The New Family Truckster

April 29, 2014 by JT

About thirty years ago, it seemed like the preferred method of family transportation was the classic station wagon. Tons of room, seats everywhere, and of course you couldn't beat the styling. Fast forward ten years and we moved into the age of the Minivan. Everyone loved that sliding door on only one side and you could have van accommodations without looking like Buffalo Bill. Next was the SUV craze of the 90s. Everyone had to have the Grand Cherokee, Expedition, or Hummer. The minivan was considered lame and the full frame, V8 SUV was the ticket out. Jump to the present where gas is almost $4 a gallon depending on where you live and fuel economy numbers are the top selling feature of a vehicle. The crossover SUV has become a staple among American Moms and families over the past few years. They offer SUV like accommodations, somewhat rugged looks and of course nice fuel economy figures we can all live with.

In the garage this time is the 2014 Nissan Rogue. This is an interesting segment to drive and discuss because you really have to put yourself into the SUV mindset, but at the same time you won't be doing anything a "real" SUV was meant to do 15 years ago. The Rogue, Escape, Equinox, and CR-V are all in this same segment. They offer the SUV looks but are worthless off-road and are basically sitting on a regular car chassis. That is totally fine though, we have continued to evolve from the Family Truckster the past 30 years and the Nissan Rogue is proof that we have come a long way.

Styling

In this segment of vehicles, it takes quite a bit to stick out and be the one you would pick for your family. The looks of the Rogue for 2014 have changed immensely. Nissan got rid of the Murano-esque front grille and kept going from there. The styling is mildly aggressive and has little bits of excitement with the slick LED lighting up front and the larger clear overlays on the taillights. Body fitment and build quality are right on par with anything out there nowadays, this almost is a dead issue as it seems every car maker knows how to fit sheet metal properly. The 18" wheels look a little 90s lame to me, but they aren't totally awful. When looking at certain angles I see a little bit of the Nissan Leaf in the body creases, which gives the Rogue that futuristic look and also a deep down psychological association of fuel economy. The styling of the rogue is nice, not game changing or anything too drastic, but overall nice.

Driving

Our test vehicle was the Rogue SL model with front wheel drive. All Wheel Drive is an optional extra on the Rogue. It is powered by the 2.5L inline four cylinder engine and the Xtronic CVT continuously variable transmission. This setup offers up 170hp and 175lb-ft of torque. There is clearly enough power for your daily needs, but when you wind this thing out to merge onto a busy Florida highway, it really screams. When I say screams, it sounds very sketchy and almost like you are pushing it too hard. The shifts are smooth, continuous, and you can tell when they happen. The Rogue doesn't feel like it is hunting for a gear, but more smoothly rolling into the next one. The rpms are kept higher while you are flat out and the sport button on the dash keeps the shifts hanging up longer. This vehicle is by no means a power monster, but it has enough to get you around town for your families needs. The sounds coming from the drivetrain will take some getting used to though. Four wheel disc brakes offer up no issues with stopping and the four wheel independent suspension rides comfortably. The SL Premium Package that this model was equipped with offered up a barrage of driver aides which I got a chance to try out. The lane departure warning dings when you switch lanes with no turn signal, or if you nod off. The blind spot warning gave a small amber light next to your side view mirrors if somebody was sitting in that spot next to you. The forward collision warning system wouldn't work for some reason. I felt a little uncomfortable trying this feature out, as I'm sure you can imagine. At one point another writer was dangerously close to the front of the Rogue and we were not warned or anything. Not sure if the warning comes too late or what. The Rogue does what it is supposed to do though while you drive it. Nissan didn't design this to break top speed records or corner like their GTR. For a modern day Family Truckster, it drives along exactly like it was meant to.

The 2.5L Inline Four - 170hp  175lb-ft torque — The 2.5L Inline Four - 170hp 175lb-ft torque

Interior

The interior of the Rogue is loaded with fun stuff. Our SL had heated leather seats, a big 7" screen with navigation, a driver assist display between the gauges, Bose sound, the big panoramic moonroof, dual zone climate control, and embroidered floor mats. This really is the Rogue you want if you can swing it. Nissan went with the fake carbon fiber on the door panels and lots of gloss piano black randomly splashed throughout. This stuff looks very neat in a dealership information booklet, but each time we review a vehicle equipped like this the charm wears off quickly. The piano black gets fingerprinted easily, scratches over time, and is a nightmare to photograph. I feel like I am constantly cleaning my own fingerprints off everything. One interesting thing on this interior is the placement of some random buttons. Down by my left knee, there are spots for 8 buttons. The placement seems like an afterthought and even though our Rogue was top of the line, only 5 spots were filled while the rest had the blank plastic inserts instead. They were not crazy important buttons for the driving experience, but I was having to look down and see what each one was when I wanted to use them. NASA inspired Zero Gravity front seats are one of their selling points. In all honesty they just felt like normal seats to me, I wish I had more to say about that. The rear seats were clever in that they slid back and forth for more legroom. I thought this was a nice touch. The fully automatic rear hatch opens up to reveal a large cargo area, which is plenty big enough for all your gear. One feature which really was odd Nissan calls the Divide-N-Hide Cargo System. I messed with it for ten minutes before giving up. Somehow, it is meant to adjust and give you a shelf type of setup or divisions for your cargo. Either way it seemed clunky and I just didn't have the patience to figure it out. The Rogue has a great interior though, very well built and the use of quality materials is present. With only the minor shortcomings mentioned above, this is right on par with new cars everywhere for 2014.

