Tuesday, 28 January 2014
2014 New Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI DSG Elegance: First Drive [Review]
The Superb gets a mid-cycle refresh and in this latest guise, is as good a value package as it ever was. We take it for a quick spin
The Skoda Superb has been on sale for the past 10 years. And in this time, it has received a generation change once. The new for 2014 Superb isn't a generation change though; in fact, we won't even term it as a dramatic facelift, but facelift it certainly is.
So, the new Superb - in typical facelift mould - gets new head and tail lamps and revised bumpers both front and back. Additionally, the bonnet design has changed and it now houses the Skoda logo, in line with Skoda's new design philosophy. The grille too follows this new design language, which was first revealed on the new Octavia in India.
Other changes include new front fenders, nicer looking design for the 16 inch alloys and a revised tail gate which receives badging on the sides instead of the centre seen on the previous car. All these changes, we have to agree, have freshened up the Superb's looks and we particularly like the new LED daytime running lights. Having said that, it still looks a bit disproportionate compared to its competition like the Toyota Camry.
The changes to the interior are a lot less significant. There's a new steering wheel design - three-spoked for the automatic versions and a four-spoke steering wheel for the manual - and nothing else. This isn't all bad news though, because the Superb's cabin was always regarded highly for its build quality, good ergonomics and operability; the latter, be it for buttons, dials, rollers or toggles, have always had a positive and tactile feel to them. All this remains true for the new Skoda Superb as well.
Top Ten Cheapest Cars with Active Safety Features
The trickle-down theory may be best known for its economic application, but it’s an idea that’s relevant to the automotive sphere as well, especially in regards to safety. Features like antilock brakes, airbags and stability control first came about in high-end luxury sedans and gradually propagated to more mainstream vehicles before eventually becoming required standard equipment in all cars sold in the U.S. These days, active safety technologies are making their way into more affordable, mainstream cars and are even factored into the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s vehicle safety ratings.
We compiled a list of the least expensive new vehicles that are equipped with a basic suite of active safety technologies. Each qualifying car had to be equipped with the following: a blind spot monitor (BSM), a lane departure warning system (LDW), forward collision warning (FCW), and a backup camera. Just as a refresher, we’ll explain what each of these systems do.
- Blind spot monitor (BSM): uses lenses or other sensors to detect if another vehicle has entered in either the left or right blind spot areas. It then displays a visual and/or audio warning to alert the driver of the other vehicle’s presence.
- Forward collision warning (FCW): uses radar, laser, and/or camera sensors to detect an impending collision. From there, systems vary on what action is taken. Some notify the driver with flashing lights and an audio warning, whereas some also ready the seatbelt pretensioners in the case of a crash. Higher-end FCW systems can also engage the brakes to help lessen the impact speed or avoid the collision altogether.
- Lane departure warning (LDW): cameras are able to detect lane markings and alert the driver if the car is drifting outside of the lane without the driver signaling. More complex versions of LDW can also intervene and use the steering to correct the car’s course and keep it in its lane.
- Backup camera: mounted on the rear of the vehicle, this camera provides an image of the area behind the car on a central display screen on the dashboard.
Pricing for this list was determined by adding up all options and/or trim levels needed to get the aforementioned features. As it turns out, the average price of entry for these features is right around $30,000, undercutting the average new car transaction price which is now above $31,000. We were also surprised to see that seven out of our ten vehicles come from American automakers.
2014 Buick Verano Convenience Group: $25,795
The 2014 Buick Verano is the least expensive car on our list by a margin of more than $3000. A backup camera is the only one of these features to come standard on the Verano, but buyers of this compact premium sedan only need to step up one trim level from the base model to get the full suite of active safety technologies included on the Convenience Group trim.
2014 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT: $29,105
Another General Motors vehicle comes in as the second cheapest, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. A backup camera is standard on the mid-grade 2LT trim, and the three other active safety features come with a reasonably-priced $890 Advanced Safety Package. This package also requires opting for the $1000 Leather Package and $1175 Electronics and Entertainment Package, but all in this nicely-equipped Malibu still comes in at a reasonable $29,105.
