Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Shelby GT500 Mustang

Sometime around late 2003, I first saw the car that was at that time still known as Condor. Condor was the Ford internal code name for the SVT version of the yet to be publicly shown S197 Mustang. At that time, most everyone outside of Ford was still anticipating that this car would be the new Mustang Cobra. Somewhere along the line to launch, Ford had settled its long standing conflict with Carroll Shelby and Condor ended up wearing one of the other classic Mustang badges from the '60s. The Shelby GT500 eventually started rolling off the Flat Rock, MI assembly line in both coupe and convertible forms for the 2007 model year.

Ford recently dropped off a Grey 2008 GT500 coupe at the Autoblog Garage for a few days, and we just had to share. By coincidence, the GT500 arrived about three weeks after the Mustang Bullitt we reviewed. While the Bullitt was about as understated as a modern Mustang can get, the GT500 is anything but. The Shelby is slathered in stripes, badges, spoilers and driving lights. The GT500 also has a very different powertrain from the Bullitt. Find out how the GT500 compares to the stealth 'Stang after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Autoblog drives the 2008 Bullitt Mustang

The Ford Mustang has been the lone-surviving pony car since the last Camaro hit the chopping block back in 2002. Even though the Blue Oval no longer had any competition in the rear-wheel-drive muscle car market, the Mustang was given a major overhaul for the 2005 model year, and to keep the RWD coupe fresh, limited edition variants have been popping up with regularity. One of our favorites is the understated Bullitt Mustang, which we reviewed earlier this month. We had so much fun with the 315-hp retro coupe that we put it back on the street for some video love. Hit play on the video above for just over three minutes of a beautiful green Bullitt in glorious motion. It'll be worth your time. High resolution photos from our earlier review are available below, as well.

Autoblog drives the 2008 F-350 King Ranch Dually

It isn't very often we get the opportunity to drive a vehicle with four wheels at the rear axle, so we were more than happy to parade around town with a completely loaded 2008 F-350 King Ranch for a week. With $4.20 per gallon diesel and an average of 11 mpg for this monster truck, it would run us about $140 just to fill the tank, so we probably wouldn't be as interested in a long-term engagement. For those of you who use your truck to pay the bills, however, this big baby has all the power, comfort and technology you'll ever need.

Power from the twin-turbo 6.4L Powerstroke diesel is incredible, with 350 hp and 650 pound-feet of torque, but at 231 inches from stem to stern, you need the grunt just to get going. The abundant torque helps you tow 18,000 pounds (!), and the integrated trailer brake controller helps you pull a load without an aftermarket setup.

The F-350 is a real work truck, and when you add the King Ranch package, you get amazing comfort and luxury that you would expect from a Lincoln Navigator. The leather covering the seats and touch areas feels like it comes from a high-end bomber jacket, and amenities like Audiophile sound, navigation, and moonroof give owners a little coddling during the work day. Hey, if your truck makes you money and the cash is coming in, why not drop $59,000 on something that can pay you back a little. Click on the video above to view our two-and-a-half-minute review, then click below for our high resolution gallery.

UPDATE: Correct video added.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk/ Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Saturn Astra

Enthusiasts here in the States have long wondered why they couldn't buy Ford and GM small cars from Europe, and at least part of the answer has been that Americans don't want to pay big bucks for premium small cars. Spiking gasoline prices have quelled that argument, and fuel economy is now towards the top of shoppers' lists when looking for a new car or truck.

While Ford is still more than a year away from bringing over the Euro Focus and Fiesta, GM has made the cross-Atlantic jump by importing the Opel Astra to our shores. The Astra is a hot-selling hatch in Europe with high-end amenities and very good fuel economy, and the model is shipping to the U.S. differentiated from its Euro twin by some Saturn logos and little else. We were itching to get our hands on an Astra to see if it were as good as advertised, and our tester came equipped with everything Saturn could throw at the vehicle. Hit the jump to see how the 2009 Saturn Astra fared in the Autoblog Garage.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Honda Accord Coupe

Honda's Accord has grown at every redo since the model's inception, and this latest version is no different. We've already tried out the sedan, so we borrowed the two-door version to sample the Coupé lifestyle, wherein you actually pronounce those acute accents. Our first impression is that the Accord Coupe is the best Monte Carlo never made, while retaining a fundamental core of Hondaness. Accords have always been half cool, half dorky, with the scale tipping one way or another depending on the generation. This latest one continues that trend, and we wanted to find out if the 2008 Accord Coupe is crushingly cool or heavily noisome.