Infotainment

Our tester Rogue pretty much came with everything. From the start, you can tell it is loaded up when the keyless entry system works flawlessly. Walk up, press the button on the door handle and you are in. The 7" color touch screen offers up tons of features. Navigation, Bluetooth, Sirius Satellite Radio, voice control, and iPod/iPhone integration. There are even features on the screen that show the weather and traffic, which all works through the satellite system. The phone calls were clean and crisp, but when using navigation and the hands-free phone system, the Rogue's voice would cut off the person on the other line, taking priority. I guess that makes sense, but it was kind of annoying hearing my contact get cutoff then hearing them mid-sentence after she finished her route directions. Nissan also offers up an app suite for your iDevice that works with the system in the Rogue. We downloaded the app, but found an account was needed and for a test like this found it to be to much of a burden since we had so many other features to evaluate. I did hook up my iPhone through the Bluetooth and the USB port which was right below the HVAC controls.

The 9 speaker Bose audio sounded great with whatever I wanted to play from my phone. Nissan even has the super clever Bose subwoofer mounted in the spare tire below the cargo area. I love how they can use this space for something good and it fits in a neat little package.

The coolest feature of this nav screen was what Nissan calls the Around View Monitor. This is one of those you must see to believe features. The Rogue has four cameras which process an image on the screen. The screen then shows you a birds eye view of your vehicle for easier parking. It literally looks like a drone plane is hovering over your car sending you a live feed to guide your parking. This was very impressive and actually worked, not gimmicky at all.

Finally, we were able to play with the driver information screen between the gauges. These small LCD screens are becoming more and more prevalent on vehicles anymore. They offer you information without having to look to that massive 7" screen in the center of the dash. The Rogue gave radio information, navigation, and also vehicle statistics like mileage and tire pressure. There is also access to vehicle settings through this screen, super handy.

Impressions

The Rogue isn't much of a head turner. Even though this is a brand new model and is the top of the line SL trim, the Griswold's Family Truckster got more looks than our Rogue. With that being said, I don't think any of the vehicles in this segment warrant a second glance. They are all purpose built, just like the wagons and vans of the past. Nobody would get excited about a minivan in 1989 unless you were the one buying it. The same goes for the Rogue, as most people won't notice you in this car. That really isn't the point though is it? The crossover vehicle is meant to be used for utility and transportation. Nissan didn't have headturning in mind when they thought this one up, and that is just fine. As the driver of this vehicle, I felt all my needs had been met. I was comfortable, it ran great, had plenty of room for everyone and everything, the looks were well suited, and I knew what I had this Rogue for. If I wanted to take the whole tribe cross country, then this was the automobile I would have driven, even without the optional Rally Fun Package.

Hoagie Positives

Clean looks and a big improvement over the previous model.
Loaded! The features and creature comforts help you forget you just bought a crossover.
Around View System - The coolest feature on the Rogue, no questions asked.

Hoagie Negatives

Gimmicks - The Zero-G Seats and Divide-N-Hide all are lame selling features that had more effort put into their name than the actual feature itself.
CVT Shifting takes some getting used to. High RPM sounds very sketchy..
Interior Quirks - Button placements and piano black need to be remedied on the next refresh.

The Family Truckster we photographed next to our 2014 Rogue belongs to a family who has gotten some national attention. They were in the middle of a Walt Disney World vacation when we stumbled upon their amazing piece of automotive and movie history. Check them out at http://griswoldfamilyvacations.com or @GriswoldVac.

The Mazda3 Takes Manhattan

April 02, 2014 by JT in Automotive Reviews, driving, Hoagies Garage

New York City is one of those places that takes some getting used to. If you are from there, people like me would probably annoy you because I am trying to find my way around and figure everything out. The idea of road testing a car in Manhattan is an interesting one. Driving around the city is unlike anywhere else and takes patience, skill, and you have to be a bit daring. The 2014 Mazda 3 is a car I've never driven before. Before taking delivery, I didn't know what the buttons did, how it drove, and I was also missing that spatial awareness you get after driving a car for a few days. Mix that with driving in NYC, and you have an interesting combination. Our time with the Mazda3 was interesting, and here is what we found.

The 2014 Mazda3 is all new. We have been seeing it everywhere from commercials during the Olympics to every media outlet reviewing the mess out of it the past few months. I even passed two billboards in Akron on my way to the airport, showing off the all new red hatchback. So it's safe to say Mazda has been pushing it pretty hard. The excitement leading up to this drive was building on our end as well. When requesting a vehicle from Mazda for this story, we had two requirements. We wanted something of manageable size and also GPS. Navigating around Manhattan with a full size SUV and no GPS is not my idea of fun. The MX-5 was off the table, as some random journalist apparently wrecked it... The Speed3 isn't being made currently, and the Mazda2 wasn't available. By default, we were offered up the 2014 Mazda3 with navigation. We arrived to pick up our vehicle and were instantly disappointed. The billboards and ads showing off this great red hatchback were almost a tease considering we were given the "Titanium Flash" colored version. This color really fit in well with the dull and dreary New York sky of mid March. It isn't a bad paint color, but for this review it just didn't get us super excited to hop in and zoom around Manhattan. The Soul Red exterior would have really been fitting considering you see it advertised everywhere.

