2010 Lexus GX 460 sticks to its trucky roots

The 2002 Lexus GX 470 was little more than a Toyota 4Runner with a healthy dollop of Lexus luxury on top, but at the time, it didn't have to be anything more than that. It seemed just about every automaker that had an SUV in the stable was introducing an uplevel version to capitalize on American consumers' insatiable appetite for luxury sport-utes, so why not Toyota? Lexus had already adopted the full-size Land Cruiser, so it made sense to bring along the 4Runner for the slightly less well-heeled.

Although it didn't set the charts on fire, the GX won over enough people that Lexus has continued churning it out virtually unchanged until now. In fact, the company easily moved every 2009 model it made. Still, even the best vehicles need to be updated from time to time, and with an all-new 2010 4Runner hitting dealers, it was time for this Lexus to undergo a similar overhaul. But the state of the economy, environment and the changing luxury SUV market itself meant that the Japanese automaker needed to rethink a few things for its sophomore endeavor. And it has.

We spent time on and off road in San Diego County during our stint with the new 2010 Lexus GX 460, and what we have learned was quite surprising. Despite the market's shift toward crossovers, the GX is still body-on-frame and has a V8, full-time four-wheel drive and takes up just as much space as the previous generation model. It still looks like a truck, drives like a truck and handles like a truck. But is that such a bad thing? Is there still a place for this type of vehicle... or is it simply an anachronism from a once-thriving, but now rapidly vanishing market? Follow the jump to see what we discovered.
The first order of business is to address the look of this new Lexus. Although it's nearly identical to the recently released European Land Cruiser, a few details separate it from its Stateside counterpart, and although it shares its platform with the 2010 4Runner, it actually looks more like the big brother USDM Land Cruiser and Lexus LX 570. Specifically, those rear wheel arches that dominate half of its profile prove that the new GX is still designed to captivate bigger-is-better truck lovers. No sissy RX crossover curves for this bad boy. It's a truck and doesn't want anyone to forget it.

The all-new body rides on a second-generation frame essentially unchanged in its dimensions. The wheelbase is identical, but the length goes up by an inch, the width increases by 0.2 inches and while ground clearance stays the same, the overall height is down a couple of inches due to the revised roof rails. The streamlined roof rack is part of an overall effort to clean-up the design – a brief that also includes the relocation of the rear hatch's lock, handle and wiper into recessed, hidden positions. Love it or hate it, it's definitely a rugged looking vehicle, even if we think it looks like it could have debuted in 2000 just as easily as 2010.



Although the rear door is still a left-opening swing gate, Lexus has added a convenient flip-up function for the rear glass to make it much easier to toss a few items in or lift lighter objects out. The fact that this second-generation luxury SUV still lacks a proper swing up rear hatch seems inexcusable, but Toyota execs were quick to point out that the mechanism works quite well for most needs and that the move to top hinges would change weight distribution, complexity and cost. We'd guess that if every other manufacturer out there can make it work, Toyota should be able to as well.

The changes to the interior are probably less controversial. Lexus has adopted a fresh color palette as well as new wood for the doors and dash. It definitely looks cleaner and more modern, with a particularly tidy center stack that features a sliding panel to cover some auxiliary controls for the stereo. With an announced base price of $51,970 and $56,765 for the Premium edition, you'd expect a ton of standard features inside, and Lexus doesn't disappoint.



The standard dash setup has a 4.2-inch display screen, while nav-equipped cars get a bright eight-inch unit. That screen also displays images from the front, side and rear cameras for off-roading, backing up and parking. It also shows the helpful parking guidelines in cars with the optional Intuitive Parking Assist.

The center console is roomy and features split adjustable armrests, standard USB/iPod ports, as well as suspension settings and crawl control switches on vehicles so-equipped. The standard stereo system sounds good enough but doesn't hold a candle to the optional 17-speaker, 7.1-channel Mark Levinson system in one of our testers. We'd definitely pop for it along with the rear seat entertainment system that puts screens behind each front seat headrest.

The front chairs are comfortable and supportive, and feature standard heating and ventilation. The second row now has a 60/40 split with the smaller passenger side seat incorporating a new flip and slide feature to allow better access to the now-standard third row. Somehow Lexus managed to improve legroom for both the second and third row, despite the fact that most other interior dimensions are slightly smaller.



The third row is one of the biggest changes for this second-gen GX. It's not the most comfortable place to sit during a long drive, but should be fine for children or even adults on short runs. A switch on the rear hatch folds the rear thrones into the floor, and while overall cargo volume is down slightly, we doubt that small amount will be missed for the added convenience of this wünder-bench.