All photos © 2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Volvo XC70

While station wagons are a very big part of the European automotive landscape, here in the States the two-box design sells much better when it's a crossover. We Americans don't have many choices on the true wagon front, mostly because high volume demand simply doesn't exist. One wagon that has been around for a while is the Volvo XC70, which combines much of the rugged AWD utility of an SUV with traditional wagon packaging.

The XC70 is all-new for 2008, including its Ford Mondeo-derived platform, 3.2L engine and more refined sheet metal. On paper, the XC70 delivers a good-looking, safe and evolved station wagon to go head-to-head with upscale utility vehicles, but how will it hold up in the Autoblog Garage? Hit the jump to find out.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.

When we first locked eyes on the 2008 Dodge Dakota at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, we were breathless. The reason for our inability to process oxygen had everything to do with the ungainly sheet metal that covered the latest iteration of Dodge's midsize truck offering. The new Dakota is boxy with an awkward, Pug-like front end, and the interior is Dodge-tastic.

Not all is wrong with the Dakota, however. It's the largest of the midsize pickups, has the only optional V8 in its class, and thus can out-tow and carry larger loads than its competition. We wanted to see for ourselves if the Ram Lite could overcome its visual shortcomings with affordability and clever packaging, so we took a blacked-out KITT look-a-like version for a week in the Autoblog Garage. Hit the jump to see how the Dakota fared.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of our time with the 2008 Toyota Sequoia

Gigantor. The 2008 Toyota Sequoia arrives humongously revised from the already beefy first-generation. The Timberland Mica (Metallic Green) example that Toyota lent us for a week definitely deserves whatever size-related superlatives you can dream up. It's big, it's powerful, it doesn't sip fuel. There is a need and a market for this type of vehicle, however. If Sequoia buyers don't actually utilize its considerable capabilities, that's not Toyota's fault. This year marks the migration of Toyota's full size Sport Utility to the same mechanicals that underpin the new Tundra, ladling on capability to an already fairly competent and refined vehicle.


All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

Click the image for the full LS600h L review at AutoblogGreen

Sam Abuelsamid recently spent a week behind the wheel of the very expensive, very luxurious Lexus LS600h L. The über-Lexus has the V12 offerings from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW in its sights -- lofty targets, to be sure, but based on Sam's account, the big hybrid might well have a missile lock on its competition this time around. Follow the jump for a video review of Lexus' mega-cruiser, and head over to AutoblogGreen for Sam's detailed rundown. If you thought the "hybrid penalty" on mass-market hybrids like the Prius or Altima was a tough financial pill to swallow, you're going to need the Heimlich maneuver performed once you look at how the LS600h's numbers work out.


[Source: AutoblogGreen]

click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S

Coldest day of the year. Single-digit, negative windchill cold. The rented Sony Digital Beta machine almost fits into the trunk of the newly minted Nissan Altima Coupe. The speakers for the Bose stereo hang down too low and block what could have been a glove-tight fit. Time for plan B. While the boffins at the video equipment rental house are watching from the window, I back the car into the middle of the parking lot to swing that big coupe door out as wide as it'll go. Okay, does the front seat lie flat? No... damn. The back seats do fold down and the front headrest is removable. Hmm. Front passenger seat slid all the way forward and reclined all the way back gives me *just* enough room to cram the big broadcast unit into the car where it has a cozy space to rest. That'll learn ya to buy a coupe. Expect scenes like this to be oft-repeated if you carry more than a messenger bag with your car.

Let's get this out of the way; the Altima Coupe is not a poor man's anything. Its looks certainly set expectations. There's plenty of Infiniti G37 in the lines of the Altima Coupe, but it can stand on its own considerable merits without basking in the halo of some other cousin with totally unrelated architecture. The 2.5S Coupe is more 912 than 911, more 318 than 335, which is not an entirely bad thing. It's shorter, lower and lighter than the sedan, and the happy vibes are served up in big portions.


All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.