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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Japan , Humor Click above for gallery with more images, if you dare Mitsuoka, that tiny Japanese manufacturer who makes the wonderfully wacky Orochi sea monster, has introduced its latest automotive mash-up, just in time to give us a Halloween fright. It is a derivative of the company's Galue III (the return of the shapeshifter) and is known as the Galue Limousine S50. This shouldn't be confused with the company's Galue 204 Toyota Corolla rebody, or the Galue Convertible , which is based on the Ford Mustang. Instead, this limo is based on the Infiniti M, but incorporates styling touches from such classic designs as the '94 Cadillac Fleetwood, the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Apple iPhone. While that might not sound too offensive, trust us, it is. Remember the classic Beetles with the R-R grilles? Imagine that on a new Infiniti M35. And out back, that gracefully curved rear has been amended with Caddy taillight protrusions. Where once stood...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Acura Acura's new corporate fascia hasn't gained the affection of the automotive press, not to mention our commentators. And to make matters worse, not only is "The Shield" employed on the MDX , TSX and TL , it's expected to infect the rest of Acura's lineup into the next decade. We're still far from convinced that the new nose was a smart move, but we've conceded that it doesn't look nearly as bad on a silver TSX, matching the lines and the color to slightly better effect. An Acura dealer seems to have a similar idea, and after taking delivery of one burgundy TL, had the grille painted to match the rest of the exterior. While it's an improvement, we'd still recommend importing the 2009 Legend's schnoz and retrofitting an Acura emblem in place of the Big H. [Source: Acurazine via Motive ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Volkswagen The VW Jetta TDI has proven to be quite popular in the short time it's been on sale here in the U.S.: it has put sales of the Tiguan in the cooler and the ones that are available are very hard to get . Now the fairest Jetta of them all has set a Guinness World Record by traversing the lower 48 U.S. states while returning 58.82 mpg thanks to John and Helen Taylor. The Taylors took 20 days to cover the 9,419 miles in a counter clockwise direction, and this wasn't a hypermiling slow-as-you-can-go affair - they stayed within 5 mph of the speed limit. Their car was completely stock as it consumed just 11 tanks of ultra low sulfur diesel and traveled 853 miles per fill up. With that kind of mileage and handling high up on the fun factor, the Jetta TDI makes an excellent case for itself if you like driving and want to lower your fuel consumption. VW also recently told us that the go-fast Jetta TDIs in the TDI Cup Series are returning an average...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Convertibles , Coupes , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Tech , BMW , Lifestyle BMW Assist -- essentially the Bavarian's version of GM's OnStar -- has made BMW Search using Google Maps available on the 1 and 3 Series. Previously, it was only available on BMW models from the 5 series up. If you subscribe to the BMW Assist Convenience Plan, you can use BMW Search to find businesses, then input the information directly into the navigation system, or call with your Bluetooth phone over the service's AT&T Mobility Network (you don't need to have AT&T, though). BMW Search joins BMW's MyInfo service, which allowed customers and businesses to send listings and street addresses directly to the car. BMW Assist is standard on 5, 6, and 7 Series, and included in the Premium Package or as a stand-alone option on all other models. Continue reading Google Maps-powered BMW Search added to 1 and 3 Series Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Lexus , Toyota Lexus has some changes in store for most of its model lineup in 2009, though there doesn't appear to be anything in store for enthusiast drivers to rejoice over. Also cause for jeers instead of cheers: price increases from .8 to 1.1 percent, depending on model. The IS 250 and 350 do get revised suspension and steering tuning to go with exterior styling tweaks and the revised interior carries a new center cluster and an off switch for the VDIM stability control. The IS F über-IS also gets a new interior rendered in terra cotta and black that's termed "sporty." The only news in the GS department is a 40% increase in trunk space for the GS 450h hybrid, which sounds fantastic but only amounts to 10.6 total cubic feet. The big LS sedans stay largely the same, though some new variants join the party. AWD versions of the LS 460 and LS 460 L tuck a Torsen differential onto the transmission's output...