NASCAR finish at the Glen was just my style

COMING SOON: I will be blogging from the IndyCar Series race on the permanent road course in Sonoma, California, next week.  In a couple weeks, check out my take on the car that pioneered alternative power among mainstream U.S. motorists – the Toyota Prius. -- mg

Sacramento, California – I can’t remember the last time I stood up and cheered an auto race that I was viewing on television.

It happened last weekend during NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Finger Lakes 355 on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course at Watkins Glen International in New York.

The last-lap duel between eventual winner Marcos Ambrose and second-place finisher Brad Keselowski – with disgruntled odd-man-out Kyle Busch thrown in for good measure – was one for the ages.

Alas, there was the usual griping and grousing among the back-end finishers after the checkered flag fell.  For me, the last lap dogfight was racing at its unvarnished best, and all of NASCAR should have taken notice that, rules be damned, this was racing as it should be.

I was a NASCAR follower before many people outside the Southeastern United States knew what it was, but my current gripes with the top-tier Sprint Cup Series are shared by others: too much talking before the race, too many meaningless in-car driver interviews during the pace/caution laps, way too much whining, way too many cautions and some races that seem to go on forever.

I’ve sometimes found myself dozing during a NASCAR race, because, well, I’m just not that interested in who took the lead on the 68^th lap of a 500-lap race.  I likewise get tired of late-race cautions caused by drivers making ridiculous moves to move up into the top 10.  Invariably, late-race restarts produce an undeserving winner who just happened to float through the wreckage and is surprised to find that he’s the first one under the checkered flag.

Last Sunday, the final-lap run to the checkers was an action movie packed into two minutes.

Kyle Busch was leading the race, with Keselowski and Ambrose seemingly content to finish in lockstep for second and third.  Suddenly, within a short beer run of the finish, it was obvious that Busch was struggling with something.  We later learned that everyone was struggling with the same thing: plentiful oil on the track as a result of Bobby Labonte’s car springing a major leak.

Suddenly, Keselowski and Ambrose dispatched Busch in a quick-fire burst of dicey moves.  From there, Keselowski and Ambrose raced all-out to the finish.  They bumped, they smashed together, they slid, they went sideways, they blasted through the dirt and the grass – a wild, amazing show that had fans (and yours truly) jumping for joy.

And when it was over, when Ambrose somehow squeezed out Keselowski, who spent most of the last lap sideways, the two came back into the pits with broad grins on their faces.  No whining, no woulda, shoulda, coulda.  They were like two kids jumping off their first roller coaster ride.

The post-race comments of Ambrose and Keselowski essentially summed it up along the lines of: “Man was that great out there, or what???!!!”

It was boys, it was.  Busch team members and other drivers who ran afoul of the oily surface said NASCAR should have thrown the caution flag because the racing conditions had become so dangerous.

Technically speaking, they’re right.  My gut feelings: I don’t care.

Throwing the caution flag would have made for another slow parade and another green-white-checker finish, or probably several of them given the frantic moves drivers were making on the road course.

I’m glad that no hands went for the caution lights and yellow flags, because the show Ambrose and Keselowski put on was the best NASCAR racing I can remember … and maybe the best on-track action I’ve seen since Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear to the checkers by an eye-blink in the 1992 Indianapolis 500.

Boys having at it? You bet.  Give me more.

Scion iQ reviewed in the latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the tiny 2012 Scion iQ in the latest, August 2012 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News, published out of Folsom, California, by John Sweeney and Evonne Sotelo.

The “Hot Laps” reviews, along with my "Oil Drips" observations on anything with wheels, appear monthly in the publication.

To subscribe to the Cruisin’ News, visit http://www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an e-mail request to cruisinnews@mac.com. Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin’ News, P.O. Box 1096, Folsom, CA 95763-1096.

Dodge Charger better inside, Vroom remains

This review originally appeared in the July 2012 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – Vroom, vroom, VA-ROOM!!!

Yes, wake up the neighbors.  They need to get out here and take a look at this 2012 Dodge Charger R/T – an old-school rear-driver with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8.  Here’s what 370 muscular American horses sound like … VA-VA-VROOM!

Yes, I know that’s a terribly rude thing to do to folks living on my street, but this Charger takes you back in time, and the trip feels great.  And don’t I owe it to my neighbors to share my joy?

Sexy lines back up the engine’s roar, and the back end lights up like the White House Christmas tree at night.  No shyness in this thing.  Nor should there be.

