2015 Ford Mustang

2015 Ford Mustang

Episode 3409
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

50 years have passed since the Ford Mustang entered the corral, creating the iconic pony car segment. While a lot has changed since then, the Mustang really hasn’t changed that much at all. But as Ford launches the all-new, 2015, 6th generation Mustang, it does so with some of the biggest changes ever. So, saddle up, as the legend of Mustang continues anew.

The 2015 Ford Mustang is arriving at just the right time. Car sales are back up to pre-recession levels, and the original pony car has been facing some the toughest competition ever from the re-launched Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. In addition to that, this will be the first Mustang with true international sales intentions.

Powering this mission are three engines, each with more than 300-horsepower. The 5.0-liter V8 is back of course, now with more muscle…435–horsepower…thanks to tweaked cylinder heads and intake. The 3.7-liter V6 also returns; with its intake redesigned, due to a lower hood. It results in a loss of horsepower, now at 300 even. 

Between the two, at 310–horsepower, is a new 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo I4 with 320 lb-ft. of torque. It’s not the first turbo-4 under a Mustang hood, that would be the SVO of ’84 to ’86, but it is the first Ford to use a twin-scroll unit.

Transmissions hang with tradition, a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic for all engines.

Styling, always a Mustang fan hot button, is less altered than originally feared. Retro-reinvented, the Mustang 6.0 is lower, wider, and even with a familiar long hood profile, far more aggressive. Wheelbase stays at 107.1-inches and overall length is shortened by 2/10ths of an inch.   

The blunt nose and hallmark grille opening are tweaked to fit the rest of the Ford brand. There’s new HID headlights, and a fresh take on LED signature lighting. 

There’s clearly more of a fastback shape towards the backend, and the new rear fascia is “euro diffuser” in design. The glossy tail light panel features updated horses for 4 & 6 cylinders, and a GT badge for V8s. The 3-bar tail lights return, but look more 3-dimensional. Turn signals are still sequential. 

17-inch wheels are standard, GTs get 18’s; 19’s are optional on any. Brembo brakes come with GT or EcoBoost Performance Packages. 

A classic appearance continues inside too, with the dual hump dash. But, gauges, the center stack, and electronic aids are much more in the now. You’ll also find better materials, more knee space thanks to a slimmer lower dash, a passenger’s side knee airbag, and there’s even more room in the glove box. 

Toggle switches and a start button are brought into the mix, and cup holders have been shifted over providing freer access to the shifter. Even base models get keyless entry and a back-up camera. 

Selectable drive modes are new, adjusting steering effort, engine and transmission response, as well as stability control intervention for normal, snow/wet, sport, and track conditions. And of course there are track apps, accessible through the gauge panel information screen, as is Launch Control. 

The steering wheel is smaller in diameter, but gets lots of new switchgear added to it. The trunk opening is larger, and the amount of space behind it has grown a tiny bit, now at 13.5 cubic-ft.  

Nostalgia aside, we found the new-gen ‘stang is now much more about driving with the much anticipated independent rear suspension now standard on all models. You don’t really notice it in sedate daily driving, however. But, dive deep into a corner, start feeding in some power, and the car hunkers down, propelling you out like never before.

Should you encounter a bump mid-way through that corner, it becomes even more obvious; as the rear end is a whole lot less busy, happy to follow in line instead of trying to overtake you every chance it gets. Such a big change out back forced Ford to extensively rework the front suspension as well. That’s a win-win too.

As for how the Mustang feels with 4-cylinder power: it feels just fine. There’s good response, great mid-range torque, and even some respectable sound, though not at full song. 

Nothing sounds like a V8 of course and the GT is still where it’s at if you’re looking for Mustang bragging rights. Manual 0 to 60 nudges four and a half seconds. Drag racers, or the burnout challenged, will also be happy to hear that all GT’s come standard with a line lock. 

Mustang base prices are up slightly; $24,425 for the V6. That’s still less than a base Camaro or Challenger. EcoBoost I4 is just above that at $25,995, while V8 GTs start at $32,925.  

We think the 2015 Ford Mustang, while a little less nostalgic, is much farther reaching, even without its international sales intentions. It is clearly a much better sporty coupe than ever before, and not just in the margins. And that progression will ensure that the Mustang legend will not only live on, but continue to lead.

Specifications

  • Engine: 5.0 liter V8 / 3.7 liter V6 / 2.3 liter
  • Horsepower: 435 / 300 / 310
  • Torque: 400 lb-ft./ --- / 320 lb-ft.
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance 1

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance

Up For Grand Touring Around A Racetrack

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

In recent years, Audi has done an increasingly better job at merging luxury, high tech and sportiness equally into all of their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they all have the same priorities. So, if you’re wondering what this car is all about… well, it’s right there in the name, the Audi RS 7 Performance!

First and foremost, the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance is absolutely fantastic looking. A gorgeous car from all angles. But this posh performer is a lot more than just a visual treat. Under its silky skin lies a menacing sounding V8 that delivers insane amounts of power and, as we discovered, a gloriously intoxicating driving experience.

RS elements added to Audi’s S7 five-door coupe include new aero treatments with a matte gray finish and silver 21-inch Audi Sport wheels. Those silver wheels are wrapped with 275 Continental summer performance tires and allow for seeing plenty of the enormous brake rotors with black-painted calipers. Up front, there’s a wide grille inhaling all kinds of air and headlights with uniqueness that’s pure Audi. This five-door coupe with frameless door windows speaks a true hardtop design.

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, time to hit the corners of Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve had anything here or on any road course that exhibited this much body roll. It didn’t matter what drive mode we had dialed in, it just liked to roll. You could sense that soft suspension in our acceleration runs too. Bystanders got a clear view of a lot of its hardware, thanks to major rear-end squatting as it exploded off the line. Those explosions resulted in a quick 3.7-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour and full quarter-mile runs of 11.9 seconds at 118 miles-per-hour. Fast indeed, though we’re sure both times would improve in warmer temps than our 40-degree test day.

Drive modes have been recalibrated and shifts by the eight-speed Tiptronic in Dynamic Mode are quick. Indeed, noticeably quicker and firmer than in the RS6 wagon we tested just a few months ago without the “performance” treatment. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard.

We’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners.

The driving force for that acceleration is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out an additional 30 horsepower from the standard RS 7 thanks to installing bigger turbos. That makes for a 621-horsepower rating, with an even more impressive boost in torque from 590 to 627 lb-ft. And Audi was kind enough to remove a little sound deadening material so we can appreciate it even more through the optional RS sport exhaust system.

For what is really a Grand Tourer built for blasting you away on luxurious adventures, the RS 7 performance is amazingly track capable. Steering is very direct with great feel, and all four wheels are engaged in the process. They’re connected to a new mechanical self-locking center differential that is not only capable of handling the additional power but is lighter and quicker to respond. Chassis software has been recalibrated to make it all work together seamlessly. There must be some serious engineering wizardry happening in the RS-tuned air suspension as we’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners. Brakes were truly phenomenal too; there was some significant nosedive happening, but no wandering or fading no matter how hard we worked them.

And yes, it’s hard to call this actual work, considering this work environment is far from hostile. Absolutely nothing has been compromised when it comes to delivering the luxury car experience you expect from a six-figure Audi. Whether it’s the fabulous real metal, leather, and detailed woven carbon-fiber materials or the fine stitch-work and the always impressive comprehensive digital gauge display, the RS 7 performance feels truly special inside.

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The front seats were supremely comfortable and were only mildly bolstered yet held us in place just fine out on the track. Plenty of room for rear seat passengers too, and there’s even a great 24.6 cubic-feet of cargo space with hatchback versatility. Less practical is all touchscreen all the time for just about every cockpit control.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14 City, 22 Highway, and 17 Combined. That’s a below average Energy Impact Score of 17.5 barrels of yearly oil use with 8.8 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $129,490, and Audi knows they have a good thing going with the RS 7 performance; so much so, it’s now the only RS 7.

So, could they have just made the RS 7 better instead of tacking “performance” onto the name? Sure, but there’s just something about adding performance to a car name that draws people in. And when it backs it up by delivering more actual performance, well, that’s what we call a win-win. We’d be happy to run some victory laps in the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance anytime.

Specifications

  • Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • Horsepower: 621
  • 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
  • EPA: 14 City | 22 Highway | 17 Combined
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 627 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 11.9 seconds at 118 mph
  • Starting Price: $129,490
Honda Prologue Reinvigorates Brand’s Electric Efforts

2024 Honda Prologue

Honda Shows Up Late To EV Party, Brings Best Appetizer

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

Except for some very limited run vehicles over the years, Honda has largely been sitting out the EV revolution. But that all changes now their first high volume effort, the Prologue. So, let’s find out if it is indeed the start of a great run for Honda.

