2016 Car of the Year. Excuse me?

Motor Trend magazine of North America announce their Car, Truck, and SUV of the Year awards last month. That's fine and all, but I think a big shocker came when they announced Car of the Year.

It was the Chevrolet Camaro, both six and V-8 versions of it. Mother of pearl, yes, the Camaro!

This is the same model of car that Chevrolet left almost unchanged for years, specifically the last consecutive generation of the old car. It went from 1993 until the end of 2002, essentially unchanged save for some cosmetic modifications, and the addition of the Ram Air hood-to-engine power increasing system. 

Power for those old cars stopped climbing, and were rated at 315 horses for its final few years (SS version), and was long criticized for its aged looks and unrefined driving habits. A rough ride didn't help. It was "cheap" speed, though, sometimes overshadowed by unemployed car nuts such as myself. 

I may have been paying more attention to Hondas, instead, but 315 horses for a little less than $30,000 is still 315 horses, my friend. Of course, especially back in 2002 for those numbers.

But back to the main point here, and away from that rabbit trail. Has Chevy really perfected the pushrod sports car that much that a major publication hailed it as Car of the Year?

While I can understand why to an extent, I don't understand why because of the car's poor access, and its terrible windows and no vision.

Why is that enough to crown a car of the Year award? I am not sure, and I would satirically question if Motor Trend is sure other than the Camaro's go-fast mission, and GM's claimed ability for the Camaro "handle well."

Motor Trend, try to think with your head next time, and not your lead foot.

2016 Republican Candidates and the Cars they would be

2016 Election

Republican candidates and the cars they represent

Originally written 8/7/2015--Rejected from another major car blog for the possibility of angering people 

As I turned on the idiot box last night, I could not help to notice the first GOP debate was airing on Fox News. I did an article for my personal sake comparing authors to cars, but why not compare the aspiring GOP presidential candidates to the cars they in a sense represent?

Donald Trump: Extended length Cadillac Escalade with bumper stickers referencing The Apprentice as well as his ego. Probably has not been washed in a while, because like Trump, the truck has probably been all over the place.

Ben Carson: Carson has a calmer personality and does not appear to argue with other GOPs as much, so possibly something more conservative like a full size Chevrolet Impala. Maybe a clean one in all black, or dark blue.

Jeb Bush: Lincoln, but not an old Town Car. This Bush desires to be more progressive than the views the Town Car represented. But he’s not exactly poor either, so nothing below that, and he would not touch a Tesla with a 100-foot pole.

Rand Paul: Smart car/Scion IQ/Chevrolet Volt. Any of these do not blend in with other cars. They stick out, just like Paul’s almost libertarian views on a number of topics.

Chris Christie: Mercedes G550 (yes, the boxy one). This is because he is very different from the other GOPs because he is so moderate. He also appears to run other candidates over, according to the debate. Why not pick Earth’s ultimate 4x4 vehicle?

Mike Huckabee: Chevrolet Tahoe with Cross emblems on it. Perhaps a Jesus-based plate frame as well. Parked on the weekend? Church most of Sunday, as Huckabee is a vocally religious person.

Car Opinion: Could the new Bronco be a hit for Ford? BOTFG takes a look...

13 November 2015

Ford Motor Company is at it again.
Automoblog.net, the website that I write for, spilled the beans last week that we will be getting a new midsize-about SUV possibly dubbed the Bronco.
If you are new to cars and do not live in a rural area, you may not know what a Bronco is.
The Bronco, sold here from the 1960s well until 1996, was a midsize, if not almost full size, truck-based SUV that had a great reputation. Decent power, hard-working engines from the F-150, and excellent torque in the later Power Stroke diesel versions coupled to capable off-road driving made for a good nameplate.
After being phased out and being replaced by the V6-only Explorer urbanite of the 1990s (and still even today), Ford lost their two-door betweener-sized SUV. They also lost another diesel.
I think it is excellent news that they want to bring this famous nameplate back to Ford, and like the continued Research and Design division at Ford with strongly evolving technology, could mean renewed share of a the market for Ford, whom has lost to GM with the Tahoe/Suburban full sizers.
Long live the Bronco, and for oil's sake, sell us a powerful award-winning diesel in the U.S.

