Naughty Or Nice?
We made our list, we checked it twice鈥攏ow we鈥檙e going to find out which automakers were naughty or nice. 2015 was an interesting year in the industry, one that was filled with scandal worthy enough of a two-hour silver screen feature (seriously). But with the naughty, there was plenty of nice to go along with it. These eight automakers have made our list鈥攚hether it be for good or bad. We鈥檝e got our bags of coal on hand. Christmas came early when Chevrolet unveiled the all-new Camaro. For us, it was a return to form for the American sports car. It was refreshing when we got behind the wheel of the 2016 Honda Civic. Honda, as a whole, truly is back to where it once was. We fully believe the Civic is just the beginning of a serious onslaught of great products. It鈥檚 difficult to put Tesla on the naughty list鈥攂ut here鈥檚 why we had to do it. The promise of a more affordable Model III has been long in the making, yet we still haven鈥檛 seen any progress. Not nearly as nice to the consumer as Tesla would have hoped.
In general, it maintains relaxed progress in a refined fashion, but the slightest attempt to hurry the car along a twisty road can still flummox the software and see it scrabbling for a gear. It鈥檚 particularly prone to kicking down two ratios when it鈥檇 be easier, and smoother, to drop just one and ride along on the engine鈥檚 torque (there鈥檚 500Nm, after all). That鈥檚 just what you鈥檒l end up doing if (when) you resort to using the steering wheel paddles and manual mode on more challenging roads. This will continue to be a vehicle that you don鈥檛 really choose with practicality in mind, but the 591-litre boot capacity is around 10 per cent up on the old car鈥檚. That鈥檚 enough for a decent-sized suitcase and a couple of overnight bags, or a full set of golf clubs. The rear seat splits 40:20:40 (another useful touch) and if it鈥檚 lowered completely, there are 1,383 litres at your disposal. Cabin space has been improved by the longer wheelbase, but you shouldn鈥檛 expect limousine-style accommodation in the back.
Years ago I changed the drive motor on this beast from a worn-out Briggsy-Stratton to a recycled one off an old genny that used to power the Bale House. It now has a Tecumseh nine-horse, and these motors have the crappiest and least reliable carbs of any American small motor design. Then we're shopping for a small car for Aimee. Not too happy about this as we can't really afford it, but twice now her truck has experienced a mild misfire accompanied by the check-engine light flashing dire warnings. The light has been on permanently for years because we haven't changed the oxygen sensors as they've quit one by one, but when it flashes like this there's more going on. So you run the engine and pull the wires off the distributer cap one by one, and yes, there is no change in engine tone when you disconnect number four.
Is Land Rover about to ditch the Defender? That鈥檚 certainly one of the options being considered by the brand鈥檚 bosses, as it decides the fate of its iconic mud-plugger. In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Land Rover UK鈥檚 MD Colin Green explained that coming up with a plan for the 4x4 was a huge challenge. Other options include fitting cleaner engines to extend the life of the Defender yet again, or a complete redesign, according to Green. On sale since 1947 and meeting Euro V emissions regulations until 2016, Defender is popular with farmers, rescue services and utility companies. But Green said the issue was how to keep its legendary capability, but expand its appeal to attract new customers seeking a less functional vehicle. One proposal would see a new version built on the same platform as Discovery and Range Rover Sport, but that chassis is expensive compared to the current one. 鈥淎nother option is to carry on the current model using Euro VI engines. A third is that we abandon that section of the market. It鈥檚 our least preferred choice because we have serviced that customer base for a long time, but there鈥檚 no point in servicing the customer and not the business. We have to make money and all three options are on the table,鈥?said Green. For more details click here.
