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Chevy_Camaro_Convertible_Hot_A.zip (739 KB)

This is my last Chevy Camaro review this year I promise. Maybe.

Arriving just in time for the official launch of summer was this blazing redhot Victory Red Camaro Convertible. And as luck would have it we are celebrating the second hottest June ever right here in North Central Texas. Wonderful.

What that means is that either I have to be an early riser or a night owl to enjoy some top-down driving in this gorgeous creature. That or I can just sit on my porch with a cold beverage and stare at her for a while.

This vehicle arrived with the V-6 powerplant under the hood, an engine that I give a big thumbs up to GM for. Last time we drove a V-6 Camaro it was paired with the six-speed manual gearbox that allowed for some very spirited driving. This time around the 3.6-liter six pack came mated to Chevrolet’s six-speed automatic with TAPshift steering wheel shift paddles.

To be quite honest I never used the paddles – totally unnecessary in my opinion. I would have much rather that money went to insulation in the convertible roof panel but more on that later.

So with the new drop top model has Chevy cured its sightline problems with their pony car? In a word, no.

Lowering the top allows for absolutely splendid vision from the A-pillars back, but, oh those A-pillars. About twice as thick in the convertible it seems and can hide a bicyclist at your two o’clock.

But coming down the road or just sitting in the driveway you just want to drool. Did I say gorgeous? Ya’all remember Chris de Burgh’s ‘Lady in Red?’ Uh-huh.

The competition in this class is fierce. For the coupe versions there is the time-honored nemesis Mustang and Challenger while newcomers from Japan and Korea are stirring things up as well. In the convertible department things tighten up a bit as Ford offers the only real domestic challenge while Japan musters only the Z in a clothtop convertible. Everything European is priced out of this class as the Convertible Camaro starts at $32,650. (OK, the MINI Cooper Convertible might steal some prospective buyers but its body style and size put it in another category.)

The Camaro features a great Boston Acoustics sound system, one that compensates for top-down driving. Still no navigation system but with this dash styling I am not sure where they would put it. For those wanting to explore in their Camaro Convertible invest in a good portable GPS unit. (To be fair, GM does have OnStar with Turn-by-Turn navigation but that system only works if you pay your subscription fee and if you stay in areas with cell service.)

Now to the top as promised. In the Texas sun the roof panel felt a little like I was sitting under an oven broiler. The black material was gathering more solar energy than photoelectric cells and it was everything it could do for the AC to keep up. Lack of substantial insulation in the roof panel also allowed some additional road and wind noise into the vehicle as well, something not quite as noticeable in its crosstown rival pony car.

At the end of the day, I still lust after the Chevy Camaro Convertible. She is the high maintenance trophy wife one cannot take their mind off of. (Sorry ladies if I offend, I am a dude.)

I hope Chevy sells every Camaro Convertible they can manufacture just as I hope Ford does equally well with droptop Mustangs. I love ‘em both and you will too.

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2011_Jaguar_XJL_Hopes_The_Road.zip (730 KB)

Jaguar is celebrating 75 years of luxury automaking. Sure there have been some bumps in the road along the way but they have also turned out some of the most sought-after road warriors in the industry.

And have you seen Jaguar lately?

Heralding their three quarters of a century is an all-new flagship XJ sedan lineup, with my driveway seeing the new XJL saloon recently.

For 2011 the XJ has been given a new face, a new body and a new heart – all of which work in harmony to deliver one of the best Jags yet.

My favorite time in the XJL was actually driving home from work. Slip behind the wheel of this beautifully crafted creature and point the nose home – the long way home.

Ventilated seats begin to aerate the pores while a tap of the massage function brings forth magic fingers working those sore or stressed areas of the upper and lower back. Add your favorite tunes on the awesome Bowers & Wilkins 7.1 surround sound system and you are bathed in comfort. Click over to the nav system and keep hitting the “find alternate route” function so this experience doesn’t have to end until the fuel does.

Under the hood of the big kitten are new AJ-V8 Gen III powerplant variants, all based on an all-aluminum 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Power begins with the normally aspirated model giving 385hp and moves to 470 in the Supercharged version and 510 ponies for Supersport editions. Zounds! And they are all backed by the slick fully adaptive six-speed automatic transmission with JaguarDrive Selector and sequential shift function via steering wheel paddles.

We had to settle for the base powertrain in our review version but we were not disappointed and we were not left back at the light. Hit the accelerator and this frisky feline “leaps” into action. Fully adaptive suspension damping controls the roll while a stiff, quiet body unit isolates occupants from the outside world. Giggity.

Our tester adds an “L” to the end of its moniker which signifies some extended length – five inches to be exact – and all in the rear seat legroom area. Hmmm, maybe that L actually stands for Legroom?

