Monthly Archives: May 2012


Today five years after they first showed off a concept for small crossover called… 6

Today five years after they first showed off a concept for small crossover called the Trax, Chevrolet finally announced that it would be built and debut in September at the Paris Motor Show.

The design has evolved quite a bit from the original copper-colored concept http://green.autoblog.com/2007/03/28/ny-auto-show-preview-chevrolet-trax-mini-car-concept/ on the left so that it now looks more like a miniature Equinox. http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/May/0514_trax

It apparently won't be offered in the US. What do you think?

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Yes please, 330d! 1

Yes please, 330d!

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2013 BMW 3-series Sports Wagon Revealed
We like the BMW 3-series, and we like station wagons. So here’s good news: BMW has released the first round of info on the new 3er Sports Wagon, or Touring as it is called in the Old World. It will be offered in the U.S. once again, and we expect to see a 328i with the 2.0-liter four making 240 hp, a 300-hp 335i with the 3.0-liter turbo six, and a 330d with a 3.0-liter straight-six turbo-diesel and around 250 hp. (more…)

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A word of warning if you happen to rent a truck from +U-Haul 1

I helped my daughter move into her new apartment this morning and we rented a cube van from U-Haul to shuttle furniture across town.

Anytime you rent a car the agency usually charges a premium over the going rate for gas if you don't bring it back full. Typically they charge about $0.50-1.00 over the going rate. We got the U-Haul van with 5/8 of a tank and got back with 9/16 of a tank after driving 15 miles. Sofia rented the truck and I hadn't read the contract.

It turns out that U-Haul charges $5.00 a gallon (the going rate around here right how is about $3.55-3.60) and worse they also charge a $30 service fee! Fortunately there was a gas station just 2 blocks away. If you rent from U-Haul, make sure you put gas in before you return it.

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I saw a Fisker Karma in the wild for the first time last week, cruising up Ocean… 2

I saw a Fisker Karma in the wild for the first time last week, cruising up Ocean dr in South Beach. It's a big and heavy car and if this analysis is correct, probably not as thoroughly engineered as it should be.

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Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire
LOS ANGELES — A garage fire last week in suburban Houston has been linked to a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, but the company quickly noted that the battery remained intact and unplugged — and did not…

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The first full prototype of the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder makes an appearance on…

The first full prototype of the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder makes an appearance on the road in Germany

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Porsche 918 Spyder scooped –
Autocar.co.uk is the online home of the world's original car magazine. Stay up-to-date with latest motor industry news, read reviews of the hottest new cars, watch our spectacular videos, and find the…

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During my 4 years at Autoblog I wrote a lot of first drive reports and vehicle reviews….

During my 4 years at Autoblog I wrote a lot of first drive reports and vehicle reviews. This one was by far my shortest drive experience!

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First Drive: Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, watch out for second!
2008 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet – Click above for high-res gallerySaturday afternoon we went for what may have been the shortest and quickest first drive in

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Seeing the +Ford Racing post about the new 5.0-liter Cobra Jet V8 this morning brought…

Seeing the +Ford Racing post about the new 5.0-liter Cobra Jet V8 this morning brought to mind my first official experience with drag racing a few years ago. I was invited to participate in the Ford Racing Invitational at Milan Dragway against a dozen other auto writers.

I quickly learned that drag racing is a lot more complicated than simply slamming the go-pedal against the floor board. Check out my story to learn more about drag racing.

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Ford Racing Invitational '08: The aftermath
Click above for a high-res gallery from the Ford Racing InvitationalI went into the Ford Racing Racing Invitational drag race this weekend with only a

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Over the last several years +Ford Racing has created three separate runs of the Mustang… 1

Over the last several years +Ford Racing has created three separate runs of the Mustang Cobra Jet factory-built drag racers all of which have been powered by the 5.4-liter supercharged V8 that also powers GT500.

For the 2013 models, Ford Racing has adopted the new 5.0-liter Coyote V8 in either normally aspirated or supercharged versions and the base version recently spent some time on the dyno.

I was lucky enough to try out one of the 2008 models at Milan Dragway several years ago http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/15/first-drive-ford-mustang-cobra-jet-watch-out-for-second/

Reshared post from +Ford Racing

2013 Cobra Jet naturally aspirated 5.0L Ti-VCT engine on Ford Racing's 17G engine dyno.

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