Mitsubishi MiEV has its moment of fame with the press

The day started off with the announcement of the Green Car of the Year award. It went to the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt. Mayor Antonio V gave a speech, in short LA is poised to be the electric car capital of the world. Not a bad goal as it will help us clean up our air more than simple emissions control has already done. Of course, its just shifting the emissions and CO2 out to the desert where the fossil fuel plants are that generate our juice that recharges them, but that’s another issue for another time.

Day 2 of the Auto Show is a tough one. The premiere car press conferences and unveiling continue non-stop and a dozen green cars, mostly Electrical cars (EV) are available to the press to test drive.  Its tough to do both and involves a lot of running between the various events one chooses and their scheduled drives.

I suppose this is the part where I should apologize to LA for the added traffic along the route caused by the press. If you were on the loop that was Venice to Hoover, to Alvarado, to Pico, then Figueroa back into a parking garage, I’m sorry if you got stuck in the mess. Half the press there wasn’t used to driving on our side of the road, or on the left and side of a car, and most importantly realize that pedestrians have the ultimate right of way in LA. I don’t know who was more scared the manufacturer chaperones or the motoring public in general as some of the press were just that bad. Sorry.

I opted to drive a mix of cars as the immediate future include just that a mix of traditional gas, hybrid, EV’s and in the near future more fuel cells. After driving them all I can see where the hybrid will have its place, particularly in the mid-size to large car categories. EV’s are in their infancy and have limitations that currently will keep them in the urban commuter category with their limited range and depending on the model, long recharging times.

Fuel Cell’s vehicles too are in their infancy with only a few cars coming to market in very limited production and even more limited infrastructure to support them. Currently the only fuel cell available to us is a leased Honda FCX Clarity. There are a total of 4 hydrogen fueling stations in So CA, with the one in Santa Monica the only one providing clean hydrogen via water and solar energy to remove the hydrogen. (Others are cracking natural gas which leaves nasty CO2 to be dealt with). Seriously, the fuel cell coupled with a hybrid drive is what in my not so humble opinion be the major player in our future. You give up nothing in terms of range, fueling time to a gas engined car and literally your exhaust is water vapor. With the help of CARB grants the infrastructure is going to improve to a dozen fuel stations in the LA Area by 2015 according to the Daimler rep I spoke with.

I started with what is the current state of the art offerings and worked my way into the future. As I had kid duty in the AM I missed getting into the line to sign up for the driving portion and many cars were booked solid by the time I got to the sign in station, cars like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf that I was very curious to test were gone.

Absent from the list was the Wheego LiFE that is going on sale soon here but has been in Europe for a few years. From the rumblings in the line I was able to gather that Wheego hand picked which press would be given access to the car in advance of the LA Auto Show. Could be sour grapes but I overheard an interesting exchange with some of the world press regarding this car. It went along these lines “I drove the car in London and there it was limited to 25 and it scared me. I understand its been reprogrammed to have a top speed of 65 and wonder how scary it will be now”. I wonder too. Seriously, though most of our freeway driving is during the commute hours you won’t see much more than a crawl so the top speed shouldn’t be an issue.

On to the driving impressions which are just my opinion and observations. They aren’t reflective of blogging.la as a whole, just my own  not so humble opinions and snarks.

Traditional Gas powered clean cars included the only nominee on the Green Car of the Year for this year. The Ford Fiesta. It is a nice little subcompact. It has electronic toys like Sync that others in its class don’t have yet. Compared to the European spec model I drove a year ago I can say nothing was lost in the translation to the US Market. Actually there was a gain, they 1.6L engine standard in our cars lent a noticeable difference in quickness compared to the 1.4L powered European prototype. With EPA ratings of up to 40 mpg on the highway it makes a good representation of the class for now and into the future.

41 mpg city, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

Hybrids, specifically the Green Car of the Year nominee the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid was what I drove. Nice, very nice car with the luxury goodies one expects in the class. Good performance, not as stellar as the large v6 models in the class, but an acceptable trade off for the gains in fuel economy (epa city rated 41).  With no increase in base price to get into the hybrid version of the MKZ your return on investment from fuel savings is immediate.

EV’s and there was a boat load of them, some manufacture built others aftermarket conversions. I focused on the manufacturer built as, well those are the ones that will have the dealer network in place to support them. They also were the ones that had ample cars that I was able to get on the drive list. The one common theme that they all had a way of addressing was a) home charging and b)range anxiety.

