drivetime


MICHIGAN CHRONICLE Hankook tires


– especially after I saw the two Ford Mustang GT’s sitting on the course ready for the chal- lenge that I was obliged to take on.


One GT was outfitted with – Marcus Amick photos Outlander


– all of which give the cross- over a more aggressive look.


The Outlander Sport, which


arrives to dealerships in the fall, is featured in two models, the base ES or SE model.


GETTING YOU THERE Ideally, I would’ve liked to


have an opportunity to spend more time with the Outlander Sport on the road. My first test drive consisted of a short 30-minute loop with a focus on providing an opportunity to also experience some of Mitsubishi’s other vehicles on the track and some obsta- cle courses. But for the short drive, the Outlander Sport felt solid behind the wheel.


Available in either a 2WD


or 4WD, the Outlander Sport is powered by 2.0-liter that produces 148 horsepower and 143 lb.-ft. of torque. The power is decent for daily com- mutes but I could definitely hear that engine working up to get up some of those inclines in Southern California. Of course, some of that might be attributed to the fact that the model tested was a preproduc- tion model and Mitsubishi is still working out a few kinks.


An obstacle course set up


at Infineon Raceway during our test drive, however, pro- vided a good feel for how well the Outlander Sport’s 4WD system performs on various road conditions and some fairly challenging driving situ- ations. After all, performance is a part of Mitsubishi’s DNA.


The 2WD ES model is avail- able with either a 5-speed


HIGHLIGHTS


• MPG: 31 City/25 Highway • Available AWD • Push Button Start • Rockford Fosgate audio system • Available 18-inch wheels


manual or the Sportronic con- tinuously variable transmis- sion (CVT), which provides better fuel economy. The 2WD/4WD SE versions come equipped exclusively with the CVT unit. Gas mileage is 31 city and 25 highway.


While fairly basic in design,


the interior of the Outland- er Sport is available with a number of features for the compact crossover segment. They include cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, power win- dows and door locks, remote keyless entry and a 140-watt CD/MP3 audio system with steering wheel controls and four speakers, digital signal processor, equalization con- trol and speed compensated volume and FUSE HandsFree Link System with USB input jack.


Interior room and cargo


space is pretty modest for the segment.


COOL OPTIONS The SE model features 18-


inch aluminum-alloy wheels, super-wide beam HID (S-HID) headlamps, rain-sensing wind- shield wipers, auto on/off headlamps, upgraded interior


From page B-1


fabric, push button start and the FAST-key passive entry system.


Among the available luxury


upgrades are remote engine start, super high-intensity dis- charge lights, in-dash six-disc CD/MP3 compatible changer, panoramic glass roof with ad- justable LED mood lighting, exterior sport trim package, piano black center console and shift panel overlay, and a 40GB navigation system with music server and real-time traffic.


The Outlander Sport SE is


also available with steering wheel paddle shifts.


Other upgrades include a


710-watt Rockford-Fosgate nine-speaker audio system including a 10-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer with punch control, which is practically a booming studio on wheels.


Standard safety features in-


clude front air bag supplemen- tal restraint system (SRS) for both driver and front passen- ger, front side-impact air bags and air curtains, a driver knee air bag, driver’s seat position and passenger weight sensors, active front seat headrests and 3-point seat belts for all five seating positions.


Pricing? About $18,500 for


the base ES Outlander Sport and $26,500 for the SE model, which makes for a compelling case to at least check out Mit- subishi if you’re in the market for a compact crossover − even if the idea of zooming around a racetrack has never crossed your mind.


‘Mitsubishi’s new crossover, designed to have more urban appeal, is a lot sportier than the full-size Outlander.’


Hankook’s Ventus V12 Evo tires and the other a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport tires. Center stage was a huge semi rig with a mobile media set-up completely plas- tered with Hankook graffiti. In addition, there were a few displays that featured some of Hankook’s best-selling perfor- mance tires to check out along with some tire cut-outs that allow you to see Hankook’s engineering at its best.


