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5th annual Detroit 4fest: A celebration of automakers, dirt and off-roading
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 9, 2023
Holly — If the Detroit auto show is an indoor showcase of the auto industry’s latest trends, then Detroit 4fest is an outdoor showcase for the industry’s hottest segment: off-roading.
Thousands of off-road enthusiasts from all over the Midwest will descend on Holly Oaks ORV Park’s 235 acres this weekend to play in one of Michigan’s best sandboxes, with 200-foot elevation changes, swampy courses, and epic trails. Where there are consumers, companies follow, and there will be display tents and vehicles from title sponsor Jeep as well as from Chevrolet, GMC, Ford and Toyota. Michigan dealers LaFontaine and Szott are also on site with new chariots as well as eye candy like the Ford Bronco DR desert racer.
Open to anyone with an off-road-capable vehicle — and to those who want to test the latest from Jeep’s Wrangler stable — 4fest takes over Holly Oaks ORV Park 30 miles north of Detroit for a weekend of filthy fun.
“This is an event where u can bring your own vehicle and enjoy the adventure lifestyle,” said Detroit 4fest CEO Tom Zielinski. “For new attendees, we have Off-Road 101 lessons this weekend. This all started very organically — it was some people off-roading on the weekend, then all of a sudden we had thousands of people joining us. All the manufacturers are here with their finest off-road wares.”
In addition to manufacturer displays, 4fest’s Vendor Village features some 60 off-road equipment makers with accessories, performance parts and more to make off-road bruisers even more capable. Vendors include Bilstein, General Tire, JKS Manufacturing, General RV Center, Blacklake Research and more.
The event’s kick-off event Friday night? Twilight off-roading from 7-9 p.m. over Holly Oaks’ 40 miles of trails and tribulations.
Three members of the Jeep Babes off-road club came early Friday to help with organization and play in the mud. “I can’t wait to take my Wrangler 392 out on the trails,” said Melissa Tomassi, 44, of Troy. “I love the Tetons rollercoaster hills and the technical Mt. Magna.”
Mt. Magna is a recreation of some of Moab, Utah’s most fearsome obstacles, including Mashed Potato Hill, Gravy Bowl and the Golden Crack. Tomassi was joined by fellow Jeep Babes April Gala, 59, of Shelby Township and Robin Johnson, 64, of Rochester Hills. The Babes are 4,300 strong in Michigan — 14,000 nationally — and are planning their own weekend at Holly next month.
Such events are testimony to the explosion in off-road interest across the country as automakers have responded to Americans’ pandemic wanderlust with more overlanders like the Ford Ranger Raptor, Bronco Sport Heritage Edition, Chevy ZR2, Toyota Tacoma TRD, GMC Canyon AT4X, Land Rover Defender, Ram TRX and so on.
The torrential rains of recent weeks challenged Zielinski’s team as they manicured the park to be safe and secure for the weekend. In addition to Mt. Magna, drivers will enjoy Holy Oaks staples like Darlene’s Ridge, Flat Top, Bathtub, the Big Easy and Holly Glen.
“Holly Glen is my favorite section,” said pro race car driver Aaron Bambach, who has competed in everything from Indy Lights racers to the Super Truck series. “I took a 480-horse Wrangler 392 with 37-inch tires down there once and really put it to the test.”
Master the Glen and Mt. Magna and Zielinski will point you to even more challenging corners of the Oakland County Park that rose from an abandoned sand and gravel mine. “We got the notch, which is pro-level off-roading,” said Zielinski. “It’s all sorts of sketchiness.”
In addition to production mules, organizers expect a flood of ATVs, buggies, side-by-sides, and even race trucks over the two-day event. Four Ultra4 race trucks will put on an exhibition Saturday afternoon featuring local off-road racing hero, Casey Gilbert.
Everyone has a chance to learn at Holly Oaks, including students from the Jalen Rose Academy. The ex-Michigan basketball star himself will help introduce kids to the off-road world along with Jeep CEO Jim Morrison.
Detroit 4fest has spawned a Winterfest in January at Holly Oaks as well as spinoffs in Jay, Oklahoma, and Austin, Texas. Total national 4fest attendance last year? Over 50,000 people.
“This is a very engaged audience , they are very committed to what they do. Everybody wants to be part of this,” said Zielinski. “If you’re new, come out. If you’re a veteran, we have stuff to challenge you.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Everything you need to know about Detroit’s auto show: Rides, reveals and electrics
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 8, 2023
Detroit — Indoor and outdoor test tracks, 35 brands, a new Ford F-150, even a Jeep kids test track is in the house. After a couple of experimental transition years, the fall Detroit auto show is finding its lane in a new auto exhibition era.
The annual Detroit auto show circus opens at Huntington Place for media days Wednesday and then welcomes the public from Saturday, Sept. 16, to Sunday, Sept. 24. With colorful fall weather outside and polished displays inside on the convention center’s main floor, NAIAS promises to be one of North America’s best shows of the year.
The exhibit boasts the most brands of any show — headlined by Detroit’s own hometown automakers. Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV will each unveil two new vehicles, including America’s best-selling chariot, the Ford F-150, in an event Tuesday night that will take over Hart Plaza.
“Not many shows can put up 35 brands,” said Detroit auto show Executive Director Rod Alberts during a preview of the show floor this week. “We are getting back to the core of what the auto show is.”
This is a show focused on vehicles — without the distractions of giant yellow ducks and dinosaurs at last year’s event. “After the pandemic and the supply chain issues of recent years, this year is a rejuvenated show,” Alberts said. “We’ve made great strides. The show is more robust with more activations and energy all around you.”
Twenty percent of the show floor (an estimated 100,000 square feet) is occupied by NAIAS’s first main-floor electric-vehicle track — the so-called Powering Michigan EV Experience, sponsored by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 58 and the National Electrical Contractors Association.
Like visitors to an auto amusement park, show attendees will have the choice of four indoor rides — plus a test track for kids to ride in toy Jeeps. Stellantis will have a 90,000-square-foot display dominated by (actual) Jeep and Ram activations that look like something out of Disneyland. Attendees will ride along while Ram shows off its tow muscle and Wranglers scale a hill for a bird’s-eye view of the show floor.
Speaking of hills, Ford’s display will feature Bronco Mountain rides. Nearby will be the redesigned F-150, fresh from its Hart Plaza reveal; a matte-wrapped, limited-production Lightning Platinum EV truck and Ranger Raptor pickup first-look. Visitors will also get a first look at the 800-horsepower Mustang GTD supercar, which anchors a Mustang display featuring every member of the seventh-generation pony car’s family, including Mustang Mach-E Rally, Mustang Dark Horse, and GT3 and GT4 race cars.
Along the hall’s spine will be stations for different brands to show off their EVs. Government is more involved in the auto industry than ever, and manufacturers are determined to get reticent customers into electrics as regulations push to eliminate gas car production. One of the benefits of electrics is they can cruise indoors free of tailpipe emissions. There will be plenty of EV toys to ride in — GMC Hummer, Mustang Mach-E, VW ID.4 — on a twisty track with a long, fast back straight.
While the electric test track inside will offer only right-hand seat drives, customers can get behind the wheel of GM EVs outside on a test course that makes partial use of the Detroit Grand Prix route.
Tesla will not be at the show, but organizers managed to get the Austin-based automaker’s full Model S/3/X/Y lineup for the test track. With a flood of EV competitors from Ford to Hyundai to Cadillac ramping up EV production, the brand still accounts for some 60% of EV sales nationwide.
“Every auto show has its own personality, every show has had to change their game plan,” said NAIAS Chairman Thad Szott, president of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association. “Because we are the home of the Detroit Three, we have a different relationship with our automakers. This is a dealer-run show with more access to vehicle inventory because of that special relationship.”
Ford bills its show-opening Hart Plaza event on Tuesday evening as a celebration of America, with pickup trucks, Mustangs and country musicians taking the stage. Grammy-winner Darius Rucker will perform before an exclusive audience of Ford employees.
Beyond the Detroit Three brands, vehicles on display include models from Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus and Volkswagen as part of corporate/regional-supported vehicle displays. Toyota will have a manufacturer-sponsored display front-and-center in the Exhibit Hall with 30 vehicles, including its bZ4X EV, hybrid Prius, and gas-engine models like the new Tacoma pickup and GR Corolla hellion.
“As a dealer association-backed auto show, one of our main goals is to display all the brands that are sold in our region,” Alberts said.
Gone are the big, multimillion-dollar displays of yesteryear — a victim of the social media revolution where brands now introduce vehicles on their own time via digital platforms. That trend has altered every auto show — not just Detroit — so NAIAS has focused on getting butts in seats via activations like the EV Experience.
There will be plenty of eye candy other than EVs. When the kiddies are done taking a ride in toy Jeeps, they’ll drool at the Exotic and Luxury Showcase in the hall’s northeast corner. These treats were once only available to an exclusive Saturday night casino audience ahead of media days. Now they are on view all through the public days, with models from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes, Polestar, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Volvo.
Even more exotic is a futuristic flying car from California-based Alef Aeronautics.
Other events during the Sept. 13-14 media and technology days include the North American Car Truck and Utility of the Year announcement of the “Best of 2024” nominees (aka semifinalists), Mobility Global Forum, and AutoMobili-D, a look at future mobility platforms.
Friday night, Sept. 15, is all about the Charity Preview, which will command an expensive ticket for a good cause funding children’s charities. Attendees will watch Detroit’s beautiful people and hear the soaring voice of singer Jennifer Hudson. In keeping with the show’s Detroit-branded theme, Shinola — the show’s official timekeeper — will debut its new Canfield Speedway Lap 06 timepiece at the charity event.
“We started a watch factory in Detroit 10 years ago because this city knows how to make things,” Shinola CEO Awenate Cobbina said. “The Detroit auto show celebrates that same grit and know-how.”
Detroit auto show details
Media Day: Wednesday, Sept. 13Technology Days and AutoMobili-D: Sept. 13-14Mobility Global Forum: Sept. 13-14Charity Preview: Friday, Sept. 15Public show: Saturday, Sept. 16-Sunday, Sept. 24Tickets: Adults $20, seniors $12, kids $10Information: https://naias.com
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or X @HenryEPayne
Unveiled: Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally goes off-road
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 8, 2023
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse will tear up the track. The Mustang Mach-E Rally wants to get dirty.
Taking advantage of the Mach-E’s higher ride height and all-wheel-drive, Ford on Thursday announced an off-road version of its first electric Mustang SUV. The result is the Mach-E Rally.
The off-road beast shares similar performance specs to the twin-motor Mach-E GT with 480 horsepower and a muscular 650 pound-feet of torque (Ford estimates the Rally will get to 60 mph a little quicker than the GT’s 3.8 marker). Expect a similar starting price for the Mexico-assembled Rally at $65,000 when it goes on sale early in 2024.
But what makes the Rally unique are upgrades to the suspension and chassis. The electric ‘Stang is raised nearly an inch for better ground clearance, its twin motors shielded from off-road debris, and offers available mud flaps — though the Rally does not come with the skid plates found on more extreme, ladder-frame-based, Ford off-road vehicles like the Bronco and F-150 Raptor.
“Mustang Mach-E Rally puts Ford’s decades of passion for rally championships around the world right in the hands of our customers.’ said Ford CEO Jim Farley, who raced a Mustang GT4 coupe at Daytona earlier this year. “It takes Mustang where it hasn’t been before — to gravel and dirt roads.”
The Rally sits on meaty-sidewall 235/55/19R Michelin CrossClimate2 tires to absorb more off-road punishment. Select RallySport drive mode and the Mach-E adjusts its MagneRide shocks for a more compliant off-road ride. Fifteen-inch-rotor Brembo brakes and special springs enhance the vehicle’s athletic capabilities.
Mach-E Rally merges with the industry trend toward off-road vehicles. But unlike dirt-caked bruisers such as Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and a score of jacked pickup trucks, Rally was inspired by Rallycross, the off-road racing series that has inspired gas-powered vehicles like the Subaru WRX, Audi Quattro and Porsche 911 Dakar. Ford brought in rally racing veterans to develop the Mach-E over 500-mile trials on a rally course at its Michigan Proving Ground.
Ford estimates the range on the Rally to be 250 miles from its low-slung, 91 kWh battery, but that number may decrease significantly when playing hard in the dirt. Don’t expect the Rally to be in any long-range rally competitions just yet. Recharging from 10% to 80% range (175 miles) will take a lengthy 36 minutes.
You’ll know the Rally by its Focus RS-inspired rear spoiler, unique upper-and-lower body moldings, front splitter, black roof and front fog lights. The car’s wow factor is enhanced by dual-racing stripes and brash colors including Grabber Blue, Shadow Black, Eruption Green, Start White, Glacier Gray and Grabber Yellow.
Inside, passengers will strap into gloss white seatbacks with “Mach-E Rally” debossed into the seating surface. Rally options the latest version of Ford’s BlueCruise 1.3 driver assist so that owners are comfortable taking the interstate to their favorite remote location. The system offers auto lane changes and in-lane re-positioning when next to big trucks.
“We have always explored new areas of performance, and the combination of a rally-tuned suspension, dual motor electric powertrain, and wicked styling makes the Mustang Mach-E Rally a different kind of performance vehicle that will excite customers chasing their next adventure,” said Mach-E chief engineer Donna Dickson.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: Subaru Impreza makes the case for the family hatchback
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 8, 2023
Bowmanville, Ontario — Subaru has carved out a niche in the competitive U.S. landscape against full-line behemoths like Chevrolet, Toyota and Ford by offering competent cars like the Impreza to consumers who want reliable, affordable, all-wheel-drive vehicles.
Consumers like Mrs. Payne.
So when Subie comes to market with a new Impreza every five years, I get the chance to see the customer buying experience up close and personal. When the 2024 Impreza arrived in my driveway this June, my wife wanted to put it through the paces on a road trip to Ontario, where I would be racing sports cars at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (or, simply, Mosport to race fans).
