Review Your Cars

Part 3 of the coverage of the Silicon Valley Auto Show with slideshow featuring manufacturers "M" through "V" The Silicon Valley Auto Show offered a great value for those wanting to really take a close look at new cars. Although highly desirable marquees like Porsche and Audi were absent, considering the $9 admission price which includes a 1-year subscription to Motor Trend, or $7 with an online coupon, it’s more affordable than virtually any other auto show. While debating the merits of a comparatively small show vs. the International level events, keep in mind versus something like a Goodguys custom car show in Pleasanton, not only is it less expensive, including parking, but here you can sit, touch and feel all these cars and trucks and many of them have much nicer interiors, if not as colorful. But as I wrote before, either one is a nice alternative to the zoo. Check out the slideshow for the remaining cars from the manufacturers.

Part 2 of the highlights of the 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show. In San Jose, the 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show presented by Motor Trend held Thursday 1/6 – Sunday 1/9 is much improved over last year. Additional highlights of the show are listed below. Be sure to check out all the observations in the slideshow as well. A free subscription to Motor Trend magazine with each ticket purchase. Ford Mustang Dream Giveaway benfitting the Healing Heroes Network. It's actually for two Mustangs, a '69 Calypso Coral High Performance Boss 30 and a matching 2012 Boss 302. The 2012 model is the only one offered in Calypso Coral as well and the Boss package means 440hp. Be sure to see the Laguna Seca edition in the slideshow too. Ride and Drives from GM (Chevrolet, Buick & GMC), Ford and Toyota. Specialty Vehicles from Chevrolet include the Corvette Stingray concept, the "American Pride" Camaro and the SLP ZL585 Camaro. See the slideshow from Part 1. Also a magic show as w...

In San Jose, the 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show presented by Motor Trend held Thursday 1/6 – Sunday 1/9 is much improved over last year. Although not as large as the “other” major city shows like Chicago, Detroit, LA and New York that feature new model and concept introductions, there are distinct advantages and some very interesting observations. Access is particularly easy and parking is affordable. Since it’s not too big, and on Thursday night not too crowded, you can really crawl around the cars and take in all the details. And of course, some under-supervised little kids walk all over the cars leaving details too. Hint to parents – pretend these cars belong to your boss, okay? Perhaps the lack of the crowd meant everyone seemed to be friendly, courteous, in good humor and polite. This folks was not like a trip Costco. Sadly, Porsche, Nissan and Audi among others were missed and these smaller-show cars tend to be in drab black and grey colors. And Mercedes, in a dimly lit ...

In the $40,000+ price range, it’s hard to make a bad choice when buying a new vehicle. If you’re looking for a sporty and luxurious coupe with usable rear seats you really can’t go wrong. Even if you pick on styling alone, you won’t make a bad decision. The G37 Coupe from Infiniti has great curves that make a convincing case. Exterior Spending time with this car in black and studying the styling, I came across a realization. Make some minor changes such as eliminating the chrome, round the tail lights and add some yellow prancing horse badges and it could easily pass for a grand tourer from Ferrari. That is how well the lines on this car look in person. The same could be said in the 4th (and last) generation Toyota Supra from 1993 to 1998. Details like the headlights, hood line and front fenders are exquisite. Fit and finish are exemplary with excellent fitment of the body panels. Even the standard 18” rims look proportionate in this day of 19s and 20s on many models. Interio...

Hey Car Guy, Can you tell me if the Supra came in an all wheel drive configuration? Thanks, JH, Seattle, WA Thank you for writing, JH. The Toyota Supra was never offered by Toyota in an AWD configuration although a search online reveals some aftermarket attempts. The Supra was sold in the United States from 1979 to 1998 with the 4th generation (MKIV) from '93 to '98 having the most notoriety. However there was an AWD Toyota Celica sold in 1988 to 1993 which spanned two different generations. It featured a 190hp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and saw success in World Rally Championship racing before Mitsubishi and Subaru were competitors. _____ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc. Reach me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it! Continue reading on Examiner.com: All Wheel Drive Toyota Supra? Ask Rob About Cars - San Jo...

