rebel Blue. Frankly, we harbor a strong suspicion that on the way out the door after purchasing Volvo from former owner Ford, Volvo’s new masters found the Dearborn paint vault and snagged as many leftover gallons of 1970 Boss 429 Grabber Blue as they could carry. Whether it’s the right color for a four-door sedan, even a performance-oriented one, is an open question.

As for the working bits, they do. The potential of the extra power is maximized by a higher redline in the R-Design (6500 RPM instead of 5600 for the standard T6). There’s another 20 pounds per foot of torque, which peaks in a narrow sweet spot between 3000 and 3600 RPM. That cuts 0-60 runs down to 5.5 seconds (according to Volvo), with an electronically limited top speed of 134. And specifying the R-Design means a special sport chassis that adds a front strut brace, rear monotube dampers, stiffer springs and bushings.

Despite being 55 pounds heavier than the T6 AWD and having another 25 horsepower, EPA fuel economy estimates are identical: 18 city/25 highway. They may also be optimistic. In a 60/40 mix of highway and city driving, we couldn’t break 20 MPG. You’re also going to pay more at the pump, anyway. The R-Design specifies premium fuel, instead of the regular 87 octane the standard T6 AWD can use.

For $43,900, Volvo focuses the standard equipment list on performance and safety, leaving a lot of gee-whiz electronics (adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, collision warning) as extra-cost options. Still, you get a 7-inch color monitor for the audio and systems monitoring, a power glass moonroof, dual climate control, Bluetooth, an upgraded audio system and a lot of other creature comforts.

Downsides? We found three. Despite what feels like impressive power off the line, there’s considerable turbo lag. Floor it at 45 and you’ll finish “twomississippi” before the engine room gets the message. Steering feedback is a bit vague, which doesn’t inspire confidence despite the fact that the car actually handles very well. And Volvo has reverted to old-fashioned indirect lighting for the gauge cluster. The numerals and needles on the speedo and tach don’t light up, but are bathed in light from above. Dial down the brightness on a dark road and watch your information disappear. If Volvo can fix those three issues (or if you can overlook them), the S60 T6 AWD R-Design has a lot to offer.

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus RX 450h

2013-05-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

You have to give Lexus credit. They were early to the party (first, in fact) when it came to putting hybrid power in luxury vehicles, opening up a market among buyers who had extra money to spend.

They started 8 years ago with a hybrid version of the RX crossover (it was the 400h then). There have been changes along the way, but this year, there are several significant revisions:

The basic RX design has remained constant for 15 years, but 2013 brings a freshening that gives all RX models the signature Lexus spindle grille, a new bumper and headlamp design, LED daytime running lights, updated tail lamps and four new colors (Silver Lining Metallic, Claret Mica, Deep Sea Mica and Fire Agate Pearl).

The standard equipment list is too long to list here, but highlights for your $47,310 base price include 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a nine-speaker premium audio system, dual-zone climate control, a full complement of airbags, power everything and real wood trim.

Lexus wisely left goodies in the extra-cost column. $16,000 worth of them (the Comfort Package, the Luxury Package, rear-seat entertainment and a further upgrade of the audio system, a heads-up display, intuitive parking assist and a Pre-Collision System with Radar Adaptive Cruise Control) found their way onto our test vehicle, leaving a bottom line after delivery charges that fell just $720 shy of 65 large.

The hybrid RX 450h uses the same 3.5-liter V6 engine as the gasoline-powered RX 350, but the addition of Lexus Hybrid Drive takes an estimated 18 city miles per gallon and turns it into 32 (the highway figure increases from 25 to 28), while boosting total output by 25 horsepower (to 295). The 25 additional horsepower is offset by the extra weight of the batteries and other hybrid hardware. That’s 342 pounds, which is why 0-60 in the RX 450h is 7.8 seconds as opposed to 7.7 in the RX 350 (both figures are Lexus estimates).

On the steering wheel you’ll find a new Sport mode button. Press it and you’ll get more aggressive behavior from the Continuously Variable Transmission, less interference from the Vehicle Stability and Traction control systems and a (slightly) higher level of steering effort. Oh, and the background lighting on the instrument panel switches from blue to red. That may be more noticeable than any actual change in performance.

