A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Tesla racks up the reservations
The Tesla Model S is a great drive, but far too expensive for most people. As an alternative to a BMW 5 Series or a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, it makes a compelling argument. But what about the rest of us?
Well, the rest of us could put down a fully refundable reservation on a Model 3, the new Tesla hatchback for the regular Joes. At time of writing, reservations for the Model 3 are about to crest the 300,000 mark, making the car an instant success. There's just one teensy-weensy problem.
Like the Model X, with its "nobody says no to Elon" rear gullwing doors (Tesla officially calls them falcon doors), the Model 3 is an example of promising the moon, and then delivering some of the moon at a much later date. Tesla itself is claiming that "hubris" is to blame for the Model X's slow rollout: that too much technology was built into the car and slow parts suppliers are hampering deliveries.
So when Elon Musk says that the Model 3 will start at a cost of $35,000, will go 215 miles (approximately 350 kilometres) on a single charge, and run to 100 km/h in less than six seconds, a rather large grain of salt should be consumed. Mr. Musk is an ambitious dude, and he's perhaps telling you what he'd like his company to be able to do. The truth will probably be a lot more down to Earth.
Best guess is that the Model 3 won't actually start showing up in reasonable numbers until 2018 or beyond, and that it'll cost quite a bit more than anticipated. Think of it as an alternative to a BMW 335i xDrive, and you're about on the money. As the reservations are totally refundable and require almost no commitment, you can view them as making a case for demand, but not necessarily being the same thing as a confirmed pre-order.
There's a lot of hype swirling around Tesla, and that's a shame as the cars they have out are pretty impressive. The Model 3, when it finally arrives, will probably be pretty good too. But it's still just going to be a car, not the revolution the Teslarati keep shouting about.
Aston Martin plans to use AMG manual
If Tesla is the wave of the future, then let's talk about the only way to get a blast from the past: the manual transmission. Manuals are going the way of the dinosaur, but with the speed of a slow extinction rather than a meteor strike. They'll be around for a few years yet, especially for boutique brands and enthusiast customers.
For Aston Martin, that's a double whammy. It's not just style that differentiates the company, it's the ability to get what you want (for a price). Now, if you want a hand-built twin-turbocharged V-8 mated to a six-speed gearbox, Aston Martin is going to be the only game in town.
The AMG and Aston partnership has been coming for a while now, and hasn't pleased every purist. Aston's V-12s might not be as efficient or powerful as the biturbo versions available from Mercedes-Benz, but they've got plenty of character. We'll be sad to see them go.
However, the 500 horsepower, 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 from Mercedes-AMG is just such a firecracker of an engine, how could you not get excited about it stuffed into a lithe little Vantage? It's still the Battle of Britain, just now the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt have crashed into each other.
IIHS takes aim at lousy headlights
Having trouble seeing at night? According to a recent study, the problem might lie with your car's headlights. Even among luxury automakers, poorly aimed headlights are commonplace, with many vehicles rated marginal or poor.
This despite the profusion of LED lighting technologies continually being trumpeted by various marketing departments. Sure they look cool, but LEDs aren't a panacea. It takes proper aiming of the beams, as well as enough lumens to light the way.
Vehicles were evaluated at the IIHS research centre in Ruckersville, Va. Working at night, engineers used light detection devices to see how the cars handled sharp and gradual turns.
The results were surprising, rating the Prius V as best, while almost everything else did poorly. Even a BMW 3 Series, once considered to have among the best headlights out there, fell down to a marginal rating.
While manufacturers work to develop new technology, many lighting issues could be fixed with a simple headlight aiming. Consider having your car checked.
BMW Z4 replacement tests in arctic
The Z3 begat the Z4 begat the Z5. That's the rumour anyway, with a new soft-top BMW convertible spotted hooning around in the snow in northern Sweden. And yes, BMW's two-seat roadster is going back to a soft convertible top to help keep down both weight and complexity.
The really interesting thing about the Z5 is its co-parentage. Unofficially, BMW and Toyota are perhaps working together on this car, with the latter providing development money in the manner of the Subaru-Toyota partnership that came up with the FR-S and BRZ.
You know what that means? Z5 begat Supra. Keep an eye out.
Watch this space for all the best and worst of the automotive world, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
