2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS demands to be loved

The largest potential impediment to a successful honeymoon for us and our Camaro bride was the memory of our first date. See, we had met once, in a distant land – well, San Diego – for the car's launch. And we have to admit we couldn't get the hang of it. The Camaro felt awesome in a straight line, perfect for devouring long, Midwestern B-roads where its true base will use it to make the leaves and homecoming queens tremble. But then we'd get to a kink in the road and things would fall apart. Numbness seemed to be the order du jour and the next thing we knew we were veering off into the oncoming lane. After experiencing the same sensation time and time again, it was obvious there was a disconnect between what we were doing and what the car was doing, but were weren't sure if it was us or the Camaro. By the end of the day, we crawled through any sharp, high-speed turn in a haze of reluctant frustration.

But you can't give up on a three-year love affair after one lackluster afternoon. We had to get one at home, spend some time with it, "get to know it" and then we could see if we just shared an off day together.



The Camaro has done the show circuit so long that belaboring its looks would be treading through old oatmeal, so we'll just make a couple of points. When our man Nunez drove the V6 RS, he commented on how close the six-pot was to the SS in appearance, with the front chin spoiler and rear diffuser insert being the major differences. He's right. It's really the wheels that make or break the Camaro, and if you get the RS package on the V6 you'll get the big spinners. But those minor aesthetic tweaks – the chin spoiler and (yes) fake hood scoop – make all the difference. It's subtle. Big and angry, but subtle.

On the inside, however, it's a mixed bag, with a big lump of coal at the bottom being the center console – embodied by the kind of display we haven't seen since our sixth grade alarm clock. It's novel and it isn't ugly, but every time we look at the gauges they scream, "This is where your money didn't go." And while we dig the combination of large buttons and dials for the radio and fan, the eight tiny buttons inside the knobs for specific vent and A/C settings required us to decipher each hieroglyph before we could pull away. Granted, if you've had your deposit in since the Ice Age and have finally taken delivery, you'll adapt. But getting acclimated takes a few tries and an occasional blast in the face from the A/C when you meant to deploy the defroster. Otherwise, the interior is fine – as long as you don't mind a lot of plastic.



The seats are large and relatively wide, though plenty comfy and still supportive when you need a hug. While the back seats are fine places to sit for short periods, if you're taller than 5' 9" you'll have to cock your head to the side, and if someone in front is over six foot tall, leg room gets decidedly spartan in quick order.

Although one of the Camaro's defining design elements is its high shoulder line and low greenhouse, you'll have to endure a few functional trade-offs. The low roof frame caused an occasional (and painful) head-to-headliner encounter when we leaned forward to look left, something we've only experienced when manning the helm of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

The lower deck brings up another issue in the form of visibility, or better yet, opacity. At the four compass points, everything's fine. The rear window is smallish and the rearview mirror is... quaint, but everything you need to see is present and accounted for. However, we'd advise staying back when you get to intersections equipped with high-mounted traffic lights, otherwise they're out of sight and the horn orchestra is all too happy to let you know when things have changed from red to green.

2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata is still the drive of our childhood dreams

Remember back when you were a diapered enthusiast-to-be and you weren't allowed to venture beyond the end of your family's tree lawn? The sum total of your 'driving' experience was probably a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. If you were like us, your toddler self was all big dreams, bustling feet and arms akimbo, twirling around those front caster wheels, savoring your first taste of automotive freedom.

Mazda created a timeless masterwork upon minting the very first MX-5 Miata back in 1989.
Small wonder, then, that Little Tikes' now 30-year-old bauble of rotation-molded plastic was last year's best-selling car – it's timeless. Combine classic styling, unburstable robustness, an inexpensive sticker price and the fact that it remains just quick enough for its target audience, and you've got a recipe for lasting success. The CC's whimsical, animated face; rounded, friendly styling; unfussed interior; nimble handling and general affordability has meant that despite a decidedly casual model update schedule, the folks at Little Tikes still have the whole fun-to-drive thing knocked. Sound like anyone else we know?

Oh, it may have taken them a decade longer to cotton on to the idea, but Mazda's designers eventually stumbled upon the same secret sauce as those wondrous toymakers from Hudson, Ohio. Perhaps inadvertently, they, too, created a timeless masterwork upon minting the very first MX-5 Miata back in 1989. All these years later, just like the Cozy Coupe, you can't help but smile a little when you see one. Just like the Cozy Coupe, you have to adopt the same mildly vulnerable, elbows-out-the-window driving position because of the cabin's pronounced narrowness. Just like the Cozy Coupe, both cars have more than their fair share of plastic in their interior. Just like the Cozy Coupe, road imperfections are transmitted directly through the modestly sized wheels into the driver's hands and back pocket – and in both cases, it's part of the fun. Most importantly, just like that Cozy Coupe of your youth, Mazda's minimalist masterwork will help you rediscover your inner enthusiast's childlike heart.

