Wheels - Feb 9, 2017

Wheels

February 9, 2017

CARS » TRUCKS » SNOWMACHINES » ATVS

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• Nissan Altima: Family ready • Polaris: 800 Switchback • Click and Clack: Powering up

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

2015 Polaris 800 Switchback Pro-S

PHOTO BY KORT DUCE

Leveling the playing field Editor’s note: Winter is well underway in Interior Alaska, and dealers are selling machines from a variety of model years. The following review is used by permission of American Snowmobiler magazine.

By Mark Boncher EDITOR, AMERICAN SNOWMOBILER MAGAZINE

I

f you have the means, the 800 Switchback Pro-S is the best Polaris trail sled on the market.

That is the bold, honest truth. We had both an 800 Switchback and an 800 Rush as demo sleds last season (and the 800 Indy the year before that). The majority of our test riders preferred the Switchback over all of the recent Polaris trail sleds.

Our standard question to each other is, “If you spent your money on ONE sled, what would it be?” When talking 2015 trail sleds, the Polaris 800 Switchback Pro-S was in the conversation every time.

Who is it good for?

This sled has a potent motor and is versatile enough

to satisfy many different types of riders, including groomed trail riders, rough trail riders, big mile folks, and performance-oriented riders. The most impressive aspect of this big 800 twin Cleanfire-injected 2-stroke machine is how light it is. In preseason, Polaris claimed the dry weight was 38 pounds lighter than the previous model year. Based on our tests, they were right on!

In our Real World testing, this sled weighed just 567 pounds with a full tank of fuel, oil, all the essentials and a full stud traction package installed! To compare, the shorter 800 Indy SP we had last year as a demo sled POLARIS » 3

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

POLARIS

Continued from 2 weighed in at 568 full wet, WITHOUT studs installed. This sled also has the new 800 H.O. motor. So, not only is it lighter, but it is also more powerful than any other Switchback before it. Oh, and this had electric start (something that our 60th Anniversary Edition Rush didn’t have last year).

It was still lighter than any other crossover sled since the 2011 Polaris Switchback Assault.

Why is it a good trail sled?

First, the Switchback corners well with little inside ski lift, and that’s something that we’ve been looking for in a Polaris 800 for a long time. The Pro-S not only stayed flatter and handled the bumps in the corners better than former Switchbacks we’ve tested, but it also was faster in the trails than many of the 136/137inch sleds from the other brands.

Second, you can see better at night.

This is a crucial factor for many folks who can’t get off work until the evenings.

Personally, I froze my eyeballs in a race a few years back and have had trouble

seeing very well at night since then. The LED lights on the Switchback improve distance and peripheral vision at night.

The only better stock accessory on the market that we have tested is the accessory auxiliary LED light bar for Ski-Doos ($344).

The Pro-S is NOT just a flat, groomed trail sled. With high-quality, easy-to-tune Walker Evans clicker piggyback needle shocks, you get 20+ clicks of plushness (or harshness) in and out of this sled in minutes without ever taking off your gloves. Dialing in spring pressure is also easier than on other sleds, especially in back. With a little bit of pressure relieved off the suspension, you should be able to turn the spring by hand. Many sleds require a tool to unlock the collars in the rear shocks underneath the sled, and that is just not gonna happen on the trail with all kinds of ice, slush and snow in a typical rear suspension layout.

Was it a good deal?

As far as pricing comparable models from the 2015 model year are concerned, this is right in the middle (Ski-Doo Renegade Adrenaline was a little less, Arctic Cat XF 8000 Sno Pro was a little more, and Yamaha SR Viper L-TX was about

the same). But, off the showroom floor last year (MSRP), you could not find a sled with a newer 800cc motor, newer chassis, electric start or top of the line shocks, or one as lightweight as this sled.

Factoring all those good things, and the realization that we had zero mechanical issues (not even a blown belt) with this sled all season, we are confident saying that this was one of the best buys of 2015.

For more snowmobile reviews, videos, photos and products, visit American Snowmobiler magazine’s website, www.AmSnow.com

1 lb. – The wet weight difference between the 2011 Polaris 800 Switchback Assault (without studs) we tested five years ago and the 2015 Polaris 800 Switchback Pro-S (with studs) we tested in 2014.

