It feels as though it’s been far too long since we’ve seen Jerry Seinfeld being funny. In fact, ever since “Seinfeld” ended back in 1998, it seems as though America’s favorite comedian has seemingly vanished. Now however it seems Mr. Jerry is back shilling for Acura and their upcoming NSX super car, which is actually quite amazing since he’s so closely associated with Porsche (he owns like 50 of them). Regardless though it’s just nice to see Jerry back in action doing what he does best – making people laugh.

Source: Youtube.com

If you’re into motor sports, you’re on a budget, and you can only afford one car, then the odds of you wanting something that can do it all are probably pretty high. This is exactly where I fall and I’ll be honest, it’s a total bitch trying to find the right ride. For instance, say you have a budget of $30K and you’re looking for something with 4 seats, great track manners and overall usability. The choices are unfortunately somewhat limited. Cars like Subaru’s WRX and the Mazda Speed3 kinda’ fit the bill, but at days end they’ll always leave you wanting more and are cramped inside. Then there’s the Ford Mustang GT. A car with gobs of power and a decent suspension, but back seats that will only fit those with no legs. I thought I’d found a solution in my Dodge Magnum SRT8, but while fast and totally usable, it handles like a tugboat on the racetrack. So the question remains, is there truly a do it all automobile?

For now, fasten your seatbelts and drift through the following list of some extremely awesome feature ideas that will probably never see a real road, but they can chase you in your sepia-toned daydreams.

1. Fuel Cell Operation

Our world has seen hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles; but as of this moment, our cars still have a gasoline addiction. Sometimes, an auto show goes above and beyond by showing us what a hydrogen cell car can look like and teasing us with its insanely low operation cost.  Imagine no more pain at the pump.

2. Popemobile-style Convertible Rear

Wouldn’t you love to be chauffeured around in a rear section that opens up, so you can catch some rays while you’re driving to the country club or to that important board meeting?  Well, maybe (for now) you won’t be able to own it with your current paycheck, but imagination and fantasy is sure free and fun.

3. Wings

The Saab PhoeniX is the latest example in a long line of cars showing everyone what happens when you combine cars and airplanes without trying to be James Bond. Cars with wings, even if they’re small, draw attention as they show off in the best possible way.

4. Flight

The Chase 2053 concept car speaks for everyone’s unspoken desire to own a flying car. Packing jet engines, this is the kind of vehicle you would be happy to have in your driveway, or on your next transatlantic car trip.

5. Indestructibility

The Chase 2053 also happens to be practically indestructible, thanks to its carbon fiber construction and living skin-based exterior.  Apparently, KITT was about 70 years ahead of its time. One of the big auto insurance tips for 2053: Get the car that can only be damaged by a direct hit from a cruise missile.

6. Shape-shifting

What if you could change the wheel base and the profile of your car to adjust to the changing conditions?  Every so often, a concept car plants that awesome dream in our minds. Go-go-Gadget sports car!

7. Drool-worthy Good Looks

The Mazda Furai is based on a Le Mans entry by the company in years past.  Why exactly do most people drive around in uninterestingly designed cars and then go to auto shows where every design is a work of mobile art?  If you’re not going to drive something awesome, you might as well ride a bicycle or something.

Driving Home the Point

Concept cars are fantasies we taunt ourselves with in the safety of an auto show;  but you don’t drive to work or to the grocery store in a Furai, and only KITT was indestructible — KITT was just make-believe.  While 2053 is a good ways off, many of the features we love in our concept cars will probably never be real — and that’s okay.

Thumbs Up: German car luxury, Japanese car price

Thumbs Down: Option packages quickly add up

Buy This Car If: You want luxury and reliability at a reasonable price point

There are things in life that require a bit of experience, or maturity, to appreciate. Caviar is a good example, as is a fine single malt scotch. It isn’t that you can’t develop a liking for either at a younger age, it’s just that you don’t necessarily appreciate them as much as someone who’s been around the block a time or two.