Styling-wise, Mazda characterizes the 2009 Miata's newly retouched nose as "more aggressive," but the effect is very much like CARS' Lightning McQueen trying to puff up when Sally nuzzles up to his bumper in Radiator Springs. Even with its slightly larger five-pointed grille and marginally more intimidating headlamps, our Competition Yellow Miata still maintains a friendly googly-eyed countenance, only now its brows are wryly furrowed a bit. As a side bonus, the touched-up front graphic is easier for the wind to look at, too.

Critically, even in the $29,170 full-house spec of our Grand Touring premium package tester (complete with the bargain $500 suspension package that includes a more tightly drawn springs, Bilstein shocks and a limited-slip differential), you never feel overwhelmed by this Miata's kit, crushed by its creature comforts or unnecessarily addled by additional features. That's just not its way. Despite our tester being outfitted with everything from a keyless entry/start system to Bluetooth hands-free telephony, a six-disc CD stereo with MP3 input, heated leather seats and Xenon headlamps, the gauges remain simple, the controls uncluttered, and the general aesthetic of the interior is one of Zen-like minimalism.



That's important, because a Miata remains as readily defined by what it is as by what it isn't. It isn't a muscle car, it isn't a luxurious wafter – it isn't even particularly sophisticated – there are no sport modes, no active steering gewgaws, no THX-Certified surround sound systems, no pyrotechnic roll hoops, no baseball-stitched leather seats. Want a nav system? You'll have to revisit your old friends Messieurs Rand and McNally (remember them?) or suction one of those TomTom boxes to the glass. It's all gleefully elemental, this Mazda.

The Miata reminds us of the power and joy in momentum conservation.
Some cars take eons to figure out – you can put thousands of miles on the latest Shazam Gadzooks 5000, only to reach the end of a cross-country odyssey and not know what to make of it. The MX-5's simplicity means the familiarization process is rather brief. As in immediate. Release the single latch on the windshield header, throw the top back and let it accordion over your shoulder, and just a few miles down the road, you know exactly what this car is, what it is capable of, and what your role is in the whole thing.

Part of this is due to the fact that the Miata's limits are rather modest to begin with – a much greater percentage of its total performance envelope can be safely explored under normal motoring conditions than other performance cars. With a powerful vehicle that has bigger dimensions and loftier limits, it often takes huge stretches of open road and confetti'd license velocities in order to even begin to feel entertained. Not so with the Miata – an unscheduled squirt to the corner grocery can provoke more grins in a few minutes than roadsters with thrice its power might hope to exact in a week's worth of driving. If nothing else, a week's refresher in our roadster proved that Miata drivers still wave at each other – when was the last time a fellow motorist made you smile?

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with Navigation

When we arrived at the Hyundai America Technical Center (HATCI) outside Ann Arbor, MI, we were greeted by Electronics Engineering Manager John Robb, along with three Genesis Coupes and one Sedan, each fitted with Hyundai's new navigation setup. Robb gave us a thorough overview of the Coupe's system and explained that Hyundai opted for a touch-screen unit on the two-door model, versus the console mounted iDrivesque knob employed on the Sedan, due to the tighter interior packaging of the Coupe.

The screen replaces the audio system controls in the upper part of the center stack, with the AM/FM/SAT/AUX switches pushed to the upper edge of the console and seek and track switches to the left. Most of the audio controls are now contained within the screen, and since the touch screen is capable of displaying audio system information, the small display nestled into the pod on top of the dash of non-nav Coupes is superfluous.

The touch screen measures 6.5 inches diagonally, making it larger than most portable units, but smaller than some of the latest systems, including the nine-inch unit offered by Ford. While the Sedan's nav system offers real time traffic data, it doesn't have the ability to automatically re-route around blockages. The Coupe, on the other hand, can detect traffic on the current route, offer a detour and then reroute if the driver chooses.



However, the problem with real-time traffic is that it isn't exactly real-time – at least not yet. Currently, the traffic monitoring infrastructure isn't built up to the point of providing complete information, causing a delay in data transmission to vehicles. We had the chance to experience this firsthand when we drove from Ann Arbor to the Cedar Point amusement park near Sandusky, OH. There were several construction zones in the Toledo area that the system warned us about and asked if we wanted to re-route. When we approached the affected area, traffic was moving along freely, so we were able to decline the detour and proceed along as planned.

