Well... it's not every day that you get a full size SUV as a test vehicle for evaluation (well, there was that time I got the Cadalliac Escalade ESV, but that's another story). The Honda Pilot gets a subtle face lift for 2006 which includes a new headlight configuration using projector beams and a clear rear tail light assembly.
Performance is decent for a cheap SUV. Good power is available from all RPM bands and Honda's engine technology is easily noticeable by the high engine redline for an SUV. Downside to having all this power is that it is mated to an open differential up front which means that one skinny tire has the duty of lugging around a rather large vehicle which could lead to wheel spin if you ask too much too soon with an overly aggressive right foot. The problem is three-fold if you do it while going around a corner from a stop. Any sign of wheel spin and Honda's traction management system steps in and kills all power to reduce the wheel slippage. Once rolling though, there is adequate power available to move you to highway speed and passing speed if necessary.
Handling... well, that's something that should just be ignored because we are talking about a full-size top heavy SUV here. That being said... it has better road manners than some of the sedans I've driven. That doesn't mean it is an auto-x champ, it just means that some sedans have a piss poor suspension setup. The suspension is smooth and will soak up bumps with ease. It also has enough suspension travel to accomodate a full loaded cargo area (which is quite large when all the seats are folded down).
Brakes... that is where there is definitely room for improvement. Asking the brakes to slow this monster requires plenty of braking area and when you start to apply them, the nose starts to dive. Ask for excessive braking and ABS is trigger and the nose dives to the point where forward visibility is reduced to the nothing as you stare directly at the pavement ahead. You better make your first stop a good one, because ask you can imagine, they get progressively worse the more time you try to stop.
As for comfort... well, that is where this baby excels. With plenty of interior cabin room, cupholders for all and a center console that has enough room to take a large woman's purse plus an extra purse as a spare... there is no lack of storage space for the driver and passenger. Plus, with 12V outlets, there is enough room for a cellphone charger, radar detector and iPod provided you have the 12V adapter.
The controls up front are all very fitting and the AC/Heating system is by far the easiest of any vehicle I have been in. Set the desired temperature and push auto... and that's it. The inside of your vehicle becomes your own private climate controlled oasis which is always where you want it to be. No hot spots, and no cold spots ... just right. Honda also got all the controls right... except for the radio. Oddly enough, the radio comes with three large knobs... and you would figure (like every other radio) the one closest to the driver is the volume button... nope, wrong, it's the center knob. Oh well, can't get it all right. The steering wheel has controls for basic radio functions and cruise control functions which get you where you need to go if you do not want to take your hands off the steering wheel.
The added benefit of this Honda Pilot is the cylinder deactivation technology. Provided you are at a steady cruise and less than a specific speed (which I have found to be 82mph ... but could vary based on your location and altitude) the engine will deactivate three cylinders to help save on fuel usage. It is a nifty feature which helps reduce gas consumption of this thirst SUV.
Overall, it is a great SUV if you need the cargo space, but think twice because it's rare that anybody requires this much cargo on a daily basis to justify such a large vehicle.
Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts
Saturday, August 9, 2008
2006 BMW M Roadster
HOOO RAHHHH! Damn... this is a fun car. Granted, this car is not a test mule and is my own personal car, it's hard to give a full writeup as I'm not as likely to beat on my own car without having it properly broken in.
I can say this much so far ... this is going to be a fun car and it's also going to be a handful to drive hard. First of all... give up every notion you have about it being like an M3. It's nothing like an M3. The engine, brake and suspension may be similar, but when it comes to actually making them work in harmony... nothing like the M3.
The biggest thing you notice when you drive this car compared to any other car is the seating position. When you are in this car, you are not in the middle or in the center of all the activity. You are basically following the engine around as you sit in the trunk. Try it, go into your car and sit in the trunk and try driving it around... feels strange yes? It's not a bad thing... just different.
