car

2015 New York International Auto Show: Part Two

The Autocracy went back to the New York International Auto Show because we apparently didn’t get enough of the hundreds of new cars and trucks from the first weekend! Round 2 of the event brought us the DUB Show, showcasing customized vehicles ranging from a BMW i8 & Mercedes SLS to a Saleen S7 and an Acura NSX. Also on display was Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta, famous from his Gymkhana videos. Additional new vehicles included the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, a Jurassic Park Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, and Ford’s much-anticipated GT & Mustang GT350R. Stay tuned for more updates this week on our Top 10 Favorite Cars from the show and a spotlight on electric vehicles!

The Superbowl Commercials — Our Top Picks

What a game last night!! For some people, however, the commercials were more attention-grabbing. In fact, in a 2011 study done by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), over 25% of people said that the most important part of the Super Bowl are the infamous commercials. (At $4 million for a 30-sec. spot, these commercials had better be good, right?) Here’s our ranking of the top 3 automotive Super Bowl commercials (and the rest of them for your viewing pleasure). What was your favorite commercial from last night’s Big Game? Let us know in the comments below or tell us on Twitter (@autocracyblog). 

1. Kia K900 (“The Truth”)

What could be better than Morpheus singing Nessun Dorma? Kia gets in the game, big time, with this commercial for the all-new premium luxury sedan from Kia and asks people to “Challenge the luxury you know™”. Honestly, one of the best commercials of the night, hands down. 

 

2. Toyota Highlander (“Terry Crews and the Muppets”)

There’s no room for boring with Toyota’s commercial for the all-new Highlander. Featuring Terry Crews and the Muppets, it gets you laughing. 

 

3. Jaguar F-Type Coupe (“Rendezvous”)

Getting three British powerhouses — The Avengers’ Loki, Iron Man’s Trevor Slattery, and Green Lantern’s Sinestro — Jaguar proves it’s #GoodToBeBad. 

 

Check out the other commercials for these brands: 

Chevy – “Life” || Jeep – “Restless” || Volkswagen – “Wings” || Maserati – “Strike” 

CarMax – “Slow Clap” || Hyundai – “Dad’s Sixth Sense” || Chevy – “Romance”

Chrysler – “America’s Import” || Honda – “Hugfest” || Hyundai – “Nice” 

Audi – “Doberhuahua” || Weathertech – “You Can’t Do That” 

REVIEW: 2014 Kia Cadenza

Kia has, yet again, set the bar high for luxury automakers with the 2014 Cadenza. With a car that’s under $40,000, you can be rolling with the same features (and then some!) as a $70,000 luxury car.

Thanks to Tenafly Kia, we were able to really get a feel for the Cadenza — with its’ sleek Aurora Black exterior and Black Nappa leather interior. With a 3.3L V6 engine producing 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft. of torque and a 0-60 time of just over 6 seconds, the Cadenza is able to keep up with many of the larger sedans on the road today.

On the outside, you’ll find front LED positioning lights, heated power folding mirrors with turn signal indicators, LED tail lights, back-up warning & camera and stylish 18″ wheels.

When you step inside through the red illuminated door plates, you’re greeted by a slew of luxury and technology. The Infinity Surround Sound Audio system, accompanied by Kia’s UVO eServices system, made it easy to enjoy the standard Sirius/XM satellite radio and Bluetooth wireless technology. The navigation system was easy to see and use thanks to the 8″ display and the heated seats kept you warm. Our car was also equipped with the Luxury Package, which includes a panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, HID headlights with adaptive lighting, the Nappa leather seats, a power driver’s seat cushion extension, ventilated driver’s seat, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power tilt steering wheel, integrated memory system, power rear sunshade and a Supervision meter cluster with 7″ color LCD for the speedometer and additional information.

Driving the car was a real treat, as well. Anyone who lives in New Jersey or the New York City Metropolitan area knows that this area is littered, I mean LITTERED, with potholes. The Cadenza had a very surprisingly smooth ride and absorbed those potholes like it was its’ job. There was very little road noise and overall, it was very enjoyable driving it.

At an as-tested price of just over $39,000, you really can’t get a better deal than that.

 

Pros: Really smooth ride, great amount of tech, interior was very comfortable and stylish, looks like a $70,000 sedan, panoramic sunroof was a great touch

Cons: Could use a little more power since it’s nearly two tons

 

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $35,100 || Price as Tested: $39,030

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 3.3-liter, 6-cylinder, 293-hp,  255 lb-ft torque || Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Curb Weight:  3,789 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 195.5/72.8/58.1 inches

0-60:   6.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 19/28 MPG

 

RATING: 8.4/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 7

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 9

A big thank you goes to Tenafly Kia — ranked in the top 3 Kia dealerships nationwide for Customer Sales Satisfaction. For all of your Kia needs, speak to Keith Yasso at Tenafly Kia and tell them Greg sent you. Check them out at www.tenaflykia.com.

3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show

Come out to the Northern Valley High School in Demarest, NJ for the 3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show. We’ll be there!

