ON THE TABLE
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 01:31PM October 26, 2011
Chevrolet. When details about the new 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 leaked out on the Camaro5 fan boy message board (they were taken from the dealer ordering guide) all hell didn't break loose. Instead, tears of joy streamed down the faces of the hard-core high-performance faithful as the pure awesomeness of this machine was revealed. We're not going to regurgitate all of the details, but three things stand out: 1. Its 6.2-liter LSA V8 has 580HP and 556 lb-ft of torque. 2. Its impressive chassis technology package with Magnetic Ride Control (like Corvette abd Cadillac CTS-V), Performance Track Management that can fine-tune the suspension even further and massive Brembo brakes. 3. And the fact that all of this will be available for somewhere in the low $50,000 range. We can safely say that the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 at that price point will be the most seductive combination of high-performace and high-technology available in the market when it arrives next spring.
The Chinese Auto industry. Reuters is reporting that beginning next year China will limit the number of entertainment programs allowed to air on television, pushing to replace them with morality-building programming. China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television will restrict shows that "record the dark and gloomy side of society," the Southern Metropolis Daily said. The official Xinhua news agency said the directive aimed to guard against "excessive entertainment" by restricting game shows, talk shows, talents shows, and reality shows, among other types of programming. At least two hours of news would have to be broadcast during the last six hours of the day on 34 stations, Xinhua said. That's one way to make people want to get out of the house and go for a drive.
(Chevrolet)
It's SEMA show time again. The annual indescribable car-fest features everything from someone's hand-built vision of what the ultimate hot rod should look like, to a plethora of custom street and racing machines on display from the major manufacturers, like this Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec "#2" concept. Finished in Flat White with Torch Red accents and loaded up with a bunch of concept Z-Spec pieces, it gives you an idea of what you can do with Chevy's Z-Spec accessories soon to be available at Chevrolet dealerships. We'd show you the "#1" Z-Spec concept but it is too boring.
(Lexus)
More SEMA Show, this time from Lexus. The all-new 2013 GS 350 mid-size luxury sedan with F SPORT package will be unveiled next week in Las Vegas. After revealing the fourth-generation GS 350 at Pebble Beach in August, the GS 350 with F SPORT package was "designed to engage driving enthusiasts with factory engineering and the ability to take performance to an entirely new level," according to Lexus. The usual hotted-up stuff comes on the F SPORT package, including trick 19-inch wheels, F SPORT-tuned Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), thicker anti-roll bars, bushing changes, and new larger front brakes with high friction pads. Rear-wheel drive (RWD) models will be equipped with 19-inch staggered width wheels and Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS). Inside, there's a new 16-way power driver’s sport seat, unique interior design bits and available F SPORT exclusive Cabernet Red leather interior.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our friend Tom Pease seems to be on a roll lately, as he's has sent along another "Letter from L.A." This week's subject? Coda. - PMD
Coda: Home on the generic range.
By Tom Pease
Beverly Hills. This Sunday I decided to go to Century City Mall to suck up some time between a couple of engagements. I had intended just to hit the food court and have a Diet Pepsi, but I saw that Coda had set up a mini "dealership" there and were offering test drives. A white Coda was parked out in front while in the storefront was a mock-up of the powertrain and charging station as well as screens with other info.
I was told that the batteries in the Coda will allow you to go up to 150 miles before needing a recharge, recharge faster than the Leaf, and will lose only 1% of their viability. So unlike your iPhone, ten years from now you'd only lose 10% of the range. These batteries are (according to the the young man with the Beiber hair) also disposable. They don't have anything that needs to be recycled. I would want that confirmed by Coda, however.
Unlike the Volt, the Codas battery is flat beneath the floor so I suppose one could fit a fifth passenger, but it better be one who's very small or someone you don't like much. The styling both in and out is generic. As a matter of fact, sort of 90's generic, as if someone had been asked to draw a Ford Contour from memory. I was told it was an unproduced Mitsubishi design. The young man giving me the test-drive was far too nice for me to say what I was thinking. The interior is about the same, with simple gauges and an aftermarket-looking entertainment system. The gear selector is a rotary knob that seems to take one too many clicks to get in or out of gear. They also might want to join the late 90's and include an express-up/down driver's window.
I was told that this was a pre-production model so I am not going to hold the driving experience against it. Not that it's bad, it just needs some tweaks. They had far too much creep dialed in. Disconcertingly, when I took my foot off the brake the car was driving away without me touching the "gas". This also made me really have to lean on the brakes at stoplights to keep the car stationary. Conversely I was told that in the interest of "safety" that from 0-20 the acceleration was restricted. Which made driving up the parking ramp when the gate lifted seem like I was pedaling it. On the road it's fine, in a very generic sort of way.
Then we got to price. After the $7500 federal tax credit and the $2500 California one it's still almost $35k (add $500 if you want it in red or blue, $1500 if you want leather). Which frankly is a lot of money. That sort of money will buy you a Volt and most commuters lifetime supply of gas for it. Or a Leaf and most of a Versa sedan for when you want to drive more than 70 miles in an afternoon. The Coda also isn't nearly as polished as either one of them. It lacks the Leaf's hyper-quirky elfin charm or the Volt's Starship Enterprise cool. If they'd come out with this even two years ago I might have thought "fine".
But those two are out. I saw one of each on my 15 minute cruise around Century City. The Coda needs either a serious style and content upgrade or to be priced about $19k to be anything in this league. As is, I don't see them doing a lot of business on range alone.