Cooper Mini-E electric vehicle.

Cooper Mini-E. This is the slot car of the bunch. In many ways it actually drove like one too. The usual Cooper Mini ride was softened a bit with the weight of the battery pack but still handled like you expect a Mini to handle. It did have a short learning curve to get used to driving it as it has a very sharp cut off to regenerative braking, like down shiftin’ more than a gear if you abruptly remove your foot from the brake. Once you get the hang of driving with the electronic drive, it is very much like driving a regular car, IE you give up nothing to the experience. Currently the car is available only for lease as a test with a few large corporations and power company’s.  We’ll see a refined EV using the technology developed for this car in future BMW EV’s.

Eaton/Mitsubishi MiEV quick charge in action.

Mitsubishi MiEV is another EV that I drove. This one was more like your typical compact car, except it had really useable room in the back for two real passengers. Nice leg room and driving it you gave up nothing to a gas car. (It was right hand drive so that was an experience getting used to as even the turn signal stalk was in reversed position and every time I went to signal I hit the wipers instead…apologies to anyone behind me that got short notice of intent to turn). Mitsubishi has a novel approach to the range anxiety.

Mitsubishi teamed up with Eaton and Best Buy to set up “quick charge stations” that are either at the Best Buy stores or mobile to assist should you run low on charge. The system is capable of bring the battery pack to 85% of charge in 15 minutes. They will even have 20 mobile “quick Charge” trucks set up near key freeway interchanges or be able to move to large concert/sporing events to take care of their customers to help relieve their “range anxiety”. They will even have an iPhone app that will show on a map where you are and where the nearest Quick Charge station is located. This sort of infrastructure change is moving fastest for the EV’s and will make it possible to get a larger fleet of them on our streets than any other alternative fuel technology we have coming at us at the moment.

Volvo C30 DRIVe prototype test mule.

Volvo C30 DRIVe. This car I have to be fair with is just a prototype, chassis #2 to be precise so it wasn’t as refined as the others I drove. Refined as in battery capacity, not fit and finish. The drive itself was very much like that of the regular C30. It is indicative of the direction Volvo intends to take in the future, rather than purpose built EV’s it will be conversions of existing models. Its programming was more like a typical hybrid with a good “sail mode” or coasting without abrupt regenerative braking like the Mini-E. An impressive car in terms of what Volvo will give us in terms of a safe luxury EV in the future. One common comment made by the press was in regards to the position of the charge in the front grill. What happens if you break it when you bump someone and can’t get repaired right away. Interesting design feature or flaw, you decide.

The last and final car was the Mercedes. F-Cell. It’s a hydrogen fuel cell that when filled with hydrogen from a solar conversion plant produces zero emissions at point of use as well as zero emissions at energy conversion source. It is based on the “B” class Mercedes that is not sold in this country. Size wise think of it has a half scale minivan with some nice luxury toys tossed in by Mercedes. It gives nothing up to a traditional gas car in terms of the driving experience and has a refueling time as fast as filling your tank now. I was impressed with the amount of immediate torque and the silence of the car. Giving up nothing to driving experience and no need to learn a new way of driving and thinking will make the fuel cell the easiest conversion for the US market.

There you go…what the final day of the Press Days at the LA Auto Show entailed for me. Fun driving cars (I am a car guy after all) and getting a first hand glimpse into what the future holds in store for us. This is just a sampling of the nearly 30 alternative fuel and EV’s at the LA Auto Show. Definitely change coming, for the better and it will be easy to adapt as well.

This post also includes the last set of tickets I have to give away for the LA Auto Show. I have just 4 tickets to give left to 4 lucky winners, that is one ticket each. Make sure you have a legit email address so I can contact you for the info to pass on to the LA Auto Show folks so they can have your tickets waiting for you at will call.

All pics by me and will get bigger with a click. More in my flickr 2010 LA Auto Show Set.

Lifted directly from their press release:
Yokohama Tire Corporation is going digital at the LA Auto Show, November 19-28 at the LA Convention Center. Consumers visiting Yokohama’s exhibit in the West Hall lobby will get a chance to try the company’s new interactive iPad app, plus enter a daily drawing to win a tablet computer.

