Family Car Reviews: Review

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2014 Jaguar F-Type Roadster

The F-Type Jaguar is the successor to the E-Type which was last produced in 1974. It was announced in April and was recently revealed at the Paris Motor Show. This sports car will feature supercharged V-6 or V-8 power depending on the trim and will first debut as a roadster, but a coupe version will follow soon.

The F-Type will come with three different engine specs: The base F-Type has 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque; the F-Type S will come with 380 hp and 339 lb-torque. The top model is the V-8 S, which is able to produce an astonishing 495 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. With all of that power and a body made almost entirely of aluminum to reduce the weight to 3,521 lbs, this Jag is more than likely able to beat the estimated 0 – 60 time of 4.2 seconds. The base model has an estimated 0 – 60 of 5.1 seconds while the upgraded V-6 is expected to do the deed 0.3 seconds quicker.

All three engines send their power to the rear wheels but they'll only do it through an 8-speed automatic transmission. Later down the road there will be an R version which will come will a proper manual gearbox, but until then you'll have to live with downshifts from the orange paddle shifters mounted on the steering column.

Superior handling will also be a huge part of the equation. The F-Type has an all-aluminum double-wishbone suspension at each corner and the quickest steering rack Jaguar has ever used in a production car. The S model of the Jag will also get adaptive dampers that can be adjusted by the driver who can also adjust throttle response, shift speed, and steering weight.

18-inch wheels will come standard on the base F-Type, while the upgrade V-6 will get 19-inch wheels, and the top of the line model will receive the premium 20-inch wheels. The interior design of the F-Type is very driver focused; Jaguar refers to it as a “1+1”. Jaguar uses their signature all-digital screen based gauge clusters, but also included physical dials in the F-Type because they feel it seemed right for this sports car. The interior also includes orange paddle shifters and another orange button that puts the car in a more aggressive "Dynamic" mode. According to the designers, they really wanted to highlight the controls that bring this Jag to life. As for the rest of the interior the color, trim, and materials for the cabin are very refined and what one might expect from a 2014 Jaguar.

Jaguar plans to price the F-Type between the Porsche Boxster and Porsche 911 at around a base price of $65,000. This will put the F-Type right in line with its competitors in price. With the F-Type, Jaguar has given consumers a very desirable alternative to an area of the market that has been dominated by Porsche for many years.

2012 Tesla Model S

The 2012 Tesla Model S is Tesla’s shot at trying to finally break the electric car market. Some popular new electric cars you may have heard as of late may include the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, but these models are not selling nearly enough to finally give electric cars a serious chunk of the car market. Due to concerns about range (less than 100 miles) and weak performance, buyers are just not yet convinced that electric is the way to go. The model S though has none of these problems. It is rated at 265 miles per charge. But that’s not the only thing it blows the competition away in, there’s also the earth-shattering performance.

MotorTrend recently tested the model S at a 0 – 60 time of 3.9 seconds and a quarter mile of 12.5 seconds at 110.9 mph. Below are some of the stats that MotorTrend got for some gasoline powered sports sedans and how they compare to the Tesla.

	Base Price	Weight	Power	0-60 mph	60-0 mph	Lat grip
BMW M5	$92,095	4384 lb	560 hp	3.7 sec	110 ft	0.94 g
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG	$96,805	4256 lb	550 hp	3.9 sec	113 ft	0.92 g
Porsche Panamera Turbo S	$176,275	4388 lb	550 hp	3.5 sec	105 ft	1.00 g
Tesla Model S P85	$105,400	4766 lb	416 hp	3.9 sec	105 ft	0.92 g

The Model S is rated at a 265 mile range per charge which is currently more than double the amount of any electric car out. It has been confirmed that the car is easily capable of driving this far off of a single charge as long of the driving is not aggressive. Currently most popular electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt get much less than 100 miles per electric charge. This is one of the main factors of why people just aren't ready for electric cars yet but with the Tesla, that fear of running out of charge will no longer be reasonable.

