Girl on Cars

Mini Cooper S Clubman

(Credit: Mini USA)

After months of making the rounds at every conceivable auto show, the 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman is finally on sale in the U.S.

The wagon-style Clubman is billed as a roomier car that still maintains the personality of the original Mini. To some, it seems like a perfect combination of form and function. But for me, the idea of a big Mini just seems ... well ... against what makes a Mini a Mini. One thing's for sure: the Clubman just seems to be one of those cars that people either love or hate.

Part of the point of making the bigger car is, obviously, to accommodate more stuff. The third door, which opens up suicide-style on the passenger's side, makes it easy for back seat passengers to get in and out -- but it does look a tad strange. And the double doors in back make way for a fair amount of cargo space.

The problem is, when we drove the 1.6-liter, 118-horsepower Clubman, we found it struggling to give us the power we needed. And that was with two adults and no cargo. I couldn't imagine trying to get that thing through the hills of San Francisco with a full trunk. While the handling, which Mini describes as "go-kart" style, was pretty quick and responsive, the car just couldn't keep up with our demands. Of course, one major benefit of the smaller engine is fuel economy - an estimated 37 miles per gallon on the highway and 28 miles per gallon in the city with the manual transmission (34/26 automatic) -- as long as you drive it alone and empty on relatively flat roads.

The Clubman S, however, was a different story. The car had plenty of pep, and while we didn't take it up any steep hills, it was able to reach highway speed and pass other cars with relative ease. But the extra performance drops the gas mileage down to 34 miles per gallon on the highway and 26 miles per gallon in the city with the manual gearbox (32/23 for the automatic).

There's no doubt that the Mini Cooper Clubman will have its loyal followers. Its signature Mini styling cues, along with some model-specific features, definitely attract attention. But unless you're willing to spring for the more powerful engine, be prepared to curse those steep city streets. And for $25k, there are plenty of other cars that could make it up the hill. Although the alternatives might not look as hip.

2008 M3 coupe

(Credit: BMW NA)

As a fan of the predecessor to this current M3, the e46, I was skeptical about driving what some called a heavy, underpowered car that didn't quite live up to its ancestors' legacy. A few die-hard enthusiasts, amid cracking tired Bangle jokes that are oh-so-five-years-ago, called it the MPIG, bemoaning the addition of more sensors and high-tech gadgets that added weight and deterred DIYers. And I almost bought into it.

Sure, I'll never love the look of the car like I love the e46. But the new M3 is, for better or worse, one of those cars you have to drive to truly appreciate.

On a recent press trip in Monterey, we had the opportunity to drive the M3 as it should be driven: On empty, windy roads. And later, even better: Madza Raceway Laguna Seca.

The 2008 M3 is powered by an all-new, 4.0-liter V8 engine. This is a drastic departure from the inline six used on the previous generation of the 3 Series cars. The bigger motor catapults the output to 414 horsepower at 8300 rpm, with 295 pound-feet of torque. But the sound of the car remains refined. The engine sounds big, but still reminiscent of M3s past. Sure, there are bigger engines out there, but the M3 is powerful without being raucous. Acceleration is still plenty fast, and the engine revs so high, you could drive around town without changing gears -- if you really wanted to.

On the road portion of our drive, my driving partner and I were amazed at how soft the ride was while driving over uneven pavement. This was due to an optional Electronic Dampening Control (EDC) feature on our car which has three suspension settings: comfort, normal, and sport. But even in "comfort" mode, softness didn't equate to mushiness. The car still felt dynamic and responsive, even while going over potholes and railroad tracks.

The steering was about as tight as I'd ever felt on any BMW. Although faced with a slew of considerably sharp turns as we wound our way through the hillsides, I never had to take my hands off the three-and-nine position. And the nice thick M wheel was comfortable and pleasurable to grip.

At the track, it was time to take it to a whole other level. My manual coupe really let it rip when I got on the throttle, and the brakes bit down hard and fast before the turns. Even though I was only on stock Michelin Pilot Sport tires, the car stuck like glue through the apexes, and the car's back end came around nicely as I gave it more gas out of the turns. Only a few times did I push it hard enough to get those tires to "sing," but I never felt out of control. Admittedly, I did the whole track in third gear, but even so I never lacked for power or torque.

