= Road Tests > Which one would you Want > `DeSire ? =
#1
08-26-2014, 07:18 AM
= Road Tests > Which one would you Want > `DeSire ? =
Below tests from 
Member's, which one would you like to have or test drive ? Please post & let us know > Thanks
"Auto Dreams are where we want to `be & work is how we make them come `true" 
or play the lotto & pray 
(I do both: )
or play the lotto & pray (I do both: )
| July 29, 2014
ROAD TESTS2015 Aston Martin Vanquish, Rapide S Review `Devin, do U like it ? Let us know ?
Are either of these small hatchbacks cars you might actually want?
By Joseph Capparella
| Jul 23, 2014
By Joseph Capparella
| Jul 23, 2014
Last edited by Space; 08-27-2014 at 04:09 PM. Reason: To relive my dreams : )
#2
08-26-2014, 07:24 AM
>Trending NOW, maybe not 4-Ever : )
trending now
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/promote...#ixzz3BV4vNp00
- 1 Report: Next Mazdaspeed 3 Coming in 2016 with 300+ HP, All-Wheel Drive
- 2 Infiniti Teases Possible Flagship Concept for 2014 Paris Auto Show
- 3 Cadillac Readying Luxury Car, Convertible, and ATS-V
- 4 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited – Feeling out Our Boundaries
- 5 Tesla's AMG? Unplugged Performance Tesla Model S Debuts
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/promote...#ixzz3BV4vNp00
#4
08-26-2014, 01:05 PM
Sticking to rear-wheel drive
Cadillac Readying Luxury Car, Convertible, and ATS-V
By David Zenlea
Aug 25, 2014 by `Space
As you read this, Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac’s new president, is setting up his offices at GM’s Renaissance Center. He’ll likely engage in a more detailed version of the conversation we had with Cadillac executives this weekend in Pebble Beach. They discussed the state of the brand, what challenges lay ahead, and what new cars we’ll soon to see wearing the sleek new, wreathless crest.
Sticking to rear-wheel drive
The biggest assets Cadillac has are its brilliant-to-drive sport sedans, the ATS and CTS. Cadillac chief engineer Dave Leone calls them the “heart of the brand.” But neither car has performed to expectations in the U.S. market this year. Cadillac is having trouble explaining to owners of the last-gen CTS why they can no longer afford a new one. The ATS carries more incentives than Cadillac would like and faces pressure from the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
See all 15 photos
Indeed, Cadillac officials are impressed by, and perhaps a bit aghast at the success of the CLA, which transacts for not much less than an ATS despite having a lower base price and costing less to engineer. Mark Reuss, GM’s global product chief, recently confirmed Cadillac is looking at an entry-level competitor, while Leone, who also heads up development of rear-wheel-drive cars at GM, is categorical in saying the brand does not want a front-wheel-drive car at the base of its lineup. That leaves the possibility of doing something smaller and cheaper off of the same Alpha platform as the ATS and CTS. Doing this within an entry-level budget would be difficult—there’s a reason BMW, Audi, and Mercedes are using FWD for these models—but not impossible. GM initially planned on offering a cheaper ATS-size Pontiac entry on the Alpha platform, and Chevrolet has surely cut plenty of cost out of the platform for the next Camaro.
If Cadillac does introduce the new model (and perhaps even if it doesn’t) the next-generation ATS is likely to grow larger. Leone says the next ATS will also have better interior packaging—his team figured out how to move the large structural element that currently presses on the back of your legs when you sit in the back seat.
Over the coming months, we can expect to see the new ATS-V break cover, followed by the large rear-wheel drive sedan codenamed “LTS.” It’s likely to be renamed before it goes on-sale in late 2015. Leone also hints that Cadillac is working on a convertible. It could be a drop-top ATS, planned from the beginning but put on hold. Or it could be a successor to the Cadillac XLR, a car Leone still owns.
