ON THE ROAD: Malibu & Silverado

I was lucky enough during a recent television commercial shoot to be able to check out two Chevrolet products for 2008 first hand, the new Malibu and the Extended Cab Silverado*. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality and feel of both. The days of rattles, moans and groans from a GM product are now in the past.

MALIBU LS

The moment I entered the Chevy Malibu LS, I was impressed how quiet the cabin was while the engine was running. With acceleration, there was a pleasing swish of air and engine with very little rumble of last winter’s pot holes and jagged railroad tracks making it to the cabin. The more I drove over a variety of surfaces and conditions, the more the Malibu’s solid construction and integrity became evident. Smooth handling and a great suspension for most conditions. No wonder this redesigned Malibu is in such high demand. The 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder, engine seemed to be willing to do what I asked it to, without any protest or hesitation. Of course, as with any car, a 6 cylinder would have been even more fun.

However, all was not perfect with the Malibu. My first impression of the quality of the dash plastic was that it did not dazzle me, but this seemed less noticeable as time passed. A source of discomfort for me was the odd placement of certain interior controls. Maybe it was because I was new to Chevrolet, but some of them did not make sense. The remote for the powered side mirrors is mounted higher up on the “A” pillar than other cars; too high for easy access while driving which could become a distraction. Also, the climate and the radio controls took me awhile to decipher. No longer new to Chevrolet, now I know.

After several pleasant hours working with the Malibu, it is easy to see why Chevrolet has nearly sold out of this year’s inventory. Who would have thought that the makers of the Vega and Citation would create such a gem? We all learn from our mistakes.

STATS: Malibu LS

4 Cylinder, 2.4 Liter, 169 hp, FWD

Seats: 5

Luggage Capacity: 15.1 cu. ft.

Fuel Tank: 16 gal.

EPA Mileage City/Highway: 22 mpg/30 mpg

Range City/Highway: 352 miles, 480 miles

SILVERADO 1500 (Extended Cab)

I am not a truck guy. I am much more comfortable in a tight performance car, zipping around a corner, testing g-forces and the laws of physics. The floating, rolling feel of a behemoth such as this, is not my idea of driving fun. But, after overcoming the initial shock of parking, this Silverado turned out to be a rather nice place to spend a day.

The first noticeable impression of this Extended Cab Silverado was the nice throaty exhaust note upon start-up. Its pitch changed nicely with acceleration, and varied its note throughout its moves. I found the Silverado to have a great suspension whether on the interstate highway, or lumbering over hilly, off-road terrain overlooking the rocky coast of Maine. The cab was quiet and comfortable, especially for a truck. With clear visibility on all sides, navigating the Silverado was surprisingly easy; although I did appreciate a spotter as we positioned the truck on the edge of a wharf in Freeport, then next to a 10 foot plunge into the ocean in Cape Elizabeth. As with any large vehicle, it is difficult to judge clearance as the driver maneuvers around low obstacles. This one is better than some that I have driven.

Thanks to my time in the Malibu, I was more comfortable with the Chevrolet controls and their placement, even though some of them still did not make sense. By the end of our day, I even had the XM radio mastered, a nice luxury for a truck or a car. The Silverado has plenty of room in the second row for kids and/or cargo, genuinely turning a utility vehicle into a family source of transportation. This truck certainly has adapted well to family life. Too bad its mileage figures will continue to stunt its growth.

STATS: Silverado 1500, 4 Door Extended Cab

V8, 4.8 Liter, 295 hp, 4WD

Seats: 6

Towing Capacity: 8500 lbs.

Fuel Tank: 26 gal.

EPA Mileage City/Highway: 14 mpg/18 mpg

Range City/Highway: 364 miles, 468 miles

CONCLUSION

Chevrolet has raised the competitive bar with two very nice designs in both the new Malibu and the Silverado. With various strikes and contract negotiations behind them, it should be full steam ahead for these two Chevys. Now that we are in the Chevy mood, maybe a test drive in the new Corvette Z6 is a good idea. Now that’s a Chevrolet!