That said, the 2008 M3 is not a "track car" in the true sense of the word. But that's not the point. The beauty of the e92 M3 is that it can be a sensible, dignified daily driver, and still tear it up on track days. And although I am coupe-biased, I think the re-introduction of the M3 sedan will even further the M3's image of an all-around car that can serve many purposes and still be a thrill to drive.

Oh, and about that heaviness thing; BMW lightened the new chassis up quite a bit to compensate for the weight increase. An aluminum hood and suspension, as well as a carbon-fiber roof, shave some weight off, although the "unladen" weight of the coupe is still 3704 pounds, with the sedan weighing in a tad heavier at 3726 pounds. By comparison, the e46 M3 coupe is 3415 pounds. So just imagine the kind of horsepower boost the 2008 M3 could get if it were 300 pounds lighter. But if you're the kind of person who's bothered by that kind of heft, you're probably better off buying an old M3 and ripping all the seats out.

Someone had the nerve to swipe my special-order, aftermarket clear side markers from my BMW 325 Ci last week while the car was parked outside in a valet lot in Beverly Hills while I was having dinner. Not only did the d-bag (think French for shower) pry off the lenses from both sides, but he -- or she -- even took the trouble to unplug and steal my special stealth bulbs (which appear silver, but blink orange). Seriously, folks. How lame.

It got me thinking. Could someone make a living by swiping tiny little car parts here and there? If purchased at retail, those lenses cost as much as $50 a set, and the bulbs are about $30 a pair. But on eBay, you can find the markers for about $3 each, and the bulbs for about $10 a pair. And those are for new parts. So, figuring that used parts would sell for less, that means someone could get maybe $10 or $15 tops for something that it cost me nearly $90 to replace.

At first thought, there doesn't seem to be much of a financial incentive to take the time to steal something that could yield so little cash. But in my case, the parts were taken in an area known as "restaurant row." As the name implies, the street is lined with restaurants on both sides for about five straight blocks. So, if one car gets hit up at each restaurant for $10 worth of parts, times 10 to 15 restaurants, it's not a bad return for simply walking up and down the street for a couple of hours.

Obviously, I'm not condoning stealing stuff from people's cars. But it apparently proves fruitful for some, even if said assailants should be beaten with bamboo canes. It also reminds us that, no matter how advanced anti-theft technology has become, our cars still remain vulnerable to lesser attacks. And while it could have been much worse, it was still a royal pain-in-the-butt.

Laura's car, lucky number 7

(Credit: Laura Burstein)

The Porsche Camp4 racetrack is perched more than 9,000 feet above sea level. So if the sight of the new Porsche 911 Carrera S to which I was assigned didn't take my breath away, the elevation certainly did. But armed with water, aspirin, and special acupressure wristbands to prevent motion sickness, I was ready to start my engine.

The one-day program was divided into four specific exercises: The skid pad, an obstacle-avoidance course, a slalom course, and the full track. The skid pad was a large circle cut into the snow. The goal wasn't to just drive around it, but rather, to drift around it sideways.

Laura and instructor Claude

(Credit: Jonathan Elfalan, courtesy of Road & Track)

My instructor, Claude, did a couple of example laps before it was my turn. He made it look so easy. The trick is to turn the wheel and accelerate quickly to make the back of the car come out, then to counter-steer to make the car correct. To keep the car moving around the circle, it's a delicate dance of acceleration, lift, and slight but precise steering input. At first it felt unusual to try to drift the car, because many of the techniques go against what we learn in driver's ed. But after a while, the concept clicked, and I really got a feel for how the car responded in the snow.

An instructor gets sideways in the snow

(Credit: Reagan Morgan)

The obstacle-avoidance course consisted of a straight, followed by a sharp swerve to the left (as if going around a car or other object at the last second). This one was slightly easier to master, although none of us went very fast. By the end of our runs, most of us were drifting out of the way, rather than steering around.

The slalom course put together the techniques we'd learned in the previous two exercises. It was fun to drift the car from side-to-side around the cones.

