Archive for June, 2013
2014 Ford F-150 Tremor
Ford introduced the newest member of the ever-expanding F-150 at a recent press event held at the company’s proving grounds in Dearborn, Michigan. The 2014 F-150 Tremor is a regular-cab short-wheelbase model that packs the company’s 365-horsepower turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 “EcoBoost” engine.
Tesla Supercharger
During a press conference on June 26, 2013, at—quite appropriately—the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Tesla announced the opening of its ninth Supercharger station. Located along I-55 in Bloomington, Illinois, it’s the first one not situated on the east or west coast. The majority are in Tesla’s home state of California, with the others in Connecticut and Delaware.
The key fob of the Bentley Continental GTC Speed is heavier than conventional fobs.
The Bentley Continental GTC Speed is one of the most luxurious vehicles on the planet, and as such, it has a key to match its opulence. After all, a chintzy plastic fob would dilute the ownership experience (we’re looking at you, BMW M5).
GM’s styling mock-up of the XP-887 concept is pictured in September 1968. Two years later, it would appear in showrooms as the Chevrolet Vega.
Anybody who follows the Emmy-winning cable series Mad Men, which just concluded its sixth season, knows that the fictional ’60s advertising agency at the center of the show recently picked up a significant, but challenging, new account: a car known by its cryptic code name, XP-887. Anybody who’s a fan of postwar American cars (or anyone who follows Mad Men fan sites) knows that the XP-887 is the star-crossed Chevrolet Vega.
Best Luxury Cars for Tall Drivers
BMW 5-Series
While luxury cars tend to offer more comfortable front seats than non-premium cars do—not to mention all kinds of power adjustments—they don’t necessarily offer more room. In fact, with sleek styling that’s meant to woo well-to-do customers, headroom is often more limiting in luxo vehicles.
The new Nissan NV200 (left) joins the Ford Transit Connect (right) in the small commercial market. While their cargo areas are about the same size in terms of cubic capacity, the Nissan’s is longer but shorter in height—like the vehicle itself.
Going on sale now at select Nissan dealers, the new 2013 NV200 compact cargo van joins a growing class of vehicles that was virtually nonexistent five years ago.
Ford broke the ice with its Transit Connect, a high-roof, compact van with front-wheel drive and a gas-sipping 4-cylinder engine. It had already been a success in Europe, where high gas prices made this type of vehicle a logical choice for small businesses. But it evidently wasn’t considered viable in the U.S. until this country saw some high gas prices of its own.
Cadillac Eldorado
I don’t actually smoke cigars. As I am to high-end brown liquor, I am immune to the charms of fine tobacco. I find myself sadly confessing that in a blind “smoke test,” I would be unable to discern between an expensive Cohiba and a rolled-up grocery sack.
1966 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (photographed by David Temple)
Note: See our other nostalgic “Senior-Year Lust” articles for 1965, 1974, 1983, 1998, and 2002.
In recent months here at the old Daily Drive, you may have read my colleagues’ reminiscences of the cars that they admired in the years from which they graduated from high school. I’ve been looking forward to joining that discussion, but I’m doing it with a twist.
Best Cars for Tall Drivers
The 2014 Kia Cadenza offers 45.5 inches of maximum front legroom
Are you sick of “sardining” yourself into a bucket seat? Tired of driving with your kneecaps on the steering wheel? Fed up with banging your noggin on the headliner? If you’re over 6-feet tall and need a vehicle to accommodate your large frame, look no further. We’ve got you covered.
Are you saying you never sought out a decent-condition Checker Marathon for use as a daily driver? Well, then you may not be a car guy.
I recall Brock Yates, while still with Car and Driver, having penned a column that made me feel crummy. Apparently, according to Brock, because I’m not an especially gifted track driver, and because I can’t name every Formula One driver who ever finished a race, I am not a real “car guy.”