Used Luxury Car: Mercedes Benz SL folding hardtop

2009 Mercedes SL-class SL550/SL600

On: Why I think they are underrated

This short piece will be about why I miss the old SL550 by Mercedes--and why the SL600 is better for power, and a lot more fun to rocket around--without all the racket.

The 550 version of the SL today offers around 400 horsepower, if not a little more. What do I think? I think that is too much for an eight-cylinder powered car. It is also too close to the beloved twin turbo SL600 V-12's 510 hp figure. Even my own girlfriend thinks the V-12 needs to stay around after our conversation about the 600 last week.

Because no matter how much you boost a V-8 SL, it will never be as silky or effortless (common adjectives for Mercedes) as their excellent twin turbo V-12 motors. 
Starting with 493 hp in 2004 and now pegged at 510, the car currently boasts a truck-like 612 pound feet of torque, and remember this is all on pump premium gas we are talking about. Five and a half liters of all-aluminum, silky V-12 muscle that runs right into its 155 mph speed governor at full gas smash.

The old SL550's normally aspirated 5.5 liter V-8 was paired with the 7-speed automatic; a manual has not been available since the 1990s. And yes, the normally aspirated V-8 made the same displacement somehow as apparently "small" piston V-12 did.

The SL600, however, was paired with the slightly stouter 5-speed automatic to accommodate the 12 cylinder's torque. Used in the old Maybach 57 luxury sedans, these were stout engines and transmissions.

Step inside, and there is only room for the driver and the passenger. This is where I now think Mercedes hits the nail on the head, because interactive luxury systems are abound. Some of the goodies that will fit into the car's small interior are present, such as the smooth ride and fairly slow handing response. The SL will never let you forget you are driving a car that weighs almost as much as a Dodge Dakota does.

     Photo Credit: Google Images

What do you love about your truck No. 1: John Hoover and his F-150

TH BLOG of that Filtz Guy will be doing a series of timeless features this second half of the year 2015. John Hoover of Finleyville, Washington County, Pa., was the first to step up to the plate. Specifically, we will be interviewing truck owners about their trucks all around Western Penn.

While some working men use their trucks to carry fuel to construction equipment, John Hoover uses his sparingly
o help his kids move to new houses, and to haul of a bit of mulch for occasional mulching."

Hoover, who also owns two newer small SUVs, owns a 1989 Ford F-150 4x4 long bed, as pictured. He has put around 20,000 miles on the truck's odometer, which be bought from a friend somewhere around 2000-01. It's total mileage is right around 70,000 miles, which is read from a standard old school odometer.

It has locking hubs for 4 wheel drive, has no modifications, and a torque-rich big 4.9-liter six cylinder engine. It, as well as the close gearing of the 5-speed, help with work and hauling furniture. Its drivetrain has had no issues, as like other old school Ford 4.9s, it has been reliable for him.

While it's not for sale, Hoover said he has some some funny experiences of his ownership with it. He said when was helping haul a glass-topped picnic table, he said the table actually felt right out of the truck's bed around a sharp turn. "It was in the West End of Pittsburgh," he said, "and thankfully the table did not fall too far away from the road." Hoover said that he was thankful he did not have to clean up the mess, because he placed the table back in the bed, and was good to go afterward. There were no issues with it nor the truck.

He has only gone through one battery since bought it 15 years ago from a friend, and the motors for both of the windows do not work anymore.

Despite the Ford's wear and tear issues, 

"Once you own a truck, you will never want to go back to a car, or even a van."

While Hoover may not drive the truck on a regular basis, he does find enjoyment in helping his family, and driving one of the rare manual transmission trucks on American roads today.

21st Century of Guts: Why I still remember the forgotten GTO

8/3/15

I have been thinking about the sleek looking modern Pontiac GTO from about a decade ago. 
I have been thinking about its strong, somehow poetic 350-horsepower engine.
I think that the car kicks ass. But why did it go?