Such is the case with the Lexus LS4360, too. It’s as comfortable and as well-equipped as any luxury car I’ve ever driven, and thanks to the Sport package on my Lexus-provided press fleet car, it handled better than you’d expect it to. Even the car’s styling drew comments from friends and neighbors, many of whom had no idea the car in my driveway was from Lexus.

The Lexus LS460, it seems, is very much the automotive equivalent of caviar. It’s a premium quality product that takes a certain amount of maturity to fully appreciate, perhaps because it isn’t as flashy as a Jaguar XJ or an Audi A8. Like caviar (and unlike the Jag or A8), the Lexus’ starting price makes it an attainable reward to a large number of buyers, so long as they’re willing to make a sacrifice or two to afford the Lexus’ monthly payment.

I’ll admit to having the preconceived notion that the LS460 is the ideal car for Florida retirees. Indeed, that’s the primary demographic you see driving LS460s (at least down here), but that circles back to the whole with-age-comes-wisdom thing: they know that the LS460 gives solid value for the money, and will likely run well into the hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer. In other words, they’re on to something here.

From the outside, the LS460 is a fairly anonymous luxury sedan, and from a distance, the only thing most casual observers can tell is that it’s not built by the Germans or the British. Add the Sport package, and you’ll get a redesigned front and rear fascia that does indeed make the LS460 seem more aggressive. You’ll also get 19-inch forged alloy wheels, which help with both handling and with the car’s overall look. With the Sport package, the LS460 has a presence that it simply doesn’t command in base trim.

Open the driver’s side door (which, incidentally, moves with the precision of a bank-vault door), and you’ll immediately realize that the LS460 isn’t your ordinary luxury sedan. The leather is exquisite, and on car’s equipped with the Sport package it’s a subtle blend of black and saddle brown, with brown stitching. The front sport seats (also part of the Sport package) don’t give you the lateral support found in German rivals, but let’s be honest here: very few driver’s will ever push the LS460 hard enough to require front seats with additional bolstering.

Rear seat passengers won’t complain about accommodations, either, no matter how long the trip is. There is a phenomenal amount of leg room for rear seat passengers, even on standard wheelbase model LS460s, which makes me wonder why anyone other than an executive car service would order a long wheelbase LS460 L model. As you’d expect from a car in this category, rear seat passengers also benefit from heated seats and a rear sunshade.

While I’m generally not a fan of wood trim in cars, the wood used in the Lexus LS460 is an exception. Sport package cars get matte dark brown ash wood trim and brown leather highlights, and the result is a visual and tactile sensory treat. I’d go so far as to say that only the Jaguar XJ’s interior is as nice, and that car stickers for quite a bit more than the Lexus.

One area where the Lexus beats the Jag, hands down, is its instrumentation. Unlike the Jag’s tech-for-tech’s sake LCD panel, the LS460 uses tried and true analog instrumentation. You get a temp gauge, a tachometer, a finely-detailed LCD information display, a speedometer and fuel gauge; in other words, everything you need, visible in all lighting conditions.

Under the hood of the LS460 lies a 4.6-liter V-8, good for 380 horsepower and 367 lb.-ft. of torque and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Sport package models get Lexus’ Sport Direct Shift transmission, which was developed for the company’s IS-F sport sedan. This transmission automatically matches revs on the downshift, and executes gear changes with a surprising quickness. The overall engine and transmission package is good enough to get the LS 460 from 0 to 60 in under six seconds, which is surprisingly quick for a car of the LS’ size. While my press-fleet tester was rear-wheel-drive, Lexus also offers the LS460 in an all-wheel-drive variant for those wanting optimum winter grip. In terms of fuel economy, the car’s V-8 is on the thirsty side, returning an EPA estimated 16 mpg city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The big Lexus is surprisingly enjoyable to drive, whether you’re crossing tow of crossing the continent. Drivers can opt for throttle response settings including “snow,” “normal,” and “power,” and the air suspension (again, on Sport package equipped cars) can be set to comfort or sport modes. Even in full-sport settings, the LS460’s ride is a bit on the soft side to call it a sport sedan, so it’s best to think of the car as a luxury sedan with better than average entertainment value in corners.

