Review: 2010 Ford Taurus SEL

In 1985, when few models really stood out from the midsize pack, Ford created one of the most influential vehicles of the late 20th century: the Taurus. Radically styled and intelligently packaged, the Taurus won the hearts and minds of millions of car buyers, and for over a decade, it was a dominant force in the retail car market. Eventually, competition from the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord proved too much for Ford to handle, and the Blue Oval hung its game-changing sedan out to dry. Product development dollars were funneled to trucks and SUVs, and the Zodiac's bull died a pauper's death in 2007 after an achingly long stint as a tattered fleet Queen.

When Alan Mulally took the helm of FoMoCo, the new CEO wondered why the recognizable – if tarnished – Taurus name had been abandoned. So a branding Band-Aid was affixed to the underperforming Five Hundred sedan and, unsurprisingly, consumers saw through the botched rebadging. The "new" Taurus was still the old Five Hundred; a dynamically challenged sedan whose biggest selling point was a really large trunk. In hindsight, the move may have been a way to revive the Taurus in the public's consciousness as Mulally and company went back to the drawing board to create a new world-class sedan capable of taking on the biggest names in the segment. The 2010 Ford Taurus is here... but does it have what it takes?

Before the rebadged Taurus arrived in 2008, the Blue Oval's bull was a midsize sedan. Not anymore. The 2010 model is larger... much larger. At 202.9 inches, the Taurus spans an additional five inches over the Toyota Avalon – or to put its gargantuan length into better perspective – nearly an inch longer than a Chevrolet Tahoe. That makes it a sedan even Baby Huey can love. But the 2010 Taurus doesn't just differentiate itself from past Taurus models in size, it's more upmarket in both look and feel.



Undoubtedly, one of the primary reasons that the last Taurus reclamation project fell flat was the donor Five Hundred's utterly uninteresting exterior design. The 2008 Taurus was so bland and unnoticeable it needed a chromed, Flava-Flav three bar grille to keep other motorists from running into it. For 2010, Ford has taken a different approach, making the two-ton sedan stand out with strong character lines on the hood and beltline that create a wide, muscular and luxurious exterior.

Up front, Ford has inset a set of modern, dynamic headlamps to accentuate the Taurus' sophisticated mug. The lower fascia makes this Blue Oval appear more aggressive, with a wide, trapezoidal shape reminiscent of the so-called "Kinetic" designs found on the European Mondeo and Focus. Our only issue is with the contrived three bar grille, which contrasts nicely with the lower fascia but falls short with its odd looking holes on the top and bottom slats. Out back, Ford has attempted to recapture some of the spark from its 2003 427 concept, so the Taurus's rump receives a set of squarish taillamps and a canted stance that gives the bull's butt a dynamic presence, with a minimalistic bumper that does its best to keep the already prodigious rear overhang in check.



While there's no question the Taurus is remarkably better looking than its predecessor, if Ford wants to recapture buyers, the interior would need to be special. In the past, Ford aimed for "class competitive" interiors, and in some cases, using the term "competitive" would be... generous. Thankfully, the days of strategically placed soft touch materials attempting to hide cheap dashboard bits and mismatched plastics are a thing of the past.

Seated inside our tester's substantial cabin, Ford's upmarket assault is front and center, with a thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel (fitted to every 2010 model) and exceedingly comfortable leather thrones that wouldn't feel out of place in something costing tens of thousands more. Ford has opted for a dual cockpit approach for the all-new Taurus, with massive, symmetrical overhangs at each end and an impressive center stack sweeping back to strike a perfect balance between visual appeal and terrific ergonomics. HVAC and radio switchgear are well within reach and the controls are exceptionally easy to navigate. And while the front may be one of the best seats in the house, since the Taurus is a family sedan at heart, Ford paid special attention to the occupants in the rear. In smaller vehicles, the kiddies tend to kick the driver's seat. In the Taurus, there's more than enough legroom to accommodate your average chocolate-faced adolescent. When the time comes to haul the detritus of modern life, the new Taurus' 20 cubic-foot trunk is another big plus for the family man or woman, with ample space to fit luggage, golf clubs, groceries and some camera equipment – all at the same time.



If you get gratuitous with the options, the Taurus can easily crest $40,000 with the addition of adaptive cruise control, moonroof, navigation and all-wheel drive, but our $30,980 SEL is probably a good indication of what the average Taurus will be outfitted with, and although it didn't come equipped with Ford's excellent but pricey navigation system, SYNC was included. As we've testified before, Ford's SYNC voice-control system just works, with Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary inputs for your MP3 player or phone a few clicks and spoken words away from connection. New for 2010 is the addition of Bluetooth Audio, which allows one to connect a Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player like an iPhone or iPod Touch to the stereo without wires. We're continuously amazed at how comfortable and intuitive SYNC is, and over time, it's become a staple of the Ford Driving Experience.

