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There's a trend I'm beginning to notice around the massive halls of auto shows: scattered among the sheet metal, booth babes and PR flacks, there's a hell of a lot of video games -- both your standard issue Xbox-PlayStation3 setups as well as the more elaborate simulators. Taking a look at just a few of the many examples that appeared at the New York Auto Show this past week, I think this is more than just a way of giving journalists something to do between press conferences -- it's representative of a trend. Here's our carmaker-by-carmaker breakdown of what has to be construed as either a strategy of building "appeal with the youths" -- or an attempt by the car companies to distract everyone from their impending new "Second Malaise Era" with flashing lights and loud noises. galleryPost('nyiasgaming', 9, 'New York International Auto Show Gaming'); Lexus : Lexus brought a video game setup that made me do a double-take. It wasn't...
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newVideoPlayer("Iconic_Jalopnik.flv", 494, 300,""); At a glance, the Iconic GTR looks like just another Cobra replica. But taking a closer look you realize it's the bespoke details that make it special. Shiny toggle switches, plush leather, jewel-like gauges, a roll-bar that conceals LED turn signals with a full spectrum of color adjustment; it all makes the GTR feel like a creation made for winning the Riddler Award . But don't think that it's all show and no go -- the body is all carbon-fiber with ground effects that help make over 500 pounds of downforce. Open the power-operated bonnet you'll find a F1-style front suspension and the heart of the beast, a 800 HP naturally-aspirated 6.9-liter V8. And that's not just some crate motor, it's a hand-assembled custom with a unique fuel-injection system. galleryPost('IconicGTR_Exterior', 3, 'Iconic GTR Exterior'); galleryPost('IconicGTR_Interior', 3, 'Iconic GTR Interior'...
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I was wandering around the floor of the New York auto show yesterday afternoon, trying to find a free scone. No, I was looking for automotive inspiration to break some second-day malaise. I never did find the scone, but I did stumble on the 2009 Dodge Challenger S/E up on its dais. I've been thinking of nothing else for 24 hours. The S/E isn't exactly carnival-midway material. First, it lacks the Challenger R/T's six-speed Tremec TR6060, or any other manual transmission. Second, with 250-horsepowers' worth of sad ham under its hood, the weighty S/E's zero-to-60 time is probably closer to that of a '78 Tradesman van than a 268-hp Toyota Camry SE. Can you imagine a greater humiliation than being dispatched by a middle-aged suburban bank branch manager late for her 11:15? I can, but it would involve farm animals, Irish whiskey and glossy photos. Despite all of that - and it's quite a lot to spite -- the Challenger S/E has remained foremost in my thoughts. My obsession...
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newVideoPlayer("Pontiac_Excitement_gawker.flv", 463, 387,""); I'm writing this from the back seat of the Pontiac G8 GT . That's a midlevel-performance version of the sedan GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz asserts will return to Pontiac its long-absent dignity. Judging from the comfortable back seats and legroom, not to mention the reportedly solid platform, potent V8 and tight packaging, there's little doubt it will. That's because the G8 GT (along with its LS3-powered sibling, GXP ) is the first truly exciting car Pontiac's introduced in years, ironically arriving well after the company abandoned a borderline-fraudulent advertising claim of excitement creation. Lutz acknowledged the hubristic inaccuracy of the brand's old motto, "We Build Excitement," on stage at the New York auto show this week, evoking as evidence the defunct four-cylinder Grand Am, which, even in its malaise-era context, was slightly less exciting to operate than a lawn...
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You already saw the official live reveal of the new 2009 TSX , and as I told you earlier, there'd be more coming tonight. The "more" is I've already had the chance to drive the 2009 Acura TSX , but we'll get to that tomorrow at our regularly scheduled noon review time. First, let's take a moment to talk about the whole business of writing an entertaining review about a car. A vehicle on the extremes of terrible and amazing is much easier to write about than reviewing a car sitting smack-dab in the squishy vanilla middle between dull and duller. Given the adjectives available for both ends of the spectrum are so much more appealing, it's no wonder this is the case -- think epic, brilliant, orgasmic and their diametric opposites of appalling, disgusting and vomit-inducing. When emotion drives your verbiage it usually means you've driven either an amazing car or a complete pile of horse excrement. When it's none of the above, it's hard to get the same...
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Despite the news of the eminent demise of the Ford Taurus X , we're now not as concerned because we just got our first ride in the 2009 Ford Flex . A very hip Ford rep dropped by our extremely touristgasmic digs near Times Square to give us a ride over to dinner and get a little free press for Ford's new hauler. Despite a couple of syntax errors with the next-gen GPS system, which worked fine after we used the correct name of the city, the slab sided super wagon was off to the races a slow crawl through the streets of Gotham. galleryPost('09fordflexride', 9, 'Ford Flex in Driving Miss Jalopnik'); Even though we were a little bit lukewarm over the design when we first saw the production version, on the streets the Flex actually looks pretty cool. Since we were being treated to a ride 'chauffeur style', the back seats are our area of expertise. The seats are firm and they travel on tracks so you can go all the way from huge legroom in the middle row and a reasonable...
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newVideoPlayer("G8STdrivinginstudio.flv", 484, 280,""); What's that? You're wondering if the production version of the newly-revealed Pontiac G8 El Camino is functional? Well here's the proof: exclusive, raw, uncut video of the G8 sport truck in action from our exclusive, raw, uncut photo shoot with the new ute. We suggested they do a nice smoky burnout for the photo shoot, but seeing as they'd literally just attached the hood to the production prototype for the first time mere hours ago, they were having none of that. Maybe they're saving the rubber for doing donuts on the New York Auto Show floor? Our guess is probably not, but it sure is nice seeing a prototype that isn't being pushed around by men in white gloves. Just listen to that 6.0-liter V8 purr.
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newVideoPlayer("G8pontiacST.flv", 494, 280,""); var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/It_s_official_the_El_Camino_is_back'; A few weeks ago we, along with our friends at PickupTruck.com , were given exclusive access to a vehicle whose return we've been anticipating for what seems like forever. Today our prayers to the General have been answered -- the El Camino is back! In January we reported this re-bodied Holden Ute would be called the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST , and like a Phoenix rising screamin' from the ashes of a bygone era of car-platformed trucks, this new heir to the truck-car throne would emerge from the over-built and over-spec'd world of modern haulers. Just like the Phoenix, this business-up-front and party-in-the-back sport truck looks a little younger, a little more refreshed and has a bit more hawkish figure, but don't be fooled by the disguise. If we play our cards right, it may end up retaining the legendary king of truck-car names...
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