2011 Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) Spring Rally 2011 - Two Journalists 25 Cars And One Steam Ferry
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MAMA SPRING RALLY
We drive ‘em all in Wisconsin
By Steve Purdy and Larry Nutson
TheAutoChannel.com
Detroit and Chicago Bureaus
This is the tenth year that the Chicago-based Midwest Automotive Media Association has organized their Spring Rally. Each May they bringing about 80 dedicated journalists to the famous Road America race track near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin along with dozens of auto manufactures with their best stuff - nearly a hundred vehicles in all. We then spend about a day and a half driving as many cars as we can on the racetrack, around the beautiful country roads of central Wisconsin and through three off-road courses on the track property.
What a hoot!
As regular readers will know, I love a long road trip and the 9-hour drive from my home to Elkhart Lake, traveling through Michigan’s remote and pristine Upper Peninsula, makes for some great road therapy. My ride was the little Scion xD (look for that review under separate title). There was a time when a subcompact car would not have been a fun way to make such a drive. Not so anymore. It was a fine traveling machine.
THE SCENE
In the paddock at Road America, in the rolling, green hills of east-central Wisconsin, we find everything from the new 2012 Honda Civic to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe; from the Smart Fortwo to the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Cars like the Boss Mustang, Jaguar XFR Supercharged and Cadillac CTS-V are designated for laps of this beautiful 4-mile racetrack while the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Range Rover and BMW X3 xDrive and their ilk are designated for the off-road course. Just about everything can be driven out and around these rural country roads.
It’s nearly as electric as walking into a sports stadium when we arrive at the track and see all those wonderful, fresh cars lined up waiting to be driven. We, your intrepid reporting team will share the highlights. Just remember, these are just initial impressions based on a very limited time in each one. Watch for full reviews of these cars here on TheAutoChannel.com.
THE CARS – IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged – A special aroma overwhelms our senses getting into this Jaguar luxury sedan. It must be that leather. Nothing has been lost in design or execution with the brand’s new Indian ownership. The supercharged engine launches the car smoothly and we’re in the lap of luxury in every seat. (Coincidentally, I’m reviewing that sexy thing this week at home.)
2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG – This tight, red, quick, Teutonically focused racer has the best among the performance cars with automatic transmissions at keeping rpms in just the right range on the racetrack without our having to manage it manually. The track is soaked with cold rain so we need some help in pushing smoothly aroung and this one does it well.
2011 Infiniti G37 IPL Performance Coupe– I had it fishtailing four times going around the track. Not sure whether it was tires, power, or what. (It couldn’t have been my driving skills, I’m sure.) It exhibited great handling though as it came back under control easily and predictably. One of our colleagues told me later that it was running regular street tires which couldn’t quite handle the challenge.
2011 Nissan Juke – This ugly duckling has frog eyes you can see bulging from above the front fenders looking down the hood from inside. The shape and profile look awkward but it grows on you. It is quite good on the track with all-wheel drive. The inside and outside style ought to please youngsters and our colleagues who’ve spent time with the car speak highly of it.
2011 Nissan Quest – Yuch!, It’s slow, stodgy, a pure soccer mom van for sure though reasonably stylish from the outside. Perhaps its because we’ve been driving so many great performance cars today. I would not want to live with this one unless I had lots of kids or cargo to haul daily. It’s big and functional enough to do that very well.
2011 MINI Cooper S – By far the best of retro styling, in my subjective view, with the pie plate-sized speedometer in the center of the dash, toggle switches, and a real sense of humor in its design. Handling is truly amazing with very quick steering, stiff suspension and pleasantly noisy. The door, though, is small and hard for me to get in and out of.
2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo – Has lovely blue lighting details inside, amazing thrust for a four-banger, and great value. I’ve reviewed the Sonata a couple of times finding no fault. This is my first time behind the wheel of the turbo. For the little difference in cost and mileage, I’d choose this one for sure.
2011 Ford Explorer – nice dramatic styling inside for a mainstream car, cool electronic instruments but the multi-functional screen is a bit too complicated for me. I struggled to just find the map. The interior is noticeably wider than anything I’ve been in recently.
2011 Chrysler 300C – With the big Hemi it stacks up well with much pricier cars. I’m impressed by the car’s quality look and feel including the analog clock. The 300 feels big without feeling cumbersome and that big Hemi is a thrill when we put our foot in it.
2011 Chrysler 200 – still cheap looking inside and a bit too conservative for my tastes on the outside. It too has that nice analog clock, but not much else to recommend it. It might be the least impressive car in its class. The TV ads, though, are first rate.