According to Alan Holtschneider, Yokohama manager, advertising, promotions & events, the iPad app will replace traditional tire and vehicle placards at the show. “We’re excited about the new application that we’ve produced and have taken advantage of some of the interactive features that the iPad offers,” he said. “Visitors to the booth can check the iPad app, which includes Yokohama videos and tire information. All consumer tire lines, such as ADVAN® and GEOLANDAR®, along with tires like the AVID® ENVigor™, S.drive® and the orange oil-infused dB Super E-spec™ have their own sections for users to explore. During each day of the show, one lucky consumer who visits the booth and enters our contest will win a tablet computer.”
Holtschneider said Yokohama’s iPad app will be available through iTunes in early 2011.

Image courtesy of Yokohama tires.

Courtesy LA Auto Show

Auto Shows usually aren’t the most kid friendly events in the city. Its usually don’t touch and little for them to do. The LA Auto Show is different as thanks to a corporate sponsorship there is a special “kid zone” to let them burn off their creative and physical energy. Bring the kids to this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show and let them play in the bigger and better Nissan Quest Kids’ Fun Zone. The attraction is open both weekends of the show, including the Friday after Thanksgiving, and features a variety of activities for kids to run, jump, explore and learn.

The Kids’ Fun Zone will feature bounce houses, a car driving course from Dodge, video games provided by Game Truck and a chance to meet Otto the Auto from the Auto Club of Southern California. First Five California and the LA Zoo will be on hand with educational games and giveaways, plus there are a variety of other art and craft activities, like face painting from Party Face Magic. Nissan will have a special Quest zone so families can have a comfortable place to sit, play and check out the all-new Nissan Quest minivan. The Nissan Quest area will have multiple iPads loaded with drawing software so kids can create and then project their works of art on a large screen.
With something for everyone, the show is a family-friendly affair that is one of the best entertainment values in town.

Details: Admission for kids 12 and under is free and there is no additional charge for the Kids’ Fun Zone. Located in Kentia Hall, the Kids’ Fun Zone is open both weekends from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

As with whatever I post this week about the LA Auto Show I have some tickets to give away. To be precise 4 tickets with this post to win. Tell me what family friendly auto you want to see at this years LA Auto Show and I’ll give you one ticket. Make sure you have a legit email addy for me to contact you to set up the ticket.

Image courtesy the LA Auto Show and used with their permission.

Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the 2011 Green Car of the Year, including the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and the 2011 Nissan LEAF. For the sixth consecutive year, this increasingly important award will be announced during a press conference at the LA Auto Show Press Days on Nov.18.

I have 4 tickets to give away, tell me why you would want one. Make sure you include a legit email address so I can contact you for your info to get you your ticket. To make this interesting, what are you most interested in seeing? The concept cars, green cars or about to be released production autos? Any particular manufacturer you think that should be included that isn’t?

If you don’t win tickets this time around have no fear, I’ll be running a few more contests for tickets before this is all over. Look for details and stuff from my visit during press days that will also include a chance to win tickets as well.

DEETS: November 19-28. Admission and hours HERE. Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015. Directions HERE or Map HERE.

Winner #1 was on the Mercedes bench.  It looked like a boxed up and updated Nazi staff car.  I kept waiting for Adolf and Ava to show up for a ride in their staff car.  Either that or it is waiting for the remake of the Rat Race film with Kathy Najimi finding Ava’s lipstick in the glove box or John Lovitz accidently giving a dyke on bikes bruiser the finger after he burnt his finger on the cigarette light of a Nazi Staff car.  Either works.  The car didn’t.  This really is my fugly winner for this years auto show.

Mercede's updated "staff car" concept -my fugly award winner

Close second for the fugly award was the first-glance-stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous from across the showroom Spyker C8 Aileron. Stryker always has gorgeous cars and from across the room this car is no different.   At 20 feet it all changes.  WTF where they thinking? Jumbo coffee can sized cannon turrets on the rear flanks and one on the roof.  Now I’ll be the first to admit I’ve wanted a good lazer cannon on the front of my car to clear out the pinheads in traffic, but I never ever saw one actually installed on a car, especially 5 of them!  Seriously, if they serve some sort of function they could have integrated it better.

Spyker C8 Aileron - urban strike force with traffic obliteration cannon option

By now opening weekend is nearly over and a few thousand visitors have walked through the exhibits.  Did you?  What was your favorite fugly that made you go wtf?  Got a pic to share?  If so include a link in the comments.   At week’s end I’ll round them up and put together a voting to determine which car was the “winner” of a “fugliest of show” in a vote by all you beloved readers.