2014 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring: $29,390
The 2014 Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback have an impressive set of technology features, but FCW and LDW systems only come on the top-trim Grand Touring model in a special $2600 GT Tech package. That makes for an expensive little compact. You do get a lot for the money, though, as we are impressed with the Mazda 3’s upscale interior and best-in-class driving dynamics. If you can’t quite afford this loaded-up 3, the backup camera and BSM system do come as standard on lower-priced trim levels like the i Touring and Grand Touring.
2014 Buick Encore Premium Group: $29,890
Buick’s compact SUV has trim levels that are structured slightly differently than on the Verano sedan. To get FCW and LDW systems, you have to step up to the Encore’s top trim level, called Premium Group. This loads the Encore up with lots of other luxury and convenience features, but it still comes in under $30,000 with front-wheel-drive.
2015 Chrysler 200C: $30,475
Chrysler just introduced the new 200 at the 2014 Detroit auto show, and this midsize sedan is thoroughly modernized with a more stylish look. The new Chrysler 200 also ups its technology game, with a $1295 SafetyTec Package optional on the 200C that adds not only the required safety systems for this list, but also adaptive cruise control and a parking assist feature. This safety package does require the addition of $795 Premium Lighting Group and the $1395 Navigation and Sound Group, but a Chrysler 200C with these options only just tops $30,000. The Chrysler 200 will go on sale this spring.
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited: $30,645
Next up is another Chrysler product, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee crossover. To get the option of selecting the $2155 Technology Group package, Cherokee buyers have to step up to the Limited trim level. This package adds the required active safety features, along with adaptive cruise control and parking assist, just like in the Chrysler 200. The Limited comes standard with front-wheel drive and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine; adding four-wheel drive adds $2000, and opting for the 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6 costs $1495.
2014 Nissan Rogue SL: $30,920
Nissan first got into the idea of affordable active safety features with the Altima sedan that sourced its optional LDW, BSM, and moving object detection all from the same rearview camera. The Altima lacks FCW, which keeps it off this list, but the recently redesigned 2014 Nissan Rogue does have FCW and earns a spot here. A backup camera is standard on all 2014 Rogues, and a $1990 Premium Package available only on the top-trim Rogue SL adds FCW, BSM, and LDW.
2014 Ford Fusion SE 2.0 EcoBoost: $31,700
The 2014 Ford Fusion is available with a whole host of luxury features that drive its price up into the high-$30,000 range, but Ford offers its full set of active safety features in the mid-range Fusion SE when equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. Fusion buyers must opt for the $1200 Driver Assist Package to get BSM and LDW, and FCW comes along with the $995 adaptive cruise control. This also requires adding the $2350 Equipment Group 202A which adds leather, fog lights, and a power passenger’s seat.
2014 Chevrolet Impala 1LT: $31,750
The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is one step up from the Malibu in size and price, and offers a similar $890 Advanced Safety Package that adds FCW, LDW, and BSM on top of the standard rearview camera on the Impala’s 1LT trim. Adding this package also requires the $940 Convenience Package. At this price, the Impala is powered by a 195-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine; to get the optional 305-hp 3.6-liter V-6, buyers have to step up one trim level to the 2LT model.
2014 Mazda 6 Grand Touring: $32,570
Like its Mazda 3 little brother, the 2014 Mazda 6 packages most of its active safety features into the $2080 GT Technology Package available on the highest Grand Touring trim. This adds FCW and LDW to the backup camera and BLIS that come standard on the lower-trim Mazda 6 Touring. Other features like adaptive cruise control and Mazda’s i-ELOOP fuel-saving technology are also included in this package.