This electric sports car will start around $100,000 so it won’t be cheap. But to have an electric car challenge the performance of some of the most renowned German sports cars is revolutionary. What Tesla has done with the Model S will not be over-looked and could be the start of a completely new automobile era.

2009 BMW M3 - Review & Test Drive

We were recently lucky enough to get our hands on a 2009 BMW M3 thanks to AM PM Motorcars located in San Diego, California. It was immediately apparent that this car was built to impress both inside and out. Its extreme performance, aggressive stance, high intensity discharge lights, 19-inch alloys wheels, hood bulge and quad exhausts are just a few of the characteristics that set this BMW apart from the standard 3-series.

Getting into the driver’s seat you instantly feel the refined presence of the German interior. Mounted on the dashboard were the usual controls as well a screen used for navigation, radio, and a few other features. The electrically adjustable leather bucket seats seemed plenty comfortable for daily driving or long highway trips.

This particular M3 also came with the iconic lightning fast 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Mounted on the steering column were the unique F1-Style DCT paddle shifters for quick and easy shifting. There is also an “M” button located on the steering wheel that when pressed, puts the cars in “sport mode” which stiffens the suspension and activates a more aggressive throttle response – the first thing I pressed once the car was in motion.

We took to the streets and it became obvious why the M3’s dual clutch transmission has become so iconic over the last couple of years. It reduces each shift transition to a mere tenth of a second and shortens the 0 – 60 time by 0.2 seconds. Once I had the opportunity to put the pedal down the shifts were so quick and smooth that the only thing indicating the car had moved to the next gear was the menacing growl of the 4.0-liter V-8. From idle to its 8,300-rpm redline the M3 delivered its 414 horsepower in a linear and consistent manner, and the sound coming from that perfected German V-8 revolving 8,300 times per minute is one that is not often heard outside racetracks.

As I opened up the engine again on a straight and felt my entire body compress into the leather bucket seats the 0 – 60 of 4.4 seconds was finally put into perspective. The M3 lurched with almost instantaneous throttle response and within a few seconds I needed to let off the gas completely because I was already 10 mph over the posted speed limit of 60.

The harder I seemed to push the M3, the better it responded. It just seemed to offer so much control and responded in such a smooth manner to every instruction it was given. After driving around for quite a while, a simple conclusion was reached: The M3 offers an unparalleled mix of comfort, control and performance that absolutely lives up to its reputation as being one of the best drivers cars in the world.

Special Thanks to: AM PM Motorcars
(619)-962-0633 - 11631 Iberia Pl San Diego, CA 92128

2013 Audi S6 - A Giant Leap In Performance

The new 2013 S6 is dead in the middle of Audi’s performance S class line-up. It uses the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 found in its big brother the S7 which makes 420 horsepower at 6400 rpm. Maximum torque is an impressive 406 lb-ft, which is available from 1400 to 5200 rpm. To change gears the S6 uses a dual-clutch seven-speed transmission, which allows it to get much better fuel efficiency than the previous model. It also uses an upgraded version of the famous Audi Quattro (all-wheel-drive) system that is designed to send the majority of the power to the rear wheels. The exact pricing is not yet known but we can expect the base price to be around $70k.

The previous S6 packed a more powerful 435-hp naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10. The new V-8 engine does not sound as mean, but it is much more efficient, increasing MPG by approximately 25 percent. Despite the slight drop in power the new S6 happens to also be much faster. Car and Driver recently clocked the S6 running to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. To put that into perspective the last S6 need 5.4 seconds to get to 60. It is able to achieve this because of a very improved launch control system. Like most European sports cars, top speed is limited to 155 mph but the S6 would supposedly be able to reach speeds up to 190 miles per hour.

To improve the handling of this car Audi gave it a longer wheelbase, less front weight bias, and decreased the total weight. It was able to get 0.87 g on the skidpad, and stop from 70 – 0 in 157 feet. These numbers aren’t quite as impressive as its straight-line acceleration but it is still in line with similar performance sedans like the BMW M5.

Fuel efficiency has seen an increase to 17-mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. This can mostly be attributed to the S6’s cylinder deactivation system and low engine friction.

