Yahoo Autos Hot vs. Cheesy: We Test the Domino's DXP against the World's Lamest Mitsubishi Eclipse
From the March 2017 issue
When we heard that Domino’s Pizza was claiming its new DXP is “the ultimate pizza delivery vehicle,” we took it as a call to action. Those pizza suits in their fancy office park on the other side of our very own Ann Arbor might know a thing or two about tomato sauce, but making baseless claims about automobiles is encroaching dangerously on our turf. So we called Domino’s corporate with an ultimatum: We’d stay out of the pizza business if Domino’s would let us test the DXP, preferably one that’s delivered full of fresh product. Nothing short of a scientific evaluation would do.
The DXP appears to be unprecedented. If there’s been a sort-of-purpose-built pizza car deployed by another pizza megacorporation, C/D’s intelligence network is unaware of it. So, in order to stage a proper comparison test, we needed a “typical” pizza-delivery car. Working from lazy stereotypes and lurid high-school assumptions borne out of watching bad 1980s VHS porn (“Ma’am, did you order the large pepperoni?”), we set off to acquire a late-model Pontiac Firebird. “Not a Trans Am,” explained features editor Jeff Sabatini, himself a former pizza-delivery driver, “because that’s actually cool. A ratty fourth-gen V-6 Firebird, however, would be the perfect car to embody all the desperation and economic marginalization of the average delivery driver, while also reflecting his unreasonable aspiration to something greater.”
Cheap Firebirds may grow under trees in the Midwest, but in my neighborhood of Santa Barbara, California, they are in short supply. Or, at least, their owners have yet to discover Craigslist. With a deadline fast approaching and no suitable car to use as our control, desperation drove me into Buellton, a nearby one-horse town (and that horse has pinkeye). Along Buellton’s Avenue of the Flags, which is barely an avenue and where there are no flags, are tow shops that retrieve derelicts off the highway. And in front of one was an impounded 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse on pockmarked wheels shedding its custom flame paint job. Faded glory, bitter automotive betrayal, and a sketchy employment history, all embodied in one black heap. It was perfect, and, according to the tail badge, it was a GT-R. I offered $1300 to the shop that had impounded it, and the offer was immediately accepted, meaning that I overpaid.
Domino’s isn’t trying to hide the DXP’s origins. It’s a Korean-built Chevrolet Spark that’s been transmogrified by Roush Industries in Livonia, Michigan, into an oh-so-adorable mishmash of Good Humor ice-cream truck and Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, all wrapped in self-aware Noid-inspired vinyl graphics. At least it’s better than the mopeds given to pizza-delivery dudes in Korea, and its “Warming Oven” almost nearly works.
First shown at a 2014 franchisee convention in Las Vegas, the DXP arrives at an inflection point in the history of pizza delivery. According to the 2017 Pizza Power Report issued by PMQ Pizza Magazine, pizza sales in the United States through September 2016 reached just over $44 billion. Large chains, such as delivery-obsessed Domino’s, outsell independent pizzerias, even as mom-and-pop shops outnumber the corporate stores. Presumably internet ordering systems that store credit-card and delivery-address data will only increase the chains’ advantage, as PMQ says online ordering will soon overtake phone ordering. Customers are hardly even aware they’re spending real money on pizza as it magically shows up a few minutes after they tap an app. Delivery—by car, Skynet-loyal drone, or express zombie-gram—is America’s pizza present and future.
Alas, Domino’s had plenty of legalese to keep C/D from actually delivering its pizzas. We could drive the DXP, but not make actual deliveries. So we drove it, but we also followed as Joe Hayes, a trained pizza professional, delivered pies around the student ghetto of Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara. There’s only one seat in the DXP anyhow. It sort of worked out.
Incidentally, again according to PMQ Pizza Magazine, 54 percent of millennials have posted photos of their pizza to social media. Go figure.
