2014 Audi A8 L TDI

I recently drove the Audi A8 L TDI.  It was an interesting drive.  The A8 L is one of the stalwarts of the long wheelbase luxury sedan and this was the diesel version.  For a car that is not that far away from six figures, it was quite a machine.

As it should be, right?

Base Price: $83,000
As Driven: $96,145
Engine: 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel, 240hp
Transmission: 8 Speed Shiftable Automatic
Curb Weight: ~ 4,600 lbs.
Wheelbase: 122.9 inches
Rear seat legroom: 42.9 inches
MPG Rating: 24 city/ 36 highway

Here are my thoughts.  I really enjoyed this car.  Thank you to Molle Audi for lending me this ride.


Thank you for watching.

2013 Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar

When I think "Volvo," I usually think sensible wagons, CUVs, and SUVs.  The C30 is none of those and the R-Design Polestar edition is even farther from sensible.  The Polestar is a hot hatchback and I love hot hatchbacks.  I don't have a real reason.  They're small.  I'm big.  They're quick.  I'm not.  You can see how the attraction takes shape.  I was recently allowed time with the 2013 Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar.  It was a lot of fun.

Base Price: $27,850
As Driven: $37,495
Engine: 2.5L Turbo-charged 5 Cylinder, 250hp
Transmission: 6 Speed Automated Manual
Wheelbase: 103.9 inches
Curb Weight: 3,211 lbs.
MPG Rating: 21 city/ 30 hwy

Enjoy the 2013 Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar.  It's not the crazy powerful S60 version, but it's quick, Rebel Blue, and lots of fun! Plus it's such a gorgeous blue.  Did I mention how much I like the blue color?



I really like this car.  Hear me run at the mouth about it...


Hope you enjoyed it.  Follow us on Intsagram & Twitter; @everymansauto.  Like us on Facebook too!

Thank you to Hendrick Volvo.  Please contact Debbie if you are interested in the C30 Polestar!

2014 Jaguar F-Type V8 S

We have a new way of presenting our auto reviews and this is the first of this experiment.  Video reviews!

They are more of confessionals, than reviews.  Just me, the camera, my truck, and my thoughts.  Quintessential Internet.

The first video is just exhaust noise, as it should be with a supercharged V8.  Enjoy!


The second video is the Video Car Diary.  We are going to try and produce more of these.  Hopefully, one a week throughout the summer.  We'll see how the schedule goes once school starts up again and I have to make money for a living.  Something about feeding my kids, I don't know, I wasn't really listening.

Enjoy!


Remember it's the first one.  They will get better!

I love the Jaguar F-Type.  I don't have $104,000, but I really like this car and hope that those who do have that kind of money, do buy them.  The noise is wonderful and the power is ample!  Thank you for watching.  Please share with your friends.  You can share withe your enemies too, but that might be weird.

2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited

"No Regrets" is a motto that so many graduating high school seniors are going to try and take into their collegiate years.  It’s BS, though.  We all have regrets.  I don’t always want to admit them, but I have some.

Regret can be a funny thing.  Do I regret not staying up late to watch my favorite sports team pull off an amazing come from behind victory?  No.  I have responsibilities.
 

Are there other things I might regret?  Maybe.  I never kissed my high school crush, but I’ve replaced her with the girl of my dreams.  I didn’t repel down a 15 ft. wall in Boys Scouts, and I’ve since climbed multiple mountains over 14k feet and really enjoy walking along the edges of tall things.   

Do I regret trading in my 2004 Jeep Wrangler? 

Articulation- where one wheel is extended and the other is compressed.

Yes.

                The ’04 Wrangler was the first brand new car that I purchased by myself.  It was a magical, masculine, “do anything” convertible.  I owned it while in Florida.  I took it off-road, on road, on beach, to the club (yes, I really did!), on dates with college co-eds (I was young!), and just about anywhere I could that looked fun. 

I made it to the top without the winch.

The Wrangler & I drove from Florida to New Jersey, New Jersey to Kansas City (in one night), Kansas City to Charlottesville, NC then back to KC, and finished with a trip down to Austin, TX that wasn’t complete till I got back to my place in Florida; a grand total of 6,286 miles.  I did it all in a two door, four wheel drive, Jeep Wrangler in less than a month.  It was a perfect union. 

