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2013 Chevrolet Trax First Impressions

2013 Ford Fusion First Impressions

2013 Dodge Dart Rallye Review

Other very interesting topics:

• Bridgestone: off-road tires and the environment
• Blog: Does a new car really have to be new?
• Honda prepares Fit-based SUV
• 2012 Ford F-150 FX4 Crew Cab Review
• The most stolen cars of 2011

Augusto Farfus (BMW) took his first DTM victory ever in Valencia, as Bruno Spengler (BMW) inched ever closer to championship leader Gary Paffett despite a drive-through penalty.

Tension was high before the start of the race, as the three championship contenders, Gary Paffett (Mercedes), Bruno Spengler (BMW) and Jamie Green (BMW) started from the back of the field, 16th, 12th and 18th, respectively.

While pole sitter Augusto Farfus was pulling clear in front at the start, Gary Paffett was colliding with Joey Hand's BMW, and damaging the front of his C Coupé. From there on, the Brit was never on pace, and ran in the back of the field for the main part of the race. In the end, he was even forced to retire. Jamie Green too struggled aboard his Mercedes, but managed to take 10th position at the finish line.

Bruno Spengler meanwhile fared very well. After a good start from his 12th spot on the grid, the Canadian driver quickly reached the top 10. His progress was then slowed down by a drive through penalty for jumping the start (his car moved a little on the starting grid). He dropped down the order again.

But Spengler was not done yet, as he would prove with a great comeback. In the end, he took 6th position, which allows within only three points of championship leader Gary Paffett, with only one race remaining.

Adrien Tambay (Audi) had a great day, finishing second ahead of Mattias Ekström. Swiss female driver Rahel Frey was also impressive in her Audi, taking 7th position after a great fight with BMW drivers Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner.

Robert Wickens (Mercedes) was not lucky in Valencia. The driver from Ontario was caught in an accident at the start, before he went off and hit the tire barriers quite heavily few moments later.

Valencia - Race :
1. Augusto Farfus (BMW) 46 laps in 1h08'22''522
2. Adrien Tambay (Audi) +8''406
3. Mattias Ekström (Audi) +8''967
4. Filipe Albuquerque (Audi) +23''067
5. Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) +28''066
6. Bruno Spengler (BMW) +39''831
7. Rahel Frey (Audi) +48''318
8. Andy Priaulx (BMW) +49''562
9. Dirk Werner (BMW) +58''327
10. Jamie Green (Mercedes) +1'10''596
Etc.

Championship :
1. Paffett 127 points, 2. Spengler 124, 3. Green 109, 4. Rockenfeller 85, 5. Ekström 81, etc.

From GMM

2013 McLaren driver Sergio Perez is being managed by former Indycar driver and fellow Mexican Adrian Fernandez.

McLaren, who have signed current Sauber driver Perez to replace Lewis Hamilton, confirmed the 22-year-old's professional link to Fernandez, 47.

Fernandez - an owner of racing teams as well - has also been backed through his career by Perez's sponsor Telmex, but Fernandez denied Perez is still a "pay driver".

"He is not bringing money to the (McLaren) team," he insisted.

Sergio Perez honored by Niki Lauda for his second place at Monza. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

Switzerland's Blick newspaper estimated Perez's new three-year contract to be worth EUR 10 million.

"I have been a successful driver and a successful team owner and now, with this, I hope I can be a successful manager and do a fantastic job for Sergio," added Adrian Fernandez.

From GMM

Nico Rosberg insists he is not worried about playing second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton.

The pair, who have known each other and even raced as teammates since their boyhood karting days, will each be driving one of Mercedes' F1 cars in 2013.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, team mates in karting. (Photo: Sébastien Blin/Sportimage)

German Rosberg has managed to dominate Michael Schumacher since the seven time world champion's 2010 comeback, but the 27-year-old might be forgiven for feeling more nervous about the similarly-aged Hamilton's arrival.

But when asked if he is worried he will be Hamilton's 'number 2', Rosberg insisted: "Absolutely not. I know the situation. Although Lewis will be a challenge and I gladly accept it."

"He is one of the best drivers of the moment, but I do believe that I can measure up," the 2012 shanghai winner told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Since the Hamilton announcement, Mercedes chiefs Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug have insisted that the high-profile 2008 world champion will not be Mercedes' 'number 1'.

"Yes, that's good. And it's in my contract that I always have the same opportunities as my teammate, no matter who it is," Rosberg answered.

