->2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco + Audi Coupe + more : )
#1
09-28-2011, 05:24 AM
->2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco + Audi Coupe + more : )
2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco - Prototype Drive
Source: Car & Driver
We drive a preproduction Malibu and offer preproduction opinions.
Member's, what do you think of it ? Would you buy one ? Is Chevy going in the right direction ?
Post & let us know
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY A.J. MUELLER AND THE MANUFACTURER
September 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Visit Our Buyer's Guide »
Chevrolet Malibu
News & Reviews
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $24,500
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter inline-4, 182 hp, 172 lb-ft; AC induction motor/generator, 15 hp, 79 lb-ft; combined system, 182 hp
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 107.8 in Length: 191.3 in
Width: 73.0 in Height: 57.6 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.3 sec <~ WoW
Zero to 100 mph: 23.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.4 sec
Top Speed: 118 mph ~> bUCKLE `UP : )
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 26/38 mpg....Good MPG's : )
Hard to believe, but what we have, here, is the eighth-generation Malibu, a car spanning 35 years and, uh, six decades. It has historically been a kind of peripatetic approximation of Midwestern mobile civility—here today, gone tomorrow, then suddenly back again—and it was surely facing another passenger-pigeon demise when GM startlingly imbued the Malibu with all of the stellar credentials found in its sister, the Saturn Aura. Faster than we could say, “GM did what?” the previous-gen Malibu landed on our 2008 10Best list.
The first brand-new Malibu, slated to appear in the spring of 2012, is the Eco, featuring GM’s “light electrification of a traditional powertrain,” a.k.a. eAssist. GM doesn’t want us calling it a hybrid, although “hybrid” sure rolls off the tongue easier than “light electrification.” The system includes an all-in-one motor/generator that replaces the alternator, connected to 32 lithium-ion cells jammed into a 65-pound battery pack located aft of the rear seat. Via a rubber belt, the electric motor—built in China, with no permanent magnets—contributes a bonus 15 horses directly to the crankshaft, mostly under wide-open throttle. Fun fact: The belt has a duty life of 75,000 miles. The Eco’s gas engine displaces 2.4 liters and produces 182 horsepower. Combined, engine and motor are expected to deliver 26 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway. We shall see.
Then, next summer, the more traditional gas-only Malibus will arrive—LS, LT, and LTZ—and they’ll all be powered by a brand-new 2.5-liter Ecotec producing an estimated 190 ponies. If so, that’s a healthy 21-hp nudge beyond the Malibu’s existing inline four. By the way, GM is so certain you’re freaked out over fuel prices that no V-6 will be offered. That’s a bold wager.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>We didn’t drive a Malibu with the new engine. It wasn’t ready. Nor was GM positive about its power output. Nor of its fuel economy, although “more than 30 mpg highway” was a stated goal. Instead, what we drove was a preproduction Malibu Eco with 17-inch tires and an LTZ-level cabin that wasn’t finished. Price? GM didn’t know that, either. Hey, sometimes you make the trailer for a movie before you make the movie, okay?
The Malibu’s upscale cabin remains upscale, awash in contrasting colors and classy stitching, as well as so-called basketball graining, which sounds awful but contributes to dimension and depth. So, too, do new decorative lateral dashboard “vanes” that glow with ice-blue ambient lighting. The radio’s touch screen cleverly flips up to reveal a six-inch-deep bin that’s big enough to swallow a cell phone and abag of Fritos. The front seat cushions are firm and nicely scalloped. For two folks, back-seat comfort is excellent, with the Malibu’s wider front and rear tracks resulting in a 3.2-inch gain in shoulder room.
On GM’s ride-and-handling track in Milford, Michigan, what we first noticed is that the new Malibu is extraordinarily quiet, that its structure feels even more solid than before, and that you can’t feel the electric motor kicking on or off. The ride is firm but appropriate to the market, and body motions are adequately damped. At light throttle, there’s no telling how many cylinders are at play. At rest, there are supposed to be zero cylinders at play, thanks to the automatic stop-start function, but our test car never turned itself off. Under WOT, the Ecotec still evinces a high-frequency thrum that lays bare its humble four-ishness, and it will be thrumming aplenty because this new Malibu feels heavy, asking for a lot of throttle to get out of the blocks. How heavy? GM doesn’t know that, either. Or at least isn’t telling. The car certainly feels no quicker to 60 mph than the 8.7 seconds required for the Malibu LT we sampled in March 2008. Anyone yet pining for the abandoned V-6’s 252 horses?
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The Malibu’s ZF electrically assisted power steering is low on feedback, but the weighting is fine and so is tracking. Here’s good news: The regenerative braking that helps charge the batteries reveals itself not at all in pedal feel. No pulses, no soft spots—just firm, linear travel. Here’s bad news: The battery pack rests between the rear wheel wells and is cooled by a fan in the rear parcel shelf. It draws air from the cockpit. What with all of its tubes and snorkels, the thing reduces trunk space by two cubic feet. What’s more, it emits a jet-like whoosh when the engine is stoked with major throttle. Rear passengers will ask, “Are we taking off now?” At least front passengers can’t hear it. The battery pack also completely blocks the right-rear seat’s pass-through.
Every Malibu is equipped with a Hydra-Matic 6T40 with a manual shift mode, which is operated via a squishy rocker atop the shift ****. It would be a lot more convenient to bang away at the whole shift lever, but maybe Malibu drivers view that as hostile.