Bottom line: Lexus is letting a bit more emotion, a hint more sport, filter into its best-selling line (there’s even an F Sport package for the RX 350 this year). But let’s not kid each other. This isn’t an LF-A wagon…it’s a Lexus people mover. The focus is still on luxury, smoothness and isolation from the world outside. At the wheel, it’s still mostly whispers and whipped cream, which is just how the RX’s loyal following likes it.

New Car Review: 2014 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv

2013-05-03T22:40:00.001-07:00

Big changes rarely happen in year two of a new vehicle. But Mazda’s not known for coloring within the lines and, frankly, it can’t afford to hold good stuff back for the mid-cycle refresh three or four years down the road. It needs your attention now. And if the 2014 Mazda CX-5 doesn’t get that attention, it’ll be your loss as well as Mazda’s.

The big news is a second engine option: A 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G mill brings 29 more horsepower and 35 more pounds per foot of torque to the party than the standard 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G, but gives up only one mile per gallon, dipping from 26 city to 25 and 32 highway to 31 (EPA estimates for automatic transmission front-wheel drive models).

Even with the 2.0-liter, the CX-5 we drove last year was no slouch in terms of driving dynamics. Mazda’s fun-to-drive “Zoom-Zoom” philosophy was baked into the bones of this small SUV. It’s easily one of the most driver-oriented machines of its type, with constant feedback and instant response to your inputs of brake and steering.

In the 2014 2.5-liter, the throttle joins the party. 0-60 times fall to 7.2 seconds from about 9 seconds for the smaller engine (both are Mazda’s figures). It’s a difference you don’t need a stopwatch for. You can feel it in the seat of your pants. Peak torque comes earlier, emphasizing the extra oomph. And the engine sounds much more like an eager participant than a stressed underachiever.

To get the fun stuff, though, you have to skip the base model Sport ($21,995). That’s still strictly 2-liter land. Pony up for the $24,615 Touring model or the $27,620 Grand Touring (our tester) and the 2.5-liter powerplant comes as standard equipment.

In fact, on the Grand Touring, there’s very little that doesn’t come standard. 19-inch alloy wheels, variable rain-sensing wipers, rear privacy glass, a power moonroof, automatic halogen headlights, fog lamps, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for audio, cruise and Bluetooth, leather-trimmed heated (in front) sport seats (the driver’s is an 8-way power chair with power lumbar) a Bose 9-speaker audio system with HD Radio, and a rearview camera with 5.8-inch color touchscreen are all included.

You can get options. Ours added a rear bumper guard ($100), a retractable cargo cover ($200) and the Grand Touring Tech Package ($1,625), which bundles in-dash TomTom navigation, adaptive auto-leveling HID headlamps and Smart City Brake Support, which reduces brake rotor travel to quicken braking if there’s risk of a low-speed (19 MPH or under) collision, and will automatically brake if the driver doesn’t.

All that put the bottom line on our test vehicle to $30,340 with delivery fee. Not cheap, but not out of line with the competition, and Mazda has a distinct edge with the combination of performance and fuel economy the 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G offers.

New Car Review: 2013 Kia Soul

2013-04-07T00:08:00.001-07:00

Kia's been surprising people for a few years now, but maybe the biggest surprise was how the Soul ended up a big-seller when other seemingly similar funky boxes (Scion xB, Nissan Cube) failed.

Sure, the Soul had the Hamstars (love them or hate them, you know who they are and what car they're selling), and marketing matters. But the Soul caught on because the Soul works.

The boxy shape serves the function of the car...it's very roomy inside. But details keep it from being simply a utilitarian box on wheels. The stylists managed to find ways to get an aggressive look out of the Soul, giving it an edginess that the too-soft xB and Cube just can't reach.

And then there's value. Souls start at $14,400 and are, even at that base level, reasonably well equipped.

We drove the ! (not a typo) model, which is the top of the line. Even there, the base price slides in just under $20,000 (at $19,900). For your $5,500 extra, 15-inch wheels become 18s, bumpers and fascias go body-colored, the headlights become auto-off projector units, there are LED Positioning lights, dual power-folding mirrors, a premium audio system, rear camera display and HD Radio, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a power sunroof and fog lamps. That's a high level of content for $19,900. Our tester checked the remaining option boxes, adding a Premium Package (Nav with Sirius Traffic, push-button start, leather seat trim, heated front seats and automatic climate control) for $2,500, a rear bumper applique for $75.00, a cargo net for $50 and an electrochromic rear-view mirror with built-in compass for $275.00. Add $775 freight and the total is $23,575.