That being said, the interior of the car is purpose built... to drive. No frills, no extra storage space ... no nothing. I think it is one of the few cars where the glovebox is designed to hold just that, gloves ... nothing else. The only storage space you have it behind your right elbow (on US models) where you can store a few nick nacks but nothing large and definitely nothing odd shaped. The rest of the car is assembled, just for you and your briefcase ... or if somebody is lucky (or had paid you a healthy amount of money) a passenger.
Being that the car is new, the engine feels tight, but power output is definitely up there. Way more power feeling than that of say a Porsche Cayman (see the review). Punching the throttle at any part of the RPM band leaves you and your neck fighting the forces of physics trying to push you into the seat. The engine makes harmonious noises... nothing like that of an M3. No chainsaw like rasp, just a nice growl as it surges ahead. With the top down, you can also hear that hint of that marveloous engine growl out of the exhaust as you quickly depart from your current location.
Handling wise... there is definitely understeer preset. However, a stab of the throttle quickly turns that understeer into oversteer. If you are not paying attention, the traction control will jump in and reel you in with extreme vilagence... however, that's no fun, so traction control is off for really playing around (in a safe controlled environment). Be forwarned tho, that tail is very happy when at speed and will twitch and break free quite easily if provoked. Yes there is understeer, but there is also plenty of oversteer that will send you spinning into the scenery if you are not careful. The suspension, while tight is also very comforatle allowing it to soak up most bumps without having to adjust your spinal column. However, toss it into a corner and the suspension sets and the go-kart handling commences.
The brakes are quite potent but are typical BMW brake pads, dust like there is no tomorrow. No high speed braking tests were done because ... in all honesty, I didn't want to have to spend hours cleaning off my wheels from the baked on brake dust that would accumulate. More braking tests will be done after the pads are changed for something more dust friendly.
I can say this much so far ... this is going to be a fun car and it's also going to be a handful to drive hard. First of all... give up every notion you have about it being like an M3. It's nothing like an M3. The engine, brake and suspension may be similar, but when it comes to actually making them work in harmony... nothing like the M3.
The biggest thing you notice when you drive this car compared to any other car is the seating position. When you are in this car, you are not in the middle or in the center of all the activity. You are basically following the engine around as you sit in the trunk. Try it, go into your car and sit in the trunk and try driving it around... feels strange yes? It's not a bad thing... just different.
That being said, the interior of the car is purpose built... to drive. No frills, no extra storage space ... no nothing. I think it is one of the few cars where the glovebox is designed to hold just that, gloves ... nothing else. The only storage space you have it behind your right elbow (on US models) where you can store a few nick nacks but nothing large and definitely nothing odd shaped. The rest of the car is assembled, just for you and your briefcase ... or if somebody is lucky (or had paid you a healthy amount of money) a passenger.
Being that the car is new, the engine feels tight, but power output is definitely up there. Way more power feeling than that of say a Porsche Cayman (see the review). Punching the throttle at any part of the RPM band leaves you and your neck fighting the forces of physics trying to push you into the seat. The engine makes harmonious noises... nothing like that of an M3. No chainsaw like rasp, just a nice growl as it surges ahead. With the top down, you can also hear that hint of that marveloous engine growl out of the exhaust as you quickly depart from your current location.
Handling wise... there is definitely understeer preset. However, a stab of the throttle quickly turns that understeer into oversteer. If you are not paying attention, the traction control will jump in and reel you in with extreme vilagence... however, that's no fun, so traction control is off for really playing around (in a safe controlled environment). Be forwarned tho, that tail is very happy when at speed and will twitch and break free quite easily if provoked. Yes there is understeer, but there is also plenty of oversteer that will send you spinning into the scenery if you are not careful. The suspension, while tight is also very comforatle allowing it to soak up most bumps without having to adjust your spinal column. However, toss it into a corner and the suspension sets and the go-kart handling commences.
The brakes are quite potent but are typical BMW brake pads, dust like there is no tomorrow. No high speed braking tests were done because ... in all honesty, I didn't want to have to spend hours cleaning off my wheels from the baked on brake dust that would accumulate. More braking tests will be done after the pads are changed for something more dust friendly.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
2006 Chysler Crossfire Convertible Limited
Testing convertible... oooh fun! Well, lets just say if it wasn't for the convertible, this would be a much worse writeup.
