Fuel Infection
Automotive Reviews
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
0452 days
Chevrolet, always the darling of the blue-collar set, has always struggled to produce a compact car that matches up to the competition. Oh, don’t get me wrong–Chevy’s compacts have sold in big numbers, but as products they’ve tended to be sub-standard vehicles. To be honest, the all-new Cruze’s two predecessors–the Cobalt and the Cavalier before that–were both on the extremely short list of cars that were so hopelessly mediocre that I couldn’t find a good word to say about them. That I’m even writing about the Cruze should be considered proof that Chevrolet has succeeded with this car.
The Cruze is a brand-new take on a familiar theme. Chevrolet’s compact sedans and coupes have always been affordable, no-nonsense vehicles at heart, and this one doesn’t stray far from that template. What’s new–and what make it stand out–is the sense of style and purpose. The Cruze is an entry-level car for buyers who demand more than just the minimum necessary. In other words, the Cruze is directed at the buyers who’ve been flocking to Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics for years. This isn’t just a rehash of the same tired program that gave us the Cobalt and Cavalier–the Cruze really is a significant step forward. (more…)
2011 Mercedes SLS AMG
0457 days
It seems like an opportunity too good to be true: I am at a multi-vehicle drive event, and the Mercedes SLS AMG is sitting in the paddock unattended. Getting a moment alone with an exotic car when there are sixty-five other automotive journalists present is akin to getting an audience with the Pope on Easter Sunday. These things just don’t happen.
Without hesitating or breaking into a run, I approach the SLS AMG, whose driver’s door stands invitingly open. Nobody challenges me, or jumps into the driver’s seat before I can. I take the chance. I slip inside and pull the gullwing door shut behind me, blocking out the sounds from the track. I find myself wrapped instantly in taut red leather. I’ve sat in the Italian hypercars–Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, Ferrari 599 GTB and Scaglietti—and they’ve never done all that much for me. The Mercedes SLS AMG feels different. It feels like a place that I want to be in. Where the Ferrari and Lamborghini seem to be trying to intimidate their passengers into leaving, the SLS AMG is a chamber of awesome secrets and adventures, just waiting to be activated. I feel instantly at home, in a car-guy-connecting-to-a-car way that doesn’t happen every day. This feels like the first time I sat in a Miata. This is fated. This car WANTS me to drive it, and if anybody tries to keep it from happening, they’re going to have a fight on their hands. (more…)
2011 Lexus CT200h
0457 days
I first met the CT200h at the New York Auto Show last April; it was part of a lavish display that said much about it being the “dark side of green” and its sporty nature, but very little about its underpinnings, or about why it existed. Sure, the “h” means hybrid in Lexus slang, but were Lexus buyers really clamoring for a sporty five-door? The IS300 SportCross vanished without a trace, remember.
Take away that distracting hybrid-ness, and the CT200h makes somewhat more sense. The premium compact market is still a limited one, but with cars like the Volvo C30, Audi A3 and now the BMW 1-Series running about, there’s definitely a place for a smaller and more efficient luxury vehicle in the hearts of a few American buyers. Lexus has just chosen to sweeten the pot on its new entry-level car by making it an extremely efficient hybrid. (more…)