Hyundai gives tuners more of what they need and less of what they don’t. But is it enough?
Hyundai released its Genesis coupe a little late to capitalize on the pre-recession Fast and Furious era, but the company’s factory-backed pro drift car, myriad SEMA customs, and tire-shredding TV commercials show that the Korean company understands the power of the aftermarket among consumers of affordable, sporty cars. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Genesis coupe 2.0T model, which starts at $22,750 and packs a turbocharged, 210-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
The German carmaker takes another shot at a high-end, four-door coupe.
In a move reminiscent of—and likely inspired by—its sultry Concept CS of 2007, BMW is unveiling a new, low-profile, four-door coupe concept at the 2010 Beijing auto show. Called the BMW Concept Gran Coupé, it’s meant to showcase the company’s design abilities and philosophy. It’s also another one-off concept that we wish BMW would actually build.
According to BMW, the Gran Coupé “concentrates the design expertise of the brand” and “captures a sense of superior dynamic performance and high-quality elegance.” Whatever. It’s a low-slung, long-wheelbase, edgy-looking sedan with a coupe-like roofline and short overhangs. The possibility of it reaching production is probably very low, and details about its powerplant and drivetrain technology are not available. What we can tell you is that the Gran Coupé is a few inches longer than the new 5-series at nearly 197 inches, but is about four inches lower at 55.1.
Be careful with the options, and Buick’s elegant urban hauler can satisfy.
What Is It?
Representing the high end of General Motors’ Lambda crossover range—which also includes the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia—the Enclave was the first modern Buick to exhibit high levels of interior refinement, design, and serenity. Offering three-row seating, GM claims that the Enclave’s unibody architecture makes it lighter and more efficient than full-size body-on-frame SUVs, even while it occupies roughly the same footprint as, say, a Cadillac Escalade. While its lighter construction and the lack of V-8 power means the Enclave can’t tow nearly as much as that same Escalade (4500 pounds max versus 8000-plus for the Cadillac), smaller rolling stock and less-burly underpinnings provide the suppler ride favored by most Buick customers.
Beginning this year, Jaguar will include a one-day course at its newly established Jaguar R Performance Academy with the purchase of a 510-hp XFR or XKR. (The same deal is retroactively applied to owners that purchased a 2010 model last year.) Several journalists—myself included—recently had the opportunity to sit in on the driving school’s second meeting at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for an introduction to the program and, of course, to have some fun with a couple of big cats.
The R Academy currently is a traveling road show of sorts that will visit various race tracks throughout the year near the company’s key markets, which include Las Vegas, as well as Miami (Homestead Miami Speedway), Los Angeles (Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California), and New York (Monticello Motor Club); a permanent home base for the school is still being looked into.
While the program is more of a responsible way for Jaguar to introduce new owners to the limits of their cars—rather than a full-on track school for experienced handlers—the lessons and exercises that are taught are crucial for anyone who enjoys driving quickly yet safely. And free track time never hurts; I’ve spent a considerable amount of time on race tracks, including another driving school, and still found the program to be both helpful and very enjoyable. The R Academy also brings Jaguar up to par with other premium carmakers, nearly all of which offer their owners some form of high-performance driving instruction, albeit for a fee. What we like about Jaguar’s setup is that it’s included in the sticker prices of the XFR, XKR coupe, and XKR convertible, which start at $80,000, $96,000, and $102,000, respectively. Jaguar says that only XFR and XKR owners are eligible for the R program and that participants must use Jaguar’s vehicles; those that have a 2011 XJ Supersport on order are out of luck.
Although the setup may differ slightly by location, each event includes a classroom lesson on vehicle dynamics and safety, along with autocross exercises and follow-the-leader lapping of a proper road course in both XFR sedans and XKR coupes. Upon settling into the massive media center at the sprawling LVMS complex—which includes 1.5- and 0.4-mile paved ovals, a smaller dirt oval, a 2.5-mile road course, a quarter-mile drag strip, and several off-road tracks—we met our panel of instructors, including racers Roberto Guerrero, Davy Jones, and Adam Andretti (Mario’s nephew), among others, all of whom broke down the intricacies of car control and smooth driving.
