If you look at the photos, the new Veloster is sure to be a hit; it looks like it’s going 60 mph when sitting still! A sharp-looking car, especially with that bright orange paint — it’s also a bargain. We get 4-wheel disc brakes, 6-speed manual gearbox, alloy wheels, rear wiper, air, stereo with XM satellite radio, power everything, cruise, tilt wheel, stability control and more for only $17,300. Add bigger tires and wheels, sunroof, leather, navigation, and other goodies, and this cool ride maxes out at $21,300. How is this possible? Well, it’s made by Hyundai. Yep, the Korean maker.

Under the fancy looks are standard parts from commuter sedans, but I still found this car fun to drive. The little 1.6 liter engine puts out 138 horsepower, and combined with the 6-speed manual shifter, moves out well. It also got gas mileage of 28-37 mpg overall. Ride, handling, and brake performance are good.   A nice commuter.

For those who want more, we got a Hyundai Genesis coupe with flat black paint. With a powerful 3.8 liter V-6 engine cranking out 306 horsepower, and hooked to a 6-speed manual, we reached 0-60 in 5.5 seconds.

We also had the R-SPEC racing pack including giant Brembo brakes, larger wheels/tires, and track suspension. A fast and great handling car, but that beefed suspension gives a very stiff ride. The manual shifter seemed stiff too. But if you want to pass on a Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro, the Genesis coupe is a good alternative. Loaded with EVERYTHING, we topped only $26,940.

Story and Photos by Chad Haire

The Audi A-6 sedan has two features. First, it’s expensive. The base price on mine started at $49,900. But of course you “need” all of the extra toys that jack the price, which came to $61,530. Secondly, this is a first-class ride. I drove it for a week and couldn’t find anything to complain about (except giving it back).

As a sport sedan, this delivers. The small 3.0 liter V-6 is supercharged with 310 horsepower, hooked to a great 8-speed (yes, eight) automatic gearbox. I reached a brisk real world 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds (unless you want to believe Motor Trend magazine, which listed a questionable 4.6 seconds time. They expect us to think a two-ton Audi with 310 horses can run as fast as a two-ton Mustang with 500 horses? Ain’t gonna happen, but M/T magazine has always been shelling out the bull). Handling, braking, and steering are excellent. The suspension also has four adjustments for ride comfort/handling ability.

Another great feature is the interior. Audi has a reputation for assembling a fantastic cabin, and this one is top notch, with beautiful materials, fine workmanship, and lots of bells and whistles properly spread. The main computer system for radio, suspension, navigation seems complex for first-time users, but easy to learn and simple to use once learned. In any case, it’s far superior to units found on other German cars.

When you’re not driving fast, the A-6 makes for a good soft luxury ride. If I had to drive from Scottsdale/Phoenix to New York right now, this is the vehicle I would take. A real smoothie and a great car if you can afford it.

Text and Photos by: Chad Haire

The new VW Beetle Turbo is one fine-looking German machine, but does the performance live up to the looks? To find out, we took the Beetle on the twisty back roads by Apache Lake during a one-week test drive to wring it out. The steering has little feel, but is responsive if you make the effort. Cornering ability is “sports car” excellent. The brakes are absolutely perfect, with good feel and quick stopping ability. Some novice drivers might find them a bit aggressive, but they will get used to it. That 200 horsepower turbo engine lags a bit from a stop light, but once under way, it provides plenty of power. The 6-speed DSG automatic gearbox has a manual shift mode, but the auto-sport setting shifts quicker and smarter when blasting around corners, making manual operation pointless. A great transmission! Overall, this is a real German sports machine.

Drawbacks? Well, I did have some minor complaints. First, it’s just as easy to put the tranny in “sport” mode by accident as it is to put it in “drive” on purpose. I suspect there are many Beetle owners driving in the wrong mode without realizing it, and using more gas in the process. Secondly, the cloth seats seemed too soft for long trips. The biggest gripe was with the sun visors, which do not slide back and forth, making it impossible to block the sun’s rays coming through the driver’s/passenger’s windows. VW has been making cars long enough to know better!! The great performance, however, as well as gas mileage of 22-30, made me forget the flaws overall.

The Beetle Turbo has no options, being fully equipped at $25,720. Well, almost fully. I was shocked to find that satellite radio is not included — something that nowadays we get even on the cheapie Korean cars. Otherwise, this car is a good buy for someone who wants German performance, and doesn’t want to go broke buying it.

Story and Photo by: Chad Haire

It’s a fact the hybrid cars get better gas mileage than standard cars. Unfortunately, that fools many people to think this translates into economical operation. Not so. By the time you take into account the cost of the system, it takes about 100,000 miles to break even in fuel savings. Not a good pick in my opinion. Yet, I was very excited about this hybrid car. This is because Infiniti engineers understand the real advantage of hybrid systems — EXTRA POWER and FREE POWER at that! You see the traditional method of boosting engine power is by tacking on a turbocharger. It works, however, turbos use fuel, and premium fuel at that. But tack on a potent electric motor, and we get the same boost with regular fuel and no extra gas use. In fact, mileage can increase 10-50% if done right. The Infiniti M-35 was done right!

