Happy Thanksgiving! Autoblog is grateful for...
Nov 26, 2009
- Return of the SHO
- The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO isn't exactly what I had in mind all these years while waiting for Ford to realize its mistake and bring back the Super High Output Taurus. It's too big, its brakes suck, and there's no manual transmission available. That extra spark of magic that made the original so special is somehow just missing. All the same, I'm thankful that the SHO is back in showrooms and hoping Ford has some improvements planned that will make me more thankful next year.
- John Neff
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- Return of the SHO
- The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO isn't exactly what I had in mind all these years while waiting for Ford to realize its mistake and bring back the Super High Output Taurus. It's too big, its brakes suck, and there's no manual transmission available. That extra spark of magic that made the original so special is somehow just missing. All the same, I'm thankful that the SHO is back in showrooms and hoping Ford has some improvements planned that will make me more thankful next year.
- John Neff
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- Wagon Redux
- Call it some kind of twisted automotive fetish, but I've always been a sucker for a wagon. Long out of favor with American buyers, it's heartening to see this segment returning to prominence with entries in just about every segment. Not crossovers either, but proper extended roof sedans with a gate out back. Although my weakness, the Dodge Magnum, hasn't faired well during this renaissance, there are still plenty of enthusiast options from Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Saab, Subaru, Volkswagen and even Acura coming next year.
- Frank Filipponio
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- Top Gear: Less Is Truly More
- Instead of being thankful for something we gearheads received this year, I’m actually grateful for something we didn’t get: an Americanized version of Top Gear. As a devotee of the BBC series, this may seem like a strange thing to be pleased about, but hear me out.
Having seen the other international iterations of Top Gear, they simply don’t come anywhere close to the genuine article. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May not only have the sort of unassailable chemistry that would be nigh unto impossible to duplicate, British social and broadcast standards give them carte blanche to call a spade a spade – or call a Ssangyong a piece of crap. None of which would ever have flied on advertising-driven NBC. And there are plenty of other reasons why the series wouldn’t have worked, including the fact that network’s lawyers, the FCC, and nanny-state handwringers would ensure that stunts and races would be blunted, muzzled altogether, or at the very least wallpapered in obnoxious “Do not try this at home” disclaimers.
Yes, Autoblog faithful – we have much to be thankful for this year. Including the fact that Eric Stromer will never, ever get the chance to play the role of Captain Slow.
- Chris Paukert
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- The Manual Transmission Option
- Today’s dual-clutch automatic gearboxes are faster, smoother and more efficient than any human operator. In spite of that, I applaud the automakers that still find a few dollars left in the development budget to satisfy the enthusiasts who crave manual-transmission variants of models like the Dodge Challenger SRT8, Porsche 911 Turbo and Cadillac CTS-V.
- Michael Harley
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- Bring on the EVs
- As someone with a strong desire to see transportation move beyond fossil fuels, it's been great watching the progress electric vehicles (EVs) have made this year. Not only are they getting lots of love at the major auto shows, but hundreds have begun trickling their way into driveways, presaging next year's veritable flood. All this in spite of a less-than-stellar economy and relatively cheap gas. The only thing that warms my automotive cockles more (so to speak) than EVs on the road is EVs on the track and this year's thoroughly enjoyable TTXGP only piques my appetite for more carbon-free racing.
- Domenick Yoney
