Executive Editor Paukert has already complained about one button located on the panel to the left of the steering wheel in our long-term 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT. But now that the keys have traded hands and I’ve got a beef to share about a different button.
The electronic parking brake is the biggest “button” in the cluster, but it’s not so much a button as a push/pull-type switch. Fitted with a manual transmission, we tend to set the parking brake every time we exit the car, so the switch gets a lot of use.
However, Subaru has set up the switch in the exact opposite orientation you’d expect. Every time I go to set the parking brake, I pull it. Every time I go to turn it off, I push it. Unfortunately, it works the other way around. I think what’s going on is that my muscle memory is trying to replicate what I would do with a more traditional parking brake lever, i.e. pull to set, push to release. I suppose someone could argue the exact opposite, that pushing to engage and pulling to release makes total sense (because that’s how the door on a microwave works?), but we’ve heard from other late-model Subaru owners that this switch is a source of frustration for them as well, and many other vehicles that we’ve driven with similar e-brake levers work in the opposite fashion.
For now, we must remember that in this digital age of ours, new technology doesn’t necessarily mimic its analog counterpart, which means I’m stuck pulling when I should pushing until my brain decides to relent.
to check out all of the updates on our long-term 2011 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT.
How does the Terrain fit into GMC’s “Professional Grade” image? It doesn’t. But it is a competent people mover packing a fuel-efficient four-pot.
Cheap cars are all the rage in developing nations, but why hasn’t anyone been able to deliver something as inexpensive as the Nano? McElroy takes a look at how Tata has succeeded where others flail.
Chrysler recalls 35k vehicles for sticking accelerators that were manufactured by the same company that supplied pedals to Toyota.
When the goes on sale this fall, it will have an updated version of the SmartGauge that debuted last year on the . The basics of the remain the same, with a pair of 4.3-inch LCD displays flanking a central speedometer. The LCDs can display several layers of information to help coach the driver to be a more efficient motorist.
The most obvious change is the color palette for the LCD gauges. They have been changed from a predominantly blue color scheme to what Lincoln officials describes as a more upscale-looking green and gold. The leaves on the right of the display have been present since the introduction of system on the Fusion and provide a graphical representation of the driver’s short-term average fuel economy. The more thrifty your driving style, the more leaves you get. Behave like a lead-foot and they dissolve.
The SmartGauge in the 2011 MKZ Hybrid will also add some new flora to the mix in the form of a long-term fuel efficiency indicator. The indicator takes the form of apple blossom flowers (the state flower of Michigan) that appear amidst your tangle of digital leafs. If your average fuel economy is sufficient (Ford won’t say what number you actually need), the first flowers will begin to appear after 4-6 weeks of driving. They first appear as buds and then grow into small and finally large flowers. More flowers appear over time, but the more you get, the more time it will take to earn more. If you earn all of the flowers, then you’ll have saved about $8,000 in fuel costs and 30 tons of CO2 over the life of the car.
Aside from adding a whole new element to the game of achieving high MPG that we all play when behind the wheel of a hybrid, Ford’s new long-term flower indicator also may serve a second, more practical purpose. If you decide to sell your MKZ Hybrid a few years down the road, a full bouquet of flowers in the SmartGauge proves you were a slow, careful driver and may fetch you a higher price on the used car market.
Motor Trend is keenly aware of the readership shift to online sources for up-to-the-minute automotive news, that’s why it has a blog, a YouTube channel and a presence in social media. Despite the changing paradigm, there are still things that print outlets do more brilliantly than anyone else. There’s no way to beat the compact form factor and high-quality display of a blissfully battery-free magazine. Carefully-edited copy, glossy photography from some of the best lenses in the business and eye-catching layout, it all gels when the right cars power onto the pages.
As the web and print find their natural symbiosis, one trend may be toward more specialization and niche focus for magazines. Putting premium, rearview-gazing content into a new vehicle, Motor Trend is relaunching Motor Trend Classic. This has been tried before, but this time around, MT is giving more pages (some penned by our own Jonny Lieberman!) fewer ads, and an aversion to posting the content on the web. So far, the sneak peek has us wanting more, though it’s a near certainty that it’s just going to take one punk with a scanner to burst MT’s bubble about this content never showing up on the web.
In our modern world, many of us are weighed down with an assortment of gadgets and gizmos, all of which need a recurring supply of electrons. If you’re like us, you probably have a box full of assorted power adapters for your vehicle that you’ve collected for your phones, MP3 players and navigation units. Thankfully, in the last couple of years many devise manufacturers have started migrating to standardized mini or micro-USB charging connectors, allowing you to plug in nearly all your devices into your computer to charge.