Who can forget such a car. The 2004 Goat boasted a 5.7 liter engine lifted from the Corvette. That car boasted a 0 to 60 time of a good 5.3 seconds for the stick and 5.4 for the automatic. Fast, but the auto's acceleration felt a little slow.

Source: Net Car Show website

Seeing the car lose its guts, all of its sales, and its availability for the American market.

It was kind of beautiful, if a little on the plain side. But I sure do miss seeing them on GM dealer lots.

I miss seeing them rumble quickly past everything in sight, only Corvettes and Subarus and other serious performance cars strong and light enough to keep up.

I miss the no-cost 6-speed manual option, one of the very few cars to offer such an option. I miss hearing those 'boxes clutches engage and then disengage, and then continue to wildly accelerate onto a freeway ramp. 

I have been thinking lately perhaps I will own such a car someday, used, with plenty of miles. And, just for kicks, an automatic car to mod it. 

The best sports car Ford made

I need to get this one off my chest. I have since joined another blog but I want to say this.

I think the Ford GT is one of the best Ford sports cars ever sold in the USA. 

I believe this even if Jeremy Clarkson asked Ford to take his car back.

The 2015 Charger

The 2015 Charger

June 18, 2015

The Charger is on its way to be a world class full-size sporting sedan.  With the release of the Hellcat and R/T Scat Pack models, good ol’ Mopar is returning to its early 1970s roots: where big power meets loud engines.

            It has also increased in technology too, for the most part. While fuel economy isn’t quite hybrid-ish, the big sedan starts things off with 292-hp six-cylinder. Not enough for you? A 375-hp Hemi is optional, with a top speed limiter.

            More juice comes from the SRT branch’s mechanical work on the SRT 392 (6.4 Hemi) and Hellcat, a new name that Chrysler is using for super-Hemis. Boasting 485 horsepower for the SRT and an extreme 707 for the Hellcat, these big machines mean business. All that power takes gears, and all Chargers start off with a new, class-leading 8-speed auto carried from the Ram trucks. Charger’s brother, Challenger, is the only one to offer a manual with these engines: a six-speed.

            Last year I pondered whether the Hellcat Challenger was going to be more badass and thus more popular than Chrysler’s other sports car: the Viper. Has Chrysler made their comeback with this supercharged 4-door behemoth?

American Writers' Personalities as Modern Cars

“What would you be if you were a car?” My father and I came up with this idea a few weeks ago.

While I have a hard time fitting myself into stereotypes, I think it would be fun to place the “personality” of today’s cars and associate them with famous American writers of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Flannery O’Connor—2015 Chevrolet SS

            One of the great American writers of Southern “grotesque,” O’Connor was known for writing stories that could be sometimes quite frightening, or appear to be timid at first and then shock the hell out of you. For a literary example, read “Good Country People.” The Chevy SS appears to be something like that—kind of average-looking sedan until you press the ignition button and drive the car onto a busy highway. Watch the smoke from the rear wheels appear into a cloud, then a mushroom cloud, and feel your heart speed until a stop while the fear of an overpowered sedan overtakes you.

Mark Twain—Bentley Flying Spur or 2015 Cadillac CTS

            Twain was not poor by any means, and it is understood that he enjoyed the wealth that he built from his traveling lectures. I had a hard time picking either a luxurious Bentley sedan or Cadillac’s newest car, the CTS. I suppose it could vary depending on how patriotic Twain was feeling, but with his money he would enjoy fine motoring in some sort of luxury.

T.S. Eliot—2002-05 Jaguar X-type

            Eliot and his poetic colleague, Ezra Pound, were born in America but hated living here. Eliot eventually took up British citizenship, which is why he is associated here with the Ford-made Jaguar X-type. Sold only for a few years in the States, the car was probably much less popular than his poetry about 100 years earlier.

F. Scott Fitzgerald—the President’s Cadillac limousine (unknown year)

            Scott Fitzgerald may ring a bell in many Americans who at least received a B in their high school English class. That’s because he is famously associated with the Jazz age, his tremendous if short-lived wealth, and his extraordinary income from his literature, such as “The Great Gatsby.” I figured why not pick the President’s very own limousine.

