Featured Posts
2011 Dodge Durango Revealed
By Chris Haak
We’ve previously seen line drawings from the patent application for the upcoming Dodge Durango’s design, and we’ve seen a few spy photos of Dodge’s resurrected SUV people hauler. But today, Chrysler released the first official photos of the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango.
Sharing nothing but its name with the previous Durango, this third-generation model actually shares its platform with the brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a vehicle with serious off-roading chops that has been receiving some of the most favorable press reviews on new Chrysler vehicles in several years. Like the Grand Cherokee, the Durango features unibody construction and the buyer’s choice of either the new 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 or the more powerful (and thirsty) 5.7 liter HEMI overhead valve V8. However, the Durango adds third-row seating absent in the Grand Cherokee, but subtracts the Grand Cherokee’s sophisticated (and expensive) off-road hardware in its transition to family hauler.
Review: 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible
By Chris Haak
How deep does the 2011 Mustang GT Convertible’s beauty go? Hopefully it’s more than just skin deep, but we set out on a week’s worth of using the car for everything from commuting to the office, to running errands, to hours-long drives off the beaten path to definitively find the answer to that question.
Surely, it’s an attractive car. The design improvements made to the 2010 Mustang, which carry over nearly intact in the 2011 model, improved the breed by adding additional contours to the car’s flanks, plus chamfered corners that lend a sleek look to the original pony car, as well as helping the car’s aerodynamics. It retains all of the classic Mustang styling cues, yet manages to look trim and modern as well.
Adventures in Branding: Kia EcoDynamics
By Charles Krome
Back in March of 2009, Kia execs announced plans for the automaker’s future green-focused products, and that included a tried-but-true industry tactic: Kia would differentiate its most fuel-efficient products, and those featuring new fuel-saving technologies, by sticking a new badge on them. The badging wouldn’t represent the birth of a new automotive brand—at least not in the standard sense of the term—but be more of a separate trim level.
At least that was my take.
But a recent news report from Wards.com puts a whole different spin on things, and it’s one that shows a surprising disconnect between Kia and U.S. buyers.
Review: 2010 Nissan 370Z 6MT Sport
By George Straton
The ancestor to this 2010 Nissan 370Z, the company’s1969 Fairlady 240Z (then branded in the U.S. as a Datsun), launched more than four decades ago, still holds a soft spot in the hearts of Nissan devotees. These enthusiasts wanted a sixth-generation Z car which was closer in spirit and form to the original 240Z, rather than what they got from the previous 350Z. Many Z car fans claimed the 350Z car was all about go and not enough about show, lacking the true refinement and style that permits entry into the non-exotic two-seat sports car pantheon. Autosavant recently had the opportunity to spend a week with the 2010 370Z to evaluate whether the current-generation 370Z finally answers the devotees’ prayers.
When the L-shaped headlamps and tail-lamps first appeared on the new Maxima sedan in late 2008, many wondered what Nissan was thinking. With the 370Z, those tapered-back eyes provide a visual effect of elongating the hood. The tapered rear blinkers along with an integrated rear spoiler make the rump seem far less squat and rotund than it should. Even “Godzilla,” the Nissan GT-R, donates an exterior styling cue in the form of the sculpted valley which runs the length of the center of the roof. Combined with a “shark’s grimace” air intake as well as a more cohesive integrated rear spoiler, the net styling effect is definitely more 240Z than its predecessor was.
Review: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD R-Design
By Kevin Miller
In 2003, Volvo delighted members of their enthusiast community when they launched the 2004 S60R sedan and V70R wagon. Equipped with a high-output powertrain and all-wheel drive, the R vehicles had blue-faced instruments, more aggressive styling details, and sporting aspirations. The R brand never expanded beyond the initial two products and was quietly discontinued in 2007 as Volvo chose to focus on safety rather than performance, but the aggressive styling cues from those cars lives on visually in the R-Design trim packages, which are available on most new Volvo vehicles. The XC60 luxury CUV is the latest Volvo to get the R-Design treatment.
A vivid Passion Red XC60 T6 AWD R-Design recently spent a week in the Autosavant garage. While the base XC60 has a curvy, sensuous shape, the R-Design package adds 20” wheels, side sill extensions and a rear diffuser in silver which enhance the XC60’s sporting pretensions. My logbook notes that the XC60 has “lovely, shapely bodyside curves that accentuate the sexy/sporty look of the XC60.” That being said, I wish that the tail lamps extended down to the rear bumper. Too, the sill extensions collect water in bad weather, threatening to get pant legs dirty just like in Volvo’s XC70. The XC60 immediately followed an equally-bright red Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 CUV in my test vehicle schedule, so I had a good opportunity to see what works in this segment and what doesn’t. Continue Reading
What Would Big Brother Drive?
By Charles Krome
This column is dedicated to Autosavant reader Mark in AZ.
Have you ever seen a truck like the one in the accompanying picture? Because if so, you can be pretty sure it’s seen you—a lot of you.
What looks like a mild-mannered Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is actually an AS&E Z Backscatter Van. Or, as the cool kids call it, a ZBV. It’s essentially one of those airport x-ray imaging things on wheels. Neat, huh?
