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December 6, 2010 by William Maley
  Episode two of Top Gear America was better than the first episode. The hosts relaxed a little, the camera work improved slightly, and a couple of the segments didn’t make me reach for the remote to fast forward. But there are still some problems with the show.
The Show:
This week’s show started off with Tanner Foust taking a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution up to Mammoth Mountain, a skiing resort in California. The challenge was to have the Lancer Evolution race two skiers down to a ski lodge somewhere on the mountain. As Foust puts it,
“But since Mitsubishi claims that this is no ordinary car, we needed an extraordinary test.”
So we meet the two skiers who will race against the Evolution which Tanner calls skittles due to their brightly colored clothing. But the skiers got their revenge for being called skittles by taking the keys of the Lancer Evolution and running a few feet before dropping them, thus delaying Foust from leaving. Foust had an advantage over the skiers; the skiers would need to take a 14 minute trip on a gondola up to the point where they would begin skiing. However the advantage Foust had eroded away by getting stuck by a big stupid bus and then a truck carrying propane tanks.
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Filed under: Editorial
December 3, 2010 by Bill Prosperi
 The 2010 Formula One season has sadly come to an end but what a ride it was along the way. With three new teams and many new rules, many were left wondering what the racing was going to be like. After the season opener, many were ready to head for the door. By far, one of the most boring races there has every been. Thank you Herman Tilke and your horrid track designs. The final two rounds of the Championship, while almost parade like, were nail biting to the very end. Going in, only two teams were truly up to the challenge of the all important Constructor’s Championship but four were technically still alive for the Driver’s.
The Grand Prix of Brazil seemed to have more action of the track, thanks to the seedy under belly of Interlagos (Sao Paulo), then on the track. While out driving, the car carrying Jenson Button was surrounded by armed gunmen. Luckily the driver was well trained in this situation and escaped without harm. As well, several Renault personnel were held up and relieved of their brief cases. The other big news of the weekend was Pole, captured by the Williams rookie Nico Hulkenberg, who was creating some new lines for his resume for next season. Out of nowhere, this young rookie set a blistering pace during qualifying and had the paddock area abuzz. Come race day, this new pace seemed to evaporate quickly under the pressure of the big guns, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. Aside from usual battles at mid-pack, the Red Bulls would storm out to an early lead and not look back from there. Vettel would capture the much need victory and Button would fall out of the chase in fifth. Webber and Alonso would finish behind the young German, giving Vettel a hope for his maiden Driver’s Championship. Hamilton would finish fourth, just keeping the hope alive but would need the top three to finish out of the points.
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Filed under: Editorial
November 26, 2010 by William Maley
This past Sunday, Top Gear USA premiered on the History Channel. To say it’s been a long and hard road for the show to appear on the airwaves would be an understatement. When news came out that America would be getting its on version of the famous show, groans could be heard coming from the fans of the British version. Typical complaints ranged from it not being like the original, to who can replace Clarkson, Hammond, and May. Two different networks (Discovery and NBC) first tried to get Top Gear US off the launchpad with varying different types of show talent before finally settling on Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara, Rutledge Wood.
My first thought for someone trying to produce a version of Top Gear for America was: FAIL. It couldn’t capture the charm and magic of the BBC/British version. All the US version would be was a carbon copy with some ‘Americana’ slapped over it. But then reports came in from people who went to the taping of Top Gear and comments were somewhat positive. So I decided to sit down this past Sunday and watch the premier of Top Gear. Here are my thoughts:
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Filed under: Editorial
November 15, 2010 by William Maley
 
If I were to write a list of the things that irk auto enthusiasts, public transit would be right near the top. Talk about public transit to any auto enthusiasts and you might get back “la, la, la, la, I’m not listening to you,” or just a mild glazed over look from your listener. Despite the naysayers, there are a lot of advantages to taking public transit instead of your own car.
One person who can attest to the benefits is Dave Foley (a.k.a. @Miradart on twitter). Foley is an avid auto enthusiast settled in Edmonton, Canada. Despite the desire to burn rubber, Foley ended up submitting to rationality of public transit, at least for a while. Here are his reasons why:
“When I got out of technical school, I was fortunate enough to get a job as a lab tech at a professional photo lab. We dealt almost exclusively with professional photographers from all around the city. This lab was located right in the middle of downtown Edmonton in an historic building.
“My first issue for choosing transit over commuting is cost. I moved into an apartment on the south side of the city specifically because it was very near to a major transit center. This transit center ran peak hour “Express” busses into the downtown arriving every 4-6 minutes. The monthly pass cost about C$65 loonies. Occasionally, I did take my car to work, but that didn’t happen very often because of the cost of parking, which was as high as C$14/day or C$420/month. It just didn’t make financial sense to drive.