Since I was one of the first


to arrive, I was first to drive. I took the initiative of warming the tires up for the rest of the group (LOL). After the warm- up, I wondered if I’d really be able to tell the difference be- tween the two sets of tires. But after a few trips around the course in each GT, there was a very clear difference be- tween the two.


My first run down the


course was in the Mustang outfitted with the Bridges- tone Potenza RE760 Sport tires. The first run was just to get a feel for the coned track that Hankook set up on the 25-acre blacktop lot. After a couple of tight rights and lefts, a huge slightly drifting swing to the right, and then a hard brake hairpin curve to the left, I hammered on the gas to set


July 28 - Aug. 3, 2010


Page B-2 From page B-1


myself up for the slalom left, right, left right, then finished with a hard brake at the finish line. Wow! And that was just the first run with the competi- tor. After that run, I couldn’t wait to find out what all the hype was about for Hankook’s Ventus V12 Evo tires.


Round two. Buckled up,


traction control off and the automatic transmission in gear, the instructor asked if I was ready for take off. Are you kidding me? “I’ve been ready since my alarm clock went off this morning.” The flag went down and so did my foot. A little chirp from the rear tires and I was off. Once again, slight right, slight left, (of course, both hands on the wheel), and I take a huge sweeping right trying to kick out the rear into a little drift, but these tires are holding.


With the pedal down to the


floor until the very last second, a hard brake applied, and then a hairpin turn to the left with a split second hard on the gas again, the front V12 Evo tires were gripping for their life


In the Green


the U.S. market include: By the end of 2010 and con-


tinuing through 2011, Honda will roll out a battery-electric vehicle demonstration pro- gram in the U.S. with partici- pants, including Stanford Uni- versity, Google Inc. and the City of Torrance, Calif.


The City of Torrance will re-


ceive a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for evaluation by the end of 2010.


A battery-electric commut-


er vehicle will be introduced in the U.S. market in 2012. A new plug-in hybrid system for mid- size to larger vehicles will be introduced in the U.S. market in 2012.


Honda’s first hybrid appli-


cation of a lithium-ion battery will debut in the next genera-


tion Civic Hybrid to be intro- duced in 2011. The lithium-ion battery was developed through the Honda and GS Yuasa joint- venture company, Blue Energy Co., Ltd.


Honda’s announcement


of its new electric and hybrid technology follows a move made by the carmaker earlier this year to begin operation of a next generation solar hydro- gen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc.


The hydrogen station is in-


tended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance ca- pable of an overnight refill of a fuel cell electric vehicle, the FCX Clarity.


Designed as a single, inte- grated unit to fit in the user’s


while the rears were trying not to show signs of a burnout as the RPM’s are in the red and holding. I put the pedal down for as long as I could before the very tight left, right, left, right slalom action, and would you believe that there was no sound from the tire skidding even after my hard brake to the finish line. Wow! There is undeniably a huge differ- ence between the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo and its com- petitor. There is a much faster response time and a whole lot more tire-to-asphalt connec- tion.


Sliding out of the Mustang,


one of the instructors rushed over to me and said. “Wow! You drove very profession- ally out there. Do you race?” I have to admit that question was quite the ego-booster for a car buff like me, but I did the right thing and responded no to that question, though it’s always been a small dream of mine. I was thinking to myself, it would have been great for my fellow car enthusiast buddy and automotive jour- nalist, Marcus Amick, to hear that one!


Hankook is a leading global


tire manufacture with a $700- plus million sales record known for its technology-fo- cused high performance tires. The opportunity to partner with them on this drive was definitely one for the books. I’m very pleased with the qual- ity and performance of their products.


From page B-1


garage, Honda’s next genera- tion Solar Hydrogen Station reduces the size of the system, while producing enough hy- drogen (0.5kg) via an 8-hour overnight fill for daily com- muting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle.


Honda’s FCX Clarity pro-


duces electricity onboard from hydrogen via Honda’s innova- tive V Flow fuel cell stack with water vapor as its only emis- sion. Significant advances include exhilarating perfor- mance, futuristic sedan pack- aging and a driving range of up to 240 miles.


FCX Clarity’s fuel efficiency


is three times that of a compa- rable, modern gasoline-pow- ered automobile, according to Honda.


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