After spending time inside the new Blue Oval flagship, its obvious that Ford was shooting for world class levels of equipment and materials. But while the Taurus's cabin is a huge leap forward for Ford-badged vehicles, all is not rosy. Since the interior of the Taurus is so massive, spaces needed to be broken up, and the tan, leather-clad innards of our tester joins faux wood accents to accomplish the task. We're not huge fans of fake trees, and the materials look real enough, but that doesn't mean we're partial to it. The wood – particularly with the beige interior – is just too dowdy and dull, especially when matched with such a dynamic, modern design inside and out. Further, we could have done without the oddly hidden cupholders north of the center arm rest. It's nice to have them out of view when not in use, but the lines are very visible and break up an otherwise attractive center stack.

However, none of these nits get in the way of the Taurus driving experience, as the massive sedan is a competent and coddling cruiser. At just under 4,100 pounds, the Taurus is fully 600 pound heavier than a Chevrolet Malibu, and nearly a foot longer. Despite this, the Taurus' agility is impressive for a vehicle occupying such a sizable land mass.



During a particularly healthy flogging on some twisty B-roads, the Taurus proved a relatively tight package, with limited body roll and weight-defying grip. But when pushed hard, the Taurus feels too tall, too long and too heavy. The upgraded independent multi-link suspension offers a compliant ride that doesn't come across as floaty, and while the steering is fairly precise and decently weighted, road feel is nonexistent. The new Taurus is no backroad bomber, but this hefty sedan counters with the ability to isolate occupants from the world around them. Noise levels are nicely muted, making it easy to have an "indoor" conversation with back seat occupants, and pot holes and rail road tracks are soaked up without much hassle; something we can't say for some of the Taurus' competition, let alone your average purpose-built sports sedan. Obviously, the enthusiast set isn't the fish Ford is looking to hook, so it's comfort uber alles, and at that, Ford has succeeded.

On the power front, the Taurus makes due with a carryover powertrain in the form of Ford's 3.5-liter V6. With 263 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque channeled through a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission, the Taurus is a lackadaisical cruiser, with just enough acceleration to keep you out of trouble, but hardly enough to get the blood pumping. Naturally, those looking for more pop can opt for the 365-hp EcoBoost SHO variant, but that starts at over $37,000. We suspect the average consumer will be content with the base powertrain, as most potential Taurus buyers probably don't tussle regularly with their inner Mario Andretti. With our right foot held largely in check, we achieved 22.9 mpg in mixed driving; a respectable number for a vehicle this size, and right at the center of its 18/28 EPA numbers.



With the new-for-2010 Taurus, you get the overwhelming sense that Ford has created a vehicle that knows exactly what it can and can't do. It delivers on style, comfort and features, while leaving sportiness to lighter, more dynamic performers like Dearborn's own Fusion. That can only help the Taurus compete against the likes of Toyota and Honda, and with customers placing more emphasis on value, the 2010 Taurus could give luxury stalwarts like the Cadillac DTS, Lexus ES, Acura RL and even the Lincoln MKS, something to worry about. But that can only happen if the new Taurus is bold enough and good enough for consumers to forgive Ford for its past sins with the Taurus. It's time to get over it – and after a week – we have.

[Source: Autoblog]

Lamborghini Estoque takin' it to the streets

Lamborghini has been hemming and hawing over the production prospects of the Estoque concept ever since it was unveiled last year at the Paris show. With a front-engine, four-door layout, the family-sized Lambo wouldn't be able to share much with either of the company's current models. But with Porsche and its new Panamera now under the same corporate umbrella – to say nothing of the upcoming Audi A7 and Bugatti Galibier concept – the prospects have never looked better.

As if to lend credence to the increasing amounts of speculation, an intrepid observer snapped the Estoque recently on the streets of Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately, the vehicle in question appears to be a the original concept car, and not a developmental test mule. However, its appearance – with no license plates, mind you – has got people asking a lot of questions. And whatever the answer, it certainly isn't that Lamborghini has killed the project.

[Source: ExoticsOnRoad.com]

Montezemolo reportedly confirms Ferrari 458 Spider

Ever since the introduction of the 348 Spider back in 1993 and on through the 355 Spider, 360 Spider and F430 Spider – to say nothing of the targa variants that came before – Ferrari has always produced droptop versions of its mid-engine V8 supercars. So it should come as no great surprise that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has reportedly confirmed the development of a roadster version of the new 458 Italia.

Like its predecessors, the 458 Spider will likely feature a conventional folding soft-top, and you can expect it'll be one of the lightest and quickest to deploy and retract in the business. Still, there was some speculation that Maranello would forgo building a 458 Spider altogether, leaving its sun-worshipping, V8-lovin' clientele to be tended to by the California. But while the affable marquis has been off on some statements in the past, we'll take this one at wind-in-your-face value. Expect the 458 Spider to appear in a couple of years.

[Source: Quattroroute via Euocarblog]

Review: 2009 Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro

Quality costs. Ask a recording engineer. For the same money you'll burn on a pile of inexpensive, non-serviceable gear whose greatest virtue is that "it works," you could alternatively purchase one channel's worth of serious equipment. The trade-off is that the real kit sounds great all the time, while the cheaper stuff never does. Boiled down to their essence, they both do the same thing, but it's the quality of the components and the careful construction that make all the difference.

