Autosavant

2010 Ford Taurus SEL Review

Kevin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:57:00 +0000

The new Taurus absolutely has a more-upscale look than its predecessor, though there are some awkward elements to the new sedan’s exterior styling. To my eye, most of the offensive styling occurs behind the rear doors. The crease in the bodyside that starts at the front fender vent totally disappears at the rear wheel arch, and incongruously reappears on the rear quarter panel; however the area below that line on the rear panel looks strangely indented and twice during my week with the car I glanced at it and thought it had been dented by a careless driver. That’s not good. Too, the tail lamps are an awkward shape, perhaps not quite wide enough in the huge expanse that is the trunk lid and bumper on the Taurus’ baby-got-back sized behind.

In Rare Move, NHTSA Gives Toyota a Public Slap

Brendan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:46:55 +0000

By Brendan Moore 11.06.2009 The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the federal agency that regulates vehicle safety and conducts vehicle recalls, must be very, very unhappy with Toyota. For those of you that haven’t been following this situation, the NHTSA issued an official warning to Toyota and Lexus owners in September to remove the driver’s side floor [...]

Lancia and Chrysler – an Automotive Frankenstein’s Monster?

Andy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:39:24 +0000

By Andy Bannister 11.05.2009 From a European perspective, one of the stranger aspects of the emerging picture of how Fiat and Chrysler operations will function in the future is the prospect of the Chrysler and Lancia lines merging. Lancia, for those who might have forgotten its existence, is the Fiat Group’s “other” Italian premium car brand, which for [...]

Chrysler’s Short-Term Product Plan

Brendan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:08:09 +0000

Holding the fort down until the Fiat cavalry rides to the rescue Brendan Moore 11.05.2009 Almost all of Chrysler’s cars will be Fiats by 2014, according to the final version of the Chrysler five-year plan released earlier today, but what is Chrysler going to sell until those new platforms show up? Indeed, what are they going to sell? Chrysler (read, [...]

Fiat Shows Their Five-Year Plan for Chrysler

Brendan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:49:33 +0000

By Brendan Moore 11.05.2009 Chrysler officials started the presentation of the ambitious five-year plan for turning the beleaguered company around yesterday and finished up today, which means the Fiat and Chrysler executives on hand made their case for a cumulative 8+ hours. Large PowerPoint presentations were given to the press, and frankly, Chrysler made available just a ton [...]

2010 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid Review

Roger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:42:01 +0000

In my test Tahoe Hybrid, judicious on-and-off application of the right foot, combined with cruise control and downhill grades--and ably assisted by the engine’s Active Fuel Management system, which shuts down four of the eight cylinders for highway cruising--I had no difficulty averaging over 20 mpg over my week of commuting and back-country driving. Indeed, I was thrilled occasionally to see figures north of 30 come up on the instant-MPG readout at the bottom of the tachometer. Equally thrilling was when these figures sank to single digits, because that was when I couldn’t hold myself back any more and was pounding the gas pedal just to hear the muted roar of the mighty V8.

GM Decides to Keep Opel After All

Brendan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:26:13 +0000

The company decides their new life will include an old flame By Brendan Moore 11.03.2009 General Motors has announced that they will keep Opel after all, after months of contentious negotiations aimed at selling a controlling stake in their German operating unit. The board of GM made the decision earlier today, dealing a death blow to Magna International’s dreams [...]

British Motorists’ Average Two Days a Year in Traffic Jams

Andy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:06:25 +0000

By Andy Bannister 11.03.2009 How much of your life do you spend in your car queuing in stationary traffic? For the average British motorist it is more than two days each year, according to Kia Motors, which has published a ‘cleaner driving’ report. Kia is using the rather startling statistic to encourage new car buyers to use the [...]

MotoGP Weekend With The VW Touran

James — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:03:54 +0000

By James Wong 11.03.2009 I had quite a dilemma choosing between driving my VW GTI or my father’s VW Touran up to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were to catch the MotoGP race, which would be the first time I’ve ever been to any MotoGP event, not to mention my first time [...]

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Review

J.S. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:00:16 +0000

By J. Smith 11.02.2009 When asked it I’d like to drive a Camaro SS for a week and write a review, my initial reaction was “Can I fit this in my schedule?” Er . . . No. That wasn’t it at all. “Yes.” Nothing more need be said. “Just get it to me before it starts to [...]