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Etc. , Hatchbacks , Supercars , Bugatti , Porsche What if in an alternate universe Bugatti says, "We're not going out of business, we're doing a new model in the same market as the Veyron," but it doesn't know what that model will be? There's another luxury car company in the family called Porsche that's looking to get into the 4-door game. So Bugatti says, "Hey, we did this design study of a 4-door wagon-y thing a while back, have a look," and Porsche takes a peek and says, "Hey, maybe we can work with this," and then Bugatti says, "If it all works out, maybe, you know, since you own us now we can share things and stuff and stop losing so much money on each car," and Porsche says, "Be quiet, we're working..." and, well, you get the picture. There's no reason to think Porsche had the EB112 concept in mind when it penned the Panamera. But if Porsche did...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Jaguar Photo: Justin Berkowitz/TTAC Jaguar's "leaper" has its place , and that place is not on the hood of the brand new XF sedan. Jaguar knows this; the hood ornament isn't offered as a factory option. In fact, one of the styling elements that made its debut on the XF is the new trunk-mounted neo-leaper badge , which incorporates the classic jumping cat without resorting to the now woefully out-of-place hood ornament. While Jaguar knew not to eff things up, the same apparently cannot be said of Jaguar dealers, as evidenced by the photo above. TTAC's Justin Berkowitz came across this car on display in his local shopping mall and was understandably horrified to see that the dealer elected to class things up by sticking an old-school leaper right on the hood. It's a disaster, looking like a growth that needs to be removed and biopsied. So, remember kids: what the automakers don't screw up, dealers can... and given the opportunity...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Green , Chevrolet , GM , Lifestyle Shortly after the Volt Concept was shown, a Volt adherent started a website called GM-Volt.com to show General Motors that it was on to something. After the Volt was approved for production, the site added a feature to allow people to "raise their hands" to show interest in the Volt, much like what was done for the smart fortwo before its arrival on our shores. A little more than a year later, there are almost 34,000 hand raisers in 50 states and 56 countries. While the list is unofficial and doesn't mean that any of these hand raisers are in line ahead of you to purchase a Volt, the site claims that GM is aware of the list and considering making it official in some capacity. California, no surprise, accounts for the greatest interest in the Volt, but even the folks in the dirty dirty -- that's the South -- have put in a strong showing. Alabama's got 86 Volters on the list...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Rolls-Royce Click to view the Hemi-powered Rolls in hi-res Remember back in the day when the engine output on a Rolls-Royce was listed as "adequate" or "more than adequate"? We don't know what the old guard would make of this, but adequate doesn't even come close. This vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow has had its "ordinary" 6.75-liter V8 swaped out for a 592 Hemi, complete with dual-stage nitrous system for a reported output of over 1,000 horsepower. The chrome engine popping out of the hood might not be the average Rolls buyer's cup of tea, as it detracts from the usually-dominant classic grille, but the leather-covered roll cage is pure class. And here we thought the modern day Phantom was powerful enough as is.... Gallery: Hemi-powered Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow [Source: SouthFloridaStangs via CarScoop ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , BMW You would think a car company with BMW's brand recognition could roll out its redesigned flagship 7 Series covered in burlap at a mid-December reveal in Siberia with no concerns over public perception, but BMW apparently feels the up-and-coming Russian market needs to be romanced with a glitzy intro right in the middle of Red Square. That's where the carmaker held the official unveiling (though we already got the official photos earlier this month) July 8th. For two days, the 7-Series was hidden in 180,000 silver balls that filled a giant glass-and-acrylic hourglass almost 40 feet tall that had been built right in front of the Kremlin. Then, on the night of the 8th, as 400 invited guests watched, the top of the hourglass emptied to reveal the car. BMW officials say the stunt was meant to illustrate the event's tagline, "Never stand still." Hey, if it sells a few Bimmers in Russia, maybe giant hourglasses are the way to go. Still...