GM plans to sell the new Malibu on six continents, assembling it in four factories: two in the U.S., one in China, and one in South Korea. The car certainly looks the part with its bulked-up, I’m-about-to-pop-a-vein muscularity. Yet it boasts a Cd of 0.29, down from the previous Malibu’s 0.35, a huge gain.
Of course, don’t take any of this too seriously. We drove the Malibu Eco maybe 10 miles on the very test track where it was developed. It ought to feel good there, right?
As you read the following sentence, mimic Alec Baldwin’s deepest, darkest, most threatening voice, as if he’s narrating the trailer for an action movie: “In a world gone mad with power, there’s one Malibu, a Malibu that runs deep and won’t have a V-6 and doesn’t know anyone in Malibu. It’s a Malibu that’s ready for action—quiet action—from Muskegon to Miami but mostly in Muskegon. And if it doesn’t advance the chains as far down America’s sidelines as its predecessor, neither does it fumble. It’s your Malibu—America’s Malibu—but also China’s Malibu. Jeepers.”
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Source: Car & Driver
We drive a preproduction Malibu and offer preproduction opinions.
Member's, what do you think of it ? Would you buy one ? Is Chevy going in the right direction ?
Post & let us know
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY A.J. MUELLER AND THE MANUFACTURER
September 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Visit Our Buyer's Guide »Chevrolet Malibu
News & Reviews
- 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Debuts @ 2011 New York Auto Show - Video
- 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows
- 2012 Chevrolet Malibu - Spied
- 2008 Chevrolet Malibu - Virtual Test Drive
- 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ - Quick Take
- 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid - Review
- 2009 Chevrolet Malibu - Review
- 2009 Hyundai Sonata and 2008 Chevrolet Malibu More Fuel-Efficient than Toyota Camry and Honda Accord - Car News
- Chevy Malibu Cruiser - Auto Shows
- Ford Fusion hybrid
- Honda Civic hybrid
- Hyundai Sonata hybrid
- Nissan Altima hybrid
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $24,500
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter inline-4, 182 hp, 172 lb-ft; AC induction motor/generator, 15 hp, 79 lb-ft; combined system, 182 hp
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 107.8 in Length: 191.3 in
Width: 73.0 in Height: 57.6 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3600 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.3 sec <~ WoW
Zero to 100 mph: 23.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.4 sec
Top Speed: 118 mph ~> bUCKLE `UP : )
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 26/38 mpg....Good MPG's : )
Hard to believe, but what we have, here, is the eighth-generation Malibu, a car spanning 35 years and, uh, six decades. It has historically been a kind of peripatetic approximation of Midwestern mobile civility—here today, gone tomorrow, then suddenly back again—and it was surely facing another passenger-pigeon demise when GM startlingly imbued the Malibu with all of the stellar credentials found in its sister, the Saturn Aura. Faster than we could say, “GM did what?” the previous-gen Malibu landed on our 2008 10Best list.
The first brand-new Malibu, slated to appear in the spring of 2012, is the Eco, featuring GM’s “light electrification of a traditional powertrain,” a.k.a. eAssist. GM doesn’t want us calling it a hybrid, although “hybrid” sure rolls off the tongue easier than “light electrification.” The system includes an all-in-one motor/generator that replaces the alternator, connected to 32 lithium-ion cells jammed into a 65-pound battery pack located aft of the rear seat. Via a rubber belt, the electric motor—built in China, with no permanent magnets—contributes a bonus 15 horses directly to the crankshaft, mostly under wide-open throttle. Fun fact: The belt has a duty life of 75,000 miles. The Eco’s gas engine displaces 2.4 liters and produces 182 horsepower. Combined, engine and motor are expected to deliver 26 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway. We shall see.
Then, next summer, the more traditional gas-only Malibus will arrive—LS, LT, and LTZ—and they’ll all be powered by a brand-new 2.5-liter Ecotec producing an estimated 190 ponies. If so, that’s a healthy 21-hp nudge beyond the Malibu’s existing inline four. By the way, GM is so certain you’re freaked out over fuel prices that no V-6 will be offered. That’s a bold wager.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>We didn’t drive a Malibu with the new engine. It wasn’t ready. Nor was GM positive about its power output. Nor of its fuel economy, although “more than 30 mpg highway” was a stated goal. Instead, what we drove was a preproduction Malibu Eco with 17-inch tires and an LTZ-level cabin that wasn’t finished. Price? GM didn’t know that, either. Hey, sometimes you make the trailer for a movie before you make the movie, okay?
The Malibu’s upscale cabin remains upscale, awash in contrasting colors and classy stitching, as well as so-called basketball graining, which sounds awful but contributes to dimension and depth. So, too, do new decorative lateral dashboard “vanes” that glow with ice-blue ambient lighting. The radio’s touch screen cleverly flips up to reveal a six-inch-deep bin that’s big enough to swallow a cell phone and abag of Fritos. The front seat cushions are firm and nicely scalloped. For two folks, back-seat comfort is excellent, with the Malibu’s wider front and rear tracks resulting in a 3.2-inch gain in shoulder room.
