Friday Fleet Notes: 4.25.08

This Friday's fleet notes come packed with insightful takes on the Saturn Astra, Infiniti EX35, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic EX-L, and Toyota Matrix XRS. Our staff had plenty to say, both good and bad, about the vehicles, so be sure to check out their posts, then link to the expert reviews after the jump.

2008 Saturn Astra

• This was a bummer for me. I was soooo looking forward to driving this car, but when I got behind the wheel I was again greeted by anemic acceleration. However, unlike the Corolla, the Astra XR is supposed to be a fun-to-drive machine. I did not experience much fun. It handled well but felt heavy. The automatic transmission was a dog, and do I need to mention the controls? A fellow reviewer called them hieroglyphics because the symbols are so hard to translate. There’s no USB or AUX-in capability either, not even as an option. Eegads. It was nice-looking, though, I’ll give it that. — David Thomas, senior editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 4.11.08

This week's fleet notes takes on two competing hybrids, the Honda Civic Hybrid and the current champ, the Toyota Prius. In addition the Ford Focus makes an appearance, so if you're interested in how our staff felt about the Sync system, this might be a Friday fleet note you don't want to miss.

Toyota Prius

• Having driven a rental Prius in Denver a few months back, I was dreading the worst: an uncomfortable ride, a whiny engine at freeway speeds, a brake pedal that felt like a steel rod pressing up against the tires. Boy, was I surprised. This non-rental Prius could not have been more different. It was a much smoother ride. The engine, even at 70 mph, purred quietly. The brakes still felt a little funky, but I wasn’t in any doubt about their abilities and I still managed to get around 50 mpg. This experience gets the Prius off my hit list. — Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief

Friday Fleet Notes: 3.28.08

This week our staff takes a look at the Audi R8, Scion xB, Pontiac G8 and Hyundai Veracruz. Check out what our reviewers and editors had to say, then get the full picture with our expert reviews.

2008 Audi R8

• This is the best cure for a bad day since ice cream. You’d have to be pretty far gone (or hate cars) to drive this and not feel better when you were done. The only complaint I had was that the clutch travel was quite long and my foot slipped around on the pedal face a couple of times. My shoes did have some snow on them, but it was a bit disconcerting. The brakes were the best I’ve driven: Right there, easy to modulate and confidence-inspiring. Overall, the R8 makes you smile. Just the right amount of engine noise comes into the cabin, the steering weight is just right (heavy, but not obtrusively so) and it looks really good. - William Jackson, Buying Guides editor, Weekend Athlete

Friday Fleet Notes: 2.29.08

This week, we have input from staffers on multiple vehicles, including the Mazda RX-8, Jeep Patriot, Subaru WRX STI and the always-coveted Chevy Malibu. Check out what our staff had to say, then take a look at our latest Expert Reviews for each vehicle for more in-depth coverage.

2008 Honda Odyssey

• Unlike many minivans, the Odyssey doesn't forget about the driver. The V-6 engine is a smooth performer, and the van's responsive handling is much appreciated. Cabin quality is impressive, and seat comfort is good in all three rows. If I were shopping for a minivan, I'd spend my money on this one. – Mike Hanley, Cars.com reviewer

Friday Fleet Notes: 1.25.07

Friday Fleet Notes is back, and even in its absence our staff has been diligently recording thoughts on the latest cars to come into the Cars.com offices. The new Smart elicited the most comments we’ve gotten in a long time, but a Lexus hybrid and Lincoln SUV made an impression too.

Smart ForTwo Passion (original expert review w/video)

• Niche cars like the Smart ForTwo will sell no matter what, but in case you’re wondering whether you need to envy your neighbor who bought one and can now park wherever he feels like it, the answer is no.
  
  It’s not that you’ll feel cramped inside; there’s plenty of space in the driver’s seat, and until you look over your shoulder you may even forget you’re driving a car straight out of Munchkinland. The problem with this little car is that it’s miserable to drive. The automatic transmission is awful, especially at low speeds, the brakes are jerky, a gust of wind makes you feel as if you’re about to tip over, and every bump and crack in the road feels like railroad tracks.

  There’s an auto-manual mode that helps a lot with the jerkiness, but it’s a pain to use paddle shifters at low speeds. The paddles turn with the steering wheel, so midway through a left turn, as the tachometer quickly approaches the redline, you’ll be left to reach frantically for an ever-moving target. Why this car doesn’t have a plain-old manual transmission is beyond me.