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , GM , Pontiac Last week, we linked to a CarDomain piece about a lunch that gang had with GM's Bob Lutz. One of their topics of conversation with the product czar was manual transmissions, and it was reported that the '09 Pontiac G8 GT would be offered with an optional Tremec 6-speed manual transmission. This was certainly welcome news, both to us and readers. Unfortunately, it turns out that this information was, in fact, too good to be true. Pontiac's Jim Hopson dropped us a note this morning to clarify. In it, he writes, "We currently have no plans to offer the Tremec on any other G8 model (including the GT mentioned in the article), although it might be an option we could consider in the future." That's a bummer, and there you have it: The only way you'll be able to get a manual in the Pontiac G8 is if you pony up for the über-caliente GXP performance variant when it arrives later this year. Gallery: In the Autoblog...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Ford It is time for Neff to put up or shut up. There's a '93 Ford Taurus SHO on Craigslist that will provide him with both the car of his dreams and the ability to handle the extreme driving conditions he faces during Cleveland winters. It's been slightly modified by the current owner, who retained the original bodywork and interior, but then chose to mate them with a '76 Ford F-150 underpinnings. The high-zoot Yamaha motor? Also jettisoned. In its stead, a 460 cubic-inch V8 from a '78 Lincoln takes up residence underhood. Ride height is elevated somewhat over stock, but this should help Neff when it snows, and the new wheel/tire package allows him to avoid traffic by simply driving over it. All this for a paltry $800. This is a complete win-win situation for El Jefe Neff. Commence peer-pressuring Autoblog's Editor in Chief in the comments below. Make him do it. [Source: Craigslist ] Read | Permalink | Email this...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Driving , UK Attention all you Top Gear fans out there! While most of us will never be a big enough star to actually appear on the fabled British motor show as one of its "Stars in a reasonably priced car," the Top Gear website has added a virtual chance at fame and glory. Take a crack at the real Top Gear test track just like The Stig! Pilot your Chevy Laceti around Chicago Corner, through Hammerhead, past The Follow-Through, and blast out of Gambon for the perfect lap. Current lap record holder is Alan G. with a blistering 1:41:193. If you think that's easy to beat, know that we only managed a 2:02:011 on our first full lap. It's not as easy as it might at first appear, as the rather crude graphics belie the trickiness of the controls and course. Check out the "Time to burn?" tab on the site to see how you would match up against Simon Cowell, Hugh Grant, and the Well spoken man. Hopefully you'll be able to beat at least...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Pontiac Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT We became HUGE fans of the 2008 Pontiac G8 after having one spend a week with us in the Autoblog Garage. We could find little about which to quibble, but one element of the G8 GT model we reviewed annoyed us the most. It was the giant pair of digital gauges atop the center stack that relay to the driver those oh-so-important stats of battery charge and oil pressure. Sure, that information might be handy at some point, but certainly doesn't deserve such a prime piece of dash real estate. Motor Trend 's Edward Loh recently had lunch with GM's global rear-drive chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser, who revealed that the gauges would be gone for 2009. Loh correctly followed up by asking with what GM's thinking about replacing them. Oppenheiser would like to see a three-pack of performance-oriented analog gauges take their place, but it could become just another storage compartment...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Nissan Along with the 2009 Nissan Maxima's new styling comes new trim level designations. Apparently Nissan's classical conventions have been muddled over the years, so buyers get confused about what the GLE or SL stuck onto the trunklid means. Does it have a CVT? Leather? At least the V6 is easily discerned by the 3.5 badging. The new flavor of alphabet soup goes like this: Base is S, fitted with common options will be the SV, luxury is SL, and people who like to drive will want to keep an eye out for the SR combo; we wonder if the R will be red. [Source: Inside Line ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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