The new Audi S6 has seen extreme improvements with the 2013 model. Its 0 – 60 time is all the more impressive when you consider the relatively modest amount of horsepower under the hood. We definitely commend Audi, because this year the S6 went from being a peppy soccer dad sports sedan, to an aggressive performance machine.

2013 Aston Martin Vanquish

The 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish comes as a replacement to the highly successful DBS. The British manufacturer’s new top-of-the-line model will come with a 5.9-liter 12-cylinder engine. Aston Martin has been able to squeeze out 55 more horses from the V-12 to produce a total of 565 hp at 6750 rpm and 457 lb-ft of torque at 5750 rpm. Top speed will be around 183 mph and 0 to 60 mph comes in 4.1 seconds. With a steep base price of $279,995, all of these performance upgrades are very welcome.

For the transmission the Vanquish kept the ZF6HP six-speed automatic previously used in the DBS but it now shifts up to 37 percent quicker. Some people complain about the lack of a manual transmission but the sleek paddle shifters seem to get the job done much faster and more efficiently than we could.

As for the interior, the Vanquish also retains the sloping center console, swing up navigation system, and futuristic transparent gauges; the type of interior we would expect in a top of the line Aston Martin. The Aston also has an impressive new climate control system that involves two touch sensitive pads. A high end Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System fills the interior with 1,300 watts of crisp, premium sound through 15 speakers. Noise compensation technology also helps maintain a constant volume under varying road conditions and speed. The interior is also touched up with Aston’s signature unique stitching. As for the trunk, it contains an impressive 13 cubic feet of space. When it comes to sophisticated interiors, Aston Martin seems to have always led the pack.

The exterior styling of the Vanquish is completely in line with the performance upgrades it received this year. Some of the new designs implemented in this car include: The half wing shape to its taillights, the angular rear side windows, an integrated rear spoiler, and exposed carbon fiber in the front splitter, side skirts, and rear valance. Aston chose to use bixenon headlights and LED daytime running lights, which are similar to that of the other Aston Martin models. The Vanquish can either come as a two seater or in a 2+2 configuration. A Vanquish designer summed up the exterior very well: “The styling tells you to move out of the way, in a polite way.”

For the price you can easily find cars that will put up similar numbers on the track compared to the Aston Martin Vanquish; but you'd be pressed to find something that looks as good while doing it.

2012 Jaguar XKR-S

Jaguar has been promising for some time that it would bring us the XKR-S, a more powerful version of the XKR, and it has finally arrived. The new Jag comes with a hopped-up version of the XKR’s supercharged 5.0-liter engine as well as many more aggressive aesthetics.

The 5.0 is tuned to produce 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. This is enough to propel the Jag to 60 in 4.2 seconds as well as get it to a top speed of 186 mph. Jaguar was able to get this extra power from the supercharged engine by remapping fuel delivery and adding some additional tuning.

This is now officially the most powerful and quickest series production Jaguar to enter production. It should also be noted that this is the first car of the Jaguar series to reach the 300-kph (186 mph) club.

Unfortunately the XKR-S is also a bona-fide member of the Two Ton Club, weighing in at 4,079 lbs. To stop all this weight the Jag comes equipped with a high performance braking system component set that includes monoblock aluminum calipers for its front and rear disc brakes. You can opt for a set of carbon disc brakes but that will cost you a couple thousand dollars on top of the already heavy $132,000 price tag.

Jaguar says that when building this car the design was “aerodynamically driven.” This can be observed by the many exterior designs implemented in this car. It was given unique front and rear fascias, integrated carbon fiber venturi, hood vents, quad exhaust pipes, and a rear fixed wing. The aerodynamic exterior of this car was clearly also designed to impress.

The EPA advises that you’ll get 15 miles per gallon in the city and 22 on the freeway with the XKR-S which isn’t bad considering it is a +4,000 lb car pushing 550 hp.

As for the interior, the infotainment system and navigation system have not been treated to any upgrades this time around which seems to date the entire package. Compared to that of recent Audi’s and BMW’s the XKR-S interior just isn’t up to par but we can leave that for you to decide.