She was not just interested in the latest Subaru take on tech goo-gaws that her husband writes about all the time (big touchscreens, wireless Apple CarPlay, driver-assistance systems) but also whether the new model suffered from the same bug that has plagued her current 2017 car.
On the cusp of buying her third-generation Impreza, this is a make-or-break generation for my wife. While the Impreza has met her needs — to the point where she is a missionary for Subaru to friends and family — the ‘17 model has failed in one crucial area: it has an electronic hiccup that is driving her bonkers.
When left unattended for a few days, her Impreza Sport’s battery will drain — leaving her stranded at, say, the airport upon return from out of town. Ouch. After multiple visits to her dealer and multiple new batteries, the problem hasn’t been resolved.
Happily, the ‘24 Subie has improved other details that annoyed her. Kind of like upgrading the 20-year-old microwave in your kitchen that takes 15 minutes to heat leftover lasagna.
On I-94 east to the Port Huron crossing into Canada, Mrs. Payne activated adaptive cruise control (oh, she loves this feature) in the new Impreza and cruised along between 70 and 77 mph — adjusting the speed with a simple toggle on the steering wheel. That’s a noted upgrade from the ‘17 feature that would speed up in 5 mph increments. Want to adjust in 1 mph increments? That requires an awkward, loooooong button hold. It drove her batty.
Problem solved. On such little things does loyalty hang, and Mrs. Payne appreciated Subaru’s attention to details. It was like product managers had been listening in on to our conversations for five years.
Motorheads like me like to buy different stuff — the most wicked-looking sports car here, the latest self-driving EV there — and my influence on my wife’s buying habits is not trivial. I’ve been an Impreza WRX and STI fanboy for years, and my wife — who still prefers sedans over SUVs — knew that I was impressed with Subaru’s performance engineering. She also knew I wouldn’t let a Subaru into our house until they hired a competent design team — which they finally did for the fourth-gen 2012 Impreza.
But fundamentally, she wants an appliance that fits her life. All-wheel drive that gets her up the driveway in January, heated seats for Michigan winters, a hatchback to fit our luggage when we go up north after winter finally ends.
She liked the modest tweaks designers had made for the ‘24 hatchback, like the frameless grille inspired by an athletic shoe. But she was more impressed by the redesigned center console, which replaced the hand brake with an e-brake to open up room for staggered cupholders, and a wireless charger so she could navigate with wireless Apple CarPlay.
Now we’re talking. No more wires crisscrossing the console. No phone-draining battery while navigating for hours. Mrs. Payne simply set our destination to Bowmanville, Ontario, on her phone and the car automatically picked it up on Impreza’s new 11.6-inch vertical screen.
As she chugged across Canada in wireless adaptive-cruise heaven, I related to her that we were driving the Impreza RS.
“It’s a new model featuring a 2.5-liter Boxer-4 engine with 30 more horsepower than the standard 152-horse, 2.0-liter engine it carried over from your Sport model and, um . . . ”
Too much motorhead talk. She hadn’t noticed the power difference. Didn’t care. What did matter to her was that the cabin was quieter and the continuously-variable transmission improved from last gen, making for smooth acceleration as she merged into traffic on Canada’s 401 highway.
Which is why Subaru has made evolutionary drivetrain changes for 2024. Consumers are content with its performance, reliability, 29 mpg efficiency. Which is why government mandates to force Subaru to go electric (along with the rest of the industry) make little sense to Subaru’s core customers.
Fuel was never an issue during our 800-mile, five-day round trip. We made a single fuel stop for five minutes at a Petro Canada next to our hotel on Friday night. That’s all we needed (in addition to more power, the RS gets a bigger gas tank for 2024 and a 100-mile increase in gas range to 564 miles). A year ago, we thought about driving my Tesla Model 3 to Mosport but abandoned the idea because recharging would have added significant inconvenience to a tightly timed weekend in Bowmanville — a town that does not have fast chargers where we could charge overnight.
Instead, we drove a Volvo XC90 plug-in tester in 2023 (reviewed here) so we could use the gas engine on the long trip — and the 23-mile reserve battery for local trips from our hotel to the race track. We plugged in every night on a 110-volt charger in a nearby Hyundai dealer, but the battery wasn’t nearly enough to make the daily 44-mile round-trip to the track and back.
Running back and forth to the charger each night made Mrs. Payne wonder what made the $84,000 Volvo a better appliance than the $28,000 Subaru.
Speaking of battery issues, the 12-volt lead acid battery will dog my wife’s purchase of the new 2024 model. Will the 12-volt system have the same drain as her current Subie? Will the residual trade-in be hurt by the Impreza’s battery issue?
The questions led her to shop the compact car market (no EVs on her list), but the AWD choices are few. VW’s Golf-based AWD AllTrack has exited the market, which leaves only the Mazda3 Turbo.
Motorheads like me love the Mazda but its small, remote touchscreen is a turn-off to my wife — especially now that the new Impreza Sport comes standard with the big touchscreen. The Impreza’s rear seat/cargo room is also bigger than the Mazda to hold more Paynes and their stuff.
The new ‘Ru isn’t perfect — budget constraints mean the backup camera doesn’t sound an audible as it approaches an object, and there is no heated steering wheel option. Mrs. Payne had hoped for both. But overall she liked the upgrades to her microwave — er, auto — appliance.
And we didn’t experience an overnight battery drain. Looks like Subie still has a loyal customer.
Next week: 2023 BMW 760i
2024 Subaru Impreza
Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchback
Price: $24,085 base including $1,095 destination ($29,239 RS as tested)
Power plant: 2.0-liter Boxer 4-cylinder; 2.5-liter Boxer 4-cylinder
Power: 152 horsepower, 145 pound-feet of torque (2.0L); 182 horsepower, 178 pound-feet of torque (2.5L)
Transmission: Continuously-variable
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.2 seconds (Car and Driver est.); gas range, 564 miles
Weight: 3,275 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 27 mpg city/34 mpg highway/30 mpg combined (2.0L); 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway/29 mpg combined (2.5L)
Report card
Highs: Rare all-wheel-drive compact sedan; upgraded screen/tech
Lows: No heated steering wheel; no backup camera audible
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: Ford Performance 700 F-150 is Frankenstein’s monster
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 8, 2023
Pontiac — If the Mustang GT500 and F-150 Raptor R F-150 had a child, it would be called the Ford Performance 700 F-150.
This insane, supercharged 700-horsepower V8-powered pickup could star in “Meg 2: The Trench.” Or maybe “Oppenheimer.” It’s a nuclear bomb strapped to a Ford F-150 chassis. Fishtailing onto M1 Concourse’s back straight, I dropped the hammer and hung on for dear life. The three-ton beast exploded down the straightaway — the speedometer mercifully limited to 110 mph before we took off for the moon. Or before the Goodyear Grabber tires vaporized off the 22-inch wheels — whichever comes first.
That’s right, I took an F-150 to the race track. Apparently, Ford found that making a 700-horsepower supercharged $109K Raptor R off-road hellion wasn’t enough to satisfy buyers’ appetites for all things V-8. Ford says the future is electric pickups, which is like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse introducing a vegan menu. They know their customers still come for the red meat.
Indeed, the Ford Performance 700 package was introduced at the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals red meat-fest in Pennsylvania this June amongst a celebration of Ford hot rods, aftermarket mod shops, drag racers and more. If my week with the Meg is any indication — it should sell like hot cakes. Make that hot steaks.
My friend Kevin took one look at my Regular Cab two-door stealth weapon and called his dealer on the spot.
Order: I want a standard $40K XLT pickup with extra beef, quad pipes and a side of 22s.
Dealer: Boom. Done. That’ll be 67 grand.
Ka-ching.
Ford must have been sick of seeing all that V-8 accessory business going out the door to Hennessey, Saleen and Roush. So it’s made the FP700 package available on any F-150 trim. You read that right, any trim you want. XL, XLT, Lariat, Platinum. Rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
Plenty of upscale customers who could afford a $109,145 Raptor R — but who don’t want the rugged, look-at-me off-road wardrobe — will opt for, say a loaded $66,650 Platinum Crew Cab stuffed with the smokin’ supercharged V-8 FP700 package. For such customers, adding $27,000 — $12,350 for the engine plus installation — will be pocket-change totaling $93,000-plus.
But if you don’t have that kind of coin, then outfitting a base F-150 is not only half the price of a Raptor R — but a serious, muscle-car-slayin’ sleeper supertruck.
The Ford Performance 700 Regular Cab was the first time I have taken a pickup on the track. The closest thing to that was a Dodge Durango SRT that I terrorized Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a few years ago. The Ford Meg was surprisingly manageable around M1’s technical 1.5-mile course. Credit the two-door’s relative light weight, rear-wheel drive and short wheelbase (you can only option a 5.5-foot bed) compared with the volume four-door Crew Cab F-150.
Bringing the cruise missile back to earth after the back straight was a challenge for the F-150’s standard brakes (the FP700 package is a drivetrain option only) and General Grabber tires, so driver beware. But the one suspension modification — a lowered rear end — seemed to keep the Meg planted through the long, almost-180-degree, Turn 7 right-hander. More impressive was that I could keep it floored through M1’s uphill Turn 8 right-hander — a test for any sports car — before I properly backed off for the 90-degree righthander to follow.
Light weight aside, the short wheelbase XLT model had its drawbacks — most obviously some serious rear tire squirm thanks to the solid rear axle. Outfitting my pickup with limited slip out back would make tight parking lot turns more comfortable. Hit the highway, however, and you can let the big boy roam.
I took the FP700 to the Celebrate Lutz event in Ypsilanti (it feels like something Maximum Bob would have designed, yes?) and it was no secret to some of the motorheads there.
“I heard you drive up. That’s the Ford Performance V-8, isn’t it?” said one industry insider, his face lit up with a smile as wide as the Ford’s chrome fender.
For all of its grins, the FP700 demands respect. Put the similar 700-horse 5.2-liter V-8 in the Raptor R and it will hit 60 mph in an astonishing 3.7 seconds. My XLT can’t be far off, and the truck gulped traffic on I-696 like a killer whale devouring goldfish.
Triple-digit speeds come in a hurry in a truck that, remember, is still sitting on stock suspension.
Beyond the visceral thrills, the FP700 pack comes in two flavors: Black Edition (mine) and Bronze Edition. The Black features black wheels and graphics, the Bronze boasts appropriately colored accents. Both come with the aforementioned 22s, rear lowering kit, a black painted grille, fender vents and special graphics. Other available goodies include sport exhaust, roof spoiler, tailgate spoiler and tires to wrap around the big wheels. While the pickup lacks rear seats, it boasts a healthy 8,200-pound towing capacity.
I figured my $48,000 XLT — which included features like adaptive cruise control and 360-degree camera — pushed $76K when outfitted with the FP700 package. While that’s a bargain compared to a 700-horsepower Raptor R, it’s only about five grand shy of the standard 450-horse, turbo-V6, terrain-chewing Raptor supertruck, which is loaded with SuperCrew cabin and top-line F-150 interior amenities.
Dealer installation means the pickup is, like its F-150 stablemates, backed by Ford’s full 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. So don’t be shy with your right lead foot when you pull up next to a 495-horse Corvette at a Woodward stoplight.
Next week: 2024 Subaru Impreza
2023 Ford Performance 700 F-150
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger pickup
Price: Estimated $75,775 as tested ($48,755 XLT plus estimated $27,000 FP700 dealer upgrade)
Powerplant: Supercharged 5.0-liter V-8
Power: 700 horsepower, 590 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; top speed, 110 mph; towing, 8,200 pounds
Weight: NA
Fuel economy: 10 city/15 highway/12 combined (Detroit News estimate)
Report card
Highs: Sleeper truck; Raptor R power for two-thirds the price
Lows: Lacks amenities of a $70K truck; nearly as expensive as a V-6 Raptor
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: EV or gas car? The cost of refueling in Michigan
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 5, 2023
Charlevoix — Electric vehicles are flooding the market this summer just as Michigan gas prices have hit a $3.86 high for 2023. While customers see EV costs and charging infrastructure as barriers to purchase, a recent study from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 74% of Americans say saving money on gas is a major reason they’d consider purchasing a battery-powered vehicle.
But are EVs cheaper to fuel than their gasoline-fired counterparts? The Detroit News went on the road to find out.
Much of the answer depends on how you use your vehicle, so The News compared refueling costs both for road trips as well as daily commutes. EV early adopters tend to come from higher income households with multiple vehicles and a garage. Electrics are typically used for daily commutes and are refueled overnight from the utility-run, AC electric grid, while companion gas-powered cars are used for road trips. Single-vehicle households, on the other hand, use their EVs as multi-purpose mules — charging on higher-cost, DC fast-charging stations near the nation’s highways as well as plugging in locally on AC outlets.
I drove four different cars to north Michigan and back — a 500-mile round trip — in addition to extended driving around Metro Detroit to compare costs: an electric-powered, $57,410, 2022 Kia EV6 and $60,000, 2019 Tesla Model 3; and gas-powered, 2017, $28,000 Subaru Impreza and 2024, $44,160 Dodge Hornet. All are similarly-sized, all-wheel-drive models.
The Tesla was the cheapest at $50 for the 500-mile round-trip thanks to a 30 cents per kWh charging cost at its proprietary Superchargers in Meijer parking lots along I-75. Tesla rates can be highly variable from 25-43 cents-per-kWh depending on location.
The Kia EV, on the other hand, was—along with the Hornet—the most expensive of the four cars to refuel since it relies on third-party, fast chargers that range from 40-48 cents per kWh hour to recharge (Rivian vehicles, like Tesla, have exclusive access to a Rivian network along the route). I used Electrify America fast chargers, the nation’s largest fast charger network outside of Tesla, that services all-comers with a CCS charging port. EA’s charging network has followed Tesla’s into similar shopping centers and this year upped its cost from 43 cents/kWh to 48 cents.
