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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Why is racing losing fans? Look no further than your TV screen.
- Google’s car puts the OEMs on notice. Autonomy is coming.
- The Union of Concerned Scientists issues a damning report (with a political agenda).
- BMW i8 First Drive: panelist Christie Schweinsberg has her report.

SPECIAL GUEST: Monte Kaehr, Chief Engineer, Toyota Camry
- What will it take to keep Camry #1?

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Christie Schweinsberg, WardsAuto.com.

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Reviewer: Sean McElroy
Manufacturer: Toyota
Make: Scion
Model: FR-S
Type: 2-door coupe
Competitors: Mazda MX-5, Subaru BRZ, Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Price: Base: $25,255; As tested: 28,624 (Including destination charges)
Made in: Ota City, Japan
Drivetrain: 2.0L 4-cylinder Boxer engine 200hp w/ 6-speed manual transmission RWD
EPA Ratings: 22 city/ 30 highway/ 25 combined. Observed 27 MPG

Final Impression:

While I had the FR-S a buddy said that he had heard it was underpowered and wondered what I thought of the car. I told him it really depends… and then I explained.

To me, it really comes down to how you’re going to use the car, which should be no surprise because that’s what you should be asking yourself when buying any car. But when it comes to a sporty car, like the FR-S I think you need to be a little more honest with yourself. What are you looking for? Do you want something that goes fast in a straight line, which would be better for mostly city driving or do you want something that’s fast going around corners, say for some twisty rural roads or even the track? While the FR-S is quick, it really seems to be at home flying around a corner. However, I would replace the tires because the one’s that came on it (I think they were Michelins) just did not grip the road very well. Which would make going through the twisties even more fun. I know someone that races his FR-S in SCCA events and with very few upgrades (no power upgrades to the engine) dominated the class that he was in.
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Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Reviewer: Sean McElroy
Manufacturer: Hyundai-Kia
Make: Hyundai
Model: Sonata 2.0T
Type: 4-door sedan
Competitors: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Volkswagen Passat
Price: Base: $25,750. As tested: $29,555 (including destination charges)
Made in: Montgomery, Alabama
Drivetrain: 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder 274hp w/ 6-speed automatic transmission
EPA Ratings: 21 city/ 32 highway/ 25 combined. Observed 22.1 MPG

Final Impression:

I’m not in the market for a new car, but if I were this would be the segment that I’d be looking at. So I thought it would be interesting to see how the Sonata fit my needs.

There was plenty of room for me, my wife, daughter in a car seat and dog. Back seat leg room is ample for an adult and so is trunk space. Ample trunk space for your stuff that is, not ample space for an adult. But I’m sure you could fit someone in there if you really wanted to. One drawback was that it was difficult trying to find a comfortable seating position in the driver’s seat. I’m a tall guy with long legs and while the seat went back far enough, the telescoping steering wheel did not come out as far as I would have liked so I was forced to sit closer, which I have found to be a common occurrence. Even still, the seats themselves were comfortable. As for the rest of the interior, it’s not the best looking in the segment but still looks pretty nice and the controls were easy to reach.
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Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Reviewer: John McElroy
Manufacturer: General Motors
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Spark EV
Type: 4-door hatchback
Competitors: Fiat 500 EV, Honda Fit EV, Mitsubishi i-MIEV
Price: Base: $27,820. As tested: Same
Made in: Changwon, South Korea
Drivetrain: 100 kW motor generates 130 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque.
EPA Ratings: 119 MPGe, 82 mile range

Final Impression:

The car companies have got it all wrong when it comes to selling electic cars. Instead of their “save the planet” marketing messages they should be selling these cars based on their fun-to-drive quotient.

With 400 pound-feet (542 Nm) of torque on tap, the Spark just flies off the line. If you see an opening in traffic, just go for it. No need to mash the pedal down and wait around for the engine to rev up and the transmission to kick down. No, you just go. Point the Spark where you want it to be and it’s there. In fact, I felt rather smug blasting off the line at traffic lights, watching the startled looks of the motorists behind me as this dinky little bug of a car car shot away in a flash.

Better still, with its battery pack giving the car a low center of gravity, the Spark feels very sure footed whiile weaving its way through traffic and scooting into tight parking spots.
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Changing a vehicle’s battery should involve little less than having to open the hood, disconnecting the battery cables and removing the hold down. But what if you open the hood and the battery is no where in sight? It’s one reason why it’s always a good idea to pop the hood before buying a vehicle.

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Dodge & SRT: Hell(cat) Yes!
- Hyundai’s Fuel Cell Tucson Hits the Streets of SoCal
- GM Recalls Continue to Pile Up as a New PR Chief Steps In

SPECIAL GUEST: Cory Welles, Producer/Director, “32 Hours, 7 Minutes”
- The filmmaker discusses her documentary about breaking a record time for traveling across the United States

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Todd Lassa, Automobile; and Elliot Wilhelm, Detroit Film Theatre Director.

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Make: Ford
Model: Escape SE
Type: 5-door CUV
Competitors: Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, VW Tiguan
Price: Base: $25,550; As tested: $30,570
Made in: Louisville, KY
Drivetrain: 1.6L GTDI EcoBoost w/ 6-speed selectshift automatic transmission FWD
EPA Ratings: 23 city/ 32 highway/ 26 combined

Read on for Chip Drake‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: General Motors
Make: Cadillac
Model: CTS
Type: 4-door Sedan
Competitors: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS
Price: Base = $46,105. As Tested = $66,830
Made in: Lansing, MI
Drivetrain: 3.6L V6 321hp w/ 8-speed automatic
EPA Ratings: 18 city/ 29 highway/ 22 combined

Read on for Seamus McElroy‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Talking Golf (the German version, not Scottish)
- BMW Makes More Fiber; GM More Batteries: Why?
- What Have Car and Driver and the Detroit Free Press Been Driving?

SPECIAL GUEST: Jim Campbell, U.S. VP, Performance Vehicles & Motorsports, GM
- Mr. Campbell has a Corvette C7.R in tow. What technologies and tricks will it pass on to future production vehicles?

All that and more with Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press; and Jeff Sabatini, Car and Driver

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles reveals its five-year plan
- GM Rehires one of the best PR gurus of all time
- Hybrids vs. SUVs – weren’t massive people haulers supposed to be extinct by now?

SPECIAL GUESTS: Phil & JP Gutierrez, Gutierrez Brothers Racing

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; and Karl Henkel, The Detroit News

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!