AD #1747 – Lincoln MKZ Gets Continental Grille, Automated Parking Could Reduce Congestion, New Prius Driving Impressions
November 18th, 2015 at 11:57am
Runtime: 7:57
- New Lincoln MKZ Gets Continental Grille
- Honda Shows Production Civic Coupe
- HondaJet to Take Flight Soon
- Autonomous Audi RS 7 Tears Up the Racetrack
- Automated Parking Could Reduce City Congestion
- Toyota Adds Hybrid to RAV4 Lineup
- Driving Impressions: New Toyota Prius
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On today’s show… our driving impressions of the new Toyota Prius, the Lincoln MKZ gets a new face and Audi’s self-driving racecar sets record times out on the track. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for November 18th, 2015.
LINCOLN MKZ GETS CONTINENTAL GRILLE
Sales of Lincoln’s midsize sedan, the MKZ have been falling this year, they’re down over 13% so far, but the brand is looking to turn that around with the newly redesigned car. The most notable change is the MKZ gets Lincoln’s new signature grille, which was first shown on the Continental concept. Along with the new lighting package, I think the car appears more luxurious than before and even looks a little like the Jaguar XE. An all-new, Lincoln-exclusive 3.0L twin-turbocharged V6 engine is available that puts out 350-horsepower and 400-lb.-ft. of torque with front-wheel drive. When paired with all-wheel drive, it produces 400-horsepower and 400-lb.-ft. of torque. A hybrid alternative and 2.0L four-cylinder engine are available as well. Moving to the inside, the interior layout is much the same, but Lincoln did change out the slider adjustments for the vents and audio controls to switches and dials. The new Lincoln MKZ goes on sale next summer.
HONDA SHOWS PRODUCTION CIVIC COUPE
We got our first look at what the new Honda Civic would look like back in April with a neon-colored Coupe concept and now we’re getting our first look at the production car. And as you can see, it kept a fair amount of the more emotional styling, something we’re not used to from Honda. Pair that with a car that’s said to improve handling, steering, ride quality and cabin quietness, it’s good news for one of the best selling vehicles in America. The civic lineup will also be expanding in the U.S. with two firsts for the market, a 5-door hatchback and a Type-R model. Look for the Civic Coupe to launch in March.
HONDAJET TO FLY SOON
And in other Honda news, the long awaited HondaJet will wrap up testing with the FAA in a few days, which paves the way for certification and entry into service.
Still to come… Audi shows off its autonomous technology at the racetrack.
AUTONOMOUS AUDI RS 7 TEARS UP THE RACETRACK
Earlier this year, Audi took an autonomous RS 7 to Sonoma Raceway in California and posted faster lap times than sports car drivers. And once again its self-driving racecar is tearing up the racetrack. This time the car, powered by a 4.0L V8 biturbo engine, set record lap times at the FAST Parcmotor racetrack in Spain. The company says it’s using what it learns out on the track to develop self-driving systems for its production cars.
AUTOMATED PARKING COULD REDUCE CITY CONGESTION
But the company isn’t only testing autonomous vehicles out on the racetrack. It just signed an agreement with the city of Somerville, near Boston, to bring automated parking to the area. The city is quickly growing but there’s limited space for more vehicles. With automated parking, garages can fit more vehicles because cars can be parked closer together which means pedestrian paths, elevators or stairs are no longer required because the cars are parking themselves. The whole idea behind the project is to use urban spaces more efficiently which in the end should save money because building parking structures is expensive.
TOYOTA ADDS HYBRID TO RAV4 LINEUP
Toyota just introduced a significantly refreshed version of the RAV4. Most significantly, it now has a hybrid version of the compact crossover that uses the same hybrid system as the Lexus NX. It’s only offered as an all-wheel-drive model and the powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter Atkinson Cycle engine with Synergy drive that powers the front wheels. The rear wheels are powered by an electric motor mounted to the rear axle that is electronically engaged when needed, and is not connected to the engine by a drive shaft. Toyota claims the hybrid will deliver a combined 33 miles to the gallon. The starting price of the base hybrid version is $29,270, about $700 more than a comparably equipped non-hybrid version. Toyota is counting on the refreshed version to surpass the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape and become the best-selling CUV in the segment.
