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While exterior styling grabs all the new and concept car headlines, it’s the interiors that have the most potential to alter the way we experience our automobiles. Far from the squeaky, rattly, ill-fitting monuments to black plastic that are present on nearly every car at nearly every price range, show car interiors explore both new materials and new forms, as well as new ways for drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicles. Here are 14 of the 2008 Paris Motor show’s best dashboards and the ways in which we think they’ll influence those on their road-going counterparts. galleryPost('parisdashboards', 6, 'The Dashboards of Paris'); 1. Saab 9X Air Where every road-going Saab’s dash looks like it was designed in 1994 (which all of them actually were) the 9X Air ditches the claustrophobic clutter for white simplicity and green holographic instruments. Note how even the steering wheel center is simplified into a subtly attractive form free from an excessive smattering...
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While exterior styling grabs all the new and concept car headlines, it’s the interiors that have the most potential to alter the way we experience our automobiles. Far from the squeaky, rattly, ill-fitting monuments to black plastic that are present on nearly every car at nearly every price range, show car interiors explore both new materials and new forms, as well as new ways for drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicles. Here are 14 of the 2008 Paris Motor show’s best dashboards and the ways in which we think they’ll influence those on their road-going counterparts. galleryPost('parisdashboards', 6, 'The Dashboards of Paris'); 1. Saab 9X Air Where every road-going Saab’s dash looks like it was designed in 1994 (which all of them actually were) the 9X Air ditches the claustrophobic clutter for white simplicity and green holographic instruments. Note how even the steering wheel center is simplified into a subtly attractive form free from an excessive smattering...
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Exterior Design:** In places the 2008 Honda Accord Coupe is woefully bland, in others awkwardly edgy. And what's with the rubber strip running across the hood? Having said that, it packs space for five and their luggage into a reasonably svelte shape, we suppose that's something. Interior Design:** As seen here in EX-L trim it's possitvly posh. The problem is, the grayish plastic and cornicopia of buttions clash with the nice leather. Too much that you touch is cheap plastic, while what you look at is awkwardly unintuitive. The Sat/Nav screen resides several inches behind a piece of prehensile plastic and can't be viewed anytime the sun is above the horizon. The high waist-line makes for huge blind spots. galleryPost('accordreview2', 6, '2008 Honda Accord Exterior Details'); Acceleration:**** The 268bhp V6 does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. That's ridiculously fast for a practical, mid-size car. 15 years ago this would have outrun most Porsches. We just wish it...
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The 2008 Honda Accord Coupe isn't immune to road rage. Driving back to Brooklyn on the LIE, scrunched forward on the steering wheel with a back seat full of reasonably-priced, but well-designed Ikea flat pack behind, I'm minding my own business in the middle lane, overtaking the law-abiders on the right but not the flouters on the left when suddenly the Accord's rear view mirror is filled with a chrome Isuzu badge. Not content with making the same progress as everyone else, the Forward Cab driver has settled on intimidating those before him in order to ensure he arrives back at whichever depressing industrial estate he's destined for at least 30 seconds earlier than he would have otherwise. galleryPost('accordreviewone', 6, '2008 Honda Accord Coupe'); Sebastian, the semi-pro mixed martial artist rolling gently for and aft next to me, holding a stack of galvanized steel planters in his lap as his seat's latches fail to find purchase on the rails, looks...
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Why you should buy this car: You like power, speed and reliability all wrapped up in a compact, five-seat package. You accept no imitations. You like driving. You loved your Porsche 911, but need room for baby seats. You don't need to brag. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You're likely to ask "What do you mean it doesn't come in 'P***Y Magnet' Yellow?" You think girls are impressed by the size of your wing. You think the internal combustion engine is evil and loathe it in all of its forms, but especially the finest. You're a believer in that whole 'Speed Kills' thing. galleryPost('m3review3', 6, '2008 BMW M3 Interior Details'); galleryPost('m3review1', 6, '2008 BMW M3'); galleryPost('m3review2', 6, '2008 BMW M3 Exterior Details'); Suitability Parameters: Speed Merchants: Yes Fashion Victims: No Treehuggers: No Mack Daddies: Yes Tuner Crowd: Yes Hairdressers: No Penny Pinchers: No Euro Snobs: Yes...