Tennessee Williams—1966 Shelby Cobra 427

            Although this is meant to associate authors with modern cars, I could not think of a car that was more associated with excess and drama than the king of American cars itself, the Shelby Cobra. Equipped with a mean 425 horsepower engine, the car could rocket to high acceleration numbers faster than anything else with plenty of noise, drama, and boys staring at it as it drove by. Williams was a purveyor of stories but also of drama, with his “A Streetcar Named Desire” hitting audiences in the 1950s. His critics complained of excess drama and sex in the play, as well as other literature he composed.

Leaving the place called 'weak and boring'

            Today’s cars need more performance-oriented models. There, I said it.

            I have said this before, but even Toyota’s chief executive said it. Where is the Supra that Motor Trend put on its cover last spring? It made it to the March 2014 and called it “The Next Supra,” with a question mark after it.

            Honda continues to offer a non-updated, 4-cylinder powered Civic Si for the older Honda performance crowd, which has good performance. But it offers 60 less horsepower than the turbo Subaru WRX. Why is this?

            Although this will sound like an opinion, what if Honda put some money aside to save their older, performance image. The newer CR-Z, the little hatchback that looks like a toy car, has similar power to the new Honda Fit, and less than the Civic, or Accord, or, well…a Hyundai Elantra for that matter. That is sad. So my idea to fix things, at least with Honda, is to offer some sort of fast badge on their cars.

            How so? I have blogged and video’s about it before, but the Accord V-6 has more speed than many cars. Why not offer a mildly faster Civic? Ditch the hubcap wheels, remove the rear seats, increase the wheel/tire size, and have Honda throw some money into creating something new. How about a new, radical interior? How about cool interior lighting? Or closer gearing, or even gearing at all? The Civic is no longer the fun young person's car, and almost feels too grown-up for its own good. 

300 - 100 = Chrysler's next big thing.

April 3, 2015

            Hello, world. It is now the first week of April as I write this, and I must say that I miss keeping thus blog. Until I write for a business blog someday, this is temporarily quite satisfying—sort of like the effect that French fries have on most American diets, haha. Filling for a while, but good.

             I have seen a lot of Chryslers lately, and today I bring forth an editorial. Alas, I am not an editor of any publication, however I feel the duty to bring about an important point to Chrysler and their new for 2015 200, the re-designed version of a very broken automobile.

            Now that Dodge has essentially severed its ties with regular cars, as the struggling Avenger sedan was set out to pasture after ’14, Fiat-Chrysler Association has now let Chrysler build regular, if a bit “upscale,” sedans that Dodge used to make. Thus, the continuing big-car 300, the forthcoming Town & Country van, and the 200: the car that I am writing about.

            Except of course for the old-school Dodge Viper, I am not a big fan of many American cars, generally speaking. Yes, Mustangs are cool, but they’re not something many would drive every day. Chrysler has added some very interesting looking design to the new 200, even to me.

            New wheels, a brand new non-Chrysler looking interior that looks like it came over from another country. Yes, like an import, perhaps comparable to an Infiniti or an Acura.

            Next is something a bit more technical: all new, standard 9-speed automatic transmissions with the both the base and the optional engines. Although probably not feeling very sporty, this would hypothetically increase fuel mileage to very competitive standards and probably making for quicker launch as well. In terms of what makes cars go, this alone has more gears than any other gas-powered car in America with the exception of one other Chrysler product.

            To me, that is pretty impressive that the makers of the car would shoot for such high standards. Why? The old 200 (and the equally bad Sebring that preceded it) was kind of one of those automotive jokes. It goes something like this: in terms of transportation, one can walk, ride the bike, or drive a 200. Even the Chevy Cruze was more appealing than the old 200. The styling, the ride, more or less everything about it was either pretty bad (the looks) or downright awful (the outgoing car’s harsh transmission).

            Although much of this is just my thoughts through blogging prompts, I really hope that Chrysler can fine-tune anything that may go wrong or that is currently wrong with the car. I say this because I have driven the old Dodge Avenger/Chrysler 200, and they were just horrible.

            Now, they have created something that no one was really expecting.