PROS – Strong motor, great cornering sled for a big 800 twin with a longer track, can be plush or aggressive with the suspension with good ease of adjustability, very good on oil, decent stock windshield and new side flares help direct cold air away, very easy to take side panels off, fantastic seat that you can move around on or stay locked in with the correct amount of “sticky-ness” to it, comes with stud protectors, great vision

with tall seating position and new LED headlights.

CONS – Footwells are too small (but better than the Rush), too little stock storage, hard to mount handguards without the mid-height windshield, skis are loud, difficult to raise back end (so the track hangs) for putting on studs, adjusting track tension not easy, bumper buries low in snow when you are stuck, exposed rear suspension/cooling means more could go wrong if you get hit from behind or other mishap.

SPECS

Engine: 795cc Liberty liquid w/ bypass twin Cleanfire 2-injector 2-stroke HP: 145.3* Exhaust: Single, 3 Stage VES w/ Smart Actuator Drive: P-85 primary, TEAM LWT secondary Ski Stance: 42.5 in. Front. Susp.: AXYS w/ Walker Evans piggyback comp. adj. shocks (9.3-in. travel) Rear Susp.: Pro-XC w/ Walker Evans piggyback comp. adj. shocks (13.4in. travel) Track: 15x137x1.25 RipSaw II Fuel Tank: 12 gal. Rec. Fuel: 91 octane Dry Weight: 446 lbs. Wet Weight: 567 lbs. (with studs/carbides)* Price: $12,799 US / $13,899 CA REAL WORLD STATS*: Top Speed: 96.63 mph ¼-mile time: 13.42 sec.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Nissan Altima 2.5 SL does a good job of being an everyday family car

By Warren Brown THE WASHINGTON POST

N

othing about the 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL assumes that you want to “win.” Nothing about it says you are a “loser,” either.

It is a front-wheel-drive, midsize family sedan that is quite happy being what it has been for the 24 years it has been called “Altima” — a reasonably affordable, economical, decent

car that would serve most of us well.

The Altima was restyled three years ago and was greeted with raves. It was a mixed blessing. The restyling seemed to put it on par with the higher-priced Nissan Maxima, which made sensible consumers wonder why they should pay more for the Maxima. “Not a good thing,” as one of our most brilliant, most knowledgeable, most blessed and most accomplished, of all time, presidential candidates would say.

Nissan, in the interim, seemed to have turned its attention to the Maxima while pretty much leaving the Altima alone. Not a good thing, either

- especially not in the hyper-competitive world of the global automobile industry.

It’s not that the Altima declined in quality. It’s just that everyone else, especially the South Koreans, either caught up with or surpassed it in quality and value.

The Altima is still a good car.

“Decent” would be a better word. But it sort of reminds me of something from General Motors back in the days when GM assumed that the Japanese couldn’t make cars. It is good, but more of a second thought compared with competitors.

Nissan is trying to improve the Altima’s stakes by offering a 270-horse-

power, 3.5-liter, gasoline V-6 in addition to the pleasant, but workaday, 182-horsepower, gasoline, four-cylinder model used for this column. The 3.5-liter V-6 offers more oomph. But why do you want or need more oomph in an everyday family car that does a good job being what it is?

Nissan needs to make up its corporate mind. I humbly suggest leaving the Altima with its efficient four-cylinder engine (nearly 39 miles per gallon on the highway, using regular fuel) and continue adding all of the advanced electronic safety and communications stuff that makes it a modern car. Stop ALTIMA » 5

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

ALTIMA

NUTS & BOLTS

Continued from 4 wasting all of the money and time needed to make it a speedster. It is not and probably will never be one. It is a decent family car, and that is okay.

There are five trim levels of the Altima — base, S, the sporty SR, SV and SL. Get the nicely appointed (leatherette and leather trim) SL and add things such as blindside monitoring, lane-departure and forward-collision warning.

You’ll be okay. There is no need to spend more money for the more powerful 3.5-liter V-6.

You aren’t going that fast in an Altima, anyway.

Make peace with what you have in hand — a decent, get-you-whereyou’re going family car.

Be happy.

2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL

variable valve timing (182-horsepower, 180 pound-feet of torque). The engine is linked to an automatic, continuously variable transmission.

