Drove a couple different relatives' cars during my visit to Syracuse and Boston last week. From most driven to least driven:
I drove to and from Boston in this beat-up '07 Cobalt, courtesy of an aunt. For a car that's been in numerous accidents, has driven through six New York winters and is in need of maintenance, it's held up decently well. The rear brakes
really need to be replaced, which increased stopping distances and caused an unpleasant grinding noise under any use. The car also needs some suspension work, which made some of the rougher roads in Boston downright punishing, sending jarring impacts into the cabin the whole time.
Being a base-model car (the only niceties it has are an automatic gearbox, air conditioning and a radio), I'm guessing this car has the smaller of the two factory four cylinders available, a 2.2 liter producing a respectable (for the car's size) 148 horsepower. With only 2750 lbs to move around, I'd imagine that this car scoots around nicely under daily duties, but it was always bogged down by having 3-4 passengers and luggage in the trunk whenever I drove it. We're not particularly heavy folks, but the affects of the weight could be felt out on the highway. If you're persistent enough with the throttle, the Cobalt will cruise at 75 mph, but it takes constant attention to stay there. On hills, it took an unsettling amount of throttle input to convince the transmission to downshift and accelerate. Wind noise was somewhat high, but the ride quality on the highway was acceptable for this type of car. As a bonus, I rolled it past 190,000 miles somewhere near the Massachusetts border.
Because a Cobalt can't handle much luggage (and there were seven of us total), a different aunt's '14 Wrangler Unlimited accompanied us on the trip. I drove it the entire time we were in Boston, which was an interesting experience. To be honest, the Jeep made a fine city car because its size gave you confidence necessary to navigate the confusing streets of Boston and Cambridge. The 3.6 liter Pentastar provided all the power needed to execute any quick maneuver, and the brakes bit quickly enough to not induce any worries. The five-speed automatic was willing to downshift for a highway merge most of the time, though it occasionally needed some prodding. Ride quality was decent, though it occasionally transmitted harsh impacts into the cabin over especially choppy roads. Wind noise was high, but that's to be expected with a big box. I liked the Jeep quite a bit, and I'd consider buying one in the future.
The picture depicts a Honda 200X, but I didn't drive that, rather the silver Mazda 6 in the background that I forgot to photograph. Similar to the Cobalt, this 6 has relatively high mileage for its age (78,000 miles on a 2011). Featuring cloth seats, a lack of screens in the cabin and wheel covers, I'm guessing this 6 was of the base i Sport variety. As someone who appreciates mid-sized sedans, I found the Mazda to have pleasant road manners, if not especially sporty in any way. To be honest, I didn't feel any of that trademark Mazda 'zoom-zoom', though this is a fairly pedestrian four cylinder, automatic sedan. That's not much of a knock against it because I did like it; it rode quietly and comfortably, and the engine seemed willing under any scenario. The transmission was always happy to downshift for acceleration, but kept the car quiet otherwise. Though I'm not the biggest fan of the exterior styling, I'd own one of these, but only if it was for free.
This was definitely the most interesting vehicle I drove last week, a '36 Ford pickup with a 351 Cleveland and a C6 (3-speed) automatic. A lack of power steering, power brakes and air conditioning made this a decidedly raw driving experience, of which the motor was the highlight of. For a 78 year old truck, it rode fine around town and in the country, though it was rather bouncy and easily upset by road imperfections. It took some time to get used to not having power steering, but as long as you paid attention, it was fine at speed. That said, low speed maneuvers were hell. The absence of power brakes greatly increased stopping distances which made turning onto a residential street from a 55 mph road a bit confusing, but it was tolerable. The engine, like I mentioned, was the best part of the truck. It was loud as hell, though we were driving through some very rural areas, so it didn't disturb too many folks. If I had this truck here in Phoenix, I'd opt for a more courteous exhaust. The engine provided enough torque to scoot around town with ease, and enough kick to make rolling on the throttle rewarding. The transmission was adequate, though more gears would be appreciated. Overall, the truck was enjoyable to drive, though I'd never buy one of these.
I only drove the S2000 once, and that was to
finally see what three pedals were all about. Since I was focusing on not stalling constantly, I didn't really pay attention to the driving experience. All I noticed is that the steering was very nice and direct, and the engine felt willing. My manual skills are still very rusty, but I hope to gain more experience with that and drive the S2000 again.
Only problem is that none of my friends or family in Phoenix have manuals.