But we still need to charge devices when we’re on the road and if you don’t have a newer car with a built in USB port you’re back to adapters. Fortunately, the good people at Instructables have come to the rescue with a step by step guide to adding a USB power port to your car. You’ll need a $1.16 from which to scavenge the port, and we highly recommend for all your ultra-cheap cable and charger needs. Even if your car already has a port for an iPod interface, you may want to add one or two extras just for charging other devices. So that’s your weekend project. Get started!
1991 Scuderia Ferrari 642, ex-Jean Alesi – Click above for image gallery
As motorists are confronted with constricting regulations and fewer places to unleash their sportscars, track-day cars are becoming a bigger deal by the day. But if you’re going to take to the track, why limit yourself to something street legal? Especially if you’ve got the means. Like, say… $700,000.
What you’re looking at is the Scuderia Tipo 642 which Jean Alesi campaigned in the 1991 Formula One World Championship. Though Alesi scored three podiums with this car, none were better than third place – peppered by eight DNFs – landing him seventh in the drivers’ championship behind the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. (All but Patrese and Berger would go down in history as world champions, several as multiple champs to boot.) That should hardly deter buyers from salivating over the 700-horsepower turbocharged V12 engine, though, reined in by none of the electronic driver aids that would creep into the sport in later years.
Interested? Follow the link below to the Aero Toy Store in Fort Lauderdale, which also appears to have a couple of F430 GTCs in stock if sportscar racing is more at your speed. Photos in the gallery below and video .
A recent report says the 2011 Range Rover (in Europe at least) will be getting a new 4.4-liter V8 diesel engine with 308 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to replace the current 3.6-liter V8 diesel. When the the current F-150 was launched back in 2008, Ford announced that it would add a diesel V8 to the powertrain lineup in mid-2010. That diesel V8 was rumored to displace about 4.4-liters and at that time, Ford still owned and . When the economy hit the skids and diesel prices skyrocketed, the diesel engine plan was shelved from the pickup. We haven’t been able to get any comment from Land Rover, but a Ford official has confirmed that the new Land Rover diesel V8 is being supplied from Ford’s Chihuahua engine plant which also produces the new 6.7-liter Scorpion diesel for the Super Duty pickups.
However, we were reminded that Ford never officially confirmed details of the planned diesel for the F-150, so this may not be the same engine. Given all the other information we have, it does seem to be a reasonable inference. We checked with truck expert Mike Levine at who believes this is, in fact, the same oilburner.
The fact that it’s being built for the luxury SUV means that it could potentially be revived for the pickup, although that now appears unlikely since Ford has decided to add the Ecoboost V6 to the F-150 instead. As the engine was once destined for the U.S. market – with all the emissions requirements in check – it could, at the very least, eventually appear in American Range Rovers. Given the success of diesels in German SUVs, that much certainly seems plausible.
After one month of investigation, has decided to initiate a voluntary recall of 34,631 Dodge Caliber and 90 Jeep Compass vehicles from the 2007 model year in order to address a potential issue with sticking gas pedals. While the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has been investigating the problem for over a month, Chrysler reports that no accidents, injuries or property damage linked to vehicles equipped with these pedal assemblies have been reported.
The pedal assemblies are supplied by CTS and are similar to those that vehicles earlier this year. The actual issue does not appear to be the same problem that afflicted the vehicles, although the end result of unintended acceleration can be similar. The Detroit Free Press reports that the issue is caused by a bearing housing that was made too large.
CTS experienced a manufacturing issue for five weeks during March through May of 2006 that affected some of the first Calibers and Compasses built. According to Chrysler, only about one-third of the recalled cars are expected to actually have an issue with their pedal assemblies. Since announcing there was an investigation in early May, Chrysler has allowed customers to bring their cars in for a free inspection. If a pedal assembly is found to be defective, Chrysler will replace the entire pedal assembly for any of the recalled vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Some of the most famous cars in the history of the auto industry were some of the cheapest ones. The Model T, the Beetle, the Citroen 2CV and the BMC were so successful mainly because they were so affordable.
Now the industry is trying to replicate that success by designing low cost cars for booming developing markets, like India. But they’re discovering that building cheap cars is not nearly as easy as it sounds. And it all has to do with customer expectations.
In the past it was easy to build a cheap car for developing markets. All you had to do was take the tooling for an entry-level car that was being phased out of the market in a modern country and ship it to some backwater in the third world. Since the car was already developed and the tooling was already paid for, an automaker could build it cheaply with local labor. That’s how it was done for the better part of the 20th Century.
But then came the internet. All of a sudden, car buyers in developing nations became fully aware of the outdated designs being foisted upon them. They could easily Google up the latest American, European and Japanese models, pore through the technical specifications, download the photographs and watch videos of them all in action. With their rising standards of living, they were no longer content to buy the clunky cars available in their home markets. They wanted what we have.