*Thanks to Quirk Chevrolet and Pape Chevrolet for their assistance.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

I fell in love the other day.

A friend of mine came in and told me about her, “Go look!”

She belonged to someone else, but she was beautiful.

She had sleek, flowing lines.

Some say that she is fast, other’s say she is a little slow.

I don’t care what they say.

She is compact, perfectly formed, and looks good wearing her top either way.

I have seen her sister many times, but this was my first time with her.

It was well worth the wait.

But it was destined to be love from afar. She drove off without me.

She left without even a flash.

Another love lost.

Now just a fond memory, but I finally got to see, close-up, the Saturn Sky.

The Sky is a great design achievement for GM. It shows well from every angle, and in my opinion, is much better looking that its sister, the Pontiac Solstice. I spoke with the owner of this Sky, and she could not be happier. She has owned it for 9,000 joy filled miles, just now starting her third summer. I did not have the courage to ask for a ride, but she says that it is great around town, and at speed on the highway. In fact, she drives it regularly to and from Connecticut in total comfort. I congratulated her on her good fortune, and let her know of my envy.

The Saturn Sky, well worth a look, even if it is love from afar. Love the Sky!

H2, Oh: The Future

I had a chance to look into the future of the automobile, or at least one possibility. Recently, our friends at Quirk Chevrolet here in Portland hosted a visit from GM’s state-of-the-art Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle. This is GM’s test project for hydrogen powered cars: zero gasoline, zero emissions, all placed neatly in a stock Chevy Equinox SUV.

The Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle is a real car, not a crazy science project; clean and functional both inside and out. From the street, you can not tell that it is special, aside from its distinctive logo markings on the body and the whine that it makes as it drives. The Hydrogen Equinox still starts with a key, but there is no sound of an engine turning over. There is no firing, just the whirling sound of its compressor ramping up, along with a cooling system for the battery.

The H2 Equinox still seats four, with stock trunk space pretty much left intact. Only a small portion is taken up by one of the three hydrogen fuel tanks protectively hidden under the vehicle. This Equinox is heavier than stock with an additional 700 pounds from its fuel cell system, batteries and adjustments made for the hydrogen tanks. Instead of an exhaust pipe, there are four ports cut into the rear bumper to vent water vapor, not noxious fumes. There is no exhaust buffeting, just drops of water.

While I did not get a test drive, friends of mine did get to cruise around the parking lot. They both agreed, “Smooooth!” It should be, it is essentially an electric car that runs on hydrogen. Hidden inside is a processor, three hydrogen tanks, batteries and an electric motor. The electro-chemical processor takes the hydrogen gas, strips electrons from its molecule which becomes electric current to drive the motor. The hydrogen is then combined with oxygen producing water which is vented from the rear bumper. Cold weather starts? Not a problem, the car is good to -13 degrees.

Details include:

- instant torque from a single speed 126 hp electric motor

- no transmission, one speed to 100 mph

- 0-60 mph in 12 seconds

- 236 lbs. ft. of torque

- range of 150-200 miles

- regenerative braking that charges the battery when braking.

Despite the Hindenburg jokes, designers argue that hydrogen is a safer fuel than gasoline. GM is serious about this vehicle and hopes to have it available for purchase within three years. As a result, they are now testing 100 of them in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC where there is access to hydrogen refueling stations. Refueling is simple, just connect a tube from the feed tank to the connector behind the Equinox’ fuel door, and presto, as easy as filling the tires with air, that is if you can find a fueling station.

Refueling the hydrogen is only one of many challenges facing this SUV’s future. GM’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell car may prove to be just plain too expensive. No one will quote a market price for the car, but as a limited production vehicle, it may cost thousands more than a sane individual would be willing to pay. GM may need to market it with a subsidized lease. Another challenge is the question of the affordability of hydrogen. While hydrogen is plentiful as an element, its extraction from hydrocarbons such as natural gas or coal is still reliant on fossil fuels, not to mention the development of a whole new infrastructure of refueling stations, all expenses that would be passed on to the consumer. There is also direct competition from other choices including new hybrid designs and pioneering electric vehicles. Finally, the consumer may not want to settle for this vehicle’s limited range of only 150-200 miles, especially considering its potentially steep purchase price.

