Archive for June, 2009
2010 Volvo XC60
I like Volvos. By any standard, a Volvo is a good car. They’re comfortable, well-engineered, good-looking, nice to drive, and they have all the latest features. And they’re safe, which is always a good thing.
Last weekend, I was nearly killed while driving my lovely old classic MG sports car. Some complete chickenhead in a big [...]
Lotus Steps Up to Sponsor Lotus Challenge Racing Series
The Lotus Elise is one of the sexiest cars to hit the U.S. in ages – it’s a no-compromises sports car. Just ask any of the fat, middle-aged automotive journalists (this reporter included) who have tried to squeeze their fat butts into (and out of) one. This car is made for the lithe, strong, and [...]
Ken Block Owns STPR 2009
After a season and a half plagued by broken hardware, crashes, and every frustration you can imagine, Subaru Rally Team USA’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino finally got the ride they’ve been dreaming about at this year’s Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally.
Set amidst lovely north-central Pennsylvania valleys, STPR is known for its smooth clay roads and [...]
Tragedy at Road America – SCCA Champion Thomas Thrash Killed
SCCA is reporting that Thomas Thrash Jr., age 48, of Houston, Texas, was pronounced dead late Saturday morning at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Thrash was involved in a single-car incident Saturday at Road America during the Sports Car Club of America-sanctioned Chicago Region June Sprints event. The cause of death is under investigation.
Witnesses [...]
2009 Dodge Caliber SXT
It felt strange to spend a week driving the Dodge Caliber while Chrysler was in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings. I kept waiting for someone to shout “Dead Man Walking” or at least “Dead Car Driving” at me.
But it’s a new day, and Chrysler’s merger with Fiat and the UAW is now complete and they’re [...]
New 2010 Prius takes hybrid technology to the next level
Historians will look back at the Toyota Prius as a pivotal change agent for the automotive world. Some of the reasons for this are obvious – the first large production-numbers mass-produced hybrid engine passenger car leaps immediately to mind. Yes, the Honda Insight came first – but in small numbers as a two-seater. But there [...]
Chrysler to restart 7 assembly lines after emerging from bankruptcy
One week after finalizing its merger with Fiat, Chrysler announced today that it will resume volume production of vehicles with the start up of seven of its North American assembly plants the week of June 29, 2009. This is to be expected, and it’s a good thing to put Chrysler’s people back to work.
As part [...]
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: 2009 MKS Sedan
Back in 2002, Cadillac made a bold play to shed its image as an old man’s car by introducing the CTS. They even picked Led Zeppelin’s iconic tune “Rock and Roll” as the theme music. I have never in my life felt so squarely targeted by a car company. You see, when I was in [...]
Total Transformation: 2010 Kia Forte
When automakers get ready to bring out a new car, they’ll frequently get all the competing models from other brands together and bring in some more-or-less randomly selected members of the public to compare them. They don’t tell the people who’s paying for the exercise, and they don’t show the brand names on the cars [...]
Fuel: Level 1 Playthrough on XBox 360
While we anxiously wait for Codemasters’ next Colin McRae DIRT video game, due out this fall, there’s another interesting title just recently released. It’s called Fuel. Unlike the DIRT series which requires that cars pretty much stay on course, Fuel offers over 5,000 miles (yes, miles) of free-range driving fun.
Set in a post-apocalyptic universe, you [...]
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