Styling

The body and chassis are all new from Mazda. The wide mouth corporate grille look has been refined and improved with gloss black and active shuttering. For a hatchback, Mazda has done a great job giving it striking features and little hints of excitement. The two little bulges on the back of the roof are a nice little touch of uniqueness. This day in age though, if you are looking for a vehicle that is kind of exciting to drive and sporty, the hatch is it. Most times now, the sedan model isn't the one you want. The sedan just screams middle aged family car even though it looks very similar and has great styling. Overall though, I found fit and finish to be top notch and once again the auto industry just knows what they are doing. No longer do you have to buy a simple hatchback and expect it to be junk. It is getting harder and harder to find a car that has something wrong with build quality. Some of the other exterior features were 18" wheels, Bi-Xenon headlamps, dual chrome exhaust outlets, and LED lighting front and rear. Great job on the styling and exterior looks by Mazda, I just wish the paint wasn't so drab and dull.

Interior

The interior color of this 3 was called Almond. The leather seat skins had an off white color with darker trim and plastic surrounding them. They felt nice and were comfortable, but to me I don't know how many they will sell. This is one of those interior colors that seems to be meant for auto shows and magazine photos. It looks good, but practicality and longevity are what I wonder about. The Almond color reminds me of the Chevy interior color they started making called "Brick" - It looks good in theory, but how many are actually sold? This particular Mazda3 was basically optioned out with everything. Dual-Zone climate control, keyless ignition, Bose 9 speaker audio system, paddle shifters, the Active Driving display, and of course the 7" touchscreen with navigation. We will get into all the tech features later on. Interior again was built and put together really well. Everything had a solid feel to it and quality was not sacrificed in any way. Mazda did a nice job of making plastic trims look metallic and putting piano black in certain places. I will complain slightly about the touchscreen placement. The screen sort of just plunked down on the dash looked a little tacky. I'm not sure where else they could have put it, but the dashboard design looks almost like they forgot about a screen. The standard radio is placed in the same spot, just not as prominent. Our testers 7" screen really stuck out and looked like it should almost be a removable piece that could be taken down for security reasons.

Mechanical

Our 5-Door, Grand Touring model was given the 2.5L DOHC four cylinder with a six speed automatic transmission. The engine is an all aluminum design with variable valve timing; 184hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. For a 3,000lb vehicle that is more than enough power. Mazda has designated this the Skyactiv-G engine along with the Skyactiv-Drive transmission. According to them, this engine is the worlds first mass produced engine with a compression ratio of 14.0:1 - the 6 speed offers a wider lock-up range that allows better torque transfer. Let's just say that the drivetrain is all new and better than ever. To round out the new engine/trans combo are four wheel disc brakes with ABS, independent front/rear suspension, and electric powered rack and pinion steering. There really is a lot going on with this car and you won't be disappointed with the amount of features that come on the Grand Touring model.

Driving

As we stated earlier, this review was done in the city. Manhattan was the plan and after the photo shoot at Flushing/Corona Park in Queens we were on our way. The first thing I noticed about the Mazda was power. It really moved when I wanted it to and pressing the Sport button made everything more dramatic. Sport Buttons always seem a bit gimmicky, but on the 3 I found it to hang in gear longer and have the power ready with a quick throttle jab. This isn't the type of car you just jump in and go though. I'm starting to find the amount of tech in vehicles is actually making driving more dangerous, even though it's meant to keep you safer. Presetting all your stuff before you set off takes some time and doing it at stoplights isn't a great idea. The GPS wasn't setup correctly from the previous driver so we were getting directions on the screen but no voice commands. Once that was sorted out, the Manhattan driving adventure had begun. If you do any sort of fumbling with your iPod, sightseeing, or anything other than driving in the city, your fellow drivers let you know. Basically, you are in their way and get moving. So that is what the 3 did for us during this test. Quick take offs at stop lights, weaving in and out past taxis, hard braking, and of course squeezing down tiny streets. I found the 3 to have enough power to get from block to block and light to light. Blind spot warnings were dinging constantly and the side mirrors had small indicators to let me know I was about to crash. During the city driving, the 3 did everything I could ask of it and more. Handling was crisp and it was easy to maneuver around anything and anyone. Our test car had one issue though that I believe raised stress levels during this city driving. Mazda plated this vehicle in California, so we were the idiots from California driving around the city. Even though we are from Ohio, I feel the California plates got us tons of extra honks and dirty looks as we zipped around Manhattan.

Tech

Infotainment and tech features are super cool. I absolutely love having my iPhone synced up and all working perfectly along with a slick gauge setup and power everything. It all will eventually break I'm sure, but I still love this stuff in a car. Our tester had tons of it including the 7" navigation screen, Active Driving Display, Bluetooth, HD Radio, Pandora, USB Ports, SD Card slot, push button start, and the Commander Control which puts it all at your fingertips.

