State Fair of Texas
First Drive: 2010 Camaro SS
The 2010 Camaro SS
During the GM media event last week for the State Fair of Texas, we were treated to a special surprise. After announcing and showing off the new GMC Terrain and the new Buick LaCrosse, we got a chance to check out the a car I have been wanting to drive for a while now. As you know, this is a car enthusiast site, and although the Terrain and LaCrosse are nice vehicles and there were things we liked and disliked about these vehicles, we wanted to jump into something a little more sporty. Well, the Camaro then.
We have to start with the looks of the new Camaro because it has been debated both ways, love it or hate it. In all honesty, I’ll admit that I have always been more of a Mustang fan over the Camaro but when I first saw this car it really took my breath away. This is what a muscle car should look like! The proportions are dead on, not too long not too short. The trunk is not massive and the front overhang is short and clean. The rear fenders flair out to cover the grippy rear tires completing the muscular stance. It is just every detail about the looks of this car seems to be dead on.
The 2009 State Fair of Texas Media Day 2
Dodge Ram 3500 Heavy Duty w/ Cummins Turbo Diesel
On day two of the press meet for the State Fair of Texas we had the pleasure of witnessing two major reviles for the truck industry and the Texas markets. We started off at the Dodge camp to hear about the all new Ram 3500 Heavy Duty with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. Dodge has done a lot of work on this truck not just to distinguish it from the smaller Ram 1500 but to also make the truck more economical, powerful, attractive, and useful. The Ram has been growing in market share for the last several years and they hope to continue in that growth with this new Ram.
2011 Super Duty w/Turbo Diesel
Next we strolled over to the, more impressive, Ford display. Ford had our first real big reveal for the day with its all new Super Duty truck hiding under black sheets as we passed. We first got some information and background for the new Super Duty from Mark Fields, Fords President of Ford America. Then we heard from Adam with the Ford Diesel Team who gave us more details on the all new turbo-diesel engine to power the all new Super Duty. The new engine is all Ford and all American and is full of the best and newest technology. Ford will be releasing the power numbers and fuel efficiency numbers for the new turbo-diesel soon but Mark reassured us that they would not disappoint. Then came the parade of 2011 Super Duty’s only feet in front of us. The first and most striking feature I noticed was the new two-bar grill as opposed to the standard three-bar grill Ford has been using. Next was the massive Ford emblem in-between those bars, soon after I had noticed it Mark Fields explained to everyone that this is the biggest blue oval Ford has ever put on a vehicle. The looks of the new Super Duty are striking and the interior looks to be in good order, as Ford has been working with the materials they put in their cars and trucks for a few years now that didn’t surprise me much. The thing that did surprise me was the technology put into the center interface of the truck. It’s not just a sales pitch, you really can run your entire business from this truck. I liked the new Super Duty and recommend it to anyone or business looking for a great full-size truck, but personally I’d take the Raptor.
Fifth Gen Toyota 4Runner
After viewing the Ford debut and sneaking off to check out some mustangs while everyone else was interested in the new Super Duty, now we head inside to see the highly anticipated debut of the Toyota 4Runner. Bob Carter the new Vice President and General Manager of Toyota was there to give us the rundown of the new fifth-generation 4Runner and even introduced Jack Nishimura, the Chief Engineer, who drove the new Toyota on the famous Rubicon trail. He also told us about the 4Runners new 2.7 liter four cylinder engine which gets 23mpg and has a hefty horsepower rating for climbing the trails. The other choice of engine is the 4.0 liter V6 pushing 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque while still maintaining a 17 city/ 22 highway fuel economy rating. Bob Carter also told us that the V6 in this 4Runner has 30% more horsepower than the old V6 offered and 10% more than the old V8 offered in the 4Runner while maintaining higher fuel economy as well, now that’s impressive. The 4Runner also has new off-roading features like “Crawl Control” and also has cool features like “Party Mode” which makes the rear of the SUV into party central when the rear-gate is open. I felt like the new 4Runner was a great SUV to own with a huge amount of technology and thought put into the design. If I didn’t have my Suzuki XL7, and needed another SUV this would be up there in my list of must haves.