Laura on the track

(Credit: Jonathan Elfalan, courtesy of Road & Track)

The grand finale was driving the full track. It was an exhilarating combination of uphill straights, sharp turns, and lots of elevation changes. Admittedly, some of us lost control a time or two and plowed into the high snow banks (I crashed twice, including once going into the pit lane. I claim the latter was my homage to Lewis Hamilton, a la his pit stop in Shanghai last season). Fortunately, snow is forgiving, unlike concrete.

If I were able, I'd have taken the five-day course. During the one-day program, I felt like I never fully grasped the concepts of what we were trying to learn until the exercise was over. More driving time would have definitely helped. But at the end of the day, all of us felt like we'd learned something new - and we had a lot of fun in the process.

Click here for some basic winter driving tips, straight from the Porsche Camp4 Colorado curriculum.

(Credit: Reagan Morgan)

Here are some winter driving tips straight from the Porsche Camp4 Colorado curriculum:

• Cars respond more slowly on slippery surfaces. Always wait a moment after steering, braking, or accelerating to see how the car behaves before giving it more input.
• Visibility is greatly reduced in bad weather. Make sure you can see clearly, and turn on your headlights.
• Brake carefully and accelerate more gently.
• Get the car pointed where you want to go before getting on the gas.
• Be aware of reduced grip.
• Take corners at lower speeds.
• Brake sooner and longer than on dry surfaces.
• Apex later.
• Look for fresh snow - it provides more grip.
• Avoid icy ruts.
• Check tire pressures monthly - tire pressure can change by 1 psi for every 10 degree F change in temperature (use manufacturer-recommended pressure).

And perhaps the most important tip taught in every driving school, whether it's in the snow or on the pavement:

• Look farther ahead. So many of us keep our eyes glued to the back of the car in front of us. The car goes where you look, so get those eyes up and anticipate your next move!

(Credit: Jonathan Elfalan, courtesy of Road & Track)

When the weather turns cold, scores of well-to-do winter sports enthusiasts flock to the high slopes of Vail valley in Colorado for world-class skiing and snowboarding. But about 20 miles west of Vail Village, high upon a privately owned mountain, sits a secret winter wonderland: a racetrack made of snow and ice.

The twisty road course, built on top of a golf course, is the training ground for Camp4 Colorado, a winter driving school hosted by the Porsche Travel Club, an offshoot of the Porsche Sport Driving School. Here, with professional instruction, participants drive the Porsche 911 Carrera 4, the Carrera 4S, and the Cayenne SUV, in a variety of exercises designed to familiarize drivers with how the cars respond in low-traction conditions.

When I was invited to participate in the program, I was both excited and hesitant; this California girl has hardly ever seen snow, let alone driven in it.

Camp4 offers both a one-day program and a five-day program. The longer school is a combination of driving instruction and recreational activities (with only two-and-a-half days of actual driving time). Our media program was a tad modified--we did one full day of driving, with some additional organized activities afterward.

Some of the Porsche instructors

(Credit: Laura Burstein)

The Colorado school is based on Porsche's Camp4 program in Finland, a winter-driving program in its eighth year that takes place at the Arctic Driving Center, a test facility long used by car manufacturers for covert cold-weather testing. But whereas the Finnish program takes place on a permanent circuit, the Colorado course had to be created from scratch:

While the weather was still fair, a team of designers mapped out the track circuit, careful to avoid obstacles such as sand traps. When winter hit, the builders used a "snow cat" tractor to pack snow into the grass over a period of a couple of weeks to create a base layer. Then, a water truck was used to run about 75,000 gallons of reconstituted water over the track, one section at a time, to create a layer of ice. Finally, fresh snow was dragged over the ice to create a powdery finish. That's no small feat.

Another thing that impressed me about Camp4 was the quality of the driving instructors. Most, if not all, had professional racing experience--including rally, open-wheel, drifting, and Nascar (though I won't hold the latter against them).

Our day began with a classroom session, where we learned about vehicle dynamics such as weight transfer, cornering, and traction, and how applying steering, throttle, and brakes in different combinations could control (or fail to control) a car in a slippery situation.