GM is looking to the future with its fuel efficient choices. They now offer 30 different more traditional models that deliver 30 mpg or better. In addition to the Fuel Cell Equinox, GM is also aggressively pursuing viable alternatives with its flex fuel vehicles, its hybrids and its exciting, upcoming Volt electric car. The future is now!

Check back here soon. I was able to drive two GM products recently, the new Chevy Malibu and the Extended Cab Silverado pick-up. I will share my impressions with you.

DISTRACTED DRIVING: DON’T DO IT!!!

“State Police say a young woman talking on her cell phone is the likely cause of last month's fatal crash on Interstate 295 in Cumberland.”

This is the opening line of the press release from the Maine State Police following their investigation into the cause of a horrific accident that occurred mid-morning on a beautiful, clear spring day here in Maine. This is the crash where a Toyota Corolla crossed the median on the interstate at a high rate of speed, driving into the opposing lane and striking a NEWS CENTER live truck. The driver of the car was killed, two of our coworkers were injured and both vehicles were totaled.

The pictures from the scene tell all: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/gallery/article.aspx?gid=84838

The Maine State Police summary fills in many of the blanks:

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=86324

The details of the police investigation confirmed my suspicions from the moment the accident happened, an opinion that I shared with many coworkers and family members. The accident was not caused by a mechanical failure, another driver cutting her off, or the driver dodging wild turkeys, as some had speculated. It was caused by the driver using her cell phone while she was driving. She was a distracted driver.

The victim, Heather Bouchard, made the unfortunate decision to multitask while driving. The cell phone record confirms it. She was talking to a client on her phone. At the time of the crash, Ms. Bouchard was not wearing her seat belt, something her family said that she always wore. This, combined with other evidence, leads police to believe that Ms. Bouchard dropped her phone, released her seat belt to retrieve it and lost control of her vehicle, a decision that ultimately took her life.

We all have our own stories of observing, or even participating as distracted drivers. Basic acts of drinking coffee, tuning the radio, changing a CD, disciplining children, eating a sandwich, applying make-up, texting, and my favorite, knitting while driving. All simple tasks, all potentially deadly. A recent study conducted by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that, “…almost 80% of crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event.” The most common distraction was cell phone use. It only takes once. DON’T DO IT!

Many states now ban cell phone use while driving and require hands-free calling devices. In my opinion, this is still distracted driving and should not be encouraged. This opinion is shared by Ralph Nader’s Center for Auto Safety (CAS), to the point of recently filing a petition with the NHTSA asking the agency, “…to write rules prohibiting the use of interactive systems that allow drivers to have wireless access to e-mails and phone calls.” I agree! Anything that diverts a driver’s attention as he or she pilots a 2,000 pound machine driving 65 mph is potentially deadly. DON’T DO IT!

A landmark case occurred in Rochester, New York where a teenager was texting while driving. Phone records proved it. All five in the car were killed. The New York law was changed. Maybe Maine lawmakers need to consider a similar move. It seems so obvious. Distracted driving, no matter how brief, no matter how innocent, can kill. DON’T DO IT!

GOING TOPLESS

It happened again yesterday, as it does just about this time every year. This one was a nice black BMW Z4. It caught my eye in the rear view mirror nearly a half mile back, in and amongst the clutter of the other cars. The Z4 navigated effortlessly past each of the slower cars, then roared by mine. It was a chilly 40 some degrees, but the top was down and the driver was smiling ear to ear. Immediately I had the fever again, the fever to own a convertible.