There are only six GX SUVs in the country, and they would be needed at the upcoming LA Auto Show – intact.

As you might expect from a new Lexus, there is enough technology inside this LuxUte to choke a horse. The 2010 GX 460 features a boatload of safety features like active front headrests that move up to support your head in certain types of accidents, a newly available Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) that follows steering inputs through curves, high intensity discharge (HID) headlights, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) that boosts braking when the system determines it's needed, a class-leading ten standard airbags, an optional Pre-Collision System (PCS) that includes Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and an optional Driver Attention Monitor and Lane Departure Alert (LDA).

That last feature is not new in the industry, but it's pretty slick nonetheless. It uses two small cameras mounted up front to detect lane departures and another steering column-mounted camera that reads the driver's face. An alert is sounded if the system detects that the driver isn't looking straight ahead for a few seconds and an object appears in the road ahead. If the system anticipates a collision it will alter the steering ratio in anticipation of sharp steering inputs and will also pre-tighten the seat belts. We didn't get a chance to test anything but the dynamic cruise control, which we barely felt kick in to back off our speed a bit as we started to gain on a slower-moving car ahead.



We can't wait to dive into these features more thoroughly in our upcoming full review. One area worth delving into now though is the mechanicals. As the name implies, the 2010 GX 460 now features a slightly smaller 4.6-liter V8 from the Tundra pickup. In this application it puts out a robust 301 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque. That's up nearly 40 HP over the outgoing 4.7-liter V8, yet this new GX gets 13 percent better fuel economy at 15/20 MPG. Still not exactly Prius-rivaling numbers, but respectable for a 5,300-pound luxury SUV that can seat seven, tow 6,500 pounds and sprint from 0-60 in a couple of ticks less than eight seconds.

The engine feels strong on the road and the new six-speed transmission makes the most of that power. The cabin is quiet even when matting the throttle to the floor, and over the course of a 30-minute run down a blissfully traffic-free Southern California freeway, we never had to raise our voices to be heard. It's sedan quiet and nearly sedan smooth. When we finally reached our exit and transitioned onto twisty side roads, we were surprised by the lack of body roll – it's there, but doesn't compromise the ride or handling – so it simply drives like any other Lexus. That is until we reached our destination – The Vessels Ranch, home to championship-winning racehorses for 60 years.



We had been given a route book and some basic instructions. These were the only GX SUVs in the country and they would be needed at the upcoming LA Auto Show – intact. As such we needed to take it easy and be mindful of the running boards and expensive 18-inch wheels. Imagine our surprise then when our route through the ranch took us from gravel roads to rutted paths between the corrals, to steep and dusty hills through the surrounding avocado orchards. Not exactly rock crawling at Moab, but a lot more rugged than we expected.

That's when we started to appreciate the "real truck" ingredients underneath this GX – Torsen center differential, front independent coil-spring suspension, rear live-axle with four-link suspension featuring coil springs on base models and pneumatic cylinder air suspension on Premium trim vehicles, and the new electronically controlled transfer case, which loses the shift lever in favor of a button on the console. Our Premium tester even had the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which is now standard on all 2010 GX 460 models. The system allows greater wheel travel by essentially disconnecting the anti-roll bars in off-road situations. Back on tarmac, KDSS reattaches the bars hydraulically, reducing body roll and improving handling. It's an amazing bit of tech.



The ranch route gave us a chance to try out the adjustable suspension settings, full-time four-wheel drive, crawl control feature and even the front and side wide-view cameras. The GX handled everything we threw at it with so much aplomb that we suddenly realized what this vehicle is all about. Folks who have owned or driven Toyota 4Runners or Land Cruisers or their LX or GX brethren know that these things can handle trails. Sure, a Jeep Wrangler or Hummer H2/3 can tackle even more rugged terrain, but we're guessing the GX would be good enough or better for the average buyer's off-roading needs. The fact that not many people will need to ford a stream or tackle a mud bog – let alone drop hay bales around their hilly 2,000 acre ranch – doesn't negate the value of the GX 460.

It may seem antiquated to those who would never consider going anywhere that isn't covered in concrete or asphalt. For those who do, they don't have to give up their luxury car ride and amenities, nor do they have to settle for a full-size SUV that takes up more space and costs more to own and operate. It's definitely a shrinking market, but Lexus is convinced it will be able to maintain its 25 percent market share – it only needs to find 14,000 buyers to meet that goal.

The 2010 Lexus GX 460 is trucky and proud of it. It feels sturdy and gives its owner the confidence to tackle almost any situation. Add in the typical array of Lexus amenities and safety features and you'll also have confidence that you and your family will be comfortable and safe along the way, wherever the trail may take you.

2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS is up for the Challenge

The 2010 Kizashi will change the way you look at Suzuki. To put it bluntly, the Kizashi is the strongest evidence yet that Suzuki's automotive division is no longer operating on autopilot in the States. And what's more, the brand is showing serious confidence. Consider the vehicles against which the automaker wants you to cross shop its Kizashi: the Acura TSX and Audi A4.

Suzuki has launched a promotion called the Kizashi Test Drive Challenge that will pay $100 to anyone who test drives a Kizashi and still decides to buy the more expensive TSX or A4. After spending some quality time with the model, we don't envy those potential Acura and Audi customers who are unprepared for how difficult their decision is going to be.
For the longest time, Suzuki subsisted in the U.S. market by selling mostly rebadged versions of other automakers' vehicles, all of them forgettable and none exceptional. Historically, the brand has been wedded to General Motors through products like the three-row XL7 that is built atop GM's ubiquitous Theta platform, to say nothing of the Forenza and Reno, versions of models developed and built by GM's South Korean subsidiary, GM Daewoo. More recently there's the Suzuki Equator mid-size pickup, a refaced Nissan Frontier introduced in 2008 that doesn't even appear on the company's U.S. website anymore.

Excluded from this group is the SX4, which is the brand's last new product before the Kizashi. This well regarded small sedan/hatchback combo is fun to drive and available with lots of upscale equipment, like all-wheel drive and navigation, for under $18,000.



The Kizashi is the largest car that Suzuki has developed for U.S. consumption since the Verona, another rebadged version of a GM Daewoo product that was discontinued due to poor sales. The Kizashi still shares some General Motors DNA; it's based on The General's Epsilon II platform, which also underpins the Buick LaCrosse and upcoming 2011 Regal, Saab 9-5 and Opel Insignia. Judging by our experience with this platform, however, it's the best bit of hardware that Suzuki's ever borrowed from GM. Correction, Suzuki informs us that while it had worked with GM on a mid-size sedan design study back when the two companies were linked more closely, the Kizashi is 100% Suzuki.

What's more, the Kizashi's styling isn't the result of rebadging another company's car. In fact, Suzuki designers have been working on its look for years. During that time, three consecutive Kizashi concepts were introduced. Suzuki surprised us first with a wagon concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The second concept, a CUV, debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and the third and final concept, a sedan, was a sexy silver bullet that got our attention at the 2008 New York Auto Show.

It's too bad the production Kizashi doesn't bear a closer resemblance to that third and final concept, which truly had us drooling in the Big Apple back in 2008. What Suzuki is selling today clearly shares styling cues with that car, but also carries the burden of meeting federal safety requirements and fitting on the Epsilon II platform. As such, much of the concept's organic beauty has been sacrificed for the privilege of being a modern car on sale in the U.S.



But hold on, because that doesn't mean the Kizashi is a dog. Suzuki will be happy to hear that we received a number of unsolicited comments comparing its new design to an Audi. These came from people who aren't enthusiasts but know that Audi is a premium brand, which confirmed our own experience that the Kizashi gives an expensive-looking first impression, in this case, aided by our GTS model's rich-looking grey metallic paint.

If anything, the Kizashi is at least Suzuki's own design. While we initially panned the car's shape during our First Drive for being derivative, a closer inspection and the passage of time has eroded our criticism. We originally said the hood look lifted from a Chrysler PT Cruiser, but have grown to really like the lines that come down from the bottom of each A-pillar and curve across the hood toward the inside of each headlight. They look like arched eyebrows over the angry squint of each projector beam lamp. The Kizashi's face looks straight-up evil, with nothing but the grille's slight upward bend into a malevolent smile to soften things up.



There are subtle styling elements like this all over the Kizashi. The broad shoulder line beneath the side windows artfully flows forward into each headlight and down into the surprisingly flared front fenders. The subtle duck bill rear spoiler that seems to disappear when not viewing the car in profile. The exhaust pipes that exit through a pair of chrome surrounds integrated into the rear bumper. Something new caught our eye every time we approached the Kizashi during its week in our keep, which suggests to us that the design will age nicely for owners and not need tweaking to stay fresh in a model year or two.

The Kizashi's interior, meanwhile, beats the low bar set by past Suzuki models but lands mid-pack compared to the current competition. Considering that Ford has packed the inside of even its low cost models with soft touch materials, there's no excuse for an interior aimed at the likes of Audi and Acura to be covered in hard plastics from door to door. The cloth seats in our GTS tester ("leather-appointed" thrones are available) were comfortable and feature semi-firm bolsters that kept our keisters planted, but we had trouble finding a comfortable driving position, even with 10-way power adjustability and the standard tilting and telescoping steering wheel.