The Kia cost $80 to charge on the round trip which would be similar to EVs from other brands like the Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning pickup and BMW iX.
The gas-powered Impreza and Hornet cost $67 and $80, respectively, filling up on $3.99 regular gas. The Impreza slurped 30 mpg and the Hornet 25 mpg.
It should be noted the EV vs. gas journeys were very different. Due to their inferior range and refueling ability, the EVs take more trip planning.
“We have built a world around driving gas vehicles. Driving an EV is a lifestyle change,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. “You have to plug it overnight when you get to your destination, then unplug it when you leave. You have to plan road trips around chargers so that you get a bite to eat while you charge for 20 minutes.”
Whereas I only refilled the gas pair once on the 500-mile round trip, I had to stop and fuel the EVs three times each. The Subaru has a range of 462 miles — nearly enough to make the entire round trip before a short, five-minute refueling stop. Depending on speed, I found the Subie’s range could vary by about 12% (30 mpg instead of 34 mpg).
The Tesla EV, by contrast, had much greater range variability — losing up to 30% of range, for example, if I traveled at 80 mph on I-75 instead of 70. That means its 300-mile range may not be enough to get to the destination. What’s more, EVs — unlike gas cars — fill up much more slowly (think a mug of beer) once you reach over 80% of capacity. And when I got to Charlevoix, my charging options were limited. So I stopped twice on the way north for a total of 45 minutes — and then again on the way back.
“The physics of a battery is that it’s not going to give you 300 miles in five minutes,” said Fiorani. “Society is going to have to sacrifice in order to make (the EV) transition. This is not a full step forward like other consumer product advances — people are going to notice the negatives.”
The best way to travel is to make sure your destination (hotel, friend’s home) has a 240-volt charger so you can charge at your destination. Just like home.
It’s local commuting where the EV really shines.
The cost of fueling the Subaru (30 mpg) and Hornet (24 mpg) were nearly the same whether commuting or traveling. The EVs, on the other hand, got much more efficient when home charging on a 240-volt outlet (same voltage as a dryer).
If I home-charged the Tesla at DTE Energy’s overnight, 15 cents-per-kWh off-peak rate, a 50-mile round trip to The Detroit News downtown office would cost just $2.50, or a total of $12.50 a week. The Impreza, on the other hand, would cost $6.66 a day for a total of $33 a week.
As with long-distance travel, there is a wrinkle. A typical charger-plus-installation at a home runs about $2,000. So an EV would take about two years to get the charger cost back in fuel savings. And the $10,000 premium of an all-wheel-drive Model 3 would take about 10 years to make back over a similarly-equipped Impreza Sport.
The refueling advantage of an EV lies in the assumption that owners have access to a garage at work or home.
“While there is plenty of interest in purchasing an electric vehicle, the high upfront cost of owning one and concerns about the country’s charging infrastructure are barriers to more people driving them,” said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the AP-NORC Center. “Policies that alleviate these concerns will be a key component of building support for an EV future.”
Accordingly, automakers target higher-income demographics for EV sales. There are more EV options in the market, with 30% of new vehicle offerings this year being electric. According to data from Cox Automotive, the average EV transaction price was $53,469 in July compared to $48,334 for gas chariots. Apple to apples, EVs are much pricier than their segment counterparts. A 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, for example, starts at $56,715 — about $20,000 north of its gas-fired stablemate. Automakers say such premiums are mostly due to battery cost.
Governments from Washington, D.C., to California are targeting the elimination of gas-engine sales by 2035. To help EV adoption, many states are offering tax discounts in addition to the federal tax credit of $7,500 which the Tesla qualifies for since it is Made in the USA (the Korean-made Kia does not). Leading the way is Colorado with a $5,000 EV state credit that is due to expand to $19,000 later this year. Michigan does not have a state tax credit for EVs.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: Cruisin’ Plum Crazy in the last Charger Hellcat
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 24, 2023
Birmingham — It was a Plum Crazy Dream Cruise week.
I drove a Plum Crazy-painted 2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Jailbreak on Woodward all weekend. Plum Crazy fun to drive. And it’s Plum Crazy that this is the last year Dodge will sell this popular, iconic popular sedan.
If Corvette is Cruise King, then the Charger Widebody (and its Challenger sibling) is the Duke of Brawn. As I drove up and down Metro Detroit’s main street last week, few sedans had more presence. Widebody fenders like Dwayne Johnson biceps, dish wheels like Captain America’s shield, sinister LED running lights.
No one was more entertained than young kids. In Pontiac Cruise traffic, I saw the eyes of two boys in a pickup bed widen at the sight of the Purple People Eater on their bumper. Their fingers formed spinning air wheels and I obliged by shoving the Hellcat’s T-shifter into NEUTRAL, then revving the engine.
WHEEEERAWWWRRR! WHEEEERAWWWRRR! WHEEEERAWWWRRR!
The Hellcat’s sinister combination of supercharger and V-8 was intoxicating. More so with open road in front of it. Stoplight challenges from Mustangs, Camaros (even V6-powered Chargers wanting to know how they measured up to Brother Hellcat) invariably ended with their doors blown off into the grass. Plum Crazy.
Since it was introduced in 2015, the Dodge SRT Hellcat has captivated American enthusiasts. It reduced a pack of media to giggling children at its first Challenger coupe test at Portland International Speedway. With more power than Thor and that shrieking, supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 sending chills up your spine, naming these beasts after a kitty seemed an understatement. Was Godzilla copyrighted? Kraken not available? Smaug?
“The Hellcat has 650 pound-feet of torque,” said Dodge ringleader Tim Kuniskis at the time. “Top speed of 182 mph. Quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds. It’s loud, obnoxious, pure evil.”
And pure gold for Dodge. SRT Hellcat did the improbable: carrying Challenger to No. 1 in segment sales over the iconic Mustang and Camaro. I’ve always preferred the Charger sedan version because I’m a family man: with four doors, you could pick up the kids at school during the day, do launch controls out of Woodward stoplights by night.
No wonder Charger outsells Challenger 3:2, maintaining 80,00-90,000 in annual sales for the last nine years even as other sedans disappeared from the landscape. Kuniskis and his elves kept hammering out new, more outrageous models — Demon, Redeye, Jailbreak (which unlocks a flood of custom options) — dressed in outrageous colors: Destroyer Gray, Go Mango, Sinamon Stick, Sublime, Plum Crazy.
The SRT lineup peaked with the limited-edition, 1,025-horse Challenger Demon 170 that only a lucky few will own. One of them is Jay Leno, who picked up the keys for his 170 at Vinsetta Garage on Aug. 19 to kick off the Cruise.
I asked the comedian what other models in his 180-car, $52 million collection had over 1,000 horsepower. He rattled off four hot-rod mods like the biofuel EcoJet and a Rolls Royce Merlin-powered Franken-Bentley. But the Dodge was the only production car to achieve that distinction.
Heady stuff, but my base 717-horse Charger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak will do just fine, thank you. I chased Leno and Kuniskis up Woodward to Pasteiner’s hobby shop and I swear my Charger got more looks. Paint it green and you’d swear it was the Hulk.
My customized $89,907 model came standard with the latest electronic goodies embedded in a distinct, bezeled carbon-fiber dash display that stands out in this day of hoodless tablet screens.
With goodies like Android Auto, audio controls on the back of the steering wheel, shift paddles, blind-spot assist, and rear-backup assist, Charger lacked few of the gizmos found on the $153,000, 617-horsepower twin-turbo-V8-powered BMW M8 that was also in my driveway for Cruise week.
“Which one shall we take to Woodward?” I asked my motorhead son, who was in town. “We’d be Plum Crazy not to take the Hellcat,” he smiled.
Alas, the killjoys in Washington, D.C., have decided Dodge V-8s are mortal enemies of the polar bear. The last Hellcat will roll off the assembly line in Brampton, Ontario, at the end of this year lest Dodge incur the wrath of the pencil pushers (by the way, if you don’t have $90K laying around, let me recommend the $56K Scat Pack. Same Widebody. Same 20-inch wheels. Same Plum Crazy paint).
If only I could have taken the bureaucrats for a ride in the country.
Midweek, I took Hulk up north to M-32 (the gas guzzler’s 18.5-gallon tank meant I had over 300 miles of range), where the beast proved it could tap dance through the twisties as well as obliterate spotlights. Tap the SRT button on the center console and a menu of Drive Mode options appears. I haven’t seen so much red meat since I ate at Fleming’s.
AUTO mode is muscle enough, but TRACK mode takes Hulk to another level.
The suspension noticeably stiffened. Did it paw the earth as I aimed it at M-32? I destroyed a set of S-bends, the 4,500-pound chassis glued to the pavement before torching a short straight leading to another suite of bends. A special nod goes to the widebody fenders, which allow wider 12-inch Pirelli P Zero tires versus the standard body’s 10.8-inchers.
Upshifts were brutal, however, belting me in the back. Electronics to the rescue again. I pulled to the side of the road and accessed CUSTOM mode. I selected TRACK settings for everything but the transmission, which I kept in STREET mode. Much better. Hulk continued to bound through the countryside but without knotting my spine with each upshift. As I grew comfortable with the eight-speed gearbox, paddle shifters worked nicely too.
All this on a dated 2005 chassis. Imagine what Hellcat could have accomplished had Dodge been updated like other sports cars in recent years — BMW M, Ford Mustang, Toyota Supra — with the latest metallurgy and tech.
So the sun sets on the 28th annual Woodward Dream Cruise — and the last model year Challenger and Chargers. They will live on at the Cruise for years to come, their muscled torsos a reminder of the second golden era of V-8 muscle cars.
My son and I swapped the driver’s seat so he could enjoy Hellcat launch control. WHEEEERAWWWRRR! roared the engine as the 650 pound-feet of torque overwhelmed the rear tires and we laid a patch of rubber down a secondary road. Plum Crazy.
Next week: 2023 Ford Performance 700 HP Package F-150
2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Jailbreak
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive five-passenger sports sedan
Price: $81,150 base, including $1,595 destination ($89,907 as tested)
Power plant: Supercharged 6.2-liter V-8
Power: 717 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.5 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 196 mph
Weight: 4,594 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA est. 12 city/21 highway/15 combined
Report card
Highs: Bodybuilder good looks; visceral thrills all day long
Lows: No adaptive cruise control offered; pricier than a Corvette
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: Some of my favorite things at the Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 21, 2023
Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne spent Saturday at the Woodward Dream Cruise. Here are some of the cars, trucks and boats and shirts (no, not kidding about that last one) that caught his eye at Metro Detroit’s 28th annual autopalooza.
F1 on M-1
Just follow the kids. Buzz spread quickly on Woodward Saturday morning that there was a state-of-the-art, 2023 Formula One car on Woodward.
Sure enough, Golling’s Alfa Romeo Fiat auto dealership had brought in the brand’s C43 F1 chassis developed with Sauber Racing for the open-wheel racing series. The world’s premier motorsport, F1 has taken the U.S. by storm in recent years – three Grand Prix are on the 2023 calendar in Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin.
“We got it in the showroom from Aug. 14-26 to promote our new Tonale SUV,” said Golling General Manager James Houfley, 37, of Silver Lake, as families ogled the red racer. “This is the busiest I’ve ever seen it here during the Dream Cruise.”
Like the Tonale, the Alfa F1 car is a hybrid — the race car has a 1.6-liter V-6 engine mated to electric motors. Unlike Tonale, the carbon-fiber F1 car produces up to 1,000 horsepower. The show car, however, was a “roller” — stripped of its drivetrain for easy transport as a demo.
Vega muscle
From 1971-77, Chevrolet made the Vega subcompact to compete against Ford’s Pinto and the VW Beetle. It was praised for its sporty, hatchback styling and won Motor Trend’s 1971 Car of the Year. However, Motor Trend noted that its four-cylinder engine’s “power was meagre at highway speeds.”
So Erik Smith fixed it.
The 56-year old from West Bloomfield Township stuffed a 455-horsepower, 6.2-liter, LT1 eigne from a Corvette under its orange hood. Say hello to Chevy’s new muscle car.
Boats ‘n’ ice cream trucks
The Cruise has it all from muscle cars to off-roaders to ice cream trucks to boats — yes, boats.
The Detroit News couldn’t catch up to the boat on four wheels that cruised past in Birmingham, but we did chase down the Captain Kool 1998 Chevy Step Van that was selling ice cream up-and-down the strip.
Kelley Isaacs, 39, of Sterling Heights, has gotten a permit for Dream Cruise Saturday the last 13 years to drive the strip. The Chevy may not have a high-horsepower V-8 under the hood, but it has some tasty ice-cream treats in the back. The best-sellers? Drumsticks, Bomb Pops and Strawberry Shortcake pops.
Three wheelin’
Not everything was on four wheels at the Cruise. Slingshot three-wheelers have become commonplace, and this year Morgan added to the mix.
Nathan Struck, 22, of Rochester Hills was giving rides in the English brand’s latest three-wheeler, the 2025 Super Three.
Morgan has ben making three-wheelers sine 1911 and the wee Super 3 sports a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder Ford Dragon engine and luggage racks on the rear — and sides! — to make up for its lack of internal cargo space. Priced from $73,000, the Morgan is marketed exclusively through Birmingham’s Auto Europe in Michigan.
A tee for thee
Birmingham —You could buy the Official 2023 Woodward Dream Cruise T-shirt this weekend. Or you could buy the official Pasteiner’s T-shirt.
The famed Woodward hobby store has been publishing its own Cruise T-shirt since 2000. But where the official Cruise shirt pictured a conventional graphic of a classic Detroit sedan, Pasteiner’s shirt featured a Lancia.