As nearly always, all pics are by me.  More in my 2010 LA Auto Show flickr set.

German Press and Jetta TDI "Green Car of the Year"

Volkswagen did the unimaginable at the LA Auto Show.  It garnered the “Green Car of the Year”.  VW did it with a diesel, not a hybrid, not some exotic fuel, but a performance oriented turbo-DIESEL.  Hopefully that award will open up a few eyes to the ease one can “go green” and not have to give up any driving fun in the process.  (Snark alert:hopefully once and for all it will undo the diesel myths and damage done by GM with their failed attempt of making the diesel an important part of the US auto scene 30 years ago).

When I first heard it started inside the LA Convention center I knew there was going to be something really special about this car.  It didn’t smoke at start.  Other than a quick clatter when it first started it was silent when running.  It was silent under light acceleration.  The exhaust had a faint smell, not the sweet-sour you associate with a gas car, something more or less “nutty”.  Not objectionable, certainly not visible and something you had to look hard to notice.  That is a huge change from the last round of diesel VW’s we saw here a few years ago.

This years LA Auto Show had a few new wrinkles for press days.  The big one was that the manufacturers ponied up nearly 2 dozen “green cars” for the media to drive.   They were all were nominees for “Green Car of the Year” and represented a broad approach to cleaning up our cars more than they already are.  For my driving I opted for those cars that are more traditional in nature that the average guy would feel right at home in and get great results without having to change their driving habits or style.  (Well, one car was just for kicks and giggles simply because I want one.  You have to read to the end to figure out which one it is I wanted).

Before I got behind the wheel of the Jetta I hung around the staging area in the underground parking at the Convention center. All of the VW Diesels were nearly silent at idle and barely audible under light acceleration. Not even turbo whine could be heard. The most noise was the tires “screeching” as they were turned corners. Even in a parking garage that is notorious for booming echos the back ground din remained what you heard, not the car itself.   Chalk up a big point on the score board for that achievement.

Getting in the Jetta was like slipping into an old friend. It seems a lot bigger inside than its “compact” class designation would lead one to expect. It had the best quality feel of any VW I ever remember sitting in. Fit and Finish was much better than I expected. It was very nicely equipped with all the usual toys including built in nav and should sticker in the “high 20′s” according to the VW rep who rode with me. For those looking for more basic you can get into the car for just over $20K.

The Jetta TDI provided was the 2.0L Turbo diesel with the power put through a 6 speed DSG transmission.  Under light acceleration the car felt like a regular automatic tranny.  Step on it and suddenly you are aware this is special, it shifted quick crisp as if you were doing it manually.  Chalk up another big point for VW.  

Driving the Jetta TDI was really nice.  Good ride, decent handling and quiet.  Only during hardest of acceleration did you hear any engine noises, and even then what you heard was more like one would expect from a nicely tuned gas engine…harmonious mechanics with a nice growl out of the tail pipe.   The first time I had to goose her hard to merge into traffic I actually lit off one of the inside tires.  That was the first time I noticed the ample torque in the car (a typical hallmark of a diesel is that they are very high torque motors). The tranny was well balanced and no torque steer was noted when accelerating during a turn.  Chalk up another point for the Jetta TDI.    Overall under light throttle the car took off nicely, certainly stayed with traffic with ease.  What I did notice is that when you stepped on it power built slowly at first and there was a noticeable leap when the turbo kicked in.  Nice, not obnoxious, just steady fast building stream of power.  

With a price in the mid-20′s nicely equipped this is an easy car to go green with no effort at all.  Rated at 29/41 it is going to be easy on the wallet, even with the 10-20% premium over regular gas.  With diesel packing nearly 30% more energy per gallon that premium paid is easily offset with the increased fuel economy over a gas engine of the same size.

BWM 335d - super performance, great mileage and green!

The last time around we saw diesel BMW’s for sale they were here for the great mileage.  This iteration of the BMW Diesel hit all the right notes from the moment you sat in the 335d and fired it up.  The engine gave a couple of growls at ignition but in an immeasurable second quieted down to the smooth idle one expects (demands!?) from a BMW.

Slipping it into gear and stepping off you notice quickly it feels much more powerful than you expect from a 3.0l six.  Again, its that torque thing and this car is rated at over 400ft lbs of torque…that my friends is big block V8 torque used to pull stumps or alter the orbit of small planets.  Lighting the wheels was too easy with that much power.  Shhh…wipe the silly ass grin off my face, but damn that always is fun.