Infotainment-wise, the Kizashi offers almost everything you'd want if cross-shopping a more expensive entry level luxury sport sedan. Our GTS model came standard with a 425-watt Rockford Fosgate system plus integrated USB port in the dash and available wireless Bluetooth audio for hooking up an iPhone, iPod Touch or other BT digital music player. Bluetooth hands-free calling can be had as well, though set up is a decidedly frustrating affair that can only be achieved by patiently listening to audible prompts and doing what the female voice says quickly before you forget.

The Kizashi's dual-zone climate control, keyless push-button start, available heated front seats and integrated steering wheel controls are the same top shelf features you'll find in those more expensive German and Japanese cars. Conspicuously absent, however, is a navigation system. Dealers will have a hard time explaining to customers why an item that comes standard in certain trims of the less expensive SX4 and can't be had at all in the Kizashi.

UPDATE: Suzuki informs us that a nav system is a port-installed option at launch, while a fully integrated unit will be available for the 2011 model year. We're trying to get a hold of some images from Suzuki of what each looks like, so stay tuned.



Forgetting the hard plastics and lack of nav, the Kizashi remains a comfortable sedan for four people. The roof extends far back over the rear passengers before plunging down to meet a high trunk lid, which provides both excellent rear headroom as well as a couple extra cubic feet of cargo space. The rear seats can also be folded forward, which comes in handy when trying to fit awkwardly sized items in the trunk thanks to the rear suspension's intrusion on either side.

So far, we've said nothing about the Kizashi that would make us want to buy one over an Acura TSX and Audi A4. That's because we've yet to talk about what lies beneath the styling and behind the interior. Underhood is a 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder producing 185 horsepower and 170 lb-feet of torque. That's the only engine (for now), but from there you've got choices: front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) and a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT), with or without paddle shifters.

First off, if you opt for AWD then you're locked into a CVT transmission. With FWD, the infinitely variable ratios of the CVT transmission do get better gas mileage than the manual's six cogs can muster (23/31 mpg versus 20/29 mpg), but any fuel savings is lost if you go with AWD. Our recommendation? Go FWD with the six-speed manual. You'll be saving both weight (200 pounds versus the AWD/CVT model) and money, not to mention that CVT-equipped Kizashis lose five horsepower. This is our how our GTS model came equipped and it's the one that may ruin your plans to liberate $100 from Suzuki's wallet.



Let's talk engines. The Kizashi's is slightly more powerful than other four-cylinders used by the competition in their base models. But whereas most of the competition also offers a V6 engine, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder is the only powerplant available in the Kizashi, so it better be good. And it is. Very good.

This 2.4-liter doesn't act like its in the same class as other base engines. Rather, it acts like a premium mill, the kind of four-cylinder that's offered in addition to a V6, not below it. Suzuki has set its redline at 6,500 RPM, and go there it will with little provocation. Power delivery is always smooth and there's a noticeable reserve to tap above 3,500 RPM.

While we recommend the six-speed manual transmission over the CVT, that's not to say it's the best rowing machine ever made. The clutch pedal is light and won't cause fatigue, but the shifter's throws are long and loose. It's the only drivetrain component that feels outclassed here, and Suzuki should spend some dollars to get it right.



The Kizashi will reach 60 mph from a standstill in 7.5 seconds before its Akebono brakes haul it down. That's not remarkably quick, but straight lines aren't what the Kizashi does best. The suspension is comprised of MacPherson struts up front and a five-point multilink setup in the rear with KYB dampers at all four corners. Combined with an extremely rigid frame, the relatively soft suspension makes cruising comfortable yet feels confident in corners. Put another way, the suspension's got range and will serve its master well whether a motion sick-prone mother-in-law or hard-to-impress Audi owner is sitting shotgun.

The real ace up the Kizashi's sleeve, though, is its steering. An often overlooked fact is that fun-to-drive vehicles don't have to be quick. A host of other aspects can pick up the performance slack, and steering is a big one. Inputs entered via the Kizashi's compact, thick-rimmed steering wheel got delivered to the road quickly through our GTS tester's 18-inch alloys wrapped in 235/45R18 all-season rubber. From there, we were rewarded with actual feedback from the road that wasn't obscured by numbness from the power steering. It's a terrific system that's accurate without being twitchy and effortless without being over-boosted.



