Autoblog

In today's economy of high gas prices, luxury automobiles get a bad rap. However, Forbes points out, some luxury sedans and SUVs are frugal in their fuel consumption, and even retain a healthy amount of their residual values. Based on those two main factors, Forbes.com has named their Top Ten list of "guilt-free luxury cars".

As you'd expect, the bulk of the list is constituted of German and Japanese luxury automobiles for their resale values, and hybrids for their fuel economy. But some of their selections may surprise you. While the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, Lexus RX400h and LS460h seem like natural choices, other Mercedes SUVs – namely the M-Class and GL-Class – were also nominated. More surprisingly, the Jaguar XF is on there, as is the flame-snorting Lexus IS-F. The rest of the list is rounded out with the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Infiniti M35. Check out Forbes.com to find out what makes these ten vehicles so "guilt-free".

[Source: Forbes.com]

Employing research that they certainly did not get from AOL Autos, Forbes is at it again with a list of the Top 10 Fastest Fictional Cars. One of the things we find odd about the list is that there are a number of cars included that you can actually buy or make pretty easily, like James Bond's Aston Martin DBS or the General Lee. That, and a lot of cars for sale today are as fast or faster than some fictional ones on the list.

Yet the strangest thing on the list has to be that Lightning McQueen, he of Cars fame, has a 750-horsepower V8 but takes 4.5 seconds to get from 0-to-60. Disney, come on. It's no wonder Lightning had self-esteem issues.

We won't tell you what No. 1 is, but it goes 800-MPH and runs on Energon, which, sadly, Chevron doesn't carry. Click the link for the full rundown, and check out the list of honorable mentions as well, which includes the Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch and the G-6155 Interceptor from the Spy Hunter video game. Thanks for the tip, Benjamin!

[Source: Forbes]

Buying a luxury car or SUV is the dream of many readers, and while a BMW or Mercedes will buy you some instant street-cred, they'll also cost you an arm and a leg if it ever needs fixing. A repair that may be no big deal for a Chevy Cobalt can cost much more in a luxury vehicle due to high-tech gadgets and more expensive materials. Forbes put together lists of the ten most expensive to repair luxury and non-luxury vehicles over a five year period.

The most costly vehicle to fix overall was the Dodge Viper, which came in at $1,641, and the most expensive luxury vehicle was the Audi A8 at $1,640. On the luxury list, every vehicle came from Europe, with zero entries from Detroit or Japan. The story was much different for the non-luxury vehicles, with heavy-duty trucks and SUVs making up the lion's share of the list. The Subaru Impreza and Mini Cooper were the only imports to make Forbes' dubious top ten. Hit the jump to view the most expensive luxury cars to repair, and click on the link below to view the priciest non-luxury list.

[Source: Forbes]

Forbes has a slideshow of the best and worst places to own a car, and you might be surprised at a few of the winners and losers. The rankings are based on the results of Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own (TCO) study. That study takes into account depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fees, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, and figures out how much those little costs you rarely consider as a lump sum will really subtract from your bank account over time. (Or pockets or shoeboxes, depending on where you keep your money.)

Depreciation and fuel are, of course, the biggest costs, and insurance can add a fair chunk over time. The difference between the last spot and the first spot on each list wasn't great -- about $4,000 in each case. But the difference between the best place (least expensive) to own a car and the worst place (most expensive) -- which wasn't New York City -- worked out to almost $12,000 over five years. Click the link to see if your state made either list. And if you want to get the TCO for your specific car, then check out the TCO calculator for yourself.

[Source: Forbes]

Using a formula that takes into account what a buyer actually pays for a vehicle, J.D. Power APEAL Survey results and the Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey, Forbes has come up with the 15 vehicles for which you'll probably pay too. The most overpriced vehicle will cost you $7,158 more than it should. For some reason we couldn't see the 15th and final slide, so all we can tell you is that the 14th most overpriced vehicle will run you $2,447 extra.

The number one slot is held by the $37,105 Dodge Ram 2WD Laramie MegaCab, and the penultimate place was occupied by the $27,470 GMC Colorado. The list is dominated by domestic trucks and SUVs -- the only car on the list is the Mercury Grand Marquis (over by $6,480), and the only import is the Nissan Quest SE (over by $3,441). All of them are long in the tooth, on their way out, or about to be replaced. So if you're in the market for any of them, it's buyer beware time.

Since the Forbes equation factors after-purchase survey results that are of the touchy-feely subjective variety, the list is less a rundown of overpriced cars than it is of cars that have inflated purchase prices and with which buyers weren't totally happy. After all, is there anyone who doesn't think the Lamborghini Reventon is grossly overpriced? (But make no mistake, we'd buy all 20 of them if we had the money.)

