Auto Events

As an automotive journalist that covers a vast array of events including all manner of car shows, it isn’t every day that one truly surprises me.

Luckily, Saturday was not every day, and I was completely flabbergasted by the metal on display at the fifth annual Luxury Supercar Weekend in Vancouver’s Van Dusen Botanical Gardens.

The funny part is, I expected to see the rare, $750,000-plus stuff and so while enjoying the sights of the McLaren P1 (twice; there were two of the $1,000,000 hybrid supercar present), and the Pagani Huyara (the first Pagani model to be road legal in North America) in all its naked-carbon goodness, it was the off-Broadway stuff that left my mouth agape.

How about a Porsche 917K Le Mans racer, circa 1971? In classic Martini livery, to boot?

Or what about the Maserati MC12, of which about 60 were produced between 2005-05?

Even a replica of the 1967 Shelby GT500 from 2000’s Gone in 60 Seconds, a car that’s been done many, many times managed to stand out amongst all the plastic (carbon-fibre…whatever), chrome-wrapped Mercedes-Benz SLS and Lamborghini Aventador models of the day.

One of the most refreshing aspects of the event, however, is that while there is a $50 admission fee ($25 for those 12 and under), you don’t get the feeling that this is an event only to be populated by men with $5,000 suits. Children were given the opportunity to take a seat in the Huyara or to sample a virtual simulator (free of charge) complete with moving driver’s seat and race-car inspired steering wheel.

I remember how excited I was when I got to sit in a stone sculpture of a car during Expo ’86 in Vancouver; can you imagine what these kids are going to remember after sitting at the wheel of a real Pagani or steering a virtual race car around a track in high-def? Worth every penny.

 During the course of any given day, an auto writer receives all manner of emails in their inbox from manufacturers, PR flacks and just about anyone somehow connected to the automotive industry.

Most of the time it’s announcements, pronouncements and on occasion, invitations.

One of the most coveted invites is one extending an offer to attend a day at a track, learning more about specific vehicles and if we’re lucky, the chance to do some hot laps in a cool car. Bonus if you have a professional driver in the passenger seat providing helpful instructions to assist in being a better driver. No, doing this activity doesn't make anyone of us a qualified or licensed race driver – it’s purely fun.

Such was the case a few weeks back when such an email arrived from Hyundai Canada inviting writers from across Canada to attend the Fourth Annual Hyundai Fun Day at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) – formerly known as Mosport – in late August.

The intent was to showcase the latest (mostly 2015) models from Hyundai in various environments – no, it’s not all zipping around the all new Driver Development Track (DDT).

Armed with a route map, we had a choice of transport to CTMP: Genesis V8 Ultimate; Genesis V6 Tech; Sonata 2.4 Limited; Sonata 2.4 Sport Tech; or, the Sonata 2.0T Ultimate. My driving partner and I selected the AWD V8 Genesis – a loaded, $62K premium vehicle I had the good fortune to have driven for a week some week’s beforehand. Driving rural roads and highways, the Genesis delivered all it was expected to. Comfort, handling, loads of features, all-wheel drive and a premium sound system.

All too soon we arrived at our destination.

We soon discovered the day Hyundai had in store.

In no particular order, there was a challenging autocross course, monitored with sophisticated timing equipment. The vehicles for this endeavour? The Veloster Turbo with a six-speed manual transmission. Red line excitement in a $26K and change speedster – at least, that’s how it seemed on track. Needless to say, I did not shatter any time barriers that day – only personal illusions as on my best run, I “only” clipped two cones – worth an additional 2 seconds each!

Next up was a parking trial, driving a six-speed Accent – with no rear-view camera. A very short course, to be sure involving severe negotiation of cones and various obstacles, the least of which was an aforementioned Genesis. Talk about pressure – or incentive – depending upon your point of view.

For those into reality TV, there was a mini-Amazing Race-type contest – a scavenger hunt driving an Elantra Ltd Tech – with automatic transmission.

If you were into mud, hills, uneven road surfaces and SUVs, there was a well-planned excursion in either a 2014 Santa Fe XL or Sport or a 2015 Tucson. All were equipped with Hill Descent Control which appears to work quite well – given the terrain we experienced. Naturally traction and stability control were politely disabled.

But without question, the main event was an opportunity to drive the new DDT – in either a 2014 Genesis Coupe V6 3.8 GT or, the lively 3.8 R-Spec. Hyundai listened to previous Coupe owners and have delivered cars with even greater appeal and promise – no matter how you look at them. There is no longer a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo. Now, the R-Spec’s impressive limited-slip differential, performance Brembo brakes, six-speed manual, and R-Spec suspension are all available in a rear-wheel drive vehicle with way more horsepower. With available 348hp, this is a car that can most definitely and euphemistically be referred to as a willing runner!  For the record, this fun to drive sports coupe is available at a suggested MSRP of $28,299 – impressive in every arena. Not once did this beast fail to impress. It always felt firmly planted, even when cornering aggressively and never felt as if the car, when pushed, would lose the pavement – unless driver error was involved.