  The ergonomics inside aren’t bad, though the seat adjustments aren’t very smooth. My biggest gripe here was that the cargo shelf behind the front seats is inaccessible without moving the seat forward, and that handle is on the inside of the driver’s seat. That means that if you need to toss anything back there (like, you know, a purse), be prepared to reach across the seat and get smacked by the seatback before you can do so. — Beth Palmer, copy editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 11.30.07

Cars.com’s notes from our test fleet return after an extended break due to the L.A. auto show and Thanksgiving holiday. That means we had some good impressions built up on a number of recently reviewed cars and SUVs including Chevy's all-new Malibu.

2008 Jeep Liberty

• I was wowed by the extra-large ragtop sunroof, and the airlock-like sound you get when that top closes. It opened up, letting a lot of sunlight into the car, and gave it a near-convertible feeling. That said, the driving experience left me feeling like I was hovering over the wheels, not really attached to them — just kind of bobbing up and down on the suspension. I didn’t feel directly connected to the road, and there was some pretty noticeable lean in turns. — Patrick Olsen, managing editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 10.19.07

This week we get feedback on quite the cross section of cars. From the sporty Volvo C30 hatchback to the Mazda CX-9 crossover to the aggressive Dodge Viper, the staff was hopping in and out of some diverse vehicles that recently got the full review treatment on Cars.com.


2008 Volvo C30

• The outrageous Volvo S60 R, now discontinued, probably raised my expectations. The C30 is no S60 R. Neither is it a Volkswagen GTI, but it is a fun car and a nice size. The steering isn’t the best attribute, but saying a Volvo has numb steering is like saying a Hell’s Angel has a tattoo. Having driven it, I still have sticker shock – the good kind, but I wonder if they shouldn’t bring over one of Europe’s smaller and more efficient (please, more efficient) four- or five-cylinder engines and sell it cheaper still. That might be asking too much. Making a car look distinctive isn’t easy these days, so I like the C30’s easily recognized rear window and shape. — Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.27.07

As I prepare to drive home in a Corvette Z06 — pity me, really — I get a chance to reflect on how varied our revolving fleet of vehicles truly is. This week, Kelsey Mays and I take a look at the all-new Land Rover LR2 and the Chrysler Town & Country. They’re two distinctly different vehicles, and both needed a reworking. Now, where is that Z06 key fob… 

2008 Land Rover LR2

Land Rover fans will love the brand’s latest baby. It has the flavor of its larger siblings — the window switches sit right up on the window sill, the center controls employ lots of scalloped dials, and there’s enough off-road equipment to get you to the Yucatan. Those looking for a regular SUV might take issue with some of the smaller details: Our LR2 SE had an uncovered tray in place of a real center console (the pricier HSE adds one) and it’s too easy to confuse the temperature dial for the stereo volume. As senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder noted in his review, folding the rear seats down requires first flipping the cushions forward. That’s old-school.

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.21.07

Not too much to report today. We have a lot of new cars in the fleet, but we’re feverishly working on getting the full reviews done before the rest of the staff gets to weigh in on them. Until then, we get another take on the new Hummer H3 Alpha and some good real-life use of the Toyota Highlander’s nav system.

Hummer H3 Alpha

Even though the H3 is the smallest member of the Hummer family (it’s approximately the same length and width as a Jeep Grand Cherokee) it still feels big. Really big. Due to the H3’s height and the short windows, small cars behind me and along the passenger side would essentially disappear. In a 90-minute drive, there were three separate times I thought “Whoa! Where’d that car come from?!” as some compact seemed to zoom ahead out of nowhere.

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.7.07

Friday Fleet Notes returns with a solid batch of cars we’ve recently reviewed. This week’s installment features second thoughts on the new Nissan Altima coupe, Hummer H3 Alpha, Saturn Vue Red Line and Honda Ridgeline, giving added insight for folks who didn’t get enough from the original review.

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe

I recently spent another day or so with the 2008 Altima SE coupe reviewed in July by David Thomas. I like it now as I did then, and it got me musing on the issue of continuously variable automatic transmissions, which the Altima teams with its 3.5-liter V-6. This is one of the best CVT executions out there — a technology that hasn’t grown on me as much as I’d expected. As a class, they tend to have a delay when accelerating to pass, and they often rev the engine faster than expected under light acceleration. This results in more noise than many are comfortable with, and I think it increases the perception of lag, because surely this thing should be going faster with all the noise it’s making. Part of it is driver adjustment and part of it is a legitimate drawback.

Friday Fleet Notes: 8.17.07

A few of us got in the last of our summer vacation this week, so the notes aren't as extensive as usual. Luckily, we got quite a few impressions on one, joyous driving in another and some awkward moments in a new convertible.

Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD

The Outlander turned out to be an awfully fun SUV to drive, but if Mitsubishi wants to move a ton of them, it’s going to have to improve the look and feel of the interior. For as strong as the engine was (and as good as the gas mileage was, for this class), the cheap plastic feel of the dash and doors was off-putting. There's a cubbyhole on the top of the dash, which is a great place to stash stuff, but the plastic top was curling down a bit at the corners, cheapening the feel of the car.

Friday Fleet Notes: 8.10.07

This week we had a trio of $100,000 cars in the office. That’s a rarity, let me assure you. Still, we don’t turn our noses up at cars like these when they do arrive.

Cadillac XLR-V

My time with the XLR-V was tragically brief, but it didn’t take long for me to appreciate its exceptional powertrain. The gutsy supercharged V-8 alone will get your attention, but its harmonious integration with the six-speed automatic is inspiring. The gearing is very well matched, and the revs stay at remarkably low rpm in normal driving, much like the Chevy Corvette on which this Caddy is based. Stand on it, though, and the XLR-V takes off like a shot. Chirping the tires when already in motion is one thing; doing so when moving at highway speed is an accomplishment — one I accomplished enough to ensure I wasn’t imagining it. Though it’s not marked, if you move the gear selector into the manual-shift gate, it seems to activate an eager automatic sport-shift mode. Only when you push up or back does it start locking in gears. There are no shift paddles, and I certainly didn’t miss them.

Friday Fleet Notes: 8.03.07

This week saw a real hodgepodge of vehicles in and out of the fleet, with some we hadn’t revisited since they were first reviewed. Some oldies turned out to be goodies, while one newcomer didn’t endear itself to the staff.

2008 Chrysler Sebring retractable hardtop

While there’s plenty of good things to say about Sebring retractable-hardtop convertible, some of those good things have related deficiencies.

The Limited trim level I tested had a smooth 3.5-liter V-6, but the engine is tied to a six-speed automatic transmission that was especially clunky during our test when shifting into gear from Park, and when downshifting. Unacceptable.

With the hardtop up, the Sebring is almost as quiet as a traditional closed-roof car. However, despite adding hundreds of pounds to make the convertible stiffer, it creaks a lot when that top is in place.

Friday Fleet Notes: 7.27.07

This week we had a lot of different cars come in and out of the fleet, but we decided to let Mike wax poetic about the Civic Hybrid’s mileage in his own post. That left everyone clamoring for seat time in the new Mercedes C-Class and a few of us revisiting an old Faceoff winner.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C300

Considering the C300 is the less-powerful trim level, I thought it accelerated pretty well. It’s no rocket, but it certainly benefits from the seven-speed transmission. It takes off smoothly and quietly, seeming to start out in second gear when in Drive, an old Mercedes practice. Even in the Sport version, it didn’t live up to the BMW 3 Series or the Infiniti G35, but it was pretty satisfying to drive — and not every luxury automaker can chase the same goal.

Friday Fleet Notes: 7.20.07

A lot of folks got behind the wheel of a new Volvo S80 with the base engine. The varying opinions are an interesting read. We also get some seat impressions on Ford’s Fusion sedan, one of the company’s most important offerings. Our resident answerman, Joe Bruzek, also offers his take on the grandpa-like Kia Amanti.

2007 Volvo S80 3.2

I thought the S80 we tested in March, a well-equipped model powered by a V-8, was nice — not a knockout, but nice. This week’s model, modestly equipped and powered by a 3.2-liter inline-six, leaves me a bit flat. My main problem with it is the acceleration, which isn’t lacking so much as lagging. Nowadays people are quick to call practically any vehicle underpowered. I don’t buy it. This one’s 235 hp and six-speed automatic are a decent match, I just experienced too much hesitation when I hit the pedal, especially from a standstill or low speed. In my opinion, the danger of modest power in traffic is overstated, as is the danger of inconsistent, unpredictable hesitation.