A what? The 1973-75 Lancia Stratos was an Italian-made mid-engine sports car purpose-built for rally racing. Only 500 production versions were made per the homologation requirements for racing. It dominated rally racing of the era, winning the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976. Good luck trying to find one today.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Dream Cruise 2023: Classic cars and their fans take over Woodward
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 21, 2023
Under clear blue skies, classic car lovers lived the dream Saturday on Woodward, with the 28th annual Dream Cruise in full swing from Ferndale to Pontiac from early morning past sunset.
Here are some of the sights (and sounds) from Metro Detroit’s yearly celebration of car culture, Motown muscle and the region’s rich automotive heritage.
Baby’s first Cruise
It was 13-month-old Walt Cragun’s first Woodward Dream Cruise, along with his parents Hannah and Chase. The family just moved to Farmington Hills from Las Vegas.
“I have a good friend who’s from Clinton and when I said, ‘what should we be looking out for when we move to Michigan? Where should we go?’ He said, ‘you can’t miss the Woodward Dream Cruise,'” Hannah Cragun, 28, said.
The family was particularly taken with Charlie Liles’ emerald green 1948 Ford F1 pickup truck, displayed in Royal Oak’s Memorial Park.
“I actually saw one of these 10 years ago in a mining town,” Cragun said. “(This one) was definitely more restored and beautiful.”
Liles, 66, has lived in Royal Oak his whole life and attended all 28 Dream Cruises.
“I’ve been cruising Woodward for 50 years,” he said.
Liles bought and restored the truck with his wife seven years ago.
“We drive it all over, it’s just a hobby, a fun truck,” he said.
Long live the 300
The Chrysler 300 ends production this year, but it will live on at the Cruise in the hands of enthusiasts like Mason Vetor.
The 22-year-old brought his wicked-looking, white, heavily modified 2018 300S to the Cruise this year. How wicked? He turned up the wick on the already robust Chrysler Hemi-V8’s 324 horsepower to 600 horses with mods like new headers and intake manifold to feed the beast under the hood. Well, if it had a hood.
“The intake manifold is so big I had to take the hood off,” said the Shelby Township resident. “It’s a pain to keep the engine clean, but it looks good.”
The mods don’t end at the engine. The Chrysler is lowered on custom gold Gray Star wheels, and the exhaust exits at the rear axles for added volume. Inside, Vetor added a blue “harness bar” for added chassis stiffening and deleted the rear seats. “Rear seats and passengers just add weight to the car.”
Better to blow the doors (and hood) off anything out of a Woodward stoplight.
A legacy on wheels
For some, like Len Palmeri, vintage cars serve as reminders of loved ones. Palmeri, 74, built his hot rod by hand with his father in 1969. The one-of-a-kind car is modeled after a 1929 Mercedes.
“The best gift my father could’ve ever given me was to help me build this car,” Palmeri said.
“I learned a lot from him and you carry those skills with you the rest of your life and carry the memories because he’s no longer with me.”
The car is priceless to Palmeri and contains custom details like the names and initials of his parents, Tony and Jean.
Catering to car lovers
Pasteiner’s has been a Cruise tradition since before the annual Woodward Dream Cruise became an official event nearly 30 years ago.
Opened in 1987 by Steve Pasteiner, the Birmingham hobby shop has been a favorite of motorheads ever since, and it is a regular stop on the cars ‘n’ coffee circuit every Saturday morning throughout the summer. For the Dream Cruise, the store steps it up a notch with an official Cruise T-shirt and catered hot dogs and other eats for the passing crowd. Its parking lot, of course, is packed on this Dream Cruise Saturday with toys from Dodge Vipers to old Model A Fords to Pastenier’s own creations like the Nomad and Helldorado.
“The Cruise has really evolved over the decades as it’s become more famous,” said Pasteiner, who is also president of Advanced Automotive Technologies and a regular judge of auto concours. “Now it’s much more international in terms of the variety of cars — and the people. I had a couple of customers come in here wearing cowboy hats and jeans — and they were French! Didn’t speak a word of English. The Cruise now attracts people from everywhere.”
Celebrities, too.
Comedian and talk show host Jay Leno popped into Pastenier’s Saturday morning to look around, as has Detroit native and comedian Tim Allen in the past. “But it’s the auto executives who are the true celebrities in my mind,” said Pasteiner. “Like Mark Reuss, Jim Farley, Bob Lutz — they come in and we just talk cars.”
Celebrity aside, Pastenier said the Cruise is special because you can talk with anyone about cars on Woodward, bond with them, and the next thing you know you’re best friends.
“It’s different than, say, a Pebble Beach concours (that took place this week in California),” he said. “People work on their own cars and bring them to the Cruise — at Pebble, the owners have someone else do that for them.”
Chevy meets half-Chevy
Ronald Page, 75, of Oak Park, Illinois, drove his 1960 Chevrolet Impala, a gleaming white convertible with warm red accents, to Metro Detroit for the Cruise.
The ride takes more than five hours, but it’s worth it to Page, who was waiting patiently to get a picture of an upside down van riding down Woodward.
He’s made the trek every year the cruise has been on since 2015. He does it for the people, the car camaraderie and the festivities.
“I mean, I meet so many different people from different walks of life,” he said.
This year, one of those people was Ted Zulkowski, 52, of Roseville, who parked his “Forvette” in front of Page’s classic.
The “Forvette” is half of a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette topped with a 1931 Ford Model A truck. Zulkowski and his father-in-law built the truck/car over a two-year period, even giving it air conditioning while also ensuring it had the horn and front pheasant ornament like the Model A.
The two had the Corvette and then found the truck in a field “and wanted to … bring it back to life,” Zulkowski said. “So we grabbed the tractor and pulled it out of the field and there’s where we started.”
Classics present and past
Tom Psilles owns a pristine 2005 Chevy Corvette C5, is a past president of the American Corvette Club, and has been coming to the club’s Dream Cruise paddock in the Walgreen’s parking lot in Birmingham for 22 years.
But his wife, Joan, 78, had the couple’s first classic.
She bought one of the first, 1964½ Ford Mustang coupes when it hit dealer lots nearly six decades ago. “It cost me $2,100 and I remember wondering if I’d be able to make the payments on it,” she smiled while watching cruisers stream by in front of the pharmacy.
She sold it a few years later (“It was just daily transportation then”), but when she and Psilles decided to buy a 1960s collector car 25 years ago, they started looking for Mustangs. Instead, a 1961 Corvette caught their eye. They restored it down to the floorboards, cruised the wheels off it, then turned it around for a handsome sum.
Still enamored of ‘Vettes, they drive the C5 now. “I love the styling,” said Tom. “And it’s comfortable. We go to Tucson every winter and we’ve taken the Corvette on the trip there and back.”
A Demonic possession
For a second straight year, car collector Leno took part in the Dream Cruise. At the 2022 event, he unveiled a special version of Ford Motor Co.’s all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup with a custom paint job designed in tribute to a 1970s F-150 once owned by Walmart founder Sam Walton.
This year’s visit was all about gas-fueled, V-8-powered muscle, as the former longtime “Tonight Show” host became the first buyer to take possession of a “Last Call” Dodge Challenger SRT 170 Demon. It’s one of 3,000 1,025-horsepower beasts being unleashed as Dodge ends production of its internal combustion engine muscle cars.
Leno took the wheel of his Octane Red model at Vinsetta Garage in Berkley and pulled out onto Woodward Saturday morning, followed in a black Demon by Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis.
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Dream Cruise Eve: Woodward Avenue comes alive
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2023
Pontiac — Farms have roosters, the Dream Cruise has V-8s.
WAAAUUGGGHHH! A sinister black Pontiac GTO lit up the asphalt at the Woodward and Long Lake stoplight as cruisers woke up with the sun for Dream Cruise Friday. From Pontiac to Bloomfield Hills, cruisers mixed with commuter traffic as clubs set up tents, Corvette celebrated its 70th anniversary at M1 Concourse, and diehards claimed their desired parking spots.
Tom Paletti, 70, of Macomb Township arrived at Woodward and Square Lake at 6 a.m. in his 421-cubic inch, V8-powered 1966 Pontiac Ventura monster to secure his spot in front of Kerby’s Koney Island. He sat in a lawn chair watching the passing parade with his buddy Terry King, 72, of Chesterfield Township and his bright yellow 1973 Camaro Z28.
More:Here’s your guide to the 2023 Woodward Dream Cruise
“We used to get up at 4 a.m. to get a spot at the Dodge display at 13 and Woodward, but then Beaumont bought that property and the cops won’t let you park there anymore,” said Paletti, sitting in his lawn chair watching the passing parade of cars. “Kerby’s doesn’t mind. We hang out here all week — we like talking with car people.”
At the corner of Woodward and Whitemore in downtown Pontiac, a lone, bright orange 1955 Chevy 210 sat in the lush lawn like a four-wheel safety cone.
Behind the wheel (and the 350-cube V-8) sat Bruce Larkin, 63. “I took the day off, had breakfast, now I’m just hanging out before I put up my tents,” said the Waterford Township resident and member of the North Oakland Bowtie Club that sets up at this corner each year.
“The Pit Stop food truck over there will open up from 5-8 p.m. for dinner and we’ll get about 20 cars today,” he said. “On Saturday this whole lot will be packed with probably 100 cars.”
Further south in Pontiac, M1 Concourse was alive with activity as the car club’s annual Woodward Dream Show celebrates the 70th birthday of Corvette this year. The parking lot next to the property’s event center was full of Corvettes staging for a midday photo shoot.
“We have a Corvette from every year that Corvette has been made, from 1953 on,” said M1 CEO Tim McGrane. “We even have a 1983 Corvette — one of the rarest Corvettes in existence.”
That’s because 1983 was the only year in its history that Corvette didn’t go into production. Just 43 ‘Vettes were made before Chevy pulled the plug on production, with General Motors choosing to wait until 1984 to introduce its all-new 4th generation car. All but one of the 1983 Corvettes was crushed — save for No. 23, which was preserved and now calls the Corvette Museum in Kentucky home.
M1 managed to get it to the Dream Cruise — the first time the rare car has ever left Bowling Green. For $25, the public can come by the Dream Show from noon-8 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. The 65th anniversary of the Ram Charger is also being celebrated.
Werner Meier, 72, worked for GM from 1969-2002 and was instrumental in pulling the Corvette celebration together. “For our photo shoot with all the cars here, we have eight white Corvettes representing each generation of Corvette. They will be in the front of the photo.” One of the eight will be Meier’s 1953 Corvette, one of only about 300 made.
The Dream Cruise and charity also go hand in hand. The D-Man Foundation is set up at the corner of Woodward and Long Lake to give hot rides to underprivileged kids and adults.
Mary Anne Pacheco, 67, of Canton Township was out early Friday prepping the parking lot — including the tent under which paraplegics and others with serious diseases are lifted into convertibles and other high-horsepower cruisers brought by volunteers for a thrilling ride down Woodward.
“This is our 11th year,” said Pacheco in front of a ferocious, 2024, Plum Crazy purple, 807-horsepower, supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Demon Jailbreak. “Saturday just gets too crowded out on Woodward so we are here on Friday from 1-4 p.m. for every Dream Cruise. We run rides like clockwork.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Wild horse: 800-hp, $300k Mustang GTD track beast takes aim at Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2023
Mustang is saddling up to take on Europe’s elite sports cars.
Ford Motor Co. took the wraps off Thursday of a track-focused, 800-plus horsepower, estimated-$300,000 supercar version of the seventh-generation Mustang at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Badged the Mustang GTD, it will compete with European track weapons like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Mercedes AMG GT Black and Aston Martin Vulcan.
The carbon-fiber-skinned pony was developed by Ford racing partner Multimatic and contains many of the elements of Ford’s GT3 race car that will debut at IMSA’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona next January — including a huge rear swan wing and rear-mounted transmission. The GTD badge is a reference to IMSA’s GTD race class that the race car will compete in.
Like the 2019 Multimatic-developed, mid-engine Ford GT Mk II, the 2025 GTD will be available as a limited-edition model late in 2024.
“This is something that’s been in my head for five decades,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley, who moonlights as an amateur race driver. “The GTD takes on the best sports cars in the world.”
Such track-focused weapons have typically come out of the stables of exotic makers. The winged McLaren Senna, for example, cost $1.1 million and the Aston Martin Vulcan — of which just 24 copies were made — cost $2.3 million. The Mustang sets its sights on the Porsche GT3 RS, a similarly-priced beast that set the Nürburgring track record earlier this year.
The Mustang’s sophisticated aerodynamics, suspension and engine are optimized to clock similar, eye-watering, sub-7 minute Nürburgring times.
The GTD sports a similar-displacement, supercharged, 5.2-liter engine as Ford’s last-generation, 760-horsepower Shelby Mustang GT500, but the engine is otherwise bespoke to GTD. To attain its 800-plus horsepower (the most by a production ‘Stang ever) the beast is fed with dual air inlets with a 7,500 RPM redline, houses a carbon-fiber driveshaft, and is outfitted with a dry-sump oil system to keep the engine lubricated during sustained high-g-load cornering. Available is a titanium active valve exhaust system for maximum ear-splitting terror.
That beastly powerplant is mated to a dual-clutch, 8-speed transmission mounted in the rear of the car for 50-50 weight balance. The rear transaxle transmission is a first for Mustang.
Ford draws on the racing experience of Canada’s Multimatic, which builds the Mustang GT3 and GT4 race cars for competition. Multimatic also built the $500,000 mid-engine Ford GT beginning in 2016 and provides the chassis for race teams like Porsche-Penske’s 963 IMSA porotype.
“We did some radical things with the GTD,” said Larry Holt, Multimatic executive vice president for special vehicle operations. “Inboard front suspension, titanium exhaust, magnesium wheels and the gearbox in the rear of the car. The Mustang GTD sets a new benchmark for roadgoing racers.”
