Kenton Smith with the 2019 Lexus ES 350 in Calgary.Al Charest/Postmedia A long-time owner of Toyota vehicles, Kenton Smith had never before experienced first-hand the brand’s luxury nameplate, Lexus. That changed when he spent a week in the all-new 2019 Lexus ES 350. His tester was the super-deluxe version, equipped with the top-of-the-line Ultra Luxury Package. “Of course, I’ve seen Lexus models at car shows and on the streets,” the Calgarian says, and adds, “but, I’ve never driven one before, and when it was all said and done, it was really tough handing back the key.” Lexus last fully updated the ES 350 model in 2013 with the sixth-generation and then in 2016 facelifted the luxury sedan with the corporate spindle grille and other refinements. The 2019 version ushers in the seventh-generation, complete with crisper styling and an updated 3.5-litre V6 engine backed up by an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels. The ES is also available as a hybrid, with the ES 300h model. And, for the first time in its history, the car can be had with one of two versions of the performance-enhanced F-Sport package. Lexus has made the ES 350 longer, lower and wider and upgraded the suspension to increase driving enjoyment. “It’s a super quiet car,” Smith says of the ES 350, “I think one word for me summarizes the Lexus, and I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s ‘refinement.’” Smith learned to drive in Calgary, and he and his older sister shared a 1979 Pontiac Parisienne when he got his licence at 16. However, as often as possible, he got behind the wheel of the family’s new 1986 Honda Civic, because it was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. “That made it a lot more exciting to drive,” he says. His own first car was a Mazda 626 with a standard gearbox. As his own family began to grow, his last car with a standard transmission was an Acura EL. That was followed by a succession of minivans and SUVs that have been, over the past two decades, almost entirely Toyota products, including Sienna and Venza models. Currently, Smith maintains a RAV4 and a Prius c, both hybrids. When he first saw the Nightfall Mica – a deep navy blue – ES 350, Smith was immediately impressed by the car. He thought it would have ‘the great gaping Lexus grille’, but says, “The grille was proportionate to the overall lines, and the car has a very pleasing shape. The ES looked bigger than I expected it to, but it didn’t end up driving ‘big.’” After opening the door and settling into the premium-leather upholstered driver’s seat, the interior also found favour. “It was a light colour that beautifully complements the dark exterior,” Smith says. “Inside, I think I was surprised by the overall quality of the luxury. I was half-expecting it to be filled with Toyota switches and knobs, but that wasn’t the case, yet it was familiar in the larger sense.” The 10-way power adjustable heated and cooled seat wasn’t overly plush. Instead, Smith says the seat felt ‘fitted and supportive’. At five-feet ten-inches tall, there was plenty of head- and legroom for Smith’s frame. After spending a few days getting used to the Lexus, Smith was full of praise for the performance of the V6 engine that makes 302 horsepower. “The engine had plenty of power, and the eight-speed automatic transmission was unobtrusive,” he says. “If you got on the gas, you could sense it shifting, otherwise it was completely seamless.” On a road trip west of Calgary to Canmore, Smith experimented with some of the technology found in the ES, including the dynamic radar cruise control and lane tracing assist. Although well suspended, Smith says the Lexus never felt like it was floating. He says you could feel the road, but the ride was never uncomfortable. Handling was good, with a nice light effort on the steering wheel in parking lot situations while it tightened up when on the highway – overall, it was well-balanced, in Smith’s opinion. To test the utility of the ES 350, Smith loaded up his 19-year old daughter’s goalie equipment in the trunk. “I got all of her gear in the trunk, and with the sticks through the backseat pass-through, we still got all four of us into the car and down to Okotoks for her hockey game,” he says. “The trunk opened wide, and it was easy to lift everything in. It has a power trunk lid, and while that’s nice to have I think it’s a luxury you could easily live without.” Smith suggests the ES 350 would best suit a family of four, or empty nesters. “It’s not a big, gigantic car and you won’t feel like you’re hauling around a bunch of empty space without extra passengers. But, load them in and they’re going to be very comfortable,” he says, and concludes, “It was tough to give the car back, I really did enjoy driving it.” DRIVER’S JOURNAL Day One: Nice colour combination, high-quality leather. Quiet! Wow, so nice and quiet on the highway. The control for the infotainment system is really awkward. The trackpad is an
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Lexus ES 350
2019
First drive: 2019 GMC Sierra Elevation