It's the same thing with the 2009 Audi Q5. $50,000 will put your rump in vast automotive acreage, but for the same coin, the Q5's dimensions are tidy. Combating the "quantity equals quality" mindset, Audi has made the Q5 a standout. It's filled with luxury and comfort items, and put together with typical German fastidiousness. And out on the road, the Q5 chats you up with feedback that's – dare we say – sports-like. So has Audi managed to finally put the "sport" in Sport Utility?

Styling-wise, the Q5 is unmistakably Audi. Without carefully looking, it could be mistaken for its larger Q7 brother, if only ran through a clothes dryer. Initial inspection led your humble narrator to believe that the Q5 shares its underpinnings with Volkswagen's similarly-sized Tiguan, when in fact, the Q5 is based on the A4/A5's Modular Longitudinal Platform. Relatively compact, the Q5's lines share the recent Audi family style, which suggests constant forward motion by playing light along the surface detailing in a raked manner; lower in front than in back, like a modern, Teutonic hot rod.



The sculpted form is subtle and controlled, not over-muscled or gratuitously flared to look like some kind of U.N. Peacekeeping vehicle. The Q5 nevertheless blends in with the noise created by America's booming two-box pseudo-truck market. It's nicely styled and clean looking, but there's only so many places the form factor can go without being overly radical. Everyone knows what a Hummer looks like, and the H1, H2 and H3 share that style. The Q5, too, looks like an Audi crossover should, it's just a much less bold outpost of the styling world.

Audi exhibits its typical restraint with brightwork, with an accent around the windows and brushed aluminum rails tracing the arc of the roofline. Wheels look like blades from some outsized food processor, with a design open enough to bare the calipers for binder-peekers. The batwing taillamps have a gestural motion to their cross-car arc, and finish the back end tidily. It looks like the lights out back hold the entire bodywork in tension, and it's just right. While the Q5 is not outlandish enough to be anything other than just another wagon in denial outside of Nordstrom, A6 drivers will give you that serious-looking nod and half-wave off the steering wheel rim when you drive by.



Even if you aren't an Audi fan, you still might have a dippy smirk on your mug when Mr. Serious A6 offers up his faint acknowledgment, simply because the Q5 manages to be a heck of a lot of fun behind the wheel. The speed-sensitive steering feels heavy until you're traveling at highway speeds, although the wheel's rim isn't the chattiest of Cathies when it comes to feedback from the tires. Audi's 3.2-liter V6 has been to its choir classes and studied the Porsche Songbook for Six Cylinders well. Using the shifter's manual gate, you can hold the V6 at full bellow and enjoy its snarly, metallic growl. Of course, there's really no need to play with the shifter. When left to its own devices, the six-speed Tiptronic transmission makes the most of the engine's 270 horsepower in a quick, precise manner. The Q5's class-average 4,200 pounds will boogie when you push the accelerator down. The fleetness is even aided and abetted by reasonable fuel economy of 17/24 – not bad for something sticking up in the air and carrying all wheel drive.

Bite the Q5 into a slice of trajectory change, though, and a mere three letters will comprise your initial impression: Wow. There's an actual, playful chassis under this thing. It'll hunker and let you adjust attitude slightly with the throttle and carve a line through your favorite backward-S curve in a way that very few vehicles of this type accomplish. Further, the athleticism underneath isn't gained in a Faustian bargain that trades away ride quality.



Bumpy pavement is not smothered by excessive syrup in the springing, but events are mere blips on the scope. Railroad tracks are felt, dealt with and gone, all within the time it takes to traverse them. The Q5 is at once taut and cushy. There's never any bump-stop pounding or nautical swell-riding – it's a rewarding mix. Add the disciplined ride to the enthusiastic cornering, and it adds up to serious entertainment for the individual lucky enough to plant his or her backside in the supremely comfortable driver's chair. Our sampler carried Audi Drive Select, a system that allows drivers to toggle the Q5's responses between "Comfort" and "Dynamic." It didn't really seem to do much – shift points moved up a bit with Dynamic selected – so rather than push another button, we just left it in "Auto" most of the time.

On the topic of button pressing: There's entirely too much of it in the Q5. Simple things have extra steps added. Just try and change the fan setting successfully on the first try. Putting multiple functions on the same set of interface hardware can be a good idea, but Audi's execution is maddeningly overthought. MMI can be inscrutable and distracting instead of returning on its promise of streamlining operation, too. There are a lot of buttons bristling on the center console, as well as Audi's habitually bad placement of the audio volume knob there, and a torpid start/stop button. Admittedly, the non-standard location of the volume knob allows the passenger easy access, and the driver's thumb has its own volume control on the steering wheel spoke. At least it all looks nice, especially the navigation screen and clean, legible gauges.



Lending an airy feel to our test car – while also increasing the weight and raising the center of gravity – was an optional panoramic glass roof covering most of the ceiling. Trying to operate the overly complex human-car interface in any modern Audi may have you picturing that roof as an escape hatch when the machines go awry. Tech is the new thing, though, especially for luxury European makes, and the Q5 is right in line, with lots of menu-driven functions an excellent integration of iPods and even twin SD card slots right on the dash. The rest of the car is joyfully straightforward. Safety subsystems are there to dazzle and delight. Audi Side Assist lights little orange telltales in the side mirrors to warn you of a motorist occupying a blind spot. Optional rear-side airbags offer more pillow when you ignore that car, too, supplementing the already comprehensive list of safety and occupant protection equipment.