2011 Jaguar XF Supercharged – the height of sophistication in the application of amazing power. New-fashioned elegance and competence on the racetrack make this Jag one to write home about. With the big, smoky-colored wheels it looks attractively mean.
2011 Ford Mustang 302 Boss– Nimble with a deep rumble and grumble and old fashioned brute muscle. The short, stubby shifter is sweet and the endless torque feels otherworldly. It nearly got away from me on turn three of the racecourse as I just eased on the throttle (wet track, you’ll recall). This one demands respect. What a wonderful brute!
2011 Audi A7 – Technology greets me everywhere in this German newcomer. I counted 50 buttons, 5 knobs, a touch pad and a multi-info screen that retracts into the dash. I’m guessing it would be like my new iPhone, with so much capability I’ll never learn even half of it. But the A7 is an easy, sophisticated, powerful car to drive. I don’t need to know all that stuff to enjoy this car.
2011 Fiat 500 – A 140-mph speedo - what’s up with that? Will it go that fast? Nice retro Italian style and design, cute with a buzzy engine, lots of room up front. Once colleague commented that it doesn’t come with all thee connectivity features demanded by young buyers. Perhaps those are options. I’ll be reviewing it soon.
2011 Dodge Challenger 392 – Plain inside compared to Mustang and Camaro. Steering seems slow and light, not as much grunt as the others, more muffled exhaust sound but still cool. Of the modern pony cars it’s my least favorite on the track.
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon – low roof , hard to get into but once in the cockpit it is engaging and sporty. The brake pedal was slippery to my wet shoe, not sure why. None of the others were. We hear the turbo whine (nice sound) as we wind it up to near red line out of the corners. This engine is sweeeeeet! The small gauges sort of defy convention.
2011 Audi S5 – With a six-speed stick this is one of the best, smoothest, fastest and easiest to manage of the track cars. The slightest wheel spin triggers the traction control. I didn’t even notice if it has all that superfluous technology, I was having such fun whipping it around the track.
2011 Land Rover HSF LR4 - This big, competent off-roader is upright, vertical, trucky and extremely comfortable. Most people who own one have no idea of its capabilities or all the stuff that make it such an iconic explorer’s vehicle. But we journalists know and appreciate all that.
2011 Nissan Murano Convertible – It’s growing on me. We first saw it at the LA Auto Show and I thought it looked silly – sort of like the PT Cruiser or Beetle convertibles. Not impressive in many details, I’m now thinking it’s a pretty cool way to have a convertible with a decent back seat. I can hardly reach the seat belt over my shoulder, it’s so far back because of the two door configuration. Driving dynamics are uninteresting.
2011 Buick Regal Turbo – while this performance oriented little Buick has much more energy than its conventional sibling, it does not have the sophisticated feel of many of its competitors. On full throttle, running through the gears of the 6-speed automatic there seems to be a bit of hesitation immediately after each shift, sort of modest but repeated turbo lag. Handling is decent and the interior, in this case black on black on black, had sort of a Darth Vader look.
2011 Dodge Journey – It could be in the running for most improved. We rented one in California last year that was cheap and tawdry, underpowered and softly sprung. This new version is improved in every way, particularly in the quality of the interior. Nice job, Dodge.
2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe – I finally got my chance to drive this over-the-top, elegant convertible. With a price tag of nearly a half-million bucks, curb weight of just about three tons and over 500 pound-feet of torque you might imagine what a treat it was to drive. With exotic woods, the finest leather, an aluminum subframe and all the technology parent company BMW could think of, this Phantom might just be worth the price to those with an appropriate net worth.
2011 Dodge Charger R/T – On the same rear-wheel drive platform as sibling Chrysler 300 the Charger is more down to earth. It is fast, firm, big and masculine. Unpretentious in spite of its magnificent muscle, it is one of my favorites and one that I would love to have in my driveway.
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan – I think the new Grand Caravan is still leading the pack of what we erroneously still call “mini vans.” There is nothing mini about them. With barely adequate power, the interior design, seating comfort, and overall ambiance inside is better than most competitors. It will be hard to beat this original. My main complaint is the weak radio reception. I kept trying to listen to the Milwaukee NPR station and most cars pulled it in well – but not the Caravan.
GOING HOME
 SS Badger |
It seems that this old technology results in the ash from the spent coal going into the lake beginning about 5 miles off shore. While it is essentially inert, say the potential saviors of the boat, EPA regulations do not allow the practice. The permit to operate expires at the end of next year. She’s an old boat but not nearly ready to be retired. © Steve Purdy and Larry Nutson