[Source: Forbes]

UPDATE: A more fleshed out report from Forbes was published at 4:25 PM EST that still maintains the strike is over. The new report claims a tentative agreement was in UAW president Ron Gettelfinger's hands an hour after the strike started. This report has not been confirmed by other sources.

click above pic for more images from the UAW's strike against Chrysler

We're not sure how a mistake like this happens. Forbes published a report online at 1:45 PM EST claiming that "Chrysler and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal," even going so far as to state that the strike ending had been confirmed by both the company and union officials. Of course, Forbes was unable to provide any details as to what the agreement contained, most likely because such an agreement doesn't exist.

Neither Automotive News, The Detroit News nor the Detroit Free Press have reported that the strike has ended. Automotive News, in fact, reported at 3:42 PM EST that negotiators have left the table for the day and not even scheduled another sit down. The Detroit Free Press, meanwhile, has already published a counter-story denying Forbes' claim that the strike is over.

We're entirely puzzled as to where this bogus Forbes report came from. Our honest guess is that it was written in case the strike actually did end quickly today and was published on Forbes' servers where it was then found by an intrepid member of the GM Inside News forums. We'll never know for sure, though.

[Source: Forbes via GM Inside News]

In Ten Cars You Can't Buy in the US, Forbes offers a sampling of tasty metal that US buyers just aren't good enough to put money down on. However, the real title should be Ten Cars You Can't Buy in the US Yet, or Any More, or That You Wouldn't Buy Even if You Could. The article focuses mainly on the Italians and the French, and reaffirms the French makers' intent not to return to the US any time soon. The slide show, though, includes the the Mitsubishi Evo (Forbes shows the Evo X, which we are getting), Smart (again, we're getting the new one), Vanquish S, and Skyline (available here as the G35). The article then goes on to suggest the Infiniti G35 as an alternative to the Skyline, its JDM twin. G35 coupes fully rebadged to replicate their JDM Skyline twins are nothing new, so Forbes isn't exactly offering revolutionary advice here.

[Source: Forbes.com]

One of our favorite non-auto-publications-laughably-doing-car-stories, Forbes has just issued its list of the most affordable luxury cars available today. Sound like an oxymoron? Well, it is, sort of, but their point is a logical one. Even the entry-level models from most luxury players are getting the toys from their bigger siblings. And even in cars that don't necessarily have more expensive siblings, they have had to adopt those features to stay competitive. The idea behind the article is to show us the most luxury you can get on a budget. And most of the choices are pretty sound. The trouble comes in where they start to make suggestions like, "Preparing to plunk down $61,715 on a brand-new Lexus LS460? Save your money. Instead, buy a $30,000 IS 250." The implication that the IS is somehow as good as the LS at a much lower price is ludicrous. They just tend to focus on features rather than performance or room or style, but it makes a decent buyers guide overall. These are solid choices in the near-luxury segment for the most part. Click through the read link to see photos of each along with some of the reasons it was selected.

[Source: Forbes via AIADA First Up]

Few moments in life are less welcomed than when a sprightly sprint in your automobile is cut short by flashing red lights in your rearview mirror. In that moment, you know that you're out well over $100, you'll have to take time off work for court, and your insurance is likely to go up by 10 percent or more.

The Speed Trap Exchange was created to alert drivers of speed traps, and to tip off locations where traffic patrols are heaviest. The folks over at Speed Trap compiled a list of the 10 worst places in the US in which not to speed based on the input of over 10,000 site users. Lucky for me, my hometown is in the Detroit suburbs, which took the No. 1 spot. Hit the jump to view all top 10 sites, and let us know if you know of an area where speed traps run ramped.

[Source: Forbes]

Forbes and a few special guests play matchmaker, putting some magnificent stretches of blacktop together with some magnificent wheels. California is, of course, well represented among the entrants -- Danica Patrick likes Highway 1 around Monterey in a Bentley GTC, and Bob Bondurant likes Mulholland Drive in a 1965 'Stang. The rest of the country gets some love as well, though. A DB9 is best suited for the Las Vegas to Death Valley to Mammoth Lakes run (be sure to check out Dante's View in Death Valley). For the Easterners among you, the Tail of the Dragon in the Great Smoky Mountains, from Tennessee to North Carolina, is perfect for an '07 vintage Porsche Turbo. Being Forbes, all but one of the best rides are big money, but don't let that stop you -- the roads don't discriminate. Land Rover gets our vote for the best choice of best road: essentially, they chose Africa.

[Source: Forbes]