POV car video
Driven: 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
It’s no secret that Dodge’s new 707 horsepower Hellcat power plant has caused quite a stir among performance car enthusiasts. When we headed to Portland earlier this year to drive the Hellcat-flavor Dodge Challenger, we came away with a lot of reasons to be excited. Considering that the Charger and Challenger share a nearly identical platform aside from the coupe’s shorter wheelbase, it comes as little surprise that the driving experience between the two is fairly similar. Still, with four doors, the Charger serves a different purpose in Dodge’s lineup, and the automaker has made a concerted effort to give the Charger its own unique characteristics that complement its sedan configuration and the role it will play for potential buyers. To get a better understanding of exactly what that entails, we headed to Washington D.C. and nearby Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia to see for ourselves.
WR TV: 2015 Ferrari California T
For 2015, Ferrari’s best-selling vehicle becomes the first turbocharged road car from Maranello in 25 years. Perhaps seen as a concession to tightening emissions and fuel economy standards, any notion of the California’s reduced displacement and newfound forced induction as a drawback goes right out the window when you see and hear what it’s now capable of.
WR TV: 2014 Ford Focus ST
This week we find ourselves behind the wheel of another factory-built hot hatch. Much like the Fiesta we featured in September, the Focus also gets a thorough high performance reworking for ST duty from Ford’s engineers.
Driven: 2015 Cadillac CTS Vsport
With competition from the likes of the BMW 5-Series, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the Audi A6, it’s clear that Cadillac faced an uphill battle when they brought the CTS into the midsized sport sedan fray back in 2002. Since then we’ve seen the CTS-V best the Germans on their own turf with a record-setting Nurburgring lap time and a steady series of tweaks and refinements as the car matured but, performance notwithstanding, there’s always been a sense that while the CTS made for a great midsized sports sedan, it still existed a step or two below its European rivals as an overall package. Last year marked the debut of the all-new third generation CTS, which brought with it a striking new design, a longer wheelbase, a lower roofline, and debut of the Vsport trim level which slots between the base model and the as-yet unannounced CTS-V. Even a brief glance at the new car made it clear that Cadillac was in it to win it with the new CTS, but with the firm foothold of the established players in the segment, would it be enough? We spent a week with the CTS Vsport to find out.
WR TV: 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Track Package
In may have been just a few weeks ago that we were behind the wheel of a 4C, but when someone once again handed us the keys to one of the best handling cars on sale – one that’s even sharper and more visceral than the standard 4C – you better believe we jumped at the chance to get behind the wheel.
WR TV: 2014 RAM Power Wagon
RAM has a somewhat unique niche with the RAM 2500-based Power Wagon. Less of a bespoke high speed offroader – Mopar has the RAM Runner for that kind of work – the Power Wagon is designed to be something of a heavy duty jack of all trades. To that end, the Power Wagon is designed to be highly capable in a variety of demanding situations, from traversing harsh terrain and fording streams to assisting disabled vehicles with its 12,800 pound winch and using its class five trailer hitch and 10,800 pound tow capacity to pull some serious cargo.
WR TV: 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost 2.3L Performance Package – POV Test Drive
While we had a great time putting the new GT through its paces, perhaps the biggest surprise of during our stint with the all-new Mustang lineup was the new EcoBoost model. Slotted between the base V6 and the 5.0-powered GT, the EcoBoost Mustang gets motivation from a turbocharged, DOHC 2.3-liter four cylinder motor which outputs an impressive 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, recalling the short-lived Mustang SVO of the early 1980s which still carries a cult following today for its light weight and eminently tunable turbocharged powerplant. Our tester was also equipped with a six speed manual and the optional Performance Package, which includes a 3.55 limited slip differential and 255/40R19 summer tires.
WR TV: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat – POV Canyon Drive
Some days at work are better than others. Yearning for more seat time after our stint with the 707hp muscle car in Portland back in July, we happily accepted the red key at an event held where Kanan Road meets Mulholland Highway in the lovely Malibu hills and headed out to the twisting stretches of picturesque road in this supercharged bruiser – here equipped with the Viper-derived six-speed manual transmission – with the Pacific Ocean as our backdrop. Some days, indeed.
WR TV: 2014 Ferrari FF
Today we’re fortunate enough to be behind the wheel of another one of Maranello’s finest, the FF. The first all-wheel-drive vehicle in the company’s history, the FF replaces the 612 Scaglietti in Ferrari’s lineup. The shooting brake design of the FF is said to recall the shape of the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Drogo race car and also draws some inspiration from stable mates like the 458 Italia and the 599 GTB Fiorano. The FF is powered by a 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 making 651 horsepower and 504 pound-feet of torque, which is connected to a seven speed dual clutch transmission similar to the unit found on the F12 Berlinetta. Ferrari’s own patented 4RM all-wheel-drive system then routes the power to each of the four wheels as needed, leaving the car most often in a traditional rear drive layout.
Driven: 2015 Ford Mustang GT
Fifty years ago, Ford took the style of a European coupe and fastened it to the bones of the Ford Falcon and created the first pony car. More than nine million examples later, the Mustang is a legitimate icon of Americana, and its massive popularity has created an aftermarket so healthy that one phone call can get you everything you’d need to turn otherwise stock vehicle into a corner carving road racer or a 9-second drag strip beast. Marking its 50th anniversary, Ford has made some fairly sweeping changes to the car, including the first application of an independent rear suspension ever in the standard Mustang (SVT’s brief flirtation with the idea in the 99-04 Cobra models notwithstanding), an all-new look inside and out, and a new turbocharged four cylinder EcoBoost model now on offer, recalling the beloved Mustang SVO of the 1980s. 2015 also marks the Mustang’s entry into the European market, which brings with it a whole different set of challenges and buyer expectations. Earlier this month we took to the back roads of Malibu to find out if the 2015 Mustang GT has the goods to attract newcomers into the fold while still keeping its rabid fanbase happy.