Passengers I took out for a blast were impressed with how quiet the car was on the roll.  A mash on the accelerator pressed people into their seats, but their ears were not assaulted.  Call it quiet authority.  This 2012 Charger has it.

Naturally, you can get even more horses if you have the money to spend, but this R/T RWD is a nice, reasonable compromise among the seven trim levels.  It starts five bucks short of $30,000.  Not too bad.

My tester was dressed up with an outrageous number of optional extras, ballooning the bottom line on the sticker to $37,935.  Wow, I didn’t know you could get this many perks with a Charger.  Power adjustable pedals with memory?  Automatically dimming driver’s side exterior mirror?  Heated/cooled front console cupholders?

Holy Lexus, what’s going on here?  I’ll take my horsepower with just a pinch of sugar, if you please.

In truth, it’s a positive development that Chrysler finally got around to modernizing the dash/center stack of controls in the Charger, which in previous years looked as barren as an Arizona desert taxi.  From the cockpit, today’s Charger gives you the feeling of having scores of commands at your fingertips.  And well, you really do have that now.

A five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty is also a plus.  Fuel mileage ratings of 16 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway are, uh, well, not so hot.  But high horsepower is a trade-off these days, right?

One thing I didn’t like was the tardy blind-side warning system on the tester.  It would send a jarring signal through the cockpit when I was well past a lagging motorist in another lane.  If you’re going to put a Hemi in this sedan, at least put a warning system that’s a little quicker on the draw.

Well, you can’t have everything.  But I did enjoy my time in this Charger R/T.  If you have good memories of American muscle, this will bring them back.  Many happy returns.

Feature-loaded Azera also has some pop

Sacramento, California – The Hyundai Azera was changed up for 2012, but the premise remains the same: you’re getting something very Lexus-like for a fraction of the Lexus price.

And for 2012, you get more than ever before.

When it rolled out at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2011, the extensively reworked Azera drew much-deserved oohs and ahhs from the usually jaded auto press corps.  Jaded or not, they knew a good thing when they saw it.

While the previous-generation certainly was visually appealing, the latest version has a more modern and sporty appearance.  It looks like a performance sedan, much more than its predecessor.  Dual rear exhausts set flush with the back end’s bodywork are particularly eye-catching.

Power is substantial from a 3.3-liter V-6 with 293 horsepower.  The Azera handled the quick-acceleration and needed power bursts with no problems whatsoever.  Fuel mileage was OK at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the open road.

The Azera was pleasingly agile on the roadways, with the feel of a sports coupe more than a sedan.  It was rock-solid in turns under hard acceleration, and it was easy to zip around in downtown traffic.

From the cockpit, most motorists will be stunned to see what’s included in the starting price of $32,000. Besides a blizzard of safety and on-road control technology, standard perks include exterior mirror turn signal indicators, leather seating surfaces, heated seats front and rear, a rearview back-up camera and a navigation system.

Are you kidding me?  On top of everything else.  This car is a steal at 32 grand.

My tester was dressed up with another $4,000 in extras – including xenon headlights, ventilated front seats and a power-adjustable steering wheel – but believe me when I say that the basic Azera package is a feature-loaded bonanza.

Once again, I found a message/info center that totally baffled me.  Just trying to get the mileage range on the car, I ended up ordering takeout from an all-night joint in Hong Kong.  No, not really, but that’s how helpless I felt.  Tech-savvy motorists will figure the thing out in no time, I’m sure.

The Azera carries over virtually unchanged for the 2013 model year, which is fine with me because they seem to have gotten it just right in the 2012 make-over.  As usual, Hyundai Azera owners get the automaker’s standard excellent warranties, adding peace of mind to the mix.

Ridgeline pickup's appeal crosses life's lines

Sacramento, California – Being a suburban dweller, I generally don’t have a lot of use for pickup trucks.

It’s not that I don’t like them.  It’s just that I don’t have much need for them, other than transporting the fresh-cut Christmas tree down from the Sierra Nevada foothills every year, and the occasional run to the recycle yard.  So, no, I don’t need a driveway-filling, lane-clogging monster truck to make my life better.

But if I was ever in a situation where I was forced to choose one pickup to be my personal ride, the Honda Ridgeline would be it.  Practically sized, nicely styled and easy to drive, the Ridgeline might be considered pickup truck-lite by construction workers or ranchers, but it’s just about perfect for a suburban lightweight like myself.