Friday Fleet Notes: 6.29.07

We have a varied sampling this week, with a hybrid SUV, an aging retro cruiser and a somewhat-rare look at a full range of trim levels for two new sedans.

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

I like the Mariner and Ford Escape Hybrids because they use hybridized four-cylinders instead of V-6 engines like the Toyota and Lexus hybrid SUVs. As for the Saturn Vue Green Line, it may be a four-cylinder, but the transmission is conventional and the engine doesn’t use the Atkinson cycle like the Fords do, so its mileage gains aren’t as great.

Friday Fleet Notes: 6.22.07

One perk about working around cars is that you get to drive a lot of luxury brands that you’re probably not going to end up plunking down your own hard-earned money for. That’s the case with two recent entries into our fleet from BMW and Jaguar. We were all easily swayed by the luxury cruisers, but that’s because they did a terrific job impressing us with their substance and style, not because we pine away for them. Well, for the most part.

2008 BMW 550i

Question: What does the 550i do that I like? Answer: Everything. The seat's good, the drivetrain’s good, the shifter was good; I liked the steering wheel, headroom, visibility, exhaust note … heck, I even liked the white paint. I drive everything that comes in here with a manual transmission if my bosses let me (they hogged the Mini we had), and this was the best.

Friday Fleet Notes: 6.15.07

It’s definitely summer. The weather’s warm and the Cars.com test fleet is full of interesting cars. This week we even got some extra content courtesy of a rental car company stocking new GMC Acadias and Saturn Outlooks.

2007 Hyundai Veracruz

This is the best Lexus that Hyundai has ever built. The cabin in our Limited-trim test car had soft leather seats and plenty of high quality buttons with Arial-font labels — a well-worn standard at Lexus. It’s too bad Hyundai’s heated seat controls don’t conform. Admittedly, not everything is up to luxury snuff: the door handles are black plastic, not chrome, and only the driver’s power window gets a one-touch function. But those are nitpicks; this really is one of Hyundai’s best efforts yet.

Friday Fleet Notes: 6.1.07

This week’s Fleet Notes will be brief because we covered so much last week, but one interesting tidbit comes from a staffer who got to drive the new version of his own car. Is he jealous? A bit.

2007 Nissan 350Z

As a current owner of a 2005 350Z (above right), I jumped at the chance to take the new 2007 for a drive. I did most of my driving on the busy streets of Chicago, running some errands, but I also got the opportunity to take it on the track at Road America in Wisconsin. There were many subtle changes from my ‘05 ride to the new ’07, some of which took place in the 2006 update.

Friday Fleet Notes: 05.25.07

We’ve got a healthy list of staff reviews this week, as we’ve been flooded with some particularly interesting cars, such as the 2007 Chevrolet HHR Panel and a couple of new models from Saturn. Senior reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder gives his take on the Audi RS 4 and 2008 Saturn Vue that we recently posted full-length reviews of earlier this week.

2007 Chevrolet HHR Panel

I’m not sure who would buy this car. A florist in Malibu? A contractor in the Hamptons? Purely as a delivery skiff, it didn’t impress me. I hauled my mom and her luggage to the airport one morning, and the rubber floormats could’ve used some dividers to keep things from shifting around. We didn’t mess with the dual storage bins behind the front seats, but they seemed large enough to swallow a bag or two.

Not that anyone looking for serious storage would choose this. With a starting price north of $18,000, you could easily ramp up to a Dodge Caravan cargo van — it has more than double the room in back, and with the current discounts the outgoing 2007 model starts in the same price neighborhood.

Granted, the HHR panel has a higher cool factor than the Caravan, but some of its features have more style than substance. The two rear doors unlatch with the push of a dashboard button, but that requires you to climb up front first. I wish the buttons had made it onto the key fob, or — imagine this — Chevy had left the handles on the back doors. The paneled windows, meanwhile, make for a wicked blind spot. My advice: Change lanes reeeaaal slow.

• Kelsey Mays, assistant editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 05.18.07

This week we get some feedback from the staff on the recently reviewed 2007 Kia Rondo, as well as a summertime treat in the Pontiac Solstice GXP. Two of our staffers turned out to have radically different impressions of the little roadster.