The 2024 Honda Prologue is not only the brand’s first serious battery electric effort, but it’s also a substantial midsize five-passenger SUV, coming in about 3-inches longer than the internal combustion Passport. Though it’s worth noting, they got here with the help of General Motors and their Ultium EV platform.

So, Honda came to play, both with ultra-competitive pricing and segment leading 296 miles of range. That’s with the standard single-motor front-wheel drive EX rated for 212 horsepower, but top Elite doesn’t sacrifice all that much, coming in at 273 miles. The additional rear motor raises total output to 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft torque.

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Relatively low output numbers in the EV game, but the Elite’s all-wheel drive setup delivered plenty enough acceleration to get our blood pumping during some early and very wet drive time through the recent historic downpours in Northern California.

And while Honda did get here with the help of GM and their Ultium chassis, the multi-link suspension bolted to it has been optimized by Honda for a “dynamic driving experience.” It was indeed plenty of fun to drive, nimble for its size with responsive steering, though we were also happy to find it comfortable and safe feeling in those weather conditions. It also has great visibility and a very natural feel to it that quickly has you forgetting you’re in an EV.

Comprehensive drive modes address just about every aspect of the driving experience, from power delivery to steering response and even braking power; but also changes things up inside with lighting and displays as well as active sound control.

For now, all Prologues come with an 85-kWh battery that will accept up to 150-kW fast charging for 65 miles of range for every 10 minutes on charge.

It also has great visibility and a very natural feel to it that quickly has you forgetting you’re in an EV.

As we’ve come to expect from Honda, the Prologue’s interior is minimalistic and practical, though not fully simplistic as there is plenty of tech on display, including the very high-mounted 11.3-inch touchscreen display. It has a Google-based operating system built into it like in the latest Accord Touring, and you can still use your Apple Carplay and Android Auto phones, both of which connect wirelessly.

Just below that display is some refreshingly easy to use traditional climate controls, and behind the steering wheel is a hoodless 11-inch tablet-style gauge display. Honda worked with Bose to develop an EV-specific sound system with 12 speakers. The standard EX’s system works with six speakers.

Being an EV means more space inside for both front and rear passengers than a vehicle built around a conventional drivetrain. Though with a substantial dual-level center console it doesn’t have the open floorplan of some EVs. The top layer of that console houses dedicated cell phone storage, mega-sized cupholders and Honda’s first use of a pocket-type wireless phone charger, which is standard. There’s space in back for 23.7 cubic-feet of cargo; 54.5 cubic-feet with the 60/40 split rear seatbacks folded; plus, more space under the cargo floor.

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And while length and ground clearance are in the ballpark with the Passport, the Prologue’s wheelbase is nearly a foot longer, and it sits much lower, with a design theme that Honda calls “neo-rugged.” Its slick shape and smooth body panels are clearly designed for enhancing aerodynamics, yet the overall design doesn’t necessarily shout it from the rooftops. Aero-optimized 19-inch wheels are standard, with Elite rolling on 21s, a first for Honda. Roof rails, panoramic roof, and power liftgate are standard on all but the base EX.
With the launch of this new generation of Honda comes new badging that looks to the past with throwback-looking Honda script now spelled out across the back. The Prologue and future Honda EVs also get a new “e” series logo.

Comprehensive Honda Sensing safety features are included on most Prologues, with just rear pedestrian alert and a Surround Vision camera system reserved for Elite.

Pricing starts, before incentives, at just $48,795 for a front-wheel-drive EX, top Elite comes with all-wheel drive and starts at $59,295.

Like most brands, Honda has big plans to deliver a full array of battery electrics in the near future, making significant investments here in the U.S. to make it happen. It may have taken a little help from General Motors to get them started, but Honda is in the EV game for real now, and it arrives at a great time when competition in the midsize SUV EV ranks is getting serious. So, the 2024 Honda Prologue does indeed look like the start of something special for Honda, and for all of us.

Specifications

As Tested

  • Motor Setup: Dual Motor
  • Horsepower: 288
  • Range: 273 miles
  • Battery Size: 85-kWh
  • Torque: 333 lb-ft
  • Peak Charging Rate: 150-kW