The navigation was something we needed for this drive. When it came down to it though, I found it focused on all the wrong features. During our drive, it crashed multiple times and also froze up a few as well. GPS in the city is known for being awful, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. There were times when driving for five blocks offered up no signal and no directions. The navigation did have some cool features like showing 3D landmarks/buildings and even showing the interior of a tunnel as we were driving through the Midtown Tunnel. I think it needs some bugs worked out to be perfect. The command control knob by the center console worked very well though. It reminded me of the BMW iDrive knob sort of thing. It spins, can be pushed down to select, and also can be clicked in different directions. It made using the system pretty simple if you are too lazy to reach up and touch the screen.

The Active Driving Display on this car was a joke. Basically it is a small smoked piece of plastic that magically appears out of the dash when you start the car. A small digital display is then projected on the piece of plastic. Reminded me of heads up display from a Corvette or Camaro. I'm not sure what happened, but ours was broken. The piece of plastic would rise from the dash, but not far enough. There was too much flex in the motor/mounting so it was tilted too far down. If I lightly touched it, I could then see the display. I get where Mazda was going with this, but once again it was something that stuck out of the dash while driving and this seriously looked way too fragile. I'm guessing somebody pushed too hard on it and that was that. Our tester car did has over 5k miles on it, so who knows...

There is so much tech on this car though, seriously tons. I really didn't get a chance to try it all because of the location we were driving. NYC is not distracted driver friendly, the mission on this trip was driving and getting to where we needed to go. Having the 3 for a longer time period might give us a chance to really get down to it and see what works and what doesn't for a five door hatchback. We will see if we can arrange that and run some tests on the various other items they are now offering in terms of safety and convenience.

Overall

Our time with the Mazda3 was short and sweet. A five door hatchback is something that has become a necessity nowadays because people have junk to haul but don't want to waste the gas in a van or SUV for various reasons. Automakers can't really crack the station wagon market and at the same time people want something sporty. The five door hatch fits right into this area, and you can tell people are buying them based on the number of five door models out there in the various companies. This 3 raises the standard on all of them. When car buyers go to compare a few models, the 3 will more than likely come out on top. With all the features, safety, options, build quality, and styling - most people are going to end up leaving the Mazda dealership in a new 3. If I had my choice though, I'd pick any color other than the Titanium Flash.

Hoagie Positives

Build Quality is amazingly good.
Options & Features are plentiful - You really have a lot to play with.
Styling - Proves a 5 door hatchback doesn't have to be lame.

Hoagie Negatives

Navigation was pretty rough - At one point I was using my phone instead of the 7" dash mounted screen.
Tires - For some reason this tester was equipped with Blizzak LM-22 winter tires.. They had a tough time getting traction on totally dry pavement.
Active Driving Display - Gimmicky, Cheap, and yet another thing jutting out of the dash. A feature that is only there for photos and commercials.

Hoagie Time Capsule: The Enterprise

March 03, 2014 by JT

The Chevrolet Trailblazer is one of those vehicles that just blends in. They haven’t made one for five years, but they are still everywhere. Take a minute the next time you are driving somewhere and count how many you see. You can include the standard model, the EXT model with third row seating, the horribly ugly XUV model, and even the different variants from Buick, Oldsmobile, Isuzu, Saab, and GMC. GM literally couldn’t stop with this thing – they pumped one out every minute it seems. When you are counting these SUVs though, you probably won’t see what we have in the garage today.

We had the opportunity to drive the Trailblazer SS. When this model was thought up, Chevrolet had an SS model for almost every vehicle in their lineup. Some of them were great representations and well deserving of the famous SS badge. Others just got some body components tacked on and didn’t run much better than the normal models. The Trailblazer SS is a different animal altogether. The SUV wars as we like to refer to them are very interesting. You have models from Jeep, Porsche, BMW, and Land Rover coming strong and carving up the tracks and highways. When this battle was underway, GM decided to go with their bread and butter. They were going to use their solid SUV made right here in Ohio. The Trailblazer SS was their answer.

Styling

The SS treatment done to the Trailblazer almost makes you wish they did this to all of them from the start. The roof rack, side steps, flat black plastic trim, body cladding, excess chrome, ugly wheels, and coffee can muffler have all been thrown out. Chevrolet added 20” chrome wheels, a smooth front/rear fascia, and a more aggressive front grille with black mesh and cold air inlets. When you park next to a regular model today, the original looks dated and the SS still looks relevant. You really wonder why GM doesn’t take what they know about styling and apply it everywhere, all the time. The Trailblazer was never an ugly vehicle, but the plastic trim they put all over them is starting to fade and show age. The SS has none of that, which makes it look clean.

Drivetrain

From the factory, the Trailblazer SS was rated at 395hp and 400ft-lbs of torque. This comes from the C6 Corvette LS2 V8 installed under the hood. One of the major drivetrain options on the SS is the choice of rear wheel drive or all-wheel drive. When you ordered the vehicle, you had to pick. The standard trailblazer 4WD selector switch in the dash was replaced with a “Trailblazer SS” plastic plug. The rear wheel setup has proven to handle more aftermarket power and be more reliable over the years, but for people like us that need some winter traction, the all-wheel drive is required. With that being said, the full time AWD setup has a Torsen T-3 differential which in normal use sends 65% of the torque to the rear wheels. The transmission, by today’s standards is somewhat behind the times. Having only four speeds, the 4L70e model has been beefed up a bit to handle the power, but you will find it hunting for gears when you mat the throttle. The SS was given 4.10 gears too, which gives you super strong low end acceleration.