Cheap at $14,400...a decent value at $19,900...but crowding $24,000 and we start to cool a bit. At that price point, you can find faster cars (the 2.0-liter four with Continuously Variable Transmission needs about 8 seconds to get to 60 from a standing start) and you can find ones that get better mileage (the EPA says 23 city/28 highway for the Soul). If you like the spaciousness, the amenities and the attitude, a Soul's a fine pick if the price tag is in the teens. Almost $24,000 puts it out of its league.

New Car Review: 2013 Acura ILX

2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

On paper, it had the makings of an unmitigated disaster: Take Acura, the upscale brand of Honda struggling for an identity, and base its new entry-level sedan on the Honda Civic, a compact that has lost its edge to the point that Consumer Reports ripped it apart and Honda felt compelled to rush a thorough refresh...but not until after the debut of the Acura.

Well, disaster averted. The Acura ILX isn't a bad car. And that's what I'd feared most. But it's not a winner, either.

The ILX does a commendable job of taking the platform of the Civic and turning it into a nicer, more upscale machine. But what that upgrade costs you is the flaw that undermines the ILX.

The base ILX costs $7,735 more than a base Civic. It costs $2,135 more than the top-of-the-line Civic EX-L with nav and voice recognition. Yes, your climate control in the Acura is dual-zone, you've got a nicer audio system and a two-tenths of a liter larger, 10 horses more powerful engine (the advantage of which evaporates under the ILX's added 200 pounds of weight...while costing you 4 miles per gallon in both city and highway fuel economy estimates, from 28 to 24 and 39 to 35, respectively), but that's it.

And the ILX is just getting started.

Our tester was the second most-expensive, the 5-speed automatic with Technology Package...at $31,400 (there's a hybrid with tech for $34,400). Now you're $10,635 above that loaded Civic EX-L with nav and voice recognition.

Break out the spec sheets and you'll see how small the differences are. The ILX is about an inch and a half wider than the Civic, and 200 pounds heavier, but only 10 horses more powerful. Sure it rides a bit smoother and more quietly (some of those 200 pounds are sound-deadening materials), they fixed the Civic's funky bi-level instrument panel and there are nicer materials and options than the Civic offers.

But $10,635 more? No. This is Ford Granada-Lincoln Versailles/Chevy Citation-Cadillac Cimarron silk purse stuff. And, after the refresh we're told (haven't had one to test yet) the Civic is no sow's ear.

Our advice? Get the loaded Civic. Or, if you want to spend in the low 30s for an Acura, step up to the Acura TSX. Bigger, more powerful, honest and one of our favorite cars.

New Car Review: 2013 Kia Optima SX

2013-03-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Kia has come a long way in a big hurry.

From butt of many an automotive joke to low-cost transportation alternative to "as good as what the Japanese were doing five years ago", each step came in rhythmic cadence. The inevitability that Kia would make a fully competitive vehicle was apparent to anyone willing to admit it. It was about a year and a half ago that I admitted not only had Kia arrived there, but with the then all-new Optima, had actually leapfrogged the competition (Ford Focus, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord) in terms of style.

Now comes the next hurdle. And this one may be tougher.

Is the world ready for...and will it buy...a $35,000 Kia Optima?

You can stil get a base LX for $21,350. The one notch up EX (the subject of our September 2011 review) is $23,650. And the SX, which comes standard with the 2-liter turbo, adding 74 horsepower at a penalty of only two miles per gallon in the EPA city test (24 becomes 22) and one mile per gallon on the highway (35 drops to 34) is $26,800.

But now, the SX can come with different packages...and those throw the price through the imaginary barrier of $30,000 and more than halfway down the field to $40,000. The SX we had recently added three packages and a cargo mat that rang in (with freight and handling) at $35,370...$1,100 more than the loaded, top-of-the line 2013 Honda Accord we'll be reviewing here shortly. Almost $14,000 more than a base Optima LX.

Is it worth it?

Well, you certainly get a lot for your money. Swapping the 2.4 liter four for the 2-liter turbo cuts the time it takes to reach 60 from a dead stop to 6.6 seconds from 7.9. There's a six-speed automatic transmission, all the airbags and supplemental restraints you'd expect, dual-zone automatic temperature control, rear seat vents, an audio system with Sirius, USB and Bluetooth connections, leather trim, keyless entry and pushbutton start, power driver's seat with lumbar control, paddle shifters, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. That's just for the $26,800 base price.

Our tester then upped the ante with the $1,400 Technology Package, replacing the audio system with nav and Sirius traffic as well as HD radio. A nice system, it works well, and in a city where HD radio stations are plentiful and offer largely commercial-free variety on top of what's on AM, FM and satellite, it's nice to have. But $1,400 worth of nice?

Next is the Touring Package ($2,950). That's a panoramic sunroof, power folding outside mirrors, an upgrade to the stock audio system (but remember, that's gone with the upgrade to the Technology Package), rear camera display, a power front passenger's seat, driver's seat memory, heated and cooled front seats, and upgraded 18-inch Luxury Design alloy wheels. Again, all nice...but there's not a single thing on there I couldn't do without and it's 50 bucks shy of three grand.

And then the topper: The SX Limited Package. It's $3,350. LED daytime running lights, yet another upgrade in wheels, this time to 18-inch chromes, red brake calipers, chrome accent lower door side sills, Nappa leather seat and interior trim, black cloth headliner and pillar trim, an electronic parking brake, unique interior accents, a chrome accent rear spoiler and a first aid kit. Sorry. Not moved. All really nice to have...but if we're playing with real money (and especially if it's mine), it's not $3,350 worth of nice to me.

Which pretty well leads us to that bottom line of $35,370.

The Kia Optima SX is a great choice in sedans. Stylish, roomy, fast. It's a screaming deal at $26,800. If you wanted to make it $30,000 (the SX Premium Touring Package would do that), I'd still use the term bargain. But above that, the advantages erode fast. When you get with $1,500 of the starting price of a BMW 328i, you've gone a bridge too far. At least that's my opinion. Use the comment link and let me know yours.

New Car Review: Mitsubishi i-MIEV

2013-03-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

62 miles.

Can you get through a day driving that little?

For those of us whose commute and getting kids to activities and unplanned errands and emergencies often result in adding 100 or more miles to the odometer in the course of a day, the number is woefully inadequate.

But that's the absolute max you'll get on a single charge in the Mitsubishi i-MIEV. And, as with most EVs, your range may vary.

As other manufacturers work to make their EVs as much like conventional compacts as possible (Nissan Leaf) or break the boundaries with luxury and styling that rivals European luxury marques (Tesla Model S), the Mitsubishi i-MIEV is what a lot of people thought of five years ago when you said "electric vehicle"...an odd-looking rolling bubble, minimalist in most respects, and resembling a golf cart that has been enclosed, stretched to Mini Cooper length and styled in the best Japanese Sci-Fi tradition.

With the Leaf offering a (theoretical) range of near 80 miles per charge, the big Tesla capable of 270 or more and the Chevy Volt which backs up its 35 mile range with a gasoline engine that will allow you to cover 380 miles, after which you simply add more gas, what's the i-MIEV's selling point?

Price.

With an MSRP of $31,125 (which comes down into the 24s with tax credits), the electric Mitsu is 8 grand less expensive than a Volt, and was a few hundred less than the Leaf, until the introduction of the new model S, which actually undercuts the i-MIEV by almost $3,000 now.

The EPA's estimate says the i-MIEV will get the equivalent of 126 MPG in the city and 99 on the highway...but the Leaf's numbers are 130/102...and it's packing 107 horsepower to the i-MIEV's 66.

The i-MIEV still has one card to play in the price arena, though...the monthly outlay. Mitsubishi is offering zero percent 60 month financing or $221 a month 3-year leases. And one dealer, O'Brien Mitsubishi in Normal, Illinois, ran a $69 monthly lease deal earlier this year ($169 once taxes are figured in).

We only had one to drive for a four-day weekend...and while it wasn't bad (headroom was great, the air and 360-watt audio system worked just fine), it was an awful lot like driving yesterday's vision of the future. The fact is that electric vehicles are way beyond this type of minimalism now.

Elon Musk tweeted today that Tesla will have a $30,000 electric car with a range of more than 200 miles in the next five years. Mitsubishi's got a long way to go to be ready for that day.

