Driven

Porsche 911 Turbo: Flying like an eagle

         No kidding -- I’m shifting through the tight, sweet gearbox of the new Porsche 911 Twin Turbo and hitting 60 mph in no time flat (Porsche says it’s as fast as 3.38 seconds). The stampede of the 480 horses was so sweet I never heard the song on the radio.

        Then I glanced down at the song title in a little box within the tachometer. ‘‘Fly Like an Eagle."

         The music then reached my ears. Fly like an Eagle. "You’re telling me!'' I said aloud, with a nasty grin.

         With 60 more horses than its predecessor and, more important, a broader torque curve, this 911 performs like no other before it. A 911, even with the optional Tiptronic S automatic tranny, needs only 3.4 seconds to hit 60 mph.

         With either the automatic or manual gearbox, you’ll get 193 mph out of this speed-controlled system on the racetrack, says Porsche.

          This is the sixth generation of the 911 and there’s plenty to love with its 480-hp twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter engine. For sheer performance, it is simply awesome. Much of the applause goes to the variable turbine geometry system -- it's the first time it has been applied to a turbocharged gasoline engine. The adjustable guide blades can adjust to guide the engine exhaust flow onto the turbo’s impeller wheel in the most effective manner.

          The result is vavoom! But how do you keep all that thrust under control on the road? With a redesigned all-wheel-drive system, of course. Its traction system constantly monitors where grip is needed most and transfers the torque accordingly.

           Now you do have to stop this greyhound once in a while so Porsche has increased brake-disc diameter at all four corners to 13.78 inches. Optional is Porsche’s ceramic composite brake system: lighter in weight and corrosion resistant. But they’ll run you $8,840.

          The 911 Turbo is always ready to rumble, but this is a great everyday driver, too. Visibility is clear for a sports car. Seats are firm but comfortable; headroom and legroom are adequate even for six-footers.

          Some say the 911 is not built for long hauls but it does have a 17.8-gallon tank. And combined mileage is around 20 mpg, but only if you behave.

          Among options, besides the ceramic stoppers, are the Tiptronic S ($3,420), adaptive sport seats ($1,145) and a sportier instrument display ($1,840). Adaptive headlights are wonderfully effective, quick to respond and light the way around dark curves.

          If you can afford it, the 911 Turbo can't possibly disappoint. One owner on a car-chat website compared driving a Porsche to sex. And to think, you don’t even have to buy it dinner.

BASE PRICE: $122,900

Gull-winged DeLorean to fly again!

   So it's back to the future for the legendary DeLorean, er, back from the past and into the future, or something like that.

   It was more than a quarter-century that John Z. DeLorean, the GM maverick credited with inventing the muscle car, left the giant carmaker to follow his own dream: a unique, "affordable'' ($25,000) sports car.

  Now Texas entrepreneur Stephen Wynne, president of today's DeLorean Motor Co. and the world's largest inventory of DeLorean parts, is carrying on the dream: He announced the company will begin building new DeLoreans from the ground up -- in limited numbers, say, 20 or 25 a year.

   Will anyone care? Wynne thinks so. He's depending on the ultra-popular Back to the Future trilogy, in which the DeLorean had a starring rolel as a time machine, to continue sparking interest. ‘There isn't a day somewhere in the world that Back to the Future isn't playing as a rerun,‘ he told the Associated Press.

   As a classic DeLorean owner myself, I wonder how much interest there would be for a new DeLorean. Wouldn't the true enthusiast already have a classic in his garage? One can restore them to perfection for under $30,000. A new one, 80 percent of which has original parts, is expected to go for around $57,000.

   Still, I am excited to see what attention the new venture receives. The gull-winged DeLorean, originally built on a Lotus chassis and expected to compete with the Corvette, never really got its chance to develop, to mature. It had its flaws; it was overweight and underpowered (2.8-liter V6). But over time those drawbacks would have been addressed.

   Wynne said he would offer a more powerful engine as an option.

   From a collector's standpoint, I figure there are two sides to this new showroom DeLorean:

   1. More publicity and more interest means more dollars -- the classic's value is bound to go up.

   2. If Wynne's plan works and he sells a bunch, how will that impact the parts supply on which some 6,000 current owners rely? And will the price of those parts go up?

   One thing is certain: The multitude of DeLorean enthusiasts worldwide will be watching to see if Wynne's plan flies as well as the futuristic DeLo did in Back to the Future II.

Kia Rondo: Pleasant surprises at every turn

        One thing I love about exploring new cars each week is that occasional surprise. It happens when you know pretty much what to expect, but then the vehicle delivers a bit more.

        So along comes this whatchamacallit, a mini-minivan or crossover wannabe, called the Kia Rondo. One lip turns up -- it’s a little funny looking, smallish but roomy inside. And then a quick run down the road and the other side of the lip turns up.

        This is very decent, I tell myself. This is fun. And this is functional, with optional seating for seven and suprising legroom.

