News: GM Boycotts 2013 Super Bowl

After a series of high-impact, well-received spots for various products during the 2012 Super Bowl, General Motors has announced it's boycotting the 2013 Big Game. Why? The rent's too damn high. Full story from The Detroit Bureau.

News: Prepare For The Ferrari Enzo Hybrid

It's the end of the world as we know it. The Guardian newspaper in the UK is reporting that Ferrari will launch its first hybrid vehicle by the end of the year.

It'll be a gas/electric version of the Ferrari Enzo, which costs $643,330 as a purely gasoline-powered machine. Bet on the hybrid to cost more. Full story here.

News: Caroll Shelby: 1923-2012

'Ol Shel, the man who gave us the Cobra, the Mustang GT350 and so much more, died last night of complications from pneumonia. The best Carroll Shelby story I've ever heard is largely true, and was told by none other than Bill Cosby onstage at Harrah's Tahoe in 1968. It's also one of the best stories, period...and a masterpiece of stand-up comedy:
      
                              

TireKicker Time Machine: 1963 Ford Falcon Sedan

1963 Ford Falcon Sedan.

After this week's really rough 1970 Chevrolet Bel Air, here's a TireKicker Time Machine with a bit more hope in its future...a 1963 Ford Falcon sedan.





1963 Ford Falcon. Perhaps on verge of restoration?

This one absolutely has seen better days, but as it approaches its 50th birthday, it looks like some body prep work is being done. Could a full restoration be on the menu?

I've got a real soft spot for first-generation Ford Falcons. Not only were they a fairly constant presence on the streets when I was growing up, but my parents had a 1960 four-door, a couple of shades of blue deeper than this one.  And although their biggest selling points were simplicity and affordability, Falcons could look very nice right off the showroom floor:

Here's hoping this one gets the TLC it deserves for its golden anniversary.

New Car Review: 2012 Kia Rio Sedan and 5-Door

The 2012 Kia Rio Sedan.

If the rest of the world's automakers aren't taking Kia seriously yet, it may be too late.

With the 2012 Kia Rio, these guys have stepped into serious contender status, and if I were playing with my own money, they might just end up selling me a car.

The Rio has, in the shortest imaginable time, gone from being the worst thing that could happen to you at the rental counter to a car that absolutely nails its intended target in a way a car in this class hasn't done since the mid-1980s glory days of the Honda Civic.




The 2012 Kia Rio 5-Door.

In recent weeks, we've had both the Rio Sedan and Rio 5-Door. The Sedan was an SX model, starting at $17,500...the 5-Door an EX with a base price of $16,500. Both had a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, 6-speed automatic transmission with active Eco system, and a list of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, an AM/FM/CD/MP3/SiriusXM audio system with Bluetooth, USB and auxilary jacks, cruise control, a tilting/telescoping steering column and a trip computer.




The 2012 Kia Rio interior.

Both have EPA estimates of 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (we saw 34 in an urban freeway/city street mix in both cars).  And, thanks to a Convenience Package that upgrades the EX to SX specs (17 inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, automatic headlights, power folding outside mirrors with turn indicators built-in, UVO in-vehicle entertainment system, rear camera display, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shift knob, illuminated vanity mirrors, dual map lights and soft touch dash) for exactly $1,000, both cars ended up at the same price ($18,345 including $95 for carpeted floor mats and $750 for inland freight and handling).

Equipped like that, these are comfortably, relatively quick, good-handling cars with strong gas mileage, a reasonable sticker price and a world-class warranty (10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, 5 years/60,000 miles everything else plus 5 years/60,000 miles roadside assistance.

And it doesn't hurt that Kia's styling department is fully in the game now...these are good-looking cars on top of it all. If you're looking for a small sedan or hatch, you have to include the new Rio on your test-drive list.

TireKicker Time Machine: 1970 Chevrolet Bel Air

Some TireKicker Time Machines are well cared-for, almost museum quality pieces.

And...some aren't. But there's beauty in surviving against the odds, and this 1970 Chevy falls into that category.

While some top-of-the-line Impalas and Caprices got the care needed to make it to the Saturday afternoon car shows around the country, cars like this '70 Bel Air (the two taillamps per side instead of three is the giveaway, as well as the somehow surviving Bel Air badge on the front fender) were meant to do workhorse duty for salesmen and frugal families more than 40 years ago, then be junked like an old refrigerator or washing machine. Still, the Bel Air was one rung up the ladder from the bare-bones Biscayne.

The concentration of rust on the roof makes me think this may have originally had a vinyl top...a popular option of the time that was notorious for trapping moisture right up against the sheetmetal.

For a taste of what this car was like in its prime, here's a neat little video of a better-preserved '70 Bel Air, not perfect...but with considerably less rust:

New Car Review: 2012 Buick Verano

The 2012 Buick Verano.

I sense a slippery slope ahead when I'm at the wheel of the Buick Verano. And it has nothing to do with the pavement under the tires.

Call it generational perspective. I'm old enough to remember when Buick wanted a compact car so badly that it took a 1973 Chevy Nova, made it a bit prettier (in the eyes of some beholders, anyway), a bit cushier, a bit more upscale, and sold it as the 1973 Buick Apollo.





Rear/side view of the 2012 Buick Verano.

 
 
Well, truth be told, the Buick Verano is, by and large, the Chevrolet Cruze LTZ, made a bit prettier, a bit cushier and a bit more upscale.


By no means is that a bad thing...regular readers will remember (or can follow the link above to discover) that we like the Cruze. But the questions are: Is there room for both cars and can Buick establish a premium image with a car like the Verano?

The answer: I don't know. The Cruze targets competition like the Ford Focus and the soon to be released Dodge Dart. Buick says the Verano's competitors are machines like the Volvo V30 (the upcoming four-door version of the Volvo C30), the Lexus IS250 and the Acura TSX. And the Verano, starting at $23,785, enjoys a considerable price advantage over those three. But that bumps it right up against the Cruze LTZ.

How close are they? The Verano we tested, with zero options, bottom-lined at $24,670. The Cruze LTZ we tested a year ago was $24,415. For that money, wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?

Ah, but the Cruze LTZ had leather and a sunroof and all sorts of other things not on the base Verano. Easily solved. Just step up in trim levels. The leather group gets you there for $26,850, and the sunroof is a $900 option, so that's $27,750. Still considerably less than the Volvo, the Lexus or the Acura, comparably equipped.
But now, you have this problem. You're up more than three grand over the cost of the loaded version of the same car from Chevy. And the Chevy, with its 1.4 liter turbo 4, feels peppier than the Buick's 2.4 liter four-cylinder, and gets better mileage (EPA estimates of 24 city/36 highway for the Chevy versus 21 city/32 highway for the Buick). Upsides for the Buick: It's smoother and quieter.




The 2012 Buick Verano interior.

Yes, the interior is re-done nicely to say "Buick" rather than "Chevy", but if you've spent any time in a Cruze, you'll know the roots are showing.
And back to the mileage for a moment...the EPA estimate is optimistic. In 800 miles, with a good 350 of those at highway speeds, I averaged 21.9.

GM has to keep Buick if only for its immense popularity in China, which has become the world's largest car market. And they have to sell downsized, competitive product in America to stay afloat here. But what got GM in trouble way back in the 70s, what sowed the seeds of the 2009 bankruptcy, was too many products too close together in size, mission and price.

The Verano's a fine car. Five years ago I would have bet GM couldn't make a car like this. It would be much more impressive if they hadn't made the Cruze first. I hope I'm wrong, but I see a lot of buyers for the Cruze, and a lot of buyers for the cars the Verano is targeting...with the Verano stranded in the middle.