Yearly Archives: 2015


The +Jaguar USA XJ is approaching its 50th birthday and it still has plenty of life left in it

It's also surprisingly fuel efficient for a big luxury machine

2015 Jaguar XJL Portfolio AWD – The Big Cat Still Roars
The Jaguar brand-name is 80 years old in 2015 and over that time, the British luxury automaker has built some of the most beautiful and iconic machines in the history of the automobile. The single …


2015 Jaguar XJL Portfolio AWD – The Big Cat Still Roars

2015 Jaguar XJL - 3 of 39The Jaguar brand-name is 80 years old in 2015 and over that time, the British luxury automaker has built some of the most beautiful and iconic machines in the history of the automobile. The single longest running nameplate from the Coventry-based company is the XJ sedan which is rapidly approaching its own 50th anniversary in 2018. The original XJ is still considered one of the most attractive sedans of all time. By the time the current-generation XJ debuted in 2009, just a year after Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford, the old-school XJ was definitely looking long in the tooth. Fortunately, Jaguar was ready to begin its new era with something dramatically different and six years later I’ve finally had an opportunity to drive one.

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Five years ago today I was at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta for the last appearance of the big LMP1 racers in the ALMS and the North American debut of the +

Five years ago today I was at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta for the last appearance of the big LMP1 racers in the ALMS and the North American debut of the +Porsche 911 GT3R hybrid. The flywheel hybrid system was eventually adopted by +Audi USA for the R18 e-tron quattro

      

In Album 9/30/15


Did you know that Mercedes-Benz is the world's largest producer of commercial vehicles?

Strangely, +Mercedes-Benz opened the introduction to the new U.S. market Metris midsize van with a comparison to the defunct Chevrolet Astro. The Metris may be similar in size to the Astro, but it drives way better than the Chevrolet ever did.

2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris First Drive
I never thought I would see the day when a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson stood in front a group of media to compare the brand’s latest product to the long dead Chevrolet Astro. For those who don’t rec…


2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris First Drive

metris first drive - 7I never thought I would see the day when a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson stood in front a group of media to compare the brand’s latest product to the long dead Chevrolet Astro. For those who don’t recall the Astro, it and its GMC-badged twin the Safari, were rear-wheel-drive midsize vans built from 1985 to 2005. Since the end of the Astro’s production run, no manufacturer has offered a similarly sized van in the U.S. market, until now. Starting in the first week of October, roughly 270 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner dealers will begin selling the Metris which has been available in Europe as the Vito.

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Despite diesel being more expensive than gasoline through most of the 6 years we've owned this +Volkswagen USA Jetta TDI, we're still ahead $1,500 at the pump

We've also emitted roughly 3 tonnes less CO2 although we've unknowingly emitted a lot more NOx. It's still too early tell what the total cost will be in lost resale value and societal health consequences.

Saving Fuel and CO2 vs NOx Emissions With a Volkswagen Diesel
We bought our 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI wagon in November 2009 in large part based on the potential money we’d save at the pump. In the wake of the current diesel emissions fiasco and the fac…