New Car Review: 2012 Infiniti QX56

The 2012 Infiniti QX56.



You are looking at a thing of beauty.

It's just behind that hulking SUV.

It's the Eastern High Sierra of California, where I was fortunate enough to grow up between the ages of 9 and 18. Some of those mountain peaks top 14,000 feet...especially dramatic since the Owens Valley floor is only about 4,000.

I have fond memories.

Now, about the hulking SUV.

It is the Infiniti QX56. It spent years as simply a gussied-up version of the Nissan Armada but has, in its latest iteration taken things well beyond that. It's as though Infiniti got caught in a time warp and decided an '02 Lincoln Navigator was its benchmark.




Rear three-quarters view of the 2012 Infiniti QX56.

There was a time when this kind of one-upsmanship was the key to success...the way to the "hers" peg on the kitchen wall that holds the keys to the Mommymobile in the upwardly mobile McMansion.

But there's a recession on. Gas is $3.67 a gallon near TireKicker World Headquarters in Phoenix ($4.19 for name brand stuff in the area where Nissan's PR people snapped these photos), and the EPA says the QX56 is good for 14 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway.

Underneath the boldface "14" and "20" on the window sticker in much smaller type are the words "Expected range for most drivers". Squint and you'll see 11 to 17 MPG city, 16 to 24 highway.

Wanna know what we got?

In just under 600 miles of combined city street and urban freeway driving, the QX56 delivered....12.9.
And let me tell you, it took some coasting on downhill stretches of uncrowded freeway to do that. Day one was nothing but stop and go city streets for about 55 miles...and when I parked it that night, the average was 8.8.

Time was (back around the time I lived in the Eastern High Sierra, come to think of it), you needed a 1969 Imperial with the 440 four-barrel to burn through those quantities of fossil fuel. Hell, 8.8 MPG on city streets is only 1.8 better than I did a few years ago driving a Dodge Viper around in second gear all day long.

The 2012 Infiniti QX56 interior.

For $61,800 you get all the standard equipment anyone can imagine (I'll save the pixels and just send you to Infiniti's XQ56 page for the details) .

Except...that nothing succeeds like excess...and Infiniti found another 13-thousand dollars and change worth of options to pack onto our tester...a theater package, a technology package, a deluxe touring package, cargo mat, cargo net, first aid kit and.....I think this is a first for TireKicker....22-inch wheels.              

Bottom line with $990.00 for destination charges: $75,340.

If the housing bubble hadn't burst, if the economy hadn't been where it's been the past four years....this might be king of the hill (Motor Trend's term for their annual comparisons of Lincolns and Cadillacs in the 60s and 70s).  If you've been fortunate during this time, and this is where you want to put your money, I can't fault you...it's close to the ultimate rig (if we're judging by Lincoln Navigator/Cadillac Escalade standards). But the world has changed in profound ways...and the QX56 just feels out of step.

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First Look: McLaren P1 Supercar

McLaren P1 (Photo courtesy McLaren)

You now have a whole new reason to become wealthy beyond all reason. Behold the successor to the million-dollar McLaren F1...the McLaren P1. Unveiled today, debuting at the Paris Auto Show next week. Full story from The New York Times Wheels Blog here.

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New Car Review: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

The 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth.

For a bit over a year now, Fiat 500s have been making us smile whenever we see one on the street (increasingly common near TireKicker World Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where they seem to be selling well). Regular TireKicker readers will recall that we liked the first 500 we drove...the 500C...last fall.

All well and good...but no preparation whatsoever for the ear-to-ear grin and maniacal laughter produced by the Fiat 500 Abarth.

What's an Abarth? Well, it's an Italian racing company founded by the late Karl Abarth in 1949, and which began building hot versions of Fiats in 1952. Fiat bought Abarth outright in 1971, but allowed the name to descend to trim level packages and not much else by the 90s.

But Abarth is back, and a great way to make a statement that Abarth means fast is to take a 2,533 pound Fiat 500 and swap the 101 horsepower 1.4-liter four-cylinder with a turbo version making 160 horsepower.

Or as Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson called the Abarth, "A small, cuddly pet mouse that can be used for killing burglars."





Fire up the engine and you'll hear the throatiest snarl on the market. I looked to see where it was coming from the first time...not quite able to believe that this $22,000 (base price) economy (EPA estimate 28 city/34 highway) car could be the source.

But it was.

And it's nothing but good news from that moment on. There's only one transmission...a manual (yes, more gears would be nice, but the 5-speed keeps the revs up on the 1.4 Turbo very nicely, never letting that snarl fade away. There are anti-lock four-wheel disc performance brakes with red calipers, 16-inch aluminum wheels, a spoiler, and dual exhausts. Not to mention an Abarth tuned suspension.

Given that the 500 is a short, narrow and tallish car, I was a bit concerned about taking corners too enthusiastically at first. Not to worry. The tweaks to the Abarth keep the car firm and planted. And the extra power is fun to use at just the right moments...like when the cretin in the half-ton pickup truck speeds up just to keep you from merging onto the freeway. A bit of pressure from your right Nike and he's wondering just what that furrin' car has under the hood.

