Automotive News Blog at CARandDRIVER.com - Car News Resource

GM's Lutz May Not Retire Just Yet

2009-07-09T20:57:00.004-04:00

The Detroit News is reporting that GM's vice chairman and senior advisor Bob Lutz will not be taking his previously announced retirement at the end of the year. He will instead stay on with the just-emerging-from-bankruptcy GM in a new role. Sources close to Lutz tell Automotive News that he may head global marketing and communications for the company.

We expect the announcement (renouncement?) to come as part of GM's press conference tomorrow morning at 9 am ET. Stay tuned.

Read more about Bob Lutz from when we thought he was retiring (again): Bob Lutz to Retire from GM at Year’s End - Car News

Car and Driver Blog Has Moved, Beta Website Launched

2009-07-09T15:31:00.005-04:00

You can still count on us for timely news, reviews, road tests, videos, and photos. Check out our new-and-improved blog by going to http://blog.caranddriver.com/.

As part of ongoing efforts to better serve our readers, we'd like to invite you to preview the new design for the CARandDRIVER.com website. This first phase of our redesign focuses on simplified navigation, a new blog, and a retooled Buyer's Guide with complete vehicle pricing and specifications.

For a very limited time, you can check out portions of the new CARandDRIVER.com site in Beta form at http://beta.caranddriver.com. We value your feedback; email us at caranddriver@hfnm.com and tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what you'd like to see in the future.

There's much more to come including new tools, more vehicle data, and easy-to-use applications. Our goal is to provide the most useful, independent, and high-spirited automotive journalism with a best-in-class visitor experience. Let us know how we're doing.

Check out the links below:

CARandDRIVER.com Beta website:

http://beta.caranddriver.com

The new Car and Driver blog:

http://blog.caranddriver.com

The new Car and Driver Buyer’s Guide:

http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com

Send us feedback at caranddriver@hfnm.com.

Up Close with the BMW 5-series Gran Turismo

2009-07-09T13:00:00.005-04:00

BY MICHAEL AUSTIN

BMW recently gave us, and a few other journalists, a chance to poke around the upcoming 5-series Gran Turismo during a visit to its Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant. In person the Gran Turismo looks far less silly than the official photographs suggest, and it even looks good from the front. The best part of our walk-around was seeing all the configurations of the rear seats and trunk. The second row comes in either a three-seat bench that manually slides fore and aft or a powered, two-seat configuration. With the back seats all the way forward, leg room is equal to the 5-series at a snug 2.87 inches. Maximum leg room is 6.65 inches, which is right in between that of the 750i (4.08 in) and the 750Li (9.37 in). Sitting in the back was plenty comfortable for me (I’m of average height) but one of the taller people in the crowd said the headroom was tight.

BMW is trying really hard to avoid any hatchback stigma with the GT, and so the cargo area can work as a regular trunk. There’s even a hard partition behind the rear seats. With the wall latched down and the horizontal cargo cover in place, the minimum cargo space is 15.5 cubic feet. You can also pop the release for the dividing wall so it presses right up against the rear seats, and with the second row all the way forward cargo space increases to 20.8 cubes. With everything folded down (the cargo cover stores under the trunk floor) the Gran Turismo has 60.0 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats.

Like many other automotive journalists, I have a soft spot in my heart for the wagon. Sadly, most of the car-buying public doesn’t share our enthusiasm for car-like performance and fuel economy with SUV versatility. BMW is gambling that shoppers see the Gran Turismo as a new type of vehicle. Personally, I hope it works if for no other reason than to reward BMW for taking a chance, which could inspire more automakers to try out something new for a change.

Read more about the 5-series GT: 2010 BMW 5-series Gran Turismo - Official Photos and Info

Crazy Rally Buggy with BMW Diesel Six-Cylinder

2009-07-09T10:19:00.013-04:00

We don't really trust design by committee—Pontiac Aztek, anyone?—but when it results in a sweet diesel-powered off-road beast, we're willing to look the other way.

