by Ali Patterson
and Jesse Schulz
Daily Lobo
There is only one thing better than driving fast cars around Albuquerque with no salesman to chaperone: Knowing that your escapade is all in the name of journalism.
In preparation for the New Mexico International Auto Show, we were allowed to drive several cars anywhere we pleased to see what they could do. Visitors to the auto show won't be able to start the cars up, but there sure are some cool things on display.
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Exhibitors include 34 automakers, from Audi to Saturn.
Concept cars include the Hummer H3T, a truck version of the H3; the Chevy Nomad, an update of the 1950s hatchbacky coupe with 250 horsepower; the Cadillac Cien, a sexy little number with a 750-horsepower V12; the Ford Shelby GR-1, another hot dish with a 605-horsepower V10; the Ford 427, a sedan with a V10 that displaces - you guessed it - 427 cubic inches; the Ford SVT Lightning, another truck; and the new Ford Bronco. Also on display is the Toyota Camry NASCAR, which sounds like an oxymoron, but it does put out 725 horsepower.
As a special bonus to UNM students, today is 2-for-1 day with a valid college ID. So for $8, two can see the whole show.
Kids get special bonuses, too. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, children 3 through 9 can drive tiny motorized and pedal-powered cars from the Toys "R" Us showroom. Hey, better to teach them early than freak out when they turn 16. Sunday is Family Day, where kids under 12 get in free with an adult, and the first 1,000 kids will receive a Hot Wheels car.
Two special displays will accompany the already-overwhelming show. Saturday, the New Mexico Corvette Association will show 25 classic Corvettes on Second Street between the east and west wings of the Convention Center. Then on Sunday, the New Mexico 4-Wheelers Club will exhibit classic four-wheel drive vehicles in the same area.
So even if you're not a complete car nut, this is an excellent place to get an idea of what's on the market. If you're thinking about buying a car, representatives will be on-hand to answer questions. You can be better informed after doing some research at the show. For other information about the show, visit newmexicoautoshow.com.
So now that you know what the show offers, let's get to the fun stuff. Here's what we thought about the cars we drove.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Jesse and Ali's first outing was in the GTI. We were both impressed with the overall performance - then we found sport mode. Or, as Ali called it, slut mode, because that girl is fast. The GTI comes standard with a 2.0-liter engine turbocharged and intercooled to produce 200 horsepower and 207 ft/lbs of torque at about 5,000 rpm. Respectable to say the least, especially when coupled to a six-speed gearbox. Despite its demure stature, the GTI still manages to tip the scales at 3,300 pounds.
Enough numbers though - the GTI is certainly a driver's car. A wonderfully stiff suspension seemed to dissipate any understeer associated with a front wheel drive layout, but wasn't too stiff to make the ride uncomfortable.
Though the GTI seemed to suffer from a little turbo-lag, that could be offset by setting the transmission to sport mode, lowering the gear ratio for more aggressive characteristics.
The new DSG - Direct Shift Gearbox - has two clutches, one for odd gears and one for even. This allows the car to be driving one gear and have the next higher gear already selected and waiting to engage. This resulted in super-smooth shifting that took less than 4/100s of a second, and it eliminated any power loss that typically occurs when changing gears in an automatic transmission.
The only complaint was the display. Mostly well organized and readable, but somehow still difficult to find what gear the car was in, though that is probably not a major gripe for most, given the automatic tranny. Not a bad package for near $22,000 to get in the base model, but when loaded with options like the test car, look to pay around $29,000.
BMW Z4 3.0si
If you haven't driven one of these yet, your life isn't worth living. For us car nuts, this gives a higher high than any illegal drug. We both had driven the Z4 before, but it just keeps getting better. And boy, is this car sexy. The styling has been deemed controversial, but whether you like it, this car gets you noticed. Pop the hood and you'll find a 3.0 liter inline six, and it's the sexiest contraption you've ever seen. The exhaust note is subtle, but when we revved the engine we could feel the power. In top-of-the-line si (sport injected) trim it produces 255 horsepower and goes from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. It is an expensive piece of machinery, however, starting around $42,000. You can save yourself about $7,000 to get in the base trim 3.0i for about $35,000, but you'll have to give up 40 horses. Transmission choices are six-speed, either automatic or manual, and are mated to drive the rear wheels.