That’s not to say it isn’t capable of running at high speed, or of cornering with enthusiasm. As long as you’re not trying to keep up with a true sport sedan on a winding mountain road, the LS460 won’t disappoint. It’s ideal for running cross-country at whatever velocity you bank account allows, but it will still manage to keep a smile on you face when driven hard on your favorite winding ribbon of asphalt. The fact that it will do so for thousands (and in some cases, tens of thousands) less than the competition only makes the Lexus LS460 that much more impressive.

Is there a down side to the car? The only one I could find is the price of option packages, which can quickly raise the $65,380 base price (excluding destination charge) of the LS460 to alarming levels. If you want the sport seats, or the Brembo brakes, they come only in the Sport package, which tacks $6,185 on to the car’s price. Want the top-of-the-line Mark Levinson audio system? then you’ll need to spring for the navigation system too, at a package price of $3,045. Still, when you equip German or British rivals comparably, the sticker price adds up to quite a bit more. As long as you don’t over-analyze the price of the Lexus’ option packages, it represents one of the better values in a luxury sedan.

My 2011 Lexus LS460 had a base price of $66,255, including a delivery charge of $875. Options on my press fleet tester included the $2,035 Comfort Package (heated and cooled front seats, power rear sunshade, heated rear seats, headlamp washers, intuitive park assist, power door closers, power trunk), the $3,045 Luxury Value Edition Package (Mark Levinson audio system, voice activated navigation system, Lexus Enform telematics system), the $6,185 Sport Package (Brembo brakes, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, sport-tuned air suspension, sport front seats, paddle shifters, black with saddle leather seating, matte ash burl wood trim), a $64 cargo mat and a $95 trunk mat, for a total sticker price of $77,679.

For comparison, a similarly equipped Jaguar XJ would sticker for $81,400, a comparable Audi A8 (which does include quattro AWD) would list for $96,925 and a similar Mercedes-Benz CLS500 would sticker for $79,940.

The best commercials, regardless of the product, fill you with passion and make you want to run, not walk, to buy whatever it is the company is selling. I think this commercial is for the Fiat 500 Abarth, and I think there may even be a car in it somewhere, but I’ve watched it a few dozen times and I’m still not sure. Regardless, I’d still call it the greatest car commercial ever filmed.

I know this for a fact: the wife is getting an Abarth scorpion tattoo on the back of her neck for Christmas, along with a Rosetta Stone course in Italian. Watch the video below, and you’ll add those things to your Christmas shopping list, too.

2012 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Crew Cab Pickup. Image: © GM Corp.

Costco is a great place to shop for stuff like food and wine, and the warehouse club occasionally has good deals on stuff of interest to gear heads. You can’t beat their prices for bulk shop towels and microfiber cloths, and they generally have decent pricing on Mobil 1 motor oil. I bought a “disposable” hydraulic jack there about 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong (even if it does weigh more than the center of the earth).

In fact, it’s not uncommon to wheel your cart-o’-crap to your car, then wonder how, exactly, you’re going to cram 100 cubic feet of purchases into 75 cubic feet of interior space. Now your worries are over, since you can just head back inside and order up a Chevy or GMC pickup or SUV.

While Costco won’t be stocking the General Motors trucks it sells, Autoweek says the warehouse club will offer members “preferred pricing” on certain models, generally equivalent to what manufacturers extend to supplier employees (but not the really good discounts they offer their own employees). Delivery will take place though designated new car dealers, but here’s the catch: the program will only run through January 3, 2012.

Just in case you need more incentive, Costco will throw in a $500 Costco Cash Card to anyone who buys a truck through the program. You can also use any available GM incentives and rebates, so if you’re in the market for a truck, Costco may be worth shopping.

