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The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. Why you should buy the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 : You never got enough oversteer from your big wheel as a kid. Your father taught you big motors and tire smoke are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The first passage in your bible reads "In the beginning, God created the Hemi and the Earth." You think global warming is not only a crock of crap, but a communist plot against all that is good and pure. You run a drag strip for orphans. You own stock in ExxonMobil. Why you shouldn't buy this car: The rumble of a proper American V8 annoys you. The soft whoosh your Birkenstocks bring when pressed against the pedal of your hybrid makes you put down your wheatgrass smoothie and smile. You think a Japanese crossover is the most responsible automotive investment you can make. You care about depreciation. You are Ed Begley Jr. galleryPost('2008ChargerSRT8ReviewDeet', 6, '2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 - Details'...
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The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. Exterior Design: **** Let's not mince words here: The 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 is the kid that took your sister out to a party and she came back with frazzled hair, disheveled clothes, and smeared makeup. It's a badass car and it looks it. In sedate colors it blends in like a roughneck in a polo, but when properly quaffed, it gets a solid nod as the obvious troublemaker. Something is brewing behind those headlights, and we all know it starts with a capital 'T'. Interior Design: ** Like Wert said said so eloquently in his review of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 , "the exterior was crafted with pound upon pound of love and care; the interior feels like the ginger-headed stepchild of the design process." As Challenger goes, so goes Charger. Where the exterior is tough and purposeful, the interior is disjointed and nonsensical. A car like this should be a purpose-built missile of power and fury, not...
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The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. While Wert spent last week behind the wheel of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 , I had the muscle car's big, boorish bear of a brother, the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 . While the two cars may come off the same production lines, I'm finding myself using a different set of adjectives than the petals of flowery prose Wert scattered in front of the Challenger's tires. The Charger SRT8 is pitifully crude, boorish and obnoxious. As far as high performance goes, it's a complete piece of shit. But it's the most badass, tire-spinning, smoke-billowingly fun piece of shit we've ever driven. galleryPost('2008ChargerSRT8Review1', 6, '2008 Dodge Charger SRT8'); Where to begin? Well, for starters, you can completely disregard Wert's original review of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 . That's right, set his overly verbose love-screed aside because the Charger SRT8 is, above all, about testosterone...
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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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The 2008 BMW M3 puts the world around it in fast forward. No, this isn't some function hidden deep within the still befuddling iDrive or a secret performance setting achieved by hitting B, A, B, A, Select, Start; just an inherent ability to twist the world over its power dome and past its windscreen at a nearly impossible speed. Neither is this the kind of garden-variety performance achieved by the average big engine, small car formula. Remember how cheesy '80s action shows would speed up the tape during chase scenes? The resultant mix of unbelievably flat cornering and inexplicably rapid oncoming traffic just ended up being unbelievable and inexplicable. But not in this new M3. galleryPost('m3review1', 6, '2008 BMW M3'); This thought first occurs as I'm shifting from third to fourth on the same wet, windy and narrow road in the Catskills that had the Jaguar XKR tying itself in knots. Burying the throttle well into six figures that thought comes just after I...
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Why you should buy this car: You go to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo every year, not for the filet mignon chili or Brooks & Dunn, but rather for the actual livestock. On your weekly checklist is the item "pick up feed." There's a long, broken road out to your property and your kids won't roll without Spongebob. You're an energy trader. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You skipped the Rodeo for an Arcade Fire concert. You don't have $60,000. On your weekly checklist is the item "pick up yoga mat." There's a narrow road that leads to your studio apartment and you've got to parallel park on it. You're a community organizer for the Sierra Club. galleryPost('FordF350daythree', 9, 'Ford F-350 SuperDuty Interior'); galleryPost('FordF350DayOne', 9, 'Ford F-350 SuperDuty Exterior'); galleryPost('Fordf350two', 9, 'Ford F-350 SuperDuty Exterior Details'); Suitability Parameters: Speed Merchants...
