Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

My annual pilgrimage to the New York Auto Show reminded me of just how much hassle it can be to park in the world’s most important city. (It’s the world’s most important city because it is the setting for the HBO show, Girls). For people who are not wealthy and/or well-connected, simply finding a place to dump a car off for a day...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

A couple weeks back, Tetsuya Tada, father of the Scion FR-S, wistfully meditated on his desire to see more variants of the Scion FR-S, including a shooting brake. Rather than dismissive them as fantasy-bait for the enthusiast set, TTAC determined that there is probably a good business case for developing more variants of the Toyobaru platform....

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

2001 Chevrolet Silverado LS with tasteful aftermarket NRA front license plate.

Car enthusiasts can be a fickle and judgmental lot when it comes to passion for things automotive. Certain types of vehicles are expected to be driven by a person who wishes to appropriate the label for themselves. Do you drive a Miata, S2000, or one of the original...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

The New York Auto Show is over, signaling the end of yet another highly successful auto show season, unless, of course, you’re Suzuki. For some, there’s still the Shanghai show, where we’ll get to see all the latest midsize luxury sedans with slightly longer wheelbases. I also highly recommend next month’s Africa Auto Show (officially called the “A...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Arguably the most important debut of the show – certainly the most polarizing – the Jeep Cherokee has split the opinions of the B&B in a bitter feud not seen since Jack declared the Mazda MX-5 superior to the Scion FR-S. I’m not sure I’d describe the Cherokee as attractive, but I do think its reception in the...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Subaru’s first hybrid car won’t use the lithium-ion batteries that are now commonplace in many current alternative powertrains. Instead, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid will use nickel-metal hydride units, which were used mainly in older hybrid systems. The 2.0L boxer 4-cylinder engine is mated to a 13.4 horsepower electric motor, but the...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Mitsubishi announced fuel economy figures for their newest subcompact, which will revive the Mirage name. At 37 mpg city and 44 mpg highway, the Mirage will best the Chevrolet Spark, its main competitor in the A-segment. But Mitsubishi has yet to announce any of their powertrain offerings for the Mirage. Overseas, a 1.2L 4-cylinder making 73...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Earlier this week, I wrote about the General Motors XP-75 Eagle and the idea that GM might have engaged in a relatively small bit of realpolitik during said plane’s conception and gestation. I’ve been writing for TTAC long enough to have a fairly accurate sense of how the B&B as a whole will regard whatever I write, but in the case...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

It can be murder out there!

I am always hesitant to write a “how to” article. I learned a long time ago that no matter how good I am at something, there is always someone better right around the corner. For every bad-ass black belt you meet, there is a Chuck Norris looking to teach him some humility. Still, when I know something it’s hard to keep it...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Not many cars appear and disappear while leaving as little trace as did the Suzuki Aerio, which was sold in the United States for the 2002-2007 model years. Normally, I ignore such new cars when I’m wandering around the wrecking yards of Denver, but I’ll break out the camera when I find something of historical significance— for e...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

A farmer from a village in Punjab recently paid Rs. 7,00,000/- ($13,000) to get the registration number PB-07 AK-47. AK-47 is the famous assault rifle, but what is shocking is the vehicle he got this number for.

The farmer took the AK-47 number for his Honda Activa scooter (pictured above), which costs Rs. 54,500/- ($1000). He could have used the...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Fisker did put its entire workforce, all 200 of them, on furlough, “while it continues to search for a strategic partner,” Reuters says. That search is not going so well. And quite possibly, the workforce will never come back.

Then there is the issue of the DOE loan. No, not the matter of the DOE only paying out $193 million of the promised $529.  T...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Lance writes:

Hey Sajeev,

A long time (since roughtly 2006ish) TTAC reader, I thought you might be able to help me out a bit, or point me in the right direction. My car (2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan, 17300 miles when bought used off lease, now currently around 39000 miles) vibrates terribly at highway speed. Starts around 55mph, continues to increase...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

The salesman must have thought I was nuts. I could hear the incredulous tone in his voice, “Some guy calling from Okinawa wants to buy a used car that we put on Craigslist? When does he want to come and look at it? He doesn’t? How’s he going to pick it up? He isn’t?” Fortunately for the both of us, money talks.

By the spring of 2010 I had spent six...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

I visit Sears Point aka Sonoma Raceway a couple times a year as part of my gig as Chief Justice of the 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court. That means I do a lot of roaming around the facility, in search of vantage points to shoot photos of the action. Last weekend, while covering the fourth annual Sears Pointless race, I stumbled on a parking area...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

What a day for TTAC readers. Not only did Volvo revive the wagon with the Euro-tastic V60, but BMW is about to bring us two new diesel powered cars.

Both sedan and wagon versions of the 328d will be offered, offering 180 horsepower, 280 lb-ft of torque and 45 mpg on the highway. BMW says city fuel economy should be in the mid 30′s. No manual...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Who cares about the Chevrolet SS? GM just stuffed an LS7 in the Camaro. Even though the Camaro is one of my least favorite cars, I cannot wait to drive this thing, visibility be damned.

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

TTAC Contributor Jeff Jablansky posted a picture of the little Hamster action figure that came with the Kia Soul press kit. Somehow, it looks more like a weird mutant rotent/horse hybrid than a hamster. I still think Herr Schamus is the best auto-rodent in the biz, but I am biased.

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

Ad Age is reporting that Ford’s advertising agency, JWT, has fired the ad agency staffers behind a pair of offensive ads showing bound and gagged women in the back of a Ford Figo hatchback. Ford is not, however, looking to change advertising companies over the fiasco. The images were created by JWT staffers in India and then uploaded to the ad a...

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Monday, 20 May 2013 17:35

What’s happening here? Is Toyota finally getting some style all of a sudden? The 2014 Highlander, shown here in Sanjeev Brown (my new name for Brown, in honor of all the misspellings of our dear Sajeev’s name that come across TTAC’s inbox) actually looks macho and handsome. The 2.7L 4-cylinder and 3.5L V6 are standard Toyota...

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