Hot Box, Hot Bag, Hot Car
C/D borrowed a T640 thermal imaging camera from Flir Systems to record the temperatures of three fresh-from-the-oven medium pepperoni pizzas. Pizza A was placed in a Domino’s corrugated cardboard box plus the “Heatwave” insulated bag normally used to deliver all Domino’s pizzas. Pizza B was similarly bundled but also placed in the Warming Oven of the Domino’s DXP for delivery. And finally, Pizza C was only put in the box. After an eight-minute trip to franchisee Mark Talarico’s house a mile and a half away, we photographed them again.
So, which one best retained its cheesy, bubbly, toasty deliciousness? Without either the bag or oven around it, Pizza C lost heat rapidly, dropping from a center average temperature of 215 degrees out of the oven down to 161 degrees at delivery. The remaining heat was well distributed around the pie, with the coldest spots at its center where the air gaps from being sliced facilitated cooling.
The bagged Pizza A dropped from 218 degrees at the oven down to 170 degrees at delivery. However, across the pie face the temperature was higher and more consistent, with a cold spot at the center where, we speculate, the pizza came in contact with the top of the box, dissipating some heat.
But it was Pizza B, the one that took its trip in the DXP, that lost the least heat. At 213 degrees, it came out of the oven with the coolest center average temperature, but at a sizzling 167 degrees at delivery, it saw the smallest temperature drop. We suspect that the heating pad in the DXP’s Warming Oven’s bottom isn’t that effective. But the plastic box itself helps retain heat better than just the thermal bag. So if you want your pizza piping hot, ask for delivery in a DXP.
When we bought this unwanted car, the flat-spotted tires rode like rocks. The booming aftermarket stereo would turn on randomly and issue static at full volume. The exhaust droned, the peeling window tint became a reality-distortion field, and the battery died. And an OBD II fault made it temporarily impossible to pass California’s smog check and get our Eclipse GT-R registered. Then some moron broke into it, shattering the right-side window and stealing the worthless sound equipment, including the massive subwoofer box filling the rear cargo area. So we now have a $700 car, a hole in the dash, and two new Santa Barbara cop friends.
For safety during delivery duty, we bolted on a set of pretty Moda MD22 18-inch wheels inside 225/40ZR-18 Kumho Ecsta 4X II tires. That’s $953 through Tire Rack, and utterly transformative in terms of the Eclipse’s driving dynamics. Suddenly it felt like a real car that could, like, turn and stuff. We also replaced the passenger’s-side window with $13 worth of plastic sheeting and duct tape from Home Depot.
“There’s no way Domino’s would let you deliver pizza in that thing,” declared Mark Talarico, the Domino’s franchise owner in Isla Vista. “It’s way too dangerous. You can’t see out of it.” He’s right.
In 2001, Mitsu rated the 2.4-liter four in this Eclipse at a forgettable 140 horsepower and backed it with a four-speed automatic transmission. Now, 16 years later, it reaches 60 mph in 10.6 seconds and runs the quarter-mile in 18.1 seconds at 76 mph. That’s awful, and yet better than the DXP. But it took a scandalous, fast-fading 246 feet to stop from 70 mph. And that’s despite the rear drums and front brake calipers having been painted performance-enhancing red.
It rained on the delivery night, and that kept the passenger door taped shut. Meanwhile Domino’s intrepid Hayes was practically guillotined pulling a pizza out of the cargo hold, because the rear hatch’s hydraulic struts were blown. The 40-foot turning circle made U-turns difficult, it was nigh impossible to read addresses 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-delivery 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 Mellencamp song, once you defeat your own dignity, it’s not that bad.
