With both my hands gripping the leather wrapped, flat bottom steering wheel of the 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8, we were tearing down the freeway toward Beeville, Texas. Somewhere along the way, as Kid Rock was screaming about Detroit through the 900-watt, 19-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system, the speed needle climbed and the fuel needle dropped, my co-pilot and I began to discuss what we liked and did not like about the latest Charger from the performance nuts at SRT.
At the top of the list of likes was, of course, the reason for all this speed and fuel consumption: the 6.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 and each of the 470 horses it produced. Also receiving high marks from us were the seats (not the color), dash and user-friendly center stack. The unique, for SRT8, front seats were comfortable for our long drive while the added side bolsters and suede inserts held us in place when the roads began to twist. The instrument cluster is comprised of easy to read analog gauges and a screen that is located between the oversized tachometer and speedometer, which can display a variety of additional information, such as trip, DTE, average MPG and tire PSI. The simple in design and use center stack houses the basic hvac controls and can be topped with an optional 8.4-inch touch screen that provides a clear and fast interface for controlling the audio and navigation system. Also accessed through the touch screen are a variety of performance readouts, including acceleration timers, breaking distance and real-time horsepower and torque use. Read more »
Posted in cars, Reviews on April 24th, 2013 by admin
The Lexus LS has never been an attention grabbing car. Since its introduction, almost two decades ago, the LS has established its niche as a big, luxury, four-door, with emphasis on comfort and technology rather than performance or style. The introduction of the 4th generation LS stays true to form, however now, thanks to an all new F-sport package, performance and style are emphasized just as much as those other things.
We recently drove the 2013 Lexus LS F-sport for a week and logged over 1,000 miles. It was better than we expected, but not everything we wanted. What we truly wanted was BMW M or Mercedes-Benz AMG power. What we got was no slouch, but the 386-horsepower produced by the naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8 cannot be compared to the aforementioned German hotrods and their forced induction V8’s that make north of 500-horsepower. Read more »
Recently, Buick has decided to expand its Verano line of compact sedans with turbocharged model. Verano Turbo is considered amongst the heavy duty service providing sedans, as the engine power is quite impeccable. The 2.0 liter engine makes 260 foot-pounds of torque at 2,000 RPM and credited with the ability to generate 250 HP at 5300 RPM. Such compact composition or specification of this sedan has lifted it up to the list of smashing sedans that are highly sold in the year of 2012. Read more »
Awards are only given to the best of the best. There is never a small competition in the automotive industry; usually the number of candidates is endless, so take into consideration just how amazing the 2013 Jeep Patriot must be! So amazing that it has racked up 4 accomplishments including: the Kelly Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own Award, the TOP SAFETY PICK award from the insurance institute for Highway Safety, it was recognized by NADAguides.com as a “ Top 10 Most Versatile Car Under $20,000,” and lastly it was listed on “ Consumer Guide Automotive’s “ 10 Coolest Cars Under 18,000.”Wondering why? Maybe it’s because it has low projected ownership costs or because it has art-like features that are beautiful to admire. Wait it could be because of its safe design for protecting all passengers in crashes. One could also explain that the versatility in the car is amazing. There are three models to the car: Sport model, latitude model, and a limited model. Being Trail rated means this vehicle can manage, and manage well in a variety of terrains. I could lose my breath going on about the Jeep Patriot, but this information must be spread! It’s urgent, because its perfect for exploring the great outdoors with an engineering technology that allows the Patriot to attain up to 408 miles on a tank-full.
Another Texas Mile in the books and another record set by the camo wrapped, twin-turbo Ford GT owned by our friend Mark, prepped by the Hennessey team, tuned by Shane and this time driven by Patrick. At the end of a standing mile, the street legal Ford GT had set a new Texas Mile record of 267.6 mph.
Unfortunately the 4th generation black Camaro of KP Racing (aka: The World’s Fastest Camaro) suffered a horrific crash on the 2nd day of the event. The car will not live to race again, but fortunately the driver will.
Our friend’s Ford GT has set another Texas Mile record. On March 23, 2013, the Hennessey prepped, camo wrapped, twin-turbo monster, driven, this time, by Patrick O’Gorman, went 267.6 mph in a standing mile. Congratulations Mark, Kevin, Patrick, Shawn and the rest of the crew!
The Ford Fusion Hybrid SE has fused a reasonably low MRSP price with a safe lease plan, and most importantly hybrid package features that make statements! But it doesn’t stop there; the deals at Ford are absolutely and positively incredible. Aside to the powerful equipment that comes with the standard package, there are four other packages to consider. They are the SE MyFord Touch Technology Package, SE Luxury Driver Assist Package, Equipment Group 504B, and Equipment group 505A. Read more »
To showcase the Dodge Grand Caravan, I have to announce that less is more at Dodge! The AVP starts $1,000 less than 2012 at $19,995 MSRP. Less competition puts the spotlight on Dodge as being the only auto manufacturer to have a Blu-Ray DVD video system with four-times higher resolution on Crew and R/T models. Models, that you might not be aware of; here they are with short descriptions from Pioneering Dodge themselves: AVP Minivan. Mini price., SE Versatility and comfort at an affordable price., SXT Do anything in a minivan with everything., Crew A movie playing, picnic-hosting, mobile office., and the R/T To lead the pack, you need high performance. Why highlight the names and descriptions of the models? It’s because Dodge nailed it with these models, and these names and descriptions depict just that in fewer words that speak the loudest! Read more »
Kit car building has been a popular activity in the UK for decades for many reasons, not least as it is often an affordable route to replica sports, classic, or super car ownership. Many kit car manufacturers offer fully-built cars, full kits, or modular packages to enable cars to be built over time, and to the owners’ specifications.
What the manufacturers do not offer, in general, are the tools to actually build the cars. Instead, a suggested list of tools required is included with the instruction manual, and the builder is expected to purchase these separately. All kits differ one way or another, but it can be assumed that the following should be considered when building your own car… Read more »
Posted in cars, Reviews on March 11th, 2013 by admin
Few things are as legendary to the automotive world as the name Shelby and few things are as coveted to the enthusiast as the perfect driving road. When Ford informed us they would be tossing us the keys to a 2013 Shelby GT500, we knew what needed to be done – we needed to take a road trip. Not the typical road trip where the destination is worth the journey, but a road trip where the journey is the destination.
With over 150,000 miles of paved roads in Texas, there are quite a few excellent roads; however, few are as exciting as Ranch Roads 335, 336 and 337 which are also known as The Twisted Sisters. As the nickname alludes, these Ranch Roads have a few bends, curves, twists and turns. All the white-knuckle twists and turns are connected by straights that seem too short to catch your breath or relax your grip on the wheel, yet long enough to build enough speed to make the next set of bends and curves even more exciting than the previous. After viewing a map of these three roads, the decision was easy; we were going to visit The Twisted Sisters. Read more »
