We’ve enjoyed the various gutsy, tire-assassinating videos that Ford Motor Organization has introduced into its advertising mix for the latest Mustang, as we’re suckers for take-your-lunch-cash driving theatrics cast in thick plumes of roasted rubber—stuff like this 50th Anniversary drift celebration. But we like Ford’s new Valentine’s Day video for, er, other motives: The firm teamed a red-hot 2015 Mustang with an equally hot driver in order to tug at the heartstrings of over a dozen unsuspecting passengers. The clip is pure advertising and marketing, positive, but it is a lighthearted and exciting way to push the Mustang—and it nonetheless has a lot of tire smoke.
The hidden cameras roll as each and every man meets up separately with the exact same attractive, seemingly demure woman at a Dallas-area coffee shop beneath the auspices of a blind date. When they leave, they agree to be passengers in her new Mustang, at which point she says she doesn’t know how to drive a stick shift. There’s awkward little talk—one guy runs by means of a laundry list of completely awesome outside activities he does, yet another says he’s a ninja, and one particular macho man offers his help, “Let me drive,” he says. “I’ll show you what this factor can do.”
In short order, though, she’s showing him and the rest of the guys what it can do, and they get white-knuckled and red-faced, grabbing the armrests and wiping their sweaty brows as our heroine launches the vehicle across the lot and into a series of burnouts and donuts. She then lets them in on a tiny secret—she’s a skilled stunt driver:
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The spot was created by The Operate, a Detroit-primarily based production agency. Director Christopher Gruse received the assignment much less than 3 weeks ago from Ford’s advertising agency, Group Detroit. He tracked down Prestin Persson, a Los Angeles–based stunt driver, based on a recommendation from her mother who also is a specialist driver. “Prestin does a lot of car-to-auto stuff. She drifts, she does rallies. A lot of what she is in a position to do we couldn’t simply because of safety. Men and women in the auto had no thought what she was performing. She’s a teacher at Willow Springs.”
To persuade the males to go on dates with Persson, they were told that they had been getting considered as contestants for a dating reality show and that this was a test run with the main talent. The participants were unaware of the in-automobile cameras—which hopefully are not going to be on the aftermarket accessories list anytime soon.
More than a worldwide ideal-seller, this is one particular of the greatest cars on sale these days.
The Volkswagen Golf ranks up there with the Toyota Corolla and Ford’s F-series as one of the best-promoting nameplates of all time, but you probably see a lot more Corollas and F-150s dotting the American landscape. That’s simply because the little Volkswagen has racked up most of its sales in Europe, the citizens of which appreciate the car’s polish and sophistication, attributes that Americans have only lately began warming to in compact vehicles. A new Golf arrived for 2015, and VW is hoping it will make a real play at American buyers much more concerned with cost and fuel economy than Audi-like solidity and comfort at triple-digit speeds.
To make the 6th-generation Golf much more palatable to American and European buyers alike, Volkswagen stripped out some weight, replaced the earlier model’s normal 2.5-liter 5-cylinder lump with a fresh 4-cylinder turbo, and beefed up the hatchback’s list of driver-help characteristics. Oh, and to preserve fees down, VW is constructing North American Golf models in Mexico. The car’s 10Best award this year proves that assimilation didn’t require severance from what made it so wonderful prior to.
A 10Best award is explanation adequate to sign a car up for a extended-term test, but this Golf evaluation is particular. Recall how much of a mixed bag Volkswagen’s comparable American-centric play with the most current Passat was? In addition to increasing in size to meet Americans’ concept of a mid-size sedan, the Passat was for the first time split from the European model, cheapened, and then assembled in Tennessee. Sales shot up but then plateaued more worrisome is that our long-term 2013 Passat TDI test vehicle suffered a range of glitches and maladies familiar to owners of German luxury automobiles, difficulties that just will not do for mainstream purchasers hooked on reliability surveys and the like. Will the new Golf be the same? We took delivery of an automatic-equipped gasoline-fueled Golf 4-door to find out.
More Doors, Far more SEL, Far more Automatic!
The 2015 Golf lineup consists of 2 physique types (2- and 4-door hatchbacks), 2 engines (a gas turbo 4 and a TDI diesel), and 2 transmission alternatives (a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic). The Golf’s trim-level structure gives the option of S, S with Sunroof, SE, and SEL possibilities on gas-powered models, while the diesel TDI provides the exact same lineup save for the S with Sunroof. We settled on the 4-door SEL with the gas-fed turbocharged 1.8-liter “TSI” 4 and a 6-speed automatic.
We’d choose a manual, and we know from our encounter with an entry-level model that the Golf’s stick shift is a very good a single. But most Americans will choose the turbo/automatic powertrain combination, and we dig nicely equipped vehicles, so the $ 27,815 SEL was an simple decision. It’s loaded with 18-inch wheels, navigation, automatic climate handle, keyless entry with push-button ignition, a 12-way energy driver’s seat, heated front seats, ambient cabin lighting, a sunroof, rain-sensing windshield wipers, fog lights, a backup camera, and Fender audio. Our choices were restricted to color—Tornado Red is spicy, and it looks excellent on the angular Golf—and 2 packages: Lighting ($ 995) and Driver Assistance ($ 695). We skipped the latter due to the fact we saw no require for parking sensors in a vehicle as compact and straightforward to see out of as the Golf, but we grabbed the former for its adaptive bixenon headlights and distinctive LED operating lamps.
Light on Fuel, Big on Praise
Early impressions have been positive, as you might expect. Quite significantly every single editor who has wrapped his or her hands about the Golf’s padded, leather-wrapped steering-wheel rim has come away impressed by the car’s stiff structure, comfy ride, and sure handling. The handling bit was confirmed at the track, exactly where the Golf’s inaugural skidpad run resulted in an excellent .88 g. Our VW’s other overall performance metrics weren’t practically as sparkling, with a 7.5-second sprint to 60 mph and a so-so 173-foot stop from 70 mph. Nevertheless, they are consistent with a similar Golf TSI automatic we tested last year, which recorded a 7.7-second zero-to-60 time and an identical stopping distance. Like other Volkswagens, the Golf’s brake pedal is somewhat soft and lacks bite through the initial inch or 2 of its travel it is the only dynamic trait we don’t like.
So far the hatchback has left the higher Detroit location only once, for a rapid trip to Chicago. Given that the Golf has racked up nearly all of its 5600-plus miles locally on the streets and freeways around Car and Driver’s Ann Arbor headquarters, its 27-mpg fuel economy is both surprising and commendable. Our recorded efficiency beats the EPA’s 25-mpg city rating and nudges against the 29-mpg combined figure. As Michigan’s deep freeze thaws, you can bet the Golf will begin venturing farther afield, as staffers take advantage of its eminently sensible, 22.8-cubic-foot cargo hold and serene highway demeanor. Longer trips will likely push our fuel-economy figure even greater.
Months in Fleet: 2 months Present Mileage: 5635 miles Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 13.2 gal Fuel Variety: 360 miles Service: $ Regular Wear: $ Repair: $ Harm and Destruction: $