The GTD will start life at the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant and then be transported to Multimatic facilities in Markham, Canada, where the auto supplier’s elves will work their magic.
Engineered for the street and track, the GTD is outfitted with two suspension settings. In track mode, the Mustang can be lowered by over 1.5 inches to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
For maximum stick through corners, the Mustang boasts Michelin Cup 2 tires. They measure 12.8 inches in the front (the width of the Ford GT’s rear tires) and 13.6 inches in the rear. Unlike the GT3 racer’s wheels, which are limited to 18-inch rims, the GTD’s rubber will be wrapped around 20-inch forged aluminum wheels or available forged magnesium wheels. Special, spool-valve Multimatic shocks at all four corners will help the car read the road.
Such engineering sophistication is clearly aimed at the $240k Porsche’ GT3 RS, long considered the segment’s banchmark. The Porsche features similar dry-sump engine and aerodynamic tweaks — though mere 12-inch rear and 10.8-inch front Michelin Cup 2 tires and 518 horsepower.
The GT3 RS, in the hands of legendary racer Jorg Bergmeister, conquered the 14-mile Nürburgring course in 6 minutes, 49 seconds last spring — a record for normally-aspirated cars. With another 300 horses thanks to its supercharger, the GTD may well eclipse the Porsche.
Aerodynamic tricks include center-mounted front springs to aid front downforce, and active front splitter — the latter illegal in IMSA racing. Also illegal in IMSA racing are the car’s carbon ceramic brakes.
For all its racing design, the cockpit is finished in premium materials including Miko suede, leather and carbon fiber. Displays are all-digital and front passengers sit in form-fitting Recaro seats. Only plan on bringing one passenger to the track, though. The GTR will delete its rear seat to save weight.
“This is our company, we’re throwing down the gauntlet and saying, ‘Come and get it,’” said Farley. “We’re comfortable putting everybody else on notice. I’ll take track time in a Mustang GTD against any other auto boss in their best road car.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
American sports cars rule the Dream Cruise, but they’re an endangered species
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2023
Birmingham — The Woodward Dream Cruise is a celebration of the automobile. Classic, tail-finned Cadillacs, chopped hot rods, cute VW Bugs, jacked pickup trucks, elegant convertibles. They all swim down Woodward in a colorful, diverse school.
But the undisputed alpha predators of the Cruise are American sports cars. They dominate the strip with their reptilian roars. They explode out of stoplights, and wow with alluring colors, hood scoops and designs ranging from sleek to sinister.
And they are an endangered species.
This year marks the end of production for the iconic Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger muscle cars. Pontiac, which produced Dream Cruise regulars like the Firebird, Solstice and Fiero — was long ago put out to pasture. The Dodge Viper? History. Only the Ford Mustang and Corvette supercar will be left after 2023.
There are foreign-brand sports cars to be sure. Unattainable, six-figure European exotics from McLaren, Porsche, and Ferrari attract the big money crowd while sub-$100k coupes like the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman and BMW 2-series sell well. More affordable Japanese hellions like the Toyota GR 86, Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX5 Miata, Toyota Supra, and Nissan Z march on. Nissan even showed the Z NISMO to media at this week’s Cruise.
“It’s sad, it’s not right,” said Waterford Township’s Donna Carrel, 60, next to the V8-powered 2014 Camaro SS that she and her husband own. “Detroit sports cars might come back later after electric vehicles are all in the graveyard.”
The electric age has forced hard decisions on automakers as they gird for a future in which governments mandate the powertrains they sell. Selling small-volume, low-MPG sports cars is risky. Dodge has already been docked over $700 billion by the U.S. government for selling gas-guzzling V-8s, and its popular Challenger coupe and Charger sedan models have been thrown to the wolves.
“The death of American performance cars reflects American car companies overreacting to the latest trends,” said veteran auto analyst and sports car collector Karl Brauer of iSeeCars. “Automakers are often driven by government regulation — yet another organization that chases fads. The Challenger is a good example. It has been well-received by its growing fan base since launching in 2008, but Dodge is still canceling it due to government fines levied on each one sold.”
Veteran Cruisers have seen this movie before. In the 1970s, federal fuel economy laws, high gas prices and clean air regulations conspired to cripple American muscle cars. Engines in the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger, for example, shrank to 4 cylinders, while Charger disappeared entirely — not to be seen again until the early 2000s. Camaro hung on through 2002, then disappeared until being revived for the 2010 model year. Only Mustang has been continuously produced since its 1965 birth.
“Government regulators have done this before,” said John Pertolone, 71, of Sterling Heights, waxing philosophically in front of his silver-and-black-striped 2009 Dodge Challenger. “The manufacturers will electrify them and bring them back.”
His buddy and 1968 Camaro owner Paul Zimmerman, 65, wasn’t buying that vision. “If they are stupid enough to go EV with these cars, then it’s not going to be worth it.”
Mustang is the exception to the U.S. sports car trend, as Ford introduced an all-new Mustang this year complete with V8-powered GT and performance model Dark Horse. The Blue Oval has been savvy about selling electric Mustang Mach-E SUVs and F-150 Lightning pickups to satisfy government sales targets in order to maintain production of its precious pony car.
In Birmingham, Raj Cho, 25, ogled a smoldering, Blue Ember Dark Horse — the first 500-horse version of the ‘Stang’s legendary Coyote V-8. Cho had brought his own 2019 Mustang GT to cruise Woodward. He loves his gas-fed pony, but looks forward to an EV future of electric muscle.
“EVs are so much better to drive,” smiled the native Detroiter. “I won’t get one right now, but maybe in 20 years. The Dream Cruise will always be alive. There will be a point where everyone will want EVs, but gas-powered classics won’t die out here on the street.”
Darren Roberts, 49, of Lincoln Park sees the demise of gas-fired American muscle as inevitable given government regulatory pressures. “But there are just a many environmental negatives for batteries as there are for internal combustion engines,” he said, standing next to his impeccable 2011 Camaro SS on Woodward.
That said, he hopes that U.S. automakers will make a serious effort to make electric sports cars for enthusiasts like him. “If they bring a Camaro back as an EV, then it has to look like a sports car. It has to look that part.”
But while American sports cars may be in flux, there is no dearth of sports cars on the market. And not just unattainable, $200,000-plus exotics like the odd McLaren 720S or Lamborghini Aventador that swagger down Woodward.
Sub-$100,000, petrol-fueled Japanese coupes are plentiful in the auto market, including all-new offerings this model year from Toyota and Nissan. Indeed, Nissan showed off the Z’s NISMO performance variant for media Monday night. With 420 horsepower from a twin-turbo V-6, fat tires and long hoods, a pair of Z NISMOS attracted plenty of attention in front of Crispelli’s in Royal Oak.
“For us the sports car is a heritage play,” said Nissan Performance Development Manager Christian Spencer. “It’s a halo car for the brand that pushes the limits of performance and technology. It’s not a volume vehicle like the Rogue (SUV), but we have it for brand recognition.”
Starting at $42,085, the Z occupies a similar space as Mustang — midway between entry-level sports cars like the $29k MX-5 Miata (Mazda’s brand halo) and Toyota GR 86, and luxury mid-engine sharks like the $65k Corvette and Porsche Cayman. Pontiac’s one-generation-and-done Fiero (celebrating its 40th anniversary next year) and Solstice played in the entry segment.
American sports car models priced under $100k still dwarf foreign marques with 164,788 units sold in 2022 versus 46,341 for foreign makes. When Challenger and Camaro’s collective 79,712 in sales disappear next year, analysts will watch which brands benefit.
“A car company has to commit to making great performance cars and making them for an extended period to establish a following,” said iSeeCars’ Brauer. “With the exception of the Corvette and Mustang — two models that have narrowly escaped cancellation more than once — American car companies don’t appear to have the financial or engineering commitment necessary to build a performance car following.”
Camaro sales plummeted to under 25,000 in 2022 as part of consistent downward trajectory from the brand’s 21st-century peak of 91,314 in 2012. Enthusiasts cooled to ‘Maro after a controversial, sixth-generation 2016 redesign.
“I have better headroom in my ’68 Camaro,” said Zimmerman. “I never warmed to the current car.”
Camaro convertible owner James Martin, 62, of Detroit is an industry consultant as well as a passionate driver. “When the Camaro comes back, it will be as an EV,” he said while watching a pair of V-8 muscle cars swim past. “But if coming electric sports cars just pipe in artificial sound, it’s not going to work with this crowd. It will be interesting to see who gets it right first.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Class of 1997: The new Cruise classics
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2023
The Woodward Dream Cruise auto reunion is in full swing, and this year we honor the great Class of 1997.
In their 26th year, 1997 model cars are now eligible for Michigan antique plates (don’t ask us why the Mitten State considers 26 years old antique). The honor means you just have to pay $30 every 10 years for a vehicle’s registration, not to mention the insurance savings. The catch? Your classic can’t be used as a daily driver, but only for special events like Cruises, cars ‘n’ coffee events, and so on. Which is pretty much all of August in our car-crazed state.
With the 20th century winding down, 1997 was a memorable year beyond auto assembly lines. Artificial intelligence scored a big win when IBM Deep Blue downed chess GOAT Gary Kasparov, “The Lion King” roared on Broadway, J.K. Rowling published the first of her Harry Potter books, NASA’s Pathfinder landed on Mars, Tiger Woods became the youngest Masters winner at 21, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, and Princess Di met a tragic end in a car crash.
Here are the 1997 auto classics that left a mark.
Plymouth Prowler
Chrysler President Bob Lutz and design chief Tom Gale were determined to shake up the industry in the 1990s, and the aluminum Prowler followed the Dodge Viper as one of the decade’s most outrageous models. The retro-futuristic Prowler harkened back to 1950s hot rods but was equipped with the latest interior amenities. When the Plymouth brand died in 2001, the Prowler was rebadged as a Chrysler for 2001-02. “We wanted to change people’s perception of Chrysler as a boring company that built boring front-wheel-drive sedans,” said Lutz. Mission accomplished.
GM EV1
Facing looming California mandates to sell EVs, General Motors went all-in on an all-new EV — rather than re-purposing an existing gas-powered chassis with batteries. The result was the distinctive, jelly-bean shaped EV1, of which a little over 1,000 were built. With 74 miles of range from its lead-acid batteries, the two-seater gave a glimpse at electric innovations that are commonplace on today’s EVs, including low-rolling resistance tires and regenerative braking. Don’t expect to see any EV1s on Woodward, however — GM only leased the EV1 to customers in California, Arizona and Georgia, then crushed all but 40. Hemmings estimates there are six in private hands today.
The Jeep Wrangler TJ
The all-new ’97 dirt-kicker was immediately recognizable by its round headlights — ditching the previous gen’s rectangular peepers. But the big change was under the skin, where the TJ ditched leaf springs for smoother-riding coil-overs and upgraded interior (complete with twin air bags). The changes were hardly cosmetic, however. The new suspension meant seven more inches of wheel articulation, while the stiffer chassis added confidence in the wild.
Porsche Boxster/Cayman
An instant classic, the mid-engine Boxster became the brand’s entry-level sports car after two decades of front-engine starter models, including the 924, 944 and 968. Though the pricier 911 remained as Porsche’s premier sports car, the whip-quick Boxster harkened back to the mid-engine 550 Spyder made famous in the United States by James Dean. Powered by a howling 2.5-liter flat-6 engine, Boxster sold out quickly in its inaugural year and was ultimately joined by a Cayman coupe sibling in 2005. Expect another Porsche shift when the all-electric Boxster arrives for 2025.
Chevrolet Corvette C5
Longer, leaner and wider than its predecessor, the fifth-generation ‘Vette received raves from enthusiasts for its roomier interior, simpler gauges and better handling. For the first time, the gearbox was moved to the rear of the car. The upgrades — and addition of a convertible to the lineup in ’98 — returned Corvette to Car and Driver’s Top Ten list for the first time in 10 years. In a show of the industry’s relentless progress, the 5.7-liter V-8’s 345 horsepower matched the output of the 1967 7.0-liter ‘Vette. On the other hand, that’s 75 horsepower less than a 2023 Chevy Suburban.
Ford Expedition
Though hardly a jaw-dropping Cruiser, Expedition created a stir in ‘97 as an alternative to the popular Chevy Suburban. The mega-ute wars were born (the Toyota Sequoia, Nissan Armada and Jeep Wagoneer would follow). Based on the Ford F-150 pickup frame, the three-row Expedition was a foot and a half shorter than the Suburban to better fit in your garage. Ford’s big boy was available with two V-8 engines with a max towing capability of 8,000 pounds, so you could tow, say, your Jaguar XK8 to the Cruise.
Jaguar XK8
The first all-new Jaguar in over a decade, the sleek XK boasted distinctive looks and a voluptuous wood and leather interior. Available as a coupe or convertible, the Jag rocked the brand’s first V-8 engine, a tradition that continues in the current F-Type sports car. Though not as sporty as the Corvette, the $70k XK won raves for its improved handling over the departed XJ (and if you wanted more grunt, the XKR became available in 1999).
Mercedes SLK
The two-seater Merc was meant to re-create the brand’s legendary 1950s 190SL. Though enthusiasts dinged it for a lack of manual transmission option, it packed plenty of punch from its supercharged 4-cylinder engine and quick handling. Its convertible hardtop was beautifully designed to convert the car into a coupe — with trunk space left over. The SLK ended its run in 2020.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Payne: 5 cool things about the electric Escalade IQ
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 11, 2023
Warren — The all-electric Cadillac IQ is here. It’s large, it’s sleek, just don’t call it the “Ick.”
