Outside of the new Mustang, I’m really, really excited to see the new BMW 335d and the X5 xDrive35d. Those cars are going to be quite amazing when they are on the roads. They are expensive at $44,725 for the 335d and $52,025 for the X5 xDrive35d. Now, BMW claims that you will be able to go 580/585 miles on a full tank of diesel with these cars. I know that’s wrong. I did a little over 500 miles to a tank of 93 octane in my 2005 330i twice. I averaged between 460-480 miles to a tank between normal city and highway driving. I, personally, believe that the new 335d will do at least 600-700 miles to a tank of gas, maybe more. That’s impressive. The X5 I’m not too sure about, simply because it’s an SAV.

The 335d and X5 xDrive35d will appear with a 3.0L twin-turbo I6 that pushes out 265hp and 425lb-ft of torque from just 1,750 RPM. That’s a diesel for you. Tons of torque from the get go.

The new 2010 Mustang is such a great car. I can’t wait to see it during the show, sit in it, play with it, and all the great stuff. The design is still rather similar to the 2009 S197 Mustang, but, the good thing is that they changed all of the right things and really gave it a much needed upscale look. And when I say upscale, I mean the closest an American muscle car can get to being a German sports car. Most people probably won’t see the subtle changes, but trust me, they’re there. Just look at the doors. The hockey stick line is now a little more subtle, but with a more pronounced style than the 2005-2009 Mustang has.

The most important update to the 2010 Mu-tang…the interior. It’s beautiful. It looks so much more like a car you’d want to spend time in. It is much more inviting. It’s without a doubt better than the new Dodge Challenger, and possibly better than the new Camaro. Do I hear the roar of some powerful American muscle turing the corners? Also, now you can finally open the trunk with the push of a button next to the shifter. No more having to fiddle with your keys to pop the trunk with your fob, or having to turn the ignition off and open the trunk manually.

The new Mustang is very similar to the 2008-09 Bullitt. In fact, it has the same amount of horsepower that Ford rates the Bullitt, with 315hp and 325lb-ft of torque coming from the same 4.6L V8 that has become synonomous with the current Mustangs. And, just so we get this straight, for those who didn’t believe me when I said that the basis for the 2010 Mustang was the 2008-09 Bullitt, Paul Randle, the Chief Engineer of the Mustang said, “The current Bullitt has been considered the best Mustang ever in many respects thanks to its wonderful balance of handling and power, so it was chosen as the baseline for the new GT.” Thanks to Autoblog for posting that up. I’m happy with it.

Stay tuned for more information coming to you live from the LA Auto Show.

-Josh

“Happy Motoring”

[BMW photos taken from: BMWBlog.com, BMWBlog.com]

[Mustang information and photos taken from: AutoBlog]

Back in the day you didn’t have to worry about it so much. But as my age group has gotten older, undoubtedly dumber, as well, we have bought some odd cars and fixed them up in all the wrong ways. One of these highly cherished cheap rods is the Ford Mustang. It’s such a shame, really.

Owning the Bullitt I get lots of looks from Mustang owners. Modern day S197 (2005-2009 Mustang) owners either give me mean/weird looks, or they’ll give me a little nod. The ones that are always checking out my car are the guys that have the modded 1999-2004 GT’s. They seem to like my car, a lot. The 1994-1998 crowd seems to always want to drive next to me and park around me. This is fine by me. But, people, please have a Mustang that doesn’t make Jacqi want to vomit. Am I being mean? Absolutely. There are not many things in this odd world of ours that I hate more than a nice car gone to waste with an automatic transmission and/or a stupid owner. What’s with the clear taillights people? Is this really a styling cue? No, it’s not. I’m sorry to tell you. Another thing that gets me is when they have the stupid and ugly Borla or Flowmaster exhaust on a V6 Mustang that has no dual-exhaust ports coming out of the rear bumper. They just let it ride up against the stock V6 bumper. Really, rednecks? Really? Being in North Carolina you see Mustangs like this as much as you see grocery stores in the suburbs. One on every corner.