But the LTS is the make-or-break car. It hopes to earn credibility for Cadillac the same way Lexus got it in the early 1990s—by challenging the almighty Mercedes S-Class. Leone, who says he’s spent plenty of time in a Mercedes-Benz S550, promises the LTS will be one of the lightest and best-driving vehicles in the segment. It will employ a mix of materials--think aluminum, high-strength steel, and magnesium. Leone makes clear the car will offer a V-8, but is staying quiet on what kind of V-8 that will be. There had been some whispers months back that GM had revived development of a Northstar successor, but it seems unlikely to us that the company would, at this stage, invest in a new family of V-8 engines. Rather, we expect a version of GM’s small block along with the twin-turbo V-6 offered in the CTS Vsport. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a 2.0-turbo offered as a base engine, at least in China. The LTS will also serve as Cadillac’s first foray into autonomous driving technology.
See all 15 photos
No El Miraj, for now
Last year Cadillac made a huge splash at Pebble Beach with the El Miraj concept (above). There was plenty of enthusiasm for it within GM. Cadillac marketing chief Uwe Ellinghaus called it “a no brainer…from a marketing point of view” when we interviewed him at this year’s Detroit auto show. Yet the big coupe is currently on hold. Given the extremely low sales such a car would generate, it could only have been justified as a brand-building exercise. And there are only so many brand-building exercises Cadillac can afford to do, Leone says. There’s also the sense that perhaps the brand needs to grow and build momentum a step at a time rather than shoot for the moon.
All that makes sense to us. However, we worry that the excitement the El Miraj generated could haunt Cadillac if it goes unfulfilled. We’ve gotten only the tiniest glimpse of the LTS, but brand officials admit it isn’t quite the dramatic statement that we saw in the El Miraj—how could it be without those massive 24-inch wheels and that low-slung roofline?
From ELR to Escalade
Cadillac is getting very little return on investment from its most recent attempt at a line-topper, the ELR. Former CEO Dan Akerson had pitched the car as GM’s answer to Tesla, but fewer than 600 of the plug-in electric coupes have left dealer lots through July of this year. Cadillac has not been involved in development of the next Chevrolet Volt, meaning the first-generation ELR is likely the last.
See all 15 photos
On the broader subject of green cars, Leone suggests more hybrid variants are in Cadillac’s long term plan, but also states very clearly that being the most fuel efficient luxury brand is not a priority. This plays to one of Cadillac’s big advantages over its European competitors when it comes to meeting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Mercedes-Benz and BMW must meet CAFE on their own—or pay fines—because they sell relatively few volume cars to balance out the relatively thirsty luxury models. Even Audi carries a heavy load given that it accounts for more than 25 percent of Volkswagen Group’s sales in the United States. Cadillac, on the other hand, is but a speck compared to GM’s overall volume and thus is a very small component of its sales-weighted fuel economy average. Finding a few more mpg for the Chevrolet Silverado will do more for GM than any electric Cadillac. That also helps explain the decision to keep the 2015 Cadillac Escalade a body-on-frame truck, rather than turn it into a more efficient crossover. The new truck is doing quite well, by the way, and continues to haul in five-figure profit margins.
Getting the message across
The CTS’s stumbles at a higher price and the failure of the ELR to some degree reveal a lack of “brand health” Leone says. Ellinghaus agrees. The former BMW marketing chief wants to position Cadillac as a “bold,” “optimistic,” and distinctively American answer to the now ubiquitous Germans. Yet early attempts at delivering that message, namely through the Super Bowl ad “Poolside,” have been clumsy at best. Meanwhile, he says there’s not enough awareness of the new, performance-oriented Cadillac.
Upgraded leadership
The recall storm at General Motors presented a silver lining for Cadillac. In the midst of the crisis, GM called upon the brand’s global chief, Bob Ferguson, to head up lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. That’s essentially the role he filled before former CEO Dan Akerson installed him at Cadillac in late 2012. The sense one gets from talking to people both within and outside the company is that Ferguson is smart and well liked but wasn’t qualified to run a luxury brand, particularly one in the midst of a turnaround. De Nysschen, who comes directly from Infiniti but is best known for his success at Audi, is definitely an upgrade. He will, no doubt, bring his own ideas about what Cadillac should be selling (he’ll probably be on board with the V-series cars given his enthusiasm for the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge). But he joins a team that seems to have a clear sense of where it wants to take Cadillac. The biggest remaining question is whether buyers will follow them there.
