2009 Dodge Ram 1500 - Four Seasons Update - August 2009

 

Mere days after our last update on the Dodge Ram, a minor tragedy struck when the passenger side of the truck suffered a major scrape, necessitating a trip to the body shop. We took the opportunity to also repair hail damage that the Ram suffered a few months ago. After three weeks, the grand total came to a substantial $5712.54: 78 hours of body and refinishing labor came to $3276, paint was $898.35, parts were $1404.71, and other miscellaneous expenses made up the remaining $133.48.

Despite its time in the shop, we've continued to pile miles on the Ram, using it for a variety of truck-y tasks. Copy editor Rusty Blackwell has spent lots of time in the Dodge this summer doing everything from helping his brother-in-law move to towing a camper to northern Michigan. Blackwell reported a lot of positive attention from Ford and Chevy truck owners during the move. The RamBox seemed to be the main draw, but the bed extender and cargo management system also came in for praise. On the way home, Blackwell was stopped for speeding, although he swears the speedometer read lower than the speed at which the officer had clocked him. We're going to have the accuracy of the speedometer checked out to make sure no unsuspecting staffers accidentally break the law.

Blackwell also reports the Ram handled his pop-up camper and associated accoutrements with aplomb: "I used cruise control at times while towing, and I was impressed that the system is smart enough to downshift for engine braking on downhill grades." Like other pickups, the Ram rides best with a little weight in tow. "On regular roads, the Ram's ride gets noticeably clunkier once trailer and gear are unloaded, but the Dodge is still much smoother than its competitors."

Throughout the Ram's first four months in our fleet, we've seen nothing but positive comments about its ride quality and handling, which is quite impressive for any truck, especially one that is being scrutinized by a group of handling-obsessed automotive journalists. The interior has also gotten heaps of praise for its well-placed storage compartments, multiple 12-volt outlets, and generally impressive material quality. Certainly this is a big achievement for Chrysler, seeing as how the interior of our Four Seasons 2008 Town & Country minivan came in for some sharp criticism. Here's hoping the rest of Chrysler's new vehicles continue to show this level of improvement as they come to market.

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2009 BMW 750Li - Four Seasons Update - September 2009

 

Thankfully, August was a quiet month for our 2009 BMW 750Li sedan. There was no maintenance or repair work performed, and that left us a lot of time to drive the big Bavarian sedan.

Our BMW has now played a role in one wedding and a funeral, and it performed admirably at each event. Executive editor Joe DeMatio: "The 750Li was a properly regal ride for the funeral procession of one of my favorite aunts, Louise, this past Saturday. The only thing that could have made it better would be if it were painted black or dark blue rather than our car's champagne color, but it still added a suitably elegant and formal touch to the procession. In Catholic weddings in my hometown, the family and other mourners generally gather at the funeral home for the procession to the church. After the funeral itself, the procession continues to the cemetery on the other end of town. I was happy to have the 7-series to carry my mother and two of my sisters-in-law in style and comfort."

He continued: "I was even happier to have the 7-series that day because I had to make the 150-mile drive from Ann Arbor my mother's house that morning, and I was running late, and it was pouring rain. I drove between 80 and 90 mph almost the entire way on northbound US-23 and I-75, and the 750Li was incredibly composed and secure; it never put a foot wrong even while I was making record time in the heavy rain. This is something I would not have attempted in many other cars, but the 7-series simply shrugged it off and I arrived on time and relaxed."

Web producer Evan McCausland echoes DeMatio's comments about the BMW 750Li at speed, "It's utterly amazing how quickly this reaches triple-digit speeds, but without any of the noise, sensation, or excitement you find in other supersonic luxury saloons." When McCausland spent some time below triple-digit speeds he had time to interact with the infotainment features of the car: "I think I've become an iDrive pro, but the audio interface on this car still bugs me to no end, especially when I'm using my iPod. If I want to simply skip to the next song, I have to use the control on the dashboard rather than the more convenient steering wheel controls. The buttons on the wheel let me browse through my (massive) music collection (using a pop-up screen within the gauge cluster) and yet they don't let me do something simple like skip to the next song

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2010 Nissan GT-R Premium - Four Seasons Update - September 2009

 

Who says we don't treat our 4Seasons test cars with loving care? Our Nissan GT-R was recently treated to a hand wash by executive editor Joe DeMatio.