Escalade has always been a sub-brand in the Caddy lineup, an outsized, truck-sized, halo SUV with a personality all its own. The darling of celebrities when it debuted in 1999, it has survived two Cadillac alphanumeric naming convention changes (the CTS/SRX era from 2000-2019 and the CT5/XT5 era from 2020-present). For its all-electric-by-2030 era, Cadillac is returning to proper name badges — though all must end in “-iq” (pronounced “ick” as in Lyriq and Celestiq). Thus, the Escalade IQ.
IQ expands Cadillac’s mega-SUV’s lineup beyond the standard, gas-powered Escalade and its 700-horsepower, supercharged, V8-stuffed, performance Escalade-V model.
But IQ is a different animal entirely, sharing little with its Escalade siblings. The E-scalade sits — not on GM’s ladder-frame truck architecture — but on the same Ultium battery platform that undergirds the Lyriq, Celestiq, Hummer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Blazer EV and all other future GM electric models.
Here are five things of note about the 2025 Escalade IQ:
1) 450-mile range. While the 800-volt, 200-plus kWh battery pack in the IQ is the same size as the one in the GMC Hummer SUV EV, Cadillac estimates IQ will go a whopping 136 miles (that’s 43%) further than its GMC cousin. Credit the IQ’s slipperier design (look at that raked windshield) compared to the brick-shaped Hummer. While Caddy hasn’t detailed a drag-coefficient number yet, expect it to be significantly less than the GMC’s 0.5 Cd (a Tesla Model S is a slippery 0.21 Cd).
2) 55-inch display. This is what you’ve been waiting for: Escalade’s first pillar-to-pillar screen. Chinese-brand Byton promised it would bring a similar 48-inch design to market in 2019 on its M-Byte model — but we haven’t heard from Byton since. The IQ’s Snapdragon Qualcomm jumbotron (similar to the Celestiq sedan) dwarfs the gas Escalade’s 38-inch unit and will contain three displays in all — an instrument display, console infotainment display, and passenger display. Oh, yes, and there is another 11-inch Command Center screen below it to control climate.
3) Auto gizmos galore. To afford the IQ requires a career of hard work and $130k in the bank, so the vehicle is determined make its owners do as little work as possible behind the wheel. Approach the Caddy with key fob in pocket, and the driver’s door will open automatically. Now that’s good manners. Slide into the driver’s seat, press the brake pedal, and the door will automatically swing shut behind you. Want to exit? Push a button in the Command Center screen and the door opens automatically. Indeed, you can program the other doors to open by themselves to let your passengers out too. Once on the interstate, IQ will go into SuperCruise mode so you can drive hands-free. It’ll even change lanes automatically for you.
4) 40, 24, 5.0, 126. IQ loves numbers. Opt for the audio package, and you’ll get a whopping 40 speakers for the AKG stereo system — including two in the headrests for each ear. The 24-inch rims are a first for the Escalade, though they don’t look out of proportion on this huge canvas. Stick IQ in Velocity Max mode (Hummer calls it Watts to Freedom) and its 780-pound feet of torque will vault it to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. The E-scalade has a dizzying 126 different interior LED color combinations so you can light up the interior like a Christmas tree.
5) e-Bling. The IQ’s design is simple and sleek to achieve the aforementioned low drag co-efficient necessary for extended range. But that doesn’t mean it’s not loaded with bling in the Escalade tradition. Walk up to it and a white LED show will dance across the front end like the Fox Theatre entrance. Behind the grille is — not an engine — but a huge frunk (front truck) that can store, for example, two golf bags. Crowning every Escalade IQ is a roof-length, panoramic, tinted glass roof so you can stargaze at night.
The earth-shaking, 682-horse, supercharged V-8 Escalade-V may beat the Escalade IQ to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. But you’ll never hear the 750-horse IQ coming.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Revealed: Escalade IQ mega-ute electrifies Caddy icon with 450-mile range, 55-inch screen
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 11, 2023
Cadillac introduced its Escalade IQ Wednesday in New York, unveiling the luxury brand’s third Ultium battery-based model as the brand marches towards an all-electric lineup in 2030.
The IQ marries the proportions of the iconic gas-powered Escalade with the Ultium platform first introduced on the Cadillac Lyriq SUV and Celestiq sedans. The result is a bling-tastic mega-ute featuring 24-inch wheels and pillar-to-pillar, 55-inch-wide dash screen powered by a 750-horsepower, 200-plus kilowatt hour battery pack with a range of 450 miles on a charge.
“Escalade IQ raises the standard just as the original Escalade redefined luxury a quarter-century ago,” Global Cadillac Vice President John Roth said. “This reimagining of an icon marks the next step in Cadillac’s all-electric future.”
The $130,000 icon will be made in Detroit at GM’s Factory Zero Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Center starting next summer. The Escalade IQ is more expensive than its ICE counterpart, but still below the level of the $300,000 2024 Celestiq, a hand-built electric sedan that will be the halo model of GM’s luxury brand.
The Escalade IQ name aims to preserve Cadillac’s most iconic badge while also conforming to the brand’s new “-iq” suffix naming convention featured on the Celestiq and Lyriq. It’s not the only EV GM is showing this year. The luxury brand is planning two more global EV debuts by the end of 2023.
“All of this growth and innovation is a direct result of a strategic plan that was laid out by Cadillac just about five years ago,” Roth said.
Since its 1999 arrival, the Escalade has been a central figure in pop culture with its appearances in music videos, TV shows and movies.
“When it was introduced a quarter century ago, Escalade kicked off a new era in innovation, style, technology and of course performance in a full-size SUV,” Roth said. “It was an immediate hit and embraced by pop culture. It became an instant icon, and really a trendsetter and it continues to be the standard that everyone’s chasing.”
Escalade “at one point revived the brand and it enabled it to connect with a much broader audience than it had been,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director for S&P Global Mobility.
Since it first hit showrooms, more than 1 million Escalades have been sold globally.
“Today, Escalade is the best-selling vehicle in the segment, and it’s held that spot consistently over the past two decades,” Roth said. “And really, it’s showing no signs of slowing down. This year, Escalade had its best first half since 2007, and one out of every three vehicles sold in the segment is an Escalade.”
With the electrified version, Cadillac designers and engineers had to bring their A-game to ensure that a storied and important nameplate in the brand’s history continues setting itself apart from the crowd.
“It has to deliver on Cadillac style and it has to deliver on on Cadillac’s level of luxury and craftsmanship and it has to raise all that a little bit just because the landscape is more difficult,” Brinley said.
“Almost every brand at every price point has talked about improving interior materials, improving the quality and the craftsmanship and the feel of their vehicles. So the landscape is a little bit different. When everyone around has raised their game, you have to raise yours as well.”
Escalade IQ’s numbers
IQ joins the Escalade family alongside the gas-powered Escalade and V8-powered Escalade-V. The electric ute’s horsepower and 780-torque numbers best the 682 horses of the V, which had been the most powerful Cadillac built. Squatting low on its air suspension and 24-inch wheels propelled by Caddy’s eAWD system, IQ can hit 60 mph in under 5 seconds using “velocity max” mode.
IQ’s low center of gravity should offer better handling than its gas-powered peers, and four-wheel steer enables a 6.5-foot tighter turning diameter (to 39.4 feet). Like the Hummer’s famed crab walk, four-wheel steer is key to the IQ’s so-called “arrival mode” for pulling into and out of tight spaces.
The IQ shares the gas-powered Escalade’s Y-trim strategy offering sport and luxury models. It will not have its ICE sibling’s wheelbase, however, as the Ultium chassis allows a longer wheelbase. That wheelbase helps open more cabin room as well as a ginormous e-Trunk up front with 12 cubic feet of storage to complement rear cargo room.
“Escalade IQ delivers on a promise of innovative design supported by spirited performance and cutting-edge technologies,” IQ Chief Engineer Jamie Brewer said.
Among those technologies is available automatic opening — and closing — doors. The front door will auto-open when sensing the driver’s key fob, then automatically close behind the driver after they’ve slipped into the front seat and pressed the brake pedal. Occupants can also automatically open all four doors from the inside using a button in the front “command center” screen.
IQ comes standard with a 55-inch, A pillar-to-A pillar screen like that in the Celestiq. The screen houses three displays: instrument panel, infotainment and passenger.
Ultium’s 800-volt architecture can charge the over-200 kWh battery to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. The e-Escalade will be able to charge using the Combined Charging System and Tesla Inc.’s North American Charging Standard. Ultium’s Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology enables the SUV to power a properly-equipped home. IQ can also recharge other EVs, and boasts up to 8,000 pounds of towing capability.
Super Cruise is standard on IQ enabling hands-free driving on more than 400,000 miles of U.S. and Canadian roads. The big Caddy also builds on familiar safety tools. Those include blind zone steering assist, which will help drivers avoid an intersection collision with a stray, oncoming vehicle. High-definition surround vision offers digital camera views of the surrounding area. And enhanced automatic parking assist automatically steers IQ into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces.
‘A true renaissance’ for design
To achieve a 15% lower low drag coefficient, the Escalade IQ’s windshield is raked compared to gas-powered Escalades. While boasting the footprint of an Escalade, the exterior design has evolved to include Lyriq’s design signature like a lit fascia and bustle rear end.
While the interior is dominated by the 55-inch screen, there are even more screens, including the front, 11-inch command center that controls climate. A similar 8-inch rear command center screen and twin seatback 12.6-inch screens are part of an available “executive” second-row seating package that includes stowable tray tables, dual wireless phone charging pads, massaging seats and headrest speakers.
Third-row passengers don’t get screens, but they’ll lounge in comfortable legroom under a standard panoramic roof giving light to all three rows.
“We haven’t seen an interior design shift like this in 100 years,” IQ Interior Design Manager Craig Sass said. “It’s a true renaissance.”
The infotainment display is powered by Google built-in, which provides an interface familiar to Google Maps users. Cadillac says the system can chart a trip using available, third-party fast chargers similar to Tesla’s proprietary navigate-on-autopilot system.
The standard AKG audio system for luxury and sport models bolts in 19 speakers, and a 40-speaker AKG system is on offer with the Executive Second Row package.
“We pushed for more expressive colors and more artistic trim finishes, creating fully-designed ‘themes’ the customer can choose,” Sass said. “As with the exterior, the dramatic interior lighting includes customizable ambient lighting with 126 color choices, allowing the owner to curate a more personal experience.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Twitter: @bykaleahall
Payne: X-ploring the envelope in the GMC Sierra AT4X
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 10, 2023
Flint — The GMC Sierra AT4X AEV Edition is the truck brand’s summit. X for X-treme.
On a weekend road trip up north, the pickup moved furniture, took the family to the movies and mixed it up off-road with ATVs. Next time, I’ll be sure to ford Lake Huron. What makes the AT4X AEV special is the extraordinary performance capabilities that make it a contender in the V8-powered supertruck wars alongside the Ford F-150 Raptor R, Chevy Silverado ZR2 and Ram Rebel.
I love GM’s other eight-piston performance vehicles — the Chevy Corvette and Camaro ZL1 — but try renting a race track on the way home for exercise. On my way back from Charlevoix, I took a detour off I-75 for fun at The Mounds ORV Park. I paid my $15 Genesee County Parks & Recreation fee. Aired the 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain tires down to 21 PSI (from 42).
Released the Kraken.
ROOOOWWWRRR! The beast roared as it gulped real estate across The Mounds’ sandy trails like a “Dune” movie sandworm. SPLOOOOSSHHHHH! It emerged from a pool of muddy water left by weekend downpours. WHOMP! Its nose plowed into a sea of sandy moguls.
Moguls, of course, are meant for nimble dirt bikes, not 18-foot-long pickups. Happily, the AT4X AEV was armed to the teeth with five Boron steel skid plates that absorbed the brutality of the impact from my overzealous driving. Modulating the throttle, I negotiated the remaining moguls thanks to quick-reacting triple-spool-valve shocks — tools developed by IMSA race shop Multimatic, for goodness sake.
After a half-hour of this nonstop violence, I stood back to admire my beast of burden. For all its ruggedness, it’s hardly a spiked, post-Apocalyptic warthog from “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
Standing 11.2 inches off the ground in a black-and-blood-red suit — its handsome mug framed by a steel jaw and C-clamp LED running lights — Sierra AT4X AEV commands respect. Like Shaq walking through your dinner party, the truck turned heads all weekend in Charlevoix, a pickup-choked county with no shortage of head-turning rigs.
GMC’s partnership with AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) adds serious details to the AT4X’s already formidable toolbox, as well as $6,895 to its bottom line. X for X-pensive. They include twin locking differentials, steel bumpers (with optional front winch out front) and a front approach angle of 32.8 inches. But it’s the underbelly Boron plates that are truly impressive. They look as if they could survive a cruise missile hit.
None of this weaponry detracts from the GMC’s interior luxury. I performed my off-road stunts with my luggage intact — computer bag, suitcase, tennis bag secured behind the front seats. There’s more storage in the rear seat backs.
I love a good V-8, and, when I picked up the GMC, my ears were still ringing from the supercharged, 710-horse 5.0-liter Revology Shelby Mustang GT500 V-8 I’d flogged a few days before in Ann Arbor (my apologies to residents for their shattered windows). A throwback to the Dream Cruise glory days, the Mustang retro-mod’s engine fills the cabin with unfiltered sound.
AT4X’s V-8 has even more displacement (6.2 liters), yet is a velvet hammer by comparison. Reflecting GMC pickups’ status as a new breed of 21st century luxury, the V-8 is muffled by layers of sound-deadening that make the cabin a sanctuary over long road trips.
My driveway is a rotating buffet of meaty test vehicles, and my road trip choices were the four-wheel-drive Sierra AT4X or an electric AWD Toyota bZ4X Limited. With furniture moving on my Charlevoix agenda, the pickup got the nod — but it also proved more convenient.
