Auto Trends

Everybody is always interested in hearing about the world’s greatest supercars… but what about the little guy. It would seem to us that featuring these hot cars just makes the average driver rather sad in comparison to these technological, bulging, muscular beasts that would give most of our cars an atomic wedgie if it could.

Well, today we are going to make you all feel like you are driving Bugatti Veyron’s… err, something like that. The cheapest “New” Car in the United States right now is without a doubt the Chevrolet Aveo.

For the cost of a 10 year supply of Starbuck’s coffee at $4 a pop ($10,300), one could slide into a stripped down, 100 horsepower 1.6 liter powerhouse that can punch out 0-60 in just under 10 seconds, and that’s without a push start! Anti-lock brakes would not be a part of this package, so you would have to do the old fashioned foot pump action when sliding in the snow, ice, or rain..

15” alloy wheels are actually an “option”, compared to the go cart styled 14” wheels. Maximum air conditioning would be driving with your head out the window, and the upgraded interior refers to “fake” leather, (a.k.a. Leatherette).

Keep in mind that this is the cheapest America has to offer. If you are really on a budget, the Tata Nano has been making waves in India as the absolute cheapest car in the world. For the cost of new brakes on the Veyron ($2,500), you could have an entire car.

33 horsepower, 2 cylinders, 4-speed, no airbags, no air, no radio, enough room in the trunk for a duffel bag, and only a very light sheet of steel that would be just enough to package you up in like a scrunched up newspaper upon impact.

With the introduction of the Tato Nano almost anyone in the world can now own a car. In consideration of the pollution levels around the globe, the lack of oil supply, and the cost of fuel, all we can say is, “Thanks a lot… Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors!”

But you won’t see these things in the United States anytime soon. Their emission standards are not quite up to par unless they offer a “green” version, which just may be in the pipes… God help us all!

Ford…

With Chrysler and Toyota as the runners up.

Ford Motor Company (Recall 07V336, 07V553, and 07V156)

• Recall 07V336 (August 13, 2007) involved 3.6 million Ford vehicles, including the Bronco, Crown Victoria, E-150, E-250, E-350, E-450, Explorer (Sport and Sport Trac), F-150 Lightning, Ranger, and Taurus SHO.

• Problem- The speed control deactivation switch was found defective through 1,472 complaints and 65 full-on accidents and/or fires. Whether engine is running or turned off a short circuit develops that in turn causes a fire in the engine compartment.

• Recall 07V553 (January 2008) involved 1.2 million Ford vehicles, including the F-series Super Duty, E-series, and Excursion with 7.3-liter diesel engines.

• Problem- The camshaft position sensor was found defective through 1,595 complaints and 14 full-on accidents and/or fires. The most significant danger occurs if the switch malfunctions and stalls the vehicles engine, the driver will be left with the potential of an accident.

• Recall 07V156 (April 23, 2007) involved 446,460 Ford vehicles, including the Escape Sport Utility equipped with anti-lock brakes.

• Problem- The anti-lock braking module connector was found defective through 120 complaints that all resulted in either a accident and/or fire. The electrical short first causes the warning light to illuminate, and then as heat builds in the unit it can begin to smoke and then actually lead to an eventual fire.

Chrysler Corporation (Recall 07V555 and 07V092)

• Recall 07V555 (December 2007) involved 576,418 vehicles, including the Dakota, Durango, Ram Van, and Ram Pickup Truck with automatic transmission.

• Problem- The ignition/park shifter interlock system can malfunction, allowing the shifter to move out of the park position, which ultimately could lead to the vehicle taking its own trip down the road without owner consent. Chrysler has not allowed the data to be publicly released as to exactly how many cases have been documented.

• Recall 07V092 (April 2007) involved 328,424 vehicles, including the Durango.

• Problem- A circuit in the instrument cluster controlling the interior lights was found to overheat through 213 complaints and 78 occurrences of accident and/or fire. The overheating in some cases led to an instrument panel fire that was within range of the front passengers.

Toyota (Recall 07V013)

• Recall 07V013 (February 2, 2007) involved 533,124 vehicles, including the Tundra and Sequoia

• Problem- The front suspension ball joints were found to wear prematurely through the complaint of 120 consumers (14 confirmed failures and 6 injuries). As the ball joints wear overtime, they can eventually malfunction completely, leaving the driver with little control of the vehicles steering.

There were also a few cases of serious recalls by Volkswagen and Nissan, but none of them had any public confirmations to actual incidents. So, either they were caught in time, or the danger associated with the recall had a low possibility of actually occurring.

Nobody likes to hear or see the word “Recall”, but those manufacturers that admit to the problem quickly and take swift public action should be commended. There have been many injuries and deaths throughout the United States history that could have been avoided if only the maker would have taken care of the situation immediately, rather than covering it up until being forced by the government to make the changes.

We’re not talking about the quarter mile here folks… this is a straight on 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds or more. With todays technology in lightweight materials and engine efficiency it is hard to believe that we would still have a few 10-second dogs roaming around in 2008… but we do!

Let’s take a look at a few of the (dare I say) winners this year:

1. 
   2008 Smart ForTwo- This little car has had a rough year this year, and while we’d hate to rub any more salt into its already fleshy wounds, this would have to be one of the all around slowest cars you could purchase today. With a feather 1,650 lb curb weight, this car can drop from a 12 second 0-60 sprint to nearly 15-seconds, depending on how many donuts you ate that morning. Seriously though, according to Motor Trends, this car has been known to take 14.70 seconds to reach 60 mph using its 70 horsepower/68 lb-ft torque electric motor.

2. 
   2008 Honda Fit Sport- Probably the best part of the Fit’s #2 spot on this list, is that the word “sport” is actually part of this cars character. If your sport is to be the slowest possible, you know you might at least come in 2^nd from the Smart ForTwo with its solid 11.9 seconds (according to Motor Trends). We are only talking about a little over 100 horsepower and torque we realize, but at 33 mpg city, you’d expect perhaps a little more out of the 1.5 liter engine.

3. 
   2008 Chevrolet Aveo- Obviously not from the same mold as the new Camaro and Z powered Corvette, the subcompact Aveo features a 103 horsepower/107 lb-ft torque 1.6 liter, that according to Edmunds.com can propel its rather hefty 2,542 lbs from 0-60 in 10.8 seconds. Kind of makes us wonder just what we’d be looking at with the 3-door Aveo featured at the Geneva show that had only 84 horsepower. On a positive note, the Aveo knocks out 34 mpg fairly comfortably, which seems to make consumers awfully happy.

4. 
   Ford F-450 King Ranch Dually- Enough picking on the little guy… let’s get to some V-8 muscle. While the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Elantra could easily be among our next in ranks of slow compacts (depending on whose numbers you follow), the Ford King Ranch with its massive 6.4 liter (350 horsepower/650 lb-ft torque), needs roughly 10.5 seconds (according to Motor Trends) to reach 60 mph. Of course, this truck weighs as much as several elephants (9,000 lbs), so it’s clearly meant for pulling heavy loads (5,526 lb payload capacity), rather than sprinting the quarter mile. But for close to $20,000 less, you could be rolling in the 8.3 second range with the Ford F-250, whose payload capacity (2,977lbs) would still suit most heavy-duty needs.