"Hand-washing the GT-R was very satisfying," he says, "and it allows you to notice again some of the interesting shapes at work here: the convex horizontal crease in the C-pillars, the indented round taillamps, the intricate layering of materials in the front air dam, the air vents in the hood, the way the rear wing integrates (not so well) into the trunk lid-it's hard to get your chamois in there."

Although DeMatio developed a deeper appreciation for the Nissan's styling, he also identified a hesitation when accelerating quickly away from a stop with the transmission in manual mode. Online editor Phil Floraday had a similar complaint:

"Last night I was driving down a street with a series of stop signs spaced one block apart. Each one was a hit-it-and-then-wait-a-moment-for-acceleration-to-happen situation. Okay, so the GT-R wasn't designed with stop-and-go driving as a top priority, but for this kind of money it should work well in all situations."

The GT-R's turbocharged engine and its automated manual transmission are two major elements that give the car its high-tech character. The adjustable damping is another one; unfortunately, the condition of the roads in Michigan is so bad that we're nearly always selecting the softest setting. What's annoying, though, is that we have to make the selection every time we start the car. "I can understand the car not retaining the stiffer, R settings after engine shut-down," remarked one driver, "but it seems to me that it should be able to default to the softer setting if the owner chooses. Everything else is so highly customizable."

Continuing on the subject of technology, it's a little surprising that a high-tech machine like the GT-R has fairly rudimentary headlights. We really don't mind having to switch on the headlights ourselves (there's no automatic function), but active headlights are conspicuous by their absence and would be welcome in such a fast car.

Even without them, the GT-R still fairly bristles with complex technology, so we're always happy to have a routine dealer service visit. And that's exactly what we got at 14,562 miles, when the GT-R went in for an oil and filter change.

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2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD Journey - Four Seasons Fleet Update - September 2009

Most crossovers exist for the primary purpose of hauling around families and their gear in complete comfort. Not our EX35. Throughout its time in our fleet, it has proved popular among singles and couples, but disappointing to those with more people to cart around. This trend was made clear once again this month as the EX went on two road trips and left two rather different impressions on its drivers.

First up was a senior Web editor Phil Floraday, who went with his sister on a meandering three-and-a-half day drive to Maine. Initially one of the EX's biggest detractors (back in January he likened it to Chevy Chase's Wagon Queen Family Truckster), he returned from his adventure an unabashed enthusiast.

"About 1200 miles into the trip, I still wasn't tired of driving. The seats are incredibly comfortable, the stereo is surprisingly good, and it drives like a regular sedan. We actually ditched the interstate and stuck with two-lane roads for an entire day through Vermont, New Hampshire, and up the lovely Route 1 in Maine. I found the EX to be as "tossable" as anything else built on Nissan's FM platform. The automatic transmission is calibrated well and I enjoyed the manual shift feature for controlling speed on some of the major downhill sections of highway in Maryland and West Virginia on the way home. I can't believe it, but the EX is far more comfortable for long days in the saddle than our BMW 750Li."

"It makes no difference how Infiniti markets the EX35," Floraday concluded. "It's comfortable, stylish, and surprisingly fun to drive."

Of course, Floraday was traveling with only one person and had packed light. Technical editor Don Sherman wasn't so fortunate. Though he was traveling only to South Haven, Michigan (about two and a half hours from Ann Arbor), he was carrying two passengers, a cooler, and loads of luggage in support of his son's high school cross-country training camp.

"The EX has less space than our much smaller Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which also made the trip," Sherman complained.

Sherman was the first among us to drive an EX in 2007, and at the time thought it might succeed in "walking the perilous line between sport and utility." Two years later, he finds his patience with the formula wearing thin.

"The EX attempts to straddle the sport sedan/crossover boundary, and it's just not viable. It's not convincing as an alternative to a G37 and it's too small to satisfy crossover fans with dog hauling as their reason for purchase.

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2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T

If there's one letdown to the promise of a track-tuned, rear-wheel-drive sports coupe, it's this turbocharged four-cylinder. The figures -- 210 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque -- aren't miniscule, but the manner in which they're delivered is anything but exciting.