There is never a rattle or hesitation to let you notice it is anything other than a finely tuned BMW powerplant. It was just a steady, seamless rush of power.  Everything one demands in a BMW was there except one thing, rapid gas depletion.  The final EPA numbers aren’t in but it expected to garner at least a 36MPG highway.  European publications have noted highway numbers in the 40′s possible.  The MPG gauge on this hard driven 335d with all in town around the convention center mileage registered a respectable 26.7mpg.

With a sticker of 43.9K this isn’t a cheap car, but for the performance oriented guy or BMW loyalist this is a way to start the transition to green without giving up on the fun.

Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell - silent on demand power and very green*

 The next on my rototation of cars was the Equinox Fuel Cell.  This is billed as “pertroleum free” and it is if you watch how the hydrogen you use is sourced.  (Hyrdogen’s inconvenient truth is that the majority of it in the US is sourced in natural gas or other fossil fuel and the Hydrogen cracked free leaving that nasty CO2 being released).  No matter how you slice it though the car is “zero emission at source of operation” and that is something that matters here in the LA Basin.  

Driving the Equinox was really a pleasant surprise.  I have been a fan of the hydrogen fuel cell since I first heard of its potential as a kid back on the Twentieth Century TV Show with Walter Cronkite.  I’m not a huge fan of SUV’s but the Equinox is a nice tight and smallish vehicle with capacity for hauling when needed.  The Equinox is a fuel cell with battery storage not unlike a hybrid prius/escape.  The fuel cell propels you when battery power can’t meet your driving demands.

A short explanation of a fuel cell is that hydrogen is flowed across a grid with air.  The hydrogen mixes with the oxygen in the air and creates electricity off that grid.  The electricity is used to power the car and all its goodies and the only emission is water vapor.  Just water, how much greener can one get?

Driving it is interesting.  You don’t know its on…dead silence.  You step on the gas and it goes, step harder and it goes faster.  Still dead silence except the thump and drone of the tires.  Braking is more like a hybrid in that it uses regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.  Power is strong and instantaneous.  There is no adapting to the car, just get in and drive.  That will make this a really easy green conversion as it requires no changes in habits to make it work.

I wish I could have spent more time in this one.  As it was I got a lot of info in the 10 minute drive from the Chevy rep who went with me.  Most important was the energy and price comparisons of Hydrogen to Gasoline.  Hydrogen is measured in kilograms.  In a straight weight comparison Hydrogen has twice the energy of the same weight of gasoline.  

Currently there aren’t retail sales of hydrogen but the cost is calculated and it compares to the cost of premium grade gasoline. The hydrogen cars in use right now are part of test fleets and they fill using a pin number at the pump so there isn’t a hard number to use as “retail” and I had to rely on the honesty of the Chevy guy.   When you calculate in the energy content of the hydrogen it works out to 1/2 the cost of gas.   In terms of MPG, and I’ll admit I don’t have numbers and the formula he used, but the equinox gets the equivalent of 45-50mpg (recall it is a type of hybrid drive).   

The infrastructure to support hydrogen fuel doesn’t exist yet.  There are only a handful of stations in CA.  Fortunately one of them is a Shell Station in WLA that produces its own hydrogen from electrolysis (water cracked to produce free oxygen and hydrogen).  Refilled at that station the Equinox is a really green vehicle.  Filled at stations using petroleum sourced hydrogen the carbon footprint is still very good, according to Chevy it is about the same as a car getting about 50mpg.  Certainly far better than what one will get from a regular SUV, even a compact one like this.

Certainly infrastructure isn’t the only hurdle that the fuel cell face in order for it to become a meaningful percentage of the cars in use.  The other is packaging.  The tanks for the hydrogen are big, bulky and very heavy. Have to be.  If they aren’t you have a few hundred thousand Hindenbergs ready to blow.  The technology needs a little more development to make it small enough to put into regular compact and subcompact cars.  I suspect we aren’t far from that.  Once both packaging and infrastructure is in place this could well be our best bet for an easy conversion to a clean running fleet.

The final car I drove was the Smart For Two.  I have to admit I’ve loved that crazy little car since I first read about it some 15 years ago.  My passion for the insanely small thing increased when I saw my first one in ’99.  What a great idea, not so much for its fuel economy which is pretty darn good, but for its size.  The perfect little car for darting about with all the little errands.  Perfect little car for fitting into those half spaces leftover after a parking tard SUV takes up 1 1/2 compact spaces.  