It is an absurd idea living in Maine. It makes no sense at all. What do we have, only two or three days a year that a convertible might actually be comfortable? The rest of the days it is either too hot or too cold, rainy, snowy, icy to enjoy. So what is the attraction? Is it the feeling of freedom, of unlimited visibility? Is it the bonding with nature; the ability to smell and hear the flowers and the birds (along with the tractor trailers and the buses)? I don’t know, and at this point, I don’t care. The passion and desire is there again.

One year I tried to satisfy the craving by renting a convertible for the weekend. Calls to several rental car companies in the area found that convertibles were not even available in this market, at least for that year. Probably because having a convertible in northern New England makes no sense. That still doesn’t matter. Each year, spring fever sets in and I want a convertible.

My sister has a Chrysler Sebring convertible. She says that if the day is not perfect, she doesn’t hesitate to turn on the heat or the air conditioner as she drives with her top down, whatever it takes to not miss the fun. Another friend of mine drives his VW Cabriolet in the middle of winter with the top down, his beret pulled down tight, scarf flying and sunglasses pasted to his head. To them, a convertible in New England makes perfect sense.

I thought that the purchase of my Scion TC would satisfy this convertible craving. The entire roof is glass with two separate sun roofs that illuminate both the front and the back seats. The front roof panel powers open to expose the whole front to fresh air and freedom. It is still not good enough. When this spring fever hits, the total freedom of a genuine roadster will only do, or at least a facsimile. The Z4 would be fine. Today is a nice enough day that a Pontiac Solstice, Mazda Miata or Ford Mustang would also satisfy.

The rag top desire will leave just about the time of the first frost. During the deep freeze of January and February, the thought never even occurs to me. But spring comes every year and another Z4, or something similar, will spark the fire. Those of you who own convertibles know the feeling. Enjoy the luxury of having the choice of going topless. There are those out there like me who are envious. Enjoy your ride!

THEN & NOW

Only a car person would understand, but for the enthusiast, automobiles define events of our past. The passage of time allows you to forget the troubling frustrations of the period, and the vehicle, along with all of the reasons as to why you were glad to grow-up, and why you sold the car involved. As the details fog with time, milestones of your past are etched in your memory based on the GTO, the Mustang or the VW that you were driving at the time. These are nostalgic memories just like in the movies; romantic auto events in your life like your first kiss at the drive-in, your first road trip, or your first flat tire. For the car nut, as important as whom you were with and what you did is what you were driving. High school reunions take care of what happened to the “whom”, but did you ever wonder what happened to the “what” you were driving?

There is now a Web site designed to find that lost love that got away or at least for the car. If you ever had sellers’ remorse, check out THE LOST CAR REGISTRY at http://www.lost-car-registry.com/main.html. The site was created by Keith Ingersoll of Michigan who never got over the selling of his father's Mach I. The Registry lists cars and trucks in both “Found” and “Lost” categories with the hope of helping those in search of lost loves (or their past). Most vehicles listed are the traditional muscle cars of the 60’s and 70’s, some are just plain cars. I gave my past cars a try.

Unfortunately, my auto heritage does not quite live up to the romance of the cars in American Graffiti or Steve McQueen’s Mustang in Bullitt. As a result, THE LOST CAR REGISTRY does not list my 1959 or 1971 VW Bugs (my first two cars, long ago disintegrated by rust). There are no 1974 Dodge Colts, a car that was guaranteed to require three turnover attempts for it to start, regardless of the time of year. My 1982 Mazda RX7 might qualify for The Registry, but it does not show because the engine blew on my brother-in-law. Good thing I had sold it. How about my 1989 Thunderbird? Nope! My 1998 Honda Accord? Who would care! It seems that these do not show because they were not really lost loves, maybe they were just cars. Maybe we need to separate fantasy from reality.

The past may seem to have been a better time, and that car was the best that you ever owned, but there was a reason that you sold it. Remember, those romantic cars of yesteryear wallowed as they drove, they smelled of exhaust, their muffler and exhaust systems had to be replaced regularly, they needed constant tune-ups, they stalled, they hesitated, and after you gave them your best years (and dollars), they rusted and/or died on you.

