In today's Toronto Star, I have a look at the all-new 2010 Toyota 4Runner, which you can find by clicking here.
I also have an opinion piece on who really makes the decisions on environmentally-friendly vehicles -- including the whale oil and crushed kitten editions -- available here.
In a single pass around the dealer's yard, I drove both the biggest and also the most expensive motorized vehicle I have ever piloted. (For the record, it's about $350,000.)
John Deere calls it the 9630. I call it one honkin' big tractor. But it wasn't half as big as the smile it put on my face.
This is an actual press release, sent out today on a newswire. The emphasis is mine:
(MMD Newswire) November 18, 2009 -- $100,000 is being offered as a commission to anyone who can find a buyer for President Obama's previously driven Chrysler 300C. The current owner of this historical car, Tim O'Boyle of Berkeley, IL purchased it from Park Plaza Dodge in Forest Park, IL where President Obama first took delivery. Obama drove this car for 3 years and over 19,000 miles.
O'Boyle is confident that somewhere in the world there is a collector that would love to own this piece of American History for only $1,000,000 USD.
Every now and again, an automaker sends out a press release photo that simply defies a caption. This one comes courtesy of Mercedes-Benz's Smart division.
The Ford Fusion has been named the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year. It was the first magazine to offer such an award -- the initial one was in 1949 -- and it's still considered the biggest of the big, or at least, the one that the general public is most likely to recognize. And I think they hit the nail on the head with this one.
It went up against some pretty big guns, including vehicles I think were equally worthy of the crown -- Buick LaCrosse, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Mazda3 -- and even some high-end stuff that's among the better cars I've driven, like the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Porsche Panamera.
A lowly Ford Fusion defeating the mighty Panamera, or the zippy Z4? The enthusiasts are tearing out their hair, and tearing up their subscriptions even as we speak. But they miss the point. Motor Trend -- and other awarding bodies that get it right -- doesn't necessarily crown a car because it's the best one in the batch. Instead, it's the car that gets it right for its intended audience. In many cases, that's an audience that has no idea what's going on under the hood, but needs a car that'll handle the job.
Motor Trend noted that the Fusion comes in a wide assortment of models, gets good fuel economy, offers a hybrid, has lots of passenger and cargo space, and can be ordered with higher-end options if desired.
Sure, the fit-and-finish and material quality don't come close to BMW or Mercedes. It'll still be getting its front wheels over the start line when the Panamera's at the finish. But that means nothing to someone whose car budget taps out at $18,000 -- and there are a lot of people whose car budget taps out at $18,000.
Auto companies listen to journalists, but they sell cars to average buyers. This time around, the journalists listened to the average buyers, too.
In case you've never seen it, take a trip over to Autowriters.com. It's primarily a link between auto writers and clients, but there are some fascinating blogs, and a monthly newsletter.
Kia Canada has introduced a new customer rewards program. Here's how a representative describes it:
"We are committed to enhancing the purchase experience and positively impacting consumer expectations through key strategic initiatives designed to mitigate defection and turn one-time customers into customers for life."
I'm just truly in awe of anyone who could write something like that.
I'm at the Specialty Equipment Market Show, or SEMA, in Las Vegas, the enormous trade show for all things aftermarket. It's pretty big if you've never seen it before, but if you've visited in healthy years, you'll really notice the hit it's taken because of the economy.
So far I've only spent time in the tires-and-wheels building, which is only half the size it normally is -- much of the hall is divided by curtains, and there's nothing behind them. The parking lot display is easily half its regular size, as well. The crowds are much smaller, and in past years I've fought to get a chair in the media lounge; this time around, it's a case of picking which one I want. Last year you could see the cutbacks; this time, you feel it.
Still, it's a must-see event; that Subaru pictured is just one of an enormous number of far-out vehicles on display. You can certainly see trends, especially in the tire area, where there are more Chinese tire companies than I've ever seen before. New products are geared more toward the useful than just fluff. The big automakers are here, though, and I'm going to check out their booths, especially Toyota's, where the new LFA is on display.
Vegas overall is definitely feeling the downturn, as I discovered during my walk last night. I'm staying right on the Strip, at the Flamingo, for as low as $50 a night. There are four empty stores in Caesar's Palace Forum Shops. And everything looks a little less maintained than before. This is definitely where a lack of disposable income really shows its face.
Well, it's all over for another year: Testfest, the annual back-to-back evaluation by members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada to determine category winners, and then the overall Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Truck of the Year champions.
As always, it was both fun and exhausting. There were occasional hiccups and frustrations, but it still amazes me that this whole thing goes as smoothly as it does, given the number of cars, manufacturers and journalists that are attending. Kudos to the team that puts it all together.
Here's how it works: journalists come from across Canada to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, where we're met with rows and rows of eligible vehicles. We're all assigned to various categories. We have to drive all of the entries on the same day, back-to-back, on public roads and then, depending on the vehicle, either on a track, or an off-road course, or both. Then we rate them on a long list of factors, and move on to the next.