Capacities

Seating is for five people. Cargo capacity is 15.4 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 18 gallons. Regular-grade gasoline is fine.

Bottom line

The best value in the Altima line remains the 2.5-liter four with continuously variable transmission and advanced safety-technology package. No need to spend more here.

Ride, acceleration and handling

It gets good marks in ride and acceleration (entering a highspeed highway). Handling proved a tad dicey in turns.

Head-turning quotient

It’s attractive enough - will fit nicely in any school or church parking lot.

Body style/layout

The Altima, restyled three years ago, is a front-engine, frontwheel-drive family sedan, more of an economy car than speedster. You can get it (recommended here) with a sensible 2.5-liter, gasoline, four-cylinder engine or more powerful 3.5-liter V-6. Of the five trim levels - base, S, SR, SV and SL - the SL with technology package seems to offer the best value.

Altima 2.5 SL engine/transmission

It comes with a 2.5-liter, gasoline, four-cylinder engine with

Mileage

I averaged 37 miles per gallon in highway driving.

Safety

Standard equipment includes four-wheel disc brakes - ventilated front, solid rear; four-wheel antilock-brake protection; emergency braking assistance; stability and traction control; front, side and rear air bags.

Note

The Altima SL offers and advanced safety-technology package. The cost is well worth the purchase.

Pricing The 2016Altima 2.5 SL starts at $28,570. Price as tested is $32,115, including $2,710 in options (glass roof and safety-technology package) and a $835 factory-to-dealer charge. You can bargain on this one.

It is a passengers’ car - far more “we” than “I.” It does not assume that you want to beat everyone away from the stop light or impress the neighbors with the macho sound of your exhaust pipes. It does have two exhaust outlets, but they are more for style than performance.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Mercedes S550 Cabriolet

Enjoy luxury with the top down

By Ann M. Job FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

F

or those who can afford the luxury of a Mercedes S-Class and want everyone to know it, the German automaker is offering its S550 convertible for the first time since 1971.

Worried that the four-seat sedan will be draughty or lack the atmosphere of its fixed-roof version? Don’t. The 2017 S550 Cabriolet comes standard with a new intelligent climate control that uses 12 sensors and 18 actuators that automatically keep the driver comfortably warm or cool, even with the top down.

This climate control can combine with heated seats, heated armrests, neck-level air vents that are built into the front seatbacks and Aircap, an automatic wind protection system for when the roof is down, to ensure an unbelievably comfortable ride.

Multicontour massaging front seats that soothe like a hot stone massage are part of a $3,500 option package, and a $6,400 Burmester 3D sound system that uses 24 high-performance speakers and 24 amplifier channels provides crystal clear sound, even with the roof down.

The car also comes with an “air balance” system that ionizes the cabin air and adds a scent to personalize the interior. And buyers can even add sparkling Swarkovski crystals to the headlights and stuff 20-inch wheels into the

wheel wells.

As expected, the S550 Cabrio is expensive. The starting manufacturer’s retail price, including destination charge, is $132,325, and it’s easy to get to more than $160,000 by adding many of the tantalizing options.

Built as a version of the S-Class large four-door sedan, the S550 convertible comes with two large doors and a starting retail price that’s $34,800 more than the starting MSRP with destination charge for a base, 2017 Mercedes S550 sedan. But the S550 Cabrio is sexier and flashier than the more formal fixed-top sedan.

Both cars use the same 449-horsepower, twin-turbo V8, which delivers a strong and quick response in any situation.

At startup, the powerful torque of up

to 516 foot-pounds can come on at a low 1,800 rpm in the convertible and forcefully push driver and passengers back into their seats.

Mercedes estimates that the 16.5-foot-long convertible can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a speedy 4.6 seconds. Yet the car’s nine-speed automatic transmission does a good job of managing and meting out the appropriate power in less demanding conditions such as stop-and-go traffic.

The test-driven convertible was surprisingly quiet inside. Its power-operated fabric roof has three layers for good insulation, and wind sounds are minimized by aerodynamic shaping of such things as the outside mirrors.