Smart For Two -33city/41highway

Driving it was trippy as hell.  It too is an automated shift manual like the VW DSG…or horrors a Ferrari.  It lacked the refinement of those cars and needed some time on the learning curve to get used to driving it in automated mode.  Slip it to paddle shift mode and it was a breeze.  I liked it.  

I still want it, but unfortunately it doesn’t cover enough of my daily running around in circles, like getting kids to school – it seats two and I need at least 3, 4 if it is raining.  Just make mine yellow with the black tridium.  I wanna look like a bumble bee buzzing around doing my errands.  Sadly, its EPA numbers are pretty awesome at 33/41, but when you look at some of the diesels and hybrids those cars become a better fit for my needs.  Damn that practical side of the brain.

Those are my personal top picks.  Two are immediately available and an easy transition to green without having to change driving styles or eliminating the fun.  Another is close to being a reality.  The other is completely silly and irrelevant to my daily needs but would just be fun.

A final side bar if you will.  Toyota had a really interesting concept car. I really didn’t like the looks of the car with the solid front end.  It reminded me of some bulbous whale head.  The technology was solid.  It was a Camry Natural Gas Hybrid.  What a great idea.  Natural Gas burns inherently cleaner than gasoline.  (So clean that a Ford Crown Vic on nat gas qualifies for a Clean Air Pass for the car pool lanes).  Using hybrid technology with a natural gas engine certainly cleans up the already clean Camry Hybrid.

Camry Nat Gas Hybrid - potentially very clean car, just the front is pretty fugly.

Ford’s Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids got a total redesign for 2010 and go on sale in the spring.  Of interest is the Fusion/Milan Hybrids.  They obtain at least 5MPG over the Camry Hybrid with preliminary ratings of 36/39(autoblog reports epa city as 39mpg!)  You can achieve those ratings while driving them like a regular car.  Unique to the hybrids out there, Fusion/Milan can travel as fast as 47mph on battery alone which is what helps give them their better than Camry Hybrid numbers.

All the pics and vid are by me.  Apologies for the vid, it was done with a dum-dum digicam.  The lead pic of the VW Jetta TDI is done with HDR file generation and tonemapping by Photomatix.  The remainders are simple jpegs.  A complete run down of the cars I spent time in can be found in my flickr 2008 LA Auto Show set.

First we have the 2008 Nissan Cube. Already available in Japan, the Cube is about the same size as a Honda Element, but infinitely cooler looking. They say it was inspired by a raindrop and they’ve carried that theme throughout the vehicle from the roof lining to the speakers, cup holders and even the asymmetrical rear window.

2008 Nissan Cube

This vehicle, which Nissan calls “A mobile device”, is touted as a lounging pad, with reclineable passenger seats, way too many speakers and…mood lighting. Highly customizable with several of Nissan’s awesome colors, the car is very much geared to the Web 2.0 crowd. There’s the almost standard Bluetooth integration, but the car also features mp3/ipod integration. You can see more photos here or at Nissan’s website.

The other vehicle unveiled today, was the Kia Soul. Where the Nissan Cube seems geared toward tech-savvy buyers, the Kia Soul seems to be made by tech-savvy buyers. The Kia booth offers up not only a number (562.277.2947) you can text to have your messages shown on jumbo screen to the crowds at the LA Auto Show, but also a scannable QR-code located in several places of their display so you can get info on your mobile phone, if capable.

2008 Kia Soul

The Soul comes off as the love-child of the MINI Cooper and the Cube. It is definitely smaller than the Cube, on the Scion scale, but a little cuter. Like the Cube, the Soul has Bluetooth and mp3 capabilities, but this car also has standard SIRIUS™ Satellite Radio & multiple USB ports, ideal for webslingers on the go. The car only had 3 interior options, one being houndstooth, but a nice collection of exterior colors in ‘edgy’ names like Alien or Molten. More photos of the Kia Soul can be viewed here or on Kia’s website.