.@benmacy $30k in 2013 $ (ie + inflation) w 200+ mile range w some really cool tech that we can't talk about yet.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2013

VIDEO: NASCAR's Jeff Gordon Tortures A Used-Car Salesman in an '09Camaro

2013-03-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

Yeah, it's a long-form Pepsi ad...but it's still a hoot, as a disguised Jeff Gordon takes a used car salesman for a full-throttle test drive in a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. Use the buttons at the bottom of the post to share it quickly and easily with your friends via Twitter, Facebook or email.

UPDATE: If you're thinking it was too good to be true, you're right. Travis Okulski at Jalopnik did some digging and confirms almost nothing in the video is what it seems to be: http://jalopnik.com/that-jeff-gordon-terrifying-a-car-salesman-pepsi-ad-is-453519481

FIRST LOOK: 2014 Corvette Convertible

2013-03-03T03:37:00.001-07:00

The official unveiling comes Tuesday at the Geneva Auto Show, but GM released this look over the weekend. It's the 2014 Corvette Convertible. Let us know what you think in comments. And the little buttons below let you share this with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and e-mail.

UPDATE: I-17 Chase North Of Phoenix (VIDEO)

2013-02-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

A long and fast-moving chase from suburban Phoenix into a remote area north of that city Wednesday (2/27) afternoon...3 suspects in a stolen Honda Civic. Here's how it ended live on NBC affilate KPNX-TV:

Use the buttons at the bottom of this post to easily share this with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or by e-mail.

120 MPH L.A. Police Chase (UPDATED VIDEO) Including Suspects & Possible Motive

2013-02-26T22:13:00.001-07:00

Click here for much more video of Tuesday's (2/26) high speed chase in Los Angeles, including the arrest of the two suspects, from FOX11.. Use the buttons below the picture to instantly share this on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or by e-mail.

BREAKING VIDEO: 120 MPH Chase On 6 L.A. Freeways Ends With Sideswiped Bus

2013-02-26T15:26:00.001-07:00

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

120 MPH on the freeways, 70 or better on the surface streets. Just another day in L.A.

The driver, caught after bailing out of the car, hit a city bus and narrowly missed, at various times, a boy on a skateboard, a baby in a stroller and a little girl who was pulled to safety at the last second.

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First Look: Can Rolls-Royce Revive The Big Fastback?

2013-02-25T18:16:00.001-07:00

Rolls-Royce will be unveiling the new Wraith at the Geneva Auto Show and has been teasing bits and pieces of it. Today, perhaps the most important part...the silhouette.

It's been a long time since RR has attempted anything resembling a fastback, though Bentley has certainly had success with it since their divorce last decade.

In a news release accompanying the artist's rendering (okay, line drawing), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Design Director Giles Taylor says:

The purposeful fastback profile is Wraith’s defining element.

Inherent in the graceful line that sweeps from the top of the screen to the very rear edge is the promise of fast, yet effortless touring. Yet, perhaps my favourite aspect is the expressive gesture that comes from the side window graphic, gliding through Wraith’s glamorous coach door.

It works with a strong sense of linear purpose from the shoulder line, which has the promise of potential like the athlete in the starting blocks. In contrast, the line that cuts through the shoulder line is a little more artful and adds that certain air of effortlessness to Wraith’s dynamic statement.

In my view the most successful designs always come down to three or four lines.

What say you? The Comments section is always open here at TireKicker.

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus GS350 and GS350 F SPORT

2013-02-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

The 2013 Lexus GS350.

The styling of the all-new Lexus GS350 promises so much. It's a study in aggressive angles, a clear and direct contrast to the soft shapes of the GS that Lexus produced up until this year.

The 2013 Lexus GS350 interior.

The promise continues when you slide behind the wheel. The GS, so old-fashioned as recently as 2010 to have sported a cassette tape player in the dash, now has an utterly contemporary interior in which to do business, including a gargantuan video display in the center of the dash (clearly inspired by BMW).

The specs are promising...3.5 liter V6, 306 horsepower, 277 pounds per foot of torque...six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, 17 inch 9-spoke alloy wheels and the usual assortment of Lexus luxury and safety items for a base price of $46,900. Thanks to the six-speed automatic, that brings with it EPA estimated mileage of 19 city/28 highway.

But in the GS, it's all about how you equip it. We drove two on two consecutive weeks. The first was fitted with the Luxury Package. That's $5,750 worth of ventilated front seats, rear sunshade, an upgrade to 18-inch wheels, Sport S+ Drive Mode, adaptive front lighting, wood and leather trimmed steering wheel, linear espresso wood interior trim, semi-aniline leather interior trim, 18-way power front seats, Lexus memory system for the front passenger and a three (!) zone climate control.