The takeaway from this is that Jaguar simply hasn’t done quite enough with the XKR-S to keep up with the accelerating competition. At this price you also have the option of purchasing a 911 turbo, which blows this car away in almost every aspect. Even in MotorTrend’s recent “Best Drivers Car Drag Race” the XKR-S came in 8^th place of 9 only beating out the $26,000 BRZ despite being the 3^rd most expensive car in the race. This is still a brilliant car and would definitely impress anyone when you put the pedal down, but with the increase in competition, this Jag just doesn’t seem to stand out like it used to.

2013 Dodge Dart SRT4

The new 2013 Dodge Dart is the highly anticipated successor to the Dodge Neon. It is currently on sale with a base price of only $15,995 and is praised for its sleek and futuristic looking interior as well as its stylish and aggressive looks. The 2.0 Liter Tigershark 4-Cylinder engine makes 160 horsepower and gets a gas sipping 41 MPG; but with the extremely high MPG comes an embarrassing lack in performance. It takes the Dart a full 9.9 seconds to reach 60 miles an hour. For more performance you can opt for the R/T trim which will get you to 60 in around 8 seconds, but that is still embarrassingly slow. Such a great looking car inside and out should have better performance, and that is where the SRT4 comes in.

Dodge has confirmed that it will be giving the Dodge Dart the SRT treatment. SRT stands for Street Racing and Technology and is Dodge's performance brand. The last SRT4 was a trim for the Neon which Dodge stopped producing in 2005. This car made 265 horsepower and was an icon of 4-cylinder speed at the time. 8 years later Dodge is bringing the newly redesigned SRT4 engine back and it has a very big name to live up to. You can expect the new SRT4 engine to produce around 300 horsepower.

Another new feature we expect to come with the SRT4 is all-wheel drive. In the past, all SRT4s were front wheel drive. While all-wheel drive may increase the price to around $30k it would significantly improve this car’s performance, more specifically, its launch and 0 - 60 time.

Currently there are a couple different versions of the dart that you can buy: SE, SXT, RALLYE, LIMITED, and R/T; each raising the price slightly and coming with its own unique improvements. The limited and R/T versions come with a class exclusive 7-inch TFT reconfigurable display, while the lesser versions come with more standard items like a cloth interior; but at $16k you can't complain. The SRT4 version of this sedan would most likely follow upgrades that the previous versions had. These include: upgraded rims, air intake, dual chrome exhausts, and of course the iconic SRT interior trim.The SRT4 version will without doubt be the priciest of the bunch and will most likely cost somewhere around $28k.

People have been waiting a long time for Dodge’s new 4 cylinder compact sedan, specifically the SRT4. It will be coming out in 2013 and we can wait to see what it is packing.

2013 Nissan GT-R

The new 2013 model of the GT-R received major performance upgrades and now comes with a handcrafted 545 horsepower twin-turbo V6 engine. Godzilla is one of a handful of cars in the world that can break the 3-second zero-to-sixty barrier, and of those, it is by far the cheapest.

The new 2013 GT-R saw a base price increase to $96,820. Nissan has made this car famous by giving it a devilish all-wheel drive launch system that allows it to get off the line as fast as $600,000 Lamborghinis, if not faster. MotorTrend.com recently tracked the GT-R with a 0 – 60 of 2.7 seconds. They also got it to make the quarter mile sprint in 10.8 seconds. These numbers were posted using 96 Octane gas that unfortunately isn’t available in the U.S.

The new 2013 revision produces a higher top end torque response all the way up to its redline of 7,000 RPM. It also incorporates some slip resistant seats, more efficient cooling ducts for the front brakes and a “Track-Pack” option that reduces the weight by 200 lbs.

If you put your 100k towards this car, it will get you off the line faster than anything else out there for the price. For those who want to experience jet fighter acceleration in a car, the GT-R is the way to go.