By the end of our time with the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS, we were totally on board with comparing this car to the Acura TSX and Audi A4. Then we started comparing prices. A base Kizashi S starts at $18,999, and while we wouldn't put anything but the GTS model up against an Acura or Audi, it's worth noting that every Kizashi model comes very well equipped and the same engine, transmissions, steering and brakes are used in the base S, SE and most expensive SLS model.

The Kizashi GTS starts at $22,499 with little available in the way of options. The Acura TSX 2.4 starts at $29,310 and the Audi A4 2.0T at $31,450. Granted, both competitors feature more powerful four-cylinder engines – considerably so in the case of the turbocharged Audi – but as we said, a fun to drive car isn't necessarily the quickest one to the next stop light. The question is, how much is a second of acceleration worth to you? Suzuki is willing to bet a Ben Franklin that it's not much.

2011 Chevrolet Volt charges toward production

Three years ago this December we first walked into a Manhattan conference room for a background briefing on a new concept being developed by General Motors for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. Earlier that year, the release of a documentary called Who Killed the Electric Car made the then largest automaker in the world the subject of some well deserved criticism for its handling of the end of the EV1 program. The movie and announcement of the all-electric Tesla Roadster lit a fire under GM to get back into the plug-in electric vehicle game.

What we saw that day in NYC was a description of a new powertrain architecture then dubbed E-Flex. GM folk on hand that day included vehicle line executive Tony Posawatz and former VP for environmental affairs Beth Lowery. They explained that among the biggest lessons learned from the EV1 program were that range anxiety and lack of practicality would make a car like EV1 nearly impossible to sell in the mass market. The engineers went back to the drawing board to address those issues and came up with the extended range electric vehicle, or ER-EV. The Volt concept was approved for production mere months after it was revealed at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. At this week's LA Auto Show, GM is publicly showing the production intent version of the Volt. Before that, however, we were among the first to drive a Volt with its range extender running. Read all about it after the jump.
We've had two previous in-motion experiences with the Volt. Last April we had the opportunity to drive one of the powertrain mules, which put the renamed Voltec powertrain into the body shell of the Cruze that shares its platform with the Volt. In August we got to ride (not drive) in one of the pre-production Volt integration vehicle engineering release prototypes (IVERs) with now former global chief engineer Frank Weber.

We trekked out to Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon before this week's press days for the LA Auto Show for our session with the actual preproduction Volt. Chevrolet set up a driving loop in one of the parking lots where we got to try out a variety of different maneuvers with the car. This time we would get to actually drive the pre-production car from pure battery power to its charge sustaining mode.



The Volt has evolved significantly over the past three years. We've all the heard the story about the first wind tunnel evaluations of the concept and how it purportedly performed better backwards than forwards. While that may be somewhat of an exaggeration, the concept was bad in terms of aerodynamics. In production form, this new body is proclaimed to be the most aerodynamically efficient car that GM has ever built, although the company is declining to say exactly what the final coefficient of drag number is. Like the concept, the production Volt is a five-door hatchback with seating for four adults.

In the spring of 2008 when we visited the GM wind tunnel in Warren, MI, we saw a 1/3 scale model of the where the Volt design was going, but it remained covered in duct tape. We did learn then that aside from the front fascia, perhaps the most important aspect of the shape was at the trailing edge of the car where the air separates. Looking back at the EV1, that car featured a long tear drop tail to help ease the air stream off. Because of the need to make the Volt a four-seater with a real trunk, that shape was not a practical alternative.



Instead, the aerodynamicists spent many hours in the wind tunnel carefully shaping that trailing edge to get the air to come off in a controlled fashion. The result is some interesting detailing at the Volt's hind quarters. A sharp edge runs vertically down each corner while a lump in the lower body also contributes, and a full belly pan empties out into a diffuser under the rear bumper. The overall effect with the rest of the car is a fairly aggressive stance and a surprisingly attractive overall shape. The only questionable element remains the thick black border under the side windows. We'd definitely prefer more side glass and a lower belt-line.

While most compact cars of this size have three rear seat belts, the reality is that only three small children will usually fit comfortably. The Volt is limited to two rear passengers because of the battery pack down the center tunnel, so you might need to leave the third kid home. However, behind the rear seat is a surprisingly cavernous cargo area made possible in part by the tall rear deck.

The basic powertrain architecture and specifications remains unchanged, but practical realities have made changes necessary. The originally planned 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo has been supplanted by a 1.4-liter normally aspirated four-cylinder. The four-cylinder is claimed to achieve better fuel consumption than the triple, hence the change. The engine and generator also now sit out ahead of the traction motor instead of on top of it.



