The 2015 Honda Fit Is A Value

When the 2015 Honda Fit debuts later this month in North America, buyers will have a more upscale, feature-filled subcompact vehicle to choose from in the Honda lineup. The Honda Fit has been a great success since its original debut on U.S. shores in 2006, and now Honda is investing more than ever into the subcompact to give consumers a 'no-brainer' decision when it comes to selecting a vehicle in the subcompact class.

Much like the Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and other great Honda models, the new Honda Fit offers owners reliability, safety, resale value, and overall comfort unlike any other vehicle in its class. In fact, according to Truecar.com's ALG unit, the 2013 Honda Fit is expected to be worth about 55% of its original price after three years, while all others in its class are, at best 50%.

Honda's new Fit improves on all of the niceties owners appreciated with the last generation model, and sees a huge jump in fuel economy thanks in part to a new CVT outfitted in the Fit. Increasing its overall power to 130 hp, the new Fit now yields a 33 mpg in the city/ 41 mpg on the highway fuel economy, good for 36 mpg in combined travel.

Fit owners also enjoy the wonderful space given by the automaker, and that continues in the 2015 model. Honda gives their new Fit fans five additional inches of rear-seat legroom and fold-flat rear seating. More impressive is the fact that Honda extended the wheelbase of the Fit slightly over an inch, however, the length of the 2015 Fit is actually 1.6 inches shorter, giving drivers the ability to handle and park easier now than ever.

Add on more standard features like a rearview camera, USB/Bluetooth capabilities, and steering wheel mounted audio controls, and the Fit could be (and should be) considered for the "Car of the Year" award in 2014.

"We're taking customers out of the penalty box of life in a small car," said Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America. "We are amping up the fun in the small car arena."

Indeed Mr. Schostek, Honda is most certainly amping up the fun in the small car arena with the new 2015 Fit. 

 

by http://www.kelly-honda.com/blog/2014/april/9/centerthe-2015-honda-fit-is-a-valuepacked-choice-for-any-buyer-center.htm

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible Manual

What else can we say about the latest Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that we haven’t said before? From our first test: “The Z06 must be ranked among the world’s best.” From the Z06 coupe’s comparison-test win against the Nissan GT-R NISMO and Porsche 911 Turbo S: “Drink your Red Bull and splash some water on your face, because unless your last name is Vettel or Gordon, the Z06 is more than you can handle, even on your best day.” And from our test of the automatic convertible: “To keep from getting arrested, we settled for short blasts of acceleration [on public roads].” To this, all we can add is “Yup.”
The Z06 is a formidable beast no matter which form it takes, as there’s essentially no fall-off in performance from coupe to convertible. Chopping the roof from the Z06 results in no palpable difference in rigidity—there’s next to no shake in the cowl or the windshield header—and the weight penalty is less than 90 pounds. Yet perhaps the biggest benefit to the convertible is that it allows pure, unfiltered access to an exhaust note that sounds like a Napalm Death concert being held inside a howitzer.
Punch the throttle and your first thought is something like, “Great holy [CENSORED] balls of [CENSORED], this thing is brutal.” The 650-hp, 650-lb-ft supercharged V-8 slingshots the Z06 to 60 mph from a rest in 3.3 seconds. The car reaches 150 mph in 17.7 seconds. It scorches a quarter-mile run in 11.4 seconds at 127 mph. These figures are essentially identical to those we’ve gathered from manual-transmission Z06 coupes. To beat those numbers with something else topless, you’re going to either get an automatic Z06 or spend great gobs of cash on a McLaren 650S Spider or a Porsche 911 Turbo S cabriolet. And neither of those cars can claw the road with the 1.14-g tenaciousness of the Chevy, nor come close to its stupendous 138-foot stop from 70 mph.

The magnetorheological shock absorbers enable the Z06 to deliver a ride that’s livable every day, and the steering is accurate, quick, and sends the car toward apexes in a way best described as predatory. The ridiculous grip levels translate to cornering speeds on back roads that would be illegal on a freeway, and what acceleration you give up with the seven-speed manual transmission—0.2 second to 60 versus the eight-speed automatic—is more than made up for by the euphoric rush of redline upshifts executed via a progressive, user-friendly clutch and a positive shifter. If there’s any complaint to be made about the convertible, it’s that it looks a bit goofy with the top up. If you live someplace that dictates you’ll drive with the roof raised for a considerable amount of time, get the coupe and take advantage of its removable targa panel on nice days.
Once again, this car represents a tremendous value. The base price is $83,995, a fraction of anything else that can touch it in terms of performance. The money saved can, of course, be plowed back into the options list, and our car had another 10 grand or so in extras. These included the $3270 2LZ Preferred Equipment Group (basically a bunch of convenience features), the $2995 carbon-fiber package (painted carbon splitter, rockers, and rear spoiler), the $1795 Performance Data Recorder (a very worthy add-on that also brings navigation), a carbon interior-trim package for $995, $495 black wheels, and $100 painted carbon-fiber mirror caps.
If you want to go whole hog, you can order the Z07 package to make the car even more ludicrously capable, and other available options include a customized VIN, exterior stripes, special paint colors, and competition seats. You can go well past $100,000, but outside of the Z07 kit and maybe the seats, everything that you really need is baked into the basic car, although there’s nothing basic about the Z06 or its talents.
As you can see, the numbers—price, performance, and nearly anything else you can think of—speak for themselves. Yet we can’t wait for another opportunity to say this stuff all over again.

