Red Bull partner Infiniti and the promoters of the Grand Prix of America organized on Monday an event to make Sebastian Vettel the first F1 driver to try the new street circuit.
Photo: Red Bull Racing
With the impressive Manhattan skyline as a backdrop, Vettel completed some laps of the urban New Jersey layout at the wheel of an Infiniti road car.
After the driving, Sebastian Vettel said: "The circuit is great. One section is a bit like Montreal with a long fast straight but it's also quite up and down, which is a bit like Spa. New York is such a great city with a great energy. It's will be great to have a Formula One race here - I think there will be some good bars to go to after the race!"
Photo: Red Bull Racing
F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone suggested recently that the 2013 race was in doubt.
"I don't know where these rumours are coming from, but this race is going forward," said promoter Leo Hindery on Monday to the Associated Press. "If we had any doubt we wouldn't have brought Sebastian and all these people here today."
Giving the people what they want is generally a good idea if you want to avoid protests and riots. Thankfully, carmakers seem more open to listening to their customers than some governments are to their taxpayers.
Mazda has a gift that more often than not, provides consumers what they want; even if they did not know they had a hankering for it. Case in point: the Mazda MX-5. No one saw that one coming and for the last 20+ years, I've wanted one.
The very popular Mazda3 is an example of Mazda providing the car buying public with a little bit of everything; it looks good, drives great, and is reasonably economical and affordable.
CX-5
The 2013 Mazda CX-5 is another grand slam touchdown for Mazda. What consumers have been asking for is a compact family mover that's got style and dislikes fuel. Mazda has delivered.
The new CX-5 is cute like a French bulldog all the while avoiding looking like a teenager's first car. By far, Mazda's newest crossover has the best integrated front family smirk-fascia of the entire line-up. What makes the CX-5 appealing are its rising beltline and short front and rear overhangs; it's a modern-day hit!
Between the dual tailpipes and snout, Mazda has managed to fit in a nicely appointed although snug cabin. Presentation is spot on: layout and materials are exactly what today's discerning buyer is searching out. The airy yet busy dashboard is ripe with all the latest must-haves, including push-button start and available rearview camera.
The front seats provide plenty of comfort, but the rear bench is not as accommodating. I carried three slender adult females (wife included) in the rear and they complained about the lack of hip and shoulder room.
That's not all they protested about.
Presentation is spot on: layout and materials are exactly what today's discerning buyer is searching out. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)
The thorn
Another fashionable trend has to do with many of these sport-utility crossovers being set up with uselessly stiff suspensions. The Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are very guilty of this, but the 2013 Mazda CX-5 takes the cake and this is no prize.
My three rear passengers commented repeatedly on the poorly controlled, bouncy ride and how unpleasant the entire experience was. It is true that the vehicle's ride is overdampened and generally uncomfortable the moment the pavement replaces silky smoothness for the odd fissure and imperfection.
The compromise is exactly this: On a proper stretch of highway, the 2013 Mazda CX-5 does wonders for the driver's confidence. It holds true to its course and barely leans into curves. Handling is better than good. Ride comfort, quite the opposite.
The electric steering feels well balanced and responsive, and the brakes provide all the desired stopping power the average user could ever want.
Handling is better than good. Ride comfort, quite the opposite. (Photo: Mazda)
SKYACTIV
This technology is being touted to the world as the "future now." It represents a mix of weight-saving materials and the latest hi-tech wizardry for engines and transmissions The CX-5 and 3 are the first two products from Mazda to sport SKYACTIV-G engines.
The CX-5's only offered mill is a 155-hp 2.0L 4-pot. Although low on power on paper, SKYACTIV reduces weight and friction and increases compression and efficiency, essentially allowing more of the engine's 150 torques and horses to make it the wheels.
The 6-speed automatic transmission features more of the same enhancements. The two together prove to be well matched; however, both are short on refinement, not performance.
The motor springs to life with a rough and initially disturbing grumble. It quickly dissipates never to return until the engine completely cools off once more. The 2013 Mazda CX-5 is a far cry from being quick; however, its presentation slots it in the middle of its segment.
The point that was expected to place the CX-5 in a league of itself was its fuel consumption. I say "was" because I've managed numbers only slightly higher in vehicles with more power and with smoother powertrains, such as the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. Be that as it may, consuming only 8.5L of fuel per 100 km is impressive.
The CX-5's only offered mill is a 155-hp 2.0L 4-pot. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)
Hot off the shelf
Despite any misgivings I may have about the CX-5's ride and engine/transmission combo, in certain markets of the country, dealerships are having a hard time holding onto inventory.
With a starting price of $22,995, the vehicle's got the necessary arguments to make it on the shopping list. A similarly equipped Kia Sportage is a grand less and a FWD Honda CR-V LX (only available with a 5-speed autobox) goes for $25,990. Of the three, I can tell you that the Honda is neither my 1st or 2nd choice.
My Sky Blue Mica GT AWD tipped the pricing scale at $32,495 which, once again, makes it a decent deal when compared to the others.
The 2013 Mazda CX-5 is a proper contender in this segment and deserves all the attention it is getting.
My only comment, negative as it may be, is to watch out for the vehicle's reliability. New technologies like SKYACTIV, although many of its features exist elsewhere, can be quirky, especially early on.
The 2013 Dodge Viper GTS-R, set to return to competition later this year in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), hit the track for the first time.
Marc Goossens put it through its paces at the Carolina Motorsports Park of Kershaw, in South Carolina. Everybody from within the team was very pleased with the way things went.
"Obviously it was a great feeling," Goossens said. "We had a lot of expectations there since we were all so motivated to go ahead and drive it; it did what we expected. It responded in a very positive way; it was a pretty good first test that we had there."
The fact the team had a trouble-free shakedown day is a feat in itself; many things can go wrong as the car runs for the first time, but nothing did.
"If you would have seen that car three days earlier there's no way you'd have believed that thing was going to roll off a trailer in three days to drive around the track," laughed Gary Johnson, Road Racing manager at SRT Motorsports.
Dodge Viper GTS-R. (Photo: ALMS)
Now, they all look into improving the car for its upcoming race debut.
"Over the next couple of months, we'll be at several different racetracks, several different environments to really improve the car's abilities as well as find any weaknesses or issues that could arise that could eventually cost us a poor race result or a poor race finish," further explained Johnson.
This weekend Ford Racing will show off the latest tweaks to its' 2013 Sprint Cup Fusion at Michigan International Speedway.
Ever since a car show-like unveiling of the prototype, in Charlotte in January, engineers and designers have come up with a version which shows even more similarities to the street version which includes new grille work and hood lines.
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford Fusion
According to the Ford folks “gone is the stickered front grille from the January reveal and in its place are actual grille bars which will adorn the 2013 Cup Fusion, in addition to several other key tweaks to the front end of the car.”
“We had an opportunity to add more personality and detail to the race car,” said Garen Nicoghosian, Ford design manager in charge of the NASCAR project.
“We took advantage of this opportunity and sculpted a more aggressive front end and we added grille bars that are identical in design to the production car. We also added more detail to the fog light housings, and created a more detailed headlight area as well.
“In addition, we also sculpted a more aggressive hood, and were able to achieve a closer look to the production car. Our race car is even closer in design to the production car now, and we are very pleased with the results.”
Final designs will need NASCAR approval before the start of the 2013 season.
Toyota, Honda and General Motors have confirmed they plan to integrate Siri, Apple Inc.'s voice control technology used on the iPhone, into connectivity systems of upcoming vehicles.
The spiciest Focus on the menu was prepared by the chefs of the Global Performance Vehicle Group in close cooperation with Ford of Europe's Team RS and the American Special Vehicles Team, SVT. "It's a one-fits-all-markets concept," explains the project leader, Dieter Schwarz. "Design, engine specification, chassis calibration, and tire choice are exactly identical, regardless of whether the car is sold in Beijing, Los Angeles, or London. We are convinced we have found a global setup that fuses performance and comfort with practicality and affordability."
Allied Systems is back in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Decatur, Ga., vehicle transporter and 18 subsidiaries entered into bankruptcy protection on Sunday after some lenders last month submitted an involuntary Chapter 11 petition against the company.
Having recently gone on sale in markets throughout Asia, the Pacific Rim and North America, the fourth generation Lexus GS will soon reach dealers in Europe and Russia. Yoshihiko Kanamori, the car's chief engineer, spoke to just-auto at a media preview drive event in Austria and Germany.
Buick, Chrysler and Kia improved the most this year while Infiniti took the top spot from Lexus on Total Car Score's list of Best Scoring Car Brands of 2012.
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 was under way on Monday at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the Siri personal assistant will soon be in the car.
A version of Volkswagen's 2013 Beetle with a turbocharged diesel engine and direct injection will start at $24,065, including shipping -- about $3,500 more than the base model -- when it goes on sale in August, the company said today.
Chrysler has expanded a recall regarding corrosion on Jeep Liberty SUVs to include the 2006 and 2007 model years after recalling the 2004 and 2005 model years in March, federal safety regulators and Chrysler said today.
The diesel-powered 2013 Volkswagen Beetle will carry a sticker price of $24,065 including $770 in destination charges when it arrives in dealerships in August.
The C70 is beautiful. Its sensuous curves and well-proportioned body have not aged a day in my eyes. It probably helps that the streets are hardly thick with them even after six years on the market.
Online auto shopping service and lead provider Autobytel is working with media giant E.W. Scripps to provide editorial content for Scripps' TV station Web sites.
Sales of new passenger cars in the Czech Republic increased 6% year on year to 76,093 units in the first five months of 2012, led as usual, by local Volkswagen group unit Skoda Auto, which took a 31% share.
Mopar Underground team members affectionately referred to the J-12 concept as the Old Man Truck during its hasty ten-week build. It only takes a glance at the finished product to understand why. This basic pickup looks just like your grandpa's old truck: no extended cab, no bucket seats, and a fishing pole hanging in the rear window.
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