Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan Murano

It just so happens that the all-new 2009 Nissan Murano is one of those nondescript mid-size crossover utility vehicles that may blend into the crowd. Its styling is certainly modern, if not overly exciting. The cabin is accommodating, if not excessively spacious. The handling is inspiring, if not unduly sporty. The engine is strong, and even reasonably efficient. How would this perfectly acceptable, yet hardly over-achieving CUV handle five passengers and full luggage on a 1,000-plus mile road trip across the Southwestern desert? Read on to find out.

All photos Copyright ©2008 Michael C. Harley/ Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Alfa MiTo

It's Saturday night and I'm out on the town. My friend – like half of the guys in the room – is eyeing the pretty blond across the bar, but at least he knows he doesn't have to worry about competition from my corner. Because there's a smolderingly hot redhead sitting across the room, and she's stolen all of my attention. Objectively I'd have to admit the blond is the better choice, but there's just something about those fiery crimson locks that make short order of blocking out everything else. It's something that – while I've never been officially part of the club myself – I suspect I share with Alfa Romeo owners around the world.

For decades Alfa Romeo has been coasting by on its image and heritage. Buying an Alfa has long been an irrational choice, motivated by the subjective longing for that indefinable x-factor despite their many objective dynamic flaws. With the new Alfa MiTo, however, that era draws to a close. The MiTo demands no excuses and, drenched though it is with that charm that only redheads Alfas do best, the MiTo doesn't ask that you ignore its flaws because countless manhours have gone into making sure they've been eliminated.

All Photos Copyright ©2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Click to view the '61 Alfa Giulietta in our hi-res gallery

Everyone has their own idea of heaven on earth: the first snowfall, a cold beer on a hot day, a pristine azure beach... Cruising around town on a beautiful summer day in a classic Italian roadster may just be ours.

There's just something, what the French call a certain je ne sais quoi, an indefinable quality about a vintage Alfa – found somewhere in between the exhaust note and the chrome details – that has a unique capacity to make driver and passenger forget about everything else and just enjoy the drive. Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of progress. But after spending a few hours with this beautiful 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, we're gaining a new appreciation for the phrase "they don't build 'em like they used to". Follow the jump to read why.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Ever found yourself sitting in a taxi, thinking you could pilot that cab much better than its driver? Well, who hasn't, but that's rarely an option. If only everyone recognized your driving talent. Unfortunately most of us don't get that kind of recognition. Unless, of course, you're Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time world champion was with his family in Munich en route to the airport, and like the rest of us, they were running late. Naturally Schumi asked the driver, Tuncer Yilmaz, if he could drive, and the next thing Tuncer knew, he was riding shotgun as Michael did what Michael does best.

Needless to say, the Schumacher family made their flight, landed in Coburg and picked up their new dog from the breeder. (Seriously). The cabbie, for his part, attested to having the ride of his life, and in addition to the fare, got a generous tip.

[Source: F1-Live]

For years, the only Italian automobiles available in the United States have been exotic sportscars. Alfa Romeo is banking on that perception for its return to the American market with a range of cars that don't cost exotic, but look exotic. That much is further evidenced by the 8C Competizione, the car Alfa made and chose to spearhead the return. But exotic, in people's minds, means rear-wheel-drive, and with the very notable but limited example of the 8C, and despite the availability of AWD on the US-bound 159/Brera/Spider range, Alfa Romeos are all front-drive. That may have cut it overseas, but American buyers are going to want tire-smoking, tail-out dramatics to go with their Italian good looks. Fortunately, Alfa is out to meet that demand with its future models.

Although the Junior hatchback, to be based on the Grande Punto platform, will be front-drive (the norm in hot hatches, anyway), the flagship 169 luxury sedan is tipped to share its platform with Maserati, which means rear-drive. Reports are now surfacing that suggest that additional future Alfa Romeo models will also be RWD, to the benefit of impassioned customers worldwide.

[Source: Motor Authority]

There's no denying that the Bugatti Veyron is an awesome car. Experiencing acceleration more akin to a superbike than a 4,000 pound car is a religious experience. The price of a one is also likely to cause you to utter the name of a higher being. If you'd like to drive Bugatti's wheeled missile but can't swing the cost of ownership, and you happen to be in England, you can rent one instead. Of course, the 40 grand it costs for a single day in HVC Prestige's Veyron would also buy ypu an entire car that you won't have to park after just 50 miles (that works out to $800/mile, in case you were wondering).