Now that fall is here after a busy summer, there are some thoughts that have come to mind that are worth sharing. Incorrect transmission references still abound. Industry members and journalists still refer to automated manual transmissions as an automatic transmission. An “automatic transmission” definition should not change. It’s a transmission that uses fluid to transmit power until a physical lock-up occurs. An automated manual, single or dual clutch uses actual clutches for a physical connection for power transfer at all speeds. They are distinctly different but neither one has a clutch pedal and both can be driven without manually selecting gears. A Saleen S7R won its class at LeMans for the first time and it was the last running of the GT-1 class. This is quite a momentous event after 10 years of gallant attempts. This time the usually dominant Corvette C6-Rs lost and note they are no longer factory backed. The non-factory backed Aston Martins lost as well. AutoWeek ma...

In April 2009, I predicted the Volvo S60 in the Speed GT series was essentially a waste of time. For the 2009 season they did okay, but Brandon Davis won the driver’s championship with his heavily modified (even for racing) Ford Mustang FR500C. Porsche took home the manufacturer’s championship. Now for the 2010 season the Volvo won the drivers’ (Randy Pobst) and manufacturers’ championships. I must give credit and congratulations to the Volvo S60, Randy Pobst, Andy Pilgrim, K-Pax Racing, 3R Racing/Auto for chassis development, Mahle for the engines and Weismann for the transmissions. A team effort that resulted in wins over the proven masters of road racing. Top drivers Randy and Andy could not have done it without excellent equipment and vice versa. These all-wheel drive cars really did a great job this past season. I wonder if AWD will be banned for the GT class after this success or will the S60 be back? A ruling like that is not unheard of although I think Porsche’s 911 GT3...

The 2010 Audi Q5 is another example of excellence in Audi engineering. As typical Audi, the interior is top notch. Granted most SUVs are not exactly exciting to drive so they better be easy and comfortable. This one isn’t for performance or off-road capability but rather practicality. Not too big, but just right. Equipped with the 3.2 liter V-6 producing 270 horsepower, it’s quite adequate for daily driving and the owner reports the trip computer states 26mpg at 70-80mph cruising. Audi states a 0-60mph time of 6.7 seconds as well. It does require premium gas but you pay for what you get. I immediately think of some popular V-6s that are 3.5 liters or larger before having that horsepower mark. It’s really about utility and the automatic rear hatch has a height adjustment for ease of closing. It also has a nice cargo cover and very well thought-out floor plan. The 3.2 Premium Plus package includes the 2-panel Panorama sunroof, one of the most distinctive features. The rear panel...

Read your 2011 Ford Mustang GT Test Drive And Overview on insidemusclecars.com (also published here: http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-san-jose/2011-ford-mustang-gt-automatic-test-drive-and-overview ) Best article yet I have read. I am a first time muscle car buyer and am 46 years old. I got the 2011 Mustang GT/CS automatic. Any suggestions for a first time buyer/driver? I tried your slammin it to the floor at 20mph and anything above 60mph and it sure is fun. I am a little disappointed in the take off from a dead stop Thanks Jim _______ Hi Jim, I wish I could take credit for that article but I'm glad you liked it. Congratulations on your purchase. I take it you're looking for suggestions for a quicker "launch" from a dead stop? You could look at the softness off the line as a benefit too. A fast car like that can easily overwhelm the tires and you end up spinning instead of moving forward. Therefore the benefit can actually be is that your "launches" can be...

When driving a car that is new to you, don’t you want to like it? Unfortunately with the 2009 Dodge Caliber SXT, that wasn’t the case. If you have one, don’t read further. I just can’t recommend this vehicle as much as I was hoping to. I don’t want to offend owners, but some people buy a car to be a little different and if they are fairly comfortable, they are happy. Others demand more from what is typically their second largest purchase in their life. Having driven it for several hundred miles over the course of a few days a number of issues made themselves known. I had issues with the interior , ride, engine, transmission, etc. The ride was rather floaty with side-to-side head-toss over bumps and dips. In other words the motion would rock the vehicle and that movement is transmitted to the least “secured” part of the body with a weight on top of it – the neck. Excessive road noise from the tires filled the cabin. When the cargo area is shared with the passenger compartment without a ...