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This week Salon's David Sirota wrote an apologetic, mealy-mouthed bit of automotive-themed self-loathing asking if it's ethical to drive a manual-transmission car even if it gets poorer gas mileage than an automatic or dual-clutch transmission. While the answers among the automotive press have largely come down on the side of the stick-shift driver, it's the question that's the problem. Why? Because it's a stupid question. Asking whether it's ethical to drive a manual transmission because its gas mileage is a few percent lower than an automatic's is like asking if it's ethical to dismember...
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2013 BMW 135is Coupe And Convertible: 320 HP From $44,145The BMW 1-Series M Coupe is basically done; it was a one-year special sold as a limited edition. But now there's a new compact BMW that's not-quite-but-almost as good, at least in some respects: the 2013 135is. Available as either a coupe or a convertible, the 135is borrows the same basic...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche Releases Latest Specs For Upcoming 918 SpyderEarlier this month the first prototypes for the 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder started testing at secret locations around Europe, and today Porsche has released its own batch of photos of one of the prototypes and confirmed some of the car’s final specs. Development is now in the later stages though...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 BMW 3-Series Sports Wagon Debuts, Confirmed For U.S.BMW has revealed the wagon variant of its latest-generation 3-Series and at the same time confirmed that this new model, just like the previous two, will be sold in the U.S. The vehicle goes on sale in Europe later this year but won’t hit U.S. showrooms until spring 2013. Powertrains and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan Breaks Ground For Mercedes-Benz/Infiniti Engine Plant In TennesseeCarlos Ghosn and Dieter Zetsche buddied up for an alliance between Renault-Nissan and Daimler just over two years ago, and while the duo has been cooperating in the background, today's groundbreaking in Tennessee for a new plant that will build engines for both Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti is a much...
Nelson Ireson -
2013 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Chosen As Indy 500 Pace CarThe 2013 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is the 11th Corvette chosen to pace the Indianapolis 500, and the most powerful production pace car in history.
Kurt Ernst -
First launched in 2009 for buyers of the XFR and XKR, Jaguar's Performance Driving Academy is now open to all Jaguar owners and other driving enthusiasts, too. Two different courses, Basic and Advanced, will be offered at four different tracks this year. As Jaguar North America's brand vice president puts it, "This program is designed to explore the capabilities of our most powerful and dynamic vehicles, with the goal of helping to develop the driving skills and techniques needed to securely achieve the limits of these high-performance cars." The two courses are tiered, meaning you'll have to...
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2013 Cadillac ATS Pricing AnnouncedThe 2013 Cadillac ATS sedan will be priced from under $34,000 including destination charge, making it a serious value in the compact luxury segment.
Kurt Ernst -
Jaguar XJ Supersport Nürburgring taxi service launchedThe BMW Ring Taxi recently got an update to the F10 M5, but now a new car is offering rides around the Green Hell: the Jaguar XJ. Outfitted with the Sport and Speed Pack options, the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ Supersport packs 510-horsepower and a top speed of 174 mph. The biggest XJ might seem like...
Nelson Ireson -
American Alexander Rossi To Test Caterham F1 Car For Spanish GP: VideoWhile the Caterham F1 car is a backmarker again this season, getting any kind of foot in the door in F1 is worth taking. Alexander Rossi, one of the few American drivers involved in any way with F1 at the moment, will get back behind the wheel of the Caterham F1 car next week as he tests for the...
Nelson Ireson -
545-Horsepower Nissan Juke-R Entering Production: OfficialNissan has announced that its insane Juke-R super-crossover will be built, but in a very limited run and on a build-to-order basis. The production version will stay true to the original concept, complete with a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine sourced from a GT-R supercar, advanced all-wheel drive...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 BMW X1 EPA Estimates, New Photos, On Sale This FallWe already knew the 2013 BMW X1 would be on sale this year, starting from $31,545, but now we have some more detail on the specifics. There's one thing that's still not quite specific, however: the exact on-sale date. BMW says today the X1 will arrive "this fall," but doesn't pinpoint the calendar...
