"Of course, this only works for new vehicles," grumbles Motor Authority. "Existing vehicles subject to the recall have only the accelerator pedal replacement as a solution." Ford is set to outfit these vehicles with reshaped accelerator peddles and replace their floor mats.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jalopnik's Many Faces
Jalopnik, on the 2009 Car Of The Year Award winning Hyundai Genesis:
There was an audible "Wooohhhh" sound when they announced the Hyundai Genesis as the 2009 North American Car Of The Year moments ago, marking the first win and nomination for a Korean automaker.
The Genesis benefited from the new factor as well as the fact one of the other nominations, the Ford Flex, is barely a car and based on a familiar platform. As much as we were holding out for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, we hope, like a pre-Departed Martin Scorsese, they're just happy to be nominated. Score one for the Koreans. You can read our Hyundai Genesis review for our impressions.
Unlike other award ceremonies, we'd point out, the NACTOY is an actual contest with real journalists nominating and voting for the vehicles so this isn't just a headline grabber.
Jalopnik, on 2010 TOTY winner, Ford Transit Connect:While a Chevy PR staffer yelled "F***!" in the crowd, the Ford Transit Connect, the Traverse-besting little-commercial-van-that-could, picks up North American Truck Of The Year. The Ford Fusion Hybrid, predictably, picks up Car Of The Year. We're predictably bored.
Frankly, we're nonplussed by Ford picking up both awards. NACTOY's a joke — picked by insiders for insiders. In fact, if the award weren't handed out at the Detroit Auto Show by the head of the Detroit Auto Show it wouldn't be worth a damn thing.
Not that we're complaining — we love the Transit Connect and the Ford Fusion Hybrid's an impressive beige car disguised as a Game Boy — but seriously, the award's not worthwhile to anyone but the marketing folks.
So, which is it, Jalopnik? Is the COTY/TOTY thing a joke or not?Sunday, January 10, 2010
Top Gear GIve-Away
If you are a fan of the BBC's Top Gear program (which I am, I watch mostly on YouTube), the new season begins January 25th on BBC America.
Here, for example, is Top Gear's hilarious review of the Spyker C8 sportscar
"There are two Hollands... one where everyone goes on holiday in a caravan, and there are tulips, and you've got the other, which is full of drunk Lilliputians, vomiting on Philipino girls"
As part of their promotion, BBC will be giving away DVDs of the show's previous two seasons at http://www.bbcamerica.com/topgear.
Here, for example, is Top Gear's hilarious review of the Spyker C8 sportscar
"There are two Hollands... one where everyone goes on holiday in a caravan, and there are tulips, and you've got the other, which is full of drunk Lilliputians, vomiting on Philipino girls"
As part of their promotion, BBC will be giving away DVDs of the show's previous two seasons at http://www.bbcamerica.com/topgear.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Bizarre Audi Commercial
If only Hitler had tired to gas Jews with VW powered clean diesels!
This commercial is in such poor taste, is is shocking.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Ward's 10 Best Engines
Ward's has published their list of the 10 best engines (article here). They have given extra weight to efficiency, I think, considering the overall small displacement (average 2.73L) and large number of diesels, turbos, and hybrids on the list.
7 companies made the list, VW, BMW, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Subaru, and Toyota. Some big names are missing--nothing from Nissan or Honda here. No Mercedes. Chrysler's Phoenix didn't make it in time for this year's list, maybe Chrysler can make next year's? Maybe Fiat's Multi-air, next time?
This year's winners and the applications tested:
- 2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A4)
- 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S4)
- 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
- 2.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
- 3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
- 2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
- 4.6L Tau DOHC V-8 (Hyundai Genesis)
- 2.5L Turbocharged DOHC H-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
- 1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
- 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Electric PT Cruiser Nightmare
When you are trying to be bleeding edge, sometimes you bleed.
Blogger Barret Lyon, who writes at Verbophobia, tried to buy a plug-in electric conversion PT Cruiser, being sold by a startup company.
It turned out so bad that he wound up suing them under the Lemon Law, and settling out of court at a loss of $20,000.
This underscores the point that making reliable, affordable, safe, and refined cars of any type (gas or electric) is an extremely tricky business.
Don't be in a hurry. When the good stuff gets here, you'll know it. In the meantime, drive a nice gas-electric hybrid, if you must have an electrified car.
Blogger Barret Lyon, who writes at Verbophobia, tried to buy a plug-in electric conversion PT Cruiser, being sold by a startup company.
My lawyer and I hired a superstar electrical engineering expert named Art MacCarley, Ph.D., PE., who happens to be the Department Chair of the Electrical Engineering department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Dr. MacCarley drove to my house and spent the entire day meticulously going through the car.
...
Art put it very politely, but basically he was saying that college students could have built this car better than EV Innovations ( a publicly traded company). Attached to this article is the full report written by Dr. MacCarley.
It turned out so bad that he wound up suing them under the Lemon Law, and settling out of court at a loss of $20,000.
This underscores the point that making reliable, affordable, safe, and refined cars of any type (gas or electric) is an extremely tricky business.
Don't be in a hurry. When the good stuff gets here, you'll know it. In the meantime, drive a nice gas-electric hybrid, if you must have an electrified car.
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