Chassis

In all honesty, when the TBSS was coming down the pipe, I figured this is where Chevrolet would have stopped. Big engine and less chrome – call it a day. Thankfully they decided to make this SUV better all around and keep going. The suspension is completely tuned and modified. The springs, Bilstein shocks, bushings, and steering have actually all been tuned at the Nurburgring in Germany. This really shows when taking curvy off ramps, quick lane changes or when powering around a corner. We did not track test the Trailblazer, because it just doesn’t seem like a place an SUV should go…but it can. Braking has been improved in all aspects as well. The master cylinder, calipers, rotors, and pads are all upgraded. When you need it to, the SS can pretty much suck your eyeballs out under hard braking. Very impressive for an SUV that weighs almost 5,000lbs.

Interior

The interior of the standard Trailblazer was never really that bad. Standard, mid 2000s Chevrolet stuff. GM wasn’t breaking ground and they weren’t falling behind I’d say. The SS interior is basically top of the line for the most part. There was an option for cloth seats, but this particular vehicle has almost every upgraded option. Power everything (Seats, locks, windows, pedals, etc), sunroof, rear audio/climate controls, Home Link buttons, heated mirrors, heated leather/suede seats, driver seat memory, Bose Audio, automatic climate control, Onstar, on-board air, and factory navigation. While driving the SS, you almost feel like you are sitting on a comfy recliner while your right foot has 400hp ready for you at any time. The SS gets stitched logos on the front seats, a snazzy brushed metal shifter, and a couple of SS badges on the dash. The front seats are basic Trailblazer leather seats with suede inserts. Extra bolstering to hold you in through those corners would have been a nice touch, but that didn’t happen.

The Nav

The factory navigation which I mentioned earlier was not a cheap option. Coming in at almost $2000, checking this box took some guts. When using the system though, you realize that you just wasted $2000. To access your maps and features, it requires a DVD, which then occupies your only disc slot. That means no CDs. Being 2014, CDs are not our usual go to for car audio, seeing as we all have some sort of iDevice or MP3 player. The Trailblazer is not equipped with a USB port or AUX input though. Selecting options on your high end navigation system is a major undertaking. The system is slow to respond and looks very dated, even for 2007. Spending $99 on a Garmin delivers better visuals and faster input times for your destination. If you happen to lose or scratch your disc, the system is unusable. A replacement DVD from GM will run you $199 – a costly mistake. One final negative is an interesting one. If you decide to pay Onstar for turn by turn directions, it will not integrate into this factory navigation unit. Onstar will talk to you in a totally separate voice while showing nothing on the in-dash touchscreen. If you are in the market for one of these vehicles, keep all this in mind while looking.

Driving Impressions

Driving the Trailblazer is an interesting experience. We referred to it in the title as “The Enterprise” for a reason. If you don’t understand where we are going with this, go update your Netflix Instant Queue with some old Star Trek episodes. The Enterprise is crazy fast and seems to surprise everyone when it needs to. Kirk even has a comfy chair to sit in while traveling at warp. While driving the SS, you get blow your mind quick 0-100 runs that can rival many vehicles on the road and handling that makes you more confident every time you drive. The fact that this is an SUV with four seats and a cargo area is amazing. The Trailblazer honestly has the feeling of driving a nimble, high powered sedan or sports car. If you want to feel like you are driving a Corvette though, then get one of those. This is by no means a replacement for something like that. For somebody who needs the seating and room, this is such a great alternative. A big difference though between the two is a Corvette can actually get decent fuel economy. The Trailblazer doesn’t even come close, averaging 16mpg during our test. This is laughably bad and actually dips way below those figures if you decide to drive like Hikaru Sulu and punch it every chance you get.

Aftermarket & Perceptions

This particular model actually has better fuel economy than the factory model. Some aftermarket parts have been put on in various areas, giving it a minor boost. The rear suspension has been fitted with solid, tubular pieces and urethane bushings. The massive belt driven cooling fan was replaced with electric units so horsepower wasn't robbed. Air entering the engine is smoother thanks to a free flowing intake and the exhaust has been converted to a dual setup out the back which just adds a little bit of growl when you mash the pedal. To put all that together, a PCM tune was done to the engine and transmission management. This SS drives quite a bit better than the original unit from the factory, but you wouldn’t really know what you are getting into just by glancing at it. Most people don’t give this SUV a second look. Public interactions almost never happen unless a real gearhead has spotted you. There is something neat about driving around an understated vehicle with 400+hp on tap. Even at car shows you don't have people looking very closely. The SS has a huge following online and it's fans are keeping the aftermarket parts bin in business.

The End

So what is next for the Trailblazer SS? Nothing. The General shut down the Ohio plant and stopped making them back in 2009. So today when you can still buy a Jeep SRT8, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, BMW X5M and Range Rover – Chevrolet has nothing in their lineup. This is kind of sad because they had a real winner on their hands with this vehicle. The Trailblazer is still made for the overseas market as a totally different vehicle, but who knows if that will ever make it stateside. This is sort of a time capsule vehicle because you may never see this again from General Motors. They are still out there used, but the mileage is going up and it doesn’t look like anybody thought to save one, so a super low mileage SS probably won’t exist in ten years. With that in mind, better enjoy them while you still can…

Hoagies Positives

It will surprise you, your passengers, and anybody who thinks SUVs are always slow.
Feels like you are driving a sports car - Most SUV characteristics are gone.
The looks are clean and simple. The TBSS won't look dated anytime soon.

