CAR and Driver - March 2017

FINAL RESULTS

VEHICLE

DRIVER COMFORT

ERGONOMICS

REAR-SEAT COMFORT

REAR-SEAT SPACE*

CARGO SPACE*

FEATURES/AMENITIES*

FIT AND FINISH

INTERIOR STYLING

EXTERIOR STYLING

REBATES/EXTRAS*

AS-TESTED PRICE*

SUBTOTAL

POWERTRAIN

1/4-MILE

ACCELERATION*

FLEXIBILITY*

FUEL ECONOMY*

ENGINE NVH

TRANSMISSION

SUBTOTAL

CHASSIS

PERFORMANCE*

STEERING FEEL

BRAKE FEEL

HANDLING

RIDE

SUBTOTAL

EXPERIENCE

FUN TO DRIVE

TOTAL

10

10

5

5

5

10

10

10

10

5

20

100

20

5

10

10

10

55

20

10

10

10

10

60

25

240

7

7

0

0

5

10

7

8

8

0

1

53

17

4

10

4

5

40

20

7

8

6

7

48

12

153

6 5 3 5 1 2 3 4 3 0

20

52

20

5

1

5

5

36

15

7

2

6

6

36

10

134

70. COMPARO. CAR AND DRIVER. MAR/2017

RANK

Maximum points available

*These objective scores are calculated from the

vehicle’s dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras,

and/or test results.

DOMINO’S DXP

MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT-R

1 2

at it, while older kids appreciate the some-

what clever vinyl graphics. Parents just nod

a lot. The DXP attracts crowds when it’s

simply parked in front of a Domino’s store.

For practicality, the DXP’s interior

should include an integrated notepad and

smartphone holder, and a better driver’s

armrest. And Roush should figure out how

to turn off the passenger-airbag warning

light, because the two-liter soda bottles

sitting there don’t care. It’s a better deliv-

ery vehicle than most random used cars,

but it’s no quantum leap forward.

Domino’s monitors ever y DXP’s condi-

tion during its regular store audits and will

reacquire each car at the end of its life from

the franchisees. Each DXP thus has a date

with the crusher; no used DXP will ever

deliver for third-tier outlets hawking

ketchup and Cheez W hiz on a saltine and

calling it pizza.

through the dissolving window
tint, and the crooks had ripped
up the wiring so badly that
there was no easy place to plug
in the lighted Domino’s sign.
Turns out that $1000 cars are
lousy pizza-deliver y vehicles.
With that confirmed, the Eclipse’s
engine feels strong enough to run another
40,000 or so miles, the A/C blows cold, and
the leather is worn but not ripped. And the
ride is comfy on the new tires. Sure, it’s
embarrassing to be seen in. But at the risk
of sounding like a John Cougar Mellen-
camp song, once you defeat your own dig-
nity, it’s not that bad.

1. DOMINO’S DXP
   At the heart of the Domino’s DXP is the
   somnambulant 2015 Chevrolet Spark,
   which has the distinction of being more
   exciting than a Smart Fortwo, though fall-
   ing short of the thrills of a mall escalator.
   And while the DXP is merely good at deliv-
   ering pizzas, it’s spectacular at
   attracting attention.
   Converting a Spark into a
   DXP is straightforward and
   adds about $9000 to the price,
   although Domino’s won’t quote
   a specific figure. The front pas-
   senger’s seat and the rear seats
   get chucked and replaced with
   mats in back and a molded
   plastic fixture up front for hold-
   ing the things Domino’s sells
   that aren’t pizza, such as wings,
   salads, and bottled drinks.
   Meanwhile, the driver’s-side
   rear door is filleted and bolted
   shut, and a plastic pizza-carry-
   ing box sits behind the oven
   door where the window once

With its double-digit

torque rating, the

Domino’s DXP could

have easily made it up

this barely inclined

driveway. It just didn’t

want to, okay?

was. Lit by red LED lights, this

carrying box has a warming pad

at the bottom that Domino’s

claims will heat up to 140

degrees to keep pizzas toasty.

But since there’s an air gap

between the “Warming Oven”

and its outer lid, the term “oven” is stretch-

ing it a bit. Stuffed with a couple of pizzas,

it does get kind of cozy in there, but that’s

about it. And since Domino’s delivers its

pizzas in insulated bags anyhow, the oven

doesn’t matter much.The DXP conversion

takes out much of what little noise insula-

tion there is in a Spark, and the roof sign

and Warming Oven door aren’t aero-opti-

mized. So at a 70 -mph cruise, the cabin

throbs with 76 decibels of wind noise,

which is a bit louder than a standard Spark.

But going 70 mph is expected to be a rare

event for the DXP.

The DXP’s 84-hp, 1.2-liter four thrashes

to churn up the continuously variable

transmission, and it takes a grim 11.2 sec-

onds for the DXP to reach 60

mph. But on the tight streets of

Isla Vista, the figures don’t

matter. The DXP hits moseying

speed quickly enough, and it’s

narrow, so it can squeeze

among wandering undergradu-

ates in full party mode. And the

32 .5-foot turning circle means

quick U-ies are easy. The DXP is

at home in this college town.

Theoretically, the car can

hold up to 80 pizzas, but most

Domino’s deliveries are a few

pies at most. Opening the

remotely controlled, hydrauli-

cally actuated Warming Oven

door is Pizza Theater, and cus-

tomers love it. Little kids gape

2015

Domino’s DXP

Nimble,

capable,

and likely

to sell more

pizza than it

delivers.

Slow,

loud, and no

seat for the

driver’s date.

Mediocre

car, great

marketing.