John McElroy is host of the TV program and daily web video . Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
It’s been far too long since ’s products have been imbued with anything short of clinical, appliance-like precision. Handling prowess and communicative steering has taken a back seat to ruthless efficiency, especially true when you turn to the company’s eco-friendly vehicles such as the , where the . Toyota chief executive officer Akio Toyoda doesn’t believe this is a viable path to the future, and has ordered company engineers to spice up the brand’s products.
Before the Pedalgate debacle, Toyoda gave several speeches where he constantly talks about “seasoning” the company’s lineup of bland vehicles and points out that future products will be “fun to drive.” Toyoda notes that the company’s hybrid sports car concept, a , is exactly the type of thing to expect from Toyota in the near future. As Toyoda said of the MR2 hybrid concept, “I wanted a car that shows what we are aiming for, something affordable, fun to drive and good for the environment.” Making eco-friendly cars is something that’s apparently quite easy for Toyota, but upping the enjoyability quotient from behind a Toyota steering wheel still presents a challenge. Still, we’re definitely looking forward to the time when the combination of “fun-to-drive” and “Toyota” are no longer diverging concepts.
2011 Shelby GT350 – Click above for a high-res image gallery
When you hear the name Carroll Shelby, what comes to mind? First and foremost, it’s probably the legendary automobiles that have carried his name, specifically the Cobra and . Some may also recall the series of vehicles that he collaborated on, and others may think of his stint as a successful race car driver.
Something that probably doesn’t come to mind, though, is a burgeoning parts business. If ol’ Shelby has his way, that may soon change. In a recent interview, Shelby had this to say in regards to the future direction of his eponymous company:
“I want to build fewer cars and sell more parts. It’s hard to make any money on a car. But our parts business is growing 15 to 20 percent a year. We are downsizing and going for the parts business… Simplify the business – that’s what I’m saying. And that’s what I’m doing in Las Vegas.”
It would seem the recently unveiled may be the final complete car package offered by Shelby… though we wouldn’t be at all surprised if the 87-year-old tuner has a few more tricks up his sleeves.
BMW Efficient Dynamics Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rejoice, Bimmer fans. If you thought the new interest in the world of hybrids and EVs spelt the beginning of the end for your favorite driving machine, think again. Word has surfaced that the company is planning a multitude of different versions of its EV, including at least one sports car. While chatting with Autocar, Ian Robertson, the head honcho of sales and marketing for the company, said that the Megacity will be made primarily of carbon fiber in order to hit weight targets, and that it will in fact be sold under the BMW banner instead of a newly-minted nameplate.
That’s all fine and good, but what about this sports car? The publication cites an unnamed BMW board member as saying that the Megacity platform will spawn multiple variations. Combine that with word from Inside Line that the Bavarian automaker is mulling the creation of a genuine sports car to compete with the likes of the and Mercedes-Benz SL, and you’ve got a recipe for a genuine EV bruiser. Word has it that the creation would be sculpted in the image of the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept.
The IL crew also says that there’s also plenty of indication that the ever lovely will inspire the replacement model for the current 6 Series by late 2012. That’s no bad thing in our book.
Keep in mind that all of this is still quite a ways off, though. The Megacity isn’t expected to see the light of day until 2013 at the earliest, and any other progeny would crop up in the years to follow. In the automotive universe, a lot can change in two years.
Those crazy kids over at Auto Express have managed to get their hands on a leaked photo of the next generation Volkswagen Passat. The car is set to debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and so far, the German manufacturer has been quiet about exactly what we can expect from the mid-sized fighter. From what we can tell from the leaked photo, it looks like the company will be giving the Passat a dose of familial styling. A sharp chrome-laced grille replaces the black plastic of the current generation, and crisp headlights similar to what’s currently found on the Golf have been swapped in place of the old units.
It looks like the car will also wear slightly more aggressive body work all over, including aggressively arched fenders. Details are still scarce as to exactly what will crop up under the hood, but we don’t expect too many big surprises. American buyers will likely still be able to get their Passat with the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower while our European cousins will be able to enjoy a range of and small-displacement gasoline powerplants.
2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage – Click above to watch video
If you’ve felt an unexplained disturbance in the automotive force recently, it can probably be attributed to the scheduled arrival of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage on American shores. We’ve been lusting after this thing since it first cropped up as concept way back in 2007, and now the ridiculously wealth or the fantastically in debt can finally get their paws on the car here in the U.S. The recipe is simple – take the brawny, 510 horsepower 6.0-liter V12 from the , cram it into the engine bay of the lithe Vantage, add louvers and call it a day. Sorta.
has taken it upon itself to prime the collective American pump for the V12 Vantage debut by releasing a quick teaser video. It’s dipped in sweet, slow-motion glory shots of the car doing what it does best – sending tires to their smoky grave and conning otherworldly speed out of seemingly plebian strips of asphalt. There are even a few shots of the race-derived version loftily beating its way around the Nurburgring. We’re in love. to see it for yourself.