But at McLaren in 2007, Hamilton clashed spectacularly with his short-term teammate Fernando Alonso. Is Rosberg worried that might happen again, this time at Mercedes?

"I think we're both smart enough to avoid that," he smiled.

Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher at Shanghai. (Photo: WRi2)

Finally, Rosberg said he does not 'feel sorry' for Michael Schumacher, who has been pushed out.

"No," the German laughed. "He was not sure whether he wanted to continue or not, but Mercedes had to make a choice -- and anyway Michael has said himself that he is not unhappy."

Every Monday evening when I pick my kids up at school I've got a different car in the parking lot. I'm always anxious to hear what their first impression will be when I show them which one it is. Sometimes, in a row of 10 cars, they'll guess themselves.

So, as the kids and I step out the main entrance of the school this past Monday night and head to my new press vehicle, my daughter instantly shouts: “Oh, that car's really ugly!”

The vehicle in question was a 2012 Acura ZDX. You know, the thingamabob that looks like something, everything and nothing all at once.

2012 Acura ZDX (Photo: Honda)

What fascinates me about kid's opinions about cars and trucks is their honest, unbiased point of view.

My kids like the Jeep Wrangler, the Shelby GT500, the Nissan Juke and, for some reason, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. They also like pickups. Actually, they love pickups. Every one of them. Pickups rule.

When my son was 3-and-a-half years old, I picked him up at daycare, and when he gazed upon my ride of the week (a smart fortwo cabriolet) he said, “Was your car in an accident?”

My daughter has a preference for convertibles. She liked the BMW M6 Cabriolet and the MINI Cooper Roadster. She doesn't like cars with electric childproof door locks, a cool safety feature found in many GM products, as well as in several luxury brands like Volvo.

Toyota Corolla? Yaw.
Nissan Rogue? Meh.
Chevrolet Orlando? Yeah, whatever.
Volkswagen Passat? Bo-ring.

Kids like cars that have character, cars that stick out from the crowd. They like cars with wild paint colours, but ironically (or not) didn't like the slime green paint of the Mustang GT tester I had.

Obviously, there are features that please them more then others, such as a panoramic sunroof, rear-seat climate controls, a third-row seat and -- of course -- a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Yet I'm proud of my kids when they ask questions about how an electric car works, and when they say everyone should be driving EVs to save the planet.

So, whenever you're unsure about a car's looks, ask your kids. You won't get a straighter answer.

From GMM

Alain Prost has admitted he can imagine former rival Michael Schumacher extending his career into a twentieth season in 2013.

When asked about Schumacher's deliberations now that he has been ousted by Mercedes, Frenchman Prost answered: "I was not particularly positive when he returned (in 2010). I don't quite understand why."

"Maybe he's going to Sauber now?" the quadruple world champion told RMC Sport, after testing a modern Red Bull F1 car at the Renault World Series event at Paul Ricard.

Alain Prost aboard the RB6 Red Bull at Paul Ricard. (Photo: Renault F1 Sport)

"It's a very personal choice," continued Prost, who ended his career with a fourth drivers' championship in 1993. "I can understand that he is passionate and wants to continue driving, and it's very difficult to judge from the outside. Everyone should live their life as they wish. I can understand his position. But at some point, you have to decide it's enough."

Asked what Schumacher's biggest contribution to F1 is these days, Prost answered: "Passion in its purest form. It's pretty amazing to see someone at that level. He drives for pleasure, on the bikes, go-karts ... it's to his credit."

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Eddie Jordan, who gave Schumacher his first F1 seat in 1991, thinks Sauber could be a good option for Schumacher.

"I think it could make sense," Jordan told Welt newspaper, "because the situation there is completely different. I imagine he would have the chance to live out his passion with a competitive car but also in a small racing team, with a much more intimate atmosphere than a global group like Mercedes. It could be just right for him."

SANTA MONICA, CA -- We're traveling down the storied Sunset Blvd. en route to the Pacific Coast Highway. To our left trundles a Toyota Prius, while directly behind us follows a lovely graphite Aston Martin DB9. Such is California.

As for us, we're piloting a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid that could be a result of an unholy alliance between the two.


Ford's justifiably proud of the new Fusion, not only have they produced a midsize sedan that easily could have sprung from one of the premium European design studios, but they can now boast the best mileage in the segment -- better than the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid -- in fact, only the aforementioned Prius can top it for fuel economy.

Other than a set of multispoke aluminum wheels exclusive to the Hybrid, there's little externally to differentiate the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid it from its conventionally powered brethren.