This car also added a blind spot monitoring system ($500), a Mark Levinson 835-watt 7.1 surround sound audio system ($1,380), the navigation package ($1,735), intuitive park assist ($500), a cargo net ($64) and a trunk mat ($105). With $875 for destination and handling, the bottom line read $57,809.

And it drove....like a Lexus. Which isn't a bad thing if you're a Lexus fan and define your luxury by degrees of isolation rather than involvement. And that's not a bad thing if that's what you're expecting. It's quantum leaps better than the previous GS...but a bit of a letdown from what the styling and specs were promising.

And then, we drove this:

The 2013 Lexus GS350 with F SPORT.

This is the same car...same engine, same base price, same fuel economy estimates, same standard equipment.

There are just two differences. Instead of being equipped with the Luxury Package, this was outfitted with the F SPORT Package, and the Mark Levinson audio system was replaced with the $320 more expensive Lexus Dynamic Handling System.

And that....makes all the difference in the world. Because F SPORT turns the GS 350 into a driver's car. For $5,690 ($160 less than the Luxury Package), you get the rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated front seats and rear power sunshade in the luxury package, but you also get 19-inch alloy wheels with summer tires instead of all-seasons, F SPORT-tuned adaptive variable suspension, variable gear-ratio steering, 14-inch two-piece front brake rotors with four-piston calipers, a 16-way F SPORT driver's seat with power side bolsters, and more. And what it does with the same 306 horsepower is a thing of beauty. It carves instead of wallows, direct inputs are followed by direct responses, it just plain works.

The 2012 Lexus GS350 with F SPORT rear view.

Short version, you'll look for every winding road you can find...because it's truly a blast to drive. And F-SPORT gets you a tasty interior re-do as well:

The 2013 Lexus GS350 with F SPORT interior.

Oh, yeah. Much, much better. And remember, the EPA mileage estimates stay the same and so does the base price. In fact, the as-equipped price of the F SPORT-equipped GS350 was only $260 more than the Luxury Package-equipped model.

You know which one we'd pick.

New Car Review: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

2013-02-25T12:31:00.001-07:00

The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid whispers its green credentials rather than shouting them.

The de-gimmickification (give me until this afternoon to make a Wikipedia entry) of hybrid vehicles has been a tricky thing. As we noted in our review of the Toyota Prius C, the vast majority of hybrid buyers seem to want to call attention to themselves. The "big" (compared to the Prius C) Prius has attained a good chunk of its best-seller status by being instantly identifiable as a "green" vehicle. Honda, a strong candidate for major player with the environmentally sensitive, has struck out with its hybrid offerings thus far, the Impact and CR-Z being too small to be practical and mainstream and the Accord and Civic hybrids having been virtually invisible...looking for all the world like regular Accords and Civics with "hybrid" badges on them...never mind what was under the hood and what wasn't coming out of the tailpipe.

So it's a huge surprise to this writer that Volkswagen, out to conquer market share in leaps and bounds, has taken the Honda Civic approach with the Jetta Hybrid.

Like the Hondas, you'll never know the Jetta Hybrid is a Hybrid unless you get close enough to read the very discreet badge on the trunklid or catch the subtly different aero grille in your rearview mirror.

And once at the wheel, there's very little to tell you you're in something different...it's quiet when rolling on pure electric power, but that's a novelty that wears off fast. Within a day or two of our week and 600 or so miles, I was forgetting this was a hybrid. They even make the proof of performance a "look if you want to" type of thing.

Front and center in the instrument cluster? No, that's too flashy...the whiz-bang animations showing how much fuel you're saving and how little you're polluting share space with your audio and nav systems. You'll forget it's even there.

There's really only one reminder that this Jetta is a hybrid...its fuel economy. The EPA estimate is 42 MPG city/48 MPG highway and for all the controversy these days over cars not meeting their numbers, the Jetta Hybrid we drove did.

The price? Well, hybrids always cost more, and compared to a stock Jetta's under $20K price tag, the $26,999 base price for the Jetta Hybrid is a jump, but VW has gone out of its way to bump up the value equation...making its nicest interior appointments standard equipment. And that makes the car very complete. All that was added to ours was a first aid kit and the delivery charge. Bottom line: $27,820. Which undercuts most of the Priii we've driven lately by anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000.

The Jetta Hybrid's a fine piece. It'd be on our short list if we were in the market for a hybrid. Let's hope for them that VW can find a thus far untapped market of green folks who don't need to shout about it with styling.

New Car Review: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo

2013-02-24T01:33:00.000-07:00


Can the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo lure drivers back from the imports?

It's been a long, long time since "Malibu" was the cool answer when someone asked what kind of car you drove. As in about 41 years. No question, the past few years have seen Chevrolet take some amazing steps in the right direction with their family sedan. The exterior styling and interior appointments are way better than what they'd been doing and, frankly, better than many thought they could do.

For 2013, both those areas get some more polish and there's a bold step under the hood, too...as the performance model comes with a four-cylinder engine.

Yes, Malibu has joined the growing list of cars with a turbocharged 2.0 liter four, which seems to be the powerplant of choice these days. Makes sense, really. Larger than a 2.0 liter in a four-cylinder and smoothness becomes an issue.

The 2013 Malibu has "Camaro-inspired" taillights.

Put your right foot down and the turbo makes itself known...there's no lag, just an instant burst of power...a pleasant surprise to those of us whose experience with 2-liter four-bangers began with the ones under the hood of a Ford Pinto.

In fact, this four-cylinder engine is quicker than the V6 it replaces. 0-60 happens in 6.3 seconds, which is mighty quick for a family sedan. But take full advantage of that and you'll be shortchanging yourself on the gas mileage that engine swap was meant to facilitate. I didn't drive the tester I had for a week particularly hard, and I couldn't match the EPA estimated combined mileage figure of 24MPG. 22 was it for me, and that just barely happened on the final day of a 500-mile week about evenly split between city streets and freeways (the EPA city estimate is 21, the highway 30).

$30,165 was base price for our tester in 2LZ trim. That gets you the turbo, a six-speed automatic transmission with Tapshift, power windows and locks, leather trim, dual-zone climate control, a 7-inch color touchscreen for the audio system that swings out to reveal a hidden storage compartment, Bluetooth, a power sunroof, 18-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps and a bunch more.

Nicely styled instrument panel, but a bit busy and not always user-friendly.

The GM press fleet folks tossed another $2,895 in optional equipment on ours, a wheels and entertainment package that bumped the wheels up to 19-inches and the 6-speaker audio system up to 9, with a 250-watt Pioneer amp, a rear-vision camera system, keyless start, memory settings and forward collision alert and lane departure warning.

Chevy's MyLink audio system is great for what it promises...a single interface in the dashboard that blends AM, FM, SiriusXM Satellite and the CD player in the car with Pandora and Stitcher apps in your smart phone. But in practice, it needs some work. To cover all those options takes multiple pages on the screen...and that requires looking away from the road. Also, we found that the touch-sensitive screen was not as sensitive as it should be...and when it did respond, there was enough of a lag between asking and getting that it became distracting. It's not quite as maddening as Cadillac's CUE system, but that's mostly because it's not quite as ambitious.

Total price on our tester was $33,820. And it was very nice.

But....the competition in this segment is fierce. When this car left me last week, the new Accord arrived. A full review is coming (I'm still driving it as I write this), but consider this: It's only $400 more as tested than the Malibu, does the 0-60 in 0.2 seconds less, gets 1 MPG more combined fuel economy (and so far, it's nailing that number consistently), and does that with a silky smooth V6 and no turbocharger. And Honda's getting its mojo back...it feels a bit nicer than the Malibu (it has its own audio interface issues, too, though...and I won't be letting it off the hook in its own review).

And beyond the Accord, you've got the new Fusion (c'mon, Ford...we need a week in one), the new Mazda 6 (ditto), the new for 2012 Toyota Camry, and the all-new and amazingly good 2013 Nissan Altima.

The Malibu beats every previous Malibu of the past 15 years (since they brought the nameplate back), but everyone else is bringing their "A" game in family sedans. While I wouldn't knock anyone for buying a 2013 Malibu, it's not a slam-dunk choice.

UPDATE WITH VIDEO: Horrific Crash at Daytona; 33 Spectators Injured

2013-02-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

It happened on the last lap as the leaders approached the checkered flag. SPEED had the best coverage, hands down and continues to update online. Go there: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/nns-tony-stewart-wins-amid-chaos-at-daytona-nascar-nationwide