Aimed at desert racers, the Local Motors Rally Fighter is a 3100-lb off-road vehicle that seats four. A BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine makes 265 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque, and is claimed to return 30 mpg even while blasting through the off-road environments it aims to save with its efficiency. The manually-adjustable, dual-ride-height suspension allows for 18 inches of suspension travel—a necessity for surviving jumps while tearing it up in the desert—while still offering a tolerable setting for on-road city driving.

Local Motors uses a unique product-development process it calls "community design." According to the company, a 3000-member online community is involved in each step of development of Local Motors vehicles, discussing and voting on aspects such as exterior and interior styling and powertrains. The result is a specialty vehicle that has been developed by thousands of engineers, designers, and enthusiasts. Production will be limited to 3000 vehicles, although we think selling that many might be tough, as this is an incredibly specialized vehicle.

Local Motors will manufacture its vehicles in one of the many regional "micro-factories" that it plans to set up based on demand for specific models. (The Rally Fighter will be produced in Phoenix.) These small-volume manufacturing centers also will act as dealerships, offering service as well as sales.

Reservations for the Rally Fighter can be made starting July 15. Final pricing is expected to be around $50,000, with production scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2010.

Read about our latest off-road desert adventure: Wide Open Baja Adventure - Feature

Three-door Cayman Mule Spotted, Possible 928 Successor?

2009-07-09T10:06:00.007-04:00

The boys over at TopGear.com have received video of what appears to be some sort of Porsche Cayman test mule with a Panamera-esque roof slapped on it. The elongated three-door hatchback has many speculating about a new “shooting brake” iteration of the Cayman—we think it's more likely a mule for the long-rumored coupe version of the Panamera, the next Porsche 928. If it's real, that is.

We’re a bit skeptical about the location of the car and the lack of Porsche personnel around it, as well as the fact that only one of these beasts has been spotted. It also strikes us as odd that the only evidence comes in the form of an ultra-short video (the kids are doing crazy things with their computer machines these days). But if this is indeed Porsche’s doing, you can bet more sightings will follow.

Kia and Hyundai Still Bullish on Fuel Cells

2009-07-09T09:52:00.005-04:00

BY DAVE VANDERWERP

In recent years, the wave of fuel-cell claims has been displaced by most automakers now diving headlong into battery-powered electric vehicles or electrics with a small gasoline engine as backup propulsion. Those automakers—GM, Nissan, Ford, Chrysler—continue to work on fuel cells but see them as a far-off possibility.

Not Kia. While visiting the modern and impressive Hyundai-Kia Eco-Technology Reasearch Instititute, near Yong-In City, South Korea, we're assured that Kia is pushing full speed ahead on fuel cells inside the 153,000-square-foot facility and sees them becoming a mass-produced reality in the next decade. Specifically it expects a small number of vehicles in customers' hands in 2012 but, by towards the end of that decade, it expects to sell hundreds of thousands of fuel-cell vehicles.

That's a tall order despite Kia's claims that it's shrunk the size of the fuel cell in half, while doubling it's output. We took a Borrego SUV equipped with a 154-hp fuel cell for a quick putz around the parking lot: it's quiet and well-integrated, but the small horsepower figure does leave it fairly sluggish.

Perhaps the company has a better chance of success in its home country. As Kia points out, nearly half of South Korea's population lives in the greater Seoul area, which means it needs far fewer hydrogen refuling sources (Kia says about 120) to serve a future, fuel-cell-infused vehicle fleet

Read more about hydrogen fueling and the necessary infrastructure: Pump It Up: We Refuel a Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle - Feature

2010 Jaguar XJ - Official Photos Leaked

2009-07-08T15:40:00.004-04:00

At last, a Jaguar XJ that doesn’t resemble the one that came before. And before. And before.

We can’t show you the whole car just yet, but three leaked images of the all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ have appeared elsewhere on the web ahead of the car’s official unveiling, which will take place tomorrow (Thursday, July 9) in London. With styling that represents a vast departure from the traditional XJ look—and not a moment too soon, we think—this new car should stand a better chance of stealing sales from the BMW, Mercedes, and Audi heavyweights. Of course, rich folks might be as horrified as we are at the appalling black appliqués on the C-pillars, which apparently are meant to make the rear window look wider.