Running gear, the same powertrain as in the recently introduced C-Max, includes a 2.0L Atkinson-cycle 4 that puts out 141 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque in tandem with an electric motor rated at 118 hp and 117 lb-ft. Mated to an electronic CVT, the 2013 Fusion Hybrid claims 4.0L/100km city, and 4.1 highway.

Over a 22 kilometre route along the Santa Monica coastline, we achieved just over 5.0L, encouraged by a dash display that sprouts virtual greenery as a reward for frugal driving habits. The Hybrid reportedly can travel up to 100km/hr on electric power alone -- heavy traffic on the short drive route prevented us from validating that claim, but we did achieve some seamless switching back and forth from gasoline to electric power.

Over a 22 kilometre route along the Santa Monica coastline, we achieved just over 5.0L. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

During the presentation, Ford emphasized the amount of work that went in to making the transitions as smooth as possible, and there's no detectable shudder or vibration.

Drive characteristics of the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid are pretty much the same as the gasoline varieties we sampled -- other than the inherent grabbiness and whine of the regenerative braking, the Fusion Hybrid is engaging and enjoyable to drive. McPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension provide a firm, composed ride with a decidedly European flavour.

Under-body cladding and dynamic grill shutters help make the Hybrid more aerodynamically slippery, while an active noise cancellation system helps negate the four cylinder's inherent buzziness.

Ford claims they benchmarked Audi for perceived cabin quality, but while materials and craftsmanship are good, overall, the interior doesn't live up to the promise of its gorgeous exterior. Our tester came with recycled plastic cloth upholstery, but there's an optional leather upgrade.

The interior doesn't live up to the promise of its gorgeous exterior. (Photo: Ford)

Aside from the Eco "coaching" hybrid displays, there's the same optional MyFord Touch offered in the conventional 2013 Ford Fusion. Although it's been upgraded to be more "user-friendly," the lack of tactile button-feel can be confusing. We found ourselves accidentally changing the music channel while accessing the Nav system due to an errant flick of a finger.

The lithium-ion battery in the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid does limit the overall cargo space, reducing trunk capacity from 454 litres to 340 litres.

Priced at $29,999, the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid will arrive in Canadian showrooms later this month, with Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid to be introduced next year.

Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock (Lamborghini Gallardo) captured the GT1 championship after an accident that forced into retirement title rivals Yelmer Buurman and Michael Bartels in their BMW Z4.

Makowiecki and Dusseldorp (McLaren) took victory in he qualifying race, but that was not enough for them to stay in the title hunt sinceBasseng and Winkelhock, while Bartels finished 5th, and Buurman took 9th place.

The winning McLaren MP4/12C of Makowiecki and Dusseldorp. (Photo: FIA GT1)

Only three points separated both championship contenders before the championship race, final round of the season.

The first laps were disrupted by a big crash from Nikolaus Mayr-Melhnof (BMW) and Laurent Groppi's Ford GT, which hit the tire wall very heavily. As a result, the race was red flagged.

At the restart, another incident involved both championship rivals, as Buurman tried to overtake Winkelhock's car. But the German driver closed the door on his rival, and Buurman went off the road, hitting the tire wall heavily, as Winkelhock was also forced to retirement.



That gave Winkelhock and Basseng the 2012 title, although they were excluded from this week end's results.

Buurman was taken to hospital, with no serious injury though. The race was finally stopped by another red flag few laps later, giving a second victory to Makowiecki and Dusseldorp.

Next year, the GT1 championship will disapear, but will continue under a new format made of sprint races of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Donington - Championship race:
1 - Makowiecki/Dusseldorp (McLaren MP4/12C) - Hexis
2 - Rosina/Kox (Lamborghini Gallardo) - Reiter - 1"091
3 - Demoustier/Parente (McLaren MP4/12C) - Hexis - 1"682
4 - Carroll-Ortelli (Audi R8) - WRT - 2"185
5 - Ide/Castellacci (Ferrari 458) - AF Corse - 3"172
Etc.

Championship:
1. Basseng-Winkelhock 145 points; 3. Dusseldorp-Makowiecki & Bartels-Buurman 144, 7. Vanthoor 122, etc.

Unionized workers at the Canadian operations of Chrysler Group have voted in favor of a four-year labor agreement with the company, the Canadian Auto Workers said on Sunday.

European automakers hope green supercars such as the Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive will help attract austerity hit consumers into showrooms.

Eurosceptic auto parts magnate Frank Stronach launched his Austrian election campaign, presenting himself as an honest man of the people to a public tired of corrupt politicians and hungry for change.