“Another issue was time: Time is always the issue when trying to get to work. The trip on the bus took about 25 minutes. On days that I slept in, I thought I could save time by driving because I wouldn’t have the problem waiting for the bus, waiting for other passengers to load onto the bus, and for things like “time stops”. When it all worked out, it actually never saved me any time at all. Even though I would drive the same route as the “Express” bus (which was actually the most direct route) and passed them whenever they stopped to pick up passengers, that very same bus would always pass me back on the “Bus ONLY” lanes that the city set up so that busses could keep their schedule. I never saved time.
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Filed under: Editorial
November 9, 2010 by Justin Loyear
First of all, we’d like to say thank you to all of our loyal listeners out there. The last month has been pretty crazy for both Joel and I. Joel has been driving around all over the United States and I have been plugging away at work and at school. In this episode, we tried to get everybody caught up on the most important news of the past month. Also, enjoy the laughs about Chevrolet’s new ad campaign and the “White Diamond.”
Updates
Garage
This Week in Cars
Video of the Week
Talking Points
For additional information visit AutoBird, Accelerate Minneapolis and Cheers and Gears
Images by: Mirko Reinhardt’
Download this episode (right click and save)
Filed under: Podcast
November 3, 2010 by Bill Prosperi
 The last two races have seen our favorite circus run through Japan and for the first time, South Korea. On the Asian arm of this tour, the focus was on the main tent and its five main acts, the championship leaders. With just a few races left, any hiccup could spell certain doom. Especially for the two McLaren Drivers of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. With two back-to-back early exits, Hamilton could ill afford any mistakes to stay alive but Jenson who is furthest of the five back, just needed to score.
The Grand Prix of Japan this year was held at the grand circuit of Suzuka. This fabled track has produced many historic races in many different series. This was not one of them. The weekend leading up the the main event saw lots of rain. Enough to delay qualifying until a few hours before the start of the race. The start of any race can be a challenge as the cars dive flat out for the first corner. Most often, someone is left in tears. This time around (pay driver) Petrov put his Renault into the Williams of Nico Hulkenberg, ending their race. Petrov would soon be joined in the garage by teammate Robert Kubica, since someone forgot to tighten down a rear wheel. This was not a good race to be a Renault fan.
The drive of the race came from native born son of Kamui Kobayashi, the fearless and some times wreckless Sauber rookie. While the top five were afraid to challenge each other in fear of making the mistake of all mistakes, this pilot put on a clinic on how to pass and drive. Hamilton looked as if he was ready to put on a charge after his pit stop but was lucky to bring his McLaren home in fifth after he lost third gear in his brand new gear box. The race would end close to how it began, with Vettel taking the win and teammates Webber in second. Alonso would round out the podium in third.
The new circuit of Yeongam in South Korea would play host to the following round. Built on reclaimed swamp land off the coast of the Sea of China, many were wondering if it would stand up to the abuse of a Formula One race. The teams headed out and hoped for the best, since the ‘thumbs up’ was given to the track just two weeks prior. The drivers would start out happy with the track but that would soon change as the placement of the pit entrance became an issue. Track designer, Tilke, must have decided that placing it at the exit of a high speed blind turn would finally add some excitement to one of his masterpieces. The weather would soon help out.
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Filed under: Industry News
October 29, 2010 by Tyler Lipa
While speaking with one of my favorite twitter pals, the kiateam, I decided to make a stop at Gurley Leep Kia, in Mishawaka Indiana, for some seat time in a few of Kia’s latest models, including the 2011 Kia Sorento, 2010 Kia Forte Koup, and the 2011 Kia Soul. All of these cars represent the new Kia which customers are starting to hold in the same esteem as Japanese rivals Nissan and Honda. Each one offers greatly improved build quality and driving dynamics, sorely missing from the Kias of yore.
2011 Kia Sorento
The new Sorento should satisfy the needs of most American families, and it does so at a cheaper starting price than its Chevrolet and Toyota counterparts. I was able to drive the top-of-the-line SX trim, which comes with a 276-horsepower 3.5L V6. The test drive was relatively short so I didn’t have time to completely familiarize myself with the optional navigation controls, but the touch screen was very responsive and I was able to make changes on the fly. The interior offered a very upscale feel with perforated heated leather and white piping. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the faux carbon fiber dash inlays, I would have been happier with aluminum inserts to give it a more modern feel. The powertrain and 6-speed automatic were a great pair for this large crossover. The power came on smoothly. Even in “Eco” mode, the V-6 and transmission felt strong off-the-line.
