- Posted on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Extreme Test Driving
Here’s something new to try the next time you’re in Vegas: an “autotainment experience” that lets visitors test-drive GM cars on two unique courses: a high performance loop and an off-road dirt terrain.
Now, this is not a glorified car dealership. You can’t buy cars there. What you can do at The Drive, which opened on April 10, is get a rush similar to what you expect from a roller coaster. You can put a performance car through its paces with acceleration straightaways and slalom turns, or try an off-road course with a 15-foot mountain, giant moguls, sharply sloped banks, and obstacles.
The Driving Woman over at Edmunds.com has nailed why The Drive is so much fun:
Why do I think this is awesome? Because most people never get the chance to really test out what a vehicle is truly capable of. They don’t get the chance to attend performance driving school. While some do go off-roading, they don’t get to “do it all” in a compact space such as this, without risking their own car or, more importantly, their safety.
This message over at Carspin also commends GM for developing The Drive:
I really think more stuff like this would be successful for automakers, letting people have a real, fun test drive. I also think more people should experience what cars tend to do closer to their limits so they can know and appreciate what to do in emergency situations at least a little better.
GM has made the following performance cars available for The Drive: Chevy Corvette and SSR, Cadillac CTS-V and STS-V, Pontiac GTO and Solstice, and the Saab 9-3 convertible. Off-road vehicles include the HUMMER H2, H2 SUT, and H3, the Chevy Silverado Diesel, 2007 Chevy Tahoe, and 2007 Cadillac Escalade.
Where to find this test driving mecca? In the desert, of course … well, on 12 acres of land owned by the Sahara Hotel and Casino with its own dedicated Las Vegas Monorail stop. It’ll be around for at least the next six months, and possibly beyond.
And at only $10 a test drive, it’s a bargain, especially in a town where $25 minimum blackjack table bets are commonplace.
8 Comments
E
Please, please, please bring this up to Seattle!
TheUltimateAuthority
This is awesome. I went to the Auto Show in Motion at Nassau Coliseum last year - drove a Vette. It was a great experience. Just need to figure out how to fit the wife, kids, dogs, luggage and I’m all over it.
CB
The DRIVE was so much fun, it’s worth the trip to Vegas! You won’t find that much true entertainment for ten bucks anywhere. Everyone there was smiling ear-to-ear.
The professional drivers assigned to accompany you are extremely knowledgeable about all the bells & whistles, and they’ll teach you a thing or two about fast maneuvers! Driving those fantastic vehicles has never been so much fun…
Steve Moyles
I did “The Drive” on opening day. It was great. I got a chance to meet the Mayor of Las Vegas, who was also there, driving the STS-V. A few suggestions: Let the Las Vegas taxi drivers in for a free drive. They’ll be the best ambassadors. Also, have a photographer on-hand, like they do at the Test Track in Epcot. Get a picture of the participants in their vehicles. Increase the price to $20 and include the photo.
Paul
I often encounter long, empty straightaways with no speed limit, twisty mountain roads, and giant moguls on my commute. I’m happy to see GM is designing cars to meet my needs.
Edwin
What a great concept. Why not have this in Florida or Southern California to attract people to GM?
At the most recent Orlando auto show, GM had the best displays and a wonderful staff. The Lucerne had a better promo than Lexus. Yet, upon entering the Orlando convention center parking guests were instantly barraged by convention employees in the entry booths asking if patrons wanted a free coupon to test drive a Toyota truck in the parking lot! I was shocked. Toyota was using the convention employees to peddle their test drive right at the entrance to the convention center parking lot. This is typical. GM will have the class act, the better product, superior everything, and Toyota will come along with some simplistic marketing gimmickery to get people’s attention away from GM. The first word people heard entering the parking lot was Toyota. Tragic. Did GM know? Start expecting these kinds of tricks from the foreign competition.
GM needs some gaming fun of its own. The extreme test drive is a great idea. Why not have an extreme test drive in Orlando near Disney? People in Florida would love it. Add a loaded Lucerne to the test drive.
Along these same lines, GM should take a look at features important to car buyers. The foreign competition often has meaningless features, and GM may be chasing the wrong items. As Jim posted in Travelogue topic, GM should add an oil pressure gauge to the Lucerne and the DTS, the foreign competion lacks this. The Aurora had an oil pressure gauge and we noticed.
The Lucerne and the DTS are beautiful designs. Buyers of beautiful sedans are probably more interested the essentials rather than the whole gambit of gizmos. First is the design of the car, the seats, the engine choice, and the wheels. The Lucerne meets this test.
GM should retain or add the following options to assure the Lucerne keeps its beyond precision status for 2007:
White Gold Flash paint option is a knock out, add colors like mist blue, bronze mist.
Add an oil pressure gauge (the Aurora had it).
Fuel economy/trip computer.
Bose Stereo with MP3 option.
A few more with stick shift on the floor on the lot.
Magnetic Ride Control.
3800 V-6.
North Star V-8.
Quiet Steel.
Available ONSTAR.
4 Wheel Disc anti-lock brakes.
Heated washer fluid.
Heated and cooled seats.
Genuine wood option available.
Moon Roof option.
Available navigation system.
Other GM options Lucerne should offer are Night Vision to outclass the foreign competition.
GM should consider a flex fuel Lucerne offering and a Displacement on Demand V-8 option. Give the Lucerne carte blanche options, make it the sedan of sedans at every price from affordable to expensive. The Lucerne is turning heads and creating positives for GM. Keep the momentum.
The Lucernes with North Star White Gold Flash are SOLD at the dealers. That ought to tell you something. The luxury buyers are loving the Lucerne. Don’t run out of the high end, people have the money the high end bracket. Keep at least one White Gold Flash North Star on the lot. How about a Lucerne convertable?
Rick Lupori
Having spent many hours at Auto Show in Motion events it is a great idea to have a permanent one in Vegas.
The only problem is that GM seems to have dropped the Auto Show in Motion events. I have registered for the 2006 (Grab the Keys) events and was looking forward to the HHR, Solstice, Lucerne, Sky and many others.
Hopefully they will resume by year’s end.
An idea I would suggest is to have the entire Opel lineup offered on a separate course and ask for feedback when drivers are finished. This is similar to the long drives offered at the Motion events.
Make sure there are plenty of Turbo-Diesel and OPC/VXR models present. And don’t forget the Wagons, Twin-Top or GTC with panoramic windshield.
Some European Chevy models could also be offered.
This would make the cost of the events a rolling “Clinic” and get real world feedback from the actual production cars.
I would also like to see the Holden Ute, Caprice, Wagon, Crossman, Cruze and China only market Buicks. You could also add the Chevy Vectra and Montana Pickup with E-85 or E-100 power.
If not at the Show in Motion events, do them in Vegas and the remaining Auto Shows.
GM has to get real buyers into as many of their new and potentially new models. Many of the new Opels are world class and will change the perception that GM cannot build a great small car. Buyers in Europe know better.
If nothing else GM will find out exactly what buyers do and do not like on the potential models. What do you have to lose - these are all production cars with no secrets to hide.
Paul
Edwin:
I think a fuel economy computer in a GM car would be kind of counter-productive. I mean, picture a guy looking at $4/gallon gas and then looking down and seeing he’s only getting 30mpg, all the while remembering his buddy who drives a Prius gets 40+, or soon, 94.
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