With a family dinner to make up north, the 355-mile range Kraken made the trip in 4.05 hours (including a 10-minute pit stop for gas), while the 228-mile range Toyota would have required 4.5 hours due to an anticipated 55-minute stop at a fast charger (assuming no waits at the Shell charger in West Branch, which has but two ports). Credit the EV as cheaper to fuel over the 250-mile journey at $30 in charging fees versus $73 for the thirsty, 14-mpg pickup.
Encased in the Sierra’s inner sanctum, I enjoyed an easy journey despite stormy weather. Rain and wind battered the truck, which stayed the course like a four-wheeled ocean liner. Twin digital screens are state-of-the-art — as are the head-up display and wireless Android Auto that guided my journey.
As a GM product, the GMC also benefits from industry-leading ergonomics. All the controls I needed were at my fingertips on the steering wheel. Volume control and radio station controls? On the back of the wheel at 3 and 6 o’clock. Adaptive Cruise Control buttons? Use the scroll button in the left quadrant. Vehicle information like tire pressures? Scroll-wheel in the right quadrant was at the ready. These ergonomics are shared across other GM brands, and all benefit.
Absent was GM’s SuperCruise self-driving feature, which would have made the interstate drive even easier, but Sierra did have GMC’s Swiss-Army-knife-like MultiPro tailgate ($1,200 addition).
The gate has six configurations depending on your tailgating needs — and we used its step feature to walk into the tailgate and load the pieces of a bed. The AT4X model is available only in Crew Cab/short box configuration.
As the sun set, we set off for the movies in Petoskey with plenty of room for four. My wee wife and daughter-in-law, it should be said, struggled a bit with the beast’s height — kinda’ like trying to climb on Shaq’s shoulders. The AT4X eschews the running boards of other expensive trucks to maximize off-road ground clearance, and Mrs. Payne practically had to pole-vault into the front seat.
Once inside, the cooled GMC’s thrones were cozy on a warm June summer’s night. And GM has adopted Mazda-style, single-action vents for easy HVAC.
For all of its off-road macho, the AT4X AEV was a gentle giant to ride on-road thanks to its talented shocks and chassis. In keeping with its Camaro and Corvette performance brethren, GMC and Chevy trucks sport highly-engineered chassis dynamics that allow for spirited driving on country roads.
Assuming you have the permission of the other passengers.
And when you’re the only one aboard the Sandworm, well, don’t be shy about taking a detour to an off-road park. Maybe I’ll explore Silver Lake dunes next time.
Next week: Class of 1997 – the New Dream Cruise Classics
2023 GMC Sierra AT4X
Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive four-door pickup
Price: $83,595, including $1,895 destination charge ($91,085 AEV as tested)
Powerplant: 6.2-liter V-8
Power: 420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.1 seconds (Motor Trend); towing, 8,900 pounds; 1,420-pound payload
Weight: 5,974 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 14 mpg city/17 highway/15 combined
Report card
Highs: Formidable off-road; easy interior ergonomics (once you’ve climbed a ladder to get in)
Lows: Big footprint in the city; big price tag
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Payne: How Ford racing has become an integral part of Ford production
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 5, 2023
Concord, North Carolina — In the lobby of the state-of-the-art Ford Performance Tech Center here, visitors are greeted by a grainy black-and-white picture of Henry Ford at the wheel of his Sweepstakes race car on a dirt horse track in Grosse Pointe. In large type above it, the caption reads:
“In 1901, Henry Ford designed and built the race car called ‘Sweepstakes.’ On October 10 of that year, he drove Sweepstakes against Alexander Winton, a famous racer and builder. Against all odds Ford won. That was the beginning — ‘the race that changed the world’ — and it continues today as the spirit of Henry Ford lives with us every day through our motorsports efforts around the world.”
Racing is in Ford Motor Co.’s DNA, and 122 years after that picture was taken, motorsports is more integrated into the company than ever before.
Behind the lobby wall, Ford has invested millions of dollars in three racing simulators used — not just to service the NASCAR, sportscar and rally teams that race Fords — but to test current production performance beasts like the Ford Raptor and Mustang Dark Horse, whose racing-inspired capabilities would awe Henry Ford if he were alive today.
“We opened the Ford Performance Tech Center in 2014 in the center of NASCAR valley … with a vision of supporting all of our global racing efforts, and we’ve done that,” said Ford Performance chief Mark Rushbrook from his office here. “Then we’ve learned from that how to transfer knowledge (from) our race cars to our road cars. So our mainstream engineers use this facility and its tools developed for motorsport to make our cars better for customers that put them in their driveway and garage.”
The 33,000-square-foot facility here north of Charlotte is the hub of the Blue Oval’s sprawling global performance footprint that also includes Allen Park’s Ford Vehicle Performance and Electrification Center (housing the world’s first 200-mph, automobile aerodynamic wind tunnel) and an engineering facility in Milton Keynes, England, as part of Ford’s partnership with Red Bull’s Formula One team.
“Formula One is in a similar valley north of London,” Rushbrook said. “We had a building put in at Milton Keynes, and that is where the 2026 power unit for Formula One is being developed. We’re working at a frantic pace — 2026 sounds like a long way off, but it is tomorrow in terms of racing development.”
Since its founding, Ford’s racing exploits have played a key marketing role. That marketing profile reached the summit of motorsport in 1966 at Le Mans, France, when a squadron of Ford GT40s dethroned mighty Ferrari at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans — an accomplishment dramatized in the hit 2019 movie “Ford v Ferrari.”
“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” goes the mantra. Racing has further been used in a feedback loop so that lessons learned on track can be fed back into production car technologies. In turn, competition helps attract world-class engineers to the company.
“Everything about racing benefits the production side,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director for S&P Global Mobility. “And as Ford goes all-electric, specialized engineering teams helps them be efficient with capital resources in developing their remaining gas performance vehicles. The simulators also help save in development time rather than doing road-test miles.”
The Ford Performance Tech Center wraps the racing/production DNA strands even more tightly. At its core are three racing simulators.
“When we opened the facility, we put in a simulator that we used successfully in motorsports,” said Rushbrook. “Then we introduced it to the mainstream teams … and they started to fly engineers from Michigan on a regular basis to use the simulator. It was being used so much we added a second simulator, and we were still at capacity. A third simulator actually went to Dearborn, so it was closer to the mainstream engineers to use, and even with that, we now have a third simulator here.”
Concord’s first simulator — the $3 million MS1 — was used to develop the mid-engine Ford GT racer that would win the 2016 Le Mans GT class — 50 years after the GT40 accomplished its historic feat. Fast forward to 2023, and simulators MS1, MS2 and MS3 here were key to developing the new seventh-generation, 500-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse.
“The Dark Horse was developed at our simulators right here in Charlotte,” said Tim Scott, vehicle engineering supervisor for the first performance variant of the seventh-generation Mustang.
MS3 is the third — and most advanced — simulator in the Tech Center’s belly. It cost about $5 billion to build with Ansible, a simulator supplier from England. Simulators are used to test everything from NASCARs to Rally Cross Fiestas to Dark Horses to Bronco Raptors.
“The sim helps drivers test for the next race, but it also helps get production cars to market more quickly,” said Dave Ragan, an ex-NASCAR Cup driver who now does sim testing for Ford.
Ragan gave a demonstration of the MS1 simulator’s capabilities to media inside a NASCAR sim “buck” — the full cockpit of a Ford Mustang NASCAR mounted atop sophisticated hydraulic legs. With a 180-degree screen in front of him, Ragan drove a simulation of Charlotte Motor Speedway at full chat, the buck pitching and yawing as it would on a real race track under braking, side-g-loads, acceleration.
Pro drivers will spend four hours at a time in the simulator, testing various race setups ahead of a race weekend. Then production engineers will use the same sim to test attributes of, say, a Bronco Raptor.
“You should see this buck pitch go up and down when they are simulating the Bronco off-road,” smiled Daniel Tiley, NASCAR vehicle dynamic simulation engineer.
Ford’s Performance division is growing into off-road as well as on-road racing with its Baja-focused Bronco DR — but its sportscars are where the company sees the biggest potential to make money by producing race cars for customers in IMSA’s GT3, GT4 and Mustang World Challenge series.
“It’s a big step in customer support,” said Rushbrook. “When we did the (2016) Ford GT, we built only six cars. We weren’t able to sell that car to customers to race. Now with the new GT3 rules, we can race as a factory — which we will do with Multimatic (out of Canada) — but we can also sell the exact same car to customers so they can race in IMSA, Le Mans SRO.”
Sportscars will run under the Dark Horse badge. For the first time, Mustang will run its own World Challenge race series — just as Porsche and Ferrari have done for years.
Some 40 Mustang Dark Horse Rs — race versions of the Dark Horse production car gutted to fit rollbars and outfitted with slick ties — will be entered. Developed on Concord sims, the R will be powered by the same 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 as in the production car.
“Production-based Mustang vehicles have raced from the very beginning, all the way back to winning the 1964 Tour de France,” Rushbrook said. “Dark Horse R offers our passionate customers not just an attainable, factory-built race car, but also a racing series to compete with other Mustang enthusiasts.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Payne: On track in the sinister Mustang Dark Horse
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 3, 2023
Charlotte, North Carolina — Heaven is riding a Ford Mustang Dark Horse at 7,500 RPM.
Coming off the 24-degree Turn One banking at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I banged the manual Tremec shifter from 4th to 5th gear at redline, all 500 ponies roaring in front of me. Down the back straight we thundered until a tight 180-degree hairpin interrupted our reverie.
But for all of the V-8’s glorious aria, the infield course on Charlotte’s 2.3-mile “roval” (road oval, combining Charlotte’s oval track with a tight infield course) is where the Dark Horse really shows its stuff.
Building on the seventh-generation Mustang I recently tested in the canyons of Angeles Crest Highway north of Los Angeles, Dark Horse is the new-gen Mustang’s first performance variant.
It’s no GT350 – the screaming, 526-horse, 8,000 RPM, V8-powered Shelby variant that Ford introduced with its 2015 sixth-gen coupe – but it’ll do. Credit Mustang’s entry into IMSA’s new GT3 and Mustang Challenge series with a pair of snorting, earth-pawing race cars – both flying the Dark Horse banner. Win on Sunday, sell Dark Horses on Monday.
Dark Horse is one mean-lookin’ filly.
You’ll know it by the black mask enveloping the grille and headlights. Black stripes flow up the hood (there are graphics options, typical of Mustang customization) like striping on a stallion’s nose. Get Dark Horse in red or Grabber Blue to highlight the black trim.
The visual allows for instant differentiation from the yellow GT that I flogged in California. And the Dark Horse picks up where the loaded $60K GT lets off: performance package with upgraded P-Zero summer tires, sway-bars, brakes and spoiler out back.
Decelerating into Charlotte Motor Speedway’s hairpin, these elements combine to bring the two-door missile back to earth, just as they teamed up in the GT to conquer California Route 2 with precise handling and instant toque. Indeed, Dark Horse destroyed the rolling North Carolina country roads leading into the Motor Speedway of Charlotte.
But the track is Dark Horse’s natural habitat. I encourage owners to spend time there to explore its envelope. Here the engine, brakes, tires and transmission are pushed to the limit of heat and grip. It’s why Ford upgraded Mustang’s manual transmission from a Getrag unit in the GT to the Dark Horse’s Tremec — the latter equipped with two coolers to withstand sizzling temps.
It’s why you’ll want to upgrade to the $4,995 Dark Horse Handling Package and its sticky P-Zero Trofeo RS rubber (or buy a new set of rims and take slick tires to the track). The Handling Pack comes with goodies like an adjustable rear wing and front splitter — but it’s the tires that are the secret sauce.
Hard on the brakes into the hairpin, the Pirelli gumballs gripped the pavement with confidence compared to the slipperier summer P-Zeros. Rev-matching with the manual shifter help make for smooth corner entry — BRAP! BRAP! BRAP! — as I shifted from fifth to second for the tight left-hander.
Sticky as they are, the Trofeos couldn’t contain the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8’s 415 pound-feet of torque, and the rear end briefly stepped out as I stomped the throttle up into Infield Turn 3. Sliding across the 90-degree Turn 3 apex, Dark Horse was remarkably balanced for a 3,900-pound land shark that has swallowed a V-8 boat anchor — but uphill Turn 4 would be a bigger challenge.
A long 180-degree left-hander, Turn 4 is essentially half a skid pad — an opportunity to get to the sports car’s true character. And Mustang likes to, um, understeer.
Ford’s chief muscle car competitor, Camaro, has shown up the Ford pony in such exercises given the Chevy’s neutral handling (credit a chassis shared with the corner-carving Cadillac CT4-V). Sure enough, Dark Horse — like a pack horse distracted by some delicious grass on the side of a trail — was stubborn about turning into Turn 4, its nose plowing straight ahead.
Patience, Payne. I back off the throttle and rotate the big coupe into the apex. Once it sniffed the apex, Dark Horse responded, the Trofoes absorbing power. I get back on throttle again — only to face yet another 180-degree Turn 5. And another for Turn 7. And again in Turns 8 and 9.
The inherent push is always there, but I learned to coordinate V-8 torque and sticky rubber to hit my marks. It’s what makes track days so much fun, and why eight-holers like Mustang are track favorites. The Coyote’s wail echoed off CMS’s walls as I pounded around lap after lap.
Dark Horse options leather Recaro seats, which were both supportive and comfortable — unlike the back-crippling carbon-fiber seats I recently experienced in the BMW M3.
With its gorgeous 19-inch display screens housing digital instrument and infotainment displays, seventh-gen V-8 Mustangs can now be credibly considered peers of the Bimmer, which boasts a similar display. In past generations, interiors weren’t Mustang’s strength, but that has changed and you’ll enjoy customizing Dark Horse’s track modes — augmented by Unreal Engine gaming graphics that are BMW’s match.