My absolute favorite was Volvo’s “City Safe” demo where you actually get to sit in the car and put the system to the test real time.  It works, amazingly well.  I have to thank Adam Kopstein from Volvo who let me ride along and “tape” the ride.  Its amazing how well the system works.  I did it and failed the first time as instinct stepped in and before I got close enough to activate the system, I braked myself and had to retry the test.  Its freaky.  It works.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see this working very well in real life.  Imagine being in a parking lot, or bump and go traffic, exhausted and turning around to hand the kid in a car-seat a bottle or just turning your head before a lane change and the car in front stops quickly.  City Safe won’t let you rear end them, or if fast enough you won’t do much more than a tap with no damage to either of you.  Bring your DL and be prepared to stand in line.  Its a trip but well worth the thrill…and no extra charge!

Another favorite was the Lexus race car game.  Its Dave and Busters type arcade action.  Its you against 2 other drivers in a race around a circuit.  Its all Lexus cars in their best track get up.  Racing like few of us could ever get a chance to do with a Lexus let alone a real race car.  I think it would have been more fun as a “Simpson’s Road Rage” set in the streets of LA.  Realism works.  Plan on long lines for this one.

Also interesting was the Volvo Design display.  Its fun display as a stand alone…sheet metal pants in the Volvo color swatches.  Matching shirts made out of the interior materials or leathers.  All the actual “work”, really serious play is done on an interactive stylus pad where you design your own Volvo.

Ford has Mustang Alley where you can check out all the 2010 Mustangs.  Also within that area is the Mustang Garage.   In there you can find all sorts of info on the Ford Motorsport performance and style mods for the Mustang.  There is also a really nifty collection of Hot Wheels brand Mustangs on display too.  Sigh…I had a few of those, too bad I blew them up with firecrackers.  (We did that back in MO as a right of passage to being a teen).

Ford has a great walk in cut-away of a wrecked Taurus.  What is cool is you step inside for a video.  On the vid you see how the Taurus got its 5 start crash test rating and the Insurance Institutes Safest Car in America awards.  The vid shows the prep and crash from several angles.  Walking around when you are done you can’t help be impressed with how well the car took the hit.

 

All the pics and video are by me. I have tons of pics in my Flickr 2008 LA Auto Show set.  I’ve got a few more posts coming over the next few days.  Among them my review of the “Green Cars” I got to drive.  Congrats to Volkswagen whose Jetta TDI was named “Green Car of the Year”.  I can tell you this much…I was impressed on all counts with that car.

Lincoln MKZ unwrapped for LA Auto Show

The news embargo is over on the Lincoln MKZ info I got at the reveal media conference last week. The MKZ is #2 of the 4 Ford World Premieres set for the LA Auto Show that opens on the 21st.  

Of course all the blather and hype of a media conference doesn’t mean a thing until the blue silk cover is removed from the car. It is a show stopper. Clearly the elements that make it a Lincoln are there, the grill split is nice as it does remind me of the original Zephyr launched back in the 40’s. It certainly fits the design theme of the MKS launched earlier this year.The MKZ team includes a real, moto-crossing, car loving and racing guy.  The industry norm is a 6 year “cadence” with a 3rd year freshening of the fascias.  The MKZ got nearly all new sheet metal, a completely new (and in my not so humble opinion, very clean and classy) interior.  Even the mechanicals of the car have been some significant changes.  The base MKZ with front wheel drive benefits from suspension and stiffening changes that put it ahead of its competition for simple luxury qualities like smooth ride and quiet.

The “Sport” version with AWD has neutral handling that is slot car inspired and puts it knocking squarely at the InfinityG35 in terms of race track ability.  That is what happens when car guys are involved in the process, cars that can compete in one of the most intense and crowded segments like the mid-size premium.

The interior is one of more clutter free I’ve seen in a while.  Part of the direction Lincoln is taking is a move back to what they did many years ago best, using real materials not fake inside.  Real leather, real brushed aluminum and wood, not plated and screened plastic. Soft to the touch plastics are used where artificial materials have to be used.   All those materials added up to a substantial feeling of luxury as you sat in the car.

Technology is really packed into this car.  The Sync system impressed me when I first saw in July.  Very easy to use and voice capable without having to program your specific voice. The Nav system can be ordered as a stand alone or integrated with Sync.  New this year is an accident avoidance electronic “blind spot alert” that alerts you if there are cars in your blind spot.  The technology package even has available a “back up collision alert” that will let you know if there is traffic near you as you back out of your parking space. 