2010 GMC Terrain – Click above for high-res image gallery
GMC’s “Professional Grade” tagline works best when it’s being used to upsell truck shoppers into Sierras instead of Chevy Silverados, but even wider mass-market success comes from snaring folks who couldn’t care less about payload. And while the Yukon has its place at the table for some families, the thirsty brontosaur’s broad appeal vanished with the disappearance of super-cheap gasoline. Hence, traditionally truck-focused has crossed over, so to speak. The three-row Acadia was the beginning, and while the trucks are still there for those who want or need them, if you’re shopping for a family car, the nice man in the tie would like to show you something different: the .
Gallery:
Photos by Alex Nunez / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
is getting out of the business in a , and that means no 2011 models, no more Jill Wagoner commercials and cash compensation for the 1,700+ dealers who sell Ford’s long-abused step-brand. Automotive News quotes unnamed sources who say dealers will receive up to $200,000 to stop selling Mercury cars and crossovers, along with money for any new service parts they have lying around.
Ford sales boss Ken Czubay tells AN that the company has worked out a formula for compensation that calculates the three-year average of Mercury vehicles sold at a dealership as a percentage of overall Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales. The formula also calculates the cost for dealer signage and parts. An AN source claims that dealers who sell zero to 25 percent Mercury products receive $1,500 per unit retailed annually. The number shoots up to $1,650 per unit at 26 to 50 percent of sales and $2,000 for dealers at 51 to 75 percent. The dealer repayment program tops out at $2,500 for dealers who averaged a high 76 to 100 percent Mercury sales over the past three years. Dealers will also get 100 percent of their money back for Mercury parts purchased, and the dealers get to keep those parts free and clear.
Ford President Mark Fields called the dealer payoff “reasonable and fair,” adding that it is “beyond what the franchise agreement states. It is beyond what state law states. It’s well beyond what other competitors have done in the marketplace.”
Some dealers, of course, say the payment is far too small to cover their investments in the Mercury brand. One dealer, who didn’t want to be identified, reportedly told AN that he would be losing money even if Ford gave him $500,000.
Witness the Hoenshell Shutter – Click above to watch the video
Packing up from a good riding session or is never fun, and if you’re anything like us, the task may suffer from a bad case of the monotonous blues. If you’re looking for a way to put a new spin on the old routine, motorcycle stunt rider Eric Hoenshell has you covered.
During a film session for new motorcycle series Stealth Rider, the cameras caught Hoenshell as he shut the tailgate in host of Super Bikes and all around stunt superstar face. Britton and fellow stuntman Tony Carbajal were pumped to witness the invention of the new trick bearing Eric’s namesake, the Hoenshell Shutter. This is where we should give the don’t try this at home speech, but who are we to put the brakes on creativity? for the full video, just don’t break your neck spicing up your routine. Thanks for the tip, Allan!
For safety’s sake, most of what we hear about phones and cars in the same news piece is about not dialing or texting while driving. The rest is usually about connecting your phone to your car… so you don’t have to dial or text while driving. But once in a while it comes down to phones inspired by cars. has done a few, and so has – with a range of manufacturers from to . The latest, however, is the product of Maranello’s partnership with Taiwanese computer firm Acer.
The tie-in has already spawned a number of laptop computers, but as phones get smarter and smarter, they’ve evolved into small computers to the point that computer companies are becoming some of the biggest players in the mobile phone market. Acer’s flagship model is the Liquid E, a touchscreensmartphone with a Snapdragon processor running Google’s Android 2.1 mobile operating system. Now they’ve done up a special edition for Ferrari, decked out all in Rosso Corsa and coming paired up with a similarly trimmed Bluetooth earpiece.
Aside from the racy color treatment, the Ferrari edition Liquid E comes emblazoned with the Prancing Horse badge surrounded by carbon fiber trim, a microphone cutout designed after the air intake on the side of a Scuderia Ferrari F1 car, and will surely come packed with Ferrari-themed wallpapers, icons, screen savers and ring-tones. The model’s just been unveiled at the Computex trade show, so no word on pricing just yet, but expect that to be suitably Ferrari-inspired as well.
Bob and his wife Patricia exchanged vows on the tarmac of the track on May 14. Spectators who gathered for the F1 race were treated to a different kind of spectacle when the two walked out onto the track with a handful of friends and family as witnesses. Bondurant has a special affinity for the Monaco course – he snagged a fourth-place finish there in 1966 and helped film the legendary movie on the track as well. While the Bondurants were already married in the U.S., they were looking for a special way to cement their commitment to each other, and officials said that the wedding was the first of its kind.
Bondurant made a name for himself as a race car driver, though more recently he has helped to instruct over 250,000 students on the finer points of car control through his racing school. for the press release.