Sometimes the V6 Mustangs try and act all cool while sitting next to me at a traffic light, while driving next to me, or just when they park next to me. Look, I don’t care that you have a V6. But, damnit, dress up your ride right. Don’t get the mod bug and buy a bunch of billett grills, smoked lights, fake metal switch nobs, and such. I especially love when they lower the car right on top of the tires, or as it’s known as in the enthusiast community, “Dropping it on its nuts”.

Look, the only thing we have in common is that we bought a Mustang. No, I don’t want to sit next to you in a parking lot or at a car meet. I don’t want to sit at a table with you and associate with you because you turned what could have been a good car into a junk car. Good job. You’ve officially made me cringe and dry heave at the sight of your car.

Now, I know you may be saying, “Josh, c’mon. These guys spend their hard earned money to make their Mustangs more individualized and much nicer.” I got you covered. They could have taken all the money they spent on mods and labor costs and set it aside to purchase a better car… Just a suggestion of what I would do. I for one am not the type of guy to go out and start modding a V6 Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, or anything of the sort. That’s like buying a 2000 323i BMW and getting new wheels, maybe an uglyspoiler, maybe new, worthless exhaust, having it lowered, tinted to 5% all-around, and then taking the 323i badge off of it. Oh, wow… I had no idea it was a retarded 323. I thought everyone did that to their BMWs. NO, THEY DON’T! GIVE IT UP, MORON. We know you have nothing under the hood and an automatic transmission. Don’t try and play with me on the road like you have a 3.2L I6 ///M motor hiding away in there. Oh, and take off the M3 side gills. It’s not helping you look any cooler. Don’t add M3 bumpers, either. I won’t defend you anymore than if you didn’t have them.

My friends know that I have a habit of not being afraid to make a scene because some ill-informed enthusiast has a worthless car. If they do it respectfully and tasteful, more power to them. I’ll give them props all day. Add a bunch of worthless shit that you just wasted too much money on, and I will tell you about it.

This is, as I’ve said before, not just limited to the Mustang crew. You’ll find it in the Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, VW, Camaro and Firebird crowds.

People, have fun with your cars. But, please, mod them well and right. If need be, send me an e-mail asking for my personal tastes and preferences to help you not look like a ricer with an American or German car. For instance, this is not the way to modify your Mustang, or this, either. I love the Cobra markings all over the orange GT Mustang… So special. Oh, wait, the owner is the one who’s “special”. At least, that’s probably what his mommy always told him. In my honest opinion, (would you expect anything less? Didn’t think so.) each one of those tools is asking about, oh…$5,000 too much.

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

The biggest and best part of the 2nd episode is Hammond, Clarkson and May’s latest trip to America. They came back stateside to test the new Dodge Challenger, Corvette ZR1 and the Cadillac CTS-V. Jeremy had the Corvette, Richard had the Challenger and May had the CTS-V. The outcome is pretty funny and shocking. Clarkson pisses the police off…twice.

To start the show off Clarkson tests the new Abarth 500, the souped up master to the Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 is one of my favorite cars, and a car that I wish would be brought to America…now! But, it won’t…

As a word of warning, each video is roughly 10 minutes long. So, sit back, pop open a nice cold, or hot, beverage, and watch a full hour of Top Gear goodness!

Enjoy,

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

Lewis Hamilton has been an amazing force in Formula 1 since he started his rookie season in 2007. He started out next to Fernando Alonso last season, who at that time was the youngest driver to ever win the Drivers’ Title at 24 years old. Now the record has changed hands.

Lewis Hamilton became the youngest driver ever to win the Drivers’ Title at 23 years young. He is also the first black driver in F1, meaning he is also the first black F1 driver to win a title. His father is black with his mother being white.

The last race of the season in Brazil became the deciding factor. In qualifying Felipe Massa took the pole followed by Jarno Trulli from Toyota, Kimi Raikkönen of Ferrari and then Lewis Hamilton in fourth. Lewis was leading Massa by 7 points, and it was guaranteed that Felipe was going to be the biggest rival to Hamilton. If Felipe Massa had won he would have been the first Brazilian in Formula 1 since Ayrton Senna to be a World Champion.