Inside, you get airbags and curtains, hill start assist, remote keyless entry, speed control, power locks, tire pressure monitoring, intermittent wipers, a turbo boost gauge, air conditioning, driver seat memory, power windows, an AM/FM/CD/mp3 Bose Premium radio with Bluetooth and USB connection, leather-wrapped instrument cluster brow, steering wheel and shift knob, bright pedal covers and Abarth floormats.

And again, that's just what $22,000 buys you. Our tester added Performance leather-trimmed high-back bucket seats ($1,000), a safety and convenience package including automatic temperature control, SirusXM satellite radio and a security alarm ($750), a power sunroof ($850), red mirror caps and body side stripes ($350),  a TomTom navigation system that plugs into a port at the top of the instrument panel when you want it and stashes neatly in the glovebox when you don't ($400) and 17-inch gloss white wheels with 3-season tires ($1,000).

With $700 for destination charges, the final tally was $27,050. And you know what? It's still a bargain. The Abarth pegs the fun-meter like nothing else under...oh, say...$40,000. If $27,000 and a picture of Ulysses S. Grant seems too high, there's nothing on the options list of our car that affects performance. Ditch it all, take the car stock and you're at $22,000. Pop for the special seats and the wheels and tires and it's $24,000. And worth every penny.

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New Car Review: 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport




The 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport.

Regular TireKicker readers will recall that just 13 months ago we were puzzling over the place of the CT 200h in the universe...or at least in Lexus' lineup.

Our questions revolved around whether Lexus needed another small car (question since answered...they've killed off the over-priced HS 250h, the closest Lexus has ever come to the Cadillac Cimarron or Lincoln Versailles).

Well, sales are up 500% so far this year over last, so apparently, there is a market for a small Lexus hybrid hatchback.

Now...how about a performance model?





Rear three-quarters view of the 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport.

Well, let's re-phrase that.

How about a performance appearance package?

There are models in the Lexus lineup where F Sport adds a bit of dash to the driving experience (416 horsepower in the IS F Sport...some nifty handling upgrades in the GS 350 F Sport), but in this case, it's all about the look.

We start with a CT 200h Premium. Base price $31,750...an $850 bump from last year. For that you get a reasonably roomy five-seat (stick to four unless they're kids) hatchback hybrid with an EPA mileage estimate of 43 city/40 highway.

There's a 1.8 liter in-line four cylinder DOHC gasoline engine mated to Lexus Hybrid Drive's electric motor and connected to an electronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).  You also get electric power rack and pinion steering, four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel power assisted front and rear disc brakes, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, vehicle stability control, traction control, and electronic throttle control.

Smart Stop technology kills the gasoline engine at the right moments (like at stop lights) to help you save gas. And there's the usual plethora of airbags, side curtains, pre-tensioners and the like to keep you safe in the event of a crash. And there's integrated fog lamps, power adjustable outside mirrors with turn indicators, a rear wiper for the hatch, tire pressure monitoring and a first aid kit.




The 2012 Lexus CT 200h Premium F Sport interior.

On the inside, the standard equipment list includes a power tilt-and-slide moonroof with a sliding sunshade, NuLuxe (read: not leather) interior trim, heated front seats, a three-spoke leather (read: not NuLuxe) trimmed steering wheel with audio and cruise control buttons, 10-way multi-adjustable power driver's seat including power lumbar support, push button start/stop, electroluminescent Optitron (read: neither leather nor NuLuxe  enough, Hagerty--) gauges, dual-zone automatic climate control, drive mode select (choices are Normal, Sport, ECO and EV), a driver information center with trip computer, a 6-speaker audio system with single in-dash CD player, USB, AUX, Bluetooth and Sirius XM, power windows, power door locks, a cargo cover and carpeted floor mats.

Again, that's all for $31,750.

And now come the options. The F Sport package gets you different 17 inch alloy wheels, a mesh upper and lower grille, a large rear spoiler, black headliner, aluminum sport pedals (see photo above), perforated leather trimmed steering wheel, leather trimmed shift knob, an F Sport exterior fender badge, metal door sill/scuff plates and metal tone interior trim.

And it costs $2,530.

Our tester didn't stop there. $1,100 went for an upgrade to the 10-speaker Lexus Premium Audio System, which has a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and Homelink. $1,215 was the tab for LED headlamps that are auto-leveling and have washers. And then there was $2,445 for a hard drive navigation system, including backup camera, Lexus Enform, Lexus Insider, voice command, NavTraffic, NavWeather and Sports & Stocks. For 90 days. After that, you have to subscribe.

The cargo mat, cargo net, wheel locks and key gloves (little leather....or is it NuLuxe?...pouches that hold the all in one miniaturized remote key fob)...$263.

Total price, including $875 delivery, processing and handling fee.....$39,978.

The one we drove last year was $35,819...and frankly, we thought that was a big chunk of change for a small car that needs to be in "Sport" mode to get to 60 in less (though not much less) than 10 seconds.  This one's 22 bucks shy of 40 grand.

If it was our money, we'd buy a top of the line Prius, check all the option boxes and pocket the ($7,000 worth of) change. And get 8 miles per gallon better mileage.

But people are buying the CT 200h...far more than bought them last year. So we'll ask the question again...do you see something here we're not seeing? Click on "Post A Comment" below to give us your thoughts.

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