After class, it was time to head up the mountain to the track.

Continue reading Porsche's winter fantasy camp, part 2 >>>

There was no shortage of sexy, sporty cars at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Here are my favorites (in somewhat of a particular order):

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The race-bred concept, which means "wind" in Japanese, is based on the Courage C65 chassis, which Mazda used in the American Le Mans Series two seasons previously. It has a three-rotor rotary engine that's capable of churning out 450 horsepower. And while it looks awesome, I'd say the chance that it goes into production is pretty slim.

(Credit: General Motors)

The uber-performance version of Cadillac's sportiest model is slated to hit dealerships at the end of this year. Its 6.2 liter supercharged LSA engine delivers an estimated 550 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. It also features Magnetic Ride Control, an "industry-first Performance Traction Management program" (although I'm not quite sure what that means), as well as a new automatic transmission with paddle-shift control (some of us recognized the extra space for the paddles on the steering column when we drove the 2008 CTS earlier this year).

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Audi's sleek supercar gets an update with a 12-cylinder diesel engine -- a first for a high-performance road car. The V12 TDI (which stands for turbo diesel injection), generates 500 horsepower and an impressive 738 pound-feet of torque. The V12 TDI is closely related to the engine in the Audi R10, the two-time Le Mans winner. I love how the car looks, but I'm still befuddled by that giant strip of carbon fiber down the side.

(Credit: Fisker Automotive)

I'm hoping for good karma for Henrik Fisker, best known for his designs of the Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and BMW Z8. The Great Dane is launching his first car built from the ground up, powered by plug-in hybrid technology. The drivetrain, developed by Quantum Technologies, consists of a small gasoline engine that turns a generator to charge a lithium-ion battery pack. The batteries power the electric motor and turn the rear wheels. With a zero-to-60 time of less than 6 seconds and a top speed of more than 125 miles per hour, the Karma is definitely poised to be a Tesla-killer.

(Credit: General Motors)

My number one car (though a tough call) evokes images of Tim Allen doing his manly grunt on Home Improvement. The 2009 Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful and fastest production car ever made by parent company General Motors. It features a new, supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 engine that cranks out a jaw-dropping 620 horsepower and about 595 pound-feet of torque. GM says the ZR1 will be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 miles per hour. But those speed junkies and midlife crisis victims still need to hang on a big longer -- the ZR1 won't arrive until this summer.

(Credit: Warner Brothers)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your salivating. Those of us silly enough to go to Detroit in the middle of January to look at cars will be able to gawk at the super-cool Mach 5 from the Wachowski brothers' remake of the classic 1960's 'toon. The car is slated to be on display at Cobo Hall in Detroit during the 2008 North American Auto Show, beginning Jan. 13 for press and Jan. 19 for the public.

Although, like most Hollywood prop cars (and more than a few Hollywood people), it will probably be just an empty shell.

The real-life version of the Mach 5 was first revealed back in June, around the time production plans for the movie were announced. Sadly, previous reports say the driving scenes were filmed with the Mach 5 on a crane, and most of the effects were computer-generated. Still, it's fun to imagine tearing down the road in that sweet little road rocket. If I were Trixie, I'd insist on driving.

Porsche Panamera hybrid

(Credit: Porsche AG)

Porsche announced today that it's developing a hybrid version of the Panamera, a four-door GT car that will debut in a traditional combustion engine version in 2009.

The hybrid system will use a combustion engine, plus an electric motor and an additional clutch, along with a battery pack to store power. The system can switch between the combustion and electric motor, or combine power from both, depending on driving conditions. And although we haven't seen specific technical data yet, this system sounds strikingly similar to GM's "two-mode" hybrid system, which can yield anywhere from zero emissions to pretty much standard combustion engine-level emissions, depending on how hard the car is driven. Porsche claims their hybrids will reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent over standard models.

Porsche isn't saying exactly when the hybrid Panamera will go on sale, but says it will be offered at "a later date" than the purely gas-powered 2009 Panamera. It could be a while, since Porsche recently announced that the hybrid version of its Cayenne SUV would be delayed until 2010.