Auto sales will likely rise 8 percent or more in September as dealers offered generous cash incentives on pickup trucks that amounted to as much as $10,000 a vehicle in some areas of the United States, analysts said.

The rate of industrial espionage activities in the auto industry and the United States as a whole is on the rise, according to government data -- with Toyota, Ford and General Motors all on the receiving end of the trend in recent years.

Joey Logano completed a two-race sweep of the NASCAR series at Dover Delaware thanks to some careful planning by his crew.

"The both of us (including Adam Stevens - his crew chief) just know what it takes to get a car to go fast here and we've got one heck of a notebook. We know which direction the track is going to go and this time we did a good job in practice of tuning it in for the race. It's tough with lapped traffic for sure and timing is everything.

"It's all about looking about three laps in advance and it's just a lot of fun."

And, he took no prisoners, leading 184-laps of the 200-laper race just nine laps shy of the record set by Ryan Newman.

It was Logano's seventh Nationwide Series this year and 16th in his career.

In taking both races at the "Monster Mile" Logano carried on a trend started by Kyle Busch in 2010 and followed by Carl Edwards last year.

"Once the track rubbered up, it went right to where we thought it would," said Logano who drove a Toyota. "We were able to just stay out front most of the day after that."

With only two yellows, after a competition caution on lap 48, it was the fastest races in the last nine years.

Paul Menard finished second, followed by Michael Annett, who tied his career best finish in the series. Elliott Sadler finished fourth, and in doing so was able to extend his points lead in the Nationwide series.

The order of drivers remained the same, but most of the top-10 lost a little ground to Sadler. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is now nine points back, and Austin Dillon slipped to 25 points behind Sadler.

Kyle Busch was fifth, while Cole Whitt, Brian Scott, Kasey Kahne, Stenhouse and Dillon rounded out the top 10.

The race ran at an average speed of 123.723 mph, making it the fastest NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover since the fall of 2003. 18 cars finished on the lead lap.

Two weeks after losing to Toyota at Interlagos, Audi claimed a 1-2 victory with the R18 e-tron in Bahrain.

Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish (Audi) started the race on pole position, but it was the Toyota that led the first laps of the race, before an electrical problem forced the Japanese prototype to stop in the pits to repair. Later, the TS030 driven by Wurz broke its suspension after a contact with a LMP2, and was forced to retirement.

Finally, it was the Audi driven by Lotterer, Treluyer and Fassler that took the lead, and eventually after six hours of racing the win, two laps ahead of the sister car driven by McNish and Kristensen. The winning drivers pull away in front of championship classification after their success.

In LMP2, victory went to Pecom's Oreca Nissan, while the GTE Pro class was won by AF Corse's Ferrari driven by Fisichella and Vilander. The Felbemayr Porsche takes win in GTE Am class.

Final classification :
1 - Lotterer-Treluyer-Fassler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 151 laps in 6h00'56”244

2 - Kristensen-McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 2 laps

3 - Watts-Kane-Leventis (HPS ARX03-Honda) - Strakka - 6 laps

4 - Prost-Jani (Lola B12/60) - Rebellion - 7 laps

5 - Belicchi-Primat (Lola B12/60-Toyota) - Rebellion - 10 laps
6 - Perez Companc-Minassian-Kaffer (Oreca03-Nissan) - Pecom - 12 laps (1er LMP2)
7 - Tresson-Mailleux-Lombard (Oreca 03-Nissan) - Signatech - 14 laps

8 - Potolicchio- Kimber Smith-Sarrazin (HPD ARX03b-Honda) - Starworks - 14 laps
9 - Weeda-Rossiter-Liuzzi (Lola B12/80-Lotus) - Lotus - 14 laps
10 - Ragues-Panciatici-Rusinov (Oreca 03-Nissan) - Signatech - 15 laps

(...)
13 - Fisichella-Vilander (Ferrari F458 Italia) - AF - 21 laps (1er GTE Pro)

(...)
17 - Ried-Roda-Ruberti (Porsche 997) - Felbermayr Proton - 26 laps (1er GTE Am)
etc.

Four-time Formula One world champion Alain Prost tested a modern F1 car during a World Series by Renault meeting at the Paul Ricard circuit on Saturday September 29.

Frenchman Prost, who is an ambassador for Renault, took the wheel of the Red Bull Racing RB6 single seater to complete a series of laps behind Romain Grosjean in a Renault R30.

The 57-year-old last experienced contemporary F1 cars in 1996 as part of a test for McLaren.

"Recently I thought maybe it would not be too bad to know what modern Formula 1 is like," Prost told Autosport.

"It's not too different, it's just using the tools differently. The car is very stiff, and you just need to get used to it."

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid is the Japanese automaker's sixth hybrid model and it just went on sale across Canada this month. The car has proven quite popular already, and one of its first owners is none other than acclaimed Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.

Priced at $35,700 (before applicable government incentives), the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid offers seating for five and 443 litres of cargo capacity. A full charge takes as little as 90 minutes when connected to a 220V dedicated socket, or 3 hours when connected to a 110V socket. It allows a range of 25 kilometres and a top speed of 100 km/h in electric mode while achieving a fuel efficiency rating of just 2.0Le/100km (city-highway combined).

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid automatically switches to its full hybrid system once the electric power is depleted.

Photo: Toyota

From Grand-Am.com

Richard Westbrook earned his third pole of the season in Saturday morning's qualifying session at the Grand-Am Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW ahead of this afternoon's Rolex Sports Car Series season finale.


Westbrook turned a best lap at 49.091 sec. (110.000 mph) in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP, pipping DP points co-leader Scott Pruett by one tenth of a second. Pruett will start second in the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley at 49.184 sec. (109.792 mph), and Jon Fogarty qualified third in the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP at 49.189 sec. (109.781 mph).


John Edwards earned his class-leading fourth GT pole position of the season. His TOTAL Pole Award-winning lap in the No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro GT.R was a 53.983 sec. (100.031 mph) run.

Qualifying second in GT was Andrew Davis in the No. 59 The Brumos Companies Porsche GT3 at 54.248 sec. (99.543 mph) and Johannes van Overbeek was third in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 at 54.595 sec. (98.910 mph).



Qualifying results* - Lime Rock (Grand-Am)
1. Garcia-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - Spirit of Daytona - 49"091

2. Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 49"184
3. Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP) - Stallings - 49"189
4. Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP) - SunTrust - 49"854

5. Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 50"020

6. Donohue-Frisselle-Borcheller (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 50"197
7. Barbosa-Law (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 50"313
8. Negri-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 50"423

9. Goncalvez-Fuentes (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 52"496

10. Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 53"983
Etc.

*Unofficial results

Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor (No. 10 SunTrust Corvette DP) bagged their third consecutive Lime Rock Park victory in the Grand-Am season's grand finale.

Angelelli and Taylor managed to hold off Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook (No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP), who in turn crossed the finish line ahead of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty (No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP).

In the championship showdown, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas (No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley) ended up on top thanks to their seventh-place result. They cleared Ryan Dalziel by 12 points in Pruett's record-breaking fifth DP championship campaign.

In GT, titles had already been awarded at Laguna Seca three weeks ago, so the attention was turned to a dramatic race.

Robin Liddell and John Edwards (No. 57 Stevenson Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro GT.R) took advantage of Andy Lally's misfortunes (No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche GT3), who surrendered the win in the dying moments of the race because of a mechanical failure.

Dion von Moltke and Jim Norman (No. 51 Audi R8 Grand-Am) earned Audi's first Grand-Am podium by finishing second. Third place went to Alessandro Balzan and Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458.



Race results* - Lime Rock (Grand-Am)
1 - Angelelli-Taylor (Corvette DP) - SunTrust - 167
2 - Garcia-Westbrook (Corvette DP) - Spirit of Daytona - 167
3 - Fogarty-Gurney (Corvette DP) - Stallings - 167
4 - Donohue-Borcheller-Frisselle (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 167
5 - Barbosa-Law (Corvette DP) - ActionExpress - 167
6 - Dalziel-Popow (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 167
7 - Pruett-Rojas (Riley-BMW) - Ganassi - 167
8 - Goncalvez-Fuentes (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 165
9 - Johnson-Wilkins (Riley-Ford) - Starworks - 164
10 - Negri-Pew (Riley-Ford) - Shank - 163
11 - Edwards-Liddell (Chevy Camaro) - Stevenson - 159
12 - Norman-Von Moltke (Audi R8) - APR - 159
13 - Balzan-Van Overbeek (Ferrari 458) - Scuderia Corsa - 159
14 - Espenlaub-Putman (Mazda RX8) - Dempsey - 159
15 - Doyle-Pumpelly (Porsche 997) - TRG - 159
16 - Lally-Potter (Porsche 997) - Magnus - 159
17 - Curran-Said (Corvette) - Marsh - 158
18 - Assentato-Segal (Ferrari458) - AIM - 156
19 - Long-Foster (Mazda RX-8) - Dempsey - 155
20 - Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker (Mazda RX8) - Sahlen - 154
21 - Bomarito-Tremblay (Mazda RX8) - Speedsource - 154
22 - Cameron-Nonnamaker (Mazda RX8) - Sahlen - 110
23 - Foss-Hart-Lindsey (Porsche 997) - Horton - 107
24 - Turner-Marsal (BMW M3) - Turner - 97
25 - Davis-Keen (Porsche 997) - Brumos - 35
26 - Auberlen-Della Lana (BMW M3) - Turner - 34

