Can you name that road sign? Take this quiz and find out originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Could you still pass a driving test? Take this quiz and find out originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2010 Volvo XC60

Edmunds praises Volvo XC60, pans Cadillac SRX in new entry-lux CUV comparo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Statement on Ferrari website lashes out against Toro Rosso "indiscretion" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Lexus IS F

Continue reading Review: 2009 Lexus IS F pursues perfection, might need more personality

Review: 2009 Lexus IS F pursues perfection, might need more personality originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Nissan 370Z

Continue reading Review: 2009 Nissan 370Z

Review: 2009 Nissan 370Z originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Infiniti FX50

Continue reading Review: 2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD

Review: 2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above for high-res gallery of Tesla Roadster v1.5

Last January we landed an exclusive first drive of the Tesla Roadster. We were impressed, but well aware that the particular two-gear model we drove that wet afternoon wasn't identical to the version set to land in customers' hands later in the year. Last week, we were invited back to briefly test drive a genuine production model with the latest transmission and software updates (aka "powertrain 1.5"). Check out our round-two impressions after the jump. (Ed. Note: Sorry for the lack of live images, but we literally had about half-hour to drive the car before it was whisked away.)

Gallery: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5

Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster

Continue reading Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5

Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Save the hot hatch for last. That's what we kept telling ourselves as we wandered the Belgian countryside looking for Ford's Lommel Proving Ground. As it turns out, the facility, located next to an air force base - restricted airspace, you know - is so secret, our hosts at Ford could hardly find it. So we had a little extra time to repeat the mantra: save the hot hatch for last.

On our way to Italy to drive the new Fiesta, we took a detour to Lommel to sample some of Ford's European C-segment offerings. A variety of vehicles, including one with the new dual-clutch gearbox, a Kuga crossover and the fire-breathing Focus ST, would be on hand for us to drive around the track. But we knew that if we gave into temptation and drove the ST first, the rest would seem sluggish by comparison, even though the vehicles aren't comparable. So did we resist the urge, or give into the little demon that's always whispering in our ears to go faster? Follow the jump and we just might tell you.

Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST

Continue reading First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec)

First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Dynolicious vs. V-Box and Dynojet

Continue reading Dynolicious vs. V-Box and Dynojet

Dynolicious vs. V-Box and Dynojet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S

Continue reading Review: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S

Review: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5S originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2008 Scion xB

Continue reading VIDEO: 2007 Scion xB In the Autoblog Garage

VIDEO: 2007 Scion xB In the Autoblog Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While Villeneuve and Montoya are adapting well to their new home in NASCAR, their German-speaking former colleagues might be headed to their own sedan-based racing series at home.

Reports indicate that, against the advice of his older brother, Ralf Schumacher climbed into the cabin of a Mercedes C-Class DTM race car for a trial test at the Estoril track on Tuesday.

Austrian driver Christian Klien, who was passed over for the last seat at Force India in favor of Giancarlo Fisichella, is believed to have also participated in the test. The Mercedes-AMG team in the popular German touring car series recently suffered the loss of Mika Hakkinen, and is tipped to be eager to replace him with another big F1 name.

[Source: Autosport]

Stock Drop: Ralf to test for Mercedes DTM originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With its Le Mans racing program soon to be bolstered by GT2 and LMP1 entries, and with sales of its ever-so-desirable GTs ever increasing, Aston Martin is preparing to add the four-door Rapide to its production line-up. And if this spy shot is any indication, things seem to be moving along nicely.

Aston was anticipated to decide by year's end where the Rapide would be built. Although the company just moved to a new facility in Gaydon, the automaker was reportedly in discussions with a number of smaller contractors - including Pininfarina, Karmann, Magna-Steyr and Valmet - over potentially outsourcing the Rapide's manufacturing. As we already know, these private coachbuilders are all in dire need of the contract.

Confirmation that Aston would build the Rapide was one of the first things its new owners did after acquiring the company from Ford, and we're looking forward to seeing the production version in the flesh after seeing this spy shot.

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Spy Shot: Aston Martin Rapide originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Lexus LS460L

Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: Lexus LS460L

In The Autoblog Garage: Lexus LS460L originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the Clio and Laguna having recently undergone complete replacement, Renault is now turning its attention to its middle range, and the automotive paparazzi have caught camouflaged mules undergoing testing on the open road.