First, with the top up, rearward visibility is almost nil. So, down it went. First attempts to lower the roof were met with frustrations and beeps. The convertible top is far from intuitive. Unlatch the roof... unfold, twist, pop, turn and the roof is detached. Push the button on the console... and BEEP. Nothing. Hold the button down, BEEP... nothing again. After about 15 minutes inside and outside the car and one kick of the tire. The top stayed up for the initial part of the test.
Air conditioning control work phenomenally. No confusion there, you can easily get all the cold air you want. The dash, well... it's good, gives you all the information you need, and a little marker down there to tell you what gear you are in. The radio... absolutely ghastly. While the sound is good... as it would have to be with a convertible and it's lack of sound deadening material, the usability of the unit is down right crap. Twist and turns of knobs get the circuitry to do what it is told, but the screen update is horrible slow and I would find myself scanning through stations while not knowing which station I was on because the screen took forever to update. I would often scan from one station to the next and the screen wouldn't update until a second or two passed. Who made this junk... bah. The interior is made of some cheap tacky looking aluminum substitute and causes plenty of glare.
Back to the top... not one to be defeated by any car. I went back to trying to tackle the top. After playing with the unit some, I found that eventually, I got to the top retract, but it required some forceful latching and unlatching to get it to work. I'm guessing a loose contact/sensor somewhere. So, let's try it again.
Fold, Twist, Pop, Fold ... hold the button. Voila... here we go. The top start to retract in a confusion down on mechanical noises and motors. Finally we have unlimited headroof. Visibility is understandable much better, however the glare from the interior is even worse.
Now we are rolling... the car has excellent power. Definitely makes going fast easy and it's easy to go fast with this car. Handling feels decent, but transmission is definitely not up to part ... and the manual selection of gears doesn't even work. Any request to use a wrong gear while in manual mode sends it directly back into automatic mode. BAH. Brakes feel good and are met with good resposne. The massive tires up front no doubt play a good role in stopping ability.
Now, back to the convertible top... now remember earlier that it was broken when I tried to get it to go down? Guess what... same thing happens when I tried to put it up. Clouds rolling in... Thunder grumbling through the sky and flashes of lightning in the distance send me into a panic stop and feverishly attempting to find cover before the skies open up and turn this convertible into a bathtub.
You would think it would be easy easy as following the original steps in reverse... right? WRONG! Hold the button and the mechanical noises start to bring the top out of hiding and return it to it's original position over my head... when half way through the exercise, BEEP and the top feezes in it's tracks.
DAMMIT! The top is half way up... so now I'm stuck. I can't drive anywhere and I can't put an umbrella over my head. I pop the glove box as my 15 minutes I allotted myself in the beginning to figure this problem out were more like 2 minutes now. The manual says, in case of malfunction ... call your dealer. WTF?!
Some forceful manhandling of the roof bring to light that the rear part of the roof is not falling back into place as it should which is not allowing some mechical contraption to grab it and pull it snug there by halting the top closing process. With one hand, I help the top and with the other, I hold down the button and voila... finally the top continues to unfold back into place.
I lock it back into place and then proceed to take this pile of junk back to where I got it. What good is a convertible if the top doesn't work right. I'll tell you, It's as good as driving a car with no soundeadening material with only a windshield to see out of cause the other windows are spray painted black.
First, with the top up, rearward visibility is almost nil. So, down it went. First attempts to lower the roof were met with frustrations and beeps. The convertible top is far from intuitive. Unlatch the roof... unfold, twist, pop, turn and the roof is detached. Push the button on the console... and BEEP. Nothing. Hold the button down, BEEP... nothing again. After about 15 minutes inside and outside the car and one kick of the tire. The top stayed up for the initial part of the test.