Comfort is good in all seating positions, though the roofline's arc may tickle the pompadour of taller occupants. Child seats are easily mounted with well-located LATCH anchors that don't require a search party to find. Materials throughout are high quality, and everything you touch feels damped, padded or buffed to a set of careful specifications. Since it is really just a gussied-up wagon, the cargo space is important. Stroller-bound parents may have some trouble fitting today's oversized kid hardware – there's not enough width for some items to fit any way other than diagonally. Outright space is available elsewhere, though, and the Q5 has enough room in the back for the day-to-day use most owners will give it. If hauling stuff and passengers is your game, the Q5's belly is going to fill up real fast, though.



So what's the bottom line – does the Q5 have the same goodness as a transformer-balanced Class-A microphone preamp? We think it does. Good, expensive hardware always has some kind of undefinable mojo that makes the output of its efforts flat-out brilliant, and that's what the Q5 feels like. The cockpit could use some de-complication, as it's the equivalent to a piece of audio gear's front panel controls, but once you figure out the Q5's deep function set, it becomes all the more endearing. Out of the box, it's simply the best driving crossover in its class, and Audi has put it all together with its typical careful execution. For now, it's the segment's ringer if you can afford it.


Second Look: Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro

With the glut of new premium small crossovers hitting the market as of late (Volvo XC60, Mercedes-Benz GLK, Cadillac SRX etc.), this reviewer wasn't prepared to enjoy the Q5 experience as much as he actually did. While Audi sedans have consistently been at or near the top of the sports/luxury heap, its Q7 big brother didn't properly prime us to drive the baby Q. It isn't that the Q7 is awful, mind, it just doesn't feel chock full of clever engineering like the rest of its four-ringed compatriots – it's absolutely huge on the outside, less so on the inside, and only moderately entertaining to drive. So, if you've got it in your head that the Q5 is merely a Shrinky Dink'd Q7, get that out of your head right now.

As Roth correctly points out, the Q5 is easily the driver's car of the entry-level premium CUV niche, and you notice it right from the off – particularly when specced out with Audi Drive Select, whose variable ratio steering is clearly more heavily weighted than its contemporaries. ADS allows one to tweak both the quickness and the heft of the helm, but even at its lightest setting, it's simply more direct than the others we've sampled. That's not to say that it's not a bit synthetic in feel (it can add weight suddenly at low speeds) or that it's the last word in feedback, but it does a better job than similar systems and the added resistance helps one feel more in control. In fact, it add a feeling of added solidity and security to the whole vehicle, as does the rear-biased Quattro all-wheel drive.

In contrast to Roth, however, this author is significantly less critical when it comes to MMI. While the infotainment system has its ergonomic challenges, familiarity beyond a week of driving helps facilitate ease-of-use greatly, as does the voice activation capability that understands normal conversational terms. And latest generation's updated navi graphics are both fun and helpful. Most of us would just assume abandon the all-in-one ICE solution adopted by Audi and its chief German rivals, but MMI doesn't strike yours truly as any less rational a solution than BMW's iDrive or Mercedes-Benz's COMAND system.

All-in, the Q5 is a clever (if costly) tool that we can see being very easy to live with on a daily basis – both as family men and women – and as enthusiasts.

[Source: Autoblog]

BMW Lovos concept

It must be fun to be a car designer. Unless, of course, your name becomes synonymous with a specific styling trend that very few seem to appreciate... but we digress. It definitely seems that 24-year-old Pforzheim University graduate Anne Forschner had a good time coming up with her BMW Lovos concept, which can alternatively look either like a frightened porcupine or svelte salmon, depending on its needs at the time.

The exterior of the Lovos – which somewhat ironically stands for Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity – is theoretically constructed from just one fully exchangeable part that recurs 260 times. Each exterior piece is covered in solar photovoltaic cells and can hinge on a substructure underneath to follow the sun or act as individual airbrakes. We can only assume the concept would be powered by electricity, as it makes our hairs stand up on end.

[Source: cardesign.ru]

Land Rover confirms two-door LRX for production

Land Rover has today confirmed what we've long expected – the popular LRX Concept from the 2008 edition of the Detroit Auto Show is headed for production. The British-born automaker doesn't actually say the new 'ute will be called the LRX when it hits the market in 2011, but it will definitely be wearing a Range Rover badge and therefore likely be marketed as a premium vehicle.

No details are given about the coupe-like SUV's powertrain, but Land Rover does say the it "will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced." Previous reports have suggested the production LRX will share underpinnings with the LR2 (a.k.a. the Freelander) and will be offered with an optional all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain that may use an electric motor to power the rear wheels and a transverse engine underhood driving the front wheels.

Judging from the lone rendering released with this announcement, the basic shape from the LRX Concept should survive mostly intact, perhaps gaining a slightly more pronounced front fascia to go along with the production-necessary external door handles. Expect more details to filter out at the beginning of 2010

[Source: Land Rover]



PRESS RELEASE

SMALL RANGE ROVER CONFIRMED FOR PRODUCTION

Gaydon, Warwickshire, 24 September 2009 – Land Rover has confirmed today that a production version of its exciting LRX concept car will be built. The new car will debut next year and join the Range Rover line-up in 2011.

