Posted by jeff on 02 Apr 2008 at 8:34 pm under Auto shows
photo: © Jeff James
Ford had one of the most expansive booths at the show, including such gems as the Mustang Bullitt (created in honor of Steve McQueen and the 1968 390 GT Mustang he drove in the film Bullitt) and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR.
The GT500KR (pictured) is also a movie star of sorts: a modified version of the vehicle is cast as KITT, the autonomous uber-car in the new NBC Knight Rider TV series. Having seen the TV series, I have a feeling that Ford may regret that casting decision. Maybe they should have used a Focus instead?
- [Jeff James]
Posted by jeff on 01 Apr 2008 at 11:00 am under Auto shows
photo: © Jeff James
In the auto show circuit, conventional wisdom dictates that the largest shows–mainly the behemoths held in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and New York every year–have a lock on launches and the latest production and concept vehicles.
That axiom largely held true with the 2008 Denver International Auto Show. There weren’t any new vehicle introductions, but most automakers had a surprising number of new vehicles on display, including the 2009 Dodge Challenger and the 2009 Corvette ZR1.
I’m working on a photo gallery of my visit to the show, and I’ll be posting commentary and images over the next few days. - [Jeff James]
I recently spent a week with a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee for About.com SUVs, and came away impressed. This particular Jeep was powered by a new 3.0 liter turbodiesel engine, giving the mid-sized SUV a heaping helping of towing power. Jeep and diesel engines seem like a match made in off-roading heaven, and the Grand Cherokee CRD is a prime example of that.
That said, the close to $50K sticker and modest amounts of space in the 2nd row may not make this the best vehicle for everyone.
Check out the full review on the About.com SUVs site for more information. (Source: About.com SUVs) [- Jeff James]
Posted by jeff on 06 Aug 2007 at 6:22 am under Auto news
I’ve never been very good at keeping track of gas mileage for my personal vehicles, but I’ve always wanted to. A new website called Mymilemarker.com promises to take the drudgery out of computing your mileage, thanks to a slick interface and a customizable database you can use to store information about your vehicles.
The site isn’t that fully-featured at the moment–and there are some bugs and glitches to be sorted–but it’s well worth a look if you’re interested in tracking mileage, oil change intervals and other important bits about your vehicles.
Visit Mymilemarker.com for more details and a free account. (Source: Mymilemarker) [- Jeff James]
photo: © The Chrysler Group
We’ve just posted a review of the all-new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan over at the About.com Minivans site. Written by my About.com colleague Aaron Gold (who heads up About.com Cars), this review points out some of the key features of the new vehicle, including the good (the new dual-screen entertainment system) and the not-so-good (the anemic 3.3 liter base engine).
The minivan market may be contracting somewhat, but Chrysler seems doggedly determined to stay on top of the market. First came news that the new 2008 minivans would sticker for less than the old ones, then Chrysler unveiled their lifetime powertrain warranty — currently the best in the industry. (Source: About.com Minivans) [- Jeff James]
photo: © Calvin Cheng
A nice comparison article over at Wheel Talk pits a C6 Z51 Corvette against a Porsche Cayman S. The comparison is written by Calvin Cheng, and does an admirable job of summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles in a location that they were cleary optimized for: the racetrack.
Here’s an excerpt:
One thing that struck me was how much the engine sticks out more in the Corvette. While the Cayman’s engine has a glorious sounding note at idle, it fades into being a supporting cast, albeit a significant one, when the driving gets underway. With the Corvette, you are always conscious of the engine. It is the heart and soul of the car. That’s the quintessential muscle car experience.
The author provides lots of in-depth opinion and information about his track experience with both vehicles on the track. The post was dated late last year, but it’s well-worth a look — be sure to check out the author’s earlier post also, which includes lap times and additional photos.