2012 Lexus LFA

With the success of similar cars like the Nissan GTR, Lexus has recently taken a shot at developing its own supercar, the LFA. The LFA starts at around $350,000 and reaches 60 in 3.6 seconds with its devilish launch control system. It also produces astounding numbers like 1.0g in lateral acceleration and stopping from 70 to 0 in 156 feet. The most impressive performance test this car excelled in was the slalom which is a fairly standard test done on sports cars where a car has to weave through cones set up in a straight lines and a certain distance away from each other. The faster the car can move through the slalom the better. The Lexus completed this test at 75.2 MPH, which is one of the fastest ever recorded. Then again, uniquely impressive performance should be expected from a car that costs almost $400k.

Lexus chose to use a V10 engine for the LFA for its ability to rev higher than the V8. The engine redlines at 9,000 RPM but doesn’t have a fuel cutoff set until 9,500 RPM. Lexus claims that this engine can rev from idle, to redline in 0.6 seconds, which is so fast that an analog tachometer couldn’t accurately track it so they used a digital one instead.

For its chassis it uses a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer center monocoque. According to the manufacturer, the material matches aeronautical grades and is woven by a laser monitored in a circular loom, currently one of only two in the world. This ultra light material saves approximately 220 lbs of mass over the equivalent aluminum alternative. The weight distribution of the Lexus is nearly perfect with 50.2% at the rear and 49.8% in the front combining to a total weight of around 3,300 lbs.

With its 5.0 Liter V10 producing up to 500 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque the LFA is able to reach speeds of over 200 MPH. This power plant gives the LFA a weight-to-power ratio of an astonishing 5.9 lbs per horsepower.

The LFA uses a 6-Speed Automated Sequential Gearbox, which can be operated with paddle shifters, mounted on the steering column. The driver can also choose between four modes: auto, normal, sport, and wet. In sport mode the LFA can complete shift times in 200 ms; these lightning fast shifts are what allow quarter mile times of 11.6 seconds.

In the end this is Lexus’ first attempt at creating a genuine super car. Their idea was to bring something completely unique to the table with exceptional performance, and with the LFA, they did just that.

Chrysler 300C SRT8 - 50,000 Dollar Bentley

For those of us who don’t have +100k to spend on an AMG there is another option to still gets us that raw power, yet refined classy look and it is the Chrysler 300c SRT8. The new SRT8 starts at $48,670 which gets you a giant 470 horsepower 6.4 Liter Hemi V-8. This power plant is capable of propelling the Chrysler up to 175 MPH. The SRT8 isn’t as composed as its German completion and doesn’t post quite as good of numbers, but it also costs about half as much. Where the C63 AMG hits 0 - 60 in around 4 seconds, the SRT gets there in 4.7 seconds.

One surprising area that this car excels in is handling. It would humiliate a $300k Bentley in the turns thanks to its perfectly programmed transmission. It holds its revs in turns extremely well never seeming to run out of stamina. The Chrysler 300 has also repeatedly been voted one of the best cruising highway cars on the market for its comfort and chassis which makes the car seem to float over the road.

This car has also been praised for having one of the most classy and unique looks around.

The interior in the previous generation 300 was definitely the weak area of this car. It was bland and looked like it didn't belong in a sub 5 second 0 - 60 car. Chrysler has without a doubt fixed this issue in the new model. As you can see the carbon fiber inlays as well as neon blue lighting add a very refined look to this interior. It is not too complicated, yet still gives you the feel of a $50k sports car.

In the end this car is extremely impressive in its refined interior, road feel, handling, and blistering acceleration; all things we are used to hearing from its German competition, but this time it is an SRT8.

Subaru WRX - 4 Wheel Drive Fun

The current version of the WRX uses a 2.5-liter turbocharged DOHC flat-4 that produces 265 horsepower and 244 lb-ft of torque. The WRX is all-wheel drive and was built for serious fun in wet, muddy, or snowy roads. Its curb weight is 3,200 lbs and you can expect to get somewhere around 23 MPG with this car. Some cars that compete with the WRX are the Mazdaspeed3, Volkswagen GTI, Honda Civic Si, and Mini Clubman S.

