Ben Huh - Autoblog

2,000 mile road trip, a new unfamiliar city and a burning desire for new gadgets compelled me to buy the just-released TomTom Go 300 (right), their second-generation portable car navigation device for the low low price of 26-weeks of hard-labor for Uncle Autoblog (or $620) – far less than all the integrated vehicle nav systems. Is this a bargain? Or should I have shelled out the extra cash?

Toyota is recalling 4,900 2005 Avalons made in the US from December 2004 to February 2005 due to a steering column defect. Honda is recalling almost 15,000 2005 Elements made between December 20, 2004 and April 29, 2005 due to an incorrectly wired connector in the trailer harness that could cause a glitch in the taillights. No accidents have been reported in either cases.

In a final blow to the distinction between the living room and the SUV, a mobile satellite receiver produced by RaySat and others is poised to delivery satellite TV and Internet to your car. Currently, the hardware costs run between $2,000 and $3,500, but as with most electronics, costs are projected to come down. Sales of RaySat's SpeedRay is projected to begin next month under the Audiovox brand and TracVision from KVH Industrie

Autoblog has obtained a secret, exclusive video of lightly-clad celebrity/mega-heiress/sex star Paris Hilton having her way with a Bentley, then doubling her weight by eating a burger the size of Texas. The only problem is, it's not a secret video. Nor is it exclusive to Autoblog. Nor are any of the facts in the first sentence entirely accurate. Hey, I'm still doing better than Newsweek. But this being an automotive site, there is a Bentley in the video.

Volvo's new design director, Steve Mattin, believes Volvo should remain unique and independent. Mattin was formerly with Mercedes-Benz where he created the A-Class, the S-Class, the C-Class sports coupe and the SL. I don't know why the previous Volvo designer, Peter Horbury, isn't with Volvo any more, but I thought they were heading in the right direction – sleeker and more aerodynamic, but still retaining its distance from its parent, Ford. However, this quote from Mattin is partic

A lot of people agree that large union healthcare obligations are a strategic problem for GM. So why haven't we heard about GM working on fixing that problem? According to Daniel Howes of the Detroit News, GM has been meeting daily with the UAW leadership. He believes that some announcement could be made regarding plant closures or a contract restructuring within 6 weeks after June 7.

Fifteen of the 20 largest GM shareholders, including Brandes Investment Partners LP and Southeastern Asset Management Inc., purchased a combined 64 million GM shares last week. Following on the heels of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's bid to hold 8.8% of GM, analysts predict that the GM shareholders have gone bargain hunting. In contrast, when I go bargain hunting, I pick over the 80% off bin at Factory Reject C

Sainz is racing in Rally of Turkey from June 3rd to 5th. Two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz retired at the end of last year, but he'll be back one last time to race for Citroen to fill a spot vacated by the struggling Francois Duval. I personally think that the WRC is the most exciting race to watch, and the more you guys care, the more chances they'll show it live in the US. Here are the reasons to care: It has fast drifting turns, spectacular scenery, death-defying leaps over bl

I love stories about lists: 10 best, best quality, gas mileage, etc. But here's one that baffles me. I don't understand why Forbes, an insightful reputable publication, would write a story about 10 good, but not great cars, then offer no criteria for their selection and starts the story with how they don't have anything against Ford or GM. Is this how you spell "pandering" to advertisers?

Ah, the smell of popcorn. It signals the coming age (or not) of diesel fuel made from soy beans in the Seattle area where those progressive nature-loving drivers number about 2000. More biodiesel stations are scheduled to open in Seattle over the summer, taking advantage of the higher fuel prices to make themselves competitive with regular diesel. Yours truly is moving to Seattle from Chicago at the end of th

Hyundai's rapid rise from "The choice of Rodney King" to "Hey, that's pretty nice" was punctuated yesterday by the opening of a 300,000 car a year plant in nowhere other than the Deep South. The Sonata, which is being produced by the plant, got high marks in quality and the transformation of Hyundai continues by winning over (at least the politicians) in Montgomery. This new plant comes just at the time the falling dollar is beginning to hurt the Korean carmaker's bottom line.

Some people on the Edmunds Town Hall are anxiously awaiting the delivery of the brand new Subaru, while a few have already gotten their grubby hands on one. This isn't Fuji's first shot at SUVs, but it does mark a departure from their lower and boxier is better philosophy on AWD. There are very high expectations on the Tribeca's refinements as Subaru is rapidly and successfully moving up-market. If you got one, we'd love to hear about your first impressions.

Clearly understanding that cars are as much about technology as they are about the driving experience, CNet, the less geeky, and more capitalist cousin of Slashdot, has begun reviewing cars. They are taking their standard reviewing methodology used for MP3 players, cell phones, and robotic vacuums to the likes of the new 2006 Infiniti M45. And being true to their geekdom, they pooh-pooh the M for not having a "live traffic

Mitsubishi is pinning a lot of their financial hopes on the 2006 Eclipse to help them bring them back into profitability. AutoWeek readers, however, doubt the Eclipse will be a hit among the sports compact car crowd. The readers cite its 3,500 pound weight and the fact that it's not an all-wheel drive Evo (duh) as the reason why they believe it won't catch on despite an available 280hp V6. Mitsubishi also confi

One day some scientist will get to earth's core to find a 1,200-cylinder

We at Autoblog would like to introduce our newest blogger, Ben Huh. "Fun practicality" is our newest staff member's