2012 Ford Fusion
2013 Ford Fusion:
Going into this event I had my own preconceived notions. First things first, I had never seen the 2013 Fusion in person until it pulled up right in front of us at Indy. The Accord is my personal favorite, because I have owned several Hondas and several Accords over the years. The Camry's styling turned me away with the redesign, and the textures. The Sonata was one of my favorite designs at it's time of release, and the Altima, I never paid even a single bit of attention too. Most if not all of of those things changed a little bit in Indy after a few laps.
The Fusion redesign is awesome. From it's Aston Martin inspired front fascia to it's Jaguar inspired rear tail lights the car is almost breathtaking at first glance. Inside she is appointed with luxurious ammenities, and the cabin was very roomy. The textures were clean and soft to the touch, and the technology was more than impressive. I was super impressed. On the track the car was very nice, but far from a favorite. The people at Ford did a heck of a job on this car, and they really raised the mark for the American car manufacturers. The Fusion did have drastically larger tires than any of the other acrs competeing, and the car handled very nicely. The Fusion was the first car we drove, so I guess I still had a few jitters, but the car was very, very nice. 4 out of 5 stars from me. On and off the track.
2013 Nissan Altima:
As a car salesman I guess I have become a tad complacent or jaded by the Altima because we sell so many Altimas every month. However when asked to slow down and actually touch, feel, smell, and drive the car I was thoroughly impressed. The leather and interior appointments were by far the classiest of the group, and Nissan's premium company Infifniti had it's technology and textures are all over the cabin. The leather was the best by far. Very soft, extremley well stitched, and soft to the touch. The back seat with leather was my favotite interior of the group. The drive was just as nice. The car was extremley responsive and did very well for a 4 cylinder in a variety of different road situations. 4 out of 5 stars from me on and off the track.
2013 Toyota Camry:
The redesign turned me off big time. The interior appointments were near ugly, the steering wheel, was weird, and I honestly didn't know if I could even say anything nice about the Camry before the test drive. That was until after the test drive though. The car performed marvelously in every situation, and handled borderline perfectly. I know that the Camry is one of America's sweethearts, but I just couldn't get over the cheaply stitched leather, and the cloth version was damn near hideous. The plastics were chunky and the textures just felt cheap. All of that being said, those things are all just personal opinions. On the track though, this car is the real deal. In daily driving terms this car is the real deal. The Camry in general is the real deal. Safe, Affordable, Good fuel Economy, good resell value, and awesome road skills. Styling 2.5 stars Track/Road 4.5 out of 5 stars.
2013 Honda Accord:
Call me biased, call me what you will. The Accord is the star of this group as it is every single year. The Accord is matched perfectly all the way around. Class,y yet sporty styling, calm yet inspired driving, great textures, and damn near the perfect car all around. I would suggest the Accord to anyone in the market for a car. They have and do it all. The car outperforms the driver, and it makes the driver better, it helps the driver with smooth transitions, ample power, and phenomenal feel. True road emergency situations were completley avoidable with just the nudge on the steering wheel or even the slightest tap on the brake. This car is perfect in every way but one. The only inconvenienvce is the car does almost too much. It's almost too nice, and too, agile. As crazy as that sounds, the car is almost too smooth and too controlled. The only complaint if any would be that the car is too well behaved and that the top end raises a little too much when flooring the accelerator. Other than that this car is PERFECT! 5 out of 5 stars.
2013 Hyundai Sonata:
By far the most fun of the group. She behaved like a nutty girlfriend. She was loose on the turns, had a great interaction between the driver and the car. Extremley agile, and nimble, Handled the slalom with ease but was by far the most fun and the most exhilerating sedan to drive of the group. This may mean the car is inferior to the others and it's wilder less responsive, etc., but on the track that means more fun! It was a blast to drive. The Sonata had a cool steering wheel, some innovative button styles, and was truly enjoyable to drive. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
In essence, if you ever get invited to a road event, make sure you go. We had access to places at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that some people will never ever get to see. Below is a video with Alex Mason at the wheel of a 2013 Hyundai Sonata, and there are also links to the Speedway, Car and Driver, Road and Track, and a few fun facts about the Speedway. Thanks again for your time and remember to buckle your seat belts!
YouTube video of Alex Mason 2013 Hyundai Sonata (Indy Speedway retired F-1 course)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8so87F7xMzk&feature=plcp
http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway
Some interesting, fun facts about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500:
- Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the IMS oval, which covers 253 acres.
- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, with more than 250,000 permanent seats. If the seat boards from the grandstands at IMS were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 99.5 miles.
- The first event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a helium gas-filled balloon competition on Saturday, June 5, 1909, more than two months before the oval was completed.
IMS Grounds Information
- IMS total acreage: 1,025 (includes track, Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, all parking lots)
- IMS infield: 253 acres; Parking acreage: 750 acres
- 26 bridges, six tunnels
- 17 grandstands with a 220-acre footprint (if the seat boards were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 99.5 miles)
Indianapolis 500 Food & Beverage Information (May 2009)
- Coca-Cola products: More than 16,000 gallons, which would fill two tanker trucks
- Miller Lite and other beer products: More than 14,000 gallons
- Indy Dogs: If laid end-to-end, would circle the 2.5-mile IMS oval more than two times
- Bratwurst: If laid end-to-end, would circle the 2.5-mile IMS oval more than one time
- Brickyard Burgers: More than 10,000 pounds, equal to the weight of six IZOD IndyCars
- Track fries: More than 24,000 pounds, equal to the weight of an elephant
- Chicken tenders: More than 2,000 pounds, equal to the weight of 13 Borg-Warner Trophies
- Ketchup: More than 475 gallons, which would fill 10 bathtubs
- Ice: More than 300,000 pounds
Indianapolis 500 Food & Beverage Information (Race Day 2009)
- Not-for-profit group and third-party vendor workers on site: More than 1,000
- IMS concession stands: 61
- IMS Margarita/Bloody Mary bars: 29
- Beer/soft drink vendors in grandstands: Approximately 100
- Ice cream/frozen lemonade locations: 44
- Pretzel/fresh-squeezed lemonade locations: 35
Indianapolis 500 Television Information (May 2009)
- Miles of cable run outside of the Broadcast Compound: 42
- Miles of cable run within the Broadcast Compound: 10
- Additional staff hired by IMS Productions: 223
- Worldwide television distribution of the Indianapolis 500 broadcast: 213 countries, with an audience reach of over 292 million households
Indianapolis 500 Retail Information (Race Day 2009)
- If all the post cards sold in IMS Gift Shops were laid end to end, they would span more than 3 miles
- The most popular item sold in the Gift Shops was the Indianapolis 500 Official Program
- The most expensive item in the Gift Shops: A TAG-Heuer watch, $1,450
- The least expensive item in the Gift Shops: A post card, 33 cents
- If all T-shirts sold at IMS were stretched end to end, they would reach Terre Haute, Ind.
Miscellaneous Indianapolis 500 Information (May 2009)
- Firestone tires teams used throughout the month: More than 4,900
- Total laps officially completed, including all practice days and Race Day: 18,263
- Total miles officially completed, including all practice days and Race Day: 45,657.5
- Total laps officially completed in Rookie Orientation Program: 402
- Total miles officially completed in Rookie Orientation Program: 1,005
http://www.caranddriver.com/
http://www.roadandtrack.com/
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