*Unofficial results

I've waxed lyrical about Honda on a number of occasions, and by the looks of things I'll be doing the same for a while to come. Granted, the 2013 Honda Accord looks promising, but I'll reserve judgement for when I test drive it myself.


probably intrigued by what it can do. If you've landed here by mistake, you'll probably back your way outta here ‘cause you've no interest in whatever this Ridgeline thing is, or never heard of it.

This is the 2012 Honda Ridgeline's problem. If you know of this vehicle, you are lucky as you're privy to one of the best kept secrets in the car business. And, if Honda maintains their $0 advertising budget and you buy one, you will land on a rare gem that might be worth a pretty penny in 40 years.

Never mind the cover
The point is that the Ridgeline is a rare bird. On a recent road trip to northern New York State, I counted only three Honda pickups. Compare that to close to two dozen Nissan Jukes and you know something's up -- not that there's anything wrong with the Juke. Could it be that the sheet metal is the turnoff? Between a Juke and a Honda Ridgeline, I'm not sure that the latter is the uglier one...

Honda recently introduced this $37,790 Sport version, however; black wheels, a blacked-out grille, head and taillights do not, unfortunately, make one “sporty.”

Truthfully, unless you know what lies beneath the steel, there is every reason to judge the book by its cover.

Honda recently introduced this $37,790 Sport version. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Tonnes of room
But this is wrong. The 2012 Honda Ridgeline features a sealed and waterproof hidden in-bed trunk; a genius, dual-action gate, and an impressively roomy and comfortable cabin.

About the bench, if it is not needed, it flips up allowing for storage of large items like a television or a pair of bicycles. Up front in the 2012 Honda Ridgeline, leg, shoulder, head, and elbowroom are in grand supply.

Now, if the exterior is irksome to some, the dashboard will have the same effect. Not pretty, bulky and cold, it is nevertheless easy to navigate and some of the large controls are ideal for glove-wearing seasons. By far, the best part about the interior is the vast number of storage bins which I bet no one can completely fill with useful stuff.

About the bench, if it is not needed, it flips up allowing for storage of large items like a television or a pair of bicycles. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

It drives well
The oddball looks of the 2012 Honda Ridgeline are quickly forgotten once the ignition key is turned to the “start” position. The upfront and honest 3.5L V6 comes to life, and once the ultra-mega-fantastic-cool column shifter is slotted into “D,” the Ridgeline comes into its own.

The 250 hp and 247 torques powerplant are silky-smooth and magnificently responsive. The 5-speed autobox glides from one cog to another without effort, and suddenly the driver could swear that they are in an elevated AWD Accord V6.

Despite the lowly on-paper 250 hp, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline moves about with serious vim. Most of the grunt comes in around 5,000 rpm, and so a highway kick-down is rewarding.

Steering is light if somewhat over-assisted, but precision is never an issue. The brakes are strong and respond better than expected. My guess is that this is as such because the Honda pickup has a payload capacity of 690 kg (1,521 lb) and a towing capacity of 2,268 kg (5,000 lb). When fully burdened, the truck needs the extra help.

In order to be capable enough to manage the possible loads, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline sports fully boxed High-Strength Steel (HSS) frame rails with internal stiffeners and a -- I guess -- “medium-duty” suspension. The big Honda handles really well for a pickup.

The 250 hp and 247 torques powerplant are silky-smooth and magnificently responsive. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Don't pull the plug!
The Honda Ridgeline, as I've noted in the past, is ahead of its time. I can only hope that Honda plays its cards right, holds on to the thing, gives it the appeal it so deserves in its next generation and invests in some proper marketing.

With a starting price just under $35k, it might be tough to convince someone looking for a $25k truck, but when faced with all that the 2012 Honda Ridgeline has to offer, a second family car becomes an unnecessary purchase. There are savings to be had!

The Toyota Tacoma, the current small-pickup king, the Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier are some of its most direct competitors.