WR TV: 2015 Ford F350 Super Duty
Today we’ve wrangled one of Ford’s most capable pickups for a thorough look from top to bottom, and then head out on the road for a pair of POV test drives. For 2015, the Super Duty line of pickups gets a new optional 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8 which outputs 440 horsepower and a stump-decimating 860 pound-feet of torque. Naturally the F350’s towing capacity has risen as well, with the maximum fifth-wheel/gooseneck trailer figure now pegged at an astronomical 26,500 pounds.
WR TV: Lingenfelter C6 Corvette Grand Sport Convertible Walkaround and Test Drive
Today we’re taking a look at a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible which has been warmed over by the horsepower fanatics at Lingenfelter. The drop top now sports over 600 horsepower by way of a HeartBeat supercharger system, which includes ECU modifications, an Eaton “TVS” 2300 rotating group, an internal intercooler system and bypass valve, twin dual-pass charge-air-coolers, a coolant circulation pump and a heat exchanger. To make sure the Corvette’s bark is as loud as its bite, it’s also been fitted with a Lingenfelter Performance exhaust system.
Driven: 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C
Automotive luminary and Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson once proclaimed that in order to be considered a bonafide gearhead, one must own or have owned an Alfa Romeo at some point in their life. This was formerly a distressing prospect to those of us in the United States that were born after, say, 1970, as Alfa Romeo packed up and left the American market altogether in 1996, giving those without the masochistic urge to pick a second hand 164 little recourse to meet Clarkson’s decree outside of the handful of $250,000 8C Competiziones that made it to the US in the 2008. But this year that all changes, as the 4C serves as the opening battle cry of the Italian automaker’s charge back into the American market with cars that people with typical incomes might be able to afford, putting this otherwise almost unattainable commandment of gearhead-dome suddenly within reach. The question now is whether or not it’s a prospect worth seriously considering, so with keys in hand, we set out to determine just what Jezza was on about.
WR TV: 2015 Honda Fit
Honda’s venerable hatchback sees big changes for 2015. How big? How about a new platform, new engine and transmissions, and a new look. The new 5-door is 1.6 inches shorter than the outgoing model, but also weighs in at 100 pounds more, due to more substantial use of high-strength steel in its construction, which provides significantly bolstered chassis rigidity for added safety and improved handling. Despite its shrinking dimensions, the Fit’s new platform actually expands on both front and rear passenger space dramatically.
7 Things Learned From a Week with the 2014 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged
The most athletic Range Rover on the roster is all-new for 2014. We spent a bit of time with the Sport in Detroit earlier this year, but we were left wondering how this split-personality SUV would fare on the city streets of Los Angeles and along the twisting canyon roads of the San Gabriel Mountains. Range Rover Sports of the past garnered a reputation that preceded them, for better or for worse depending on who you talk to. But regardless of what context you’re referring to the 2014 V8 Supercharged model in, the fact that it’s got a whole new bag of tricks isn’t up for debate. To go along with our POV test drive through Los Angeles and along Angeles Crest Highway, we’ve put together a list of some of the new SUV’s most notable highlights.
WR TV: 2015 Subaru WRX
We quickly became fans of the new WRX once we got a chance to review the car late last year. Our only regret from the time we spent with the ‘Rex was that we didn’t get a chance to capture the driving experience on the video. This week, we’re finally able to remedy that issue with this Limited trim example, which is coated in Crystal White Pearl paint.
Driven: 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe 3.6L Premium
When Cadillac rolled out the high performance CTS-V sedan, along with its subsequent coupe and wagon counterparts, it started to become clear that fairly sweeping change was underway for the company. In the ensuing years, there’s been a concerted effort to change public perception of Cadillac from the go-to choice for reasonably well-heeled pensioners to something more youthful, relevant, and performance oriented. Or to put it another way, more BMW-like. But to truly complete with BMW, they needed a worthy 3-Series fighter, and that’s just what we got with the all-new 2013 ATS sedan – a tour-de-force of GM’s latest engineering efforts designed specifically to beat the German’s at their own game. The sedan has earned high praise from critics and consumers alike, but if Cadillac wanted to achieve parity in the segment, they’d also need an answer to the two door BMW 4-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class as well. Enter the 2015 ATS Coupe.
WR TV: 2012 Ferrari California
This week we’re taking full advantage of the summer weather by spending it behind the wheel of an open top Ferrari. Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.
WR TV: 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor
Earlier this summer we got a chance to get behind the wheel of Ford’s latest performance-oriented pickup, the F-150 Tremor. With the new aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150 due to land in showrooms in just a few short months, we thought we’d give this hopped-up version of the outgoing model a thorough once-over before it goes the way of the dodo.
WR TV: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
Today we’re behind the wheel of Chevrolet’s pony car contender. The Camaro received a refresh for the 2014 model year that includes revised front and rear fascia styling, new headlamps and taillamps, and a new SS hood that draws inspiration from the heat extractors first seen on the 2012 Camaro ZL1.
WR TV: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
While the 8-speed ZF sourced gearbox that made its recent debut in the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was big news, we actually got a preview of how this gearbox might behave when hooked to a Mopar motor by way of this Grand Cherokee, which was the first of the Hemi-powered Chrysler vehicles to benefit from the new gearbox.
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