Keep Reading: 2010 Jaguar XJ - Official Photos Leaked

Lexus to Produce IS F Convertible; SC to Get Softtop Successor - Car News

2009-07-08T15:20:00.003-04:00

Toyota’s luxury arm rounds out its roundel-sniping lineup.

BY JENS MEINERS

On the heels of Lexus’s freshly launched IS C convertible, inside sources have told us that an IS F version is in the works for a launch in early 2011.

While the retractable hardtop IS convertible is comfortable, luxurious, and a good value against its German competition, it isn’t the most thrilling drive. Toting around some 400 pounds more than the sedan on which it’s based, the entry-level IS250C’s 2.5-liter V-6 has to be revved hard to achieve anything resembling quickness. The IS350C offers a decent amount of gusto, but in a segment populated by high-performance convertibles from BMW, Audi, and others, even that higher-spec IS droptop lags behind in terms of driving enjoyment.

Keep Reading: Lexus to Produce IS F Convertible; SC to Get Softtop Successor - Car News

BMW May Not Offer Next-Gen 5-Series Wagon in U.S.

2009-07-08T12:59:00.004-04:00

We’ve received word that BMW is on the fence as to whether or not it will bring the next-generation 5-series Sports Wagon to the U.S. While the wagon lover in us weeps at the thought of losing one more five-door to American apathy regarding the body style, the cold, hard numbers seem to support such a decision: year-to-date sales of the 5er wagon—which is only available in all-wheel-drive 535xi trim—total a paltry 395 through June. The 5 wagon hit its sales peak way back in 2005, with 2351 units sold.

With the new 5-series Gran Turismo coming to market this November—BMW hopes to sell 4000 GTs per year in the U.S.; the company expects the model to make up 10 to 20 percent of 5-series sales—BMW feels the wagon is expendable. Certain staffers are literally running to BMW of Ann Arbor to snap up what potentially are the final 5-series wagons to be sold in America.

Read More About the 5-series Gran Turismo: 2010 BMW 5-series Gran Turismo - Official Photos and Info

2010 BMW X6 M - Short Take Road Test

2009-07-07T20:03:00.003-04:00

The quickest production SUV we’ve ever tested. Plus, it can dance.

BY MICHAEL AUSTIN

There are plenty of people, including us, who wonder why BMW is building an M version of the X6. The answer seems to parallel the punchline of the joke about a canine licking himself: “because it can.” Also, everybody else is making a high-performance SUV. The Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, Porsche Cayenne, Infiniti FX50, and Range Rover Sport are all evidence that more than a few people want an SUV with a sporty on-road demeanor. This being BMW, the X6 M and its mechanically identical sibling, the X5 M, aim straight for the top of the muscle-SUV mountain—it’s no coincidence that the two Bimmers’ 555-hp output bests that of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S by 5 ponies. And just to throw more mud in Porsche’s eye, the X6 M base price of $89,725 undercuts the top Cayenne by $34,690.

The highlight of the X6 M is the engine with its trick exhaust manifold. Based on the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 found in the X6 xDrive50i and 7-series, the M engine gets two twin-scroll Honeywell turbochargers fed by a newly patented exhaust manifold. The manifold’s tangle of piping in the valley of the V-8 routes to each scroll the exhaust from two specific cylinders. The two cylinders are 360 degrees apart in firing order, ensuring that the exhaust pulses spinning the turbos are smooth. The result is almost no turbo lag.

Keep Reading: 2010 BMW X6 M - Short Take Road Test

BMW X5 M and X6 Dynamic Performance Control Perks up Handling - Tech Dept.

2009-07-07T17:29:00.004-04:00

Tech 101: BMW's new wheel torque-vectoring differential.

BMW’s “Dynamic Performance Control” torque-vectoring system can be summed up in two words:radindividuelle momentenverteilung. Got it?

“Wheel torque vectoring” is about giving 5000-pound SUVs—the new BMW X5 M and X6—some of the agile vibe of other Ultimate Driving Machines.