After a hot, exhausting and exhilarating day, it was time to head back to our original base. This time driving the impressive Sonata 2.0T. In mostly highway driving, this car left me wanting more. No, it was not lacking; far from it. It proved a relaxing ride home in comfort in a well-appointed, tech-laden sedan with further enhancements to Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture approach. From a styling standpoint, the look of the car has tremendous curb appeal. I now have to book this car for an extended test to report in more detail in the very near future.

Since arriving in this country with the three versions of the Pony back in 1984, Hyundai, like the majority of Asian manufacturers, has and continues to learn and grow from its success – and failure.

Wonder what the next 30 years will bring? Stand by. The industry and consumer public waits eagerly for further innovation and value propositions.

The BMW M line's goal was to bring race inspired vehicles to the street. At a recent event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), it was their goal to bring that all-new M roster to the race track for an eventful racing day.

BMW had five different vehicles to drive, the all-new fifth-generation 2015 M3 and M4 Coupe, along with the M5, M6 and M6 Gran Coupe. The event is called the BMW M Power Tour and its been running for several years, but it was made much more special this year, as it was inline with a marketing blitz and advertising campaign for the release of the M3 and M4. BMW has been successful in this campaign through the use of a Canadian-produced video for the M4 called, “Ultimate Racetrack” that has already received over four million hits.

Since I spent most of my time in the M3 and M4, this article will focus solely on those two vehicles. For those not in the know, BMW has changed their nomenclature slightly for the M3. The M3 used to have both the sedan and coupe under its name, but now the sedan remains with the M3 name and the coupe version is now called the M4.

The biggest change for the M3 and M4 comes under the hood. No longer is BMW using a V8, but has brought in a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine that produces 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It comes in rear-wheel drive and is mated to either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a standard six-speed manual. To give a sense of how fast they can go, they've been clocked at doing 0-100 km/h in under four seconds.

For this exercise on track, BMW only brought out the seven-speed automatic, but at least it has the sequential manual paddle shifters that were solely used throughout. We would start the day with some baby steps, learning certain corners of the track in bunches of three to execute the proper speeds, gear and racing lines when we go off for our full laps. All that was needed was to put the vehicle in M2 mode (Sport plus) and I was ready to burn some rubber.

While practising turns 8-10, it was hard to notice the weight loss in the M3 (it shed close to 200 lbs. from its predecessor thanks in large part to the use of carbon fibre). However, one thing that was most noticeable was its agility. The other major change was in throttle response, as it still had a lot to give, even in the higher rpms and reacted quickly to any acceleration.

Turns 4 to 5C were the trickiest of the bunch and it took a while to figure out where to place the M3. Whatever challenge I had, came from my own doing in not finding the right turning point and nothing to do with the car. The M3 stayed balanced throughout without much need for correction, which is a true testament to how well-tuned this sporty car is.

Once we got the ball rolling and started whipping some good lap times around CTMP, the M3 let loose, allowing me to tackle each corner with exquisite precision. It quickly went off the line with a blast of power without ever getting out of control at any point of the day. Braking was effortless and didn't have hardly any lag, even when short shifting into certain corners.
 
The day was a lot of fun and effortless. The M3 and M4 gave me an adrenaline rush, but not a crazy pounding one, which speaks volumes for how controlled the inner beast feels. BMW has done a splendid job in switching to the inline-six from the V8, creating much more flexibility and a balanced drive.

While the recently-revealed 2015 Edge’s styling is remarkable for being as similar to the concept recently showed at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, it would be a shame to forget about the heart of the latest version of Ford’s hot-selling crossover.

Two all-new engines join the 3.5L EcoBoost turbo V6 from last year’s model: a 2.0L turbo inline-four (the number is the same as the four-banger offered last year, but Ford assures it’s all-new) rated at an estimated 245 hp and a 2.7L V6, the latter of which could be the star of the line-up.

No power figures have been announced, but since it slots in between the four and the 3.5L, expect around 270 hp. The big story, however, is the engine’s construction; its block, for instance, is made of a mixture of graphite and iron, the same stuff used for the Powerstroke diesel on Ford’s heavy duty trucks, as well as the engines for their NASCAR program.

To prove how beefy it all is, Ford ran the engine underneath the hood of their entrant in last year’s Baja 1000 rally; not only did it complete the event, but they drove it all the way back to HQ in Dearborn, MI under its own steam.

The extra durability will do well to keep up with an engine start-stop system  that makes its appearance in the Edge for the first time.

For its part, the 2.0L gets a host of upgrades as well; a twin-scroll turbocharger helps reduce lag, emissions and fuel consumed. An integrated exhaust manifold and new pistons, block casting and aluminum balance shaft will make for less operational resistance. And, you can now get AWD with the 2.0L, a feature that was sorely lacking from the previous gen model.

Complete power figures will be announced when the Edge nears production late this year.