For a base price of $25,595 this little turbocharged car buys you a lot of fun. It actually produces an astonishing 0 – 60 times of 5 seconds because of its all-wheel drive but the acceleration starts fall off after 60. The WRX comes in a hatchback version or a sedan version depending on your personal taste. Also, for about $5,000 more you can opt for the WRX STI version of the Subaru which gets you more horsepower, a better tuned suspension, and the STI signature rear spoiler.

As for word on the next generation WRX (which should be coming out soon) little is known. But we expect Subaru to continue with the all-wheel drive and turbocharged platform that has made this car such a success in the first place.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced sports car around $30k there’s not much out there that can accelerate faster than the WRX and there’s definitely nothing out there that will give you as much fun.

2013 Ford Mustang GT500 - The Beast

The new 5.8 Liter aluminum block V-8 in the 2013 Mustang GT500 is officially the most powerful naturally aspirated V-8 in the world. It produces a whopping 662 horsepower as well 600 lb-ft of torque. Ford built the most powerful engine they could come up with. The only thing that can slightly compare to this car performance wise is the Camaro ZL1 but at a mere 580 horsepower it is still a ways away from the sheer power of the mustang.

As for performance numbers, this beast produces a 0 – 60 time of 3.5 seconds and Ford was able to get it up to 200 MPH. This is unheard of for a muscle car and shows you what modern technology has gotten us. The price tag could be considered just as astonishing at only $55,000 dollars. This would be the first time 55k has ever come close to getting somebody a 200 MPH car. Ford seems to go bigger and bigger each year, and this one is no exception.

2013 Cadillac ATS

If you watched the 2012 Winter Olympics, you have probably seen adds for the new 2013 Cadillac ATS. This is Cadillac’s answer to the BMW 3-series which has long been the best selling car in its class. With the 3-Series being one of the most successful and popular cars ever made, the brand new Cadillac has a lot of ground to make up before it even thinks about challenging the reigning champion for the past decade.

Performance

The ATS can be considered the little brother of the larger and more expensive CTS, which was introduced in 2004. It is priced at just under $34,000. This gets you a 202 horsepower four-cylinder engine, while the next level up gets you a turbo-charged four cylinder Ecotec engine, which produces a more significant 270 horsepower. The current top choice is a 3.6 liter V6 that produces 318 horsepower. This engine is powerful enough to take on any of the non-high-performance German cars in straight acceleration. The V6 is expected to achieve a 0 – 60 time of around 5 seconds which is pretty quick considering that the new 328i takes an extra second to do the same thing.

For those of us who know a significant amount about cars, we are familiar with what may be coming next, and can’t wait to see it. Cadillac provided the older CTS with a very, very extreme performance version called the CTS-V. This car costs more than $60,000 and Cadillac has made it no secret that it reaches 60 miles an hour from a standstill in 3.9 seconds. This is achievable from such a large car solely due to the enormous 556 horsepower supercharged engine under the hood. After the extreme success of taking down ultimate German machines like the BMW M3 and C63 AMG it is only natural to expect an ATS-V.

Considering the ATS is approximately 450 lbs lighter than the CTS-V, I think we can expect some very serious performance from the ATS-V. With the V6 ATS already moving from 0 – 60 in 5 seconds I think it is not unreasonable to see the ATS-V taking another second off of that time if not more.

Interior

Inside the ATS you will find a very elegant layout that we think is less aggressive than the CTS interior. Cadillac offers many different trims for the interior including three different wood grains, aluminum, and carbon fiber. Cadillac also impressed with a new top-level infotainment system; an 8.0-inch, haptic-feedback touch screen. If that wasn’t enough, it also comes with a reconfigurable 5.7 inch display in the main instrument cluster.

Conclusion

You can tell Cadillac put everything they had into this vehicle from the top of the line electronics, new lightweight aluminum chassis, and an engine that is easily able to compete with its German counterpart. Cadillac had one simple goal with this car; to dethrone the all-powerful BMW 3-series, and at this point, it is looking like they might actually have a chance.

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