2007 Kia Rondo

One of the Rondo's most impressive features is how open and airy the cabin feels; visibility is exceptional in all directions. The flipside, though, is that after driving the Rondo for a while you begin to feel like you're piloting a giant fish bowl because pedestrians have an equally good view inside the car. Subaru's Forester provides a similar experience, but it's one we're seeing on relatively few new cars these days.

• Mike Hanley, Cars.com reviewer

Friday Fleet Notes: 05.11.07

This week we get some new blood into the reporting, namely our multimedia producer, Eric Rossi, who drove a Subaru Forester XT up to Wisconsin loaded with gear and some of our staff. He probably wanted to drive the new Nissan 350Z a bit more, but he still gives some interesting insight on the Forester’s long-haul attributes. The rest of us weigh in on the Volvo C70 and Jeep Patriot.

2007 Volvo C70

The C70 has impressed us before (we named it our Play Car of the Year for 2007), and I was thrilled to get the chance to drive it on a long-distance trip. I was a little worried about what it might cost at the pump, because the heavy car moved spiritedly, but those fears were not realized. Driving at highway speeds for more than three hours, I was able to get 29 mpg in the C70.

The C70 had great acceleration, handled the road well and was very comfortable. Perhaps the best thing about it, considering it’s a convertible, was the lack of wind noise with the top up — way better than I expected. Also better than expected was the visibility in the car, especially considering the low, arcing top, I expected to find blind spots on the sides and limited visibility out the back, but I never felt like it was difficult to see. On the downside, the doors are a little heavy, and getting into the backseat was a challenge for the kids. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to put this on my list of possible next cars.

• Patrick Olsen, managing editor

Friday Fleet Notes: 04.27.07

This week the staff was behind the wheel of a couple of BMWs and an impressive family hauler. Here’s what they had to say.

2007 BMW Z4

After spending a lot of time lately writing about crossover SUVs, it was nice to get back into a car designed for drivers. The 3.0si is the most powerful non-M version of the Z4 you can get, and its 255-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline-six sings a sweet song at high rpms. Acceleration isn't fierce, but it's plenty strong if you're looking for an occasional thrill. Our coupe had the six-speed automatic transmission, and its manual mode featured impressive rev-matching on downshifts.

The car is planted and stable through fast corners and the handling is top-notch. The sport seats' aggressively bolstered backrests may be a little narrow for some, but they do a good job of keeping you in place when driving the car hard. For such a small car, the 12-cubic-foot cargo area adds some unexpected practicality.

There are a couple of drawbacks. The super taut sport suspension and low-profile run-flat tires make for a punishing ride on rough roads — even for a sports car. Additionally, if you're much taller than 6' 1", you'll be pushing the limits of the cabin, and over-right-shoulder visibility is significantly compromised by the coupe's large hatch.

• Mike Hanley, Cars.com reviewer

Friday Fleet Notes: 04.20.2007

In this week’s edition of Friday Fleet Notes, our staff chimes in on a number of cars recently reviewed on Cars.com, as well as one that was in the fleet for an upcoming faceoff.

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

The manual transmission is a gem. It has the solid feel of a Mazda3’s shifter with the precise operation of a Honda Civic’s. I like the engine, too; it revs quickly and delivers plenty of punch, and it sounds much nicer than the empty-garbage-disposal drone of the Hyundai Elantra. The downside is that there isn’t much going on at the low end, which really hurts when you’re coming out of a turn in second gear and need some oomph.

I’m not a big fan of the interior. It’s typical Mitsubishi — a lot of style without much substance. The air conditioning knobs have a cheap click, and the radio display is so dim I thought it had stopped working at one point. Yes, I had the brightness turned all the way up.

Kelsey Mays, assistant editor

Friday Fleet Notes

We get a lot of cars to test at the Cars.com offices, and often many of our staff — besides the lead reviewer — get to test-drive vehicles. We wanted to give them a place to add their thoughts on cars we’ve already reviewed. Friday Fleet Notes is a new feature we’re thinking of bringing back. Tell us what you think in the comments to help determine its fate.

2007 Dodge Nitro SXT 4WD

The only explanation I can come up with for out-there styling like the Dodge Nitro’s is that it must be aimed at a particular niche. That, of course, is thinly veiled code for “I think it’s ugly,” but the truth is somebody must like it if it made it to production. For Dodge’s sake, I hope the group of buyers meant to appreciate the Nitro’s aesthetics doesn’t include many of my stature. Which is to say, short.