Designed and engineered at Land Rover's state of the art Gaydon facility, the new Range Rover will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.

The new car will be built at the multi award-winning plant in Halewood, on Merseyside, subject to quality and productivity agreements and will be sold in over 100 countries around the world.

Phil Popham, managing director of Land Rover said: "The production of a small Range Rover model is excellent news for our employees, dealers and customers. It is a demonstration of our commitment to investing for the future, to continue to deliver relevant vehicles for our customers, with the outstanding breadth of capability for which we are world-renowned."

"Feedback from our customer research also fully supports our belief that a production version of the LRX Concept would further raise the desirability of our brand and absolutely meet their expectations." Phil added.

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director said "The new vehicle will be a natural extension to the Range Rover line-up, complementing the existing models and helping to define a new segment. It will be true to the concept and have many recognisable Range Rover design cues including the signature clamshell bonnet, the floating roof and the solid 'wheel-at-each-corner' stance."

More details of the new small Range Rover will be released next year.

Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260

Over its 61-year history, Lotus Cars has spent a considerable amount of time clawing its way back from the brink of insolvency. The company's most recent bout with financial disrepair came in the early Nineties after the front-wheel-drive Elan proved a commercial failure (surprise!) and the Esprit toiled away in the shadows of newer, more powerful supercars. As hope for the historic marque's triumphant return began to fade, a group of Lotus engineers pooled their collective will to create an all-new, back-to-basics model that would revive Colin Chapman's company and give hardened enthusiasts the purist's driving tool they craved.

In September of 1996, the Elise was born, and four years later, its hard-top sibling – the Exige – came on the scene. Over the last decade, we've seen a raft of super-special-limited-edition variants follow in its lightweight wake, but the ultimate version is this: the 2009 Lotus Exige S 260. Packing more power and "more lightness" than the 240 Sport we sampled last year, there's no doubt it's a telepathic terror on track, but we wanted to know if it was up to the depravity of Michigan roads, so we set our chiropractor on speed dial and headed out...

But first, a quick recap of high school physics.

The definition of kinetic energy is e = 1/2 * m * v2. You can rearranged that equation to v = square root ((2 * e) / m). Automotive translation? You can make a vehicle quicker by either increasing available energy (more power!) or by cutting its mass (more lightness!). With this latest Exige, Lotus engineers have clearly said: "Screw it. Let's do both." And with that, they've taken the 240 S – already one of the lightest street cars on the market – and shaved nearly 60 pounds by replacing the engine cover, rear wing, front splitter, roof and side ducts with carbon fiber pieces, and they've fitted a set of lightweight sports seats and plonked a minimalist battery in the "trunk."



With the weight reduction out of the way, the engine tweakers in Hethel extracted a further 17 horsepower out of the supercharged, 1.8-liter Toyota-sourced four-cylinder engine to bring total output up to 257 horsepower and torque to a reasonably stout 174 pound-feet. While that's nothing to write home about in the two-ton luxobarges that populate the Great Lakes State, fit it to something that weighs just over 2,000 pounds while meeting the Fed's safety standards – all while returning 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway – and you've got one of the most potent performance creations available to man. Assuming you can fit inside.

Lotus manages to achieve such a low mass (while meeting modern regulatory standards) by using a novel architecture built from a collection of aluminum extrusions riveted and glued together. The issue of ingress and egress stems from this: the chassis was originally designed for a convertible. The side beams are large enough to support most of the structure, meaning they're both tall and wide. In an Elise sans roof, no big deal. You just step over the sill and plop your backside into the seat. With the roof bolted in place, the experience is closer to sliding through the window of a race car or, more appropriately, down the barrel of a cannon.



Once you've wiggled your way inside (helpful hint: place your right foot in the well, sit on the sill, grab the wheel and tug yourself through), you're ensconced in a carbon fiber shell with a minimal amount of padding. The driver's seat moves fore and aft (the passenger seat is fixed) and both thrones benefit from cut-outs to accommodate a five-point racing harness and HANS device. As the seats are solid pieces of carbon fiber, there's no lateral give, so you'll want to start shopping for diet books on Amazon... yesterday.

The Exige's diminutive size and cramped cabin causes your legs to cant towards the center of the car where the trifecta of proper pedals reside, and while the steering wheel is fixed, the upright seats allow the wheel and shifter to fall readily to hand. Although early Elises were bereft of carpeting, exposing the matte aluminum to reaffirm your hardcore surroundings, the Exige receives carbon fiber caps on the door sills and dashboard, while the steering wheel, door panels and center console are coated in Alcantara. Cubbies? All you've got is an aluminum tray to the right of the radio and (hopefully) a helpful passenger.



Starting up the Exige involves pressing the unlock button on the key, inserting it into the column, twisting it to the "On" position and – within 30 seconds – pressing the engine "Start" button on the left side of the dash. If you miss the 30 second window, you simply press the button on the fob and the four-pot behind your head spins to life.