Hoagie Negatives

Fuel Economy: You almost need a tanker truck pacing you.
Navigation from the factory is a sad excuse when you look at the new stuff out there.
If you like people noticing you, this isn't the car. We all know what it is, but if you are looking to turn heads, get a Corvette or Camaro ZL1.

Professional Grade - 2014

January 07, 2014 by JT

The weather in Northeast Ohio has been rough the past few weeks. Driving has been a chore and even discouraged by the news. We are fully into the Winter and enjoying the snow, ice, sleet, and salty roads. That doesn't stop Hoagies Garage though! We have something really neat that you are going to enjoy. This past week, I have spent some time with the all new, 2014 GMC Sierra. Four Wheel Drive was a must for this review, and this truck had it. While driving and testing though, 4wd wasn't even on my mind...

The GMC lineup of vehicles has always puzzled me. When GM went belly up and the word buyout was on the table, there were talks of brand consolidation. In all honesty, my first thought was GMC would be the first to go. Followed by Saturn and then maybe even Buick. I never in a million years would have guessed GMC would be saved and Pontiac would be let go. Well here we are, it's 2014 and I am behind the wheel of a GMC Sierra.

The Sierra is basically the Silverado if we are honest. GMC vehicles are pretty much just copycats of different Chevy models. They cost more and have more options, end of story. When the Sierra first entered the garage, I decided to look at the window sticker before I even drove it down the road or sat inside the cab. This truck, which is a Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLT 4WD model, has an out the door sticker price minus tax, title, dealer prep of $48,895.00 - right there for me, never going to happen. A truck is something that should not cost almost as much as a Corvette. I have seen housing in the Akron area going for less than that. For this review, I really tried my best to see why the price is so high and also would this really be worth it for the average truck buyer who was in the market for a four door pickup.

Styling

The look of this truck is very clean and professional if I had to summarize. Painted in a color they call Iridium Metallic, to me it looked dark gray with a little bit of metallic flake baked into the paint. Chrome is something they weren't shy with and the optional 20" wheels give even more. This model was outfitted with long side steps, which obviously are chrome. The headlights got some attention from people as they are projectors surrounded by white LED bars top and bottom. The 2014 GM trucks have these aggressive looking squared wheel openings which give them their own look. Looking out over the hood, you see two massive bulges that make the hood look more unique and chiseled. This being a GMC, they try to differentiate between the Silverado. I happened to park next to one during our test and found they were successful in that. GM didn't just change badges and add some chrome. They are getting very good at giving two identical models their own identity which is a good thing. On the utility end, the bed had some sort of factory applied grippy bedliner which looked like it was Line-X quality. The rear bumper has the integrated steps which even though this is a super expensive luxurious truck, it gave the back end a utility look. Finally, the tailgate - you can drop it from the latched position and it will fall super smooth and land softly, a nice touch. Overall, GM did a great job on styling, build quality, and improving on the previous generation of trucks. I never thought I would say this, but driving this truck around town actually turned heads.

Interior

Upon entering the Sierra, you are greeted with LEDs, leather, massive animated screens, buttons, wood grain, chrome, and more buttons. Right from the beginning I really did not feel like I was sitting in a truck. The interior was Jet Black/Dark Ash in color and really looked clean and well built. Everything feels nicely constructed and almost luxurious, really this is the nicest GM vehicle I have ever sat in. When closing the door, you are greeted with an eerie silence. The 2014 line of trucks are equipped with triple sealed windows and doors, new sound deadening, hydraulic engine/trans/body mounts, and a super quiet exhaust system. I really felt like I was sitting in a luxury car. The amount of buttons and controls had me sitting in the garage just fiddling for a good half hour before I even got to driving. Keeping me comfortable were the leather, heated, and cooled seats along with a heated steering wheel. The HVAC setup was a nice and easy to understand automatic system that worked great. Under the heater controls I found three USB ports, two 12 volt outlets, and a regular 110 volt AC outlet. Inside the LED lit center console I found another 12 volt outlet, two more USB ports, an aux input, and an SD Card Slot. Keep in mind the center console is wide enough to hold regular sized hanging files and also a laptop. Looking around even further, you will find a powered rear cab window, HomeLink programmable buttons, LED map lights, OnStar, parking assist controls, the switch to turn on the LED lights in the bed, and of course power everything. This included power seats, windows, locks, mirrors, and pedals. The interior of this Sierra was totally loaded and also included the amazing GMC Intellilink System, which we will discuss a little later. Before even driving the truck, there was a lot to take in and play around with. The driver information center was a full color screen set in between the tach and speedo. This gave you tons of information like gas mileage, trip odometers, transmission temperature, trailer brake settings, phone controls, navigation, and much more. Basically you could control the entire truck just from this display which was very cool.

