Tag Archives: Carlos Lago

Ford Focus ST vs. Volkswagen Golf R/Subaru BRZ

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Here on Flux Auto we cover a lot of high performance cars from Detroit’s Big 3 that have caused many people to say that the new Golden Age of Muscle Cars is here. While that may be true, advances in automotive engineering have benefited all genres of performance cars. One of the most popular segments among enthusiasts are the Hot Hatches thanks to their strong combination of fun, practicality and low cost of owning and operating. We could even say that we might be approaching a new Golden Age for the Hot Hatch with the recent focus on high tech turbocharged engines, lightweight and optimized interior space thanks to slow economies all around the world. It could also be said that it’s a new Golden Age of Hot Hatches simply because there is a viable alternative to the perennial king of the genre, the Volkswagen GTi. Carlos Lago puts the new 2.0 liter turbocharged Ford Focus ST up against the top of the line VW Golf R. Ford has really raised the bar for front wheel drive chassis balance in the ST which brings us to another Golden Age that we’re in and the funky title to this video.

As it turns out, the Volkswagen has an intrusive stability control system that can’t be turned off. There’s no getting around the the system slowing the car down as you try to find its limits. That’s right folks, we are in the Golden Age of electronic nannies in cars. Instead of learning how to be better drivers, the world has demanded that automakers add complex electronic systems to cars in attempt to make them idiotproof. Well don’t worry because Carlos thought of a way to keep the otherwise interesting comparison going. The Volkswagen Golf R gets substituted out for Motor Trend’s long-term test Subaru BRZ for the track driving portion. Randy Pobst takes them both around the Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs to see how they perform at their limits. The BRZ and the Focus ST are actually pretty close in price which makes this a relevant power vs. balance comparison for weekend warriors shopping for entry level performance cars.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE

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Chevrolet provides another point to the argument that we are currently in the new golden age of the Muscle Car with the $3500 1LE package for the Camaro SS. GM basically gave their suspension guys who do track driving free reign to make the Camaro handle well. The result is “The best handling Camaro yet! *thumbs up*” according to Randy Pobst. Huge wheel and tire upgrades form the core of the 1LE upgrades. The fronts are 10 inches wide and the rears are 11 with 285/35/20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires (same as the ZL1 fronts) at all four corners. Monotube shocks with revised damping replace the stock twin tube. Larger anti-roll bars were also added, 27mm in the front and 28mm in the rear. The fact that the rear bar is larger than the front is probably where the engineers killed most of the regular SS’s horrible understeer. Power output remains the same as the SS but the final drive is upped to 3.91:1 to give a little better acceleration. Reliability modifications round out the 1LE package with various beefed up links, mounts and half shafts. The $3500 price tag for the 1LE upgrades beats what you could buy in the aftermarket and have an added bonus of coming with a factory warranty. It also seems like the engineers got the suspension tuning right on a sweet spot that turns the Camaro into a true driver’s car that gets better with the harder you push it. The base price starts at under $34,000 with the car they tested here optioned out to $46,000. That puts the 1LE in direct competition with the Ford Mustang Boss 302. Both cars focused on the chassis balance instead of huge power upgrades which is something kind of new and pretty awesome for Detroit. Lets hope Motor Trend will do a Head 2 Head episode with the Camaro 1LE and Mustang Boss 302.


Sources: Motor Trend on YouTube and CAR and DRIVER

2013 SRT Viper GTS – Motor Trend

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Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago gets to take a crack at the all-new 2013 SRT Viper GTS. The results are no huge surprise as the latest car “doesn’t betray what made Viper iconic and legendary.” That’s another way of saying it’s still a ridiculous and scary superhero caricature of a car. SRT has given the Viper more power and a lighter weight but at the same time have made an effort to improve the chassis balance so that you can at least entertain the thought of approaching the car’s limits. Watch the video to see all the details of the new car including a lap around Laguna Seca in race mode with Randy Pobst. After that, check out the article on Motor Trend’s website comparing the new Viper with the Corvette ZR-1 to see who makes the best American performance car that costs over $100,000.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

The World’s Fastest Hybrid Part 2

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Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago is back with the second installment of his quest to set the record for the fastest production hybrid at the Bonneville Salt Flats. In part 1 the guys took the first turbo hybrid for sale in the US, the Volkswagen Jetta hybrid, and prepped it for the Bonneville with racing and safety equipment. The 1.4 liter turbo engine and electric motor were tuned for a combined output of 300 horsepower at 30 pounds of boost. At the time, the Jetta broke the existing record but was ineligible due to the fact that it hadn’t hit production yet. This time around the car was legal and the team had made some tweaks including a lower ride height and smaller wheels to get even more top speed out of it. Check out the video to see how if they were able to officially get the speed record.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube