Planetary Gear
We've haven't made much of a ruckus in our pages about the new Saturn Astra XR. Which might be doing it something of a disservice. Even though Saturn rarely fuels the dreams of gearheads, the Astra is based on an Opel of the same name. Well, it is the Opel to be exact, only with a different badge. But Opel (GMs' European operation, based in Germany) makes a darn fine-handling, front-drive compact.
And the good news is that all those automotive traits valued by people from the Old World-such as responsive steering, throttle-modulated cornering attitudes and manual gearboxes-have not been dumbed down for the residents of Hicksville, USA. It's powered by a 1.8L Ecotec four, that develops 140 bhp and 126 lb-ft of torque, reportedly hitting 60 mph from a standstill in eight seconds flat. No spine-tingler, but there are plenty of tuners who know how to get more juice from this thing. It also takes rather well to turbocharging, thanks to that tough iron block.
The Astra's base price is around $17,875. Many people (including us) gripe about not being able to buy the (relatively) sophisticated, current-generation, Euro-spec Ford Focus, so they put the Mazda3 on its own custom-built pedestal. But the three-door Astra XR provides another feasible option for those that are obsessed with European inspired performance.
Hire Power
Even the most dedicated of sport compact fans should get to try a few different types of cars every now and then. Especially rental cars. In a road rally. With the extra insurance box ticked.
Rental car giant Hertz is about to make dreams come true for hooliganism with a new Corvette that's a little easier to borrow than going to a Chevy showroom and trying to snag a week-long test drive. As part of the company's Fun Collection, this special-edition Corvette ZHZ is available in 24 metropolitan areas around the U.S. Sorry to those of you in the countryside, you'll have to make do with a rally rental Aveo.
This is a joint project between Hertz and General Motors, taking the base model, painting it with a bespoke Hertz livery of yellow and black, and installing a performance exhaust system for a little extra aural punch and six more horses than the original's 430 bhp. Unfortunately, it only comes available with a six-speed, paddle shifted automatic transmission.
A week's rental of the ZHZ comes to $780.49, which puts the 'ouch' into Hertz, but sometimes you don't want to abuse your own car through the One Lap of America. Just don't let Hertz catch you, or they'll release the dogs. And if anybody asks, you didn't get the idea from us.
Rumors & Lies
* It now looks pretty certain that Porsche will take over Volkswagen. If that happens, there might be a smaller sporty model wearing the famed Stuttgart badge. Think of it as a Porsche GTI, something to take the fight to the BMW 1 Series. And expect it around 2012.
* Scion is celebrating its fifth anniversary of being in America. During that time, it has sold over 620,000 cars and changed the way vehicle brands are marketed. In a strange quirk of statistics, the average age of tC coupe drivers is 35, although 35-year-old tC drivers are a rarity. Most people in that stage of life are married and with a young family, so they'd be in something like a minivan or sedan. It's young people and empty-nesters who usually buy the tC, which skews the median figure.
* Toyota is working on a third-generation Prius and a completely new hybrid, but these won't be out for a while. In the meantime, a five-door Yaris-with updated styling, new colors, and iPod compatibility-joins the increasingly popular small car segment.
* An all-new '09 Acura TL is on the way, sporting similar styling to the new Accord and TSX models. Despite a new look, drivetrains shouldn't differ too much from what's on offer now, with the biggest engine having a V-6 configuration. However, Honda's all-wheel-drive system (SH AWD) might find its way onto a model or two.