Location:
162 Knickerbocker Road, Demarest, New Jersey

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REVIEW: 2013 Tesla Model S

As gearheads, we get excited about the firing of an ignition in a Lamborghini, the exhaust note on a Porsche and the smell of gasoline in the morning. These are things we truly enjoy — hearing, seeing and smelling the movements on internal-combustion engine equipped cars. When you hear “electric car”, you think of ones that have died off a couple of years ago or you think of short-range, lower-priced cars that just can’t keep up with today’s technology. Well–that’s all changed. We bring to you, our loyal readers of The AUTOcracy, the 2013 Model S. *Cue dramatic music.*

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Driving this car is like driving a dream — if that’s possible. The eery silence of the motor when you accelerate to 70 or the fact that you can get to 70 in under 5 seconds alone by being held back in your seat due to the sheer power of the Model S is emphatically satisfying. With 7000 lithium-ion cells, the 85-kwH battery pack weighs more than 1300 pounds and is five feet wide, eight feet long, and a third of a foot thick. With a standard charger, the battery can be recharged in about 10 hours, however, with the Supercharger hardware (which was included with our car), you can get a 150-mile recharge in 30 minutes from any one of the Supercharges located across the US.

With the base Model S starting at $62,000, additional options and battery sizes can increase the price to just into the 6-digit range. Our Model S had an as-tested price of $106,350 with options such as a panoramic all-glass roof, black performance interior with carbon fiber trim, active air suspension, dual rear facing seats (allowing for up to 6 passengers, plus driver), supercharger hardware, a carbon fiber rear spoiler and beautiful 21″ performance Carbon Gray wheels. The driver-friendly interior was accented with comfortable black leather seats, and dominated by a massive 17″ capacitive touchscreen with media, communication, cabin, and vehicle controls — it’s amazing that there were almost no buttons in this car. It also had the Tech and Sound Studio package. The Tech package includes GPS navigation system with onboard maps and free map updates for 7 years, keyless entry, high-def backup camera, Xenon headlights, LED cornering lights, power rear liftgate, GPS-enabled Homelink system, memory seats, ground lighting under door handles and electrochromatic side mirrors. The Sound Studio package includes XM satellite radio, a 580-watt 12-speaker Dolby ProLogic 7.1 sound system, and storage space for more than 3,000 songs.

With a 4-year/50,000 mile warranty and an 8-year/Unlimited-mile battery warranty, you’re in good hands. There was just one drawback that we saw in the car — and that was the loose steering under heavy acceleration. Hitting the gas to merge onto the highway, we would have to compensate for steering. But, that’s it. The 99,000 other amazing things about the Model S trump that one minor issue, which I can’t seem to remember what it was anymore.

Driving the Tesla Model S, truly was a treat. From pulling onto Route 208 in North Jersey and getting ripped back into the seat by the monstrous response time and torque or the massive touchscreen in the center console that controls literally everything — it was amazing. The silence of the motor and the smoothness of the ride was just so comfortable, it’s understandable why this is one of our most favorite cars. Having been presented with numerous accolades and high ratings from other journalists, this car holds a lot of promise and benchmarking for the future.

Pros: an incredible amount of technology both inside the car and on the car itself; acceleration was superior to almost anything comparable; storage/trunk space was plentiful — due to the lack of an engine, there are two trunks; giant touch screen dash made everything easy to read and easy to reach; great looks.

Cons: Under heavy acceleration, the car would pull in either direction, where we would have to compensate steering.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $87,400 || Price as Tested: $106,350

Vehicle Layout: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 5+2-passenger, 5-door sedan

Engine: AC permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor; 85 kWh lithium-ion battery; 420hp & 440lb-ft tq. (equivalent) || Transmission: 1-speed direct drive automatic

Curb Weight: 4,785 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 196.0/77.3/56.5 inches

0-60: 4.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 88/90 MPGe

RATING: 9.7/10

Exterior: 10

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 10 

Braking: 10

Ride: 10

Handling: 10 

Gearbox: 10

Audio: 9

Tech: 10

Value: 9

We’d like to thank Stephen Martinique at Tesla Garden State Plaza for getting us into the beautiful Model S. For all your Tesla needs, go check out Tesla Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ and online at http://www.teslamotors.com/gardenstateplaza. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Porsche Boxster

I’m just going to put this out front — formerly known as the “poor man’s Porsche”, the 2013 Boxster blew us away — and this wasn’t even the Boxster S! With an as-tested price of $56,565, the Boxster is a fast, lightweight convertible sports car. The looks we received while driving this — the cyclist who stopped us to say “nice car”, the other Boxster owner who did a thumbs up out of the top of his car when we both had our tops down in 45 degree weather, or the photographers who confused it for a Ferrari — were very satisfying. This car really turns heads.

Our Boxster had 19-inch Boxster S wheels, Porsche’s 7-speed PDK Automatic transmission and the convenience package. The convenience package includes a wind deflector screen, 2-zone automatic air conditioning (two separate control settings for driver and passenger) and dual heated seats. With a black exterior and a black leather interior, our car really shined. The Boxster features auto start-stop, AM/FM/CD player with 4 very loud speakers and a speed-activated rear spoiler. The black cloth top is able to be retracted or put up in just under 10 seconds and even goes up or down at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour — so no having to wait until you’re at a light to drop the top.