Except for the fuel consumption…

My ’04 struggled with the mpgs.  The 2013 Jeep Wrangler has changed part of that.  The mpg rating on the highway for the Wrangler now begins with a 2 (listed at 20 hwy). With my ’04 it used to begin with a 1 and not one that was close to being a 2 either…  My 19 gallon tank was being filled twice a week with my daily commute and the trips to see My Lady (She’s my wife now; totally worth it!). 

The mpgs were so bad that I traded my Wrangler in a for a Toyota Highlander…  Again, I was young.  We make mistakes, but I have learned from that mistake.

If my '04 had been a 2013 Wrangler Sport Unlimited, it would have been a very different story for my Jeep.  The 2013 is vastly better than the '04.

Base Price: $25,695

As Driven: $32,310

Engine: 3.6L Pentastar V6, 285 hp

Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic

Curb Weight: 4075 lbs.

Wheelbase: 116 in.

MPG Rating: 16 city/21 hwy

Interior:

It is and forever will be a classic Jeep interior; functional, durable, and ready for anything.  The style and functionality of the interior is the same.  Offer some small comforts, but be ready to do it all in the worst conditions, but just keeping doing what is needed.  

The best part of my old Jeep interior was how ready it was to get dirty and how quickly you could get it clean.  The ’13 keeps all of the old philosophy and improves on it.  The seats were higher quality without raising the price of the interior.  The seats in the ’13 are 1000x more comfortable. 

Also noticed inside the Wrangler is how much better the longer wheelbase rides.  The suspension hasn’t changed much from the coil overs, but the added length helps to smooth out a lot of the rough ride.  It’s still a Jeep and is stiff, but much more capable as an on-road passenger vehicle.

The rear seat in the 4 door Wrangler is also very functional.  I had both child safety seats installed with ease.  The LATCH system was more readily accessed.  It was so simple, that I fit the boys’ seats in more securely than normal.  Usually there’s about half an inch to an inch of wiggle room with their seats; there was none in the Wrangler.  The seats were like stone statues, only cuter since they held my boys.

The power interior is noticeable.  The power door locks and windows are a nice feature.  20-something me would think they are posh and “over the top” for a Wrangler, but 30-something me enjoyed the crap out of them. 

It rained while I had the Wrangler Sport and I expected the hard top roof to sound like the symphony of corrugated tin getting assaulted by a tropical thunderstorm.  I expected it to be loud.  I was wrong.  The hard top is much better than the old ones.  I could hear the rain, but you can hear it in most vehicles.  Cars like a Rolls, Jags, and Bentleys are design to have interiors that are devoid of noise. The hard top did not make the interior silent, but it was much quieter than I was expecting from a Jeep; a pleasant surprise.

Exterior:

The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited looks like a classic Jeep.  It’s a classic look since the redesign in 2007 that brought the four door Wranglers. 

This Sport came with the modular hard top roof.  It’s modular because it can come apart in three different sections.  You can remove the single piece above the driver, or the single piece above the front passenger, or both at the same time to create the best sunroof ever.  It worked very well for me with the boys in the backseat in the shade and me in the front sun bathing.

                There are two pieces up front and then a third large piece covers the rear seat and cargo area.  This third piece requires help to take it off.  The front pieces are some clasps and one screw, while the back is a little more complicated.  More screws and clasps, but it’s a big awkward piece to remove and put back on.  If you are planning on buying a Jeep and putting the top up and down often, then I vote soft top.  If you plan on keeping it on for a quieter cabin, then the hard top does a good job.

               The Wrangler has two tow hooks on the front bumper and one below the back bumper.  The hooks are very helpful for getting unstuck while off-road.  Plus the front ones look intimidating and will cause more damage to whoever you rear-end than the damage that will occur on your front end; metal > plastic.

               A major change I noticed from my ’04 TJ is that the fuel tank has moved.  It used to be located at the very rear of the vehicle under the back bumper.  This was the first skid plate I installed.  It covered the fuel tank on the bottom and all four vertical sides.  One of the smartest purchases I’ve ever made.  I dropped the whole vehicle on the fuel tank while at Camp Jeep in Charlottesville.  The skid plate took all the force, didn’t yield, and we keep rock crawlin’ our way out of the woods.  

                The ‘13’s fuel tank is now located down the passenger side under the front passenger and rear passenger seats.  It is a more difficult place to drop all of the vehicle weight, but it’s still possible.  If you plan on any type of off-roading more serious than driving through a grass field at 2 mph, then skid plates are a must.  The Wrangler does come with 3mm think steel skid plates on the fuel tank, transfer case, and the automatic transmission oil pan, but you can never be too safe.