The 2009 State Fair of Texas Media Day
Terrain Lane
Today we had the privilege of attending the first of two media days for the State Fair of Texas Auto Show. We met up at the Studios of Las Colinas only knowing that today would be dedicated to General Motors, more specifically Buick and GMC. We were in for a treat with two vehicles that I have actually been eager to check out and drive. With all the hype around GM bringing better quality and design to their brands, I knew that these cars would have to be good.
GMC Terrain Front
Our first treat was the all new GMC Terrain, GMC’s new mid-sized crossover SUV. GMC is excited about this new model hoping that it would appeal to a wider audience than the everyday GMC. The Terrain, although built on the Equinox platform, only shares two body panels with the Equinox. It will be offered with a 2.4 liter inline four or a 3.0 liter V6 both mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox with a manual mode. One big thing GMC tried to tackle in this new SUV was fuel efficiency. The 2.4L has an estimated 22 city and 32 mpg highway rating, which is unbelievably good. Even the V6 has a 17 city and 25 mpg highway rating while still maintaining 264 hp and 222 lb-ft torque and a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. So all in all I think the they did a great job in the fuel efficiency standpoint.
GMC Terrain Dash
So what about the looks a feel of the Terrain? The outside looks sleek and bold. It keeps the masculine look associated with GMC with flared fenders, big headlights, and a big bold grill. The interior was about the best I’ve seen from any GM brand in a long time. The contrast of textures and colors, the sophistication and ease of the center control panel, and the steering wheel and cluster look and feel gives the Terrain an upscale feel. During the drive the suspension felt smooth and direct and the power was never lacking. The Terrain drives with ease like a smaller car or SUV but with the look and feel of a bigger SUV.
I think that GMC and GM has really hit the nail on the head with the Terrain. I was very impressed and thats coming from someone that doesn’t like big SUV’s. I accept GMC will have a real hit on their hands with this one.
Buick LaCrosse
Next up was the all new Buick LaCrosse. Ever since I saw this car as a concept I pleaded for Buick to bring something with as bold and sporty design to the market. Needless to say I think the car looks great on the outside and seeing it in person did not disappoint. It will be offered with a 3.0 liter V6 with 255 HP (replaced later this year with a 2.4 liter four) or in the CXS top of the line you get GM’s 3.6 liter V6 pushing out 280 HP and 259 lb.-ft of torque, both with a six speed automatic gearbox with manual mode. The drive was smooth but not as smooth as you would expect from a Buick. The other thing I just can not get over, even arguing with others at the media event, was the interior. You could tell that they put a lot of thought into the layout and the materials in the car but it just didn’t seem as luxurious as the Terrain, or even any more than an Impala at that. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just couldn’t get into the gray leather and gray dash and gray headliner. The one good thing that stuck in my head was the instrument panel with backlit gauges and a beautiful ice-blue ambient glow throughout the cabin. All in all I would say the LaCrosse’s design is a success but is it enough to draw people away from Acura or Lexus? I don’t think so.
Buick LaCrosse Dash
The big surprise after driving the Terrain and the LaCrosse was a set of new Camaros. Review coming soon! Tomorrow we check out what Ford, Dodge, and Toyota have for us.
2010 Toyota 4Runner
Spyed 2010 Toyota 4Runner
The State Fair of Texas is coming up, September 25th to October 18th, and along with the rides and food comes one of the largest car shows for Texans. Most of the cars showing at the Fair will already be available in showroom floors but there should be a few surprises.
One of these will be the all new 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Toyota has announced that they will be debuting the new 4Runner at the State Fair, and what better place. Car and Driver managed to get their hands on some spy shots of the new body-on-frame SUV. Check out the shots at caranddriver.com.
Be sure that we’ll be giving you all the information we find out about cars coming to the State Fair.
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