By David Zenlea
Aug 25, 2014 by `Space
As you read this, Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac’s new president, is setting up his offices at GM’s Renaissance Center. He’ll likely engage in a more detailed version of the conversation we had with Cadillac executives this weekend in Pebble Beach. They discussed the state of the brand, what challenges lay ahead, and what new cars we’ll soon to see wearing the sleek new, wreathless crest.
Sticking to rear-wheel drive
The biggest assets Cadillac has are its brilliant-to-drive sport sedans, the ATS and CTS. Cadillac chief engineer Dave Leone calls them the “heart of the brand.” But neither car has performed to expectations in the U.S. market this year. Cadillac is having trouble explaining to owners of the last-gen CTS why they can no longer afford a new one. The ATS carries more incentives than Cadillac would like and faces pressure from the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
See all 15 photos
Indeed, Cadillac officials are impressed by, and perhaps a bit aghast at the success of the CLA, which transacts for not much less than an ATS despite having a lower base price and costing less to engineer. Mark Reuss, GM’s global product chief, recently confirmed Cadillac is looking at an entry-level competitor, while Leone, who also heads up development of rear-wheel-drive cars at GM, is categorical in saying the brand does not want a front-wheel-drive car at the base of its lineup. That leaves the possibility of doing something smaller and cheaper off of the same Alpha platform as the ATS and CTS. Doing this within an entry-level budget would be difficult—there’s a reason BMW, Audi, and Mercedes are using FWD for these models—but not impossible. GM initially planned on offering a cheaper ATS-size Pontiac entry on the Alpha platform, and Chevrolet has surely cut plenty of cost out of the platform for the next Camaro.
If Cadillac does introduce the new model (and perhaps even if it doesn’t) the next-generation ATS is likely to grow larger. Leone says the next ATS will also have better interior packaging—his team figured out how to move the large structural element that currently presses on the back of your legs when you sit in the back seat.
Over the coming months, we can expect to see the new ATS-V break cover, followed by the large rear-wheel drive sedan codenamed “LTS.” It’s likely to be renamed before it goes on-sale in late 2015. Leone also hints that Cadillac is working on a convertible. It could be a drop-top ATS, planned from the beginning but put on hold. Or it could be a successor to the Cadillac XLR, a car Leone still owns.
But the LTS is the make-or-break car. It hopes to earn credibility for Cadillac the same way Lexus got it in the early 1990s—by challenging the almighty Mercedes S-Class. Leone, who says he’s spent plenty of time in a Mercedes-Benz S550, promises the LTS will be one of the lightest and best-driving vehicles in the segment. It will employ a mix of materials--think aluminum, high-strength steel, and magnesium. Leone makes clear the car will offer a V-8, but is staying quiet on what kind of V-8 that will be. There had been some whispers months back that GM had revived development of a Northstar successor, but it seems unlikely to us that the company would, at this stage, invest in a new family of V-8 engines. Rather, we expect a version of GM’s small block along with the twin-turbo V-6 offered in the CTS Vsport. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a 2.0-turbo offered as a base engine, at least in China. The LTS will also serve as Cadillac’s first foray into autonomous driving technology.
See all 15 photos
No El Miraj, for now
Last year Cadillac made a huge splash at Pebble Beach with the El Miraj concept (above). There was plenty of enthusiasm for it within GM. Cadillac marketing chief Uwe Ellinghaus called it “a no brainer…from a marketing point of view” when we interviewed him at this year’s Detroit auto show. Yet the big coupe is currently on hold. Given the extremely low sales such a car would generate, it could only have been justified as a brand-building exercise. And there are only so many brand-building exercises Cadillac can afford to do, Leone says. There’s also the sense that perhaps the brand needs to grow and build momentum a step at a time rather than shoot for the moon.
All that makes sense to us. However, we worry that the excitement the El Miraj generated could haunt Cadillac if it goes unfulfilled. We’ve gotten only the tiniest glimpse of the LTS, but brand officials admit it isn’t quite the dramatic statement that we saw in the El Miraj—how could it be without those massive 24-inch wheels and that low-slung roofline?