On GM’s ride-and-handling track in Milford, Michigan, what we first noticed is that the new Malibu is extraordinarily quiet, that its structure feels even more solid than before, and that you can’t feel the electric motor kicking on or off. The ride is firm but appropriate to the market, and body motions are adequately damped. At light throttle, there’s no telling how many cylinders are at play. At rest, there are supposed to be zero cylinders at play, thanks to the automatic stop-start function, but our test car never turned itself off. Under WOT, the Ecotec still evinces a high-frequency thrum that lays bare its humble four-ishness, and it will be thrumming aplenty because this new Malibu feels heavy, asking for a lot of throttle to get out of the blocks. How heavy? GM doesn’t know that, either. Or at least isn’t telling. The car certainly feels no quicker to 60 mph than the 8.7 seconds required for the Malibu LT we sampled in March 2008. Anyone yet pining for the abandoned V-6’s 252 horses?
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The Malibu’s ZF electrically assisted power steering is low on feedback, but the weighting is fine and so is tracking. Here’s good news: The regenerative braking that helps charge the batteries reveals itself not at all in pedal feel. No pulses, no soft spots—just firm, linear travel. Here’s bad news: The battery pack rests between the rear wheel wells and is cooled by a fan in the rear parcel shelf. It draws air from the cockpit. What with all of its tubes and snorkels, the thing reduces trunk space by two cubic feet. What’s more, it emits a jet-like whoosh when the engine is stoked with major throttle. Rear passengers will ask, “Are we taking off now?” At least front passengers can’t hear it. The battery pack also completely blocks the right-rear seat’s pass-through.
Every Malibu is equipped with a Hydra-Matic 6T40 with a manual shift mode, which is operated via a squishy rocker atop the shift ****. It would be a lot more convenient to bang away at the whole shift lever, but maybe Malibu drivers view that as hostile.
GM plans to sell the new Malibu on six continents, assembling it in four factories: two in the U.S., one in China, and one in South Korea. The car certainly looks the part with its bulked-up, I’m-about-to-pop-a-vein muscularity. Yet it boasts a Cd of 0.29, down from the previous Malibu’s 0.35, a huge gain.
Of course, don’t take any of this too seriously. We drove the Malibu Eco maybe 10 miles on the very test track where it was developed. It ought to feel good there, right?
As you read the following sentence, mimic Alec Baldwin’s deepest, darkest, most threatening voice, as if he’s narrating the trailer for an action movie: “In a world gone mad with power, there’s one Malibu, a Malibu that runs deep and won’t have a V-6 and doesn’t know anyone in Malibu. It’s a Malibu that’s ready for action—quiet action—from Muskegon to Miami but mostly in Muskegon. And if it doesn’t advance the chains as far down America’s sidelines as its predecessor, neither does it fumble. It’s your Malibu—America’s Malibu—but also China’s Malibu. Jeepers.”
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Last edited by Space; 09-28-2011 at 06:42 AM.
#2
09-28-2011, 05:37 AM
Bonus Post from Car & Driver.
..
I like the below Coupe & still hope that GM Chevy makes us a new Monte Carlo Coupe in our future...
I can't afford one of the below, but I like it
What do you think of the Audi S5 ?
2013 Audi S5 3.0T Coupe - First Drive Review
A downsized engine and upsized visual presence.
BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
September 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Audi S5
<!-- /buyers-guide -->Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $57,000
ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 cu in, 2995 cc
Power (SAE net): 333 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 325 lb-ft @ 2900 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 108.3 in Length: 182.7 in
Width: 73.0 in Height: 53.9 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3900–4000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7–4.9 sec~>
Standing ¼-mile: 13.2–13.3 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 18/27 mpg
Identical or otherwise, twins tend to find a way to separate themselves. Romulus killed Remus. One of the Sklar brothers wears glasses. Mary-Kate Olsen has a hyphenated first name. Until now, the Audi S5 coupe had a V-8, and the S5 cabriolet was the one with the blown V-6.
For 2013, though, the S5 coupe will trade its 4.2-liter V-8 for the same 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 that the S5 cabriolet has had all along. Now you’ll have to rely on roof rigidity to tell them apart.
A Tale of Two Cylinders
That means no more delicious V-8 growl for the hardtop. The soundtrack has traded bwahs for various bvvvms, the latter being most prevalent when paired with the S tronic dual-clutch automatic. And the V-6—also shared with the S4 sedan, among others—has slightly lower output: 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque compared with the eight’s 354 hp and, well, 325 lb-ft. In trade for that offering to the power gods, the super’d six provides its full complement of torque earlier in the rev range, at 2900 rpm versus 3500 for the V-8. The engines, both of them nice pieces that rarely inspire complaint, are nevertheless different in character. The smaller engine somehow makes the car seem smaller than did the V-8, less like a muscle car and more, well, German.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>In ditching two cylinders, Audi was nice enough to retain the V-8’s manual option for us, which is one way the twins remain different. The S tronic is the only transmission available in the cabrio here, and in Germany it’s the only one in both S5s. We drove a coupe equipped with the automatic and found the transmission to be well matched to the V-6 in drive or sport, although manual operation was less satisfying. Calls for lower gears occasionally elicited delayed responses, and the transmission didn’t like multiple downshift requests at once. What it lacked in direct controllability, though, it more than made up for in smoothness, and shifts were quick once initiated.
Steering Clearer
Audi has also switched the steering gear for 2013—as it did on all A5s and S5s—going from hydraulic to a more efficient electromechanical system. It’s the same one used on the A6 and A7. Whereas some manufacturers have had trouble tuning such systems, it appears Audi has managed to improve on the S5’s old setup and fine-tune the overall feel.