Air conditioning control work phenomenally. No confusion there, you can easily get all the cold air you want. The dash, well... it's good, gives you all the information you need, and a little marker down there to tell you what gear you are in. The radio... absolutely ghastly. While the sound is good... as it would have to be with a convertible and it's lack of sound deadening material, the usability of the unit is down right crap. Twist and turns of knobs get the circuitry to do what it is told, but the screen update is horrible slow and I would find myself scanning through stations while not knowing which station I was on because the screen took forever to update. I would often scan from one station to the next and the screen wouldn't update until a second or two passed. Who made this junk... bah. The interior is made of some cheap tacky looking aluminum substitute and causes plenty of glare.
Back to the top... not one to be defeated by any car. I went back to trying to tackle the top. After playing with the unit some, I found that eventually, I got to the top retract, but it required some forceful latching and unlatching to get it to work. I'm guessing a loose contact/sensor somewhere. So, let's try it again.
Fold, Twist, Pop, Fold ... hold the button. Voila... here we go. The top start to retract in a confusion down on mechanical noises and motors. Finally we have unlimited headroof. Visibility is understandable much better, however the glare from the interior is even worse.
Now we are rolling... the car has excellent power. Definitely makes going fast easy and it's easy to go fast with this car. Handling feels decent, but transmission is definitely not up to part ... and the manual selection of gears doesn't even work. Any request to use a wrong gear while in manual mode sends it directly back into automatic mode. BAH. Brakes feel good and are met with good resposne. The massive tires up front no doubt play a good role in stopping ability.
Now, back to the convertible top... now remember earlier that it was broken when I tried to get it to go down? Guess what... same thing happens when I tried to put it up. Clouds rolling in... Thunder grumbling through the sky and flashes of lightning in the distance send me into a panic stop and feverishly attempting to find cover before the skies open up and turn this convertible into a bathtub.
You would think it would be easy easy as following the original steps in reverse... right? WRONG! Hold the button and the mechanical noises start to bring the top out of hiding and return it to it's original position over my head... when half way through the exercise, BEEP and the top feezes in it's tracks.
DAMMIT! The top is half way up... so now I'm stuck. I can't drive anywhere and I can't put an umbrella over my head. I pop the glove box as my 15 minutes I allotted myself in the beginning to figure this problem out were more like 2 minutes now. The manual says, in case of malfunction ... call your dealer. WTF?!
Some forceful manhandling of the roof bring to light that the rear part of the roof is not falling back into place as it should which is not allowing some mechical contraption to grab it and pull it snug there by halting the top closing process. With one hand, I help the top and with the other, I hold down the button and voila... finally the top continues to unfold back into place.
I lock it back into place and then proceed to take this pile of junk back to where I got it. What good is a convertible if the top doesn't work right. I'll tell you, It's as good as driving a car with no soundeadening material with only a windshield to see out of cause the other windows are spray painted black.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
2006 Ford Freestyle
Upon arriving to pick up said vehicle, I was disappointed to see it was a Ford, even more disappointed to see it was a cross over SUV/Minivan type vehicle and that much more disappointed when it was in that faded Red woman color that Ford offers. I was pretty sure my weekend of driving was going to suck at this point in time.
However, I was pleasantly suprised. After sitting in the vehicle, you can see the typical ford dash and radio controls. Fired it up and off we went. First notable experience... WTF, a vehicle this size has no off the line power?!? Later, I would realize that it utilizes a CVT type of transmission which necessitates limiting torque shock to the transmission to prevent belt slippage. However, once moving, the vehicle has plenty of power... wow, it actually makes it easy to drive as power is readily available. The transmission simulates gears, but when power is required is gives up simulates gearing and just shoots the RPM high where they sit a-la jet turbine status.
Quick accerlations up onramps or massive pushes of the throttle are left with the RPMs high and pulling power to easily pass other vehicles. Impressive power, I will say that. I'm sure having the RPMs sitting that high like a jet turbine would probably freak some people out, but I knowing that the engine is in peak operating mode makes me feel better that the power is there. I was very suprised.
Crusing on the highway is done with aplomb as the ride is smooth, power is available for you to choose your crusing speed, not be aerodynamically limited and the noise level is fairly quiet. The suspension soaks up bumps as required, but road feel is still decent so you can tell you are driving on a certain type of surface... but not down to the fact if you just driven over a painted strip on the road or not.