Tech:

                The technology that I’m the most happy about in the Wrangler is the modular roof system, improved engine power, and better mpg.  Those are all technological advances that benefit the modern day Jeep enthusiast. 

                There are no large satellite navigation screens or multimedia infotainment systems.  The Wrangler does have the optional UConnect® and it is a little harder than most systems to setup and use.  To sync your phone, you have to look up your phone on a particular webpage on Jeep.com.  Then speak the pin number for your particular phone model to the UConnect° system…  Needless to say, my phone didn’t get synced.

Performance:

In my old Jeep I’ve hit the governor; twice, allegedly.  I was allegedly at 95mph and my ’04 TJ would cut out the acceleration.  That is as fast as you could go.  As long as you were already doing 75 as you began a nice steady downhill.  The front is so un-aerodynamic, that it’s easier to drive a brick wall.

The 2013 has the same overall shape to the front, except the lines are softer around most of the front end.   

The best improvement for all of the 2013 Jeep Wranglers happened in 2012.  The 3.5L Pentastar V6 is the best engine in a Jeep ever.  “Ever,” you ask?  Yes, E.V.E.R.  This engine destroys the engines of the past.  The 3.6L V6 makes 285 horsepower.  That’s 80 more than the ‘11 model’s V6 and 92 more than my ’04’s inline six.  Don’t forget that the added power comes with slightly better fuel economy as well.  Now do you see why it’s the best engine ever in the Wrangler?

I averaged 17.4 on Day 1 and then 19.3, 19.1, 20.7, 22.2, and 21.8 to finish out my week.  The last couple of days were more highway miles.  I had the cruise control set at 65mph and dominated the slow lane.  Doing a little math, I averaged for the week 20.1 mpg.  That includes my daily commute that measures 28 miles on combined conditions and my second job commute, which is 73 miles round trip and mostly highway miles. 

The off-road capabilities of the Wrangler have only gotten better.  The Unlimited version is longer than the standard body style.  That means you have a better shot of getting a tire to the place it needs to be to get you enough traction to get out of the mud bog and up the hill.  The standard Wrangler body style is a capable machine, but the Unlimited is just better. 

This Jeep is outstanding in its field!  Did you see what I did there?

Overall, I love the Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited.  The longer wheelbase really improves the ride and capability of the Jeep.  I would definitely have the 6 speed manual transmission.  You might be able to squeak a little better mpg out of it, you get to drive a manual, and you would save the $1,125 that the automatic transmission costs.  Plus Hill Start Assist is standard, so you don’t have to worry about uphill starts with the manual.

I miss my Jeep.  I don’t have the thirty grand to drop on a four door Unlimited.  I can promise that in my fantasy garage there’s one there.  

 I’m going to go cry myself to sleep now.  

 I miss my Jeep.

Quick Drive- 2013 Land Rover LR4

Disclaimer: I’m a Jeep man, but I totally see why the LR4 exists & I like it.

Base Price: $49,100

As Driven:  $61,070

Engine: 5.0L V8, 375hp

Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic

Curb Weight: 5,623 lbs.

Wheelbase: 113.6 in

MPG Rating: 12 city/ 17 hwy

This isn’t a full review because I didn’t spend a huge amount of time with the LR4.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that I get invited to the next Aristocrat Motors drive down at Kansas Rocks Recreational Area.  *crosses fingers* 

On & Off Road Performance:

No one can argue with Land Rover’s off-road performance.  The LR4 was able to handle the off road course at Aristocrat Motors with ease.  The control settings to adjust the ride height and the type of terrain you’re driving on are easy to use and straight forward.  It is a couple more steps than other off roaders, but not overly complicated.  

1. Use the rotary dial to select the terrain. 

2. Push the button to raise the ride height to off road height. 

3. Then shift to neutral and select low range if you are going into rock crawl mode.  For all other modes you can leave it in high range. 

4. Drive where you want to go.

The LR4 can handle itself off road, but once you get back on the road it rides supremely well.  It did help that most of the roads we drove on were flat and smooth, but for the few bumps that there were; there was no jostling or jolts felt in the passenger compartment.

Here’s a video of the LR4 driving up and down Aristocrat’s off-road course.