While the engine and its position have changed, the operating principle has not. As far as GM is concerned, this is an electric car. Only the 110 kW traction motor ever provides drive torque to the front wheels. When the battery reaches its "depletion" point of approximately 30 percent charge, the 100-hp engine kicks in to drive a generator. For the most part, the generator sends electricity to the electric motor that's driving the wheels. The engine mainly operates at constant speeds where it can be controlled efficiently. Since power demands can fluctuate, any surplus is fed to the battery, although the engine/generator is not specifically set up to charge the battery.

Because the battery can be drawn down to provide extra power beyond the capability of the generator for hill climbing or acceleration, the charging capability is used during off-peak demand only to replenish the battery to its "depletion point."

When we arrived for our drive session, the car was plugged in to get some juice back in the battery. Vehicle chief engineer Andrew Farah rode shot gun with us as we set out with the battery gauge indicating six miles of electric range. The driving loop consisted of a number of corners of varying radius, a couple of chicanes and a fairly long back straight along with two stop signs.



The car that GM made available was one of the 80 IVER pre-production prototypes built this past summer. Unlike the other IVERs, this one was cleaned up and finished for auto show display and media drives. Most inner surfaces of these IVERs don't have the proper graining that will be on production cars or the production light clusters, but GM pulled together enough prototype parts to make them look essentially complete. In addition, unlike most of the IVERs that were finished off in primer grey, this car was painted in the same silver-green color that was the subject of GM's color contest. The winner of the contest will be announced on Tuesday here in LA.

Like many modern cars, the Volt doesn't uses a fob instead of a key with a start/stop button on the left side of the center stack next to the shift lever. Pressing the button produces a green glow from within. We shifted into Drive and rolled out silently with the Volt running purely on battery power as we circled the loop trying to run down the battery so we could experience the charge sustaining mode.



While sucking the juice out the battery, Farah pointed out some of the features in the car. Above the start-stop button are two other buttons with Leaf and Sport labels. It turns out that the default operating mode for the Volt actually limits the maximum output of the motor to 90 kW (121 hp) in order to help maximize efficiency. The Sport mode releases an additional 20 kW bringing the output up to the full 145 hp. Even in the normal mode, the instant torque of the electric motor means that the Volt feels strong accelerating from a stop. We didn't do any official timing, but with Sport mode engaged, the Volt certainly felt like it could hit 60 mph in the mid-eight second range.

When we drove the Cruze mule last spring, the electric drive system behaved pretty flawlessly except for a couple of hiccups with the brake system, which is a fully blended system that combines friction braking with regenerative braking. We specifically looked for those hiccups in this Volt and couldn't get the brakes to misbehave. Farah acknowledged that there are still a few glitches in the brake software and calibration work is still being done. Even at this point, 11 months from Job 1, the brakes feel better than they do on many hybrids using the same system.

Another feature of the Volt is the Low position on the shift lever. The Volt doesn't actually have a transmission as such, just a reduction gear. There is no actual low gear. The Low position provides increased regenerative braking when the driver lifts off the pedal. In Drive, lifting off gives about 0.1 g of regen braking, similar to what you get in a conventional vehicle from engine braking. In Low, the lift off regen is boosted to about 0.25-0.3g, about what you get from downshifting. The main purpose of this is to save the brakes when going down a long hill.



Eventually the battery meter dipped down toward the 0 miles left point. When running on the battery, a battery meter dominates the left side of the LCD display with the ghost of a gas gauge above it. As the car switches from charge depleting to charge sustaining mode, the gauges switch place. On the right side of the display is a power gauge. A mode button on the left side of the dash swaps the energy gauge over to the other side and eliminates the power gauge for a simpler layout.

Getting into charge sustaining mode doesn't necessarily mean the engine starts up right away. In fact there is nothing in the car that tells the driver that the engine is running. According to Farah, the intent is to make everything as transparent as possible for the driver. He tells us that the Volt team is designing the car for mainstream audiences rather than the hyper-miling crowd. They wanted people to just get in the car and focus on driving rather than watching all the gauges and trying to eek out every last foot from a gallon of gas.



We didn't even realize the engine started for the first time until we came to a stop and heard it running. The most noticeable thing at first was when the engine shut off. Farah told us that the team was not yet satisfied with the engine shut-off quality and is continuing to calibrate it. While it was noticeable, we still felt the shut-down smoothness was better than many current production hybrids.

When we first talked to GM about the Volt three years ago, the thought was that the engine would simply run at a constant speed to maintain the battery charge. As development has continued, that strategy has evolved. The output of the engine/generator is based on the needs of the battery and motor, not what the driver is demanding. As the level of the battery changes, the generator is controlled to provide the necessary, electrical output. The engine speed in turn is selected to maximize the load on the engine. An engine runs most efficiently at full load. If the electrical demand is low, a lower engine speed is used in conjunction with the generator control to get the desired load.