On cars with the optional dynamic steering system, which varies the ratio based on speed, buyers can spec the newly available active-lane-keeping system. It has two levels of interference—early or late—that determine when and how violently the car uses the electromechanical steering to wrest directional control from the driver. The early setting worked frighteningly well during a short interlude of hands-free driving, the wheel twitching back and forth on its own as the car corrected its course.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The S5’s standard suspension has been adjusted slightly, with revisions to damper tuning and the rear trailing arms. Without a previous model on hand for comparison and with only a brief drive on smooth Andalusian roads, we couldn’t discern much of a change for better or worse.
Corporate Face, Refreshed
The 2013 face lift only accentuates the car’s seductive look—sort of a hot robot—while bringing it in line with Audi’s recent sedans. New, sharp-edged headlights accompany a more-tapered grille set in a more-aggressive fascia. And no mid-cycle Audi refresh would be complete without a set of LED taillights and a new rear fascia.
The interior is likewise updated, but more subtly. New steering wheels with gloss-black accents are borrowed from Audi’s big sedans. The car is equipped with the latest version of MMI and can now be optioned with Google Earth overlays for the navigation system.
Audi’s updated S5 coupe and its sibling will be available here by June 2012 as 2013 models. We don’t expect a big price increase—or a discount for the loss of two cylinders—and estimate that the fixed-roof S5’s base sticker will be close to $57,000. Those who prize cylinder count will have to find a used example. Or, better yet, wait until June when its evil twin, the RS5, hits our shores—with a considerably higher price.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=236><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
..
I like the below Coupe & still hope that GM Chevy makes us a new Monte Carlo Coupe in our future...
I can't afford one of the below, but I like it
What do you think of the Audi S5 ?2013 Audi S5 3.0T Coupe - First Drive Review
A downsized engine and upsized visual presence.
BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
September 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Audi S5<!-- /buyers-guide -->Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $57,000
ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 cu in, 2995 cc
Power (SAE net): 333 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 325 lb-ft @ 2900 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 108.3 in Length: 182.7 in
Width: 73.0 in Height: 53.9 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3900–4000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
Zero to 60 mph: 4.7–4.9 sec~>
Standing ¼-mile: 13.2–13.3 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 18/27 mpg
Identical or otherwise, twins tend to find a way to separate themselves. Romulus killed Remus. One of the Sklar brothers wears glasses. Mary-Kate Olsen has a hyphenated first name. Until now, the Audi S5 coupe had a V-8, and the S5 cabriolet was the one with the blown V-6.
For 2013, though, the S5 coupe will trade its 4.2-liter V-8 for the same 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 that the S5 cabriolet has had all along. Now you’ll have to rely on roof rigidity to tell them apart.
A Tale of Two Cylinders
That means no more delicious V-8 growl for the hardtop. The soundtrack has traded bwahs for various bvvvms, the latter being most prevalent when paired with the S tronic dual-clutch automatic. And the V-6—also shared with the S4 sedan, among others—has slightly lower output: 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque compared with the eight’s 354 hp and, well, 325 lb-ft. In trade for that offering to the power gods, the super’d six provides its full complement of torque earlier in the rev range, at 2900 rpm versus 3500 for the V-8. The engines, both of them nice pieces that rarely inspire complaint, are nevertheless different in character. The smaller engine somehow makes the car seem smaller than did the V-8, less like a muscle car and more, well, German.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>In ditching two cylinders, Audi was nice enough to retain the V-8’s manual option for us, which is one way the twins remain different. The S tronic is the only transmission available in the cabrio here, and in Germany it’s the only one in both S5s. We drove a coupe equipped with the automatic and found the transmission to be well matched to the V-6 in drive or sport, although manual operation was less satisfying. Calls for lower gears occasionally elicited delayed responses, and the transmission didn’t like multiple downshift requests at once. What it lacked in direct controllability, though, it more than made up for in smoothness, and shifts were quick once initiated.
Steering Clearer
Audi has also switched the steering gear for 2013—as it did on all A5s and S5s—going from hydraulic to a more efficient electromechanical system. It’s the same one used on the A6 and A7. Whereas some manufacturers have had trouble tuning such systems, it appears Audi has managed to improve on the S5’s old setup and fine-tune the overall feel.
On cars with the optional dynamic steering system, which varies the ratio based on speed, buyers can spec the newly available active-lane-keeping system. It has two levels of interference—early or late—that determine when and how violently the car uses the electromechanical steering to wrest directional control from the driver. The early setting worked frighteningly well during a short interlude of hands-free driving, the wheel twitching back and forth on its own as the car corrected its course.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The S5’s standard suspension has been adjusted slightly, with revisions to damper tuning and the rear trailing arms. Without a previous model on hand for comparison and with only a brief drive on smooth Andalusian roads, we couldn’t discern much of a change for better or worse.
Corporate Face, Refreshed
The 2013 face lift only accentuates the car’s seductive look—sort of a hot robot—while bringing it in line with Audi’s recent sedans. New, sharp-edged headlights accompany a more-tapered grille set in a more-aggressive fascia. And no mid-cycle Audi refresh would be complete without a set of LED taillights and a new rear fascia.
The interior is likewise updated, but more subtly. New steering wheels with gloss-black accents are borrowed from Audi’s big sedans. The car is equipped with the latest version of MMI and can now be optioned with Google Earth overlays for the navigation system.