Driving

When you put the Sierra into reverse using the column mounted shifter, which we didn't mind, the side mirrors lower to help guide you and the tailgate mounted camera pops on the 8" dash screen with guidance lines. For most of our test, the snow was flying. The transfer case is controlled by a small dial on the left side of the dash. You are given the option of 2WD, Auto 4WD (kind of like AWD), 4WD, 4Lo, and Neutral. When you spin the knob, the color driver information display between the gauges lets you know what is happening with the shifting process. Our model was equipped with the 5.3L Ecotec3 V8, which puts out around 355hp and 383Lb Ft of torque. This particular model has the 3.42 rear axle along with upgraded 20" chrome wheels. While driving down the road, I couldn't kick the feeling that I was in everybody's way. For me, it took almost the entire week I had the truck to get used to the feeling of driving such a large vehicle. Keep in mind this has four full doors, a massive hood that bulges up towards the sky, a grille that looks like it belongs on a semi, and a bed that seems to go on for days. I just felt in the way of other drivers making wider turns and maneuvering through parking lots. The parking sensors were going nuts the first few days, simply because I could not get used to the scale of this thing. Now as far as trucks go, they are known for being rough riding and noisy. Not the '14 Sierra. While cruising down the highway, the ride was super smooth and the noise in the cabin was nonexistent. Having a conversation with anybody in the cab was easy and nobody was sore after a trip. This truck is seriously luxurious and also comfortable while hauling 2x4s or whatever else you need to. 355hp was enough to get the 7,000lb truck going, but to me it did feel just a bit corked up if that makes sense. I feel with a better flowing exhaust and some other tweaks it would really open up the feeling of acceleration. Seriously though, that would defeat the whole purpose of a comfortable GMC truck. The six speed automatic does a fine job in my opinion. I am somewhat old school in the idea that I kind of like knowing what gear my car is in, even if it has an automatic. These new six speed autos make that tough, as it is jumping all over the place and sometimes you don't even realize it. Going off of that idea of having six speeds, that is one of the reasons the EPA gives this truck 16mpg City and 22mpg Highway. The Sierra also has cylinder deactivation, which drops it down to using only four cylinders when it isn't working hard. Keeping all that in mind, during the course of our test we averaged 14.4mpg.... For all the great tech, new features, and fuel saving goodies that is not very good. This was a mixture of highway and city driving and we were just doing average speeds running with traffic. We do have to remember this is a massive, full size truck. You will have to make a sacrifice with your fuel mileage, but if you are buying this truck I don't think you're worrying about fuel consumption.

Winter Driving

Like stated above, the AWD and 4WD were needed off and on during our test. I realize that 4WD can kill fuel mileage, so we used it as little as possible. During our week with the Sierra though, the truck got to experience freezing rain, ice, well below zero temperatures, and about 10 inches of snow. The truck had no problems driving whatsoever. It would climb out of any snowy driveway or parking lot with ease. A few minor "winter issues" arose during our test though. The new triple sealed windows caused a headache for us during a fast food drive-thru run. Both driver and passenger windows refused to go down, even after having the truck warm up and driving for twenty minutes. We were forced to open the drivers side door of our $48k truck to retrieve the food, basically like the windows were broken on an old beater. I did find it funny though that the back windows would open fine during this time period. We kind of were wondering if the triple seals are almost too good. The freezing rain also caused havoc for the front parking sensors. As you can see in some of the pictures, the front of the truck was covered in ice. This caused excessive beeping and false alarms from the system, insisting we were going to hit something. They were smart enough to disable themselves after awhile, but it still was something that happened until we chipped the ice away. One major plus during cold driving with the Sierra is the heated interior parts. The seats are smart enough to warm themselves during remote start and the heated steering wheel was amazing. I am really curious to see one of these steering wheels cut open just to see how that system works. A really nice little touch that added to that luxurious feeling of the truck.

GMC IntelliLink

The IntelliLink system is very similar to the Chevy MyLink system we tested on the Spark a few months back. Our Sierra has an 8" touchscreen that gives a more grown up look than MyLink. On the home screen you find icons for Audio, Navigation, Weather, Pandora and many other things. The system easily paired with my iPhone 5 via Bluetooth and also the USB port. Audio options included SiriusXM radio, HD Radio, CD, regular radio, my iPhone, and Pandora through the iPhone. I also will say that IntelliLink allows you to use any audio from any app as long as you have the correct source picked. You can also use a flash drive in any USB port or SD Card in the center console slot. Basically, tons of options for your listening pleasure. The navigation worked very well with voice commands, traffic updates, and voice recognition. Telling it an exact address with my voice worked perfectly, but it did have trouble with specific local restaurant names. It really couldn't get what we were telling it. Onstar directions tied in beautifully with the factory navigation, loading quickly while keeping my hands on the wheel. Pulling up the weather app built into the system was very cool. The screen would show a live radar view, extended forecast, and also had the option to look up other locations. Loading at times did take a bit too long, but overall the weather is something I bet you are going to see on almost every touch screen system in the near future. These new audio systems really are neat. You can't argue with an 8" touchscreen that will play pretty much anything you throw at it. I am very curious though why GM decided to individually market and come up with a specific style for each brand. Why does Chevy, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac all have to be uniquely different? I don't see the harm in having a GMC MyLink along with a Chevy MyLink system. That might be something though that is beyond my comprehension and GM has a really good reason for it. Either way though, GM has done an amazing job with their infotainment system here, just like they did with MyLink. The upgraded Bose Audio System on this model was absolutely amazing as well. I will go out on a limb and say that this is the best sounding car stereo I have ever used. Any type or style of music played perfectly at low volumes and sounded amazingly clear at full blast. The entire system in the Sierra really was amazing to use and listen to.