It was a pretty wet and wild race with Felipe racing a well thought out battle with no one to challenge him. Lewis Hamilton was sure to finish in fourth until he was passed by Timo Glock of Toyota and Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso. Unfortunately for Glock his dry tires were not holding up once the rain started to fall heavily again, and in the final corner, on the final lap, of the final race, Lewis Hamilton passed him for the fifth spot and the Drivers’ Title. He won this years’ title by only one point…

In the end Lewis didn’t win the race, but he won the war. All this in only his second season. At the end of the race, Lewis took on lots of congrats from the world, especially is Pussycat Doll sweetheart, Nicole Scherzinger (pictured with boyfriend Lewis Hamilton). She also happens to be 30 years old. Go get em’ tiger.

A big congratulations has to go out to BMW-Sauber and their fantastic drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. BMW put up some of the fiercest competition to Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes this season. Even Toyota and Scuderia Toro Rosso did a great job with Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock proving to be two of F1’s greatest prospects for the future. I’m determined to believe that they will give Lewis, Kimi, Felipe, Robert, Fernando and Nick a good run for their money. This will make 2009 one of the best seasons in Formula 1, I think. 2008 was a damn fine season. It’s hands down the best season in F1 I’ve ever watched!

A special goodbye goes out to F1 great, David Coulthard, as he retired this season. He spent 14 seasons in F1.

Here are the final results of the 2008 Brazilian GP:

Here are the final driver standings for the 2008 season:

Here are the final team standings for the 2008 season:

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

[Photos taken from: DailyMail.co.uk and F1Fanatic.co.uk]

Thanks for understanding, guys.

-Josh
“Happy Motoring!”

I will be giving you guys a test drive review of the new Mazda 6. I’m just waiting for the dealership that I’m working with to get a manual transmission model in. I will report on the V6 later, but I want to test the 4-banger first, since it’s the only 6 that is offered in manual form. You guys will like it.

Staying with the Mazda theme will be a test of the new 2009 RX-8. The Mazda dealer I’m working with has a few RX-8’s already, but I want to drive the R3, which is the top of the line model with the aerodynamic components of a rear spoiler, side sill extensions, unique lower front fascia, Recaro racing seats, sportier tuned suspension with Bilstein shocks, 19-in Forged wheels, and a uerathane foam-injected front suspension cross member. The new R3 RX-8 is one bad mother! The Mazda dealer had just gotten one in the other day, and while I was about waiting to go test drive it, someone walked in that day and purchased it before I was able to get done there… Bummer, huh?

I’m working on getting some new BMW’s to test for you guys. I want to drive some 328’s, 128’s, and I’m working on an X6. Those are just really difficult to get a hold of. The biggest problem right now is that Schaeffer BMW, where I always got my Bimmers from, had a nice shake up in management and sales people. So now I have to go back in and do a whole new working with the new guys to see if they will work with me the same way the older, more enthusiast minded guys did. Let’s not hold our breath on the one, as I forsee nothing working out with them anymore…

-Josh
“Happy Motoring!”

Photo taken from: Autoblog
]]> http://rawautos.com/whats-in-store-for-the-raw/1170/feed/ http://rawautos.com/2009-cadillac-cts-v/1146/ http://rawautos.com/2009-cadillac-cts-v/1146/#comments Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:09:16 +0000 Josh http://rawautos.com/?p=1146

2009 Cadillac CTS-V

So, by now you have seen every great comments that the car magazines have had to say about the 2008 Cadillac CTS. And I’m sure that you’ve seen that Motor Trend awarded with the 2008 MT Car of the Year. I’m also sure that by now you have read my controversial and not very polite article on the 08 Caddy. Of course you have seen every, now quite annoying, commercial for the CTS. But, have you seen this? The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, the car that could potentially win my bid for the 2008 RawAutos Car of the Year! That is a lot. I loved the first iteration of the CTS-V. It was so raw and amazingly fun.