In reality, the best cars of our lives are actually the ones that we are driving right now. The stainless steel exhaust systems last for the life of the car, the onboard computers keep all of their systems running smoothly regardless of the weather and driving conditions, the tires have never been safer, nor have they provided a smoother ride. A live span of well over 100,000 miles is now expected for a car. I say enjoy the state-of-the art technology, luxury and reliability of the cars of today. Keep the cars of the past for a fond memory and an occasional visit to a vintage auto show. Move on to your next car and stage in your life. I wonder if my Scion TC will ever make the Registry?

UNNECESSARY NECESSITIES

I have always thought that there are a lot of little things included in cars and trucks these days that are not really necessary. Many small items that add up, increasing the purchase price of the vehicle for no real reason, or so I thought. They are unnecessary until you end up needing them, then they become necessities i.e. “unnecessary necessities”. I have come across several of these lately and have now softened my attitude towards them. Some even to the point that I now can not live without them.


QUICK, which side of your car is the gas cap on? Now, how about your spouse’s car? How about your company’s car? What about the rental car you had in Florida? You had to stop and think for a second, right? Of course, you have a 50-50% chance of guessing it correctly, but when you are waiting in line at the gas pump, it is not all that convenient or comfortable to guess wrong.

The answer is as simple as looking at your dashboard’s display. My recent unscientific study has determined that most new cars and trucks have an icon placed in front of you designating on which side you should fill. Look closely at the fuel icon and see what it shows. My Scion has the traditional gas station tank with hose, but with a small arrow next to it pointing to the left. I fill my gas on the left. My Windstar van also has an arrow to the left. It fills on the left. Some have the hose pointing in the direction of the fill. Check out your dash and see what it shows. A seemingly unnecessary item, but it sure is handy when you are in a strange car, or you just plain do not remember.

Another unnecessary necessity is the interior passenger assist handles, overhead, just inside the vehicle’s doors. I have had several cars with these and have never touched them. Unnecessary! Recently I was visiting my mother who is a spry 89 year old that likes to ride when we visit. While she is active, it is difficult for her to enter and exit a vehicle. Every time that she got in and out of our Ford Windstar van, she asked, “Where is the handle? Why isn’t there a handle? You need a handle.” Suddenly a handle became necessary. Now, every time that I look at the handle in my car, I think that it may be unnecessary now, but someday…a necessity.

The cigarette lighter of yesterday has now been replaced by the “utility outlet”. While not a smoker, I always accepted the potential need for one, but just one. Our van has three: one in the traditional lighter location, another just around the corner by the passenger, and a third way back behind the third passenger row. When I bought the van I remember thinking, “When would I ever need three DC power outlets. It is unnecessary.” Wrong! My family has now grown into a three utility outlet family, and I am certain that we really could use more thank you. We now need DC power for the GPS, the portable DVD player, the charger for the cell phone, power for a CD player. I am sure that our list will continue to grow. The utility outlets are now a necessity.

The list of “unnecessary necessities” could go on and on:

• A thermometer inside the car reading the external temperature, a nicety that can be a necessity if you are just on the edge of 32 degrees and wonder if the roads are beginning to freeze.
• How many cup holders does a family need? The kids complain if they do not have several of their own.
• How many vanity mirrors are really necessary? My wife wants them handy, and at several angles.
• Interior lights: there are front and rear dome lights, individual reading lights, floor lights and door lights. Unnecessary necessities.

How far we have come from the days when I drove my father’s simple 1959 VW where you just started the engine and drove. There was one dome light, uncomfortable seats and no fuel gauge. Finding the gas cap was not an issue since it was always easily found inside, under the front hood. That car had very few “unnecessary necessities”, but it also only cost $1995, new. Engineers are now designing radar guidance systems for the cars of the future where the driver becomes the unnecessary necessity. How far we have come!