        The Rondo, unveiled for 2007, is an odd creature, sure to attract the attention of PT Cruiser types and Toyota Matrix and Mazda5 folks. It strikes me as a smallish minivan, but it drives more like a sprinty Matrix or VW.

         Since it’s an odd fellow, perhaps, Kia invented new lingo to go with it. Rondo’s "giddyupidness," the Korean carmaker says, is derived from a standard 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that delivers 162 horses and 164 pound-feet of torque. That’s a bigger engine than the Mazda5, Matrix and Chevy HHR, boasts Kia, and more horses than the Mazda, Matrix and PT.

         It’s not racy but it has all the oomph you’ll need to get to the airport on time. That is, if the Rondo is too loaded down with the inlaws and enough bags for a four-week stay. It gets a bit sluggish with a full load, but how did you get roped into four weeks with the inlaws anyway?

         The front-wheel-drive Rondo is nimble with independent front and rear suspension, MacPherson struts up front and multilink in the rear. Cornering is relatively flat. Front and rear antiroll bars are standard.

         Rondo is smooth and quiet riding, even at highway speeds. The EPA figures the 2.4-liter engine gets 21 around town, and 29 on the highway. Upgrade to the 2.7-liter 6-cylinder engine ($1,000 more and another 20 horses) and mileage is cut only slightly to 20 and 27.

         "Cabinocity'' (more Kia talk) is huge, says Kia, offering the kind of function found in some minivans. Rondo is a bit taller and wider than the Mazda5, offerinmg 41.3 inches of legroom up front. Second-row riders get three inches less legroom, and third-row folks get only 31 inches. Still, it is not too uncomfortable back there for short hauls -- even among taller types.

          Cargo space behind the third row is a mere 6.5 feet -- enough for a couple of crushable bags -- but fold that third row down and voila! -- 31.2 cubic feet of space.

          That's just good "seat flexology," Kia says. There are 32 different seating configurations possible, if you know your flexology.

          Safety equipment includes electronic stability control and six standard airbags, including side airbags in front and full-length side curtain airbags for all three rows.

          Rondo comes in two trims: LX and EX. The former is decently equipped, with AC, cruise control, remote entry and alloy wheels when you add the Convenience Package.  Upgrade to the EX and get fog lights, 17-inch wheels and Michelin rubber, chrome door handles and front-grille crossbars.

          Or go one better and add premium options like a power sunroof or a 10-speaker Infinity audio system with in-dash 6-CD changer and 7.5-inch subwoofer ($1,200).

           Overall, the Rondo is not much on looks. But it makes up for it with terrific personality, and function. And I call that "buyability."

PRICE: $16,395 (base LX); $20,995 (EX, as tested, with premium options)

Coolest wheels: Kelley lists the top 10

         Kelley Blue Book editors have compiled their top-10 coolest vehicles under $18,000. Topping the list was the 2007 Chevy Silverado, offering the “most metal for the money” and hefty towing capacity, all for $16,500. The others, ranging from $13,200 to $17,900, were the Ford Focus SES 2-door hatchback, Honda Fit, Hyundai Tiburon, Jeep Patriot, Mazda3, Nissan Versa, Scion tC, Suzuki SX4 and Volkswagen Rabbit.  All but one - guess which one? -- offer fuel economy of 30 mpg or more. Read more at kbb.com

Driving green without a hybrid

   You don’t have to drive a hybrid to drive green. There are a number of things you can do with your very own car to make it more cost effective and environmentally friendly.   Here are some ideas, courtesy of Lauren Fix, TV’s "Car Coach."

   Tire Pressure: Proper pressure increases mileage and can save a couple of billion gallons of gas a year, if everyone suddenly became religious about their tire pressure.

   Gas cap: Tighten it -- last year 147 million gallons evaporated throug loose caps, she says.

   Air filter: Replace it or clean it and save 2 or 3 mpg

   Engine light: If it’s on, your car maybe polluting more than it should and wasting gas, too.

   Idle less: It burns more fuel than driving does

   Junk in the trunk: Needless weight hurts your mileage figures

   Driving habits: Avoid jackrabbit starts, coast to lights and use mass transit or carpools whenever possible.

Buyers still high on hybrids

   Hybrid vehicles are on their way to record U.S. sales this year, an auto information company said this week.

   For those who take the time to do the math, hybrids aren't really worth the extra money in the long run. Better off with an economical four-cylinder. But their sales do show that Americans want to make some kind of difference.

   An estimated 187,000 hybrids were sold in the first six months of 2007, accounting for 2.3 percent of all new vehicle sales, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Although a sales slowdown is expected in the second half of the year, J.D. Power is forecasting total sales of 345,000 hybrids for the year -- a 35 percent increase from 2006 when the current record of 256,000 hybrids were sold.

   The Toyota Prius is still the best seller, accounting for more than half of hybrids sold. A $2,000 incentive helped that figure along. Look for more competition ahead: There will be as many as 65 hybrid models, more than half of them trucks, in the market by 2010, with projected sales of nearly 775,000, J.D. Power said.