I’ll never forget my friend, who was our local Caddy salesman who sold my dad all his Escalade’s and the first XLR in the area. He was only about 5 or 6 years my senior, and I was about 15. He called my dad up and had him bring me over to the dealership because he had just sold a brand new CTS-V, and wanted to take me out in it before it was delivered. GOD! This car was amazing. He spun through 1^st and 2^nd gears. He threw it into a very nice, controlled drift/slide coming from a stop sign to a tight right hander. It was fantastic, it was the car that would really reinvent Cadillac, and make them a sports sedan company. The new CTS-V is no different.

Thanks to John Heinricy (pictured left with Bill Auberlen of BMW racing fame), the man who created Cadillac’s V program, along with a few other creating and being in charge of all of GM’s performance programs, the CTS-V is a real winner. John is also a professional racing driver for General Motors and is often seen in different SCCA races.

With a 6.2L V8 punching out 556 supercharged hp and 551lb-ft of torque. The V8 is sourced directly from the 2008 Corvette and the same supercharger as the new ZR1. This beast is all business. It will rip you to pieces. GM claims that when travelling to 60 it will get there in about 3.9s with the new automatic with paddles gearbox. Hey, what would a sports car be in the 2009 model year without paddles? The all new V has a top speed of 191 mph with the 3^rd brake light doubling as a high speed spoiler just like with the Corvette. With the 6-speed manual from the ZR1 or an all new 6-speed automatic don’t worry about getting where you’re going too slow. And don’t worry about stopping, because the massive 14.7in front and 14.4in rear slotted disc brakes with 6-pot and 4-pot calipers sourced from Brembo. Don’t forget about the big rubber, 255/40 and 285/35 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 2’s. Michelin PS2’s have become pretty much standard equipment on almost any sports car. Hey, they are expensive and good rubber. And as an odd friendly gentleman once told me “you can never spend too much on good rubber. Better safe then sorry!”

The new CTS-V’s interior is just as much to shout about in comparison to the exterior design. The interior is lined in optional alcantara trim on the seats and wrapped around the steering wheel. You can opt for the regular leather, but, why would you? I don’t know either. With a car like this, you might as well go all out and fully equip it with the alcantara. The same basic stuff like the stereo, 40gb hard drive and DVD based navigation is carried over from the regular CTS. The seats however, are much more supportive with bigger side bolsters and all new pull out knee supports just like BMW offers in their Sport packaged cars, and of course, all ///M’s get them too. They are made by Recaro.

Here, ladies and gentleman, Cadillac has produced the greatest car they have ever made, period! This car will compete heavily with the BMW M3, M5, Mercedes-Benz C63, E63 AMG’s and the Audi RS4 and RS6. I always love a good racing competition.

Expect the new CTS-V to debut with a base price around $60,000 to stay in line with the M3 and stay below the M5.

In fact, in all of the latest magazine articles, the CTS-V has been faster around the track than the BMW M3 and M5. Road and Track took a new M5 and the all new CTS-V to a track in New York. It beat the M5 around the not yet finished Monticello Motor Club’s 3.4 mile long track. While it barely beat the M5, it still won. The CTS-V posted a best lap time of 2:44.23, beating the M5’s best of 2:44.70.

Car and Driver then took the CTS-V as one of its 22 cars chosen to compete in its third annual “Lightning Lap” for 2008. The same as every year, the track is Virginia International Raceway, or VIR to enthusiasts. The CTS-V competed against the BMW M3 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. It beat the M3 by 1.6s around the track, and demolishing the AMG by 2.5s. It must be noted that the M3 had gearbox issues, and it is believed that it would have performed much better without the issues.

By the way, did I mention that this car was honed on the Nürburgring? The CTS-V now holds the record for the fastest sedan ‘Ring time with a 7:59… That’s pretty damn impressive.

With all of this said it is one hell of a job that Cadillac has done. There are not many people out there like John Heinricy, and not many auto makers out there, like Cadillac, that are as dedicated to bringing the fight to BMW. I have yet to drive a new CTS-V, but I will do so, on camera of course, as soon as I can get a hold of one.