One handy, and incredibly simple, feature we enjoyed with in Coupe is the mute button displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. While all modern sat-navs provide voice prompted directions, some have a tendency to pester you a bit too often, breaking up conversation in the vehicle and interrupting the dulcet tones of your favorite podcast. Unlike other systems that require you to trudge deep into the menu structure to mute the audio alerts, with the Genesis Coupe, you just tap the screen to toggle the voice prompts on and off. Easy peasy and something we'd like to see employed on every system out there.



While Hyundai does have a voice recognition engine built into the system, it's not as robust as others on the market, particularly the industry standard set by Ford's SYNC system. Voice commands in the Genesis generally worked well when inputting basic navigation, point-of-interest (POI) categories and higher level functions, however, one key feature – specific POI input – is missing. So if you want to speak the name of a restaurant, you're out of luck. And while you can use the voice commands to pull up POI categories, then make a selection by speaking the number corresponding to the destination, it requires you to take your eyes off the road, somewhat negating the benefit of voice commands in the first place.

Another minor issue we encountered – and something we've experienced in other sat-nav equipped vehicles – is the screen's lack of clarity when wearing polarized sunglasses. When viewed from behind the wheel, the angle, combined with the touch technology, causes the screen to fade and the text becomes harder to see. It's not a deal-breaker, but other systems don't have this problem, causing us to wonder how the screen technologies differ between brands and suppliers.

Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept

The Suzuki Swift is a competent subcompact that the Japanese marque sells both in Japan and Europe. In the latter, the little hatchback is available with a solid 1.3-liter diesel dubbed DDIS. To make things even cleaner, Suzuki has announced that it will introduce a plug-in series hybrid version of the Swift at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, and the powertrain reminds us of nothing less than a smaller Chevrolet Volt.

The model, which is just a concept at this point, uses a 660 cc engine, probably sourced from a kei car. The engine charges the lithium-ion batteries, which are placed between the front seats – we suspect they extend into the middle of the rear seat as well. The batteries power a 54 kW motor that moves the front wheels.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sportwagon eats up cargo, swallows open road

When Cadillac set out to build a wagon version of the popular CTS sedan, the goal was to export a considerable volume overseas where wagons are welcomed with open arms. A new 2.9-liter diesel powertrain was rumored to be the engine of choice for our European allies, giving car buyers the oil burners they expect across the pond. By the time the production CTS Sportwagon was ready for prime time, though, General Motors was prepping for bankruptcy and its Europe-based Opel brand was on the auction block. Gas prices had also dropped considerably here in the States, making the prospect of an expensive diesel engine in the U.S. market even more unlikely.

After months of careful planning, GM's plan to build many CTS Sportwagons for overseas markets is looking as hazy as the Southern California skyline. The Caddy wagon may now have to survive mainly by its success or failure in North America, and GM is clearly hoping that high style with a dash of functionality will win the day.



At first glance, the CTS Sportwagon is a real eye-catcher. It's bold, form-over-function sheetmetal catches the eye, then details like three-foot-long tail lights and 19-inch wheels help keep onlookers fixed on the prize. Cadillac has astutely dialed back its chrome quotient over the past couple years, and the CTS Sportwagon manages to stand out without mimicking a pimp's dental work.

What makes the CTS Sportwagon really look special is its raked roofline, which gives it an athletic appearance. Cadillac will tell you that the 58-cubic-feet of cargo capacity with the rear seats folded flat are within one foot of the much taller SRX, but we'd argue that the smallish rear hatch opening and steeply raked roofline makes that space far less usable. For example, we couldn't fit a kid's bike in the back (with the rear seat up) without removing the handle bars. We're talking about a six-year-old's bike, but the low roofline of the CTS Sportwagon doesn't abide by awkward-shaped objects.



The Sportwagon does have some strong utilitarian points, though, including a power liftgate that adjusts its opening height at the touch of a button (to accommodate short drivers or low garage clearances) and an ingenious cargo management system that allows owners to corral their groceries in a manner that prevents them from sliding all over the place. There is also a cargo door on the rear floor that reveals a recessed area with a rubber floormat to secure more valuable items from public view.

But any shortcomings the CTS Sportwagon has out back is more than made up for with a brilliantly laid out cabin that mirrors that of the CTS sedan. Cadillac designers have included soft touch materials throughout accented by the brand's well-regarded cut-and-sew stitching. The seats in the CTS are terrific, with firm foam to keep backsides happy even on long drives, along with lateral bolstering suitable for a luxury vehicle that just happens to have some moves. The Caddy's center stack doubles as an infotainment command center, with an available ginormous pop-up navigation screen that is easy to use, along with terrifically executed MP3 player integration that works without the need to hit a bunch of buttons.