American Science & Engineering, the company that builds the ZBV, describes it as “a low-cost, extremely maneuverable screening system built into a commercially available delivery van.” I didn’t see a spec sheet on the AS&E website, but it appears that standard content includes, “patented Z Backscatter technology, which reveals contraband that transmission X-rays miss—such as explosives and plastic weapons—and provides photo-like imaging for rapid analysis. The ZBV is also capable of identifying low levels of radioactivity from both gamma rays and neutrons with optional Radioactive Threat Detection (RTD) technology.” In other words, “The ZBV is ideal for counterterrorism applications, as it can detect dirty bombs and nuclear WMD, in addition to conventional explosives.”
Porsche Sport Driving School: Mt Cotton, Australia (Part I)
By James Wong
The state of Queensland in Australia is famously known as ‘The Sunshine State’. It is said to possess the best weather conditions of Australia and, perhaps, the world; it is also home to the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast, where the imaginary worlds of fantasy and fairy tales come to life. However, few people would suspect that Queensland is also home to the Porsche Sport Driving School (PSDS), the only one in the whole of Australia. Located in the Mount Cotton Training Centre that is a short 40-minute drive from the capital city of Brisbane, Porsche leases a part of the facility for a few times every year to open its doors to locals and foreigners alike for the PSDS. Being isolated and dedicating the whole day to driving is a rare and wonderful experience that anybody who loves cars should try; you don’t feel any undue pressure or stress about the outside world and people around you. You put aside your work, concerns and worries and just devote yourself to driving and learning how to do it properly. Certainly a few hours worth spending on.
60-Mile Traffic Jam in China Shows Downside of Mobility
By Chris Haak
How was your drive into work today? If you’re a typical American commuter, you may have spent a little time in traffic, and you might spend a little more time in traffic on your way home this evening. I know that I certainly do most days, and it seems to be getting worse as more cars hit the roads and available road infrastructure fails to keep pace with the growth in number of vehicles.
Well, after reading in the Wall Street Journal about a 61-mile traffic jam in China, I promise to never complain about being stuck in traffic again. (OK, not really. I’ll still complain.)
According to the article, the traffic jam begins on the outskirts of Beijing and winds its way some 60 miles to Inner Mongolia. It began when road construction on the Beijing-Tibet Highway commenced on August 13. Following that, a major road encircling Beijing was also closed, which compounded the problems.
Hey, There’s a Cool Car: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396
By Charles Krome
Life sure is funny sometimes. Today, for example, I was driving on home and caught a glimpse of a beautiful first-generation Chevrolet Camaro SS on a trailer, right there on my street. My first thought was that it must be a Woodward Dream Cruiser extending his/her stay in beautiful suburban Detroit. But when I knocked on the door to ask about taking pictures, I found out differently: It turns out one of my neighbors happens to be a car restorer specializing in muscle cars. And it also turned out that this wasn’t just a first-gen SS—I’d hit the jackpot: It was a 1969 rocking the big-time 396 V8.
Dean had originally restored this classic for a customer about 10 years ago, and had bought it back from the guy just two hours before I stopped by—that’s what you call good timing.
Peugeot to Display World’s First Production Diesel-Electric Hybrid
By Chris Haak
Today in 2010, the environmentally-conscious crowd has split into two distinct sets of car-buying preferences. In one camp, the hybrid guys point to their extremely low emissions and fantastic city fuel economy numbers. Plus, the typical hybrid packs a ton of technology into a reasonably-affordable vehicle. Then in the other camp, we find the diesel guys, who claim that better highway mileage and less weight is the way to go, eschewing the complexity of two parallel drivetrains and the environmental cost of batteries that have a finite life. For years, the two camps were like oil and water – they just didn’t mix. There was no production car that combined an efficient clean diesel with a hybrid.
There’s a reason for this too – clean diesels and hybrids individually cost a few thousand dollars, saying nothing for combining the two (and presumably coming up with a powertrain that costs a few more thousand dollars. But now Peugeot’s gone and bucked convention. In about six weeks at the Paris Motor Show, Peugeot is planning to display the diesel-electric hybrid 3008 Hybrid4. This car, destined for series production, will be the first diesel-electric hybrid car on the market. We’re not counting locomotives in that statistic, of course.
-
2011 Dodge Durango Revealed
-
Review: 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible
-
Adventures in Branding: Kia EcoDynamics
-
Review: 2010 Nissan 370Z 6MT Sport
-
Review: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD R-Design
-
What Would Big Brother Drive?
-
Porsche Sport Driving School: Mt Cotton, Australia (Part I)
-
60-Mile Traffic Jam in China Shows Downside of Mobility
-
Hey, There’s a Cool Car: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396
-
Peugeot to Display World’s First Production Diesel-Electric Hybrid
-
Chris Haak: Well, the V6 is likely to produce in the neighborh...
-
Charles Krome: I have to wonder how much performance this "Perfor...
-
-
ILO: On which platform it is based? If it is existing C...
-
Chris: Looks good...two comments. 1. I was surprised t...