I didn’t get a chance to drive the car and am frothing at the mouth to do so.  Prior experience with the car a few years ago was all positive; certainly hit all the important qualities I look for in a luxury car. The original version certainly felt a lot more substantial and solid than a similar Infinity I35 I drove a few years ago.  The power train remains essentially the same, but the 3.5L V6 and 6 speed auto tranny has been tweaked resulting in an improved power curve while improving efficiency.  The much lauded 0-60 has been improved by a ½ second to 7.2 seconds.  There has even been a “manual” paddle type automated gear selection option in the sport package for those of you who like that bit of control.  The suspension changes made or available in the Sport package all sound good on paper and I am anxious to see how it all works together in the real world.

It is rare that a luxury car, even one at the entry level, doesn’t have some unique or interesting toys.  The MKZ has quite a few little goodies to set it apart.  Some are purely decorative like the illuminated “Lincoln” sill plate.  Others are really useful like the capless gas tank “EZ Fill” for filling.  This falls into the stupid easy category and you wonder why no one did it before.  It is simply poke, pump to fill and off you go. Never have to worry about a gas cap again.

Fuel economy and emissions are a biggy for those of us living in LA.  Our commutes and traffic put is in a position where we rarely see the chance to just cruise and get close to the EPA Highway numbers.  With all the tweaks to one up the performance of its competitors the MKZ also has good mileage.  18/city and 28/highway is the preliminary number for the car and it does that while meeting ULEV emissions criteria.  For you CO2 counters out there, the weight of the car and engine displacement earned it a good rating of 8.7/tons for the 2009 model year.  (That is mid range on a scale of 3.5/best to 16.2/worst over at fuel economy.gov).  

After spending time just sitting in this car I have to admit I am impressed.  It certainly feels like a lot more substantial car, certainly oozes luxury to the touch.  With pricing set to start in the high 30’s it certainly is competitive in the class.  The promised goods if they meet their promises at launch this car will be in best in class in a lot of categories.   

When Ford’s guy from Detroit, Mark Schirmer asked me if I would get one to replace my Dad car, the answer was an unqualified “absolutely”.  I believe this newest iteration of the MKZ will continue to make conquests in its market and is the biggest leap yet for Ford in re-identifying the Lincoln brand as a serious player in the luxury market.  It certainly is  Lincoln’s strongest entry in the entry sport-luxury sub-group.  

All of the pics are done by me.  The lead pic is done with the use of High Dynamic Range imaging, the rest are simple shrunk down jpegs.  They will get bigger with a quick left click.  More will be in my Flickr 2010 MKZ set later in the day.

Ford’s 2010 Mustang Reveal Party last night was loud, frantic and attended by nearly 1,000 Mustang Club fans who brought along 400+ vintage mustangs. We got to hear the winner of the “My Mustang” story and watch him get the keys to his 2010 GT. We got to see the video from the video contest winner also. Both can be seen at The2010Mustang.com.

You just knew it was going to be a fun when they are handing out earplugs with a warning that it was going to be loud. The evening built to a crescendo capped with the 2010 models being drifted, skidded or simply driven onto the hangar floor at Barker Hangar in SaMo.  The fans gave them ovations as each one entered the arena.

The Mustang did get a gorgeous, chiseled new body and interior.  The engine options are the same but both power plants benefited from the cold air induction introduced on the Bullitt.  Short version is that the colder the air the more efficiently the car can burn its fuel.  End result is more power coming from a cleaner burn.   The options lists are extensive.  If you want more power than the base GT provides you can go through Ford Motorsports or an authorized dealer to have “super packs” added.  

Super-packs are how you make your ‘stang even more powerful and suspension tuned for more track performance to stay at the top of the performance pack.  ”Super-packs” means supercharged engines producing 400 or 500 horsepower along with the mods to the car so it can handle that increased power.  Nice.

A few more pics and the drifting vid after the jump.

2010 Mustang flanked by vintage Mustangs with racing history.

Mustangs on dyno ran dragstip qrtr mile in 103-104mph depending on driver skill.

New rear design maintains the "3 bar lamp"

New interior with Sync/Nav integration.

At the Auto Show Ford promises that they will have a huge interactive display where you can customize your own Mustang.  That would be the place to get all the details you could ever want on the new ‘stang.

All pics by me.  Vid too…done with a little digicam.  More can be found in my 2010 Mustang Flickr set.  The pics of all the vintage ‘stangs will be up over the weekend.   

I’m off to the LA Auto Show to see which car won the “Green Car of the Year Award”.