Cars

2011 Nissan Leaf

Remember the good ole’ days when all the best Christmas gifts came with batteries? For most readers that probably ended when game consoles went mainstream and replaced handhelds, notably the Game Boy. For 2010 Nissan’s going to bring back that great feeling of rechargability (yeah yeah) although this year batteries ARE included. The 2011 Nissan Leaf has 660 lb’s of batteries, making unwrapping quite difficult but is arguably the first EV  to be sold to the mass public in a very long time. Or as Inside Line puts it, it’s a “brand-new, purpose-built, mass-produced, battery-powered family car and, as such, the very first of its kind in the world.”

Lets get the trivia  out of the way: five-door, five-passenger city car wrapped in a modern Nissan Juke-like love-it or hate-it body style, (USA Today nails it with “Ugggggly”). Leaf has a front mounted engine, 107 hp, 208 lb-ft, top speed of 90 mph and a claimed 0-60 run under 10 seconds.  Overall, Nissan lists the Leaf at an MSRP of $32,780, $18K of which reportedly belong to the battery alone. None of these figures sound remarkable for any car until you realize you’re driving an EV in 2010. Considering it’s a city car one of the most remarkable figures belongs to the top speed and the range of 100 miles proving the Nissan Leaf to not just be another electric Smart or Ranger EV.

One hurdle in purchasing the leaf is of course, range anxiety, considering the range of 100 miles to be a third that of a conventional car. However, Nissan claims their special home charger (purchase and installation costs can be rolled into monthly payments) can turn a 220-volt outlet into a full charged car in under 8 hours. If you’re looking for a quicker charge, commercial 440-volt stations can have the job done in 30 minutes but consider the savings “at the pump” when running costs average about 70% less than a conventional gasoline car.

Most driving impressions are positive giving acclaim to the airy cabin, snappy response, and supremely quiet ride. “This quiet creates an adverse effect of making wind noise and road noise more noticeable at highway speeds…” Edmunds writes.  USA Today dismisses steering feedback as too slow: “Turn the wheel a lot for a little reaction.”

Set for a limited launch here in the States and Japan now (December 2010), followed by Portugal in January 2011, Ireland in February, the UK in March, with global availability set for 2012.  Range anxiety and slow steering aside, government rebates start at $7,500 here in the states and nearly everywhere it’s going to be on sale in the world will feature some kind of rebate. The kicker? For local customers its built right here in the beautiful sprawling metropolis of Smyrna, TN.

• Inside Line (First Drive)
• USA Today (Test Drive)
• Edmunds (Review)
• Wikipedia (wiki)
• AutoBlog (blog, First Drive)
• Jalopnik (blog, First Drive)
• The Telegraph (UK, Review)
• Car and Driver (Feature)
• Kelly Blue Book (Review)

2011 Ford Edge Sport

With over 400,000 units sold its almost safe to say that the Ford Edge, first introduced as a 2007 model, surpassed all sales expectations. Born at the intersection of high gas prices and the end of disposable income the crossover that has launched Ford and its subsidiaries into the badge-engineering game, but for crossovers.

Unveiled in February at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, the 2011 Ford Edge showed the styling path Ford was travelling down with the 3-bar grill and squinty headlights than previous generations. The new generation features a slew of new trim levels: SE, SEL, Limited and Sport but the big story several new engine variations available. Ford’s new EcoBoost range including the 2.0L inline-4, 3.7L direct-injected V6, and the power-house… the 3.5L twin turbo’d V6 with direct-injection. The 3.5L, the one you want, offer’s “V8 performance with V6 fuel economy” so the marketing boffins at Ford would have you to believe. The perfomance isn’t exactly breath taking, a la “V8 performance,” but the economy surely isn’t all that impressive. Up to 25 mpg shows that 355HP can push you around in quite a hurry while still carrying you quite a distance on a gallon of fuel.

Most reviewers were torn on the “love-it or hate” looks with too many curves but found the rounded edges did have one benefit: interior room. One important aspect to many crossover buyers who may be cross-shopping many crossover’s with SUV’s will be surprised to find out that 6-foot adults can sit comfortably in all outboard positions. View the video provided by Ford or the review’s below and read about all the interesting Sony electrics integrated into Ford’s newest generation Sync.