From ELR to Escalade
Cadillac is getting very little return on investment from its most recent attempt at a line-topper, the ELR. Former CEO Dan Akerson had pitched the car as GM’s answer to Tesla, but fewer than 600 of the plug-in electric coupes have left dealer lots through July of this year. Cadillac has not been involved in development of the next Chevrolet Volt, meaning the first-generation ELR is likely the last.
See all 15 photos
On the broader subject of green cars, Leone suggests more hybrid variants are in Cadillac’s long term plan, but also states very clearly that being the most fuel efficient luxury brand is not a priority. This plays to one of Cadillac’s big advantages over its European competitors when it comes to meeting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Mercedes-Benz and BMW must meet CAFE on their own—or pay fines—because they sell relatively few volume cars to balance out the relatively thirsty luxury models. Even Audi carries a heavy load given that it accounts for more than 25 percent of Volkswagen Group’s sales in the United States. Cadillac, on the other hand, is but a speck compared to GM’s overall volume and thus is a very small component of its sales-weighted fuel economy average. Finding a few more mpg for the Chevrolet Silverado will do more for GM than any electric Cadillac. That also helps explain the decision to keep the 2015 Cadillac Escalade a body-on-frame truck, rather than turn it into a more efficient crossover. The new truck is doing quite well, by the way, and continues to haul in five-figure profit margins.
Getting the message across
The CTS’s stumbles at a higher price and the failure of the ELR to some degree reveal a lack of “brand health” Leone says. Ellinghaus agrees. The former BMW marketing chief wants to position Cadillac as a “bold,” “optimistic,” and distinctively American answer to the now ubiquitous Germans. Yet early attempts at delivering that message, namely through the Super Bowl ad “Poolside,” have been clumsy at best. Meanwhile, he says there’s not enough awareness of the new, performance-oriented Cadillac.
Upgraded leadership
The recall storm at General Motors presented a silver lining for Cadillac. In the midst of the crisis, GM called upon the brand’s global chief, Bob Ferguson, to head up lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. That’s essentially the role he filled before former CEO Dan Akerson installed him at Cadillac in late 2012. The sense one gets from talking to people both within and outside the company is that Ferguson is smart and well liked but wasn’t qualified to run a luxury brand, particularly one in the midst of a turnaround. De Nysschen, who comes directly from Infiniti but is best known for his success at Audi, is definitely an upgrade. He will, no doubt, bring his own ideas about what Cadillac should be selling (he’ll probably be on board with the V-series cars given his enthusiasm for the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge). But he joins a team that seems to have a clear sense of where it wants to take Cadillac. The biggest remaining question is whether buyers will follow them there.
#6
08-26-2014, 01:20 PM
Hi Keane, great choice > you also have expensive taste, but
I'm sure `if you want one (?), that you will get one.
It just depends on how much you want to give `up to get.
I hope your dreams come `true...
Thanks for sharing...
*Note, I'm waiting to see Devin's post on here & I think
I know what he likes
A VW `Thing > LOL >
I wanted one of those when I was growing up.
Great Beach'in `Ride
#8
08-27-2014, 07:41 AM
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 25,137
I can't wait until we get an ATS in a couple of years haha.
I suppose if I had to choose a fun car from that list though... I would love to have that Alfa!
I suppose if I had to choose a fun car from that list though... I would love to have that Alfa!
#9
08-27-2014, 11:00 AM
MCF Admin `Mike Thanks for your post
Hi `Mike,
Fun choice `if you had a lot of $'s to spend...For the price I'd still want a Corvette StingRay (isn't it great that we have so many choices `if we have the $'s)
I do like H.P. 4 Bangers (Great for the Mountain Roads in your area > It would sure be a Blast on some of your roads there)...
2015 Alfa Romeo 4C: Around the Block
By Mike Floyd
Photos by Mike Floyd
Jul 22, 2014
It’s downshift time, and the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C spits and burbles as we stomp hard on the brakes (and we mean stomp, like the musical), approaching the next tight bend. It’s been a couple of hours of this, and the upper body has gotten a bit of a workout. The diminutive Alfa’s unassisted steering requires extra effort, but it’s been worth every sinewy moment as we wind in the wheel yet again.