The Z4 captures the open-top roadster driving experience by offering a nimble chassis, a broad power band and instant response to any input you give it. The no-nonsense interior is beautifully austere and functional. No bells and whistles to distract you from the all-important gauge cluster. The CD player is tucked away neatly in the dash, and its controls are on the wheel. The Z4 was the king of the test drive. You have to pay to drive royalty, but BMW always makes sure you get your money's worth.
Ali's only complaint was that she had a hard time seeing over the dash, but that happens in a lot of cars anyway.
And even days later, we can't get its exotic smell out of our heads.
Mazda Mazdaspeed 6
This mid-sized sedan has a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine with a turbocharger, top mounted intercooler and direct gas injection. It slams out 274 horsepower and 280 ft/lbs of torque through a six-speed manual transmission. Power meets the ground through active torque split all-wheel drive. The Mazdaspeed 6 is a limited production run of 200,000 units completely fabricated and assembled in Japan, so you don't have to worry about Ford's 1/3 share of Mazda mucking up this design.
This was the best drive for the money. You can get into one for about $28,000 in sport trim, or the loaded grand touring model starts at around $30,000. The suspension was stiff enough to be competitive for a weekend racer, but not too stiff to be uncomfortable around town. The all-wheel drive has tremendous pull off the line, and the ABS and all-wheel discs mean surefooted stopping. The clutch worked to be both a pro and a con. Touchy and responsive, the unforgiving clutch grabs as soon as you drop it. It's great for track work, but it made for difficult driving from stoplight to stoplight.
Chrysler 300C SRT8
This car has some serious power, but only in a straight line. If you try to turn, you'll get seasick in this boat. It almost handled worse than the Ford Escape Hybrid, but part of that was because it was sitting on huge wheels and low-profile tires.
It has a 425-horsepower 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine, and boy does that thing haul. Harrison left tire marks all over the city. Big ones.
It has a great interior and a cool navigation system, among other toys. But all those features come with a hefty sticker price, so if you want a fast car, you should probably spend those hard-earned dollars on something that handles better than a 36-foot Bayliner. It looks better, though.
Ford Escape Hybrid
Ali took one for the team and drove the soccer-mommy-mobile, the Ford Escape Hybrid, without Jesse or Harrison in tow. A Ford salesman, however, kept her company as co-pilot in the small SUV.
The Escape Hybrid has a 2.3 liter inline 4 for the gas engine, which produces 133 horsepower. The electric motor produces 94 horsepower. Combined they make 155. The car uses the electric motor up until speeds of about 25 mph, then the gas engine takes over. So at stoplights, the car is running completely on electricity. It was so quiet - golf cart-like - it seemed to induce the salesman to ask Ali things like, "So, I bet you flirt your way out of a lot of tickets, huh?" which made the silences even more awkward.
Since it runs on electricity at slow speeds and while stopped, the Escape gets better gas mileage in the city than on the highway. It's still not impressive, because it is a heavy SUV, but 31 highway and 36 city isn't bad.
It handled nicely for an SUV, but after being in those low-riding sports cars, Ali felt like she was in a semi. As we said before, though, it did better around turns than the SRT-8. Acceleration was poor, as you can imagine, but the brakes were the touchiest, grabbiest things Ali's ever felt.
Everything you would do in an SUV, like blaze a trail in the desert, probably can't be done in the Escape. At low speeds there's no power, so having 4-wheel drive is almost pointless, unless you're running over curbs at high speeds in the city.
It is an innovative car, if nothing else. And the best part is, it never needs to be charged. All you have to worry about is filling it up with gas like any other car.