by http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-chevrolet-corvette-z06-convertible-manual-test-review

Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.0i CVT

We’re not sure what the opposite of a sleeper is, but the Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.0i we tested in Premium Special Edition guise has to be a strong candidate. Mostly, what’s special is the retina-searing Sunrise Yellow paint, quixotically juxtaposed to the otherwise quotidian and practical four-door hatchback that’s jacked up with additional ground clearance for foul weather and back-country treks to the pumpkin patch. But, hey, it sure is easy to spot in a sea of crossovers at the mall parking lot. So just when we thought we had the gluten-free wing of the Subaru family pegged, along comes this lemony-fresh all-wheel-drive compact hatchback. It’s a contrarian twist on an already contrarian car.
The Crosstrek’s 148-hp 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder doesn’t develop an abundance of power; in our last test of a nonhybrid XV Crosstrek, it teamed with a five-speed manual transmission to deliver a zero-to-60-mph time of 8.1 seconds. Our latest 2.0-liter test car, however, was equipped with Subaru’s optional Lineartronic continuously variable automatic ($1000), which adds 168 pounds to the package. At 10.3 seconds to 60 mph, the CVT-equipped XV Crosstrek’s acceleration fell somewhere between the breathless squirt of a Toyota Prius and a Chevrolet Spark CVT—not exactly fast company.
But you already knew that this Subaru wasn’t hanging out with its fast and furious Impreza-based cousins, the WRX and STI. Judging the XV Crosstrek on performance stats alone would be missing the whole point of this car. The Crosstrek comes down on the terrapin side of the tortoise/hare continuum. Its mantra is to complete the journey, even when apexes get greasy with rain or snow or the tarmac is disintegrating or nonexistent.

The XV Crosstrek’s test-track numbers—a mushy 0.79 g of lateral grip on the skidpad and a lengthy 186-foot stop from 70 mph—seem more appropriate for a big SUV than a compact hatch. But in real-world driving, the little Subie comes into its own. The ride is well-damped without undo jostling or head toss, and body roll is held in check. The Crosstrek’s suspension rounds the edge off of harsh impacts. A new-for-2015 quicker 14:1 steering gear provides prompt response to inputs and, despite electric power assist, feels pleasantly organic. The weighting is just right and the car feels relaxed and planted on-center. Brake response is decent with progressive feel and plenty of bite. We experienced no fade in our testing. Recent updates to the CVT mean the engine doesn’t drone under acceleration, as there are some steps programmed in that simulate six gearchanges; even without using the steering-wheel paddles, the transmission “upshifts” in stages.
Inside, the Crosstrek’s seats are all-day comfortable with good lower-torso support, and they feature a grippy, nylonlike upholstery. As with all Imprezas, the Crosstrek’s gauges and controls are simple and straightforward. Outward visibility is great thanks to thin A-pillars, pedestal-mounted mirrors, and small front-quarter windows. A backup camera is standard.
In addition to a power sunroof, push-button start, keyless access, and a leather-wrapped shifter, our $26,140 Special Edition (the non-Special 2.0i with a CVT starts two grand cheaper) came equipped with the upgraded Starlink 7.0 Multimedia system with SiriusXM satellite radio, Aha, Pandora, and iHeartRadio; voice-activated controls; and dual USB ports. The infotainment system is easy to use, with large touch points that can be tapped even on a bumpy road, knobs for volume and tuning that don’t require eyes-off-the-road time, plus dedicated shortcut keys lining both sides of the screen.
Going by the performance stats alone, it’s hard to explain the appeal of the XV Crosstrek. One could lower the suspension and go with stickier, wider-section tires in pursuit of driving satisfaction, but that would sacrifice the Crosstrek’s all-weather, all-road appeal. The small Subie crossover is comfortable in its own skin—even the bright-yellow one. A bit less sleepiness under the hood wouldn’t hurt, though.

by  http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-subaru-xv-crosstrek-20i-test-review