Nelson Ireson -
The wait is finally over; the 2013 Ford Focus ST is available for order and is priced from a very reasonable $24,495 including destination. That puts it in about the same league as the Volkswagen GTI and Mazdaspeed3, but there’s a ton of extra features that’s unique to the Ford. Starting with the engine, the 2013 Focus ST is powered by a direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine officially rated at 252 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, and matched to a six-speed manual transmission. However, if an additional surge of acceleration is needed the Focus ST...
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Bentley Designer Lays Out Brand’s Future PlansThe reception to the unveiling of Bentley’s EXP 9 F SUV concept was, to say the least, somewhat polarizing. However, that was to be expected given that this was not only the historic brand’s first foray into the SUV segment, but that it was also the first time any major automaker has...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bosch Drowsiness Detection System To Make Alertness Tech More Common?When it comes to innovations in safety and driver aids, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, and a few other brands have long led the way, particularly in the realm of the use of technology to those ends. But the latest and greatest innovations in the field are often limited to a handful of the upper-tier...
Nelson Ireson -
Ving Rhames Wants You To Buy A Buick: VideoVing Rhames, or more specifically the characters played by Ving Rhames, doesn’t take disappointing news well. Remember Marcellus Wallace, the character played by Rhames in Pulp Fiction? The one who once tossed a guy off a roof for massaging his wife’s feet? When someone like that tells...
Kurt Ernst -
Rolls-Royce Ghost Six Senses Concept: Beijing Auto ShowNo this, Rolls doesn't see dead people. It's a Ghost that sees people wrapped in even more bespoke richness than the usual uber-sedan. Or, as Rolls-Royce puts it in inimitably over-the-top fashion, Ghost Six Senses Concept is "a highly-bespoke luxury model that encapsulates the richness of...
Nelson Ireson -
Ferrari Previews Enzo Successor’s Hybrid Drivetrain: VideoFerrari’s replacement for the Enzo supercar is due out towards the end of this year and in the lead up to its arrival the automaker has been dropping numerous hints about its revolutionary new powerplant. Today, at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, Ferrari has revealed the new V-12 powertrain...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Jaguar has launched a new ultra-luxurious version of its XJ flagship sedan at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, adopting the ‘Ultimate’ tag last used on the Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition from Land Rover last year. Based on the long-wheelbase XJ, the ichanges applied to the XJ Ultimate Edition focus on the rear accommodation and provide passengers with the kind of luxury appointments they’d find in a private jet. A full-length, leather-trimmed centre console separates the two individually tailored rear seats which feature power adjustment, ventilation, massage and...
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Lamborghini Urus unveiled ahead of Beijing auto showBuilt with Italian design for an intended U.S. military contract, the Lamborghini LM002 was and remains an unprecedented departure from the brand's sleek and stylish supercar ethos. The Lamborghini Urus, the brand's second SUV, is much less so. In fact, it's intended to be the supercar of SUVs, and...
Nelson Ireson -
2013 Acura ILX First DriveHey, that's one fancy Civic there! Calling the 2013 Acura ILX a gussied-up Civic is, in many ways, completely fair, but in truth, Acura has come up with a mix of near-luxury style and feel crossed with a sporty-ish sensibility that is almost completely missing from the market at the moment, and...
Nelson Ireson -
Lamborghini Teases New SUV Ahead Of 2012 Beijing Auto ShowIt’s no secret that Lamborghini is itching for a third product line to join its pair of supercar models, and in less than a week we’ll see just what the automaker from Sant'Agata is planning. Lamborghini will provide a glimpse of its future model in the form of a concept at the 2012...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Savage Rivale GTR Live Photos: Top Marques Monaco 2012Dutch firm Savage Rivale is working on a brand new supercar, but rather than going the traditional route of building a cramped two-seater and strapping a big engine to it the guys at Savage have managed to build something much more substantial. Their creation is the Roadyacht GTS, which made its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG previewAfter teasing us with its announcement earlier this month, Mercedes-Benz has finally released images for its new G63 AMG model, which joins the rest of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz G Class range in showrooms this August. The biggest update to the performance SUV is the addition of AMG’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran