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.