Car Nation
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Diesel engines still in the shadow of gas counterparts
Photo credit: AP
It seems like the timing is perfect. U.S. automakers are being pushed by state and federal regulations to increase their corporate average fuel economy (CAFE), and their marketing departments are falling all over themselves trying to prove their cars and trucks are saving the country from spending more on foreign oil, as both gas and diesel engine technologies seem to be advancing by leaps and bounds.
So...
Snow driving on the Nürbürgring
In case anyone on the island has forgotten what it's like, the chief instructor of the Nürbürgring Driving Academy shows us how to drive in slippery conditions.
Source: Topgear.com...
Study: Women are better at parking
Photo credit: Photo by John Roca
The verdict is in, at least in the United Kingdom: Women are better car parkers than men. A parking lot company in the U.K. called National Car Parks conducted a month-long study in which it evaluated how men and women park. The group covertly studied 2,500 drivers in parking lots and built what it calls a "parking coefficient" to measure things like technique, accuracy and time taken...
Scion FR-S close call
Driver Ken Gushi had a close call with a mammal while working on the first commercial for the Scion FR-S. If you don't know by now, the FR-S is a rear-wheel-drive sports car with a 200-hp Subaru boxer engine. They'll be available in showrooms in the spring. Deer are available on highways right now.
Source: Autoblog...
Book values not the final word for used-car dealers
Photo credit: AP Photo
Q. What book value is used by dealers as the authority on car values?
A. Dealers have different sources of wholesale (or trade-in) values, and they're free to use any or all of them.
The Kelley Blue Book is probably the best known. But there also is the Black Book, a price and data service available to dealers and others in the auto industry, and NADA Guides, an affiliate of the National...
Fewer young Americans interested in driving
Photo credit: Newsday / James Carbone
Here's an alarming development that strikes at the heart of American values: Young Americans are less and less interested in driving and cars.
This indifference among the age group 16 to 29 has automakers worried. "Many of their potential customers couldn't care less about owning a car in the first place," report the trend watchers at The Wall Street Journal.
If this isn't...
Infiniti QX56 breaking issues, CVT maintenance
Photo credit: Handout
Dear Doctor: My 2006 Dodge Magnum has less than 37,000 miles. On cold days it whistles and makes a flute-like noise that disappears when the car gets warm. I had the belt changed, but that didn't fix the noise. I also had a smoke test done for any intake leaks -- and there are none. Do you have any ideas on what it could be? Arlene
Dear Arlene: To diagnose your cold-start noise we need to...
Super Bowl XLVI car commercials
Photo credit: Handout
Thanks to automakers hoping to catch viral video fire with their ads, we won't have to wait until Sunday to enjoy the latest crop of Super Bowl commercials. Here's a look at some of the upcoming car ads to look forward during the big game.
See what happens when an Audi S7 shows up at a party full of trendy vampires.
Jerry Seinfeld revives his old shtick--complete with Soup Nazi...
Study: Chevy Volt expensive, Nissan Leaf ugly
Photo credit: Nissan, AP; Chevy, Getty
Despite their small share of total vehicle sales, the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius garner a lot of attention from new-car shoppers, according to J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Avoider Study.
The study finds that gas mileage is the most important attribute shoppers are looking at now, surpassing older key reasons such as exterior styling, reliability and price.
That puts...
$1.2M Rolls-Royces hot sellers in China
Photo credit: Handout
Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars sold like gangbusters in 2011. Each brand had exceedingly strong global sales, with Rolls-Royce reaching its highest numbers in the brand's history.
While Bentley already has plans to expand its lineup by adding a SUV, we're learning that Rolls-Royce is just trying to keep up with demand for one of its most expensive products: the Rolls-Royce Phantom...