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 falling short of the thrills of a mall escalator. And while the DXP is merely good at delivering 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 passenger’s seat and the rear seats get chucked and replaced with mats in back and a molded plastic fixture up front for holding 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-carrying box sits behind the oven door where the window once 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 stretching 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 insulation there is in a Spark, and the roof sign and Warming Oven door aren’t aero-optimized. 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 seconds 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 undergraduates 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, hydraulically actuated Warming Oven door is Pizza Theater, and customers love it. Little kids gape at it, while older kids appreciate the somewhat 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 delivery vehicle than most random used cars, but it’s no quantum leap forward.
Domino’s monitors every DXP’s condition 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 Whiz on a saltine and calling it pizza.
2015 Domino's DXP2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-RVehiclePrice as Tested$25,750*$2560Base Price25,750*$1300DimensionsLength144.7 in175.4 inWidth62.9 in68.9 inHeight72.5 in*51.6 inWheelbase93.5 in100.8 inFront Track55.7 in59.4 inRear Track55.5 in59.4 inInterior VolumeF: 24 cu ftF: 47 cu ft
R: 31 cu ftCargo Volume55 cu ft17 cu ftPowertrainEngineDOHC 16-valve inline-4
76 cu in (1249 cc)SOHC 16-valve inline-4
143 cu in (2351 cc)Power HP @ RPM84 @ 6400140 @ 5500Torque LB-FT @ RPM83 @ 4200155 @ 4000Redline / Fuel CutoffN/A/6850 rpm6000/6200 rpmLB Per HP27.922.2DrivelineTransmissionCVT4-speed automaticDriven WheelsfrontfrontGear Ratio:1/
MPH Per 1000 RPM/
Max MPHLowest: 4.00/4.4/30
Highest: 0.55/32.0/851 2.84/5.9/37
2 1.53/11.0/68
3 1.00/16.8/104
4 0.71/23.7/120Axle Ratio:13.754.04ChassisSuspensionF: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R: torsion beam, coil springsF: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll barBrakesF: 10.1-inch vented disc
R: 7.9-inch drumF: 10.1-inch vented disc
R: 9.0-inch drumStability Controlfully defeatable, traction offnoneTiresGoodyear Integrity
185/55R-15 82T M+SKumho Ecsta 4X II
225/40ZR-18 92W M+SC/D Test ResultsAcceleration0–30 MPH3.5 sec3.3 sec0–60 MPH11.2 sec10.6 sec0–80 MPH25.5 sec20.3 sec¼-Mile @ MPH18.8 sec @ 7318.1 sec @ 76Rolling Start, 5–60 MPH11.8 sec10.8 secTop Gear, 30–50 MPH5.5 sec5.4 secTop Gear, 50–70 MPH9.5 sec8.1 secTop Speed100 mph (drag ltd, C/D est)120 mph (drag ltd, C/D est)ChassisBraking 70–0 MPH180 ft246 ftRoadholding,
300-ft-dia Skidpad0.78 g0.79 gWeightCurb2347 lb3113 lb%Front/%Rear63.7/36.362.0/38.0FuelTank9.2 gal16.4 galRating87 octane87 octaneEPA Combined/City/Hwy33/30/37 mpg20/18/25 mpgSound LevelIdle42 dBA57 dBAFull Throttle78 dBA89 dBA70-MPH Cruise76 dBA83 dBA
*C/D estimate.Tested by Eric Tingwall in California City, CA
Final ResultsMax Pts. Available2015 Domino's DXP2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-RRank12VehicleDriver Comfort1076Ergonomics1075Rear-seat Comfort503Rear-seat Space*555Cargo Space*551Features/Amenities*10102Fit and Finish1073Interior Styling1084Exterior Styling1083Rebates/Extras*500As-tested Price*20120Subtotal1005352Powertrain1/4-mile Acceleration*201720Flexibility*545Fuel Economy*10101Engine NVH1045Transmission1055Subtotal554036ChassisPerformance*202015Steering Feel1077Brake Feel1082Handling1066Ride1076Subtotal604836ExperienceFun to Drive251210Grand Total240153134
* These objective scores are calculated from the vehicle's dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.
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