Honorable Mention: 2014 Honda Accord Sedan EX-L: $29,060
The 2014 Honda Accord doesn't quite make it onto our list because it does not have a full blind spot monitoring system. We wanted to give it some credit thanks to an interesting substitution, the Honda LaneWatch system. LaneWatch is a camera mounted below the passenger side mirror that projects a video feed to the central display screen showing an expanded view of the car’s right side. While it doesn’t display a visual alert like other blind spot monitors, LaneWatch provides an extended field of vision that helps diminish the car’s blind spot on the right side of the vehicle. All Accords offer a backup camera as standard, LaneWatch comes as standard on all Accords EX and up, and LDW and FCW systems come on the EX-L trim level and up.Ford Posts $3.0 Billion Q4 Net Income, $8.6 Billion In 2013
Ford Motor Company finished 2013 on a high note, posting net income of $3.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013 and total net income for the year of $8.6 billion. That's up from Ford's net income of $5.7 billion in 2012, and comes on full-year revenue of $146.9 billion.
Although Ford's fourth-quarter net income was lower than in the fourth quarter of 2012, it marked the 18th consecutive quarter in which Ford has posted a positive profit. The strong results came as Ford finished the year with sales up 10.8 percent compared to 2012.
As a result of the strong financials, Ford plans to distribute profit-sharing checks to approximately 47,000 hourly workers in mid-March. Depending on an employee's hours, those checks will be around $8800 per worker.
Within North America, Ford reported a full-year pre-tax profit of $1.7 billion. That was down $200 million compared to 2012, which Ford primarily attributes to a Ford Escape recall that cost the automaker $300 million. In Europe, meanwhile, Ford continued to lose money, but its full-year pre-tax loss of $571 million is an improvement of $161 million compared to 2012. Even though the European new-car market contracted, Ford says that its profit margin increased -- to -5.8 percent.
Ford also said today that it produced 6.4 million vehicles worldwide last year, of which 3.1 million were assembled in the U.S.
Here Comes The Judge
When it comes to modern cars, I have an encyclopedic recollection of horsepower numbers, 0-to-60-mph times, and all manner of arcane statistics. My car-geek knowledge trails off considerably, though, when it comes to older cars. I mean, I know that a Chevy 400 was a small-block while a 396 was a big-block. I know a Wedge from a Hemi. But anything pre-1960 is probably a mystery to me. So when the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d'Elegance invited me to judge Class 02 (Production 1916–1948), I naturally accept. As a matter of principle, I never let ignorance prevent me from expressing an opinion.
Fortunately, the show organizers have the wisdom to group me with two other judges who have a slightly firmer grasp on the subject at hand. Our expert trio includes Bob Fuller, chairman of the Keels & Wheels Concours, and John Carlson, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada. I'm outvoted two to one, which means that first place won't go to the monster truck that I saw in a nearby grocery-store parking lot. Not this year, anyway.
Armed with our score sheets, we approach our first entrant, a 1935 Ford Tudor sedan. The score sheet includes twenty categories evaluating every nuance of a car. Doing some quick math, I realize that we have twenty minutes per car, which means one minute each for the fuel system, the undercarriage, and eighteen other important things. If actual mechanics worked this fast, McDonald's would offer engine rebuilds while you're waiting for your Egg McMuffin.
Still, our first candidate is easy because it is basically what a 1935 Ford would look like if it were built on God's assembly line by a team of angels. At another event, it scored 996 points out of a possible 1000. "That's basically unattainable," Carlson says. "As close to perfect as you can get."
Carlson and Fuller chat with the owner and have him start the car and go through a quick inspection -- headlights, horn -- before we're on to the next car. This one, a 1930s Chevy, looks immaculate to my eye, but Carlson can see that it's not quite as choice as the Ford. "It's got some goofy stuff, like an alternator instead of a generator and incorrect tire valve stems," Carlson says. "He's made it into a driver, but that kind of stuff takes it out of a competition like this." I'd noticed that Carlson complimented the Ford owner on his valve stems, where no such comment was forthcoming here.