Historically, Toyota's high output, variable valve timing-equipped 1.8-liter four is too high strung and lacks usable grunt near the bottom of the tach. Fortunately, the supercharger Lotus has fitted to the Exige addresses both issues, removing the torque deficit and vastly improving daily drivablity. Combined with the Exige's low mass, the engine makes trolling along in stop-and-start traffic a remarkably effortless process. The trade-off? With the intercooler mounted atop the engine and fed by the roof-mounted scoop, the rear window has been replaced by a solid bulkhead, leaving the outside mirrors as the only means of conveying what's going on behind you. Combined with the oh-so-low roof and seating position, road monsters like the Honda Fit tower over the Exige. Those afflicted with Napoleon complexes need not apply.



Naturally, maneuvering around a garage or parking lot takes some effort as the Exige – like its predecessors – doesn't come equipped with power assisted steering. However, once you're on the go, the effort falls away and the helm is pure mechanical perfection. Once you escape the confines of urban life, any worries about size, steering or visibility simply melt into the distance.

Climbing up the Exige's graduated tachometer towards 9,000 RPM, you'll notice there's no marked redline. Instead, a series of three red LEDs illuminate on the dash when it's time to shift. When the engine is cold, the indicators come on between 5,000 and 6,000 RPM. Once the coolant and oil are up to temperature, you can throttle down, spin the 2ZZ past 4,000 RPM – where the VVTi kicks in – all the way to its 8,500 RPM redline and enjoy the mechanical duet of the engine and supercharger ricocheting around the undampened cabin.

With the engine rocketing towards redline, the Exige's gearbox is ready to deliver six perfectly spaced ratios to keep the supercharged four in its meaty sweet spot. The aluminum shift lever benefits from short throws, although the linkage on our (likely abused) press car could have been slightly more precise. The narrow footwell – a minor annoyance earlier – became an asset, with closely spaced pedals that made heel-and-toe action a breeze.



Off the line, the Exige has you covered with a variable launch control feature. Unlike most systems that give you one option to create the perfect standing start, Lotus allows drivers to set the engine's launch control speed anywhere between 2,000 and 8,000 RPM via a knob on the left of the steering wheel. Once it's set, simply floor the long pedal and the system holds the engine at the pre-set speed. Drop the clutch and you've got a perfect launch time after time. After fiddling with the settings, we found the magic mark (4,500 RPM), allowing the Exige to burst off the line with the perfect amount of wheel spin. No bogging, no slithering, just thrust – even on less-than-perfect surfaces.

But as good as the engine, launch control and auditory assault are, they're far from the best part.

It's no wonder automakers around the world tap Lotus Engineering to sort out their suspensions – the Exige is the perfect case study. Simply put, the roads in southeast Michigan suck. They're loaded with bumps, cracks and heaves. But even though the Exige is clearly not tuned for comfort, the suspension does a remarkable job of dealing with Michigan's worst.

Unlike most stiffly sprung sports cars, the Exige doesn't bounce around. The copious quantities of mechanical grip convey every nuance of the tarmac into the cabin, but none of this is as jarring as you'd expect. Flying down a curvy road at a clip far beyond what most cars are capable of, your backside just inches from the road, the Exige is supremely confidence inspiring. Even hitting a frost heave mid-corner left our little Lotus unperturbed.



Unfortunately, it's not always sunshine and sweeping tarmac. But even at those times, the Exige impressed. Cruising down the freeway in a downpour, the window defogger did an admirable job of maintaining forward visibility – and even with the nearly slick Yokohama Advan A048s fitted at all four corners, the Exige never slipped or slithered. While it's far from a daily schlepper – a four cubic foot bin behind the engine bay and whatever space you can manage in the passenger seat is what passes for cargo space – as a play thing, the S 260 approaches four-wheeled perfection.

Another benefit of the Exige's small engine and featherweight design is decent fuel economy. The EPA rates the Exige S260 at 20/26 mpg city and highway and we averaged 19 mpg on two fill ups of the 10.6 gallon tank. The Exige and its carbon fiber doesn't come cheap though. The S 260 adds $9,000 to the starting price of the S240 and the out-the-door tab affixed to our example came to $77,115. That's more than $30,000 less than a Tesla Roadster, which shares its lineage with the Lotus Elise. Given that most drivers of either this or the Tesla are likely to put on far fewer miles than on an average car, we'd opt for the 2-3 minute fill ups of the Lotus if it were our own money – assuming, of course, that we wedge ourselves inside.

[Source: Autoblog]

First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo

Evolution is a tough thing to watch – and not merely because it takes millions of years. While the developmental pace of the automobile has proven to be rather quicker than the natural world surrounding it, the car industry's recent house-on-fire rush into new niches and sub-genres has often been similarly challenging to make sense of. Like those primordial fish that beach themselves, drag their bellies on the sand with their fins and eventually mutate into, say, Adriana Lima, you just have to know that the industry's recent diversification efforts will eventually yield a timeless beauty or two. But thus far, you could be forgiven for thinking that the process will take a few hundred millennia – especially where it concerns the industry's nascent call-me-anything-but-a-station-wagon movement.