Caledon, ONT. — How hot is the Elevation appearance package on the 2019 GMC Sierra and Canyon pickups? Hot enough for one enterprising individual to steal one as several trucks were being offloaded from a transporter in Brampton, Ont., last week for a GMC media event to promote the Elevation series. With the help of GM’s OnStar, however, the Elevation Canyon was tracked across the city and its ignition disabled, allowing event organizers, with the help of police, to “steal back” their truck that was full of computers and phones for the event — gear that was still inside when organizers and police got to it. Imagine the thief’s surprise when he or she came outside and found the truck gone. No word on whether anyone has been arrested yet. To be sure, the Sierra looks great in Elevation trim, killing off the chrome and adding just enough features to make the Elevation stand out in the current crowd of pickups. With its 20-inch black wheels, smart black grille and LED lighting all around, the truck looks positively hot (pardon the pun), especially in all-black or contrasting red and black. Elevation Sierras, sitting above the base and SLE models, also get a premium cloth interior and “Prograde” trailering aide. These trucks are meant to appeal to a younger audience, and they seem to be doing so: The average age of an Elevation buyer, according to GMC, is 38, whereas the average Canadian truck buyer is 52. See? Black wheels matter. But so does price. An Elevation 44 Crewcab shortbox starts at $51,200, whereas the average transaction price for all trucks in Canada is $55,000. Other configurations, including a 2WD and Crew Cab long box, are available, netting the average Elevation transaction price at $45,000. That’s not far off the cost of many full-size SUVs that don’t have the same utility as a truck. The more intriguing aspect of the Elevation is its standard engine — an aluminum four-cylinder turbo that weighs a mere 320 pounds. No, your eyes did not deceive, an Elevation Sierra comes with a 310-horsepower inline-four with 348 lb.-ft. of torque paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. GMC says this turbo engine is only two-tenths of a second slower than its big, naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 with 420 horsepower — able to sprint to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds vs. the V8’s 6.6. That’s impressive. Of course, the richness, sound and smoothness of the V8 is all but absent, but the coarseness of four-cylinder is not much apparent either. Hammer the throttle and there’s some agreeable response to go with some of the drama as the engine hits peaks power at 5,600 rpm. The transmission shifts well too. The four-cylinder is also smooth at idle and able to tow a respectable 6,900 pounds when properly fitted with the trailering package. For fleet customers and those mostly concerned about fuel economy, the 2.7L makes sense given that a Crew Cab short box in 2WD returns 12.6 L/100 km city, and 10.9 highway for a combined average of 11.8. For traditional truck owners who simply can’t live without a V8, GM’s 355 hp (and 383 lb.-ft. of torque) 5.3L is a $1,695 option. While the V8 does have Active Fuel Management to shut down various cylinders to save fuel when all eight are not required, the 5.3L is only paired to a six speed. More interesting is the diesel option ($3,135) that can be added to Elevation models — a 3.0L straight six with 460 lb.-ft. of torque paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The 6.2L V8 is not an option with the Elevation trim. But that should not matter. While the 2.7 is not as smooth as the 5.3L, of course, either engine felt perfectly at home in the new Sierra, which was completely new for the 2019 model year. The new Sierra gets a strengthened frame with better rigidity plus a bigger and wider steel box (62.9 cubic feet) with 12 tie downs. And it can be optioned with GMC’s functional MultiPro tailgate, which more or less redefines what a tailgate can do. With a fold-out portion inset into the regular tailgate, the tailgate can be used like a step or table, and can make cargo easier to access or to prevent it from slopping around. Sure, the Elevation interior — even if it does get a good eight-inch touchscreen with standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, accompanied by a no-nonsense bank of buttons and knobs — might be less dramatic than the exterior. But a $2,200 “value package” adds all the things most buyers really want — dual-zone automatic climate control, 10-way power driver seat with power lumbar, heated driver and front passenger seats, heated steering wheel, automatic locking rear differential and a trailering package with hitch guidance. Even with that, the sticker on a 4WD Crew cab short box (5’ 8”) just tops $55,000 and that’s before factory discounts kick in. That’s a lot of truck for the money and should bring in buyers who might end up staying with the brand as they age. The ride of the truck is equally excellent. Sound deadening is
Origin: First drive: 2019 GMC Sierra Elevation
First Drive: 2019 Porsche Macan S
2019 Porsche Macan SCosta Mouzouris / Driving DEER LAKE, Nfld. – It really didn’t take long for the Macan to become Porsche’s best-selling vehicle in Canada. In 2017, just three years after its introduction, the Macan outsold the next most popular Porsche, the Cayenne, by more than 80 per cent. In 2018, the Macan was once again Porsche’s best-selling model, finding homes in the driveways of 3,960 Canadians — and outselling the Cayenne once again. In fact, the Macan represents almost half of all new Porsche models sold in Canada. Now this is Porsche, so we’re not talking Honda or Toyota numbers, but any manufacturer that almost doubles its sales figures following the introduction of a single vehicle has certainly done something right. That’s a pretty good reason why for 2019, Porsche made only minor changes to the Macan and its sportier sibling, the Macan S. We’re in Deer Lake, Newfoundland to sample the latter. The Macan S has design elements that give it a family resemblance to Porsche’s mid- and rear-engine sports cars, like its elongated headlights and its bulbous hood. But it is nonetheless an SUV. Slip into the driver’s seat and take it for a drive, though, and there’s no mistaking it for anything but a Porsche. While the base Macan retains the 248-horsepower, 2.0-litre turbocharged four, there’s a new engine powering the Macan S. It’s the same 3.0L V6 that powers the latest Panamera and Cayenne, and it features a “hot V” layout with a single, twin-scroll turbocharger set within the V’ of the engine. This new layout shortens exhaust manifold length, which helps reduce turbo lag to almost nil. Claimed output is 348 horsepower — up 13 compared to the previous twin-turbo V6 — and 354 lb.