Audi’s updated S5 coupe and its sibling will be available here by June 2012 as 2013 models. We don’t expect a big price increase—or a discount for the loss of two cylinders—and estimate that the fixed-roof S5’s base sticker will be close to $57,000. Those who prize cylinder count will have to find a used example. Or, better yet, wait until June when its evil twin, the RS5, hits our shores—with a considerably higher price.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=236><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Last edited by Space; 09-28-2011 at 05:41 AM.
#4
09-28-2011, 06:38 AM
Below is one that I might be able to afford
I'd like to drive one, but I don't think I'd buy one ?
What do you think of the new Si Honda ?
Now with a 2.4L Can your Monte Carlo Beat the below ????
0 to 60 MPH in 6.1 seconds ?
2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe - Road Test
Now Playing: Upsized and downrevved for the enthusiast of tomorrow.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
May 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Highs, Lows, and Verdict
Highs: Sports-car handling, fluid shifter, perfect clutch, finally some torque at step-off.
Lows: Harsh cockpit surfaces, kids-only back seat, will need more power to hold off turbocharged competitors.
The Verdict: Don’t say no until you’ve undertaken a three-day, 800-mile road trip.
Visit Our Buyer's Guide »
Honda Civic
News & Reviews
<!-- /buyers-guide -->Top Competitors
Downloads
<!-- /Downloads -->
For the past six years, we’ve felt a little like Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. So many hours have been lost debating whether the previous-gen Honda Civic Si produced enough power to hold its head above water in the pocket-rocket pond. Eventually, this existential controversy morphed into a kind of recreation, with Si devotees screeching fiery epithets from the bleachers. Well, finally, Generation Nine is upon us. “We’re saved!” shouted Beckett’s protagonists whenever they suspected Godot might momentarily appear.
Here’s a sad fact: Godot never showed. And whether the Si is “saved” likewise remains unclear. Let us review recent history.
Our first encounter with the previous Si came late in calendar year 2005, when we pitted it against a Volkswagen GTI. The Honda lost. In 2009, we inserted an Si into a seven-car comparo, where it finished fifth, gasping and sweating. We weren’t surprised. The Si’s engine—2.0 liters, 197 horsepower, 139 pound-feet of torque—relegated it to least-powerful status in the whole segment. It certainly didn’t possess the grits to fend off, say, a 263-hp Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring or a 265-hp Subaru Impreza WRX. What’s more, accessing the Si’s horses has always required the spinning of the crank and cams to a fine fare-thee-well. The VTEC didn’t swap cam profiles until 6000 rpm, and it was thereafter vital to rely on every single rev right up to the colossal eight-grand cutoff.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=241><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Of course, Si purists—and trust us, they are legion—smugly insisted that the little howler-monkey engine comprised much of the car’s charm. Yet in the same breath, they’d also confess the coppery taste of humiliation whenever a WRX achieved 60 mph 2.0 seconds in front of them, fast becoming a gnat on the horizon.
Now comes Honda’s solution for the ninth-gen Si, a solution both simple and a little surprising, given the rumors of a turbo. Out goes the 2.0-liter engine, in comes the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter unit that sees simultaneous duty in the Acura TSX. The result is an unnoticeable 4-hp gain, but torque is up 22 percent—peaking at 4400 rpm instead of 6100 rpm—and that’s a difference you can feel. While they were at it, the engineers paired the engine to the TSX’s delightful six-speed transaxle. But is that enough?
Well, sort of. At the track, the Si nailed 60 mph in 6.3 seconds versus the previous 6.7, and it proved a half-second quicker in our 5-to-60-mph rolling start. Turn off the traction control, and you can now shred rubber for 15 feet, followed by a Rottweiler bark as you bang into second. An improvement, for sure, but it’s still shy of the accelerative thrust of five turbocharged competitors, including the Speed 3, the WRX, and even the GTI, which has a similarly meager 200 horses but can nonetheless summon 60 mph in 6.1 seconds.
On the other hand, the larger engine ushers in welcome perks. The mechanical thrash of the previous powerplant, for instance, is now largely MIA, and gear noise is likewise reduced, with all three of our sound-level tests confirming the fact. (Still, road-borne noise and tread roar remain issues that Honda must address.) Equally important, the number of shifts required for ’round-town cruising seems subjectively halved. In traffic, the Si is perfectly content relying on first, third, and fifth. And by eschewing a turbo, the Si’s mileage—now up to an observed 26 mpg—is best described as a charming achievement.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=474><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR><TR class=bglight><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR><TR class=bgdark><TD vAlign=top><CENTER>Yes, the Si is smokin’ hot. Sixty mph now arrives in 6.3 seconds, 0.4 second quicker than the previous Si. At the drag strip, however, the car will continue to eat the exhaust of its turbocharged competitors.</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Yes, yes, 900 top-end revs have been lost. But the car now pulls with at least vague enthusiasm just after step-off. In fact, our only serious beef with the new engine is its considerable overrun when the throttle is suddenly dropped. Among other things, that makes for very little initial engine braking, and the revs sometimes take a couple of seconds to return to idle. Most drivers won’t complain, but it’s a behavior that lends the drivetrain a titch of laziness that has historically been anathema to Honda-think.