While the burgeoning four-door coupe segment has already yielded some supermodels, the kinlugger set has yet to work out the same way. This, despite seemingly every automaker downing the midnight Red Bull in an effort to hit upon a package that bundles the functional attributes of a family hauler without their social stigma. Some companies are disguising their efforts as SUVs (traditional square-rigged crossovers); a few have waded in with quasi-minivans, while others are staking their claim to the muddy hatchback middle ground. Enter the latest automotive platypus, BMW's 5 Series Gran Turismo, a distinctive new five-door that aims to meld the practical utility of a CUV and a station wagon without the either genre's dynamic and civil penalties.

First things first. There's no point in dodging the obvious: Aesthetics will be the primary topic of discussion whenever the 5 Series Gran Turismo comes in for scrutiny. And with good reason – we haven't seen anything quite like it before. Up front, the 5GT's enlarged kidney grilles cant forward ever so slightly, creating an aggressive look reinforced by twin corona headlamps and muscular front fenders. The grille's rake isn't as deliberate or convincing as, say, an E28 5 Series, but it does lend the face a degree of menace without running afoul of European pedestrian safety standards. Follow the headlamps along their main character line, and you'll run across a traditional high-waisted beltline. But it isn't really until the rear end that the shock sets in – the 5GT's jarring, fastback-like greenhouse that terminates in a novel (if controversial) dual-hinged liftback arrangement.



While we wouldn't use the word "elegant" to describe this vehicle's styling (as our BMW hosts often did), it certainly possesses a shape for which the old classified ad chestnut "Must see to appreciate" was surely created. Simply put, while far from a traditional beauty, the 5GT's proportions acquit themselves significantly better in the metal than they do in print or on screen. Natural light plays with the body's details in more flattering ways, and on the road, its scale can be more readily appreciated.

The 5GT's polarizing visuals will be its biggest hurdle to consumer acceptance.

More than most, the 5GT is a motion-sensitive design, looking quite a bit better on the move than it does when static. And although it isn't likely to be confused with something from, say, an Italian design house, we must say it looked very much at home parked in front of the beautiful vistas and posh hotspots of Lisbon, Portugal, where we sampled it last week. Still, it's clear that the 5GT's polarizing visuals will undoubtedly be its biggest hurdle to consumer acceptance.

As you might reasonably surmise, the real beauty here is on the inside. Light and airy thanks to a standard-fit panoramic sunroof, the 5GT's cabin manages to eschew the inky Teutonic sobriety that most modern Bimmers succumb to, particularly when lighter material colors are selected. Like other BMWs, the dashboard is a study in horizontal layers that emphasize the interior's width, and the 5GT has genuinely inspired door panels whose undulating lines flow uninterrupted between the front and rear passenger compartments. In particular, the rear cards take an unusual and visually compelling form, with the door handles riding the crest of a wave that wraps around behind the second row.



As with the door panels that surrounds them, the rear seats are actually the most comfortable perches in the whole place. 5GT models come standard with a 40/20/40 split seat with a nice fold-down console. However, that narrow center section is unlikely to prove useful for actual occupants, so we would recommend splurging on the optional fixed armrest/console, which adds electric articulation and more luxurious buckets (either setup has 3.9 inches of fore-aft travel and 15 to 33 degree adjustable rake), individual climate control for each occupant, sunshades and a genuine limousine-like environment – especially when fitted with optional creature comforts like the dual-screen DVD. With the legroom of a 7 Series and the headroom of an X5, it's a much nicer place to spend time than in the current 5 Series Touring. And while we don't normally tend to think of pent-roof five-door hatchbacks as "Gran Tourer" material, a stint in the second row of this Bimmer readily communicates why the moniker has been appropriated.

Of course, the front seats aren't so bad, either, and BMW has resisted fitting a too-thick steering wheel here as it has to some of its other vehicles. Observed fit-and-finish was first rate, and it's surprising to find such features as auto soft-close doors and power headrests as standard equipment. All major controls are within easy reach, with many being accessed through the latest generation of iDrive, which is much improved but still a bit complex for our tastes.



The 5GT's pièce de résistance is the aforementioned twin-hinged liftback. The hatch can open wide at its roof-mounted hinge to accept bulky items, or a smaller secondary aperture below the glass can be opened giving the car sedan-like versatility. Why is this a big deal? Well, aside from being a party trick to awe the neighbors, if you select the smaller opening, you can load what is effectively a completely sealed trunk, ensuring that wayward drafts – be they frigid or acrid – won't invade the passenger compartment. Further, with a sturdy parcel shelf (which can be stowed below the flat load floor) and a partition between the passenger compartment and the cargo hold, the system pays aural dividends as well. Despite using frameless doors, the 5GT is impressively isolated from the sorts of road noises typically fomented by boomy open cargo areas.

At first, the hatch arrangement struck us as a bit gimmicky, but in practice, its advantages become clearer. One thing that doesn't come clearer, however, is the view out back. Presumably, the double-joined mechanicals eat into space that might otherwise have manifested itself as a larger glass area, because what's left is a mail slot of a rear window. Oddly, BMW has declined to use shingle-style headrests that would have made the best of the available sightlines. As it is, plan on becoming BFF with the excellent backup camera.