Currently the engine can operate in a range of about 1,400-4,000 rpm. According to Farah, the maximum engine speed will likely be reduced as they finalize the calibrations, although he didn't say how much. As we continued running in charge sustaining mode, we were never able to feel the engine start and stop while the car was in motion. However, after a series of hard accelerations we were able to occasionally hear the engine running when it went into higher rpm modes. The sound was similar to or better than most other comparable compacts, but Farah was adamant that it was not good enough. Additional work is still being done both on the engine control and the general vehicle noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) properties to improve this. Farah admitted that more road noise was still coming through on these IVER vehicles, especially in the back of the car, than was desirable.

In terms of handling, the Volt felt capable but obviously we couldn't evaluate much in a parking lot. Body roll was reasonably well controlled, a behavior aided by have the 400-pound battery pack mounted low in car. In fact, according to Farah, the Volt's center of gravity ended up being about two inches lower than the Cruze. We did toss the Volt around a bit in the corners and it felt reasonably well balanced below 8/10ths, but that did turn to understeer as we pushed harder. Farah declined to say how much the Volt weighs, but he did tell us that weight reduction efforts have brought the weight of the base car (minus the battery) down to about the same as a comparable conventional car. So the Volt weighs about 400 pounds more than a Cruze, which should put it at around 3,500 pounds.



It's been a tough three years for General Motors since we first learned about the Volt. The automaker has gone through bankruptcy and emerged as a smaller company that is majority owned by the U.S. government. When we first wrote about the Volt, many of our readers groused that it was nothing more than smoke and mirrors, a simple publicity stunt. As we've followed the development since then, the proportion of people who think the Volt is vaporware has shrunk somewhat, although many still doubt whether the car can succeed commercially.

Now that we have driven the car in both charge depleting and charge sustaining modes, we can say that this car is definitely not vapor. The Volt is real and it certainly appears to work. Whether it can actually hit 40 miles on a charge, what mileage it will get in charge sustaining mode and how long the battery will last are questions that remain for another day.

2009 Audi A8L - requiem for a heavyweight

We come not to bury the A8L, but to praise it. Next week the newest generation of Audi's aluminum spaceframe panzer will greet the world in Miami, and we expect it to be a leap through a wormhole compared to today's car. After a week with the current model at the end of its six-year run, we walked away from a saloon that still has us smitten. What we didn't expect was that, even though we didn't come to bury the thing, we would end up throwing quite a bit of dirt on it.

That might make the Audi A8 the Megan Fox of automobiles.

A funny thing happened on the way to reviewing the 2009 Audi A8L: we discovered ourselves writing compromising things about the four-ringed flagship. This is a sedan that we adore mightily, and having thought it over, we might even say unreasonably. It became the girl you're dating that you first describe as "She's great!" just before divulging a list of mildly unseemly behaviors that you'd never considered all at once, ending with, "Wow... I really do like her, but come to think of it... she's a little kooky." That might make the Audi A8 the Megan Fox of automobiles.

We drove the A8L W12 a couple of years ago, and it was possessed of so much battleship-gray girth we wanted to call it the Bismarck and park it in a Norwegian fjord for safety. Yet and still, it was glorious: an exterior awash in pulchritude, an interior so beautiful we wish we had gotten its autograph, and it gulped miles, and gas, like cognac. Since we didn't write about it, we didn't give it the philosopher's thought, and we walked away from it with only roses, no thorns. But now...
First, let's lay out the scenery: the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S Class and Audi A8 are fabulous cars. There isn't a loser among them. The S Class has been The Business since Elvis Presley was a teenager -- and Elvis died at age 42, almost 33 years ago. The S Class is like driving Gibraltar. Quickly. The 7 Series, born the same year Elvis left the building for good, owns dynamic; to sit in one is to discover a steering wheel that feels half the size of a 5 Series tiller, after which it's crystal clear what game the 7 is playing. The latter two Transporter films notwithstanding, the Audi is trumps in neither gravitas nor go.

Which is only right. The A8 is but 15 years old -- it's just getting out of middle school. Sure, there was the Audi V8 before it, but when that car came out in 1989 it wasn't even close to the top Merc or BMW in almost any category; Audi was selling a barely dressed up VW only a few years before as the Fox (some things hardly change). And that was probably part of the reason the V8 was a relative bargain: it was $10K less than the 735iL and $14K less than the 420SEL back when those kinds of numbers meant something.