Cars behave not unlike canoes, which turn more sharply if you drag an oar on one side or pull harder on the other. With a car, the stability control sapplies drag, or brake force, to individual wheels to veer the car away from disaster. With torque vectoring, however, the computer “paddles” harder on one side to help steer. How?

Keep Reading: BMW X5 M and X6 Dynamic Performance Control Perks up Handling - Tech Dept.

Tire Test: Michelin PS2 vs. Nine Less-Expensive Summer Tires - Comparison Test

2009-07-07T17:10:00.005-04:00

The unusual suspects: Could any of these nine affordable summer tires have possibly knocked off the expensive Michelin PS2?

BY DAVE VANDERWERP

When in doubt, it seems, add adjectives. Just as the EPA tacked on “ultra” and then “super” in creating ever-more-stringent-sounding categories for its low-emissions vehicle ratings, the tire business is continuously inventing variations of its high-performance segment. There are nowfive categories of street tires designated exclusively for summer driving—grand touring; and high, ultra-high, maximum, and extreme performance. This category list is arranged in increasing dry-road capability, and those capabilities tend to produce trade-offs on tire wear, noise, wet performance, or all of the above. It makes our noggins ache trying to grasp how it is possible for a category to better “maximum,” and don’t say we didn’t warn you if there soon appears a “colossal” or, even better, an “extreme super colossal” performance category.

Summer tires are one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase a car’s performance. When shopping for them, we usually consider those in the top three performance categories, so that’s what we did for this test, with one catch—we set a price limit of $140 each in a 225/45R-17 size. Naturally, the goal was to see which of the nine tire models gathered here is best at chomping the pavement and generating quick lap times.

At the time of this test, Michelin, Goodyear, and Toyo didn’t have any tires that qualified for our criteria, so we turned to their subsidiaries—BFGoodrich, Dunlop, and Nitto, respectively—as well as low-price specialists such as Hankook, Kumho, and Falken. This also marks the debut of a Chinese brand in a C/D tire test. While more than 10 percent of tires sold in the U.S. are now manufactured in China by well-known companies, Chinese brands themselves are just starting to have a presence. Steady growth seems likely, however, considering the cut-rate prices: The Ling Long L688s cost just $57 each.

Keep Reading: Tire Test: Michelin PS2 vs. Nine Less-Expensive Summer Tires - Comparison Test

New Grand Bentley to be Unveiled at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

2009-07-07T16:30:00.004-04:00

We've been given one more teaser image of Bentley's Arnage replacement to tide us over until the model's debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 16. That's also the place where we'll learn the name of the new flagship sedan.

For more on what we know about the next Bentley, click here: Bentley’s Best Yet to Come? - Auto Show

2010 Volvo XC60 R-Design Announced

2009-07-07T13:58:00.009-04:00

Set to debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volvo has released official photos and information on its 2010 XC60 R-Design today. The R-Design model features a stiffened chassis and a new, quicker steering rack compared to the standard XC60. Aesthetic modifications include the grille, foglight surround, and exterior mirrors in metallic finish, standard 18-inch wheels (20-inch wheels are optional), chrome dual tailpipes, color-matched lower body moldings with faux aluminum door sills, and a chrome-plated rear skidplate with black mesh insert. The R-Design XC60 will be available in six standard colors, as well as Passion Red, which is exclusive to this model. Inside, you'll find more supportive sport seats, an R-Design steering wheel, aluminum pedals, exclusive leather upholstery, and a unique instrument cluster with blue gauges.

Volvo launched R-Design in 2007, attempting to appeal to younger car buyers. The XC60 R-Design will join the C30, S40, V50, S80, V70, and XC90 R-Design models when it is released for the 2010 model year.

Read our First Drive Review of the XC60: 2010 Volvo XC60 - First Drive Review

Read our Comparison Test including the 2010 Volvo XC60: New Arrivals for Summer

The Future of Cadillac - Car News

2009-07-07T13:48:00.004-04:00

In the wake of GM restructuring, Cadillac prepares a true 3-series competitor, a downsized Escalade, and the Lexus ES–fighting XTS sedan.