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

[Photos taken from: Road and Track]

It was supposed to come off the truck yesterday at our house, and then it was postponed till today. Well, the night time comes round, and I’m sitting here waiting for the new baby to arrive… No show by the truck driver. Also, the driver doesn’t seem to want to answer his cell phone, call back, nor can I leave a message. Interesting to say the least.

But, I have something very interesting for you guys this week, still. I actually did this for BMW Blog, but when thinking about what to write for this week I realized that this would actually be perfect. I want everyone to see this and see as much truth as they can in the design elements of the new 2009 BMW 7-Series. Check it out.

Lexus LS vs 2009 BMW 7-Series

People have been saying ever since the new F01/02 7-Series debut back on July 3rd, that it is either identical or very similar to that of the Lexus LS 460. Is this true? I don’t really think that it’s a point of the new 7 looking like the new LS. We know they look alike, because Lexus copied enough off of the old 7 to always bear a BMW theme. It even has its own version of the Hofmeister Kink.

Let us take a close look at the design comparisons between the two cars. The more you look at the new 7, the more you realize that the BMW is way above the Lexus in so many ways, but styling especially.

The F01/02 7 has been a big hit in its true design theme. It has taken BMW to a whole new era of principle. The CS Concept design has been lent to the new 7.  Which is something we all wanted. But, some say the new 7-Series is ugly, and that it copies too much of the Lexus LS.

The new, 4th Generation, Lexus LS came onto the scene in 2007. People loved it. But many critics said, “Why does it look a lot like the 7-Series?” And you could hear a low sigh by many automotive journalists around the world who realized that Chris Bangle was right, and that his designs were now taking shape in more cars. Even from Toyota! With the new generation you are able to get either an LS 460 or a long wheelbase version dubbed the LS 460L. You could also get a new LS 600H, or the LS 600H L. The H standing for Hybrid, of course. What would Toyota be without a Hybrid version of every car they make? I actually saw an LS 600H L last night while driving around the downtown area… The front LED style lights look very upscale and nice, at night. And then you see the rest of the car and you aren’t really impressed. At least I’m not when I see one.

Now, let’s show you the true similarities and differences.

1) Notice the tailpipes of the new 7. They look nothing like the Lexus. Sure, they are in the same style of rectangular tips. The BMW’s, however, make for a more elegant and classy look. Whereas the LS’s pipes try too hard to show off and be flashy.

2) Take a good look at the rear bumpers of all 3 cars. The BMW 7 shows a much more flatly rounded surface, where the LS is more flared and rounded off. No real similarity there.

3) The rear decklid is a very similar shape and height from the E66 750Li to the Lexus LS 460L. The new F02 750Li only shows a more unique view and design essence of the old 7.

4) Look at the shape of the windows on the BMW’s and the Lexus. Notice anything different? Yeah, neither did I.

5) See how the new 7 builds on its lights? You can see a 7 theme within the taillights, which I thought was very unique and interesting. The real lights actually try to look similar to that of the front headlights.

What have we learned here? We have, hopefully, learned that the new 7 copies nothing from the Lexus LS. It actually takes the simple and bold design theme of the old 7 and builds on a bold theme, but with more emphasis placed on beauty, smoother lines, and much more attention to detail.

Now let’s take a look at the cars from a difference angle:

1) Notice the front lower lip/grill of the E66 7. The LS 460L is nearly identical in style and amount of lip presence.
2) Notice the lights of the LS speak to nearly identical units of the 7. Granted, there are some minor curves to make them look different. But, the more you look, and the closer, for that matter, you see identical units.
3) Notice the rear Hofmeister Kink. Lexus has hidden their exact version of the Kink with a sharp line and point to try and shy away from the exact same design. Notice the lines I have had drawn in to show how it is actually sculpted, but with the chrome piece to hide it.
4) Notice the B and C-Pillars along with the rear-window rake. They are a near perfect match…
5) Lip spoiler on the Lexus LS shows its glaring approval of Chris Bangle’s design genius. Thank you Lexus for just reassuring that Bangle’s designs are widely criticized, but almost always used.
6) Take a look at the rear bumper lines. While the 750Li shows them with chrome and more dramatic sculpting, the LS 460L tries to hide its identical shape with less drastic and less essence. This is done to possibly hide the similarities in design that were used from the E65/66 7-Series