As with the previous-gen Si, this is among the most-neutral-handling front-drivers on the planet. Around our 15-mile public-road loop in southern Ohio, we could provoke only the most minor of nibbling understeer—and that was at speeds approaching Fear Factor Nine—with the rear tires faithfully following whatever paths had been established by the fronts. No rotation, no drifts, no drama. Body motions were exquisitely controlled, with the ride revealing the stiff springs and dampers only over high-frequency imperfections, primarily expansion joints and broken pavement.
At around-town speeds, the Si’s steering tends to feel artificial, as if it were the outcome of some sort of electrical/mechanical calculus that never precisely balanced. At least it’s light. As speed rises, fortunately, it firms up nicely and also becomes livelier. There’s no bump steer, no nervousness, and interstate tracking is peerless. The brakes are fade-free, and the pedal is firm and informative.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- Start of Brightcove Player -->
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://www.caranddriver.com/extension/ezflow/design/caranddriver/javascript/MobileCompatibility.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=myExperience class=BrightcoveExperience title="Big Grin" border=0 codeBase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" alt="" classid="clsid
</OBJECT><SCRIPTTYPE="TEXT javascript?=""></SCRIPTTYPE="TEXT>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Moreover, the light, fluid shifter—as good as any that Honda has ever produced—allows the driver to summon alternate rev ranges with the flick of two fingers, abetted by a new lightweight clutch with simply seamless takeup. Faced with slow hairpins, the limited-slip differential carefully apportions power so that the inside front wheel never scrabbles. The thinly cushioned seats hold you firmly in place, and the dead pedal is perfectly sited. With lateral grip rising from 0.87 g to 0.90 g, the Si just dances and sings in the hills. This 2864-pound coupe is perfectly balanced, agile, poised, ever willing, a car that is easy to drive. Real fast comes real quickly.
The only obvious failure here is the unimproved interior. There are crass plastic trim bits on the steering wheel and around the HVAC controls. The Civic’s trademark minivan-sized windshield leans over a minivan-sized dash, a vast plain of cut-lines, textures, and colors. The bunk-bed layout for the IP is okay, but the garish LCD gauges are right out of a RadioShack in Akron. The mouse-fur headliner suffers from the mange, and there’s a lumpy, wrinkled collar of felt that surrounds the steering column, shouting to one and all, “Yessir, that’s right, I actually am the cheapest bit of flotsam in the universe!” Note to Honda: Check out the Ford Focus’s interior.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=532><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The new Si—manual six-speed only—comes in both sedan and coupe forms. The coupe starts at $22,955, the sedan opens at $23,155, and both top out at $24,655. The only options are navigation, XM radio, and (exclusive to the coupe) summer tires—17-inch Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2s, as fitted on our test car. (Fun driving tip: Demand that your spouse call you “Pilot Exalto.”) If you’ve got a calculator handy, you’ll perhaps already know that a starter Si coupe is more than $1500 cheaper than either a GTI or a Speed 3.
This latest Si is more sophisticated than its forebear, although it has been somewhat cruelly left to play David to the turbocharged Goliaths. As of now, it offers a better ride, produces less noise, and is faster in both a straight line and through the most diabolical off-camber, double-apex turns that Ohio’s deranged civil engineers could conjure. It is surely less raw than its predecessor, a trait that many Si purists—including our own revered Tony Quiroga and Dan Pund—lament. Until they commit to a three-day, 800-mile road trip, two-thirds of which skates over frost-heaved interstates. No longer is the Si a one-trick pony. At speed it’s a serial killer, yet during commutes and city errands it’s a near-soothing mental-health counselor with practicality and a price that make it easy to justify.
And with that, as always, please feel free to express your unalloyed hatred.
I'd like to drive one, but I don't think I'd buy one ?
What do you think of the new Si Honda ?
Now with a 2.4L Can your Monte Carlo Beat the below ????
0 to 60 MPH in 6.1 seconds ?
2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe - Road Test
Now Playing: Upsized and downrevved for the enthusiast of tomorrow.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
May 2011
Pages: 1 Photos
Highs, Lows, and Verdict Highs: Sports-car handling, fluid shifter, perfect clutch, finally some torque at step-off.
Lows: Harsh cockpit surfaces, kids-only back seat, will need more power to hold off turbocharged competitors.
The Verdict: Don’t say no until you’ve undertaken a three-day, 800-mile road trip.
Visit Our Buyer's Guide »
Honda Civic
News & Reviews
- 2012 Honda Civic EX Sedan - Short Take Road Test
- 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe - Video
- 2012 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe - First Drive Review
- 2012 Honda Civic Si - First Drive Review
- 2012 Honda Civic / Civic Si / Civic Hybrid - Feature
- 2012 Honda Civic / Civic Hybrid / Civic Si Official Photos and Info - Car News
- 2012 Honda Civic / Civic Hybrid Spy Photos - Future Cars
- Honda Civic Si Coupe and Civic Sedan Concepts - Video
- Honda Civic Si Coupe and Civic Sedan Concepts - Auto Shows
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For the past six years, we’ve felt a little like Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. So many hours have been lost debating whether the previous-gen Honda Civic Si produced enough power to hold its head above water in the pocket-rocket pond. Eventually, this existential controversy morphed into a kind of recreation, with Si devotees screeching fiery epithets from the bleachers. Well, finally, Generation Nine is upon us. “We’re saved!” shouted Beckett’s protagonists whenever they suspected Godot might momentarily appear.Here’s a sad fact: Godot never showed. And whether the Si is “saved” likewise remains unclear. Let us review recent history.