Opinions

During this review, we took the time to find out how the world felt about the Sierra. This being the new 2014, I did get random people asking me about it as I drove places. I was told by many people they liked the looks and also that it is big. The optional 20" chrome wheels got quite a few compliments as well. Typically, somebody my age wouldn't be able to afford this type of truck. If anything we would opt for the Silverado and be happy with our decision. This type of truck appeals to somebody who wants a more expensive truck, some luxury, and also wants to haul some mulch from time to time. With that being said, we asked some of these types of people who could actually afford this truck what they thought. Overall they liked it, but the amount of tech and interior features really did turn them off. The IntelliLink system is simple for me to navigate and setup, but for somebody older who is not as tech savvy, it probably would be a nuisance. They also asked me how much the heated steering wheel and automatic mirrors will cost to fix when they break... Looking online through social media and other places, the Sierra is getting tons of positive feedback. Instagram is full of people that absolutely love this truck. We found the same thing when looking through tweets with specific hastags and topics. Once again, I think GM did a great job with the styling and updates for this new generation of trucks.

Overall

At the start of this review, I was very skeptical. This is one of the most expensive vehicles you can buy from General Motors. For a truck, when we think of what everyone uses a truck for, that is a lot of money. GMC did somewhat justify the cost with the amazing amount of options and features. Sitting inside and looking around, you really get a sense of where most of the sticker price goes. I actually found myself forgetting about the powertrain, driving feel, 4WD, and the utility of this thing. When you step back and put all that together, I think that is what GMC wanted. This is still a truck that can do truck things. It will haul, tow, drive off-road, muscle onto the highway, and get you to your hunting camp deep in the woods. While it can do and will do all of those things, you will be more comfortable than any of your friends who choose the Silverado or F150 - Just be sure to keep your chrome polish handy.

Hoagie Positives

Fully Loaded - This truck has pretty much everything.
Infotainment - Full featured and great sounding, one of the best in car systems I've ever used.
Looks & Build - Quality all the way around, this truck looks great and was built with lasting quality in mind.
USA - One final positive, this truck lets you know that American vehicles are back and better than ever.

Hoagie Negatives

Price - $48k is tough to justify.
Winter Issues - A few minor troubles that made driving in the cold a bit of a nuisance.
Size - If you need it, you need it. Still, this truck was difficult to get the hang of in just a week. I really don't think I'd pass my drivers test if it was in the Sierra Crew Cab...

Quick Take: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

November 25, 2013 by JT

For a recent trip to Florida, I was forced to rent a car. Usually this is something I don't do, as my trips consist of me driving the entire way and having my own car. On this trip though, a plane flight was involved along with renting a car from Thrifty.

First off, I will say that Thrifty was super cheap and had a few different cars to choose from when we walked to the lot. They were very disorganized though and the entire situation felt like a blur. I was offered twenty different options to add on to my rental and nobody was around to direct us to our vehicle. Either way though, we found the correct lot and were told to pick any of the following cars - Toyota Camry, 2012 Chevrolet Impala, and the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. I really have no idea the year on the Camry, and I'm actually guessing on the Impala because it was not the new, new Impala.

I decided on the Malibu. Recently it was redesigned, twice. This was the first redo for 2013 that nobody seemed to like, but at the same time people do, if that makes sense. Personally I thought it offered a huge improvement over the seventh generation in the looks department. I have never driven one so my curiosity was easily there for Gen 8.

Our Malibu was pretty base and simple as most rental vehicles are. Cloth seats, the simple audio system, non-flashy color, and kind of blah wheels. With all of these negatives I listed, I still love the way the car looks. For a four door simple rental fleet sedan, the Malibu really is not that bad. The edges are kind of sharp, the quad tail lamps are neat, and the front grille looks clean.

The interior was pretty nice as well. The seats seemed kind of boring and cloth, but I guess you cannot expect them to put Recaro seats in a fleet vehicle. The digital radio setup was easy to use and the gauge cluster looked new and updated. The center console did a funky slide thing, which I have heard will be gone on the 2014 refresh. Finally, the only other weird thing, which will be tough to explain, is the shifter does not line up with the indicator letters. So imagine you go to pull the shifter to "D", well it goes way past "D" and is way past the "M" which is for manual mode. Now the letters do light up to indicate which you are in, but it was awkward to pull the shifter way past where it felt it should have gone. The manual mode was pretty much a joke, going into "M", then requiring you to use an awfully placed plus and minus button on top of the shifter. I hope the refresh next year addresses the small interior items that bugged me on this car.

Driving it for me was pretty straight forward. It felt like a bigger car than it is. For some reason it just felt tough to maneuver. The acceleration was on par with a four cylinder, offering up close to 200hp. Six speeds in an automatic with such a small engine gives lots of shifts. They were smooth and predictable I thought. I really want to drive this car with a six cylinder. The driving would be totally different and it would have just a little more power to change lanes and get to where you are going. The trip ended with no extra charges, we filled up our tank before returning the car, and that pretty much is it. Anytime I rent a car, which isn't often, I feel the car is just getting one step closer to dying. Eventually, that Malibu will be wrecked by someone, break, wear out, or be sold at an auction for $800. For the 200 miles I used it though, it did a nice job and gave me a chance to drive a vehicle that was only available for one year... Bring on Generation Eight 2.0!