Pricing? Not for everyone, not even with a lease agreement. The XJL we received began at just under 80 grand with a final sticker of 82 and change when all was said and done.

The 2011 XJ family is quite the ride and while the coupe-ish sedan styling may not be for everyone it certainly sets the tone for Jaguar heading into the fourth quarter. When they hit the century mark I hope this is still one of the vehicles they are talking about. 

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Chevy_Volt_A_Week_in_the_Life.zip (734 KB)

I have written about the new Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle before so I am not going to go into too much technical detail here. This time I am going to delve into the “electric lifestyle” that would surround a consumer who drives one of the new breed of vehicles home.

It did not take me long to figure out a week with an electric vehicle was going to require some different thinking. In fact, when the vehicle was delivered, more than half the battery pack was already drained just going from warehouse to carwash to my driveway in the ‘burbs.

So I dig into the rear storage compartment of the Volt and find the 110V home charging cord that comes with each vehicle. The one that they show in their TV ad that says it will plug into any outlet. Wrong.

It will not plug into an outlet in a house that was built in 1956 such as mine was, not to mention there are no outlets on the driveway side of my house. What was my homebuilder thinking 55 years ago?

So I drag out an extension cord and plug the vehicle into a newer outlet inside the house that has the extra ground connection. Success. Only, it is nearly 100 degrees outside and I have to crack the door for the cord so AC is quickly escaping making my home electric bill climb significantly, not to mention how warm the cord was growing. Fail.

OK, maybe I can charge the car at work. GM says it only needs about eight hours for a full charge on 110V so since I work 10-hour shifts that should do it. Hmmm, no power outlets in the employee parking lot. What the heck were these folks thinking? Must be related to my homebuilder.

I inquire with those of a higher pay grade and they suggest one of the plugs in the equipment bay. Huzzah! Except now my vehicle is in the way if anyone else has to access the bay or the rear drive.

OK, someone in an even higher pay grade states the light poles in front of the building have electric outlets because that is where they plug the holiday lights in. Sweet. Except I have to make sure and plug in AFTER the lawn sprinklers have run their cycle in the mornings. So I have the plug in the outlet and the charge cable hooked to the side of the car via the charging access door (looks like a fuel filler door but is on the front left fender). I get green lights and a corresponding horn honk from the Volt telling me charging has commenced.

And then another honk. And then two flashing red lights on the charge status indicator box. Rats. Seems the charging technology does not like the status of the ground in this circuit. Electrician must have been a relative of my homebuilder as well. (How much kin does he have around here?)

Everywhere I went in the Volt this week I inquired if they had a charging station for my vehicle. Nope, sorry, negative, not-on-your-life-this-is-an-oil-state-son, nada, what the hell is a charging station – and all that was just from the guys at the barber shop.

So I spend the entire week driving around using the onboard motor to generate the electricity needed to run my Volt. Fuel economy in town is a heavenly 50 to 80 mpg but when we headed two hours down the highway in 101 degree Texas sunshine, that figure sank to just under 40 mpg. (Still not too shabby but hardly a reason by itself to purchase the Volt over anything else in its size class.) True, the gas generator motor burns very clean and yes, progressive cities are getting public charging stations.

The Volt was fairly comfortable and quiet (in electric drive mode it is almost silent so watch out for sleeping cats under the car). There is a normal and sport driving mode and the climate control has selectable Eco or comfort modes as well to fine tune your power consumption. And I really like the styling of this vehicle. It is one of those cars that looks so much better in person than in photos and the Crystal Red Metallic ours was bathed in was gorgeous in the sunlight.

The accompanying pricetag was a bit more than anticipated. Our tester arrived in premium trim package with a technology and wheel upgrade that brought the sticker to $44,180. They say the federal government will kick about $7,500 back to you (not sure if this is dollar-for-dollar or if it goes through some of that IRS new math on your tax return) so you still end up with a car in the mid to upper 30s. The home remodel to be able to charge your vehicle may run you slightly more especially if yours is as old as mine (or built by one of my homebuilders relatives). 

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2011_Lincoln_MKX_More_Than_a_F.zip (720 KB)

Across the board, Ford and Lincoln engineers have been working to stay at the front of the technological field in their vehicles and most of that emphasis has been in the implementation of MyFord and MyLincoln technology packaging recently.

At the same time, much of the fleet has been getting minor (and in some cases, major) cosmetic surgery and powertrain upgrades.

The 2011 Lincoln MKX midsize crossover we tested recently is an example of one of those getting a little of both. Outside we see the new “face” of Lincoln while inside the vehicle impresses both aesthetically and ergonomically. In other words, it looks good and it feels good.