Scheduled to bow at next September's Paris show, the third-generation Megane is expected to do away with the current model's sharp creases in favor of a smoother silhouette. The spy shots show that the current Megane's distinctive upright curved rear glass will give way to a more streamlined greenhouse, drawing on the lines of the new Laguna sedan. The range is anticipated to include three-door and five-door hatches, an estate wagon, a two-door coupe and a hardtop convertible. The new Megane's normally-aspirated 1.4-liter base engine is expected to be replaced by the Clio's 1.2-liter turbo, but otherwise the engines should carry over from the current model's, ranging all the way to the 225-horsepower turbo Renaultsport version.

[Source: Auto Express]

Spy Shots: streamlined new Renault Megane originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Overseas customers anxiously awaiting the upcoming entry-level model from Alfa Romeo have a little teaser to hold them over. The replacement for the three-door version of the long-in-the-tooth Alfa 147 is expected to debut at the Geneva show this coming March, but this is the first time we've actually seen it.

Unfortunately, all we can see is a bit of the front and rear bumpers, but like an unguarded celebrity pop idol getting out of a car, a little glimpse can be worth a lot. All that can be seen from the front shot is a fog-light flanking the front air dam, but the red cover betrays the iconic Alfa shield grille underneath. Around back is a better view of an intriguing overlapping double-oval exhaust peering out from what little rear overhang there is.

No word yet on whether the Junior (or whatever it will be called after Alfa bailed on its own online naming campaign) will eventually make it over the pond as part of the company's return to the American market, but we'll be on hand in Switzerland for the unveiling in three months.

[Source: Autoblog.it]

Celebrity Upskirt: Alfa Junior caught unawares originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Review: 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport

Continue reading Review: 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport

Review: 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click on the images to view in high-speed and high-resolution

Remember the Maybach Exelero? The ultra-premium marque from Merceceds-Benz built it almost two years ago as a high-speed test vehicle based on its Maybach 57 luxury sedan, but unfortunately never offered production versions to the public. To the rescue comes Brabus, those whacky German tuners who give the go-fast treatment to everything produced by the three-pointed star, from the Smart ForTwo all the way up to this 730-hp limousine.

Like the Exelero, Brabus' monster is based on the Maybach 57 and was built in order to achieve the highest speeds attainable. To get there, Brabus tuned the Maybach's twin-turbo V12 to the same standard as the CLS-based Brabus Rocket speed record car: that means boosting power from 550 hp to 730, thanks to an increase in displacement from 5.5 liters to 6.3, coupled with a new crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads... the works. The turbos were beefed up, and along with the intercoolers, a custom exhaust was installed and the ECU was reprogrammed.

The result is a top speed of 330.2 km/h (205.2 mph in American speak) achieved at the same Nardo test track in Italy where the Exelero was put through its places. A far cry from the 218.4 mph achieved by the Exelero, but not to shabby in its own right. And here you thought the S versions of the Maybach 57 and 62 were obscene enough....

Check out the images in the gallery below, and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabus]

Gallery: Brabus Maybach 57 @Nardo

Continue reading Brabus builds its own Exelero, hits 205 mph at Nardo

Brabus builds its own Exelero, hits 205 mph at Nardo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The critics have been silenced, and silenced good.

Michael Schumacher retired a seven-time world champion, but his eighth title narrowly escaped him right down to the line at his farewell grand prix in 2006. Retiring after losing the championship two years in a row to a younger Fernando Alonso, many started asking if the driver that dominated the sport for so long still had it in his, ahem, "advancing" age.

Those pundits got their answer when Schumacher briefly returned to F1 in taking the wheel of the Ferrari F2007, this year's title-winning car, at an official FIA-sanctioned Formula One testing event in Spain this week. The focus of the event, the first since the end of the season, was to give the teams a chance to run the cars without traction control and with the standardized engine control unit (ECU), as mandated by the 2008 regulations.

Schumacher drove for the first two of the three day test session, and on both days his lap times sat at the very top of the time sheets. Unfortunately, spokespersons were quick to point out that this did not herald Michael's return to the grid, just a one-time event. So the rest of the drivers can sleep easier.

[Sources: Italiaspeed and Ferrari]

Back with a Vengeance: Schumacher takes all in comeback F1 test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.