(Source: Wheel Talk) [- Jeff James]
Internet search behemoth Google unveiled a new initiative last week designed to raise awareness of plug-in hybrids and “vehicle-to-grid” technology. The currrent program involves a number of conventional hybrids (specifically 4 Toyota Priuses and 2 Ford Escapes) that have been modified by electric-car specialist Hymotion to plug-in hybrid status. Google’s stated goal is to eventually have “…over 100 plug-in hybrids in its corporate fleet as demand grows and cars become commercially available.” The Prius image and infographic above is taken from the Google.org RechargeIt site, and shows what sort of improvements the plug-in hybrids in Google’s initiative offer.
In addition to the plug-in hybrid modifications, the other significant part of the initiative is the ability of vehicles to share their excess electric charge with the electricity grid. This RechargeIt video explains the process in a bit more detail. (Don’t miss the bit towards the end with former CIA Director James Woolsey talking about a new convergence between “tree-huggers…evangelicals…mom and pop drivers and Willie Nelson.”)
While it’s doubtful that the RechargeIt initiative will impact fuel consumption on a large scale — after all, we’re talking about 6 vehicles at the outset here — it does show that interest in plug-in hybrids and alternative fuel sources is growing significantly. Perhaps initiatives like this could help push companies like General Motors into developing vehicles like the Chevy Volt? (Source: Google.org) - [Jeff James]
I was strolling through a local Radio Shack recently and came across the new Zip Zaps Micro RC car of the Bumblee Camaro from the upcoming Transformers film.
The squashed image above this post (nabbed from the Radio Shack site) doesn’t do the car justice, so I’ll be posting a few more photos of the real deal shortly. Optimus Prime and Barricade — with the latter in police Mustang livery — are available as well.
It doesn’t transform, unfortunately, but driving a miniature next-gen Camaro around my desk (and stressing out the family dog and cat) seems to have appeal enough for me.
Check out the Radio Shack ZipZaps page here, or the latest Transformers movie trailer here. (Source: Radio Shack) [- Jeff James]
photo: © Jeff James
Late last year I had the good fortune to spend a week behind the wheel of a 2007 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT. I live in Northern Colorado, so the Outback’s combination of AWD, turbocharged-performance and all-around utility made it an impressive traveling companion during the time I spent with it, allowing me to cart kids, groceries and metal shelving over paved and unpaved roads with ease.
Aside from a somewhat pricey sticker and some cramped second-row seating for taller adults, there isn’t much not to like. The 2.5-liter turbocharged engine used in the Outback is a slightly detuned version of the one employed in the tire-shredding WRX STI, Subaru’s rally-bred sports sedan. Power like this helped plaster a grin on my face whenever an onramp, offramp or opportunity to merge with traffic arose.
For all the details of why I liked the Outback so much, check out the newly-posted full review (and related photo gallery) over at the About.com SUVs site, hosted by my colleague Jason Fogelson. (Source: About.com) - [Jeff James]
With the flurry of new product introductions and concept vehicles being unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year, standing out from the crowd can take something special. I came across that something special in my first 30 minutes of walking the show floor: the Holden Efijy concept.
Developed by a team of engineers and designers at Holden (a GM subsidiary in Australia), the Efijy rides on a Corvette chassis and is powered by a supercharged 6.0 liter V8. The design screams old school, but I don’t care — this beauty is a sight to behold.
GM and Holden have already said that the Efijy would never see the light of day as a production vehicle, and that the effort was a “passionate side project” by Holden engineers who worked on the vehicle in their spare time. Despite the long list of concept vehicles unveiled in COBO Hall — from the Toyota FT-HS to the Chrysler Nassau and Ford Interceptor — I have to admit that the Efijy was my favorite concept of the show.
Funny thing about having a passion for something: it tends to produce breathtaking vehicles like this one. Here’s hoping that the obvious talent of these Holden designers and engineers is put to good use with the new 2009 Chevy Camaro, which is being developed on a Holden-engineered RWD platform. - [Jeff James]
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