BY JENS MEINERS

As a more aggressive, streamlined company emerges from the ashes of General Motors, the fallen giant’s four remaining brands are adjusting strategies for their next generation of vehicles. The primary challenge is to comply with forthcoming stringent emissions and fuel-economy standards while still continuing to rebuild and define the brands’ images. This of course includes Cadillac, whose resurrection as an internationally respected, desirable luxury brand may be GM’s most remarkable recent achievement.

XTS Will Not Replace DTS—It Will Fight the Lexus ES

If everything goes to plan, Cadillac’s future sedan lineup could look more conventional, as the brand has stated its desire to avoid “tweener” cars such as the current CTS, which competes with both the BMW 3-series and 5-series. The new sedan strategy would encompass the following models: a full-size flagship to replace both the STS and DTS; an all-new, appropriately sized 3-series fighter; the CTS, which would be freed up by the smaller car to truly gun for the 5-series; and a mid-size Lexus ES competitor to be called the XTS.

But there have been obstacles. A large rear-wheel-drive sedan based on the Australian Zeta platform, which underpins the Chevy Camaro and soon-to-die Pontiac G8, was the most prominent casualty of tightening fuel-economy standards. The platform would have made an excellent top-of-the-line sedan for Caddy, but its weight and rear-drive layout aren’t particularly efficient. The project, internally dubbed DT7, is basically dead.

With that project’s demise and with the Northstar engine—and the DTS and STS models that use it—going out of production next year, a significant gap will need to be filled at the top of Cadillac's lineup. Cadillac recognizes the need to offer a vehicle above the CTS; one insider says the brand wants to avoid becoming the "CTS brand.” That flagship, our sources indicate, could be derived from the SLS, a stretched STS sold in China. For U.S. duty, the car would be reskinned and use a version of GM’s small-block LS V-8. This makes some sense, as a rear-drive eight-cylinder car on the Sigma architecture would be a better competitor to the German heavyweights than a soft-riding car based on some version of the Epsilon platform—which underpins the Chevy Malibu—as other reports have indicated.

Keep Reading: The Future of Cadillac - Car News

2010 Ferrari F450 - Spied

2009-07-07T13:30:00.003-04:00

Ferrari’s latest horse seems to be getting its legs.

BY STEVE SILER

Once again, we have caught Maranello’s latest pure sports car before its official debut, but unlike the last time we saw the Ferrari F450, this one is fully intact. Unfortunately, those intact body panels are covered up by matte black body masking that reveals maybe two percent of the actual sheetmetal itself, and only parts of the spear-like vertical light stacks that were clearly visible last time. However, the taillights appear to be the real thing.

More revealing are the locations—if not the shapes themselves—of the air intakes. F430-like scoops aft of the doors and atop the rear fenders return with the F450, but the clunky, box-shaped deals on the prototype’s decklid could hide some active induction devices that could feed more air into the engine at high speeds or under heavy power loads. Additional shots obtained by CzechFerrari.cz show that the brake ducts feed carbon-ceramic brakes (standard on all Ferraris) with aluminum hats in the rear and full-carbon pieces in front. They’ve also grabbed a couple of images that show integrated aero via buttresses like those seen on the 599GTB.

Keep Reading: 2010 Ferrari F450 - Spied

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Announced

2009-07-07T12:10:00.005-04:00

Confirming our spy shots and speculation, Honda has officially announced its Accord-based crossover will be dubbed the Accord Crosstour. The Crosstour is slated to hit showrooms during the fall of this year as a 2010 model.

We’ll be sure to provide additional information as it’s available.

Pagani Releases Limited-Edition Zonda Cinque Roadster

2009-07-07T10:44:00.004-04:00

Should you like the wind in your hair while bombing around race tracks or Italy’s autostradas, Pagani has chopped the top off its Zonda supercar. Only five copies of the Zonda Cinque Roadster will ever be built (cinque is, of course, Italian for “five”). The roof stows in the front of the car and the engine’s air intake sits above the passenger compartment.