-ft. of torque, and the Macan S can sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. The new engine mates to the same seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox as before, and it drives all four wheels. The Macan S now features full LED exterior lighting as standard, including the headlights, while brighter LED cornering headlights with automatic high-beams are optional. Fog lights are now part of the LED headlights, a change that combines with a new grille to give the appearance of a wider front end. In the rear, an LED light panel stretches across the hatch, bridging the taillights together. Subtle changes continue inside, where a larger 10.9-inch touchscreen replaces the outgoing Macan’s 7.2-inch screen. Heating vents are now splayed horizontally to make room for the new, wider screen. Controlling the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) user interface is done through the touchscreen, or by vocal commands via Porsche’s Voice Pilot. You can also access certain functions via your smart phone using the Porsche Connect and Porsche Car Connect apps. Apple CarPlay is still the only connectivity option in the Macan, so Android users will have to wait for that to change. Online navigation is standard, and an embedded navigation system is optional. The GT steering wheel that greets drivers of the 911 is now optional, and it comes with the Sport Response button when the optional Sport Chrono package is selected — this gives you 20 seconds of enhanced engine response when pushed. The interior, which seats four comfortably, is roomy and surprisingly so for rear passengers. There’s ample headroom in the rear despite the sloping roof, and even with the front seats adjusted for six-footers, there’s enough legroom for even more six footers back there. Changes in the undercarriage include a switch to aluminum front suspension arms, which reduces unsprung weight and improves suspension response, while revised anti-roll bars are said to provide more neutral handling. Brake feel has been improved through the use of a lighter composite brake pedal with revised geometry. Like before, air suspension and torque vectoring are available as options. On the road, the Macan S immediately asserts itself as a sporty SUV. Acceleration is brisk, and the engine pulls with authority throughout its rev range. The following probably comes as no surprise to most Porsche drivers, but the PDK gearbox is a marvel. It exhibits subdued smoothness when shifting in Normal mode, and wakes up with more forceful gear changes in Sport mode. The optional air suspension of my test vehicle is firm in Sport mode and returns excellent road feel, while exhibiting very little body roll through turns. It softens to a comfortable level in Normal mode, while remaining firm enough to allow a quick pace without getting sloppy. The steering wheel is well-weighed and precise, and the Macan S steers sharply enough that you’d think you were driving a sporty coupe. Just 20 years ago, using the words SUV’ and Porsche’ in the same sentence was unthinkable. Now, an SUV is Porsche’s biggest seller. The base Macan is the most affordable new Porsche you can buy, starting at $55,500. But if you want to get closer to the renowned Porsche pedigree with sharp handling, a rich
Origin: First Drive: 2019 Porsche Macan S
Car Review: 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye
OVERVIEW An absolute brute of a muscle car PROSRidiculous power, equally ridiculous exhaust note, retro-cool styling, surprisingly spacious inside CONSFuel economy, too heavy, zero respect for subtlety, Mustang and Camaro handle far better VALUE FOR MONEYFair — on one hand, you get almost 800 HP for a fraction on the price of most supercars. On the other hand, the performance isnt much improved over the standard Hellcat WHAT TO CHANGE?Nothing HOW TO SPEC IT?Exactly like this Clayton Seams: Surely, cars aren’t forever. They’ve been our go-to mode of personal transport for over a century, but it’s inevitable that the car as we know it, especially gasoline-powered ones, will eventually fade away to make room for a newer form of personal transport. It likely won’t fully happen in another 50, or maybe even 100 years, but surely, it will happen. And when it does, and all the cars are relegated to air-conditioned museums with marble floors, we’ll still talk about the Dodge Challenger Hellcat — the last of the dinosaurs, the car that thumbed its supercharger at convention and threw caution (and tire smoke) to the wind. This is a car for the ages. Specifically the ages of 5 to 15 because principally, the 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat is a car for children — and childish adults. It has angry cat badges on it, it comes in purple, lime green, bright blue and a handful of other loud colours, and it’s the size of a wooly mammoth. But this isn’t just any run-of-the-mill, 717-horsepower Hellcat. No, this purple people-eater (and