Overall, the Sorento is very suitable for your average family. It offers decent fuel economy 20/26 mpg city/highway, and enough power to haul most loads. For those who like to take a little more charge when driving, the SportMatic function offers speeder gearshifts, by pushing a button alongside the shifter knob. On the whole, the Sorento is an impressive choice for those looking for a good CUV in the $25,000-$35,000.
       
2010 Kia Forte Koup
Next up on my Kia whirlwind was the 2010 Kia Forte Koup which is targeted at young people looking for a more aggressive car. The design cues include sharp lines and sportier features than the Forte sedan, such as chrome tipped exhaust and a rear diffuser. I drove the EX trim with the 16-inch alloy wheels and a simple black clothe interior. There were no manuals available, so I was stuck driving the four-speed automatic. I am not much of an automatic fan especially of the four-speed nature because you never seem to be in the right gear and power is always 1,500 RPMs lower or higher than you want it to be at all times. I also have the issue that if you are over six feet tall you can not fit in this car comfortably, or at least I couldn’t.
The Forte Koup attempts at sportiness don’t belie the fact that it’s really just the sedan model with two doors deleted. I would prefer it if it had a stiffer suspension set-up with a more powerful engine and a shorter gear boxed focused on performance that truly set it apart from the sedan. It looks like it should be a wildcat on the road, but it is much more domestic in actuality. For Kia’s first attempt, they still ended up with a decent competitor to the Honda Civic coupe.
The Soul experienced a mild refresh this year, which added features to the compact hatchback that were missing from the first incarnation of the model. Small things such as pull handles door latches really give the Soul a more professional finish. The interior is very similar to the 2010 but new colors are available for the optional speaker lights. I was able to drive a Java Brown colored Exclaim trim Soul, which comes exclusively with a four-speed automatic. A new font was used on the gauge cluster, which makes it much easier to read at a glance. Being a bit heavier than the Forte Sedan, at about 80 pounds, and with the large 18-inch wheels, the engine sounds a bit course and strains to pull the load. I noticed this less in the plus (+) trim, which had smaller wheels. Refinement has been increased greatly by the new shock absorbers, which even out the ride and controls chassis shudder.
    
2011 Kia Soul
The Soul has been improved and it is a joy to drive but it is still held back bit the automatic transmission. A manual option is only available on the plus (+) trim and with the 1.6-liter Base trim. The last word on the Soul is that it’s a great hatchback that offers incredible interior space and good driving dynamics for its compact design.
Kia has made leaps and bounds in quality as well as with driver engagement in just a short couple of years. The automaker has broadened its appeal with midsized crossovers as well as hatchbacks focused at a growing youth driven market. Their products still have a ways to go in terms of chassis and engine refinement, but it makes up for it with daring style and with new focus on the carmaker’s brand image. I am looking forward to the future of Kia especially with Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer at the helm of design.
   
Filed under: Reviews
October 21, 2010 by Mirko Reinhardt
Most young Americans don’t know a lot about Fiat, the Italian industrial giant that has been making cars since the late 19th century. What everybody knows though is that Fiat stands for “Fix It Again Tony” – due to the brand’s reputation for questionable quality. Fiat – which actually stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino – would like to put America on notice. Most of automaker’s newer cars get good reliability ratings. That is at least one of the reasons Fiat has decided to reenter the U.S. market.  Spearheading this effort will be the Fiat 500, a version of which I spent some time with. So is it any good?
The first thing you notice when you walk up to the Fiat is that it’s a retro car, like the Mini or the New Beetle. There are circular headlights, big chunky chrome door handles and a red cloth ragtop. All this combined with the shape is meant to evoke the 1957 500, one of Fiat’s most iconic classics. As far as I’m concerned: job well done.
Opening the door and climbing into the sports seats (cloth upholstery, with leather side bolsters; full leather by Poltrona Frau is available as an option) reveals that the attention to detail isn’t only skin deep.  Big chunky buttons made from a bakelite-ish material, a cream-colored leather steering wheel and shifter, and more chrome accents than you can shake a pizza at, drives the ’50s theme home. The USB plug, the multi-function steering wheel and the complex concentrically stacked gauges remind you, however, that this is infatti 2010. Looking back there are rear seats, but not a lot of legroom. For small children it should be OK. For anybody else, not so much, but this car is 140-inches in length after all.
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Filed under: Reviews
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Episode two of Top Gear America was better than the first episode. The hosts relaxed a little, the camera work improved slightly, and a couple of the segments didn’t make me reach for the remote to fast forward. But there are still some problems with the show.