The introduction of the lengthy lozenge that was the original A8 marked the first swing of Audi's sledgehammer upon the rock that is Merc and BMW hegemony. And so now at the end of this model run and like the best 15-year-olds, the A8 is many parts brilliance mixed with a splash of ungainly.

Outside, we're still taken by how much we enjoy Audi's outgoing design language when there appears to be so little to it. From the side there's only one sharp character line, a minor number down by the rocker panel. The other is a whispered affair, starting at the edge of the front bumper and forming a shoulder that all but disappears by the time the eye reaches the C-pillar. The A8 is wide, long, low, with a hint of upward sweep from front to rear. Audi's wheel designs remain the best. It's a beauty we just feel; but if we want to figure out why it's so, we've got to look for it.



But then there's that front overhang, seemingly lifted from a proboscis monkey. As with the design's other notables you need to be paying attention and looking at it from the side to notice it, but once you do you can't un-notice it.

Inside, for our money and our eyes, is the best big premium sedan interior to be had in a car that isn't labeled "Maserati." For many, it does not beg the exclamation "Oh my..." when seen for the first time. There aren't great welts of stitching on the dash, there is less leather and more hardness than one might expect, and it lacks an alluring tactility that suggests "You will love it when you touch me here, and here, and here."

Nevertheless -- and we warned you it was going to be like this -- the materials are rewarding, the workmanship solid, the texture and depth welcome. There are no tricks and no gimmicks, simply a robust chunk of a cabin that feels carved, whole, from sandwiched strata of leather, wood, and aluminum. It is luxury without pretense, with divine seats in which to enjoy it.




There is the matter of the fan control, which requires one too many buttons to change. And the plastic surround on the steering wheel, which is just too obviously plastic. And the front seat controls which, for as much as we dig subtle, we think are too plain. And the rear seat headrests that don't recline (except the one in the middle), so your three-quarter view is a tad narrow. No matter, we can forgive.

There is no forgiving the stereo, though. A $6,300 option, the 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen needs no forgiving at all. It is also found in other cars, but in the Audi it has the space and resonating chambers to make the most of its abilities. It's brilliant.

Press the Start button and roll off and you find the car is dynamically sound. With 350 hp and 325 lb-ft from the 4.2-liter V8 pulling a 4,321-pound car, it's about 50 horsepower but more than 100 lb-ft down on both the BMW and Mercedes. Progress, therefore, isn't of the "Egads!" variety, but brisk enough.




What is noteworthy is how much more you can feel the progress in the A8 than in the other cars. The wind, the tires, the tender thrum of a machine, all of these things come through. Relatively to cars in general it's nothing, relative to the competition you find yourself quickly thinking, "This is new -- I can feel this car working." It's never harsh, nor unpleasant. It brushes off all but the most unruly asphalt catastrophes. It comfortably gobbles interstates. It's just that, as opposed to the subterranean cave of the S Class and the Opera House that is the 7 Series, you can really feel the A8 laboring its way through all of those things.




Work, however, it does. The A8L is big and feels it, but your limits will be tested before the car's are. The steering is confident. The brakes are bracing and, used properly, will help you avoid default understeer and also hold up admirably. It changes direction briskly enough, and the Quattro system will keep you out of the poo without shutting the whole circus down. Yet while it will do what you ask of it, the A8L will communicate what it's going through, and the question is how long you care to experience the only slightly abridged sensations of 2.5 tons fending off nature's most important laws. It's nowhere near floaty. But it isn't locked down, either.

So where does that leave us? Ostensibly with an executive sedan that is neither as insulated, nor as luxurious, nor as dynamically refined as its competition. But that isn't really fair, since its competition is pretty new in the case of the Mercedes and brand new in the case of the BMW. The 2009 A8L is a monument to what Audi was thinking six years ago, so it shouldn't be asked to fight today's fight – besides, that's what next week's car is for.



Still, the 2009 A8L stands up for itself. This might sound like going back on the 1,200 preceding words, but we're not: the A8L is beautiful in a few places, damn good everywhere else, and as a complete package simply works. Again, it's the woman who might not be the best on paper, but to experience her flips all the right switches. Audis are monumentally subjective that way, and because there is practically nothing ostentatious about them they're difficult to explain. Even the company's tagline, Vorsprung durch Technik, is arcane. That insider-ness is a big part of the reason they don't sell as numerously as their German competition. But as far as this subject is concerned, we're in.

Not that we won't take this time to make a request of Audi. A few days before the fourth Thursday in November we'll give thanks for the current A8L. Even though our ardor needs to close its eyes and forgive a few things, we know that it's real. But if we can move from giving thanks to requesting an early Christmas present, what we want from the next A8 is this: less Megan Fox and more Heidi Klum, please.