tire-shredder) has the $18,000 Redeye package, which bumps output from its supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 engine to an insane 797 horsepower and 707 pound-feet of torque. But what else do you get for your money? Nick Tragianis: First thing’s first — although you may think FCA treats the Hellcat Redeye as its own model, and indeed FCA markets it that way — it’s technically an option package on top of the regular Hellcat. It certainly isn’t cheap, but it comes with a laundry list of goodies all in the name of more speed. For instance, the 2.7-litre supercharger (the largest available on any production car, by the way), is larger than the Hellcat’s 2.4L unit and provides more boost; 14.5 psi in the Redeye vs. 11.6 in the standard car. You also get a higher redline, two fuel pumps, and two final drive ratios — our tester was equipped with the 2.62:1 ratio — plus a few bits off the Challenger Demon, including its Torque Reserve feature, Power and After-Run Chillers, and beefed-up prop shafts, to name a few. Unlike the standard Hellcat, the Redeye is only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. So, that $18,000 isn’t a complete waste, especially considering the extra 80 horsepower and 51 lb.-ft. of torque. But is it just me, or are the actual numbers not that much more impressive versus the standard Hellcat? We’re talking a zero-to-100 km/h time reduced by a mere tenth of a second — 3.4 seconds in the Redeye versus 3.5 over the regular kitty, and a 326 km/h top speed versus 321. But I suppose those numbers, although piecemeal and ones that will be incredibly rare to experience, are improvements nonetheless. CS: It’s true. Paying $18,000 for more power on an already-overpowered car doesn’t make the most sense, but it’s also a bit of a quagmire to apply logic to a near-800-horsepower car with purple paint. The Hellcat is an attitude machine, attracting jealous stares at red lights and consuming nearby souls every time the throttle is opened. It’s a car that thrives in its wrongness and doesn’t try to fit in for even a second in this mobility obsessed 2019. How does it drive? Violently. At any legal speed, mashing the gas pedal to the floor will send the traction control light flickering for its life as the rear tires squirm for grip and the Redeye catapults itself into the distance. Sure, there are faster cars than the Hellcat; its mid-three-second zero-to-100 km/h time isn’t record-breaking, but it’s the way you get there. The shrill whine from the blower fights for airspace with the tearing V8 exhaust. In a way, you wish it could last longer, but you’ve already passed get a ticket speeds and are now firmly in the go to jail zone. Is the Redeye too fast? NT: Yes, because obviously the regular Hellcat clearly wasn’t fast enough. I firmly maintain the Challenger SRT 392 — or, more accurately these days, the Challenger Scat Pack 392 with the Dynamics Package — is the sweet spot of the lineup, but the Hellcat is truly a different animal altogether. The Redeye is neither light, nor does it handle particularly well, although the 305-section tires do lend a fair bit of grip. But it’s the Redeye’s sheer ferocity and violence that make it entertaining as hell; you’ll crave open stretches of road, highway on-ramps and tunnels. The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro are far more sports cars than the Challenger will ever be; the Jaguar F-Type offers a far more
Origin: Car Review: 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye
The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic gets extra-cool with new Sub Zero trim
What’s a company to do when it’s selling a truck with a ten-year old design alongside a brand new one? Give it as many special editions as possible, of course. Earlier this year, we saw Ram bring out a Warlock package for the Ram 1500 Classic. Today, it introduced a Sub Zero package. In the middle of summer, no less. Offered on ST, Tradesman and Express models, the Sub Zero trim adds heat to the front split bench seat and steering wheel, a remote start for those cold mornings, and a 10-way power driver’s chair. Other goodies include the 5-inch Uconnect with satellite radio and an overhead console. “The new ‘Sub Zero’ package was designed by Canadians for Canadians,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of FCA Canada before getting back to the business of bringing a lawsuit against his own company. “We created an exclusive package with affordable, all-weather comfort and conveniences to complement the award-winning capability and features of our Ram 1500 Classic, helping our Ram customers better conquer tough Canadian winters from coast-to-coast.” Through to the end of May, sales of Ram pickups have fallen off by six percent compared to the same time last year, down to 37,152 units sold. Across all its brands, FCA Canada is down by about 14 per cent so far this year, not having yet cracked the 100,000-unit barrier. It had done so at this point in 2018. Ram pickup trucks, by the way, are head-and-shoulders above the other products in FCA’s portfolio in terms of sales, with the next-best-selling vehicle being the Caravan, at 13,199 units sold. In fact, Ram pickups outsold the entire Jeep brand in this country by a wide margin. Having two half-ton pickups at different price points surely helps. This all-weather goodness, which the cynical amongst us will say is simply a way to use up remaining Ram 1500 Classic parts they keep finding in FCA warehouses, will add $1,495 to the window sticker. It’s offered on Quad or Crew Cab 44 Ram 1500 Classic models with all engine configurations and is available
