By Chris Haak

These may be some of my favorite kinds of stories to write about.  My very limited understanding of Chinese culture , gained from talking to a few Chinese friends, is that if you give them something and tell them to make their own, they will find a way to duplicate it.  You have to be specific, though, or you will end up with something that looks very much like the original, but is quite different under the skin.  The thinking is, why innovate on design when there’s a perfectly good design there to work with?

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

When I think of Australian cars, my thoughts immediately go to the likes of the Holden Commodore/Calais/Caprice and Ford Falcon, and all of their related derivatives.  Then the next thought that comes to mind is a tricked-out HSV-fortified Maloo R8 (pictured here) with its 6.2 liter LS3 V8 underhood.  They’re charming cars, and fun to drive (at least the old Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore was).  Unfortunately, they’re also dinosaurs in a world where small displacement, forced induction, and front wheel drive is the norm.

Continue Reading

By Carl Malek

Following in the wake of Chevrolet’s recent announcement of a manual transmission option throughout most of the 2012 Cruze model lineup, Car and Driver magazine reports that Ford is also planning to expand availability of a shift-it-yourself 5 speed manual transmission to Ford Focus Titanium models. This announcement should please enthusiasts that wish to row through the gears themselves when the road get twisty.

Continue Reading

By Kevin Gordon

I would be remiss if I did not apologize to all of the readers of Autosavant for the delay in getting this first update to you. Since, we purchased the truck at the end of June, we have added 5,000 miles to it. Since the miles are being added so quickly, we plan to provide updates at 5,000 mile intervals going forward.   As most of the questions we have received about the truck focus on fuel economy that will be first after the break. If you’re interested in more frequent updates on the life and times of the truck, please follow @autosavantkg on twitter.

Continue Reading

By Charles Krome

Here’s an example of a beautiful car that was, unfortunately, Jinx-ed almost from the very start. Which is only funny if you remember that “Jinx” was the name of the character played by Halle Berry in “Die Another Day”—and perhaps not even then. Regardless, the Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond film co-starred a number of PAG-era Ford products, including an Aston Martin Vanquish for Mr. Bond, a Jaguar XKR for one of the chief bad guys and a T-bird for Jinx—and it’s that last choice that caused the problem.

Continue Reading

By Carl Malek

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun looking into possible transmission issues in the 2011-2012 Ford Mustang. The NHTSA has received over 32 complaints ,which claim that the transmission is unable to shift gears when the vehicle is moving at speed.

Over 26,000 manual transmission-equipped V6 and V8 powered Mustangs from 2011-2012 are affected by the NHTSA’s investigation into the matter. Many of the reports and complaints received by the NHTSA regarding this issue appear to indicate that drivers are having difficulty engaging 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears when up-shifting and down-shifting especially when the transmission is cold. However, there are other reports that describe a grinding nosie as well as other issues with the gears when upshifts or downshifts are performed.

Continue Reading

By Kevin Gordon

If you have ever watched the BBC’s Top Gear you have probably heard the presenters discuss how much they respect Ford’s cars. In fact, the Ford Mondeo is one of the very rare cars that all three presenters agree is a great car. I have always found this to be a bit odd considering the general ribbing that those pecky and hilarious Brits continuously give the stereotypical American. How can Ford’s products can garner such respect with the most stringent of automotive critics? If you listen closely their love of Fords cars come from the way that they drive, much the way the American auto magazines endlessly gush about BMWs. Here again was a point of confusion for me. I have driven a lot of Fords, including living in a family that owned a number of 1990s era Tauruses (SP?). Few of these cars ever caught my attention as being great to drive. Even their much-loved Mondeo was a commercial flop in the states when it came here as the Contour/Mystique. Sure the SVT version was a nice car, but what did they sell… 31 of them?

Back to the point. When the 2012 Ford Focus ended up in the Autosavant parking lot for a week, I was expecting to spend my time focusing on economy, practicality, and other things that auto journalists have to do in order to have the chance to spend time in exotics and supercars. As it turns out I wasn’t in for such a boring week.

Continue Reading

By Kevin Gordon

I constantly find myself cringing when I am at a car dealership and I witness the following happen: Kenny “The Sap” Consumer walks into his local Honda dealership and is greeted by “slippery” Sam the salesman. Kenny says he is interested in a Honda Pilot, one “with the DVD system”. Sam the salesmen says that he thinks he might have one or two of those available, but immediately begins to explain how popular they are. Both people walk off to make a copy of Kenny’s license and Kenny the poor sap has taken his first steps towards paying thousands more than he needs to when purchasing a car.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

It’s not the sixties anymore, kids.  Though certainly there are still high-horsepower holdouts, the days of the V8 and even V6 (or inline six)-powered family sedan are numbered.

The latest data from auto industry research firm IHS Automotive shows that four cylinder engines made up 43 percent of all new-vehicle registrations during the first half of 2011.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

Lots of people drive heavy duty pickups.  Many contractors, businesses, and folks who have to do a lot of towing flock to these brutes because they are among the most capable vehicles on the planet as far as towing and hauling while still moving a family of five – at least among vehicles that don’t require a CDL to operate on public roads.

Continue Reading