Yes, I know, these ruthless self evaluations can be ugly, but consider the charms the Ridgeline offers the spoiled suburbanite.

My tester was the Ridgeline Sport, an all-new trim level offering for 2012.  My four-door, five-passenger ride had four-wheel drive and model-specific perks that included 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a black honeycomb grille, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, auxiliary audio input jack, fog lights, rear privacy glass (the rear glass slides open/closed automatically at the click of a button; very cool), all weather floor mats and black headlight/brake light housings.

Which is to say it looked pretty bad-nasty for a pickup … and that’s bad-nasty in a good way.

Fuel mileage was not so hot at 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the highway, but hey, this is the pickup segment.  Power is provided courtesy of a 3.5-liter V-6 putting out a max 250 horses.  It’s quite the stout engine, in my view.

My tester was loaded up with plentiful comfort/convenience features, which frankly surpassed what I expected for a model starting at just a few dollars over $30,000.

On-road performance was smooth and surprisingly quiet for a pickup.  Unprompted, passengers said they were surprised at the agility of the vehicle, and a few even suggested that the Ridgeline Sport had so much to offer that they’d consider buying one.  Yeah, high praise, that.

The rear cargo area is not massive, but it’s capable of doing serious hauling at 49.5 inches wide between the wheel wells, 20.7 inches deep and 60 inches long with the tailgate closed. That will haul all-terrain vehicles and a bulky kitchen appliance or two.

All this makes the Ridgeline a specialty player in the half-ton pickup truck segment, and while it’s not going to be every truck driver’s cup of tea, it’s a sure bet that this Honda’s DNA will be a perfect match for a significant group of discriminating pickup purchasers.

Worthy of a test drive?  Yes, no matter if you’re urban, suburban or rural.

Year ahead looks good with Lexus GS update

Sacramento, California – The great thing about the auto-reviewing biz is that you can get an early start on the new year.

I’m months away from devouring the Thanksgiving leftovers, and yet here I am in a 2013 Lexus GS 350 sedan, the fourth-generation GS showpiece that has been hyped in commercials since last February’s Super Bowl.

Confusing?  Forget about it the time warp and enjoy the car.

The GS 350 has a lot to enjoy, and rightly so with a starting price of $46,900.

Handling is firm and precise, as if an engineer is managing the car’s movements from afar.  The 3.5-liter V-6 with 306 horsepower is appropriately responsive, and the advertised zero to 60 miles per hour time of 5.7 seconds is totally accurate.

Please note that when you are in “eco” mode, however, you really have to stomp down hard on the accelerator to make those aggressive moves.  That’s your call: power versus fuel pump savings.  For the record, the federal fuel mileage estimates are 19 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.  Fair, at best.

The interior cabin is spacious, luxurious and quiet, with plentiful luxury/convenience features to keep the driver busy on a long trip.  Power everything, 10-way adjustable power front seats and leather surfaces overload are all part of the standard package.

My tester had the F SPORT package, which is a lot – heads-up speedometer/info display, 19-inch alloy wheels and bumper/grille inserts to name just a few.  Those F SPORT goodies added nearly $6,000 to the bottom line on the sticker, and by the time all the extras were accounted for, my ride was just a few hundred bucks short of $60,000.

Yes, wow, that is a big chunk of change … enough to make most of us carefully consider just what options Lexus is offering on its sedans.

The GS 350 also had those annoying BMW-style turn signals where the steering column-mounted appendage does not stick into place, creating real confusion when you just want to signal a quick lane change.  I can’t shake my attachment to old-school turn signals, to be sure.

Oh, the F SPORT treatment looks good, especially on the front end, which resembles something from a competitive sports car racing series.  Definitely a plus.

Lexus touted the ability to link the on-board multimedia system to a user’s smart phone, but seeing as how I still struggle to simply choose a ringtone, I passed … Just mentioning this for you folks who actually know what you’re doing and really like this perk.

All in all, this GS 350 is pricey, professional and perfectly enjoyable … In short, it fits the bill to wear a Lexus nameplate.

Charger R/T reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2012 Dodge Charger R/T in the latest, July 2012 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News, published out of Folsom, California, by John Sweeney and Evonne Sotelo.

The “Hot Laps” reviews, along with my "Oil Drips" observations on anything with wheels, appear monthly in the publication.

To subscribe to the Cruisin’ News, visit http://www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an e-mail request to cruisinnews@mac.com. Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin’ News, P.O. Box 1096, Folsom, CA 95763-1096.