Origin: The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic gets extra-cool with new Sub Zero trim
Comparison Test: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. 2019 Honda Passport
JY: In order to make these midsize crossovers appealing to the most possible customers, it seems like designers have all arrived at an incredibly generic form, car companies sticking close to much the same design. For example, take a look at this new-for-2019 Honda Passport, which revives an old nameplate in a five-seat midsize crossover that slots between the CR-V and Pilot in Honda’s lineup. It’s handsome enough, but so incredibly bland. Then again, compared to some of Honda’s other questionable designs of late, maybe bland is a compliment. The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a bit more distinctive with its slim headlights and odd grille shape, but still follows the same template for a five-seat midsize crossover, tall and upright, making sure that practicality is not sacrificed for some styling misadventure. Clayton: While they both look pretty generic, they’ve gone down different paths in the powertrain department. The Santa Fe uses the most common engine configuration of our time: a 2.0L turbocharged four. Taking a page out of the traditionalist playbook for the segment, the Honda uses a large-displacement naturally-aspirated 3.5L V6. The Santa Fe makes less power at 235 versus the Passport’s 280, but on the torque front it’s practically a dead heat with the Passport making 262 and Santa Fe twisting out 260 lb.-ft. What the numbers can’t convey is the different nature of the two engines. The Passport is high-winding and makes power up top while the Santa Fe makes plenty of down-low turbo torque. The Honda’s throttle is also very slow to react in its Econ mode, while the Santa Fe always seems to have enough pep just off the line with that peak torque available from below 1,500 rpm. It just makes it feel more effortless in acceleration.JY: I hear you. I thought the Santa Fe’s engine was a bit rough around the edges with some coarse sounds coming through, but its performance made easy work of acceleration, and the eight-speed auto was as smooth as I would hope for. The Passport’s transmission was equally smooth, so there’s little to pick apart there, and both have variable all-wheel drive systems that prioritize efficiency, but offer extra traction getting through crappy weather or roads. The Passport, however, goes a step further in the SUV direction, with more ground clearance, accepting the tradeoff in handling. Both vehicles ride well enough in a straight line, and both get a little unsettled over really rough, bumpy roads, but the Santa Fe has better composure in your typical city driving, with steering and handling that feel sharper and inspire more confidence in corners and tight parking lots. The Santa Fe also wins with an excellent 360-degree parking monitor with guide lines and well-measured proximity alerts. CS: I would say that the chief difference between the two of them on the road is that the Honda drives like a truck and the Hyundai drives like a car. The Hyundai feels smaller from the driver’s seat and is easier to drive around town than the bulky Honda. Inside, the Hyundai also has a very nice interior, the materials all top notch, loaded with features, anchored by a well laid-out console and info screen. One party trick of the Hyundai’s info screen is the handy “home” page that displays an active corner of the map screen, your music, and has ready-access buttons for most recently used function, like phone controls. It’s a very well thought out feature and one we both used often while driving. The Honda meanwhile is black, shiny black, and more black inside. Rather cave-like if you ask me and it could use some lighter coloured accents to break it up. The Honda is commendable, however, for its multitude of cup holders and storage cubbies. Your phones, sunglasses, and drinks will never want for a place to stay in the Passport. JY: Definitely, and before I get into the Passport’s practicality, I feel like we need to give Honda its due credit — their new infotainment is very slick, with big app’ icons that you can drag from screen to screen just like you rearrange apps on your smartphone, and it has all the cool gizmos just like the Hyundai. That being said, the Hyundai still wins in that department with just a few inconspicuous buttons that still work better as shortcuts to the most common functions. In terms of practicality, there is no denying the Passport’s edge, and a big part of why it seems to drive bigger is because it is bigger. It’s bigger in every exterior dimension, about 7 centimetres longer, 5 cm more wheelbase, and over 12 cm wider, resulting in 1,430 litres of cargo space even with all five seats available, compared to 1,016 L for the Santa Fe. With the rear seats stowed (both split 60/40 for flexibility) the Pilot’s 2,852 L again dwarfs the Santa Fe’s 2,019. Despite the superior cargo capacity, passengers are not overlooked, and both feature roomy back seats with substantial head and legroom, but the Passport’s width gives it a clear edge in that
Origin: Comparison Test: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. 2019 Honda Passport
Motorcycle Review: 2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro
2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 EnduroDavid Booth / Driving BORMIO, Italy — Italians, especially those living in and around Borgo Panigale, must love big numbers. Like, really big numbers — 1260, for instance, is a preposterous number of cubic centimetres for any motorcycle that dares put Enduro in its name. Ditto for 158 horsepower, and for pistons spanning 106 millimetres across. It’s incredibly over-the-top stuff, the kind of high-performance motor that, not so long ago, that would have done any superbike proud, never mind something wearing saddlebags and kinda, sorta off-road tires. Far more impressive is how Ducati’s — they of Borgo Panigale, where I picked up this monster — Multistrada behaves when you’re not taxing those big numbers. In fact, for the first three days in normally sunny Italy, it did nothing but rain, the Modenese spring doing a fair rendition of our own (albeit with prettier countryside to gaze upon as the heavens poured down upon our slickers). In other words, for safety sake — and the fact that I had she-who-reacts-poorly-to-crossed-up-corner-entries along for the ride — I did nothing but poodle around like I was riding a Gold Wing on a poker run. So, for instance, while the big twin’s frame-twisting 94 pound-feet of torque may build up quite the head of steam at 7,500 rpm, let me nonetheless remind you that big Testastretta grunts like a good’un at a traction-maximizing 3,500. Those huge 106-millimetres may indeed harness the forces of a 158 seriously stout Shetlands, but loping along at an easy five grand in top gear, they are as civilized as a straight-six with perfect primary balance. And trundling along like the proverbial tortoise means that we stretch the Enduro’s huge 30-litre tanks — another huge number — all the way from Modena to Bormio, a ride of some 340 kilometres. And yet Multistrada’s TFT screen had the audacity to claim we had another 160 kilometres in reserve. What I am trying to say is that, yes, this latest, larger-displacement Multistrada is fast. My God, it’s a Ducati with desmodromic valves and pistons the size of manhole covers. Of course it’s bloody fast. In fact, as fast two-up and loaded with luggage as my Suzuki V-Strom 1000 XT when I am riding alone. What’s less expected, perhaps — certainly if you were around to sample the, uhm, delicacies of Ducati superbikes of yore — is that the big Duke is a good motorcycle even when it’s not going fast. For one thing, it’s comfortable. More comfortable, in fact, than Ducati’s other Multistrada bikes thanks to a revised seating position that sees your butt about 10-millimetres closer to the ground than the previous 1200-cc version of the Enduro. The handlebar is an even more substantial 30 millimetres lower as well. This last surprised me because I found the lower bars easier on my wonky back. Maybe it‘s because the revised seat also places you closer to said handlebar. Or maybe the cut of the Enduro just fit my gib. Whatever the case, I found the Enduro easier on my posterior than either the 1260 S or the 950 Multistradas I rode recently. Even the adjustable windscreen is quite effective on the long haul, its lowest position sportbike breezy while its highest more than protective enough to ward off rain showers. Ditto for the ride. Ducati’s “Skyhook” suspension offer full adjustability at the flick of a button — OK, the touch of a screen — the electronically adjustable dampers variable between Enduro — compression damping lightened to maximize wheel travel over big bumps — to Sport (compression and rebound damping both tailored for optimized wheel control). It works well, herself giving the big Duke a full princess-and-the-pea two thumbs up. I do have one request though, Ducati: Could I please get just a little more rear preload adjustment in the rear? Even your “two helmets and full suitcases” setting isn’t quite enough for the burden of carrying a month’s worth of ablution products and hair creams. The reason we could carry enough for a full month’s sojourn were the positively cavernous aluminum cargo cases optional on the Enduro. Built by Touratech, they are sturdy, keyed to the ignition lock and can hold a grand total of 83 litres of Lierac Crème Voluptueuse. Rid of expensive face creams, they’ll swallow a full-sized helmet easily. The rear topcase Ducati offers, also made by Touratech, is small by comparison, holding just 38 litres. Nonetheless, the total — 121 litres between the three of them — is impressive and you can stack extra luggage — much needed, if you’ve been following the thread — thanks to the built-in bungee hooks built into the lid of each case. And while I am on about the practicalities one might not expect from the bike, it’s worth noting Ducati has extended the valve inspection interval to a whopping 30,000 kilometres, one of the longest in the industry. Indeed, if recent rider reports are any indication, Ducatis are now more durable than the average motorcycle, an
Origin: Motorcycle Review: 2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro
2019 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra net four-star overall crash rating