Of course, the minute we discovered that we could simply call On-Star and tell them where we wanted to go and they'd map out our destination for us, we got lazy and stopped entering info into the navigation system ourselves. Using On-Star is safer and arguably easier, as you interact with an actual human being who can help determine exactly where you need to go, even if you're traveling at 70 mph. That said, not everyone is interested in interacting with an actual human being – or adding another monthly fee to their stack of bills – and will be perfectly happy with Cadillac's nav system that forgoes joysticks, knobs and other crazy controllers for simple onscreen executions.

While the CTS Sportwagon is impressive inside, it certainly isn't perfect. Lack of driver legroom is the largest issue. That command center of the center stack is so wide that it intrudes upon the driver's right knee space. It's almost impossible for an average-sized driver to find an ideal driving position unless the seat is moved uncomfortably far away from the steering wheel. Cadillac could partially alleviate the pain of this encroachment by adding some cushy padding to the sides of the stack, as what's currently there doesn't give enough to coddle our caps. Another more minor annoyance is that the car's high beltline narrows the view outside and makes the cabin feel isolated.



As a luxury wagon, Cadillac delivers the style and comfort that customers expect. But since Cadillac has decided to go the extra mile and call its newest ride a Sportwagon, we expect an engaging driving experience as well. To examine the SW's performance chops, we first look at hardware. Our tester came equipped with a direct injected 3.6-liter V6 engine capable of 304 horsepower and 273 lb-ft mated to a slick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. Our rear-wheel drive Sportwagon also came equipped with 19-inch alloys covered with super sticky ContiSport Contact 3 summer radials, GM's taut FE3 suspension package and a moonroof, bringing its MSRP to $53,455. All-wheel drive is available at extra cost, but our tester's pricetag is otherwise representative of a fully loaded example.

On paper, the CTS Sportwagon sounds like a competent performer, and the specs are confirmed when judged from behind the wheel. When tooling around town, the 3.6-liter V6 is very responsive, with ample power available across the range. When in auto mode, a quick stab at the pedal results in a slight delay before acceleration, but head over to sport mode and you'll find that the go pedal is markedly more responsive. GM says the CTS Sportwagon will hit 60 mph in 6.9 seconds, which isn't exactly burning up the pavement but more than adequate in a two ton luxury tourer. We achieved 21 mpg while largely tooling around town in the CTS Sportwagon; a mid-pack figure that is in line with its expected 18/25 fuel economy numbers.



The sedan version of the Cadillac CTS really comes alive on the open road, but we had our reservations that the wagon's extra 200 lbs would hamper performance. We didn't worry for long. The Sportwagon has the same 191.6 inch length and 113.4 inch wheelbase as the sedan, and its hardware hasn't been dumbed down for wagon duty. Our tester's FE3 suspension held this Caddy tight in and out of curves, with minimal body roll and plenty of confidence that the ContiSport grip wasn't about to go ghost.

In our estimation, the only downside to selecting the FE3 suspension package is that it doesn't soak up bumps in the road quite as efficiently as we'd like, though we'd trade the added layer of plushness for handling any day of the week – and that's here in Michigan, where most of the road surfaces are just potholes holding hands. The Sportwagon's rack-and-pinion steering feels a bit light in stop-and-go traffic, but get its veins pumping and feedback and precision increases with speed. Interestingly, there was quite a bit of brake pedal travel on our tester, a condition that happens occasionally with aggressively driven media vehicles. We still had no problem bringing the two-ton wagon to a quick stop when the need arose, but we'd be curious to see if a fresh-from-the-line example would still show the same pedal characteristics.



It isn't hard to figure out what enthusiasts want out of an entry-level luxury vehicle. Bold, attention-grabbing styling, plenty of power and the latest tech advances are all part of the docket, and the Cadillac CTS Sportwagon delivers on all fronts. The CTS Sportwagon may well be the best looking vehicle in the Cadillac lineup, and it helps that it is also blessed with the soul of its brilliant sedan stablemate. In all, the Cadillac CTS Sportwagon offers plenty to love at a price that starts at $40,655 (including $825 for in destination charges). Add a capable, 304 hp 3.6-liter V6 and the added cargo capacity that comes with a 21st century station wagon, and the CTS Sportwagon may actually be the kind of wagon that wins over the finicky American consumer – it did the trick with us.