For a marque that has prided itself on being the Ultimate Driving Machine, it's perhaps a bit ironic that the best seat in the 5GT's haus is in the back. But if you were expecting us to say that BMW's latest is a disappointing driver – or that it rides and handles like a 5 Series Touring with three-inch lifts on – dock yourself a few points, because it's better than all that.

For one, this segment-splitter isn't really analogous to the E60/E61 5 Series at all – it's actually built on the modular chassis that will underpin the next generation 5- and 6- Series. As such, its closest relative is the new standard-length 7 Series sedan, a model with which it shares its 120.7-inch wheelbase (the current 5 Series Touring's is considerably shorter at 113.6-inches) and front- and rear tracks. The wheels are nearer to the corners than in Bimmer's big-dollar sedan, however, as the overall length is trimmer by about three inches, and the roofline is taller by just over the same amount.

That generous footprint pays dividends not just in a munificent interior, but also in polished, big car comportment. While Bavarian Motors of yore suffered stiff-legged rides because of their run-flat tires' reinforced sidewalls, we experienced no such issues on Portugal's admittedly first-rate roadways. Further R&D by rubber companies has clearly helped to minimize ride penalties associated with the technology, and both the 245/50 18-inch tires and 245/45 front, 275/40 rear 19-inch tire packages we sampled struck a reasonable balance between comfort and handling.



With its so-called "semi-command" seating (the hip point is two inches higher than the current 5 Series but a full four inches lower than the X5), you might expect the 5GT to feel a wee bit tipsy, but it's nothing of the sort. Yes, there's no denying the physics behind 4,500+ pounds if you really overcook it going into a corner, but this rear-driver responds gamely to inputs, with the right amount of compliance from the double-wishbone front and rear multilink suspension setup and decisive, well-timed gearchanges from its ZF eight-speed automatic to aid driver confidence upon entrance and exit.

BMW came up with a far more complete product than we thought, but how will it successfully market this thing?

While we were a bit surprised at the absence of paddle shifters on the vehicles we sampled, with the octocog transmission's broad selection of ratios at the ready and plenty of torque from both the inline-six in the 535i and 530i diesel (we couldn't resist sampling this not-for-U.S. treat) we didn't miss them – and besides, there's a tap-shift feature on the gearlever. No manual gearbox is offered, and even if the 5GT gets an M variant, we wouldn't bet on finding one inside.

Despite the car's long wheelbase and substantial curb weight, the 5GT still proved itself to be an engaging steer on the undulating coastal roads around Lisbon. Speaking of – if you prefer a quicker helm, BMW offers an optional Integral Active Steering system that varies the rack's ratio and provides a bit of rear-wheel steering. However, we're not sure we see the need. While IAS may help shave a second or so off your lap time at the Nürburgring, it seems rather beside the point with a practically minded vehicle like the 5GT. Further, the standard hydraulic system offers superior feedback and more predictable turn-in with the added benefit of lower cost and complexity.



Similarly, although the 4.4-liter V8-powered 550i model wasn't available for sampling at the launch event (it's the only engine that will be available Stateside when the model launches in December), we can't see why we wouldn't save some ducats and go with less expensive 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbo inline-six of the 535i, as it's substantially lighter, offers plenty of power, and promises to be more economical to purchase and operate. With 304 horsepower (@ 5,800 rpm) and 295 pound-feet of torque available from just 1,200 rpm, it's also no slouch. Sixty mph arrives in an estimated 6.3 seconds and the party doesn't stop until 155 mph. Unfortunately, you'll have to hold out until next spring if you want the new direct-injected, Valvetronic-equipped six, but at least if you're willing to wait that long, you'll also probably be able to select xDrive for enhanced all-season grip.

Regardless of engine choice, all U.S.-bound 5GTs will feature Dynamic Drive Control, a rocker switch that gives the driver the ability to electronically gird the car's various systems for performance driving. DDC alters everything from throttle response to gearbox shift points, stability control thresholds and steering assistance. Those settings come in the form of Normal, Sport, and Sport + – we'd recommend the middle setting even for daily driving duties, as it isn't too firm.



Having spent some quality time both driving and reflecting upon what BMW has created here, we're convinced that Munich has come up with a far more complete product than we might have reasonably thought. It drives very well and it offers a number of unique functional attributes that we can see being of real value for some customers. What we're still foggy on, however, is how BMW will successfully market this thing. With its modest ground clearance, it isn't a crossover, and it isn't really a minivan/people mover either. It's just different enough that it has no natural competitors – especially in America, which isn't slated to get vehicles like Audi's A5 Sportback. Premium rear-drive hatches like the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz's slow-selling R-Class are just too far afield to be considered rivals, and even though pricing has yet to be revealed (we're guessing the generously equipped 535i will start in the mid-$ixties somewhere), it figures to be costlier than, say, an Audi A6 Avant.

To be fair, being a party-of-one can be an enviable position from which to operate, but it can also place one outside popular consideration. Whether BMW's marketing crew can convince American consumers that a tallish 5 Series with a prehensile tail is the next evolution of the premium family car remains to be seen. Will the Gran Turismo prove to be the missing link that buyers have been clamoring for, or an evolutionary cul-de-sac? Only natural selection customer dollars will decide.

[Source: Autoblog]