An NHTSA crash test of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado pickupNHTSA The boffins at the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have finished strapping their crash test dummies into General Motors’ new pickup trucks and have announced their findings: four stars overall. Yes, based on frontal and rollover tests or calculations, the agency gave the Silverado and Sierra four out of five stars. Side impacts garnered five stars, which lead to the overall rating of four stars. A perfect quintet would have made for top marks, by the way. In the tests, the NHTSA comes up with a frontal collision grade by combining the driver and passenger star ratings. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 55 km/h. Evaluations are made to the adult-sized dummies in the front seats, determining the level of injury – if any – to the head, neck, chest and femur (that last one’s your leg, in case you fell asleep in high school biology). Side-impact tests are made up of two varieties. In the first, a 3,015-lb moving barrier represents another car crashing broadside into a standing vehicle at 62 km/h. The other test hauls the vehicle, angled at 75 degrees, into a 25-cm diameter pole at about thirty clicks to simulate sliding sideways into a telephone pole on a rainy day. Rollover is calculated using a bunch of maths that causes your author’s brain to hurt. Four stars isn’t bad, but neither is it the best-in-class. The 2019 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 44 received a five-star overall rating, comprised of five-star frontal and side crash grades, plus a four-star rollover risk rating. The new Ram 1500 hasn’t yet been rated by the
Origin: 2019 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra net four-star overall crash rating
Car Review: 2019 Audi A7
2019 Audi A7David Booth / Driving OVERVIEW My kind of sedan PROSHandling, powertrain, interior décor, exterior styling CONSUhm, that new, totally unnecessary naming system VALUE FOR MONEYDecent for what it is, but optioning out an Audi will quickly break the bank. WHAT TO CHANGE?Could you make one for $40,000? No? Well then, I guess I’ll just have to get a real job HOW TO SPEC IT?I’d have the Technik model with BO sound system and the S-Line and adaptive air suspension packages, but I’d forgo the rest. Like I said, you can go bankrupt optioning out an Audi. I know road tests are supposed to be objective reviews of a car’s performance and utility, with personal prejudice and peccadillos put aside. But Lord almighty, I like this car. I like driving it. I like looking at it. I like playing with its technology. Actually, I pretty much like everything about the four-door coupe Audi A7. OK, maybe not the price — not having a spare $100,000 laying around, begging to be handed over to an Audi dealer, but that’s about it. I drove it around for about three weeks, and other than the need to sell my townhouse to afford one — oh, and a few minor infotainment wobbles — I struggled to find fault with the all-new A7. The look, for instance, is exquisite. Unlike the CLS, which Mercedes-Benz murdered in its second generation and the 6 Series Gran Coupe, which BMW never did get quite right, the second-gen A7 is as sleek and sloping as the original. A little longer, a little wider, the proportions of the A7 are just right, lending an aura of sportiness that the A6 and A8 can’t hope to engender, even though they’re built on the same platform. Inside the cabin, that same good taste continues. The Bang and Olufsen sound system remains my favourite in the business, and Audi has long been touted for classy interiors, using the finest leathers and tightest stitching in any of the categories they were competing in. Now that the competition has closed the gap, however, the company has turned its attention to the man-machine interface between the driver and infotainment system, this latest MMI system a dramatic step forward from the previous generation. With BMW gone off on a “gesture control” tangent, it seems like Audi and Mercedes-Benz will be fighting it out for pride of place among European infotainment systems. Mercedes’ MBUX — don’t call it “em-bucks” — put most of its marbles in voice control, while Audi‘s MMI is a further development of its touchscreen-based system. There is much that has been improved, however. For one thing, there are now two screens rather than one, the upper handling the true infotainment features — audio system, navigation and phone connectivity — while the lower one deals with more pedestrian duties like climate control and heated seats. The division works well as does Audi’s vastly improved handwriting recognition system, which is now virtually perfected; I wrote letter after letter right on top of each other and MMI glammed onto what I wanted right away. This latest MMI might not seem as “trick” as MBUX, but save for a few voice control wobbles, we got along just fine. Ditto for the powertrain. A development of Audi’s 3.0-litre V6, this latest version is turbocharged and pumps out 335 horsepower. It’s also mildly hybridized, a 48-volt starter/generator capable of putting 12 kW (about 16 horsepower) and 44 pound-feet of electrically generated torque back into the drivetrain. Audi uses this little boost to pump power back into the powertrain when you’re coasting at any speed between 50 and 160 km/h, saving you wasted gasoline and reducing emissions. Audi also activates the 3.0L’s automatic start/stop fuel saver — those sometimes annoying that shut down the engine when you’re idling at a traffic light — at 22 km/h. In other words, the motor cuts out long before you reach said traffic light. It’s supposed to further reduce fuel consumption and actually makes the system less annoying, as you’re less likely to notice the absence of internal combustion, what with other car-like noises filling the void. To make that work, however, the engine has to be completely disconnected from the wheels — less the now non-firing pistons become a drag on your coasting — which is at least one of the reasons that, for this second-gen A7, Audi has dumped the eight-speed automatic for a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the former always creating a little drag on the engine while the latter should, theoretically, be friction-free. I can’t say exactly how much this mild hybridization/engine deactivation saves in fuel, but the V6-powered A7 averaged just a smidge over 10 L/100 kilometres in my hands — not too shabby for a 335-horsepower, two-ton sedan driven by a chronically-late procrastinator with a lead foot. For the record, Transportation Canada officially rates the V6 at 10.7 in the city, 8.2 on the highway, and 9.6 overall. Part of the reason it’s rated so well is that Audi’s