A major kudos (especially for a vehicle of this type) ... BRAKES! Woo hoo, Ford finally put some decent brakes on this type of car. Jabs on the brakes are left you feeling as if air brakes are deployed from the side and top of the vehicle to help slow it's momentum. Braking is met with some excessive nose dive, but that's expected as the height of the vehicle is on SUV like levels (just with smaller tires). A full panic stop is left you thinking that one of your rear passengers has tossed an anchor out of the rear to help haul you down from speed. It was very impressive to say the least.
The interior was comfortable... but anything more than 60-75 minutes became uncomfortable, not to the point of you needing a rest, just enough to make you figgity. The controls were typical FORD, in the event that they were blah and you really avoided trying to use them if you did have to. Seating was available for 7 however, only 4 of them could be adults with 3 small children sitting on the fold down rear seat in the very rear by the hatch.
Speaking of rear seats by the hatch... while they did fold away into the rear of the vehicle. The fit and finish just seemed to be after thought. While folded down they were far from flush and it happened on more than one occasion that items would slip between the cracks necessitating for you to remove all your cargo, fold the seat up grab you small items and then put everything back to how it was before. That was a royal pain in the arse.
Gas consumption was decent... but nothing to be proud of, and ground clearance while on SUV type levels was more to be compared with minivans that typical SUVs (I guess that's why it's a cross over).
That's all for now... questions are welcomed.
However, I was pleasantly suprised. After sitting in the vehicle, you can see the typical ford dash and radio controls. Fired it up and off we went. First notable experience... WTF, a vehicle this size has no off the line power?!? Later, I would realize that it utilizes a CVT type of transmission which necessitates limiting torque shock to the transmission to prevent belt slippage. However, once moving, the vehicle has plenty of power... wow, it actually makes it easy to drive as power is readily available. The transmission simulates gears, but when power is required is gives up simulates gearing and just shoots the RPM high where they sit a-la jet turbine status.
Quick accerlations up onramps or massive pushes of the throttle are left with the RPMs high and pulling power to easily pass other vehicles. Impressive power, I will say that. I'm sure having the RPMs sitting that high like a jet turbine would probably freak some people out, but I knowing that the engine is in peak operating mode makes me feel better that the power is there. I was very suprised.
Crusing on the highway is done with aplomb as the ride is smooth, power is available for you to choose your crusing speed, not be aerodynamically limited and the noise level is fairly quiet. The suspension soaks up bumps as required, but road feel is still decent so you can tell you are driving on a certain type of surface... but not down to the fact if you just driven over a painted strip on the road or not.
A major kudos (especially for a vehicle of this type) ... BRAKES! Woo hoo, Ford finally put some decent brakes on this type of car. Jabs on the brakes are left you feeling as if air brakes are deployed from the side and top of the vehicle to help slow it's momentum. Braking is met with some excessive nose dive, but that's expected as the height of the vehicle is on SUV like levels (just with smaller tires). A full panic stop is left you thinking that one of your rear passengers has tossed an anchor out of the rear to help haul you down from speed. It was very impressive to say the least.
The interior was comfortable... but anything more than 60-75 minutes became uncomfortable, not to the point of you needing a rest, just enough to make you figgity. The controls were typical FORD, in the event that they were blah and you really avoided trying to use them if you did have to. Seating was available for 7 however, only 4 of them could be adults with 3 small children sitting on the fold down rear seat in the very rear by the hatch.
Speaking of rear seats by the hatch... while they did fold away into the rear of the vehicle. The fit and finish just seemed to be after thought. While folded down they were far from flush and it happened on more than one occasion that items would slip between the cracks necessitating for you to remove all your cargo, fold the seat up grab you small items and then put everything back to how it was before. That was a royal pain in the arse.
Gas consumption was decent... but nothing to be proud of, and ground clearance while on SUV type levels was more to be compared with minivans that typical SUVs (I guess that's why it's a cross over).
That's all for now... questions are welcomed.