            Now, if only the results will come in for how the car’s quality will turn out…

The Creation, History and Development of the Hummer

Willys Overland Motors/Jeep

U.S. Army asked for a brand new vehicle in 1979, and AM General answered with a few prototype Humvees in the 1980s. Production began in 1985 for the military. Source: Full Throttle Hummer

Hummer engines and transmissions

Until the 1990s, Hummers were only powered by a 6.2 NA diesel V-8, the famed and larger 6.5 turbodiesel V-8 did not appear until around 1995.

-Power: 130 horsepower, 230 lb ft torque (6.2-liter). Weak Detroit diesel engine. Edmunds also suggests that some 1995-97 H1s were saddled with gasoline-fed 350-cubic inch 5.7-liter V-8 engines, borrowed from GM trucks. The smallest engine ever to be put into an H1, power for the gas V-8 was similar to other models but torque was not, rated at 190 hp, yet only 332 lb-ft for these models. It faded away after 1997 because of its low torque output and lack of diesel-supplied torque, which was a soldier-like 430 pound-feet for 6.5 TD H1s. That is usually a good enough figure, but almost all H1s were taxed with excessive weight, and the 5.7-liter was scrapped from H1s after 1997.

H1 later received the famous 6.5-liter turbodiesel V-8 that would eventually rated for 195 hp and 430 pound feet of torque (edmunds.com)

Largest engine ever put in was 6.6-liter Chevrolet Silverado Duramax turbodiesel V-8 that was rated at a Hummer high of 300 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque. Also received Silverado’s Allison 1000 5-speed automatic. Dubbed H1 Alpha, only saw 1 year of production (2006). It was part of new Alpha line of Hummer trucks.

Additional engines for Hummer lineup: H2 received gas only engines, producing 316 from Silverado 2500’s 6.0-liter Vortec V-8. Later bumped slightly to 325, it still was underpowered for a large truck. H2s also were connected to a 4-speed automatic, same as many GM vehicles.

H2 was discontinued after around 2007, and H3 was launched.

H3 engines included 2006 Hummer H3: 3.5-liter inline 5-cylinder GM modular engine. Bumped to 3.7 liters for 2007. 225 horsepower for 2006, bumped to 242 for 2007 until discontinuation in 2010. Alpha V-8s: 5.3-liter GM Vortec pushrod 16-valve V-8. 300 horsepower, 320 pound feet. Also a major engine from the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light duty trucks, in addition to the Chevrolet Tahoe./GMC Yukon engines.

The Hummer brand really has developed into a legacy, and will likely never be forgotten. The truck brand’s state of being forgotten is not likely to occur because of its unforgettable, tough-guy image.

The luxury car that will help launch Cadillac it's own life: CTS

Three letters that mean it all for Cadillac

By Zachary Filtz for "The Blog of that Filtz Guy"

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Cadillac has for a number of years made some very good decisions (cylinder shutoff) and some very bad decisions (the mediocre, small and plain Catera of the 1990s), and now they have upgraded the recipe for what could be their most important car ever: the midsize almost large luxury rear-and all-wheel-drive CTS sedan.

Subjectively, this is truly Mr. Mojo Risin himself, of course without the rock and roll and drugs: the CTS appears to have the wow-ness factor that Jim Morrison, the ill-fated singer of the 1960s group "The Doors" once possessed. Oh, and I am not the first to compare the Caddy to Morrison: Car and Driver already did.

But that is OK, because this could be the car to help Caddy get off its feet. As of now, Cadillac still is owned and operated by the General Motors corporation, and has been since the early 1900s. My point is, Cadillac has expressed interest in becoming much more independent of its mommy and daddy--that is, some rumors have suggested that it will become its own entity. Thus could mean no more big-cruiser XTS, as that it is based off an already existing GM car. 

Loaded with tech that I do not even fully understand yet, it has very low gears in the upper realm of the first-for-Cadillac 8-speed automatic. A 3.6-liter V-6 appears to remain optional, while the new turbo 4-cylinder is standard. 

If Cadillac has engineered this car to be as good as other critics who have actually driven the car to be, then Caddy will have no problem running its own field, and hopefully, more luxury cars that are as handsome as this is.

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