• Autoblog (blog, First Drive)
• Car and Drive (First Drive)
• Automobile Mag (First Drive)
• Inside Line (First Drive)
• Autobytel (First Drive)
• LeftLaneNews (blog, First Drive)

2010 BMW 5-Series

Power, handling, comfort and luxury are all associations one could make when shopping for the 2011 BMW 5-series, BMW’s mid-range sedan. This 5th generation of the BMW sedan slots above the BMW 3-series but only slightly below the 7-series having been designed on the same chassis as the se7en. BMW has done away with the majority of the Bangle design, most notably, the “Bangle-Butt.”

Comfort in the 5-series including the HVAC, audio, system functions and Sat/Nav system is handled mostly by the iDrive system. Now in its fourth-generation iDrive has been improved and is much more intutive, less distracting and easier to control than the previous generations.

Power in the 5-series is handled by either a naturally-aspirated inline-6 with 258HP (528i), a turbocharged inline-6 pushing just over 300HP (535i) or a twin-turbo 4.4L V8 producing 400HP (550i) allowing a sprint to 60 in just 5.0 seconds. Two transmissions are offered, this being German and all, a 6-speed manual and an 8-speed automatic for fuel economy… obviously.

Interesting technologies in the mid-level BMW include the aforementioned iDrive system, adaptive cruise control which can maintain a constant speed based on other cars speed, lane departure warning system, head-up display, park distance control which displays a sort-of birds-eye view of the car, is visible on the Sat/Nav screen and blind spot protection lights an indicator in the outside mirrors to let you know you’re merging into traffic. As part of the continuing BMW Efficient Dynamics campaign the car’s battery gets recharged during braking using brake-regeneration without even a hybrid system.

In relation to handling, TheAutoChannel.com reports that, “what is most appealing about the 550i though is its road manners.” Allowing those superb road manners are an overall length gain of the body with a 3-inch longer wheelbase and slightly wider track but then it would be bigger since its based on its big brother. The 5-series comes in sevreal variants: a four-door sedan, wagon, Gran-turismo body-style and expect a sporty M5 to follow.

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

Modern supercars are often badgered as being pointless specifically because you can’t use the speed in modern day traffic. The argument is a moot point even when discussing the most basic transportation on the market including Toyota Prius drivers being charged with speeding over 100MPH, trying to defend a Ferrari’s power or maximum velocity is rough. The Ferrari 458 Italia (see Review Roundup) specifically, Ferrari’s latest entry-level mid-engined supercar, has a top speed of over 200MPH while still achieving a respectable 17.6MPG in some tests. There’s a dealership in New York that wants to help you dream the dream before purchasing your next Ferrari.

Today’s eBay find is one of the first Ferrari 458′s on Ebay available in America for sale is listed for $354,995 and is available in downtown Chicago, IL. But the most interesting thing about this Ferrari 458 is the incriminating (or flattering) trip computer showing that even a supercar from Chicago can achieve over 100MPH even in the first 80 miles of ownership (the car is listed in “used” condition). It’s capable, yes, and without restriction and can be propelled on to another 100 after your bid of $355K.

2011 Ferrari 458 Italia

A brand new dual clutch 7-speed automated-manual transmission, triple exhaust outlets, body by Pininfarina, F1-spec traction control system, and 9000 RPM’s pulled from a mid-ship mounted 4.5L direct injected Ferrari V8. This list of standard specifications of the Ferrari 458 Italia offer an exitic brainstorm of what the new entry-level mid-engined Ferrari is like. Built to replace the long-running F430, the newest member to the Ferrari lineup seperates itself from the entry-level California.

Offering one of (if not the) most powerful naturally aspirated production V8′s and pushes an astonishing 562 HP at redline or 9000 RPM. And whether you like it or not, its attached to an automated-manual F1-style 7-speed transmission. Interestingly, according to Ferrari (and many other luxury/sports marques) purists complaints don’t represent the actual buying public so a proper manual won’t be offered. Owners will, however, be satisfied knowing body panels are crafted using aerospace technology allowing impossibly thin paneling.

Being a modern Ferrari, reviewers seem to be mostly impressed by the 458′s technological aspects rather than styling or performance. Read on to some of the reviews to see how the chassis aerodynamics are a particular area of interest.

• Automobile Mag (Review)
• Car and Driver (First Drive)
• Motor Trend (First Drive)
• Popular Mechanics (Test Drive)
• Autocar (YouTube)
• evo Magazine (YouTube)
• Fifth Gear (YouTube)