2006 Kia Sportage
As a light SUV, it is a no frills cargo carrying machine... period. When you get inside the light SUV, it's spare interior gives no illusion that it is designed for very minimal. It almost begs you to wonder if the steering wheel and guages were optional with the purchase.
Twist the key and the engine fires to life and idles a bit high at just over 1000rpm. However, power output is great for a light SUV. When you mash the go pedal, it is very reminisent of the old 1980's Ford Mustangs as the front left corner of the SUV lifts up into the air as the chassis twists trying to motion itself forward. Power is abundant all the way up to highway speeds making driving on the highway easy. Steering will get you where you need to go, and the brakes... well, they leave lots to be desired as fade is apparent after the first attempt to haul it back down from those highway speeds. As note on it's highway potential. The SUV seems quite at home on the highway. Crusing at 80-85 is quite comfortable... however, there is a barrier somewhere just north of the 90 marker. It is not an engine power barrier, however, it is an aerodynamic factor. When you find that magic number which varies depending on wind speed and direction, you'll think that the mighty God himself has decided to reach down and try to shake the ever living soul out of you. Seriously at that speed, I was beginning to wonder if a) I was going to travel backwards in time or b) the parts that were bolted down with cheap screws were about to become road side debris.
A marvelous feature of this SUV was the extremely functional air conditioning. It goes from super hot Florida weather to ice cube in mere minutes which is quite a feet. Don't like your passengers? Set the A/C to max cool and point the vents at them... they'll be frosted over in a matter of minutes.
Cargo capacity is quite abundant with the rear seats up. Fold the rear seats down and you have enough cargo capacity to store enough materials to weigh the SUV down to the point where movement would cease to exist.
Overall... for the 15k SUV, it does its job rather well.
Twist the key and the engine fires to life and idles a bit high at just over 1000rpm. However, power output is great for a light SUV. When you mash the go pedal, it is very reminisent of the old 1980's Ford Mustangs as the front left corner of the SUV lifts up into the air as the chassis twists trying to motion itself forward. Power is abundant all the way up to highway speeds making driving on the highway easy. Steering will get you where you need to go, and the brakes... well, they leave lots to be desired as fade is apparent after the first attempt to haul it back down from those highway speeds. As note on it's highway potential. The SUV seems quite at home on the highway. Crusing at 80-85 is quite comfortable... however, there is a barrier somewhere just north of the 90 marker. It is not an engine power barrier, however, it is an aerodynamic factor. When you find that magic number which varies depending on wind speed and direction, you'll think that the mighty God himself has decided to reach down and try to shake the ever living soul out of you. Seriously at that speed, I was beginning to wonder if a) I was going to travel backwards in time or b) the parts that were bolted down with cheap screws were about to become road side debris.
A marvelous feature of this SUV was the extremely functional air conditioning. It goes from super hot Florida weather to ice cube in mere minutes which is quite a feet. Don't like your passengers? Set the A/C to max cool and point the vents at them... they'll be frosted over in a matter of minutes.
Cargo capacity is quite abundant with the rear seats up. Fold the rear seats down and you have enough cargo capacity to store enough materials to weigh the SUV down to the point where movement would cease to exist.
Overall... for the 15k SUV, it does its job rather well.
2006 Chevy Suburban Z71
What a big ... uh ... vehicle.
First off... this thing is huge... absolutely huge. You almost need binoculars to see the end of it if you are standing at the front. The inside, feels equally as large. Feels as if you could take a leisurely stroll for a few minutes and have dinner with the passengers located in the 3rd row. Of course, you'd want to make sure they are there for with a phone call.
Driving this behemoth takes some getting used to. While driving, feels as if you need to put one of those wide right turn stickers on the tailgate to warn others. U Turns... don't even think about it unless you are on a six lane highway or there is plenty of run off. Which brings us to a slight detour on the off-road ability. The off-road ability works good. In four wheel drive mode, it's unstoppable. And by unstoppable I mean, I couldn't find anything in Florida that could trip it up, curbs, sidewalks, mud holes, swap, gravel ... nothing, no problems. It almost feels at home on the off-road terrain (shame 1% if lucky will be taken off road).
