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Tire Tech: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season
Goodyear has made a fine tire here, blending dynamic ability with wet-weather security and year-round usability. The Eagle F1 Asymmetric is proof that all-seasons can really bring something to the table for the driving enthusiast.
Driven: Commuter Cars Tango T600
This year’s North American International Auto Show featured a street sign-labeled area titled Electric Avenue. The cars featured there were not produced by big, well-known automakers, but rather startup electric car companies with a vision of cleaner future transportation. Underneath the main floor in the large basement of Cobo hall, there was a small track offering drivers the chance to test drive some of the electric cars. Of the cars offered were the CT&T eZonem Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Think City, and by far the darling of the test fleet, the Commuter Cars Tango.
Driven: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, Tread Lightly My Ass
As subtle as an IED going off next door. As indulgent as making out on a park bench with a pretty woman. As offensive as wearing a baby seal fur coat to a PETA convention.
This is the 2010 Ford SVT Raptor.
In these sickeningly PC times, we’re grateful that Ford mustered the guts to introduce the Raptor. Not only is this a full-size pickup, but it’s a purpose-built machine designed for high-speed off-road running…not exactly what the Tread Lightly organization had in mind. This truck won’t win many friends in Washington, DC or at the local Sierra Club.
For this we rejoice.
Driven: 2010 Acura TSX V-6
Long before a V-6 was ever in the cards, Acura told the world that its four-cylinder TSX was perfectly equipped to do battle with entry-level luxury sedans like the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series. Sure, it had the looks, the technology, the interior refinement, and the size, but when it came down to performance, the 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline-four running through only the front wheels just couldn’t hold its own. So in a segment full of six-cylinder (and turbo four) engines and rear- or all-wheel drive, the TSX sort of became the bargain basement choice in the class.
Driven: 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT
For a company as small and idiosyncratic as Subaru, launching a wholly new contender for the high stakes midsize market is a really big deal. The automaker is rightly aware that its 2010 Legacy won’t be overtaking the sales numbers of stalwarts Accord or Camry any time soon, but Subaru has high hopes and broad targets for the all-new sedan, nevertheless. The stated goal for the Legacy is to become the, “Driver’s car of the midsize segment.” Consider us intrigued.
Analysis: The Lessons of Rick Wagoner’s Demise
I confess to having mixed emotions about the Obama administration’s move over the weekend to throw Rick Wagoner under the Escalade.
On the one hand, Mr. Wagoner was pretty clearly toast last fall. He had to get the axe, at a minimum for political reasons, but for sound reasons as well.
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