And speaking of Toyota, we’ll give you our impressions of the new Prius right after this.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS: NEW TOYOTA PRIUS
John was at the media launch for the all-new Prius and filed his thoughts about the car. Here are the driving impressions he filed.
“The new Prius is noticeably different from the out-going model from the way it looks, drives and performs. But along with the pros it has some cons. Let’s start with the pros.
The new Prius feels more substantial than before. It has a lot more sound deadening throughout the car, which makes it much quieter. For example, there is a sound deadening mat that covers the entire floor, not just sections of the floor as with the old model. Being quieter makes the car pleasant to drive at highway speeds. It also handles substantially better than the outgoing model, partly because it uses an independent rear suspension instead of a twist beam. Additionally, the steering is quicker, and there is less nose dive braking into turns. The average Prius driver may not pick up on all that specifically, but they will notice it drives better. Acceleration is the same as before, but the fuel economy is improved. The Eco model delivers 56 miles per gallon combined, with the other models delivering 52. But in many driving situations you can beat that. My best run was a 51 mile-long drive where I averaged 59.9 MPG and that was not in the Eco model.
OK, now for the cons. The center touch screen is positioned in a way that causes a blinding reflection from the sun in many situations. When it does you have to drive with your right arm outstretched, and try to block the reflection with your hand. The sun visors are woefully short, leaving a big gap to the B-pillar when moved to the side windows. And when accelerating briskly from a dead stop there’s a short shudder from the powertrain. It feels like a clutch is slipping until it finally grabs, or is that the CVT belt?
The bottom line is that the Prius is a better car in almost every way. The cons are not deal killers, but merely annoying. And that means we should start to see Prius sales pick up as soon as the new model is in the showrooms.”
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great day.
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Comments (36)
November 18th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Definitely like that new MKZ appearance. The MKZ didn’t work for me. It always looked “wanna-be”, this one sheds that.
November 18th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
#1 – i too like the new MKZ grille, especially the Lincoln logos in the grill texture. I never liked the vertical bars currently adorning the brand’s grilles.
November 18th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Lincolns look like Jags. FoMoCo SUVs look like Land Rovers. Ford cars look like Aston Martins. Didn’t they SELL those brands??
November 18th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
“It feels like a clutch is slipping until it finally grabs, or is that the CVT belt?”
There is no CVT belt in a Prius, just gears and maybe a chain. That sounds odd that it would have a shudder like you describe. It sounds like they have a little work to do before the production ones arrive.
I read on the AutoWeek site that the Prius lost a little back seat leg room, but I haven’t heard about the cargo room. I’m guessing that might improve a little, since the big battery moved forward, and the little battery moved from the right rear, to under the hood.
November 18th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
The new MKZ looks a lot more generic than the old one, though it looks decent. Some people didn’t like the front of the old one, but it was, at least, distinctive. I didn’t like it originally, but grew to like it. I supposed it was time to “move on,” though. Will all of the other Lincolns be getting the new, more generic nose?
November 18th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
MKZ; never liked the whale tail grills and glad to see that being phased out.
Autonomus parking structures sounds good on paper as the ellimination of elevators, staircases and walkways makes sense. Move them to the top floors and keep traditional cars to ground level. Only bad thing would be in the case of a car fire with them parked close together many will be damaged and without a staircase fire fighters will need a small vehicle to fit into the structure.
Will be fun for tow truck drivers too as cars are parked inches from each other.
November 18th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
I saw “Jaguar” (in the new MKZ) even before Sean mentioned it; really, I did.