On the highway... it's comfortable, but severely underpowered. Crusing speeds of 60 are capable, but much higher than that and you will find yourself lacking HP. How this beast is supposed to tow anything with the lack of HP is beyond me. Cruising speeds of 80 are possible provided you are travelling light... but be prepared for transmission downshifts should you encounter any sort of hill or overpass. With cargo... the transmission would probably send the RPMs through the roof trying to maintain it's speed and not crawl to a stop.
Brakes are suprisingly good for such a large vehicle. I expected the first panic stop to turn the braking equipment into molten steel followed by spontaneous combution of anything left anywhere near the brake discs/pads. Remarkable, numerous stops from 80+ were promising each time. Granted, fade was noticeable, but not enough to make you worry. All be it, I bet when they brakes do fail... you'll probably just plow through whatever you were trying to avoid anyway with little fanfare as aside from the brakes, I don't see much else slowing this beast.
Now... the best part. Fuel consumption. Considering most of the testing was done on highway miles... this vehicle averaged about 11mpg, I dare not attempt to drive this thing in the city... unless you decide to tow a fuel tanker behind you. Fill ups from empty require you to show two forms of identification and clarification to the gas station that you are indeed good for the money. Makes me want to think that even American Express would have a hard time letting you pump until it's full with this one.
I will say that it is comfortable and made long drives easy. If the gas tank didn't go empty so fast, I would be willing to bet you could drive this thing all day and not be tired. And... the off-road part... love it. Not once did I find myself wondering if I was going to have to climb out the window and wallow through near knee deep water or mud to call a more capable vehicle.
First off... this thing is huge... absolutely huge. You almost need binoculars to see the end of it if you are standing at the front. The inside, feels equally as large. Feels as if you could take a leisurely stroll for a few minutes and have dinner with the passengers located in the 3rd row. Of course, you'd want to make sure they are there for with a phone call.
Driving this behemoth takes some getting used to. While driving, feels as if you need to put one of those wide right turn stickers on the tailgate to warn others. U Turns... don't even think about it unless you are on a six lane highway or there is plenty of run off. Which brings us to a slight detour on the off-road ability. The off-road ability works good. In four wheel drive mode, it's unstoppable. And by unstoppable I mean, I couldn't find anything in Florida that could trip it up, curbs, sidewalks, mud holes, swap, gravel ... nothing, no problems. It almost feels at home on the off-road terrain (shame 1% if lucky will be taken off road).
On the highway... it's comfortable, but severely underpowered. Crusing speeds of 60 are capable, but much higher than that and you will find yourself lacking HP. How this beast is supposed to tow anything with the lack of HP is beyond me. Cruising speeds of 80 are possible provided you are travelling light... but be prepared for transmission downshifts should you encounter any sort of hill or overpass. With cargo... the transmission would probably send the RPMs through the roof trying to maintain it's speed and not crawl to a stop.
Brakes are suprisingly good for such a large vehicle. I expected the first panic stop to turn the braking equipment into molten steel followed by spontaneous combution of anything left anywhere near the brake discs/pads. Remarkable, numerous stops from 80+ were promising each time. Granted, fade was noticeable, but not enough to make you worry. All be it, I bet when they brakes do fail... you'll probably just plow through whatever you were trying to avoid anyway with little fanfare as aside from the brakes, I don't see much else slowing this beast.
Now... the best part. Fuel consumption. Considering most of the testing was done on highway miles... this vehicle averaged about 11mpg, I dare not attempt to drive this thing in the city... unless you decide to tow a fuel tanker behind you. Fill ups from empty require you to show two forms of identification and clarification to the gas station that you are indeed good for the money. Makes me want to think that even American Express would have a hard time letting you pump until it's full with this one.
I will say that it is comfortable and made long drives easy. If the gas tank didn't go empty so fast, I would be willing to bet you could drive this thing all day and not be tired. And... the off-road part... love it. Not once did I find myself wondering if I was going to have to climb out the window and wallow through near knee deep water or mud to call a more capable vehicle.