When accelerating hard from a stop, the M-35 runs on battery for about a second, but once it combines with the gas engine, this baby takes off like a rocket, far quicker than the 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds would have you believe. Passing between 20-70 mph is about as quick as the M-series equipped with the giant 420 horse V-8. Yet in normal driving, gas mileage jumps from the base 18-26 to 28-32. I drove hard in the city and never got less than 28, better than most economy cars! Add to this, sharp steering, excellent cornering, great brakes, and a comfy ride, and we get a real performance sedan that can compete with high-end German vehicles.

But this comes at a price. The base M car starts at $47,375. The hybrid electrics jump the base to $53,700. And with all the options, the total is $62,995. It will be a while before fuel savings pay for the extra tab, but in the mean time, what a swell drive!

Story & Photo by Chad Haire

There’s nothing more fun than cruising Scottsdale streets in a nice Italian convertible. In this case, we are not talking about a Ferrari or Lambo. Yep, it’s the little Fiat 500 you see in this picture. Now looking at it, you might think this is a cheapie mini-car with no power, stiff ride, and poor quality. This is what I suspected at first, but after driving it around for a week, I can assure you the opposite is true. This is one snazzy machine. I liked it.

The engine is small, but had plenty of ability to cruise at 80 mph, and acceleration was just fine. A lot of credit can go to the sporty 6-speed automatic gearbox. Gas mileage was good at 28-32 overall. Steering, handling, and braking ability were all sporty too. Ride quality was comfortable for such a small car. The cabin looked great, although I cheated a bit by getting the optional leather trim. All controls were easy to use once learned. As you might suspect, this rig fits into any parking space with ease.

This so-called convertible, in reality, has a retractable soft top in the center only. That’s okay, as the design provides a more solid body structure. This is a high quality setup, with lots of padding and sound insulation. At $4,000 extra, it should be! Rear vision is slightly blocked with the top down, depending on your height. Short people may have a problem with this.

Overall, this is a sophisticated European machine, and I was very impressed. The base price starts about $15,500 with hardtop roof and 5-speed manual shifter. Mine was loaded with everything; automatic, leather, soft-top, stereo, satellite radio, and more, so it just about reached the $25,000 price tag. I am sure you can find one equipped to suit your needs.

Story & Photos by Chad Haire

If you like the engineering of German cars, the new VW Passat is worth looking at. We got one of these top-of-the-line models to drive around Scottsdale streets.

I had the base engine, which is a 2.5 liter five-cylinder rated at 170 horsepower. Gas mileage is rated at 22-31 mpg with the six-speed automatic gearbox, which is what I had, and this was the mileage I got. However, the car did get 35 mpg on a steady 65 mph. A larger 280 horse V-6 and a turbo-diesel are optional, but I found the 5-banger does just fine.

One thing I noticed was the high quality of the interior — just as nice as what we see on the upgraded Audi cars. The body structure was solid as a rock. Steering and brake feedback was excellent. The ride was good on Scottsdale city streets, but on rough back roads, there was too much “thump and rumble” noise going on. Suspension or tires? Who knows? Handling was very good to a point, but in “race track” cornering, the tail likes to hang out, with stability control saving the day. The average driver will not notice, but brisk operators should realize this is no BMW. A nice commuter though.

The base price is very reasonable, starting at $19,995. Mine was loaded up with leather, navigation, and all the goodies, so it was $29,995. Start adding those optional engines and the tab can run even higher! So while the Passat may not give BMW performance, it’s easy to reach BMW pricing! Overall, a nice, improved car worth considering.

Story & Photos by Chad Haire

On this blog we usually write about places to go in Scottsdale, but readers have told me they would like to know a few places where they can get out of town for a day. Well, if you have a truck or SUV, not too far away, there is a nice, muddy, water-hole that covers about 160 acres, where the wildlife gathers at night. So do many residents, as the land around it is private with a few cabins and picnic areas. There are plenty of secluded campgrounds nearby where nobody will bother you. And with the pine trees, it’s much cooler there than here right now!

Stoneman Lake

For this trip, I took the Jeep Cherokee with the 4×4 system. Most of the roads around here can be reached in 2-wheel drive, but 4-wheel traction allows you to use them all. This Cherokee had two new features introduced on the 2011 models. First was the new 3.6 V-6 engine that offers the horsepower of the older discontinued small V-8, but with the gas mileage of the older discontinued V-6. The big V-8 Hemi is still an option, but uses more fuel, reducing off-road range. There was also the new 4×4 system similar to the Land Rover unit that’s computer- operated with settings for rock crawl, sand, snow, and other modes.