Origin: Car Review: 2019 Audi A7
Car Review: 2019 Acura TLX
OVERVIEW Acura gets almost everything right PROSGreat engine, sharp handling CONSInterior could look a little more luxury VALUE FOR MONEYLots of features and performance for the price WHAT TO CHANGE?Throw that pushbutton shifter off a cliff HOW TO SPEC IT?Id go all the way to A-Spec The first letter in SUV is meant for “sport,” but that ain’t necessarily so. No matter how low-slung or sporty a crossover is, it simply can’t duplicate what a car can do, and Acura’s TLX is a great example. Good-looking, powerful, and a sharp handler, it proves you shouldn’t send a crossover out to do a sports sedan’s job. The TLX got a makeover for 2018, and so it continues into 2019 with almost no changes. It’s available with a 206-horsepower four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive, and that version adds the top-level A-Spec package for this year. Instead, I had the TLX SH-AWD (Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive), which swaps out the four-banger for a V6. All-wheel-drive models start at $41,190, but my tester, the fully loaded Elite A-Spec, rings in at $51,190. The naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 is a sweet and potent performer, knocking out 290 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque. It pulls hard, even at higher speeds when you need passing power on the highway, but it’s also smooth off the line when you’re accelerating moderately from a stop. It’s mated to a nine-speed automatic, but no pun intended, that’s where my admiration for this car shifts gears. Not with the transmission itself, which does a creamy-smooth job of changing cogs, but with the hot mess that passes for its shifter. There’s no need to invent the PRNDL lever, which has done us just fine for the last however-many decades (and if you must, a dial shifter is equally good in my books). Here we have a mismatched stable of buttons and a toggle for the gears, requiring you to look down and see if you’ve hit the right one. Please, Honda (and Acura), send this design to the scrapyard. In addition to styling cues, the A-Spec package adds wider tires, sharper-tuned electric power steering, and screwed-down damper settings. It complements the all-wheel drive, which sends almost all of its power to the front wheels in straight-line cruising, but which transfers as much as 70 per cent to the rear on acceleration and hard curves. When you’re rounding a bend, more power goes to the outside rear wheel to help tuck the car in. Between the engine, the suspension, and the car’s relatively light weight, this thing can’t help but put a smile on your face. Inside, the TLX hits some high and low points. The seats are well-bolstered and very comfortable, and on the Elite and Elite A-Spec, the driver’s seat has a power cushion extender, and both front chairs are heated and ventilated (which you adjust with a somewhat confusing set of icons through the centre screen). Legroom in the rear seats is a little less than generous, although a six-foot passenger back there said he had enough headroom. Compensation for that tighter rear leg room is a sizeable trunk, made even more useful with two bins hidden under the floor. The divider between lets you securely stash items within reach, and they don’t roll around the trunk. Acura’s always straddled the fence between sports and luxury, and there’s usually something about its vehicles that suggests it can’t make up its mind. The TLX cabin’s luxury-car quiet, with just a touch of the engine’s throaty growl making its way inside. But then the interior’s plain design, its dash a wide swath of plain hard plastic, looks far less premium than I’d expect in a car that tops $50,000. The infotainment system is divided into two screens, which leaves the navigation up top and the map always viewable. The bottom touchscreen handles other functions, including stereo, phone, climate settings, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and inputting the navigation commands. But here’s another issue. There’s voice recognition for many functions, including some for the nav system. You can talk to the car, and it will obediently bring up and let you select any previous destinations you’ve entered, take you home if you’ve set that address, or find nearby points of interest, such as a gas station or coffee shop. But if you want to enter a new address with voice, rather than tapping it in, you’re out of luck. Cars sold in Canada don’t have that ability. Seriously? At a time when I’m rating navigation systems on whether they’ll let me say the whole address at once, rather than having to keep hitting the “talk” button to speak one line at a time, the TLX can’t do either one? Yes, most people rely on their phones for guidance, but if Acura’s going to stick a map in the dash, it really should have full functionality, and not just for the U.S.-market cars that can listen and obey. This might seem like a relatively minor complaint overall, especially in a car that performs as well as this, but annoyances seldom go away the
Origin: Car Review: 2019 Acura TLX
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