Farther down the line, we encounter a 1917 Paige Six-51 Brooklands with its owners standing nearby wearing period attire. Even I can see that the Paige is a little bit scruffy, with chipped paint on its wheels and incongruous aftermarket turn signals. I ask Carlson if presentation, or a car's story, figures into his calculations. "The owners here are dressed up, and they're charming as hell," Carlson says. "But you can't let that sway you. It has to be about the car and only about the car."
By the time we're done checking out the 1923 Stutz Speedway Four, it seems like the Ford is still the front-runner. Not that I've actually scored anything, because covering all twenty categories in the allotted time just seems impossible. It turns out that Carlson and Fuller mostly ignore the score sheets, too. They take notes, but they're pros and don't need to add up each category to figure out their top three.
"The real fuss-asses will add all that stuff up line by line, but if you do that you can have the wrong car win," Carlson says. If you do keep a more detailed tally of the individual categories, you should never, ever let an owner see your assessment. "Showing them the score sheet is the kiss of death," Carlson says. "Because then they might want to debate individual categories. Some people ask for it because they want to see which areas they need to improve, but at this level I shouldn't have to tell you. This is the big leagues."
I'd always assumed that concours judges are universally the type of people who delight in gloating over an incorrect gasket. But Fuller and Carlson are cheerful, engaging, and don't ever chastise the owners for their cars' imperfections. Certainly the judges noticed that you made your headlight reflectors out of Reynolds Wrap, but they're not going to make you feel bad about it. Your car just won't win.
Ultimately, you shouldn't feel too bad about that, either. "If you want to be better than everyone else, in this crowd, you're setting yourself up for disappointment," Carlson says. "There's always someone with something bigger, better, faster." He goes on to tell me about a guy he met who mentioned that he'd done a few restorations -- on his submarines. You think you're cool because you won something at Pebble Beach? There's a guy sitting out in the bay looking at you through his periscope and laughing at the limited scope of your ambitions.
After some discussion, my fellow judges concur that the '35 Ford is the winner. Hey, I'll buy that. Judging duties complete, I wander out to the front gate, where there's another sort of car show in progress -- a ride-and-drive from companies like BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, and Porsche. As with Pebble Beach, this old-car event is ironically a great place to get your hands on the very latest new stuff. I head to the BMW tent and grab the keys to an i3.
It strikes me that the most interesting old cars are the ones that were ahead of their time -- maybe a little bit expensive and technologically daring for their day. And the i3, with its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic tub, electric powertrain, and space-station-via-Ikea interior, is the most futuristic car I've driven in a long while.
I don't know if it's a candidate for the 2050 Concours, but I'm going to memorize the look of its valve stems, just in case.
2014 Cadillac ELR Lease Deal Announced, Early Buyers Get Free Home Charger
The 2014 Cadillac ELR, powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and dual electric motors, can be charged via the fast-charging 240-volt home unit in about 4.5 hours. As an alternative, customers can also use a regular 120-volt electrical outlet to charge the ELR’s 16.5 kWh battery pack. The 2014 Cadillac ELR can travel approximately 38 miles on solely electric energy, and has a total range of 340 miles using hybrid power.
Cadillac also revealed that
customers who want to lease the plug-in car for 39 months will pay $699 per month with $5,999 due at signing. Leased 2014 Cadillac ELR models will cost at minimum $33,260 over the lease period, according to these figures, compared to the vehicles $75,995 cost of outright ownership (including delivery). However, lessees are not eligible for the federal and state tax breaks that can take as much as $7500 off the cost of a new ELR. Buyers worried about the longevity of the battery technology can take solace in Cadillac’s eight-year, 100,000-mile propulsion warranty. The warranty comes with all ELR models, whether purchased outright or leased.
Although the 2014 Cadillac ELR shares its plug-in hybrid powertrain with the significantly more affordable Chevrolet Volt ($34,995 including delivery), the ELR comes with a long list of luxury features, sexier coupe styling, and almost 40 percent more horsepower. Furthermore, the ELR comes well-equipped in standard trim, with a short list of additional options compared to others in the luxury marketplace.
The 2014 Cadillac ELR is on sale now.
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