That engine is, as ever, a Mercedes AMG V-12 unit, this time making 678 horses and 575 lb-ft of torque. Pagani doesn’t specify displacement, but we’d imagine it’s an uptuned version of the 7.3-liter V-12 in the current Zonda F. There’s a six-speed sequential gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Fortunately, traction control is standard.

Suspension components are made of lightweight aluminum and titanium and are fully adjustable, while brakes are carbon-ceramic and measure 15 inches front and rear. It all rides on aluminum-magnesium wheels—19” in front, 20” in back—wearing giant Pirelli P-Zero tires.

Performance? Pagani says 62 mph arrives in 3.4 seconds; 124 mph in just 9.6. The car weighs just 2662 lbs dry and purportedly makes 1650 lbs of downforce at 186 mph. Top speed isn’t specified, but is at least 186 mph. Pagani’s also claiming a glue-like 1.45 G of lateral grip; if true, that's higher than any road car we’ve ever tested.

Want one? Cough up €1.3 million plus taxes—the equivalent of over $1.8 million.

Check out our spy shots of the latest Zonda: 2009 Pagani Zonda – Spied

Read about the fastest Zonda: Pagani Zonda R – Auto Shows

Hyundai Equus Nears Approval for U.S. Sale - Car News

2009-07-06T21:03:00.003-04:00

Will the American public accept an S-class–sized luxury barge from Korea?

BY STEVE SILER

With the world economy struggling to regain stability, carmakers from GM to Aston Martin are racing to downsize their product lineups. But Hyundai, traditional purveyor of small cars, has been bucking the trend with a steady cadence of ever larger and pricier offerings such as its ambitious rear-wheel-drive Genesis sedan and coupe. And now the company is thinking even bigger, as it nears a final decision on whether or not to offer its extravagant full-size Equus luxury car in America.

According to reports, Hyundai has already made up its mind and given a green light to the importation of the Equus, although Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor wouldn’t confirm the reports, stating that the company is “still evaluating whether to bring the Equus here.” Only a year into its second generation, the Korean-market Equus (pronounced “eh-kwus,” which means “horse” in Latin), is a full-size luxury car based on the Genesis sedan platform but with roughly the same footprint as the Lexus LS460, a car which it closely resembles. Festooned with lots of gaudy details that play well with affluent Asian customers, the car’s brightwork would probably have to be toned down a bit for U.S. buyers, and the odd name is likely to change, too.

Keep Reading: Hyundai Equus Nears Approval for U.S. Sale - Car News

Hennessey Announces 705-hp Z700 Upgrade Package for Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

2009-07-06T15:26:00.007-04:00

Aimed at enthusiasts looking for a Corvette-based alternative to the racetrack-ready Dodge Viper ACR or Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the Hennessey Performance Engineering Z700 Corvette ZR1 is ready for the track, armed to the teeth with lightweight and go-fast bits. An increase in supercharger boost to 15 psi helps give the ZR1 an increase in power from an already-impressive 638 hp to an astronomic 705. Other upgrades include revised intake and exhaust systems, carbon-fiber seats, an Alcantara steering wheel and shift knob, a plethora of carbon-fiber aero pieces that increase downforce by over 300 pounds, and lightweight carbon-fiber wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires (reducing rotating weight by almost 60 pounds).

Hennessey will begin testing the Z700 at the Nürburgring in late 2009, with a limited 24-car production run planned for the 2010 model year. The Z700 will carry a $207,150 price tag, which will include a donor ZR1, a three-year warranty, and a day of driving instruction at Hennessey’s private test track near Houston, Texas.

Read about Hennessey's new HPE550 Camaro: 2010 Hennessey HPE550 Chevrolet Camaro - Car News

The History of the Boss Wagon - Video

2009-07-06T12:35:00.003-04:00

A look back at Boss Wagons of the past.

Keep Reading: The History of the Boss Wagon - Video

2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider 16M - Second Drive

2009-07-06T10:32:00.004-04:00

Earplugs not included.