2006 Pontiac Solistice
This car is one of those that I wouldn't wish on anybody. I'll start out with the good points because those will be quick. The car has a great air conditioner. It was a warm 95 degrees out... and the air conditioner was blowing extremely cold. Was very refreshing with the top down for open air motoring.
Now to the bad stuff... this car is absolutely dreadful. The looks, well... that's opinion based. I couldn't stand the way it looked ... it actually annoys me to look at this car. The front looks strange the back looks just as strange. The hood and trunk open in clamshell fashion revealing very very little free space.
This car gives new meaning to the words "pack light." Except for the center compartment that divides the two seats, there is abolutely no room to hold anything in this car. The trunk is consumed by the entire manual retractable hardtop. The engine bay is stuffed with a small underpowered (I'll get to that in a bit) engine. The passenger compartment is the void of all elements you are used to. No nooks, no crannies, no cupholders, no place to store you cellphone. I ended up storing mine in the dash rings that housed the speedometer and tachometers.
The performance of the car is absolutely dreadful. It's good for absolutely nothing except sitting in traffic with that wonderful A/C I mentioned earlier. The engine is anemic to say it lightly. Winding it out under full throttle makes you wonder if the engine is powered by two hamsters on a wheel. To get to sixty miles per hour requires a shift to third gear resulting in horrible acceleration times. Merging onto the highway is downright scary, especially when highwas speeds of the oncoming traffic are in excess of eighty miles per hour. The guages on the dash are far from accurate. Rev matches on the dash were often accomplished before the tachometer has a chance to properly respond. Steering of the car is very good, very firm... but without any power to actually push this car to it's traction limits, it is wasted.
The seating configuation leaves little to be adjusted. The seats only more foreward and backward and there is not a reclining function available. The seats did not move far enough back to comforatbly fit. I often found my knees rubbing on the steering wheel during gear changes and rev matching downshifts. The doorsills are high, giving you the feeling as if you are sitting in a bathtub. The hood is never ending and feels like you are driving a corvette because it goes on forever. The rear, well it's not as long, but it is high. Good thing is if this car had power, you would know it because you literally sit on the back wheels.
Hope this review is helpful to whoever those are looking...
Now to the bad stuff... this car is absolutely dreadful. The looks, well... that's opinion based. I couldn't stand the way it looked ... it actually annoys me to look at this car. The front looks strange the back looks just as strange. The hood and trunk open in clamshell fashion revealing very very little free space.
This car gives new meaning to the words "pack light." Except for the center compartment that divides the two seats, there is abolutely no room to hold anything in this car. The trunk is consumed by the entire manual retractable hardtop. The engine bay is stuffed with a small underpowered (I'll get to that in a bit) engine. The passenger compartment is the void of all elements you are used to. No nooks, no crannies, no cupholders, no place to store you cellphone. I ended up storing mine in the dash rings that housed the speedometer and tachometers.
The performance of the car is absolutely dreadful. It's good for absolutely nothing except sitting in traffic with that wonderful A/C I mentioned earlier. The engine is anemic to say it lightly. Winding it out under full throttle makes you wonder if the engine is powered by two hamsters on a wheel. To get to sixty miles per hour requires a shift to third gear resulting in horrible acceleration times. Merging onto the highway is downright scary, especially when highwas speeds of the oncoming traffic are in excess of eighty miles per hour. The guages on the dash are far from accurate. Rev matches on the dash were often accomplished before the tachometer has a chance to properly respond. Steering of the car is very good, very firm... but without any power to actually push this car to it's traction limits, it is wasted.
The seating configuation leaves little to be adjusted. The seats only more foreward and backward and there is not a reclining function available. The seats did not move far enough back to comforatbly fit. I often found my knees rubbing on the steering wheel during gear changes and rev matching downshifts. The doorsills are high, giving you the feeling as if you are sitting in a bathtub. The hood is never ending and feels like you are driving a corvette because it goes on forever. The rear, well it's not as long, but it is high. Good thing is if this car had power, you would know it because you literally sit on the back wheels.
Hope this review is helpful to whoever those are looking...
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