Now we’re looking way out toward the next apex as race instructors always say to do, and see nothing but daylight and a small kink ahead. We’re just as hard on the go pedal now, the buzz-saw noise of the 1.7-liter turbo-four echoing off the craggy rock faces here amid the dramatic Alpine scenery of Angeles Crest Highway, just north of downtown Los Angeles. Car guys live for moments like this -- the perfect car for a perfect road on a perfect day.
Say what you want about the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C, crack wise about suspect Italian engineering, mock its looks, point out its flaws in the cabin and otherwise (and there are more than a few). But literally none of it matters when this car is in its element, carving up asphalt like a HoneyBaked Ham on Christmas. In fact, it did feel like Christmas when we grabbed the keys to this diminutive Alfa.
See all 10 photos
Some quick facts about the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C from our TEN test team, which strapped the test gear on a similar car to the one we took out to flog: 2437 pounds, balanced 49 percent front/51 percent rear with a full tank of fuel (U.S. safety hardware adds some weight over the Euro car); 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, then 12.8 sec @ 108.8 mph in the quarter mile; and stops in 113 feet from 60-0 mph. All very respectable numbers save the braking, which is a little on the long side for a car of this weight and size.
With 237 horses and 258 lb-ft available from 2200 rpm, the little Alfa definitely scoots, although you’ll notice a touch of throttle lag at the outset before the turbo whooshing begins and the power arrives. Keep the rpm in the powerband and you’ll never want for a lot more, as the lightweight mid-engine car and its available power seem very much in sync. We spent most of our time along the Crest in third gear, bouncing between 3000 rpm and the redline at 6500 rpm. As you push ever higher in the rev range, a yellow ring appears around the tach, letting you know that things are about to go nuclear. Manual mode for the six-speed dual-clutch automatic is more than acceptable and the revs will bounce off the redline for a moment before forcing the issue and finally shifting into a taller gear.
There are multiple driving modes that change the shift speeds, throttle input, and stability control settings: Weather (rain/snow), Natural (the default), Dynamic (where you’ll be most of the time), and Race, which sends the nannies home for dinner. In Natural mode with the transmission’s automatic setting engaged, the engine motors along acceptably, but it will always move quickly to get to the lowest rev range for best fuel economy.
See all 10 photos
We took a break from blasting up the road as it ribbons up to the Mount Wilson Observatory at a roadside turnout to check the scenery, when suddenly a dude jumps out of a VW GTI and starts running excitedly toward us. We weren’t sure whether or not to bolt in panic, but there was nothing to fear, just a couple of car guys desperate to get a look at the Alfa up close (shout-outs to @topher_b and @_djinguelian). They loved it. So did many of the bikers I passed, throwing peace signs and thumbs-up. Couple of bikers rolled up on me, curious what it was. “Looks like a Lotus at the front, Ferrari in the back,” one of them remarked. Not a bad assessment. We think it looks Italian chic, and judging from all the rubbernecking we noticed people doing when they saw it, most civilians seem to think so too.
In the cabin is where things get a little squirrely, and it’s when you start to question the $55K-plus price tag of the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C a bit. While the exposed carbon fiber tub is trick, the build quality of the interior isn’t much and neither are the materials, plus there’s the annoying alarm every time you turn on the car and then the goofy stereo with questionable acoustic quality. Call it Lotus-plus.
But all is forgiven when you look out and see nothing but blue sky and a squiggly road ahead, with the fat, flat-bottom wheel in your hands, ready to do battle with the curves all over again.
2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Specifications
Base Price $55,195 Price as Tested $64,845
Engine 1.7-liter DOHC I-4 Power 237 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque 258 lb-ft @ 2200 rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch automatic Drive Rear-wheel Length x width x height 157.5 x 73.5 x 46.6 in Wheelbase 93.7 in Curb Weight 2,465 lbs Cargo Capacity 3.7 cu-ft Fuel economy 24/34 mpg (city/hwy
#10
08-27-2014, 12:26 PM
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 25,137
I'm a huge fan of Alfas, and little Italian cars in general.
As you know, I almost bought a Fiat Abarth 500
As you know, I almost bought a Fiat Abarth 500