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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Saab click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Saab Turbo X Turbocharging has been as much a part of Saab's DNA for the last three decades as jets. Saab didn't invent turbocharging, but the Swedish brand has probably embraced it more completely than other carmaker. With 2008 marking the 30th birthday of the first production Saab 99 Turbo, the gang in Trollhattan decided to celebrate with their meanest and fastest iteration yet. As we close out the 2008 model year, our Swedish friends are now starting to deliver the direct descendant of that first turbo, the 9-3 Turbo X. Saab Turbos have come a long way over those three decades. The original 99 Turbo extracted 143 horsepower from its 2.0L four-cylinder engine to twist the front wheels. Most Saabs today are still powered by turbo four-cylinder engines driving those same front wheels. The Turbo X, however, adds two more cylinders and two more drive wheels. It also has nearly double the power...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Audi click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Audi RS4 My buddy Chris was beaming as his body pressed into the two-tone Recaro on the passenger side. "This thing is completely unbelievable," he said, his voice a blend of awe and disbelief. Around us, the scenery flicked by as the crisp Sunday morning air was sucked in through the open windows. The radio was on, but the volume was turned all the way down. At the moment, the only soundtrack in which we were interested was the guttural roar coming from the big oval pipes poking through the rear valance. "Chris," I replied, snicking the shifter into third, "This thing is ridiculous ." The "thing" in question is the 2008 Audi RS4, and neither of us were exaggerating. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage - 2008 Audi RS4 All photos Copyright (C)2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Audi RS4 Permalink...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Hyundai Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan. Autoblog recently spent time in Korea driving pre-production versions of the new Hyundai Genesis. This is the car that, according to Hyundai, will usher in a new era of luxury. Them's big words, and we only got a limited amount of time to figure out how true -- or not -- they were. But the main thing you need to know about the Genesis is this: unless they pull a bait and switch on the price range they mentioned, the car will be worth every penny Hyundai charges. Follow the jump t to find out why. Gallery: 2009 Hyundai Genesis V6 Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Hyundai Genesis sedan Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Acura , Driving Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Acura TSX. 2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Honda's up-market Acura division. With the unveiling of a new diesel engine and the revamp of their entire sedan lineup, Acura is attempting to reinvent itself as a credible player in the premium sedan segment. But ever since Acura's birth in 1986 as the very first premium Japanese brand, the automaker has suffered from an identity crisis. Acura has always been a mixed bag, as if Honda wasn't sure what it wanted it to be, and with a lineup that spanned the enthusiast-friendly Integra/ RSX , the rebadged Isuzu-built SLX and the competent but anonymous RL, consumers were equally confounded. After complaints that the previous generation of Acura sedans were utterly devoid of style, the automaker decided to give all of its vehicles a bold, new face for the 2009 model year. However, as anyone who has ever followed the follies...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Wagons/Estates , Saab photo: Zane Merva/ AutoInsane Expansive blue skies set the scene for a perfect spring day in New England as an enthusiastic team from Saab greeted us journalist types and eagerly showed off the Swedish brand's newest top-level sedan, the TurboX. After a quick Powerpoint chat with Saab USA GM Steve Shannon and a stroll under a TurboX that was hoisted on a lift, we were making use of the Big Dig highway improvements on our way to several hours of blissful thrashing. Federal dollars never sounded so good as we held the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 in first gear, happily snarling along in the upper reaches of the tachometer and turning the underground portions of the highway into a gigantic reverberator. Gallery: First Drive: Saab Turbo X Gallery: Official Saab Turbo X images Continue reading First Drive: Saab Turbo X Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Pontiac Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT As a tyke I staged an all-out assault on my parents' better judgment for a G.I. Joe hovercraft . Not three months had passed following their surrender when I ransomed my mischievousness for the next toy my happiness hinged upon. Oh, that hovercraft? Forgotten. The auto industry works the same way. We often convince automakers that we'll buy every cool car they'd make if they would just grow a pair and build 'em. They do their part and then... we don't. The trust is broken and we're back to buying what automakers know will sell. After much whining from performance enthusiasts, the rear-wheel-drive 2008 Pontiac G8 GT is finally here and at first glance is packing almost everything we wanted. Will GM be made to look like the pushover parent and left paying the bill for this Aussie import while customers shift their attention on to the next big thing, or will the...