Once the instructors went over the settings for the cars’ chassis electronics, we split into groups for a morning of autocross lapping; one group on a conventional multi-turn course of cones, the other on a short, tight oval that was designed to help you find and hit the proper entry and exit points of a corner. Drifting is not the fast way around a track and the instructors were adamant, at first, that we learn the cars with all the safety nets enabled. That didn’t last long, though, as deactivating the cars’ stability controls and using their 5.0-liter V-8s’ 461-lb-ft of torque to pivot around corners was too much fun to resist. So much fun, in fact, that the back end of an XFR stepped out on me and clipped a cone on my final timed autocross run—a three-second penalty that bumped me from first to third on the podium for the day. Bummer.
After a warm lunch back at the media center—and a deluge from the heavens out at the track—we saddled up for an afternoon of laps on LVMS’s soggy 2.5-mile road course. The unassuming track is mostly flat as it snakes around a layout that can be configured into either the full 2.5-mile course or a pair of smaller, 1.5-mile tracks. Offering a mix of surfaces, a lengthy main straight, and an array of tight yet tricky corners, I found the track to be a challenging venue, particularly in the pouring rain. As the tarmac slowly dried throughout the day, we alternated between one-on-one seat time with an instructor and solo lapping in a procession behind one of the hired shoes, the latter being especially helpful for learning how to find the proper line.
The R Academy is not a racing school, but the instructors kept a watchful eye on our progress and gave us plenty of opportunities to run hard and take the cars to their limits of adhesion, which on a wet track with these powerful rear-wheel-drive vehicles was more than exciting at times. It also was highly instructive; the XFR and XKR are practical cars that can be driven daily in a range of weather conditions, and the slippery track forced us to be both smooth and patient when applying the throttle and transitioning at high speeds—we’d all be safer if every motorist took such care when driving home from work on the highway.
Overall, we came away impressed with the Jaguar R Performance Academy, and applaud the company—and every other carmaker that has a similar program—for helping to make its customers better, safer drivers. If anything, I think schools such as this, which allow you to safely explore the limits of both your skills and your vehicle under the guidance of a professional, should be mandatory for all motorists. And I think Jaguar made the right move in including its driving academy in the purchase price of its cars; the couple of owners that attended the school with me completely agreed, noting at the end of the day that they felt both more comfortable about their purchase and safer on the road.
As of this writing, Jaguar is seeing how the school’s first year works out before it announces plans for the future, but a continuation for 2011 with even more venues is likely if all goes well. The R program currently includes just the track element; participants are responsible for travel, lodging, and meals away from the facility. Guest drivers are not allowed, and attendees must be 21 years old and, of course, have a valid driver’s license.
Watch the video below to see some of the day’s snarling antics.
Why can’t production Chrysler stuff be this awesome?
he rough-and-tough Jeep and Ram brands are Chrysler’s strongest, with large fan bases and huge aftermarket support that comes from both outside firms and the company’s own Mopar division. Fortunately, it seems that Chrysler’s new Italian overlords realize this, as evidenced by the slew of Jeep and Ram off-road concepts unveiled at the Easter Jeep Safari at Moab, Utah, a hotbed of torturous off-roading.
Looking over the list of concepts, with names such as “The General,” “Nukizer 715,” and “ImMortal,” is like scanning the receipt from a rock-crawling shopping spree. But one vehicle in particular jumped out at us: the Mopar Ram Runner concept, a Ram-based pre-runner of sorts that portends a Mopar bolt-on kit that will be offered later this year as a counterpunch to the mighty Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.
Ford shows its base pony car some love and churns out a sweetheart.
Although most of the hubbub surrounding the 2011 Ford Mustang is centered on the GT’s fantastic new 412-hp, 5.0-liter V-8—our test of which you can read here—Ford made damn sure not to forget about the volume V-6 model, which now sports a high-tech, 305-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 as standard equipment. Yes, 305 ponies in a base Mustang, or just 10 fewer than in last year’s GT. Given that our last test of Ford’s standard pony car left us about as warm as a dip in a frozen lake, we tempered our enthusiasm when sliding behind the wheel of this new one. Lucky for us—and for all Mustang fanatics—Ford did its homework; the 2011 Mustang V-6 is an astonishingly good car.