Our first encounter with the previous Si came late in calendar year 2005, when we pitted it against a Volkswagen GTI. The Honda lost. In 2009, we inserted an Si into a seven-car comparo, where it finished fifth, gasping and sweating. We weren’t surprised. The Si’s engine—2.0 liters, 197 horsepower, 139 pound-feet of torque—relegated it to least-powerful status in the whole segment. It certainly didn’t possess the grits to fend off, say, a 263-hp Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring or a 265-hp Subaru Impreza WRX. What’s more, accessing the Si’s horses has always required the spinning of the crank and cams to a fine fare-thee-well. The VTEC didn’t swap cam profiles until 6000 rpm, and it was thereafter vital to rely on every single rev right up to the colossal eight-grand cutoff.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=241><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Of course, Si purists—and trust us, they are legion—smugly insisted that the little howler-monkey engine comprised much of the car’s charm. Yet in the same breath, they’d also confess the coppery taste of humiliation whenever a WRX achieved 60 mph 2.0 seconds in front of them, fast becoming a gnat on the horizon.
Now comes Honda’s solution for the ninth-gen Si, a solution both simple and a little surprising, given the rumors of a turbo. Out goes the 2.0-liter engine, in comes the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter unit that sees simultaneous duty in the Acura TSX. The result is an unnoticeable 4-hp gain, but torque is up 22 percent—peaking at 4400 rpm instead of 6100 rpm—and that’s a difference you can feel. While they were at it, the engineers paired the engine to the TSX’s delightful six-speed transaxle. But is that enough?
Well, sort of. At the track, the Si nailed 60 mph in 6.3 seconds versus the previous 6.7, and it proved a half-second quicker in our 5-to-60-mph rolling start. Turn off the traction control, and you can now shred rubber for 15 feet, followed by a Rottweiler bark as you bang into second. An improvement, for sure, but it’s still shy of the accelerative thrust of five turbocharged competitors, including the Speed 3, the WRX, and even the GTI, which has a similarly meager 200 horses but can nonetheless summon 60 mph in 6.1 seconds.On the other hand, the larger engine ushers in welcome perks. The mechanical thrash of the previous powerplant, for instance, is now largely MIA, and gear noise is likewise reduced, with all three of our sound-level tests confirming the fact. (Still, road-borne noise and tread roar remain issues that Honda must address.) Equally important, the number of shifts required for ’round-town cruising seems subjectively halved. In traffic, the Si is perfectly content relying on first, third, and fifth. And by eschewing a turbo, the Si’s mileage—now up to an observed 26 mpg—is best described as a charming achievement.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=474><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR><TR class=bglight><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR><TR class=bgdark><TD vAlign=top><CENTER>Yes, the Si is smokin’ hot. Sixty mph now arrives in 6.3 seconds, 0.4 second quicker than the previous Si. At the drag strip, however, the car will continue to eat the exhaust of its turbocharged competitors.</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Yes, yes, 900 top-end revs have been lost. But the car now pulls with at least vague enthusiasm just after step-off. In fact, our only serious beef with the new engine is its considerable overrun when the throttle is suddenly dropped. Among other things, that makes for very little initial engine braking, and the revs sometimes take a couple of seconds to return to idle. Most drivers won’t complain, but it’s a behavior that lends the drivetrain a titch of laziness that has historically been anathema to Honda-think.
As with the previous-gen Si, this is among the most-neutral-handling front-drivers on the planet. Around our 15-mile public-road loop in southern Ohio, we could provoke only the most minor of nibbling understeer—and that was at speeds approaching Fear Factor Nine—with the rear tires faithfully following whatever paths had been established by the fronts. No rotation, no drifts, no drama. Body motions were exquisitely controlled, with the ride revealing the stiff springs and dampers only over high-frequency imperfections, primarily expansion joints and broken pavement.
At around-town speeds, the Si’s steering tends to feel artificial, as if it were the outcome of some sort of electrical/mechanical calculus that never precisely balanced. At least it’s light. As speed rises, fortunately, it firms up nicely and also becomes livelier. There’s no bump steer, no nervousness, and interstate tracking is peerless. The brakes are fade-free, and the pedal is firm and informative.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- Start of Brightcove Player -->
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://www.caranddriver.com/extension/ezflow/design/caranddriver/javascript/MobileCompatibility.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=myExperience class=BrightcoveExperience title="Big Grin" border=0 codeBase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" alt="" classid="clsid
</OBJECT><SCRIPTTYPE="TEXT javascript?=""></SCRIPTTYPE="TEXT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Moreover, the light, fluid shifter—as good as any that Honda has ever produced—allows the driver to summon alternate rev ranges with the flick of two fingers, abetted by a new lightweight clutch with simply seamless takeup. Faced with slow hairpins, the limited-slip differential carefully apportions power so that the inside front wheel never scrabbles. The thinly cushioned seats hold you firmly in place, and the dead pedal is perfectly sited. With lateral grip rising from 0.87 g to 0.90 g, the Si just dances and sings in the hills. This 2864-pound coupe is perfectly balanced, agile, poised, ever willing, a car that is easy to drive. Real fast comes real quickly.
