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August 23, 2008

CARNIVAL OF CARS: A Drive Around the Auto Blog Block for Saturday, August 23, 2008

Mazda looks like the big winner in The Truth About Cars' 2008 edition of the 10 Best Cars. I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that the Chevy Malibu isn't among the winners. Sometimes good news travels slowly.

Meanwhile over at the GM corral, the across-the-board budget cuts are slicing deeply into the advertising budget just when, according to AUTOEXTREMIST Peter DeLorenzo, highly targeted, big-block events are becoming hyper-important to the task of focusing public attention on the fact that GM is turning out some genuinely great models.

On the other hand, Corvette Blog has another reason to be thankful you live in America, even if, like yours truly, you really can't afford a new Vette.

You may have heard that Tony Stewart has a new race team set to go for the 2009 NASCAR season, with Ryan Newman on the driver roster. But will Newman be chauffeuring the #4, no, the #39 car? FastMachines.com has the inside dope on the numbers circus.

Street Skating, it's the newest deadly craze involving wheels and people with sub-rational IQs. 4 Drivers Only has the video and more details. Coming soon to the obituary page in a newspaper on a newstand close to you.

Peering past The View Through the Windshield, Joe Sherlock spies the new Lincoln MKS and comes away repeating something about "luxiocrity." He'll explain what that means just as soon as you click on over.

Want to stumble upon something really good automotive-wise? Hemmings Auto Blog is raving about a feature that makes getting lots of traffic for your blog "ridiculously easy."

And from the video file comes this: What do you think went through the mind of the guy driving the semi featured by The Auto Prophet?

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is among the lucky few selected by Honda for an extended test drive of the Clarity fuel cell vehicle. Cool huh. Lori Hindman at Mother Proof isn't so sure.

Dorri at if It's Got An Engine is going all copy editorish on Car & Driver's Csaba Csere.

Uh oh, big trouble in Smart-land. Next Auto says bad paint could require a roof-ectomy. If that's even half as painful as it sounds .....

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WHAT I'M DRIVING THIS WEEK: Jaguar XF
Remember the first time you saw a Jag XKE in person? If you're like me, it was memorable because of the sheer sensuality of its shape. "That's what speed looks Iike," I recall thinking to myself. There are hints of such beauty here and there in the new XF's attractive lines, and it certainly has an abundance of speed, thanks to the 420 horses on tap from the supercharged 4.2 liter V-8.

But all during my week in a lovely silver XF something kept bugging me. No matter how pleasurable was the daily drive between my home in distant rural Maryland and the Examiner newsroom in downtown D.C. the car just didn't feel right. At one point, I thought I had it - Where's that cursed L-shaped shift pattern that plagued Jags for so many years? Wait a minute, you doofus, you cursed those things all those years, right?

Well, it hit me yesterday - The shifter is a darn rotary dial in the center console that could easily be mistaken for that infernal BMW iDrive. That's it, this Jag is so advanced, so stuffed full of techno-geegaws that there's no room left for genuine soul, for the uncompromising beauty of lusciously curved sheet metal and tearing-sheet sixes at full song. The XF is a Jag the way BMW would do it if the Germans owned the Brit classic. BMW makes great Bimmers, but Jags are supposed to be ... Jags.

See ya next week!

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Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 23, 2008, 6:19 AM
Categories: Carnival of Cars, Jaguar

August 9, 2008

CARNIVAL OF CARS: A Drive Around the Auto Blog Block for Saturday, August 9, 2008

Is the Smart Car ugly? The Auto Prophet thinks so, having spent some time walking around one and spying mis-aligned seams, ill-fitting plastic panels and such. Good for urbanites only was my conclusion after the first five minutes of a week-long test.

This would be funny if it weren't so gruesomely tragic. Njection has details on a guy who lost his head with his Aston.Note that's "with," not over.

Remember the TV sitcom "Then Came Bronson," on NBC long, long ago? Steve Parker, Motoring Journalist, does. Check out his report from Sturgis for the details, including a history of that epic event and info on the new V-Rod.

And here's another quick trip down memory lane - Gary Grant at The Garage Blog has a shot of a 70s vintage sports racer outbraking a Spridget into a corner at Lakeland Raceway in Florida. What is that contraption behind the windscreen?

Speaking of contraptions, you'll find lots of them at Auto Motto. Start with the Deco Liner & Deco Scoot.

How ya doin'? Bob Hoover of the blog by the same name reports the pain is fading, the radiation treatment is done and the chemo is about to commence. It's good to hear good news from you, Bob.