On of the biggest gripes with previous Cherokees was the low 8.5 inches of ground clearance. Okay for wetlands in Texas, but not in Arizona, where the rocks are the size of bowling balls. I did not measure my exact clearance, but it was certainly higher than before. There is also a new air-lift suspension that can raise the height to near a foot, but I did not have this on my rig. Even so, I was able to explore most of the trails.

The Jeep Cherokee

Overall, the new Cherokee is a big improvement over the older models and worth a look if you want a nice off-road rig you can drive to work.

To reach the Stoneman Lake area is easy. Take the 101 West until you reach I-17, then drive north toward flagstaff and turn off Exit 306. Follow the signs, which will bring you to the Stoneman Lake area within about 6 miles.

If you are looking to get out of town to a place where nobody will bother you, try the Arizona town of Tonopah. Well, it’s not really a town, just a couple of gas stations, eating places, and lots of vacant desert land that was being prepped for the real estate boom, but now sits empty. There are lots of dirt trails for exploring out here; just what my Toyota RAV was up to.

The Toyata RAV

The RAV is inexpensive, starting at $21,925. But with options, the price can move up and I had everything on mine except all-wheel drive. Examples include; the bigger 3.5 liter V-6 engine, automatic transmission, dual-zone climate controls, and stereo. How about auto-dimming mirror with backup camera ($475), tow pack ($1600), special paint trim ($220), and floor mats ($199). Then we had the “value pack’ that has JBL stereo, CD player, Blue-tooth wireless, XM radio, daytime running lights, leather trim, 8-way power seats — all for $3480, which they say saves $2,000! Wow! The total tab was $30,179.

The Toyota RAV at Tonopah

At least we were driving in style. This is a nice rig, with great steering feel, handling, braking, and a smooth ride. Driving position is just right. That V-6 engine has plenty of power, and gets 19-27 mpg, only one less than the smaller four-cylinder. Off-road ability was good as long as you understand this is a car chassis. About as perfect as it gets.

The Lexus IS-350

For those who want to stay in Scottsdale and want a swift street cruiser, Lexus sent us an IS-350 sedan to drive. This one has all-wheel drive for great traction on wet roads. It also works very well on the dirt roads around Tonopah, although this car has little ground clearance for LEAVING the road of course! The IS-350 isn’t cheap. Starting price was $41,030. With options like leather trim, power sunshade, navigation, voice command, XM radio, cargo net, and trunk mat, the tab hit $45,827. For those who have less to spend, the Lexus IS-250, with a smaller 204 horse engine in place of the 306 horse unit, and with less options, starts at $32,000. The ride is a bit too firm on either car, but otherwise just fine with sharp handling and braking ability. Quality and repair history is far superior to any German car.

To find the Tonopah area, go west on I-10 past Perryville and take exit #94.

If you are looking to get out of town to a place where nobody will bother you, try the Arizona town of Tonopah. Well, it’s not really a town, just a couple of gas stations, eating places, and lots of vacant desert land that was being prepped for the real estate boom, but now sits empty. There are lots of dirt trails for exploring out here; just what my Toyota RAV was up to.

The RAV is inexpensive, starting at $21,925. But with options, the price can move up and I had everything on mine except all-wheel drive. Examples include; the bigger 3.5 liter V-6 engine, automatic transmission, dual-zone climate controls, and stereo. How about auto-dimming mirror with backup camera ($475), tow pack ($1600), special paint trim ($220), and floor mats ($199). Then we had the “value pack’ that has JBL stereo, CD player, Blue-tooth wireless, XM radio, daytime running lights, leather trim, 8-way power seats — all for $3480, which they say saves $2,000! Wow! The total tab was $30,179.

At least we were driving in style. This is a nice rig, with great steering feel, handling, braking, and a smooth ride. Driving position is just right. That V-6 engine has plenty of power, and gets 19-27 mpg, only one less than the smaller four-cylinder. Off-road ability was good as long as you understand this is a car chassis. About as perfect as it gets.

For those who want to stay in Scottsdale and want a swift street cruiser, Lexus sent us an IS-350 sedan to drive. This one has all-wheel drive for great traction on wet roads. It also works very well on the dirt roads around Tonopah, although this car has little ground clearance for LEAVING the road of course! The IS-350 isn’t cheap. Starting price was $41,030. With options like leather trim, power sunshade, navigation, voice command, XM radio, cargo net, and trunk mat, the tab hit $45,827. For those who have less to spend, the Lexus IS-250, with a smaller 204 horse engine in place of the 306 horse unit, and with less options, starts at $32,000. The ride is a bit too firm on either car, but otherwise just fine with sharp handling and braking ability. Quality and repair history is far superior to any German car.

To find the Tonopah area, go west on I-10 past Perryville and take exit #94.