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Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class: Out of its League

7/28/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Mercedes-Benz
I never think of Mercedes-Benz as being “out of its league” in any category.  If anything, that term means to me that the company’s technological leadership has created an entirely new class of cars to which other manufacturers could aspire.  A prime example is the new S550, which takes luxury automobiles to new heights and may be the closest thing to a driverless vehicle available in any showroom.  It leaves other large luxosedans, such as the Lexus LS, in the dust and is considered by many to be a bargain at over $100K with options.  It has truly set a new standard at the higher end of the market.

Unfortunately, there’s the other end of the spectrum, where Mercedes is certainly out of its league in trying to field near-luxury sedans known as the CLA250 and CLA45.  We had a chance to drive these cars not long ago and they simply felt cheap.  If you could close your eyes behind the wheel, you’d never guess that you were in a car made by one of the world’s premier makers.  The ride was harsh, the engines felt buzzy and sound insulation was sparse.  The stick-on dash screen is an abomination worthy of Pep Boys at a time when the competitive new Audi A3 (which actually drives and feels like an Audi) provides one that slides down automatically.  Make a fist and knock around the plastic dash areas of a CLA and you’ll hear the hollow sounds of an econobox.  Perhaps it was no surprise that, during testing, the base model was put out of commission by a pothole.

Yes, the CLA sedans look good, but that’s about where it ends.  With a decent set of options, they sticker in the mid-$30K range and you can get a lot of good cars for that money.  If you must have the Mercedes badge on a limited new-car budget, go buy one at the parts department and then stick it on the hood of your Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Mazda6 or Subaru Legacy, all of which seem to be better cars for the price . . . or less.


BY THE NUMBERS (CLA250)
Price: $29,900
Horsepower: 208
0-60: 6.9 secs (Mercedes)
Curb weight: 3,262 lbs

TO LEARN MORE

Mercedes

Car and Driver

Motor Trend


Camaro: More Rip-Roaring Fun than a Corvette?

7/23/2014

 
Picture
I’m going to go out on a limb here . . . a very loooong one and declare that I’d rather have a new Camaro than a Corvette.  Yes, you heard that right.  Give me a Camaro – anything from a 1SS right on up to a Z/28 – because it’s a bucket full of rip-roaring American fun.  The Corvette, on the other hand, has morphed into a bargain exotic that, to me at least, no longer shouts “U-S-A!”  Its Asian-style creases now make it look more like the Nissan GT-R’s angry cousin and its driving and interior sophistication are moving it into European territory.  Those aren't bad attributes, but do they still capture Chevy's all-American spirit?

Most of us, from time to time, have run into people who just have to make their presence known.  They shout “Here I am!” through their bold and unusual clothing, loud voices and gobs of braggadocio.  The Camaro does the same thing.  Look at those all-American haunches.  Listen to the loud burble of that exhaust.  Take in the less-than-stellar, American-cheap interior.  Then hit the gas, revel in the howl and smoke those tires. You just know you will turn heads.  It’s a car that can easily transform an innocent Baby Boomer into a Bad Boy.

At the same time, though, the Camaro surprises with sophisticated suspension and steering that make it a star on the track and the twisties.  In drives of the Camaro (1SS and ZL1 convertible) and the Corvette, on both back roads and the race course, I just felt the former gave me everything I wanted -- and more.

But perhaps that’s just me.  Go for the Stingray if you must, especially with upper-level Camaros such as the ZL1 now heading north of $60K.  But give me just a 1SS -- Bright Yellow will do -- and I’ll have fun-fun-fun all day across the U-S-A.

BY THE NUMBERS (1SS, ZL1 convertible)
Price: $34,350, $62,850
Horsepower: 426, 580
0-60: 5 secs (est.), 4.1 (Chevrolet)
Curb weight: 3,908 lbs, 4,374

TO LEARN MORE

Chevrolet

Car and Driver

Motor Trend

Cadillac CTS Vsport:  World's Best Sport Sedan?

7/18/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Cadillac
Is the Cadillac CTS Vsport the world's best sport sedan?  To my mind, it is . . . especially for the price.  This car just does everything well: ride, handling, composure, fit and finish, looks, and on and on.  To drive this car is a revelation, even against competitors such as the BMW 5-series or Mercedes E63 AMG (with its 33% higher price tag).  If you read about GM's current rash of safety problems and then hop into a Vsport for a spin around the back roads or the track, you can't believe the media are talking about the same company.

Cadillac is now on a roll, with solid models in virtually every category except for luxury crossovers, where the SRX is sorely in need of updating. (A new version is scheduled for launch in 2016, along with a revamped Escalade.)  Next on the horizon might be a Corvette-based revival of the XLR or an ultra-luxury personal coupe based on the concept
Elmiraj. 

If Cadillac can inject the Vsport genes into the full product line and sustain its recent record of innovation, it can truly reclaim its position as "Standard of the World."

BY THE NUMBERS
Price: $59,995 (MSRP and as driven)
Horsepower: 420
0-60: 4.4 secs (Cadillac)
Curb weight: 3,952lbs


TO LEARN MORE

Cadillac

Car and Driver

Motor Trend

Someone please rescue these two fine sports cars

7/14/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Subaru
It’s hard to believe, but there’s a forlorn little car at my local Subaru dealer that desperately needs a home.  It’s called the BRZ.  Hop over to the Toyota dealer and you can find the Scion FR-S also sitting on the lot, another victim of sluggish sales.

My local Subaru service manager attributes the slump to a demanding clientele that expected all-wheel drive in these svelte coupes.  Others have been waiting patiently for a turbo and/or a convertible.  And the improvements are likely to come in the 2016 model year as officials from both Subaru and Toyota have recently been hinting to the automotive press that changes are in the works. What’s odd is that the executives have been talking about a “second generation” of these cars when the first has barely gotten off the ground, sales-wise.

Folks, these are already truly fine cars for the money.  They fit like a glove, perform astoundingly on the track and are very easy to maintain and modify. They remind me of the early Mazda RX-7s.  Yes, I’d like a less busy interior and less notchy six-speed, but beyond that, there’s little to complain about.  There is probably no greater new sports car bargain on the planet other than the aging Miata.  When the new Miata debuts later this year, with its Zen-like good looks and Alfa genes, the pressure will be on to rev up sales of the Toyobaru twins.  I believe the manufacturers will do it through mild styling tweaks and Subaru’s turbo four-cylinder that now powers the WRX.  The idea of a convertible is still a little far-fetched, but possible.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime, don’t give up on these fine little sports cars.


BY THE NUMBERS
Price: $25,695 (Subaru), $25,455 (Scion)

Horsepower: 200
0-60: 6.4 secs (manual BRZ/Motor Trend)
Curb weight: 2,764 lbs

TO LEARN MORE

Subaru

Scion

Jalopnik


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    David Fluhrer has been a classic car columnist for Newsday since 2008, as well as a new car reviewer for the auto section and a feature writer for Newsday's glossy magazines, Luxury Living and Long Island Living. 

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