BY K.C. COLWELL

Sixteen may be how many ounces are in a pint, or the number on Joe Montana’s jersey. But to a Ferrari Formula 1 fan, it’s the number of world constructors’ championships that have been won by the legendary Italian team.

Now, Ferrari has built a limited-edition 16M Scuderia Spider—499 total—to honor this achievement. It’s an F430 Spider with all the go-fast parts of the 430 Scuderia. Those bits include a higher-compression version of the F430’s 4.3-liter V-8 that makes 503 horsepower (20 more than in the F430) and 347 pound-feet of torque. It has a retuned suspension, serving-platter-size carbon-ceramic brakes, Ferrari’s F1 SuperFast2 automated manual transmission (60 milliseconds for shifts), and quite possibly the loudest exhaust note of any road car we have ever driven (our LeMons Fiero included).

The 16M weighs about 3300 pounds, or roughly 200 more than its coupe counterpart; in both cars, the interior is stripped of all comfort features. Carbon fiber and aluminum trim line the cabin. There is no carpeting or leather. The only nod to sybarites is on the dash, where a horizontally docked iPod Touch functions as the stereo, sans radio tuner.

Keep Reading: 2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider 16M - Second Drive

Automotive Accessories: Affordable Navigation Units Compared - Gear Box

2009-07-02T18:06:00.004-04:00

We examine four portable entry-level GPS units, all priced under $250, to see which one is best.

Why spend big money on a factory navigation system when you can get a portable device for hundreds less? The question is becoming rhetorical. Portable navs may have smaller screens than the built-in competition, but just try moving that built-in from one car to another. The four nav systems below retail for less than $230 and have text-to-speech features that will read street names aloud. They all work just dandy to get you from point A to point B; the biggest differences lie in features, menus, and user-friendliness.

Keep Reading: Automotive Accessories: Affordable Navigation Units Compared - Gear Box

Car-Buying Negotiating Guide - Buyers Info

2009-07-02T17:29:00.003-04:00

Your best chance at getting a fair deal on a new car starts with these tips.

If you walked up to the cashier at your local grocery store with a gallon of milk in hand and said, “It says $2.49 on this sticker, but I’ll give you a buck-fifty,” you’d be going home thirsty. If you walked into McDonald’s and said, “I don’t see a lot of people eating Big Macs today; I’ll take that value meal off your hands for just three bucks!” you’d leave hungry. But walk into a car dealership, and you areexpected to bargain with the salesman. Pay sticker, and you’re giving the dealer hundreds or—in most cases—thousands of dollars in additional profit.

Considering that the car dealership is a business and performing a necessary service—getting the car from the factory to you—some profit is definitely deserved. How much is fair profit depends on a number of factors, including the specific car and demand for it, the options, your location, and how long the car has been on the lot. So we can’t tell you exactly what to pay. But we can tell you what to do to optimize your chances of paying what you want.

Shop for Your Own Financing

For most of us, financing is the only way we can afford a new car. Most dealerships can provide you financing, but be sure to check at your bank or credit union before you go, as they will often offer you a better interest rate. At the very least, shopping around will give you an idea of what rates you qualify for, so you can police the dealership’s offer later. For more on what to do prior to visiting the dealership, read “What to Know Before You Go.”

Keep Reading: Car-Buying Negotiating Guide - Buyers Info

Hyundai Dealers First to Participate in "Cash for Clunkers" Program

2009-07-02T17:11:00.010-04:00

Hyundai is the first automaker in the U.S. to allow consumers to take advantage of the government's Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), formerly known as "Cash for Clunkers." The company is backing dealerships with short-term cash advances weeks before the government has the program fully online, industry-wide.

While we remain skeptical of the program's long-term benefits for the industry and the environment, we can understand why Hyundai—with thirteen models that achieve the required fuel economy—wants to offer buyers the option as soon as possible, since there are likely car shoppers who are on the fence about purchasing that are awaiting the legislation's full enactment. This in combination with Hyundai Assurance Plus and Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock might potentially lure many consumers into Hyundai showrooms.