Karl's Daily Log Book - READ ONLY

2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Sedan, SUV

Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.

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#2328 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [phillyone] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (5:44 am)
Replying to: phillyone (Oct 21, 2005 2:08 pm) I think a big reason ATTS "failed" is because, to properly utilize it, you'd basically have to push a FWD compact to 9/10ths and mash on the gas. On the street, few people drive like that.
#2329 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [dieselone] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (5:46 am)
Replying to: dieselone (Oct 21, 2005 3:45 pm) The problem was it was very expensive and many people probably didn't want the added complexity on their truck/suv And don't forget who designed the system: Delphi. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) nitromax (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am) kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am)
#2330 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [kevm14] by imidazol97 Oct 25, 2005 (6:13 am)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 5:46 am) >And don't forget who designed the system: Delphi. I'm not sure if you're saying that's good or bad? Delco/Delphi has engineered many things through the recent years. I would consider that a plus. Replies to this message: nitromax (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am) kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 7:11 am)
#2331 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [imidazol97] by nitromax Oct 25, 2005 (7:11 am)
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/10/08/delphi.bankrupt.ap/
#2332 of 2391 Re: Contrarian viewpoint on some of these "engineering" firsts [imidazol97] by kevm14 Oct 25, 2005 (7:11 am)
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) Not saying either, just that I don't see how GM will get such great results of R&D efforts (like quadrasteer) since Delphi went chapter 11.
#2333 of 2391 American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper by editor_karl Oct 26, 2005 (3:28 pm)
I spent yesterday driving three of the most capable performance cars built in the good ol' U.S. of A. My seat time came at Willow Springs Raceway, one of the fastest race tracks on the West Coast. I love the fact that each of these cars has over 500 horsepower and a top speed above 190 mph. And while few of them will be used as daily drivers by most buyers, all of them could easily serve that level of functionality. What a blast!! I think the Dodge Viper is really facing an uphill battle at this point. It essentially has no advantage over the Corvette (except maybe styling) and it has several disadvantages. It costs more. It's harder to get into and out of. It doesn't offer any convenience features like cruise control, stability control or automatic climate control, not to mention the Z06's optional DVD navigation, satellite radio and Heads-Up display. Both cars have an interior that can cook you, but the Corvette needs to be driven hard before the central tunnel area heats up. The Viper gets hot pretty not matter what. I was driving it at highway speeds in a relaxed nature -- during a cloudy day with a slight drizzle, and it STILL got hot inside. Both cars are easier to drive than you might think for 500-plus horsepower beasts. The Viper Coupe is particularly easy to manage, at least compared to earlier versions. Then there's the Ford GT. You could buy both of the other cars for the price of the GT, and yet I still consider Ford's supercar a bargain. Unlike the Dodge or Chevy, Ford's car talks to you with communicative steering and a nimble, willing nature. Obviously the mid-engine design adds a level of exoticism the other two don't offer, but the interior quality and overall execution is also twice as good as the others. The Ford also pulled the quickest lap times at the track, though all three cars were within a second of each other. We'll be doing instrumented testing for 0-60, 1/4-mile and braking on Friday. Stay tuned for those figures! Replies to this message: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 6:51 am) editor_karl (Oct 27, 2005 2:25 pm) navigator89 (Oct 27, 2005 10:35 pm) tayl0rd (Oct 27, 2005 8:45 am) nitromax (Oct 27, 2005 9:54 am) tayl0rd (Oct 27, 2005 10:54 am) phillyone (Oct 27, 2005 1:38 pm)
#2334 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [editor_karl] by kevm14 Oct 27, 2005 (6:51 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 26, 2005 3:28 pm) The Ford also pulled the quickest lap times at the track, though all three cars were within a second of each other. Who was driving? You? If it was you, I'd argue that you're more familiar with the handling dynamics of the GT. Replies to this message: editor_karl (Oct 27, 2005 2:25 pm) navigator89 (Oct 27, 2005 10:35 pm)
#2335 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [editor_karl] by tayl0rd Oct 27, 2005 (8:45 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 26, 2005 3:28 pm) Out of curiosity, how much does the GT weigh? Not trying to prove a point, I'm genuinely curious. Replies to this message: nitromax (Oct 27, 2005 9:54 am) tayl0rd (Oct 27, 2005 10:54 am)
#2336 of 2391 Re: Remote start isn't really an "innovation" though... [kevm14] by redmaxx Oct 27, 2005 (8:56 am)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 5:42 am) If they just let the auto climate control system maintain the current set temp (instead of going to one extreme) then this wouldn't be a problem. But this isn't your fault. Actually it would. Right now it gets warm enough during the day in AZ to use the A/C, so I set the temp for 70 degrees. Then the next morning, its in the 50s so I want to turn on the heat. If I remote started the car with your programming it would turn on the A/C, further cooling the vehicle. It makes perfect sense for the climate system to figure out that if its cold outside, I want heat and if its warm or hot outside I want A/C. Why are you even using the remote start feature? Just leave the car running!! If I did that, all someone would have to do is smash the window in and drive off with my car. With remote start, my car isn't going anywhere. Replies to this message: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 11:13 am) redmaxx (Oct 28, 2005 8:48 am)
#2337 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [tayl0rd] by nitromax Oct 27, 2005 (9:54 am)
Replying to: tayl0rd (Oct 27, 2005 8:45 am) Had a little trouble finding it but this place says it's 3450. http://ford.jbcarpages.com/GT/2005/index4.php Replies to this message: tayl0rd (Oct 27, 2005 10:54 am)