The only obvious failure here is the unimproved interior. There are crass plastic trim bits on the steering wheel and around the HVAC controls. The Civic’s trademark minivan-sized windshield leans over a minivan-sized dash, a vast plain of cut-lines, textures, and colors. The bunk-bed layout for the IP is okay, but the garish LCD gauges are right out of a RadioShack in Akron. The mouse-fur headliner suffers from the mange, and there’s a lumpy, wrinkled collar of felt that surrounds the steering column, shouting to one and all, “Yessir, that’s right, I actually am the cheapest bit of flotsam in the universe!” Note to Honda: Check out the Ford Focus’s interior.
<TABLE class=default border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=532><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The new Si—manual six-speed only—comes in both sedan and coupe forms. The coupe starts at $22,955, the sedan opens at $23,155, and both top out at $24,655. The only options are navigation, XM radio, and (exclusive to the coupe) summer tires—17-inch Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2s, as fitted on our test car. (Fun driving tip: Demand that your spouse call you “Pilot Exalto.”) If you’ve got a calculator handy, you’ll perhaps already know that a starter Si coupe is more than $1500 cheaper than either a GTI or a Speed 3.
This latest Si is more sophisticated than its forebear, although it has been somewhat cruelly left to play David to the turbocharged Goliaths. As of now, it offers a better ride, produces less noise, and is faster in both a straight line and through the most diabolical off-camber, double-apex turns that Ohio’s deranged civil engineers could conjure. It is surely less raw than its predecessor, a trait that many Si purists—including our own revered Tony Quiroga and Dan Pund—lament. Until they commit to a three-day, 800-mile road trip, two-thirds of which skates over frost-heaved interstates. No longer is the Si a one-trick pony. At speed it’s a serial killer, yet during commutes and city errands it’s a near-soothing mental-health counselor with practicality and a price that make it easy to justify.
And with that, as always, please feel free to express your unalloyed hatred.
Last edited by Space; 09-28-2011 at 06:41 AM.
#5
09-28-2011, 07:30 AM
Thank you for the interesting articles, Space!
I really dig the body lines on the new Malibu...We had owned an '01 model and loved it! Really liking the interior, as well.
I LOOVE the headlights on that Audi... I wish I could afford something like that!
Not really a fan on the newer civics..The newer they get, the more they look like spaceships, IMO. (Hey, thinking about it..maybe you should look into one, Space..haha!)Had an '02 right before the Monte, and it was a badass little car.
I really dig the body lines on the new Malibu...We had owned an '01 model and loved it! Really liking the interior, as well.
I LOOVE the headlights on that Audi... I wish I could afford something like that!
Not really a fan on the newer civics..The newer they get, the more they look like spaceships, IMO. (Hey, thinking about it..maybe you should look into one, Space..haha!)Had an '02 right before the Monte, and it was a badass little car.
#6
09-28-2011, 10:15 AM
Hi `Zach,
It's great to read that you enjoyed this thread...I attempt to choose cars that maybe of interest to member's & give them something to check out when they log on2 the MCF...
I wish there were more coupes under $25K to $30K, but they are getting rare. I'd like to test drive the new Honda Si with the 2.4L...I've driven the 2.L & you have to be in the high Rev's to get any power, but they are a blast to drive & I love their 6 speed Transmission...(They build a good one)..I wish they were RWD
Thanks for your post(s) & contributions 2 the MCF...
We both seem to be working a lot of hours...I've been averaging about 14 to 16 hour days/nights No free time 4-Sure...The MCF is my fun spot on breaks : )
Besides the Camaro & Mustang V-6, what other coupes are out there for Under $30 K ?
It's great to read that you enjoyed this thread...I attempt to choose cars that maybe of interest to member's & give them something to check out when they log on2 the MCF...
I wish there were more coupes under $25K to $30K, but they are getting rare. I'd like to test drive the new Honda Si with the 2.4L...I've driven the 2.L & you have to be in the high Rev's to get any power, but they are a blast to drive & I love their 6 speed Transmission...(They build a good one)..I wish they were RWD
Thanks for your post(s) & contributions 2 the MCF...
We both seem to be working a lot of hours...I've been averaging about 14 to 16 hour days/nights
No free time 4-Sure...The MCF is my fun spot on breaks : )Besides the Camaro & Mustang V-6, what other coupes are out there for Under $30 K ?
#7
09-28-2011, 10:33 AM
I Really like the new 2012 Mercedes C coupe
Classic look & RWD : )
I think GM should make a New Monte again 4-`us
I also Like the BMW Coupes, but all of them R 2 Expensive 4-Me 4-Sure
To dare 2 Dream ^ in SpaceVision : )
Classic look & RWD : )
I think GM should make a New Monte again 4-`us
I also Like the BMW Coupes, but all of them R 2 Expensive 4-Me 4-Sure
To dare 2 Dream ^ in SpaceVision : )
Last edited by Space; 09-28-2011 at 10:35 AM.
#10
09-28-2011, 11:49 AM
I will definitely be looking at something like this when it hits production.
Scion FR-S. Stand for Front-Engine, Rear-Drive, Sport. Still a concept at the moment. But, boy is she sexy...Looking for a low to mid $20's as well.
And, Space, it is crazy stressful working all these hours..Free time really is a privilege around here right now. So, I really try to enjoy it to it's fullest extent..You should, too! : )
Scion FR-S. Stand for Front-Engine, Rear-Drive, Sport. Still a concept at the moment. But, boy is she sexy...Looking for a low to mid $20's as well.
And, Space, it is crazy stressful working all these hours..Free time really is a privilege around here right now. So, I really try to enjoy it to it's fullest extent..You should, too! : )