Impressively, the roof goes down in less MERCEDES » 7

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

If you want to go off-road, get a true SUV, not a crossover How do the newer, lighter SUVs (crossovers) stack up against classic Jeeps, Land Rovers and Chevy Suburbans for off-road use? While many tout the safety features and traction of allwheel drive, they are never shown being driven anywhere except on paved city streets. At my job, many of the favored field vehicles are the older (‘80s-model) Suburbans and Ford Broncos, which are almost indestructible but drink gas like it’s water. With fuel economy still an important consideration, we are interested in the hybrid lines of small SUVs (such as the Ford Escape or the Toyota RAV4). But do they have the features necessary for off-road use, or are we better off having a separate “excursion” vehicle for exploring backcountry byways?

Thank you! — Evan The crossovers that interest you — and interest lots of people these days —

MERCEDES

Continued from 6

than 20 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 37 miles an hour. And the compartment in the trunk that the roof folds into automatically opens when the driver presses the button to put the roof down.

Maximum trunk space is 12 cubic feet with the roof up and just 9 cubic feet with it down.

Only two people can sit in the back of the convertible, but it provides decent legroom for adults as long as the front seats are up a ways on their tracks. The S550 Cabriolet is heavy and solid-feeling car.

The test-driven version weighed more than 4,800 pounds and averaged less than 20 mpg in combined city and highway travel.

Fact Sheet

2017 Mercedes-Benz S550 Cabriolet BASE PRICE: $131,400.

PRICE AS TESTED: $160,375.

TYPE: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive,

are not really designed to go off-roading. The definition of “off-road” in a Ford Escape means you’ve turned off into the Whole Foods parking lot.

Crossovers are designed with ground clearance and good traction, but that’s really for snow, slippery roads or modest off-road use — driving over dirt, some mud, grass, sand or gravel.

So if you’re determined to drive over tree stumps, boulders and hibernating mammals, I think you’d be better off with a second, older vehicle just for that purpose. Besides, that kind of real off-roading punishes a vehicle. And do you want to do that to the family vehicle you plan to keep for years?

four-passenger, subcompact convertible.

ENGINE: 4.7-liter, double overhead cam, twin-turbocharged V8.

MILEAGE: 17 (city), 25 (highway).

TOP SPEED: 155 mph.

LENGTH: 197.9 inches.

WHEELBASE: 115.9 inches.

CURB WEIGHT: 4,819 pounds.

BUILT AT: Germany.

OPTIONS: Burmester high-end 3D surround sound system $6,400; sport package (includes brushed aluminum sport pedals, side skirts, AMG wheels) $5,900; premium package (includes multicontour front seats with massage, surround view system, head up display, rapid heating for front seats) $3,500; design porcelain/deep sea blue Nappa leather seats $3,250; Night View Assist Plus $2,260; driver assistance package (includes speed limit assist, active lane keeping, active blind spot assist) $2,250; warmth and comfort package (includes heated front armrests, steering wheel and rear seats, wood and leather sport steering wheel) $1,990; headlamps with Swarkovski crystal $1,750; upgrade to 20-inch, AMG multispoke wheels $750.

What we call “crossovers” are really car-based vehicles that have an SUVish body style; they’re not actually trucks.

And that’s great, because most people don’t enjoy driving a truck every day.

Trucks handle worse, are generally less comfortable, get much poorer gas mileage, are harder to get into and out of, and tend to be less safe, in many instances (especially with on-demand four-wheel drive versus permanent allwheel drive).

So you’ll be a lot happier driving, day to day, in a RAV4 Hybrid than in, say, a Toyota 4Runner, which is based on a pickup truck. And you’ll be happier parking your Ford Escape Hybrid in the Costco parking lot than you would be trying to fit your Ford Expedition into one of those “compact only” spac-

es. And you’ll be happier with either one of those every time you go to the gas station.

If driving off-road is really something you’re committed to, then do what your colleagues do: Get a used Jeep, or Bronco, or Tahoe — or keep your current SUV — and use that for your excursions. But you’ll be surprised at how wonderful it is to get back into your crossover when you get back from Kidney Crusher Trail.

Keep your car on the road and out of the repair shop by ordering Click and Clack’s pamphlet “Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!” Send $4.75 (check or money order) to Car Talk/Ruin, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2017 by Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

F11515201

Dear Car Talk:

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thursday, February 9, 2017

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