Also, as Tony mentioned in #3, a lot of Ford product is mimicking the ‘Brits’ mentioned in his post.
November 18th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
The autonomous parking will eliminate door dings, but probably replace them with major crashes when the software and sensors malfunction.
November 18th, 2015 at 1:20 pm
It’s amazing Lincoln stubbornly sticks with confusing Model names, use “Continental”….even, “Alligator”, anything but MKZ, MKC, and MKX……what??
November 18th, 2015 at 1:45 pm
I like the new MKZ aesthetics. But I’d respect that front-end much more if it weren’t taking huge bites off of both the Jag and Chrysler 300 grille and Audi headlamps.
November 18th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
New Toyota Prius: sounds like they finally made some handling improvements due to suspension engineering and wider chassis. Unfortunately, it’s even more visually “unique.” That means ugly to the average layperson. But I’m sure they will sell well. I just hope MY sun visor is big enough to block it out on the road!
November 18th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
Did you guys see that autonomous Audi “back” into its parking spot in that video? Did ya?
That’s right, baby. Backing in is the way to go.
(you know I’m going to toot that horn every chance I get – LOL)
November 18th, 2015 at 3:04 pm
#8 Best sarcastic automotive-related comment of the day, here or anywhere else!
November 18th, 2015 at 3:13 pm
I have to wonder how well these sensors are going to do in an everyday winter driving and the buildup of slush etc.Something to think about because not all driving is bright sunny dry days.
November 18th, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Backing into parking places is ok, as long as there are no human drivers nearby.
November 18th, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Hi,
The ‘average auto writer may not pick up’ (listen to this podcast) on how Prius owners have worked with Toyota to identify what needed to be fixed. My username link is the PriusChat area where Prius owners are discussing things that matter. But to address the specifics:
1) Reflecting internal surfaces will probably result in NHTSA safety complaints and an early and simple fix. There are textured display covers (sold at office supply stores) that do not reflect sharp images and can diffuse reflected sunlight.
2) Sun visors have always been too short so we just adjust our ‘grab me hat’ or sun glasses and drive on. But I’m trying to remember the last car that actually had a sun visor large enough to cover the side windows. Is there a specific example that gets +50 MPG?
3) There is no ‘CVT belt’ in a Prius transmission. The acceleration ‘glitch’ may lead to a software tweak to smooth out maximum acceleration. Don’t feel bad, it took a couple of years before I finally figured out the Prius transmission magic . . . it is another thing the average auto writer might not pick up.
Bob Wilson, Huntsville AL
November 18th, 2015 at 3:30 pm
Craig Cole, in his review of the new Prius also pointed out how short the sun visor is. Maybe it’s worse in this new model than would be expected. Blame the tumblehome?
But man, that’s a neat Prius. At that price? What stops people?
November 18th, 2015 at 3:37 pm
The opposite of tumblehome is flare.
I’ll get back to work now.
November 18th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
I rarely use sun visors anyway, and only when driving into the sun in the morning or late afternoon.
As long as the load floor of the new Prius is at least as long as in the old one, it sounds good to me, as long as they get that software worked out. As Bob said in #16, and I said in #4, there is no CVT belt in a Prius. There was something else going on with the car shown to the media.
November 18th, 2015 at 5:24 pm
Those things can only drive in clear, sunny weather, no rain, no snow, freshly painted dividing lines, pedestrians and cyclists who obey all traffic laws, in other words: Celebration, near Disney World in Orlando.
November 18th, 2015 at 5:31 pm
The new Prius even has a CD player, a rarity in today’s new cars.
November 18th, 2015 at 5:35 pm
A CD player is a must for me to have in a new car
November 18th, 2015 at 5:47 pm
How do these cars know where to park themselves and avoid parking in handicap spots? Also, when the car is picked up, how is it determined where to stop for the driver?
