Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here with a little Foreign Friday love. I was checking out the newest shots from the various auto shows and press releases going on, and I came across these, courtesy of Net Car Show. You thought the Nissan GT-R looked badass? Take a look at the next generation Z… Nissan’s newest incarnation of the brand defining line that stretches back to its Datsun roots. Hit the jump for the shots! Read More >>
Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here for a quick Auto Adventure to Congress. I’m going to say my bit about the bailout and then forevermore hold my peace. The whole thing is starting to wear on my nerves. Hit the jump for my three reasons we should stop raising hell about the Auto Industry Bailout. Read More >>
Greetings, Big_Blocker here for another installment of Muscle Car of the Week and this week I plan to feature another MOPAR A-Body from the boys over at Plymouth. Although this car does not in fact “got a Hemi”, it does sport a peppy little small block V8 that made it an affordable performance car back in 1970. I’m talking of course about the 1970 Plymouth Duster. Read More >>
I just wanted elaborate a little more on my post yesterday about why GM should probably NOT be bailed out. Yes, they’d like a huge infusion of taxpayer funded cash so they are going to tell everyone that millions of lives are going to be ruined if it does not happen – but what would it really mean if GM DOES receive this bailout? Read More >>
GM has been turning towards the mainstream public with a Youtube & internet campaign in an effort to convince to get the government to give them that bailout that they so desperately need. They cite scary figures such as 1 in 10 people in America having a job that is tied to the auto industry, 3 million jobs to be lost over the next year and additional 2.5 million down the line. More of these informative tidbits can be found at GM’s new campaign website where they “tell it like it is”. If you’re a Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, or any other domestic fan, head over to that site to load up on some ammo for convincing people to support this bailout. Read More >>
Happy Monday everyone, Big_Blocker here and I’m not going to lie I am pretty amped off what I saw in the first two episodes of the Ram Challenge, a new aggressive marketing campaign to promote the 2009 Dodge Ram. At first I was a little bit apprehensive however, after watching episodes one and two, I am truly excited for parts three and four. Hit the jump for more of my review of the first half of the Ram Challenge. Read More >>
Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here for an Auto Adventure to the movies! This weekend I went to see the latest action film in the James Bond franchise: Quantum of Solace. The movie rocked hardcore, picking up right where Casino Royale left off. In case you forgot, that’s the movie where 007 (played by Daniel Craig) flips a brand new Aston Martin DBS v12 into scrap. I think a bit of my soul died. Hit the jump to get the low down on some of the cars featured (and destroyed) in Quantum of Solace! (if you haven’t seen the movie yet… spoiler alert!) Read More >>
Happy Thursday everyone, Big_Blocker here to bring you another high-horsepower installment of Muscle Car of the Week. This week we take at a car that could be ordered from the factory and would run 10’s on the quarter mile…yes, you read that correctly, 10 second passes right out of the box! Hit the jump for more info. Read More >>
Mercedes Benz has recently announced the upcoming addition of a diesel option to their SLK roadster lineup. The motor choice for this car will be the 2.2 liter diesel inline four cylinder which will be borrowed from the C250 Diesel and will put out 204 horsepower. While this really seems like a lame figure for a Mercedes Benz sportscar, remember that this car will have 369 ft-lbs of torque which should make this car just as easy to drive as all the other Benz’s. Another interesting feature for the upcoming SLK is the addition of a sunroof feature into its folding hardtop. For those of us that are top down almost every single time they drive, this feature doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but by in order to stay competitive with their rivals I guess they must be continually pushing the levels of excess luxury.The main main point of this car however, is to run efficiently and get a high MPG, which it certainly does at a score of over 50 MPG.
Porsche is also positioned to offer a lower displacement and higher efficiency motor with their upcoming Boxster 4 which is targeted for 2011. This adds a trim level to the already cheapest Porsche which will be powered by a turbocharged flat four; no solid numbers are known about this new motor but rumors are rating it at around 200 horsepower and an unknown torque figure. Along with a displacement and cylinder reduction, this car will feature a significant weight loss to compensate for the reduced power. Porsche has commented that this is designed to be the most affordable car they have ever made.
Audi will also come out with a more economical option for their lineup but their offering is a bit more exciting than their German rivals. They plan to release their R8 supercar with a V12 TDI Diesel motor very soon. This car will have an impressive output of 500 horsepower and a ridiculous 738 ft-lbs of torque, making it the only diesel to have a higher output in both categories than its gasoline counterpart. While most cars of this calibre will be rated at a single digit MPG, the diesel R8 will manage to achieve a combined 23 MPG.
Are these new offerings from these high end manufacturers a sign of the trouble we are in? While the R8 is still an exciting car, the diesel options from the Porsche and Benz don’t seem like they will be very exciting to drive at all. However, those trims will allow those that can barely afford these luxury cars to be able to join in on ownership – and thats another market segment that they can make money off.
Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW for a little Auto Adventure love. One of the greatest joys of living in California is the highway system; except for the Autobahn in Germany and some mountainous stretches in Europe, driving is not as exciting anywhere else on Earth. Highway 1, otherwise known as the Pacific Coast, Cabrillo, and Shoreline highways. Aside from the loping, banked curves and absolutely stunning vistas, Highway 1 meanders the entire length of California right along the coast, allowing a person to drive the entire way purely for pleasure. Hit the jump to see some shots from my adventure down the coast from Monterrey to San Luis Obispo!