With 265 horsepower and a curb weight of under 3,000 pounds, the Boxster was propelled to 60 in 5.4 seconds. Pricing starts at just under $50,000.

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Pros: great looks, great fun and a great price! The Boxster had everything we would really need in a convertible. The performance was excellent and the technology was very easy to work with.

Cons: Tall people won’t be very comfortable in the passenger seat.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $49,500 || Price as Tested: $56,565

Vehicle Layout: Mid-engine, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible

Engine: 2.7L H6, 265hp, 206-lb. ft. || Transmission: 7-speed PDK Automatic

Curb Weight: 2,954 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 172.2/70.9/50.5 inches

0-60: 5.4 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 22/32 mpg

RATING: 9.2/10

Exterior: 10

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 9 

Braking: 9

Ride: 9

Handling: 10 

Gearbox: 10

Audio: 10

Tech: 9

Value: 8

We’d like to thank Jake Semon at Town Porsche for getting us into the new Boxster. For all your Porsche needs, go check out Town Porsche in Englewood, NJ and online at www.town-motorcar.porschedealer.com. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Porsche Panamera 4

One of the most iconic car brands, without a doubt, is Porsche. From the 356 to the Cayenne to the Panamera (and all 50 years of the 911), Porsche has been setting the bar high for competitors and the design of their cars shows no bounds.

Thanks to Jake at Town Porsche in Englewood, we were able to get into the Panamera 4, Porsche’s 4-door fastback sedan and drive it around New Jersey for the day. With a Black exterior and Luxor Beige interior, we were excited to get on the road! Driving around the winding roads of Alpine & Englewood Cliffs’ Palisades Interstate Park (and having to maneuver around crater-sized potholes), the Panamera really hugged the turns and kept its feet planted firmly on the ground.

 

With a 300 horsepower V6 engine, producing 295 lb-ft. of torque, the Panamera 4 shoots to 60 in under 6 seconds. When engaged in Sport Plus mode, the shifts of the transmission were lightning quick and the responsiveness of the vehicle was astronomical.

Our Panamera test car came fully loaded with every option in the book, including the Premium Package which includes Porsche Active Suspension Management and Bi-Xenon headlights with Porsche’s Dynamic Light System and ParkAssist (Front and Rear) with reverse camera. Also included in the Premium Package are heated seats (front and rear), heated steering wheel and Power Steering Plus (where at speed, the steering gets tighter for more control).

Additional interior features included 14-way(!) power-seats with memory, front seat ventilation and an analog/digital stopwatch with driver modes that include engine mapping, steering, suspension, traction control and more. Audio features included SiriusXM, a 6-disc CD changer, and a whopping 14 Bose® speakers and amplifier. Pricing for the base Panamera starts in the high $70k’s and for the Turbo S, it can climb to well over $200,000.

We thought the Panamera 4 was a great car — with all-wheel-drive, performance and the looks, what more could you want from a luxury-performance car?

Pros: Stylish and luxurious, acceleration and shifting in Sport Plus mode, great Bose audio system, sensors around the car letting you know when you are too close to objects or cars.

Cons: Shifting using the buttons on the steering wheel took some getting used to.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $78,100 || Price as Tested: $92,815

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, 4-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 3.6L 300hp, 295-lb. ft., V6 || Transmission: 7-speed automated manual

Curb Weight: 4,012 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 195.7/76.0/55.8 inches

0-60: 5.8 seconds  || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 18/26 mpg

RATING: 8.7/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 9 

Braking: 9

Ride: 8

Handling: 9 

Gearbox: 9

Audio: 10

Tech: 9

Value: 7

We’d like to thank Jake Semon at Town Porsche for getting us into the new Panamera 4! For all your Porsche needs, go check out Town Porsche in Englewood, NJ and online at www.town-motorcar.porschedealer.com. Make sure you tell them Greg and Dave sent you!

NYIAS Recap

Sore feet is an understatement. We spent UMPTEEN hours at the show last night and didn’t leave until 10PM and the show was still going strong. We might venture back this weekend to finish up what we may have missed, but the show was incredibly AWESOME, AMAZING and UNBELIEVABLE! So many new cars being debuted (some good, some not so good), an SRT Viper pretty much sideways on a ramp and a few Russian women signing some posters for Russian tuner Devolro.

Here’s a picture of me and Dave, schmoozing with the upper echelon in the Rolls Royce booth.

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…oh and here’s a Bugatti Veyron.

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2014 Scion tC to be debuted at NY Auto Show

Scion will be debuting the new 2014 tC at the New York International Auto Show on March 28. The last redesign for the tC came in 2011, so styling cues might appear from the FR-S. Scion’s current tC has a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, producing 180hp and 173tq. Available transmissions include an automatic or manual, both six-speeds.

Photo from Scion.