Despite that peak torque figure coming in at a low 2000 rpm (redline is at 6800 rpm), there's no wall of torque slamming your vertebrae against the seatback. The acceleration feels sedate and linear (perhaps too linear), and only glancing at the speedometer shatters this perception. The sheriff's deputies won't believe you, but 115 mph in this car feels more like 80.

That tranquil sensation is also due in part to the overall refinement of the Genesis Coupe. It may not be as sensuous as its four-door cousin, but Hyundai's crafted a quiet, solid, and tractable sport coupe. The cabin trim is mostly crafted from rock hard materials, but there's nary a squeak, shimmy or rattle--impressive, considering the suspension, especially on this Track model, stretches the definition of "firm" to a new level.

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2009 Honda S2000 CR

 

If not Honda, what other major automaker could offer a $40,000 sports car with a tiny, normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a functional, no-nonsense interior, and no transmission option beyond a six-speed manual?

Indeed, the S2000 perfectly distills what has traditionally made Hondas so appealing. The 2.2-liter engine can be either efficient and well-behaved or raw and thrilling depending on how high you rev it. Lighting quick, accurate steering makes you want to slalom through construction cones. And that shifter, oh that shifter. It feels like it's plugged into your brainstem. And the car even rides well - we've become so accustomed to 3500-pound "sports cars" with twenty-inch wheels that it's shocking to drive something that exhibits practically no body roll yet absorbs every bump Michigan's roads have to offer. Put all this together, and you have a no-compromises track car that's also a perfectly reasonable daily driver.

No, the S2000 won't win many drag races against other $40,000 cars (think about it - everything is fast these days), and you might even lose to a Chrysler Town & Country if you don't squeeze the engine past 7500 rpm. But there aren't many cars left that follow so pure an engineering mission and that put the driver in so much control.

The S2000's departure after this year with no foreseeable replacement again raises questions as to whether Honda's luster is fading. I'll withhold my judgment until the CR-Z sporty hybrid comes out, but it's safe to say that it'll have a lot to live up to.

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2009 Honda Fit Sport - Four Seasons Update - September 2009

 

After logging some 16,754 miles in seven months, our Four-Seasons Honda Fit Sport isn't much worse for the wear - except for the carpeting.

In stock form, the Fit's flooring isn't exactly plush or rugged - some staffers have noted it resembles indoor/outdoor carpeting - and as we've previously reported, it's aging and wearing rather quickly. Honda graciously supplied us with a set of floor mats to help spruce things up, and they do make a difference.

"Well, this was $99 we should have spent eight months ago," opinioned executive editor Joe DeMatio. "The floor mats go a long way toward negating the cheapness of the standard floor covering in the Fit."

We'd recommend the mats to any potential Fit buyer, but for those with small children or hairy pets may also want to spring for a set of seat slip covers.

"What you don't see until you vacuum the interior," wrote contributor Ronald Ahrens, "is the extreme, back-hallway-in-a-VFW-hall, seat fabric, with kinky fibers that snare pet hair and grass stems and hold them for dear life." Indeed, vacuuming such debris from the seat cushions is arduous, though not impossible.

Sadly, we can't seem to find an accessory that makes the Fit more adapt at long cruises down the freeway. A considerable amount of wind, tire, and engine noise makes the Fit's cabin fairly boisterous.

"I called a friend on my ride home," said senior Web editor Phil Floraday. "He immediately asked what I was driving since the car was so loud. I explained I was racing home in the Honda Fit at an incredible 72 mph." Ahrens logged a similar complaint, noting, with some hyperbole, that viewing a stock car race from within the infield is "quite serene in comparison."

Overall, most staffers are ambivalent about the Fit. There's no doubt the little Honda is perfectly suited to city-dwellers seeking an urban runabout, but the car is out of its element when pointed toward the highway. With the navigation system pushing the MSRP of our Fit close to $19,000, Floraday can't help but think the money is better spent on a $19,900 Mazda3.

"Even the base 3 makes the Fit feel like a compromise," he writes. "The Mazda just feels more substantial, and has the same hatchback utility."

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