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Exterior Design: *** The 2008 BMW M3 sedan , depending on whom you ask, is either ugly or boring. We think it's a bit of both. But, packing supercar performance into a compact package that won't turn heads is definitely a positive thing. If anything, the M3 isn't subtle enough, we'd take ours — and boy how we'd take one — sans bumps and bulges. We'll add a star for any buyer savvy enough to order theirs with the badge delete option checked. Interior Design: **** One part subtle mixed with one part tacky, the 2008 is classic M3. Any car that combines classic BMW-type faces and design language with both red and blue stitching is a winner in our book. We'd specify either black or white for the leather, but the as-tested red is certainly, umm, eye catching. As with any BMW, the controls are precisely where your hands or feet expect to find them, making this interior work better than it looks. galleryPost('m3review2', 6, '2008 BMW M3 Exterior...
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Exterior Design: ** Call it the anti-Scion, with the Aveo trading avant-garde fashion for mature, predictable styling cues. Of course, that also means it trades the "I'm on my way to a rave" hipster-mobile image for the "I'm on my way to a mediocre job" commuter-mobile image. It's wholly unoffensive, and equally uninspiring. galleryPost('2008ChevyAveoSedanExt2', 4, '2008 Chevy Aveo - Exterior'); Interior Design: **** The material quality and finish in the Aveo are excellent for a car in this class. In terms of style our tester might have been a tad over the top. There are at least six types of plastic: black, tan, fake wood, brushed aluminum and chrome. We haven't seen one in person, but opting for the charcoal interior that does away with the wood for more faux-metal will likely lower your perceived age by some 20 years. galleryPost('2008ChevyAveoSedanInt1', 4, '2008 Chevy Aveo - Interior'); Acceleration: ** Racing with...
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[ In many ways Jalopnik is like a fraternity and as one of our newest members of the fraternal order also happens to be our youngest, we're hazing giving our college-enrolled "new guy" a task to complete before he graduates that's as simple as A-to-Z. Or to spell it out -- 26 auto reviews corresponding in alphabetical order, and upon completion, we'll allow him to "graduate." Follow along at our special Tingwall tag as he goes from Aveo to Z06 and from auto journalist childhood to manhood. --Ed. ] It's too easy to think of Chevrolet's Aveo subcompact as a toy. The diminutive size, stubby front end and a price that suggests you can buy one at Wal-Mart will leave almost all auto enthusiasts with few expectations. Get behind the wheel of an Aveo, and you can quickly confirm some of the most common stereotypes: things can get a bit crowded and it's as far away from fast as my East Lansing, MI apartment is from the birthplace of this re-badged Daewoo...
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The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt edition doesn't have quad camshafts or forty-eight valves in the cylinder heads. There is no turbocharger under the hood. The Mustang doesn't pack an eight speed twin-clutch super sequential transmission. The Mustang needs not even one of these things to be exactly what it is - a purely American machine that's a blast to drive. galleryPost('bullitt08sf', 8, '2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt Drive'); Driving the latest iteration of the Bullitt was a great deal like driving the '67 Barracuda I pummeled for years around the bay area, except nicer and with a five-speed in place of the fusty old Torqueflite. Much nicer. The windows didn't whistle. It had AC. The interior didn't smell like horsehair furniture from ye olden days museum. We didn't even get lost thanks to onboard nav. The exhaust was legally more subdued, but still kicked out a great soundtrack. This music was so good that we didn't even turn on the radio or...
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If Ford's "Hi, I'm Dave" design language has created a Gillette-like lineup of Ford products, then the new 2008 Ford Focus is the most disposable of the family. From the tip of the dual-bar chrome grille, along a set of faux side vents all the way to the high rear end and large badge letters spelling its name, the formerly plain and simple Focus has adopted an unspeakable tawdriness. Maybe that was why I spent my three days with the Focus largely in the driver's seat. Not that it's a bad place to be. The thrifty Ford now bristles with enough new features and toys to distract from its looks. Then, for a moment or two, you start to wonder if there might be more to the story here. galleryPost('2008FordFocusCoupeExt', 8, '2008 Ford Focus Coupe - Exterior'); galleryPost('2008FordFocusCoupeInt', 8, '2008 Ford Focus Coupe - Interior'); Many of Ford's changes for 2008 target driving comfort and feel. Engineers talk up work they've done reducing NVH -- noise, vibration and harshness on the Focus...
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Those of you following closely may have noticed Ray is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with the Audi R8 . We can't be sure, but this could be the first sign of a developing mental illness. It could be R8itis, or Ray Wert's Disease, as we're sure it's soon to...
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