The powertrain combination of a 305hp 3.7-liter V-6 mated to a smooth six-speed automatic offer a pleasing, spirited driving experience in choice of front- or all-wheel drive. Our tester arrived with the latter but those simply choosing FWD will enjoy fuel economy of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, beating just about all class competitors.

With the new technology comes new LCD dash display monitors and the state-of-the-art touch-sensitive electronic finish panel in the center dash. Slight learning curve at first with the new stuff but then just about everything else is that way these days.

Like a song playing on the (HD) radio? Tag it. MKX offers iTunes tagging. Next time you “SYNC” your iPod in the MKX it will transfer tagged song info to the device and the next time the iPod is synced with iTunes a playlist of those tagged songs appears for you to preview and purchase if so desired.

The 2011 Lincoln MKX also features adaptive cruise control, blind spot information system and MyKey technology that limits certain vehicle functions such as radio volume and vehicle top speed (protection against teens and valets).

Of course all of the latest safety technology is included in the MKX and, being a Lincoln, styling and craftsmanship are elevated. I can see where many would describe MKX as a “fancy” Ford Edge, but if fancy is your game then MKX is the name … plate. OK, so I am not a poet. Just go check out this luxury CUV for yourself.

As to pricing, our test vehicle arrived in Limited trim level (20-inch polished wheels, adaptive headlamps with Lincoln logo, etc.) with the AWD and a host of other amenities including rear view camera, voice activated nav system and panoramic vista roof. What this translates to is 10 grand added to the base MSRP of $40,995 (you do the math).

Lincoln is enjoying success right now with the MKZ hybrid sedan and I, for one, would like to see hybrid technology extended into the midsize crossover segment. Perhaps that demand won’t develop or perhaps they are looking to their EcoBoost technology to offer alternative powertrains for this segment or maybe they just won’t do a darned thing to the MKX as it’s not bad the way it is.

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2011_Ram_3500_Laramie_Longhorn.zip (563 KB)

Ram Truck Brand managers first rolled out their new Laramie Longhorn package at the State Fair of Texas just in time for the annual Red River Rivalry between UT and OU. They followed that with a victory at the Texas Truck Rodeo and a fold-out spread in this year’s SI Swimsuit Edition.

Recently a Laramie Longhorn-laden Ram 3500 Heavy Duty dually landed in my driveway for a week for me to opine.

First let me express my disappointment at Ram as there was no lovely leather leggings in the rear seat area as shown on pages 2 and 3. (Must be a dealer-installed item I guess.)

OK, let’s get serious. Does the new Ram Laramie Longhorn have the goods to take on the longtime Texas favorite King Ranch package from Ford? Depends on your tastes and which part of the rodeo (and cut of beef) you prefer.

For those who prefer bull riding, calf roping and good old ribeye on the grill, King Ranch is going to be your baby. If you enjoy the barrel racing, trick riding and filet mignon, you are most likely a Laramie Longhorn candidate.

The fellas at the barbershop are a mix of cattle- and horsemen but all were in agreement the fancy design and stitchwork inside the new Ram was a bit much for everyday. This was a truck for stepping out on the town at the denim and diamonds balls or the fancy new honkytonk uptown. Not too many of these will be found outside the local diner at dark-thirty in the a.m. on the daily run for coffee and biscuits.

Ram folks kinda echo that in their statements.

“The Ram Laramie Longhorn edition is going to share a driveway with some fine luxury cars,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO – Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “The only difference is the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition is going to be the vehicle with the fulltime job – towing the horse trailer, taking the crew to the game, picking up supplies. It’s ready to go from the dirt to downtown.”

They launched Laramie Longhorn with quite a bit of fanfare as I mentioned above and the media in attendance at the State Fair even received belt buckles matching the new special edition badging that adorns fenders, tailgate, center console and seatbacks.

“We took Ram Laramie Longhorn’s design cues from traditionally handcrafted, time-tested wares, such as the antique pocket watch, a fine pair of hand-tooled leather cowboy boots, a collector’s-grade shotgun or a horseman’s saddle,” said Ryan Nagode, Design Program Lead. “The metal work and leather work are second to none.”

The new Ram Laramie Longhorn is attractive. Some even compared the design work to that found on the chaps and saddles of Vaqueros (Mexican cowboys).

Whatever your impression, Ram now offers an alternative to Ford’s King Ranch package. Underneath it is still all Ram truck and our tester came with the latest Cummins diesel powertrain taking full swings at the competition.

The truck wars may never end. For some they never began but here in Texas, the No. 1 truck market, competition is fierce and Ram has upped its game with the new Laramie Longhorn edition.

Pricewise the 2011 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4x4 dually we tested came in with a final sticker of $59,310 which I felt very reasonable when comparing against the competition. The last King Ranch Super Duty dually we looked at was about 10 grand more than that.