That 50 miles might feel like quite a lot when you realize that during every minute you spend behind the wheel of this thing, you'll have sweaty palms, a dry mouth, and a severely elevated heart rate. HVC isn't messing around with joyriders, either. You must be 28 or older with a valid license for at least the last 5 years. There's that aforementioned mileage cap, as well as a $300,000 insurance deposit, too. If you find the terms or price for the Veyron to be a bit out of your budget, HVC Prestige has plenty of other cars you can take out as an alternative. We bet the HUMMER H2 doesn't cost $40 grand per day to wheel around in.

Thanks for the tip, Fogdoggydog!

[Source: eBay UK]



More Veyron eye candy:

Official word has yet to come down from on high, but it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Infiniti G37 will eventually get AWD hardware. Potential buyers are asking dealers, who are in turn asking Infiniti about channeling the VQ's urge through all four wheels. The M45 and G35S will both be gaining AWD in the near future, so it does bode well for the possibility of a G37x. Official statements are vague about any actual developments, other than to say "it's reasonable to expect it may happen." It's also reasonable to assume that Infiniti's watching the competition like BMW and Audi proliferating AWD euro-luxers, and they'd be remiss to neglect offering the same capabilities.

[Source: Inside Line]

Ducati is positioning itself as the Ferrari of motorbikes. They may not say it, but that's what it comes down to. Like Ferrari, they make some of the fastest and most desirable Italian road-rockets around. Like Ferrari, they been 'round the GP circuit. And like Ferrari, they've been ramping up their merchandising efforts to increase brand awareness and capitalize on it. But Ducatis are much smaller than Ferraris, so if the latter has a range of laptop computers, Ducati's answer is a USB memory drive.

The bikemaker partnered with the biggest name in the business, SanDisk, to offer this Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive (in addition to a selection of flash memory cards). For starters, the Ducati flash drive is one of the slickest, sleekest, fastest-lookin' portable digital storage devices we've ever seen. And it's got the performance to match, with transfer times of 20MB/sec and a 4GB capacity. It also comes packed with file recovery software and a lifetime warranty. Just be careful when taking those sharp corners, or you could end up crashing your system.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Engadget and Carscoop]

Click on the MKR for a high-res gallery of the concept drive

Ford took the wraps off of a trio of concept vehicles at this years Detroit Auto Show that went with the themes American Journey, American Muscle, American Beauty. The first two were represented by the Ford Airstream and Interceptor concepts while beauty took the form of the Lincoln MKR. Ford recently invited a group of journalists out to its Dearborn Development Center to sample the concepts and get a preview of some other technologies they are working on.

In general concept cars are usually far from complete vehicles, generally being built to show off design ideas rather than performance prowess. The MKR is no exception with Ford limiting our speeds on the ride loop to a mere 10-15 mph. The MKR, like the Interceptor, is built from a stretched S197 Mustang platform, in this case with an extra six inches between the wheels. The point of the MKR was to define a new coherent design language for Lincoln. Since the 1980s, Lincoln has been all over the place with no coherent image or direction. That is all about to change.

Continue reading about the new look of Lincoln after the jump, including a discussion with design lead Xitij Mistry.

[Source: Ford]

click the pic above to view a gallery

"I say, that's a very fine Grand Tourer" said the delightful young man sharing a cookout in the street with his companion pit bull. At least that's how it sounded as it filtered over the transom of the XK while motoring through a questionable section of town. His actual verbiage may have been closer to "Yo, that $#!t is hot," but such is the bliss of driving the 2007 Jaguar XK Convertible, that it immediately transforms your mood and renders the world cheery.

Some vehicles have an inherent sense of self-loathing, almost apologizing for having an internal combustion engine and wheels. The Jaguar XK has no such identity crisis. While it's not the ultimate performer in its segment, if you derive pleasure from Grand Touring, the Jaguar XK has a brace of wily charms to woo your considerable pile of dollars.