Take notice that there is no design direction that the F01/02 7-Series’ take from the Lexus LS. If you take a closer look, you will see that Lexus copied so much of the design of the old 7, that it would have been impossible for them to not look similar to a new 7. If you don’t look more closely, and just look at it the way Lexus fans do, you won’t see it. This is a position held by Lexus fanatics, because they can’t argue that BMW has taken anything from them. They do, however, try to hide the fact that Lexus has copied, and copied, a lot of things that BMW or Mercedes-Benz have done since their inception.

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

I know this doesn’t really affect most of the BMW crowd. But if you are a true, generalized automotive enthusiast and/or racing enthusiast, you’ll have feel saddened by the loss of the great Paul Newman.

Paul Newman was diagnosed with Lung Cancer possibly in late 2007 to early 2008. He passed away, September 26, 2008, at his home in Westport, CT with his family by his side. He was 83.

While not just one of the greatest and most brilliant film and stage actors of any time, or even a great racing driver, owner and team manager, Paul Newman was a very altruistic human being, giving tens of millions of dollars of his own money to various efforts around the world. His most popular philanthropy effort lies with his Newman’s Own products that range from salad dressings to lemonade. From its inception in 1982 Paul Newman had it set up that all of the earnings of the company, after it paid its tax debt, would go straight to charity. That has resulted in well over $220 million donated. He also donated plenty of his own money to different relief funds around the world and started free summer camps in different parts of the world, including the U.S., that helped severely sick kids maintain a normal and healthy summer lifestyle.

Newman was an avid racer. Up until his death today, he co-owned the Newman/Haas/Lanigan IndyCar racing team. Its notable drivers have included legend Mario Andretti, F1 great Nigel Mansell, 4-time Champ Car Champion, and now F1 driver Sébastien Bourdais, and current ace, Graham Rahal, among others.

Paul Newman was a great champion driver in his own right. His first pro race was in 1972 and has raced many races in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). He drove Datsun’s, later to become Nissan’s, in the Trans-Am Series from the 70’s to the early 90’s. Newman was the oldest driver in history to win a professional race at age 70, winning his class in the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. He drove in Petit Le Mans in 2000,  Baja 1000 in 2004, and once again in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2005. He used to own a racing team in NASCAR before selling it to Roger Penske, which is still being run today. He was involved in the Newman Wachs Racing team in Atlantic Championship racing. All this after owning a team in the Can-Am Series.

Among Mr. Newman’s most credited movies are The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Slapshot, Winning, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Color of Money, and so many, many more.

Paul Newman was not just a champion on the big screen and the stage, he was a champion at racing and best of all, taking care of people. He was an avid supporter of human rights and the 1st Amendment. He cared about people as well about the world. He may have had different political views from many people, but you can’t say he didn’t care and give his all to everyone that he could. His last time driving on the race track was a month ago on August 13th when Lime Rock Park race track closed the circuit down for part of the day to let Paul race his GT1 C5 Corvette in style. Rest in peace Mr. Newman. This is one fan that will surely miss you a whole lot. Don’t forget to show God a few of your good ole’ tricks on the Heaven circuit.

-Josh

“Happy Motoring!”

This is a great send off to Paul Newman by Dahlia Lithwick.

Source and information courtesy of: Autoblog and Wikipedia

Photo taken from: Daylife

If you need help finding the right car, the right dealership, or you just want to ask a few questions without feeling like you’re going through a background check, contact me, Josh Lewis at josh@rawautos.com. I can do my best to help you with all of your car buying or tire kicking needs. Let me put my past car selling experience to good use by helping you.

In today’s world we all need a little help. Don’t let some dealership throw you around. Let me help you get what you want and need. After all, you’re the one spending the money and going through the hassel of giving out your most personal and confidential of information.

Don’t worry, there are no gimmicks here.

-Josh
“Happy Motoring!”