At the end of the event, the category winners are announced; you can see what took this year's honors by clicking here. We then have to drive any winners we haven't been in, and rate them again. This will determine the overall winners, which will be announced in February.
So what happened this year? Well, in no particular order, and with no order of importance, here are some of my thoughts:
- The car that most surprised me, as I've mentioned here earlier, was the Porsche Panamera. I think it was the four-door styling that threw me. I simply wasn't expecting it to accelerate or to handle the way it did. It defeated the mighty V10-powered Audi R8, and that's no mean feat.
- I know we're supposed to be stone-faced objective, but I felt really sorry for General Motors. It got shut out in a year that it brought some of the best vehicles it's ever built, and I think part of that is due to the limitations that Testfest can experience. There must be at least three eligible vehicles to form a category, which means that some vehicles don't get to Testfest at all (which is why the superb Ford F-150 SVT Raptor couldn't compete; there weren't any other new qualifying trucks). In other cases, vehicles get moved into categories where they really don't belong. The Buick LaCrosse should have been in Luxury Under $50,000, but since there wasn't anything else to form that category, it got moved into Family Car, where it was trounced by both the Ford Taurus and Fusion Hybrid. Both of those are worthy vehicles, but they're not really in the same segment.
- I also disagreed with a decision that took the BMW Z4 out of competition. It was in the Convertibles category, but BMW brought models equipped with manual transmissions, and the Car of the Year committee felt that put it into a sportscar category. Since BMW couldn't deliver three automatic-equipped cars that day, it was out of the running. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
- One of my categories included the Kia Forte Koup, my first time in the car. Kia certainly has come a long way with its vehicles, especially the interiors. The Koup also impresses with the biggest back seat I think I've ever seen in a two-door: once he manages to squeeze past the front seat, a linebacker would be comfortable back there. But one thing I noticed is that, while the Koup's sweet styling makes it look like a canyon-carving sports performer, it drives like what it is: an inexpensive, entry-level vehicle. It understeers like a snow plow: I took out a whole row of cones on my first trip around the track with it, and I wasn't the only one. Its price falls right into the laps of young, inexperienced drivers: I expect to see more than a few of these firmly wrapped around trees when they take their first hard turn a bit too fast.
- My goodness, Audi makes some sweet cars. I fell head-over-heels in love with both the A5 Cabriolet and the S4. Driving them is like steering a vat of cream. Even the Q7, a vehicle I don't normally like all that much, impressed me once the company stuffed a diesel under the hood. The all-plastic interior doesn't look like an SUV that costs $65,000, but the driving experience sure feels like it. Speaking of diesel, three oil-burners took their categories: the BMW 335d sedan (one of my faves), VW Golf Wagon TDI, and VW Touareg TDI.
- With so many journalists from so many backgrounds, you're bound to get all styles of evaluation. I have a pet peeve about those -- not many, mind you, but there are a few -- who see this merely as a chance for free track time, or who race through the categories with the singular goal of seeing how many they can rack up over three days. You simply can't evaluate vehicles that way. On the other hand, I also love Testfest because it gives me an opportunity to spend a week with my colleagues. Too often we work in a bubble in this job. It's nice to see everyone again.
- There had been a catastrophic fire in Niagara-on-the-Lake earlier in the week, and at least four people were left homeless. The city is always good to us, and so a bucket was passed around for donations. Between the journalists, a matching donation by the Car of the Year association, another by an anonymous donor, and donations from automakers, more than $5,000 was raised in less than 48 hours, which was given directly to the fire department to distribute to the people involved.
- And my final word? I'll sum it up by saying: click here.
I'm at Testfest, the annual event held by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, where we test brand-new models back-to-back to determine the Canadian Car and Truck of the Year.
And where else but at Testfest could you find not one, but two (and actually there are more than that here, but they were elsewhere where I snapped the photo) dirty Porsche Panameras passing in the mud?
There are some great cars here, but the Panamera was the week's surprise for me. Four-door sedan -- well, yes, it's a Porsche, but it's a four-door sedan. And then I drove it. I took it onto the track, pointed it straight down the runway, and put my foot to the floor. I know I said a couple of words over and over that I won't print here. Then I spun it around the cones, and said a couple more. Never in all my life did I expect it to be this good. What a job well done.
I’m a freelance writer and a member of the Automobile Journalists of Canada. My regular outlets include new-car reviews and special-interest articles for The Toronto Star (Wheels section); new-car reviews and news reports for Canadian Driver, where I’m also the Assistant Editor; articles on antique cars for Old Autos Newspaper; and articles in the industry trade magazine Tire News.
But I’m more than just cars: I also write about food and drink, travel, pen collecting, celebrity interviews and pets, among others. My work has appeared in such publications as Harrowsmith Country Life, Pen World, Dogs In Canada, Where New Orleans, Rural Delivery and Writer’s Journal.