One thing Mustang could learn from Bimmer is to put its horizontal RPM tachometer (TRACK mode) in a head-up display for maximum driver visibility. Especially since the Dark Horse tops out at a nose-bleed $72K. That’s $15K shy of a loaded, 500-horse M4 Competition, but still a lot of coin considering that the Corvette C8 and Porsche Cayman start in the mid-$60,000 range.
But add a proper, howling V-6 to the Cayman and price soars to $93K. The Corvette is stiffer competition. Add a Z51 performance package and the Chevy is competitively priced with the Ford while providing its own 495-horse V-8 and high-tech interior. Especially if you equip the Mustang with the $1,595 10-speed automatic, which rivals the ‘Vette for smooth motoring. The ‘Vette doesn’t offer a manual, however.
Rotating out of the last 180-degree Turn 9 back up onto CMS’s banking, I grabbed the blue shifter knob and shoved it into third gear at redline. Then 4th gear, the cannon-sized quad pipes out back exhaling with a snort. Coyote howling toward redline.
I grabbed for 5th. Heaven.
Next week: 2023 GMC Sierra AT4X
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sports car
Price: $60,865 base, including $1,595 destination ($67,510 manual and $72,800 automatic as tested)
Power plant: 5.0-liter V-8
Power: 500 horsepower, 418 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual; 10-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8-4.3 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed: 165 mph
Weight: 3,949 pounds (manual); 3,993 (automatic)
Fuel economy: EPA 14 mpg city/22 mpg highway/17 mpg combined (manual)
Report card
Highs: Looks wicked; Trofeo RS tires grip like glue
Lows: Understeer at the limit; Mustang GT with slicks gets you to the same place for less coin
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Payne: Living auto legend Bob Lutz celebrated at Willow Run
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 2, 2023
Ypsilanti — The auto industry has produced many luminaries, but few have had the sustained impact of Bob Lutz.
Industry dignitaries and colleagues gathered last weekend in the Yankee Air Museum Hangar at Willow Run Airport to celebrate the living legend’s 60-year career, which spanned significant stints at BMW, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. Whether siring some of the industry’s iconic vehicles, speaking his mind on public policy, or pursuing his hobbies 30,000 feet in the air, Lutz left an indelible mark on the industry.
Amidst some 200 cars assembled for the occasion, presenters wove a tale of a man whose outsize personality and influence earned him the nickname “Maximum Bob.”
“Your having the guts to fight the bean counters drives us to this day,” Stellantis North America design chief Ralph Gilles told Lutz, echoing the guest of honor’s 2011 best-selling book, “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters.”
“You were the anti-commodity executive,” Giles added. “Your legend is still with us.”
Born in Switzerland in 1932, Lutz was fascinated by cars at an early age, but he would be a late-comer to the auto industry. Struggling between European and U.S. schools, he joined the Marines in Parris Island, South Carolina — eventually earning his naval aviator wings. Upon completing his military commission in 1959, he picked up production management and business degrees from the University of California-Berkeley while selling vacuum cleaners and flying in the Marine Corps Reserve.
(Lutz is a trustee of the Marine Corps University Foundation and the Marine Military Academy, and the event honoring him raised $22,146 for the U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.)
His first job out of college in 1963 was with GM in New York, and in ‘65 the General shipped him to Opel in Europe, where he would champion vehicle performance. He took those performance learnings to BMW in 1971 as vice president for sales. There, in three short years, he established the German marque’s clay-modeling studio and model names.
“You did a lot in three years,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW’s M Performance Brand Division from the Willow Run stage, flanked by two of Lutz’s most famous cars, the ferocious BMW CSL racer and the elegant Cadillac Sixteen concept car. “You were instrumental in BMW’s naming convention, and you developed the phrase: ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine.’”
Van Meel also recounted how Lutz brought the American ethic of “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” to BMW. The CSL would go to war against Ford’s Capri in Europe for GT racing supremacy, and open the way to BMW’s revered M Division.
Lutz moved to Ford Europe in 1974, beginning a 12-year stint that would ultimately bring him back to the United States as executive vice president of Ford International Operations. He would lead the development of the Escort III, Sierra and — most significantly — the Blue Oval’s first mainstream SUV, the Explorer.
The development of SUVs — now the best-selling, non-pickup segment — really flowered at Chrysler, where he took up residence in 1986. Though federal mpg rules had essentially outlawed station wagons, Lutz understood customers still craved large hatchbacks. Truck-based SUVs allowed automakers to comply with federal rules and give customers what they wanted, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee born.
In as spectacular a way as possible.
With Lutz at the wheel and Detroit Mayor Coleman Young riding shotgun, the Grand Cherokee crashed Cobo Center’s front glass to open the 1992 North American International Auto Show. It was a display of derring-do that would be synonymous with Lutz’s career. When he wasn’t developing supercars like the V10-powered Dodge Viper, Lutz was satisfying his need for speed with airplanes — including a Czech-made fighter jet that was part of his personal plane and car collection.
“Being the public relations chief for Bob Lutz was an adventure,” recounted Bud Liebler, former Chrysler vice president of marketing and public relations. “One day I got a call from a reporter who’d heard that Bob had crashed his plane.”
A call to Lutz confirmed the rumor to be true. “What am I supposed to tell the press?” an exasperated Liebler asked Lutz at the time.
“Tell them I forgot to put the landing gear down,” replied Lutz.
Steve Pasteiner, president of Advanced Automotive Technologies and founder of Pasteiner’s auto hobby shop on Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, was for years a fellow judge with Lutz of the Meadow Brook Concourse d’Elegance. Pasteiner recalled giving Lutz and GM design boss Wayne Cherry a lift back to their vehicles after the judging — except Lutz pointed to a field at the edge of the property instead of the parking lot. There sat a military-grade helicopter belonging to Lutz.
Maximum Bob hopped out of Pasteiner’s car, lit up the chopper and flew home.
“My God, the man is like James Bond,” said Cherry to Pasteiner as they watched the helo disappear.
“No, James Bond in a fictional character,” said Pasteiner. “This guy is the real deal.”
Chrysler, remembered executives at the event, was the real deal in the late 1990s — its product lineup transformed by the Dream Team of Lutz, designer Tom Gale and engineer François Castaing. Standout products from that era included the cab-forward LH sedans, jellybean-shaped minivans and the aforementioned Jeep Grand Cherokee. “We could do no wrong from 1990 to 1998,” said Paul Wilbur, who then led Jeep and Dodge product planning.
Passed over for Chrysler CEO in 1998, Lutz accepted the CEO’s position at battery-maker Exide Technologies. He published “Guts: the 7 Laws of Business that Made Chrysler the World’s Hottest Car Company.”
But another big automaker would soon come knocking. Determined to shake up GM’s stale product lineup — a wag said it “had the appeal of hospital food” — CEO Rick Wagoner hired Lutz, then 69, in 2001 as vice chairman for product development.
“Thinking back to your many contributions during our time together at GM, I think your biggest accomplishment was to re-focus and re-energize the entire organization on the importance of great design,” wrote Wagoner (who could not attend in person) to Lutz in a letter presented at Willow Run. “Your pushing of the organization to focus on delighting customers, especially with beautiful designs, motivated not just the designers and engineers, but really the entire company, which paid huge dividends in the marketplace.”
In an echo of his past successes, Lutz challenged design to produce a pair of sexy sports cars— the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. A torrent of product, followed including the 1,000-horsepower Cadillac Sixteen Concept, Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac GTO and Chevrolet Volt ,while Lutz also approved the first mid-engine Chevy Corvette.
All were on display at the hangar, but the most significant might be the Volt — the first electrified Chevy and the precursor to GM’s strategy to go all-electric by 2035.
Taking the stage at the event’s conclusion, Maximum Bob walks with a slower gait than years past — at 91, he prefers a golf cart to fighter jets — but his wit and insights remain as sharp and candid as ever.
“I think electric cars will eventually take over, but right now they don’t make much sense,” he said before some 400 invited attendees. “And as far as carbon dioxide emissions go, cars burn fossil fuels whether at the tailpipe or when plugged in. The fact is that 90% of the world’s electricity comes from fossil fuels.”
After leaving GM in 2010 in the midst of industry turmoil, Lutz continued as a consultant, dabbled in auto startups, and published two more books: “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters” and “Icons and Idiots.” This summer, his friend Jon Block saw the opportunity for a proper retirement party.
“I am a closet car designer,” smiled Lutz, who constructs exquisite, 1:36 scale paper models as a hobby. “But when I was a young man, my father looked at my design portfolio and forecast a life of hardship. So I got an MBA, then spent 60 years practicing design without a license.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
2024 vehicle of the year candidates announced: EVs, SUVs and trucks, trucks, trucks
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 28, 2023
Detroit — And they are off! A total of 52 competitors took the green flag Thursday as the 30th annual North American Car, Truck, and Vehicle of the Year announced its list of eligible vehicles.
The diverse field included 17 new nameplates, 14 entries from Detroit Three brands, two from startup automakers, 16 electric vehicles and seven hybrids. Consistent with Americans’ lust for all things ute, SUVs boast the most nominees with 29, but all eyes will be on the seven truck entries.
The top dogs in the red-hot midsize segment — Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger and sales-leader Toyota Tacoma — have all-new trucks for the 2024 model year and the competition will be fierce. Tesla’s long-awaited, radically-designed Cybertruck is also on the list, but — if history is any guide — jurors won’t have a chance to evaluate it since Tesla rarely offers test vehicles.
NACTOY is the industry’s most prestigious, independent award and was launched at the 1994 North American International Auto Show. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class won for best car and the Dodge Ram took home the best truck trophy (the SUV category wasn’t added until 2017 as the industry transformed to high-riding hatchbacks).
“These awards are special because they represent a cross section of views from 50 top automotive journalists, each of whom look at vehicles from their own personal perspective,” said NACTOY president Jeff Gilbert, who announced eligible vehicles at a Detroit auto show kick-off event downtown. “We leverage our own unique processes to come to a consensus that honors the best all new or totally redesigned vehicles in a model year.”
Car sales have been on the wane in the last decade — SUV sales are now over 70% of the non-truck market — but they remain key to foreign automaker market strategies, and there are 16 competitors for ‘24.
The Chevy Corvette E-Ray — the first electrified offering from the storied badge — will be one of the favorites. Expect it to face stiff competition from its fellow muscle car, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang, the ugly duckling-turned-swan Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord, manufactured three hours south of Detroit in Ohio.
In a sign of how brands are realigning, Toyota — once maker of vanilla appliances — will have as many performance entries as Porsche. The Japanese automaker will offer up performance versions of its GR Corolla, GR Supra and GR86 (GR is short for Gazoo Racing), while Porsche will field the 911 GT3 RS, 718 and 911 Dakar.
Toyota’s SUV field is more conventional and includes the Grand Highlander (a three-row version of the top-selling Highlander), Sequoia and Land Cruiser. The Motor City is well-represented in the SUV category, which is where Detroit-based automakers have concentrated their business along with trucks.
Expect the jury to give long looks to the affordable, roomy, high-tech Chevy Trax, Buick Envista and Dodge Hornet, which are bucking the trend away from sub-$35,000 models. Alfa Romeo is rebooting with the Tonale — its first electrified entry in the subcompact SUV segment. Leading the EV field, Chevrolet has high hopes for its tandem of mainstream entries: the Blazer EV and Equinox EV. Startups Fisker (the Ocean) and Vietnam’s’ Vinfast (the VF8 and VF9) also hope to make a splash.
In addition to utility, the SUV segment includes hip entries like the Jeep Wrangler, remade for 2024; Kia’s first battery-only three-row SUV, the EV9; and the sports car of three-row SUVs, the Mazda CX-90.
The last decade has seen an explosion of truck challengers to the Toyota Tacoma, the perennial sales king of midsizers. This year, Tacoma finally responded with an all-new pickup that includes muscular styling and powerful hybrid model — the segment’s first.
The Taco arrived just in time because the competition is upping its game as well with fresh, high-tech entries from Chevy, GMC and Ford. The three Detroit brands are buttressing their claim to the truck award with high-performance mud-kickers like the Colorado ZR2, Canyon AT4X and Ranger Raptor.
NACTOY jurors test, poke and evaluate vehicles all year and will announce their “Best of 2024” nominees (aka the semifinalists) Sept. 13 at the Detroit auto show. The field will be winnowed to a finalist list at the Nov. 16 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the winners will be crowned at Pontiac’s M1 Concourse on Jan. 4, 2024. For more information, visit http://northamericancaroftheyear.org.
NACTOY, in partnership with the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, also marked its 30th year with a $40,000 donation distributed to four charities: Tunnels to Towers Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pope Francis Center to care for the homeless, and Metro Detroit animal shelter Friends for Animals
NACTOY eligible vehicles
Car of the Year
BMW 5 Series
BMW i5
Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
Ford Mustang
Honda Accord
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Maserati GranTurismo Coupe
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche Unnamed 718
Subaru Impreza
Toyota Crown
Toyota Prius/Prius Prime
Toyota GR Corolla
Toyota GR Supra
Toyota GR86
Truck of the Year
Chevrolet Silverado EV
Ford Ranger
Ford Super Duty
GMC Canyon
Chevrolet Colorado
Tesla Cybertruck
Toyota Tacoma
Utility of the Year
Alfa Romeo Tonale
Audi Q8 E-Tron
Buick Envista
Cadillac XT4
Chevrolet Trax
Chevrolet Blazer EV
Chevrolet Equinox EV
Dodge Hornet
Fisker Ocean
Genesis Electrified GV70
GMC Hummer EV SUV
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Kona
Kia EV9
Jeep Wrangler
Lexus RZ
Lexus TX
Maserati Grecale
Mazda CX90
Mazda CX70
Mercedes EQE SUV
Mercedes GLC
Subaru Crosstrek
Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Land Cruiser
Vinfast VF8
Vinfast VF9
Volvo EX30
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.