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Exterior Design:** Whereas the previous generation had a distinct and attractive profile and front fascia, the current version is merely distinct. There are those that love it and those that hate it, but I think most people look at it as a Tonka Truck. However, if we gave points based on badge size the F-350 would get 4,000 stars. Interior Design:**** The inside of this particular model wasn't a bad place to be for the lengthy trips around Houston. Roomy? Oh yes. There leather seats are comfortable and the dash is well designed, with everything in the right place. Yet it still looks like a truck on the inside. While not as nice as the new Platinum Edition F-150 or Laramie Dodge Ram, it's still luxurious for a work truck. galleryPost('Fordf350two', 9, 'Ford F-350 SuperDuty Exterior Details'); Acceleration:** Even though the 6.4-liter turbo diesel engine manages 350 HP and 650 lb/ft of torque, it's still only good for a 9.6-second jaunt to 60 mph. But what would...
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The big, red 2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty makes me think of a Terry Allen song called "Amarillo Highway." It features the line: I don't wear no Stetson, but I'm willing to bet son / that I'm as big a Texan as you are. When people find out where I'm from, they often say, "You don't sound like you're from Texas." I correct them by pointing out that I'm from Texas, not a cartoon about Texas. But, driving this big honkin F-350 around the Lone Star State, there wasn't any confusion. galleryPost('FordF350DayOne', 9, 'Ford F-350 SuperDuty Exterior'); Whereas this large, bright monster of a vehicle would have stood out in my current residence of Chicago, there's not much novelty to the F-350 SuperDuty in Texas, where the back row at most restaurants and shopping centers is unofficially reserved for vehicles that are too long to fit into a regular space. At more than 20 feet long, the Ford wasn't short on kin at the mall. Though...
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Why you should buy this car: Money doesn't grow on trees, you can only live in mom's basement for so long and you live in fear of $5/gallon gas. Why you should not buy this car: You care about acceleration, handling and looking cool. galleryPost('2008ChevyAveoSedanExt1', 4, '2008 Chevy Aveo - Exterior'); Suitability Parameters: Speed Merchants: No Fashion Victims: No Treehuggers: Yes Mack Daddies: No Tuner Crowd: No Hairdressers: Yes Penny Pinchers: Yes Euro Snobs: No Working Stiffs: No Technogeeks: No Poseurs: No Soccer Moms: No Nascar Dads: No Golfing Grandparents: No Also Consider: • Kia Rio • Honda Fit • Hyundai Accent • Nissan Versa • Scion xD • Toyota Yaris Vitals: • Manufacturer: Chevrolet • Model tested: Aveo LT • Model year: 2008 • Base Price: $14,365 • Price as Tested: $16,965 • Engine type: 1.6-liter I4 DOHC • Horsepower: 103 hp @ 5,800 rpm • Torque: 107 lb.-ft. @ 3,600 rpm • Red line: 6,500 rpm • Transmission: 4-speed automatic • Curb Weight: 2,542 lbs...
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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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Why you should buy this car: You love the Sync system more than you love driving. Why you should not buy this car: You love driving more than you love the Sync system. Suitability Parameters: · Speed Merchants: No · Fashion Victims: Yes · Treehuggers: Yes · Mack Daddies: No · Tuner Crowd: Yes · Hairdressers: Yes · Penny Pinchers: No · Euro Snobs: No · Working Stiffs: No · Technogeeks: Yes · Poseurs: No · Soccer Moms: No · Nascar Dads: No · Golfing Grandparents: No Also Consider: · Toyota Corolla · Honda Civic · Nissan Sentra · Dodge Caliber · Mazda3 Vitals: · Manufacturer: Ford · Model tested: Focus SES Coupe · Model year: 2008 · Base Price: $16,075 · Price as Tested: $19,710 · Engine type: 2.0-liter I-4 DOHC · Horsepower: 140 hp @ 6000 rpm · Torque: 136 lb.-ft. @ 4250 rpm · Redline: 6500 · Transmission: 5-speed manual · Curb Weight: 2755 pounds · LxWxH: 175 X 78.4 X 58.6 · Wheelbase: 102.9 inches · Tires: P205/50R16 87H all season · Drive type: Front-Wheel Drive · 0 - 60 mph: 8.4 Seconds...
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