November 18th, 2015 at 5:54 pm
23 They don’t, this is sci-fi BS that’s all!
November 18th, 2015 at 7:40 pm
9 It seems that only mainstream brands are now “allowed” to use actual model names. MB and BMW had model designations that at least meant something, engine displacement, until recently. Now, they still have letters or numbers designating the body series, followed by some random numbers. I still like names such as Chevy Impala, even though the current one is much different from a ’65 convertible.
November 18th, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Lincoln designers borrowed a Jag’s grille, an Audi’s headlight and a Mercedes rear view mirror (unoriginal to my eyes)
The Prius designers on the other hand had a guys night out, had too much tequila while watching the “predator” movie for inspiration. Jeez this thing looks like it will crawl into my garage and eat my Mustang to save the planet.
November 18th, 2015 at 9:39 pm
I’m looking forward to seeing the new Prius “in the flesh.” It sounds like they are fixing most of what is wrong with the current Prius, cabin noise at high speed, crappy handling, and unattractive interior. As far as styling, there are people who will hate the Prius, no matter what it looks like, just because it happens to be the ultimate transportation appliance, and thus, boring.
November 19th, 2015 at 12:45 am
My theory on the “shudder” in moderate acceleration from a stop with the Prius was simply that the car attempts to launch in electric mode. When the ICE comes on there’s a shudder, it’s a bit odd feeling, but it felt to me like soft engine/transmission mounts causing movement of the powertrain as it comes on. I mentioned it to the chief engineer as well.
November 19th, 2015 at 8:29 am
#26. Priceless take on the Prius styling
Of course, much that same could be said of some of the new Lexus SUV iterations too.
November 19th, 2015 at 9:36 am
The new Prius, as well as some of the new Toyotas’ and Lexus’ are continuing that ‘snarky’ look, which to me is a turn off. I will yield to anyone that likes the look because I’m sure what I like isn’t universally acceptable to others. Prius did do the right thing by quieting down the cabin because my experience was definitely negative in riding in one (because of that said attribute). I’m sure it will continue to provide excellent livery to those who purchase and will continue as the hybrid leader.
November 19th, 2015 at 10:15 am
I’ll reserve judgement on the appearance of the new Prius. Some cars come to mind that I didn’t like in photos, but I have liked pretty well “in the flesh.” The outgoing MKZ, and the Jeep Cherokee come to mind.
I’ve had my gen 3 Prius for 5 1/2 years, and, in around town driving, the noise level is fine, but at 80 mph, it’s a little on the noisy side. It is very quiet on the highway, though, compared to a C4 Corvette.
November 19th, 2015 at 11:15 am
Kit,have you driven the new C7 yet?
November 19th, 2015 at 11:37 am
32 Yep. It’s much more refined and quieter than the C4, and, of course, faster. It’s still not particularly quiet. I’m guessing the current Prius is quieter at interstate speeds, but the C7 is quiet enough to be a decent highway car. The base C7 handles small bumps much better than the Z51 C4 when cornering fairly hard. Also, the C7 I’ve driven was rattle-free, a big difference from my C4.
November 19th, 2015 at 11:48 am
I used to own a C4 Corvette (it was a first year, ’84 model with the Z51 but I bought it used in ’96, I believe); my observations were that it was ‘buck-boardy’ on choppy city streets but I found it perfectly acceptable on smooth hwy roads. They did rattle a bit, and I would surely like to try out the new C7 (but out of my league/price range) at this point in my life.
November 19th, 2015 at 12:09 pm
34 I suspect my last-year C4 is a little less “buck boardy” than an ’84, but it it much more that way than a C7. The C4 was quite a step forward at the time.
November 23rd, 2015 at 1:44 pm
“The center touch screen is positioned in a way that causes a blinding reflection from the sun in many situations. When it does you have to drive with your right arm outstretched, and try to block the reflection with your hand.”
You have to wonder; did they test the vehicle in daylight? That’s just nuts.