Archive for October, 2012
Mercury Milan
Not to speak ill of the dead, but it seems that General Motors is doing just fine without Pontiac and Saturn, and it doesn’t look like Ford misses Mercury very much. In our hearts, we knew that the clock was ticking for all three of those marques, but it took the fallout of an economic catastrophe to really nail the coffins shut.
4 Cars That Are Scary to Drive
A Smart ForTwo pursues a Dodge Viper.
Smart ForTwo
It may look as cute as a trick-or-treater, but this car will give you the willies when you actually have to drive it. ForTwo needs 14.6 seconds to go from 0-60, which gives you just enough time to make out your will while merging onto the turnpike. (JK!) Actually, this car is solidly built (it has performed well in crash tests), but at 1,800-pounds it has the potential to be knocked around the highway like a pinball if whacked by an SUV. ForTwo is hard to keep composed at high speeds, and city drivers are cursed with a transmission that, according to Consumer Guide’s John Biel, “bogs down at every upshift as if it were a manual being driven by a beginner.”
2013 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition
Last year, Chevrolet and Mattel teamed up for a wild-green Camaro Hot Wheels concept car. The idea was to take a full-size Camaro and make it look like one of Mattel’s Hot Wheels toy cars. You know, the little cars you can buy on a blister card at the local MegaLoMart.
Today’s automatic transmissions don’t provide the instantaneous burst of power that is sometimes needed—at yellow lights, for instance.
It used to be referred to as “tip-in acceleration”—those instances when you press the gas pedal either partway down or to the floor while already rolling in order to gain speed. Whether it’s to beat the light that just turned yellow or slip into an opening in fast-moving traffic, it’s something you want now rather than later.
2013 Ford Police Interceptor Sedan
So, we’ve checked out the Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Caprice PPV cop cars. . . . Now we round out our series of Johnny Law walk-arounds with a look at Ford’s police car. Actually, police car and police SUV. Ford offers both a Police Interceptor Sedan (based on the Ford Taurus) and a Police Interceptor Utility (based on the Ford Explorer, which was redesigned for 2011 on a platform shared with the Taurus).
LED Is the New Chrome
Audi Q7 with LED marker lights
1936 Cord 810 . . . if designed by General Motors
One of the most beautiful automobile designs of the 20th century, the 1936-37 Cord 810/812 was penned by Gordon Buehrig, the design chief for Auburn Cord Duesenberg. This was a clean-sheet-of-paper design, meaning that Gordon didn’t have to base his design on an existing frame or body shell.
The 2014 Corvette Crossed Flags logo
A new logo was part of the deal when Chevrolet rolled out the all-new “C7” Corvette for 2014. The Logo (above) appears both new, and very familiar.
2013 Nissan Altima
Note: This report supplements Consumer Guide Automotive’s full report on the 2013 Nissan Altima, a midsize sedan that starts at $21,500.
2014 Jaguar F-Type
For Jaguar enthusiasts, the wait is over. At this fall’s Paris Motor Show, the British automaker unveiled a new 2-seat roadster. Finally.