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Filed under: Garage , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Toyota Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS The Toyota Corolla hasn't stirred passion since the AE86 , so it's forgivable to greet an all-new version with a yawn. The Corolla recipe has been refined to the point of grand success for so long now that changes must be approached carefully. A new version must not upset the car's combination of refinement, value, and durability. To be sure, the 2009 Corolla is likely to continue the model's grade point average full of red circles from Consumer Reports. Objectively, it's tough to top - subjectively, not so much. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage - 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS Photos Copyright (C)2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Volkswagen Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SE "I think we're gonna have to buy a Volkswagen," I told me wife just hours after signing for the keys to a 2008 Jetta 2.5 SE . I had only done about four miles in the car and, already, the near-luxury interior and throaty exhaust had won me over. But my wife was skeptical of a sedan's ability to handle the needs of our pack-rat family even if it did have 170 horses. So I drove the handsome little VW a couple of days more before turning it over to her for toddler-toting duty. I felt sure she'd see the positives of German engineering by week's end. Gallery: 2008 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 Special Editon All photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SE Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Garage , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Marketing/Advertising , Tech , Chevrolet If the Chevy Volt were a 150 mpg dairy cow, the General's marketing department would have a hand on every utter. The Volt is still more than two years from production, and the series hybrid is all over the Internet, TV, and magazines. When a vehicle promises as much as the Volt does, though, any update is big news. This time, engineers have come up with a computer algorithm to accelerate battery durability testing. The test increases battery testing from ten years to two by duplicating real-life vehicle speed and cargo-carrying conditions in a controlled environment while constantly recharging the batteries. The next step for the Volt is test mules that can put GM's e-Flex system through more unpredictable conditions like snow storms and Michigan potholes. Since the Volt's 375-pound battery pack resides down the center of the car and beneath its rear seats, GM had some unique...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Honda Click above for a high-res gallery of the Honda Civic Si sedan. We've avoided glossy-eyed retrospectives of 2007, but if you were in the market for a practical, affordable and entertaining ride in the last year, there were a handful of vehicles to be had for under $25 large. The Mazdaspeed3 , R56 MINI Cooper S and VW GTI have set the fun-to-drive quotient relatively high, but one vehicle that's been left out of the Autoblog Garage is the Honda Civic Si. While the coupe has garnered its fair share of praise, we understand that your average Joe and Jane have people and stuff to schlep; thankfully, so does Honda. So with little fanfare last year, it released the Civic Si Sedan to the masses and in the process created yet another entertaining steer for those of us unable or unwilling to break the $30,000 ceiling. Gallery: Autoblog Garage: 2008 Honda Civic Si All photos Copyright (C)2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Pontiac Click above for a high-res gallery of the Pontiac G8 First Drive. Here's a question: what builds excitement? For Pontiac, the General's erstwhile "excitement" division, the answer hails from Oz. No, it's not another attempt to rebadge a Holden Monaro with the lofty GTO moniker, it's to rebadge a Commodore with some G-flava. The Pontiac G8 has potential, both from an enthusiast perspective and as a means to remake a brand that's lost its sheen in the last few product cycles. Overall, the G8's a looker. With a purposeful stance, flared wheel arches and a nose that makes puttering Prii piss their proverbial pants, the Pontiac G8 arrives with equal parts menace and promise. But beyond outward appearances, what does this new sports sedan have to offer in a segment that's been left largely untapped (save the Dodge Charger)? That's what we're in sunny San Diego to find out. Gallery: First Drive: Pontiac...
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Filed under: Garage , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Lexus Click the image for the full LS600h L review at AutoblogGreen Sam Abuelsamid recently spent a week behind the wheel of the very expensive, very luxurious Lexus LS600h L . The über-Lexus has the V12 offerings from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW in its sights -- lofty targets, to be sure, but based on Sam's account, the big hybrid might well have a missile lock on its competition this time around. Follow the jump for a video review of Lexus' mega-cruiser, and head over to AutoblogGreen for Sam's detailed rundown. If you thought the "hybrid penalty" on mass-market hybrids like the Prius or Altima was a tough financial pill to swallow, you're going to need the Heimlich maneuver performed once you look at how the LS600h's numbers work out. Gallery: Autoblog Garage: 2008 Lexus LS600h L [Source: AutoblogGreen ] Continue reading VIDEO: AutoblogGreen reviews the Lexus LS600h L Read | Permalink...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Dodge click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Charger cop car To paraphrase the words of the immortal Elwood Blues to his recently emancipated brother, Jake; "It's got a cop motor, cop tires, cop suspension, and cop shocks." There was a time when Dodge was a major player in the field of supplying vehicles to the police agencies of America. In the early '70s, the black and white Dodge Monaco as exemplified in the Blues Brothers film was a common sight patrolling the streets of this country. As the '80s faded into the '90s, Chrysler dropped out of the cop car market as its entire lineup went front-wheel drive. Earlier this decade, rear-wheel-drive cars returned to the PentaStar range and the Ford Crown Victoria faced a new competitor in the form of the Dodge Magnum and Charger. When Autoblog asked Chrysler for a chance to spend some time behind the wheel of a Charger police special, the car-maker turned over a demo...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Lexus click above image for a high-resolution gallery of the Lexus LS460L It's tough to pity Lexus LS owners. After all, Executive-Class luxury sedans don't exactly suck. We wouldn't blame LS drivers for feeling pangs of over-inconspicuousness whenever they see a Camry, though. Understated luxury is one thing, but when you're devoting something like two years of the average worker bee's salary to a frivolity such as a luxury sedan, it'd be nice to have at least some indication to the Serfs that you're the better man. "Look at Me!" posturing is not what we have in mind. There are Lamborghinis and Excaliburs for that sort of disgusting bourgeois putrefaction. Exuding a bouquet of fine taste, class and craftsmanship shouldn't be out of the question for a car such as the LS, however. The LS 460L we drove failed to portray itself as what it aspires to be; the né plus ultra shark in the S-Class pool. Spend...
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Chevrolet , Driving click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy Malibu LT Once upon a time, General Motors' mid-sized models were the perennial top-selling passenger cars in America. Within my own lifetime, the Oldsmobile Cutlass topped the sales charts for years on end. But somewhere along the way, it all went pear-shaped for GM. Its cars went from being perpetual sales leaders into a perpetual sales decline. As GM's car sales tanked, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord picked up the slack and are now considered the standard by which others in the class are measured. The first signs of a real revival in the GM sedan lineup appeared in 2006 when the Saturn Aura debuted to decent reviews though somewhat lukewarm sales. Then, last January at the Detroit Auto Show, GM debuted two new production sedans, the Cadillac CTS and the car that just spent a week in the Autoblog Garage, the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The Malibu is here now, so let's...
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