I've never understood why automotive applications of Heads-Up Display technology hasn't caught on it a major way here. Top Speed's Myles Kornblatt reports on a new application that might change things for the better.

Eric Peters at EPA points to his nominees for the five worst traffic laws. Here's the sixth - the Slower Traffic Keep Right statute that never gets enforced!

You could win a Corvette ZR1 - Corvette Blog has the details. And it's for a great cause.

Barack Obama has been talking about a $4 billion aid program for Detroit, but Dan Riehl of The Fast Report says the industry's lobbysts are talking up a $40 billion - yes, as in $40 billion - in tax dollars for survival.

Ever feel like you're stuck behind the eight-ball? My Texas buddy Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes has more info on Eight Obsessions than you probably ever dreamed could exist. The auto link? The V-8?

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What I'm Driving This Week: Mini Cooper Clubman
If ultra-space utilization efficiency and driving fun are priorities, the extended length Mini Clubman makes a lot of sense. The cabin is big enough to be comfortable for most folks and the exterior is small enough to allow using parking spaces that are off-limits to Corollas, Cobalts, etc. The S is quicker but the standard-issue Clubman is still fun to run hard and mileage stays in the 25 mpg+ range. One critique - the instrumentation can be maddening without a lengthy orientation session in the multiple manuals.

That's it for this week. Don't miss your apexes!

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Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 9, 2008, 7:46 AM
Categories: Carnival of Cars

July 26, 2008

CARNIVAL OF CARS: A Drive Around the Auto Blog Block for Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Carnival of Cars is back! Re-designing and re-launching The Washington Examiner sucked all the cyber-air out of this scribe for the past six weeks. But that's done, so we're back on the road and cruisin' for the horizon.

This is rich - Autoblog reports that Obama is signing on to a proposal for $4 billion in new federal aid for Detroit. Does he think nobody outside of the Motor City remembers the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles?

Ford's announcement earlier this week of major product changes - like bringing to the states six models from Ford of Europe - draws some heavy praise from AUTOEXTREMIST Peter M. DeLorenzo, who sees in CEO Alan Mulally a vision that can make Dearborn the Big Three's best hope for the future. And Michelle Krebs has a lengthy post at Auto Observer with all the details on the Blue Oval shakeup.

Having problems with your satellite radio? Steve Parker says it's about to get even worse, thanks to the FCC.

Say goodbye to your suburban oasis and hello to the new "Eco-Town." Translated from enviro-bureaucratese, it means we're soon to be told we must go back to the crowded, dirty, crime-infested, corruption-ridden Big City. But, hey, the polar bears will love us for it. 4 Drivers Only has details.

Taking your Rover - no, the one with four legs, not the TC - with you to the mall in the summertime? AskPatty.com has some solid ideas for making sure things don't get over-heated.

The Auto Prophet isn't impressed with those retro IP features on the new Camaro. But he's got a great idea for an accelerometer. He's an engineer, too, so listen up.

Frank Williams of The Truth About Cars was tooling around with his wife recently in an Audi Q7 and found Route 75 in the Blue Ridge Mountains area of Georgia. It was so much fun, Frank was inspired to post a "favorite roads" invitation. Check out the comments for a great road nearby you may not know about.

Want to avoid getting clipped next time you have to get an insurance company estimate for collision repairs? Auto Muse reports that one major insurer has agreed to instruct its estimators not to specify clips.

Dorri at If It's Got An Engine updates a post from a year ago asking whether the electric vehicles of the future were ready for prime-time. Dorri is a man of great caution on this topic, including on the Volt.

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WHAT I'M DRIVING: BMW 135i Coupe
It looked dinky at first but, boy, did it grow on me fast! I first drove a 2002 in 1974 and it was quite a revelation for a kid weaned on Road Runners and SS396s. What I love most about the 135i Coupe is the perfect match between the 3.0 liter turbo six's rev range and the six-speed stick shift. And the balanced handling. And the way you feel the 135i's next move in the seat of your pants. This truly is a driver's car. Uh, excuse me, a driver with a lot of disposable income. Why does it have to cost 42 big ones? Isn't that about 10 times the sticker of a 2002 in the old days?

That's it for this week, friends and cyber-neighbors. See ya next week!

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Posted by: Mark Tapscott July 26, 2008, 4:07 AM
Categories: Carnival of Cars

May 18, 2008

CARNIVAL OF CARS: A Drive Around the Auto Blog Block for Sunday, May 18, 2008

You know it's a completely new world when GM execs start doing blog posts about the glories of turbo four cylinders as power for performance cars like the Camaro.

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