The 2013 Land Rover LR4 is quite a machine.  Please swing by Aristocrat Motors or contact Drew Frisbie for a test drive.  Make sure it isn’t wet and Drew will let you run up and down the off road course!  It’s not that the LR4 couldn’t do it in the wet.  It totally could.

The LR4 leaves a lasting impression with a gorgeous interior and a go anywhere attitude.  The mileage will slow you down a little bit, but the 375 horsepower more than makes up for it.  If you’re looking for style, capability, and some utility; then go drive an LR4.

Hopefully I’ll meet you on the trails!

/Drive & Tuned are back!

/Drive is a great network on Youtube.  They've been away for a bit, but now they're back!  They released a trailer of things to come and we already have a new episode of Tuned! 



Check out BBi Autosport's "Project Nasty."  I'm now shopping for an old 911.  I won't pull the trigger on buying one, but shopping none the less.



Check out the rest of /Drive if you haven't yet. Great shows with guys who really love cars. I'm gonna go work on a super secret project that hopefully y'all (I'm allowed to use "y'all" once a post if I please.) will love! Cheers.

2013 Ford Fusion SE EcoBoost

I was in attendance for the debut of the 2013 Fusion at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January.  I’ve waited over a year to drive this car and it was definitely worth the wait.

Base Price: $23,830

As Driven: $30,975

Engine: 1.6L 4 Cylinder EcoBoost (turbo-charged), 174 hp

Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic with Auto Start-Stop

Curb Weight: 3,427 lbs.

Wheelbase: 112.2 inches

MPG Rating: 23 city/ 36 highway

Interior:

The driver’s area is surrounded by technology.  Lots of HD displays and touch sensitive areas on the center console.  I like the look, but not the functionality.

The space in the back seat is acceptable.  The rear legroom is listed at 38.3 inches, which isn’t the most in the segment.  The amount of legroom in the Fusion is two inches more than the Malibu and five inches more than the Accord.  The space in the back made sure that my youngest son wasn’t able to kick the back of my seat.  I know eventually he will outgrow the space and I’ll be doomed, but I’m still thankful for the space now.

The children LATCH system was set further back into the seat.  It frustrated me at first, but I found out that it is one of the easiest setups I’ve used when it comes to getting the kids’ car seats in and out.  The ability to latch the hook and the ease I was able to depress the latch to get it back out was quite easy.  Normally I end up with at least one banged knuckle and three to five curse words.  None of that took place in the Fusion.

I couldn’t get the rear headrests out.  The top of the headrest hits the ceiling before the ends would clear the holes to take them out.  I’m sure there is a way to get them out, but I became frustrated and didn’t take the time to actually figure it out…  My bad.

The trunk is huge.  The single stroller fit with ease.  The double stroller was a little awkward through the opening, but once it was in, there was more than enough room. 

Exterior:

The old Fusion was a good looking car.  Today’s Fusion is very good looking, almost gorgeous.  It isn’t “Angelina Jolie,” but more of “Eva Mendes;” curves in all the right places and a smile that kills.

I’m not ever getting hired to write about cars or women again…

The backend of Fusion is just as good looking as the front end (we’ll get there, don’t worry).  The rear end is rounded with sharp edges.  The tail lights add emphasis to the corners with LED lights.  I like the back end of the Fusion, but not nearly as much as I like the front.

The front end is all you need to see of the Fusion.  This car shares some design language with Aston Martins.  If the two were put side by side, there would be no comparison.  The Astons are ridiculously gorgeous.  The Fusion is very good looking, but they are not in the same league.  There are hints of Aston on the front end, and this design is one that Ford has since adapted to the C-Max, Fiesta, Focus, and a less-aggressive looking version on the Taurus.

The lines of the Fusion are distinct.  You will not find a better looking sedan for the money in this segment.  There is the Camry; snooze.  The Accord; yawn.  The Malibu with the same style tail lights as when I was a kid in the late 80’s-early 90’s.  Only the Charger has some really attractive styling.  The Fusion is the best looking.  Just look at NASCAR races now.  The race cars actually look like the road cars they’re styled after and the Ford is the best looking by far.  Win on Sunday, sell on Monday can be a mantra again.

Tech:

Rant first: Please do not take away the analog buttons from the center stack of controls; the media and climate control.  I get that My Ford Touch is touch screen and there has been enough negative things said.  I can adjust to My Ford Touch, but making all of the analog buttons into touch sensitive areas on the dashboard is infuriating.  I would have to press everything, except the power button on the radio (an actual button), multiple times. 

