Miscellaneous

Kia Motors has released pictures of its first rear-wheel-drive full-size sedan, a vehicle we're likely to see on our shores sooner than later. Codenamed the Kia K9, slotting above the Kia Optima (K5) and Korean-market Kia Cadenza (K7), it will share its underpinnings with the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan already ...    Read more

The next time you're down in your parents' basement listening to Dark Side of the Moon while passing around a joint, don't be quick to get back behind the wheel. Canadian researchers have found that driving within three hours of smoking weed can double your risk of a car accident. Led ...    Read more

Anybody who has touched a wrench knows that if you can't get a bolt off, you force it off with an even bigger wrench. Americans want more fuel-efficient cars—at least, that's what the ads tell us we want, and that's what our parents and neighbors believe. Yet, we stubbornly won't stop ...    Read more

We're really reticent to follow Nissan's lead and call the Pathfinder you see before you a "concept." After speaking with Nissan officials yesterday at the Chicago Auto Show, we're confident that with a few minor changes, the Nissan Pathfinder will make it to ...    Read more

Riding the good vibes from its record sales year in 2011 and its humorous advertising campaigns of late, Kia has had to make tough decisions on what to do with its at-capacity manufacturing and its inability to keep up with demand. ...    Read more

Ford announced today that the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion and redesigned Flex will come standard with SYNC, the Detroit-based auto maker's multi-media player. First introduced in 2007, SYNC hasn't turned out exactly how Ford execs had planned, with consumers finding it difficult to use. With the standardization of a refreshed ...    Read more

Resembling the unholy union between a Ferrari 355, a Cars character and an 19th century milling accident, this art piece, called "12 Miles of Yarn," comes from the fevered imagination of Lauren Porter, a 22-year old British art student who cites the piece as "an example of how opposites can ...    Read more

Despite the nuisance, seat-belts have been a life-saver for millions of motorists since legislation was first enacted in 1961. Yet, even with numerous campaigns and federal laws, some people still forego the belt. Daimler is hoping to convert those who think a seat-belt is a hindrance by developing an advanced ...    Read more

Thanks for new fuel economy standards, that is. That's what the National Automobile Dealers Association claims. And it will continue to rise when the Obama administration's new fuel economy regulations come into affect, possibly pricing consumers out of the market. The price of used cars will increase by 1.8 percent by April, the NADA ...    Read more

Since coming to terms on an agreement five months ago, Chrysler and the United Auto Worker's union have been able to work so well together,  the pentastar's workers are being rewarded for their duties with an early payday. Chrysler is coming off its first net profit ($183 million) in fifteen years ...    Read more

As mentioned last week, safety technology trickles down from technological achievement to standard feature in about 30 years, or the amount of time it takes for our children to not know what a Laserdisc is. Collision avoidance systems are ...    Read more

A new report backed by the Consumer Federation of America accuses auto insurance companies of discriminating against low- and middle-income customers. The report, titled "Lower-Income Households and the Auto Insurance Marketplace: Challenges and Opportunities," alleges that insurance agencies hit the less fortunate with higher-priced policies making it difficult for them ...    Read more

New York City issues 10 million parking tickets per year. Ten million. Yet, it only distributed 2989 idling tickets in 2011 by comparison. That number has upset many advocates concerned with cleaning up New York's notoriously dingy air quality. Enacted in 2009, the law cut allowed engine idling down from three minutes ...    Read more

BMW has always made engaging advertising material. Most of us in the office still fondly remember the company's "The Hire" short film series from the early 2000s. And, as for some personal disclosure: At this week's press drive for the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan, I made sure I had the ...    Read more

Another day, another Mini special edition to slowly milk the United Kingdom of all of its Britishisms for its new products. It was the Baker Street and Bayswater coupes. This month, it's the 2012 ...    Read more

In 1951, Mercedes-Benz made history when it pioneered the idea of crumple zones. Volvo was the first company to make seat belts standard across all its vehicles. GM and Ford both dabbled with airbags in the 1970s, while Cadillac's traction control system on the 1979 Eldorado was a noble, if ...    Read more

Feeling the pressure from its competition, Jaguar is pondering whether or not to add more power to its XFR model. Pressure from German competitors Mercedes-Benz and BMW has forced Jaguar to consider adding even more power to its fastest cars. Autocar is reporting that this is the case and an ...    Read more

We in the media have been taken aback by this David-versus-Goliath story of California resident Heather Peters beating American Honda in court over her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid's apparently lackluster fuel economy. Honda's apparent inattentiveness to minding the car's real efficiencies helped cast the company as indifferent to her complaints. ...    Read more

The Los Angeles small claims court has awarded 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters $9,867 against American Honda in a case stemming from her car's inability to achieve numbers anywhere close to the EPA estimates. Starting last November, Peters filed a claim against Honda after her car failed to achieve ...    Read more

The La Nina this winter has been cold and dry, says the American Agriculturist , but for the domestic auto manufacturers, January sizzled. Overall, Chrysler Group LLC was up 44 percent compared to January 2011, with double digit gains at Jeep, Ram Truck, Dodge, and Chrysler, respectively. The Ford ...    Read more

Do carpooling parents know how to use child booster seats? According to a study from the Universities of Michigan and Colorado, even if they do, they're certainly not consistent about it. Booster seats fall into the category for kids who are too big for child seats, but still slip under a ...    Read more

Thirteen. That's how many new 30-second anthropomorphically-themed dog videos Subaru recently filmed. On Subaru's YouTube channel, in one neat and numbered list, you can watch dogs ski, camp, parallel park, hit the drive thru, and visit the pet store, among other people'y things. Oh, and the dogs all drive Subaru's en ...    Read more

The 2012 Chevrolet Volt will receive the Holy Grail of California's highway commuting status: An HOV-lane sticker enabling its driver(s) to occupy the carpool lane. This is an important development for a car that hasn't exactly burned with consumer interest. Toyota's wildly successful Prius has become, despite its egg-like shape and ...    Read more

Like a well-manicured lawn (or Alec Baldwin's hair), a meticulously-maintained ride is a thing of beauty. In my first years driving, I'd spend an entire day vacuuming, rinsing, drying, and hand-waxing my car just so it would gleam under the evening moonlight for a night on the town with a ...    Read more

Michelin, the French tire marker, has released a new composite snow chain set to the public. The Easy Grip chains are made of a light-weight material which Michelin claims provide a smooth and quiet ride with no vibration. However, where the Easy Grip snow chains really shine is at low speeds ...    Read more