There were times when I had to press a button three to five times to get it to finally work.  The whole time glancing up and down to make sure I didn’t plow through a turkey (the turkey population is way up this year out here…).  Technology for the sake of technology is not progress.  Please leave some analog buttons.

Some of the technology was awesome though.  All four windows were one touch Auto up/down.  I love that.  It is a simple feature and adds value to the car for me.  I get frustrated when a car has auto down, but not auto up windows.  The Fusion has all four auto up/down and it was great!

There is the Active Park Assist (Automatic Parallel Parking), the Rearview camera, the parking sensors, which tell you when you’re about to hit something or if there is a car coming as you back out.  All of it was very helpful.  I liked all of this.  I think that in the next five years, the car will not need me at all to park.  Just select the parking space on the monitor and the car will do the rest.  You won’t even get to shift or use the accelerator.

My Ford Touch is the same as before.  I used the navigation which was pretty straight forward and easy to use.  The phone syncing is very simple.  Both of my boys (4 and almost 2 years old) loved being a part of all my phone calls as they would holler their "Hello's" from the back seat.

There were times when the My Ford Touch got confused while playing songs from my iPod.  I was listening to “J!$z in my Pants” by The Lonely Island.  When I switched to another song, the display continued to read “J!$z in my Pants” and did so for the next four songs.  The 12 year old in me thought it was hilarious.  The adult was underwhelmed.  This happened a couple times with different songs and podcasts.  It is something that I would expect from any other form of technology and disconnecting the iPod and plugging it back in helped.  “Have you turned if off and on again?”  Always the first question asked when getting technology help! 

Performance:

The SE model had the optional 1.6L 4 cylinder EcoBoost engine.  This engine makes 174 horsepower and 184 ft. lbs. of torque at 2,500 rpms.  This is why the Fusion felt the most athletic around 3,000 rpms. 

There is a trick to getting the best performance out of this car.  You had to find the sweet spot for acceleration.  If you accelerated the Fusion too quickly or not enough, then the transmission would feel confused and unwilling.  If you got it just right, then the Fusion would feel athletic, light, and ready for anything.  It’s all about balance. 

The mpg numbers have me a little worried.  The 1.6L 4 cylinder should be getting some pretty good numbers.  The weather was fairly warm and the humidity levels were down, so I thought I’d get some great mileage from this car.  I averaged 25.5 mpg over the whole week.  That includes city, highway, idle, and the Auto Start-Stop.  Ford lists the 1.6L at, using the Auto Start-Stop, 24 city, 37 highway, and 28 combined.  Most days I would be around 27 for the morning commute and then back down to 25 for the trip home.  I think over 30 is achievable on the highway, but I didn’t take any trips far enough away on the highway to see if that was true.

The chassis and suspension make the Fusion feel “grounded to the ground” to steal a line from a Camry commercial.  I took the Fusion up my favorite curvy road and really gave it the business.  The Fusion responded well.  The torque coming in at 2,500 rpms means that the car is ready to jump with one down shift.  This was my favorite time with this car.

The torque from the 1.6L engine is enough.  It measures 184 ft. lb. of torque at 2,500 rpms.  The torque really helps the Fusion want to go.  It seems ready to roll off the line.  There is no hint of it being sluggish.  When you get higher up the tachometer then the 1.6L gets airy, light, and a little gutless.  When you’re whipping the Fusion the transmission shifts around 4,000 rpms, keeping you in the high area of the torque curve.  If you put it in S mode the transmissions holds the gears longer, which make the car feel less athletic.

I have history with this car.  It’s the first debut at an auto show I’ve ever seen in person.  I’m not a major automotive journalist, but I do plan to play one on TV.  This car is one of my “firsts.”  I rarely forget a first and I will never forget the 2013 Ford Fusion.   It looks soooo good.

I built my own Fusion on Ford.com.  I picked the same engine; the 1.6L Ecoboost.  I also picked the 6 speed manual transmission.  I have a feeling I would have to order the manual from the factory, since this is America and only the car nerds want a manual anymore.  The 1.6L is the only engine that comes with a manual.  I also switched to the 18” Premium Painted Sport Wheels for $650.  This package also gets me Eco Cloth seats made from 100% recyclable materials.  The hippie in me lives on, for now…

The price for my Fusion was $26,070, which is a lot, but not as expensive as my tester.  I didn’t click the package with My Ford Touch…  I like Sync, though, and I really like the Fusion.  Go drive one!