It’s taken me a while to realize it, but deep down inside I’m an Audi guy. No other brand does it for me the way Audi does, and (generally speaking) I’d grab the keys to an Audi over most other luxury brands. While Audi doesn’t compete in all segments (they really don’t have a Porsche 911 competitor, for example), they do what they do very well.

When it comes to product, the Audi A4 is the brand’s mainstay, and the product line that’s largely responsible for paying the bills. When you make changes to a product line like that, you do so carefully (as with BMW’s recent changes to its 3-Series line).

The good news on the horizon for U.S. customers is this: for 2013, Audi is expanding the number of A4 variants that will be offered in the U.S. market, so we’ll get a new S4 as well as seeing the (likely) return of the Audi A4 Avant. We’ll also get a new version of the Audi allroad, based on the A4 platform instead of the former model’s A6 starting point.

The videos below give you an idea of what’s inbound from Ingolstadt. Details like engines and pricing haven’t been announced yet, but we’ll update you as soon as they are. Look for the 2013 Audi A4 models to begin hitting dealer showrooms in mid-2012.

Cadillac has a lot riding on its upcoming ATS model. It’s no secret that the car is designed to go head-to-head with the BMW 3 Series, something that no other Cadillac in history could do. To successfully compete in the same market, the ATS has to blend performance, value, reliability and sex appeal like no other Cadillac in history.

A few years back, the idea of Cadillac taking on the best that Munich has to offer would have been laughable. If you’ve driven a second generation Cadillac CTS Type V, you get the feeling that maybe GM’s luxury brand knows what it’s doing after all, and that maybe we can challenge the Germans at their own game.

It looks like the video below will be part of an ongoing series, documenting the development of the Cadillac ATS. The first installment doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know (although it does give the clearest look at the car we’ve seen to date), but it looks like Cadillac has put some thought into making these videos. If you’re going to compete with the best sport sedans in the world, you want to make sure that people are aware of your products.

Only, of course, if you’re confident that you can run with the big dogs.

The Range Rover Evoque was designed to open doors for Jaguar Land Rover, and to attract new customers to the somewhat stodgy brand. For many American buyers, a Range Rover was nothing more than a way of telling the neighbors you made more money than them (and didn’t worry about details like depreciation or reliability). That may work in the suburbs, but it didn’t play well with young, urban hipsters, who Jaguar Land Rover desperately wants as customers.

Enter the smaller, kinder, gentler Range Rover Evoque, which comes only with a turbocharged four cylinder engine. It’s designed to be an all-weather “lifestyle vehicle,” not the kind of sport-utility you’d take far beyond where the buses run. It’s capable enough when fitted with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, but it simply isn’t the kind of SUV you’d tackle the Rubicon Trail in.

Motor Trend has a different take on the Evoque, and they’ve just named it “SUV of the Year.” Granted, the competition has been a bit thin in 2011, as most manufacturers move away from gass-guzzling SUVs to small displacement sedans and hatchbacks, but surely there had to be something to stack up against the Evoque. In fairness, we haven’t driven one, but the Evoque is more of a crossover in our eyes than it is an SUV.

What’s your take? Did Motor Trend pick the best new SUV of 2011, or is it all about the advertising revenue?

The 2012 Fisker Karma. Image: Fisker Automotive

The Fisker Karma, like the Chevrolet Volt, is best described as an “extended range electric vehicle.” During the car’s development and launch, Fisker had claimed a battery-only range of 50 miles and an “mpg equivalent” rating of 67.2 mpge. The mpge rating factors in both a car’s battery range and its fuel consumption in series hybrid mode to come up with a value that can be equated to a conventional, internal combustion engine automobile.

The EPA has finally gotten around to rating the Fisker Karma, and the news isn’t good. Instead of a battery range of 50 miles, the EPA says you can expect just 32 miles. Instead of an mpge of 67.2, the EPA says you’ll get an mpge of 52, and a truly disappointing 20 mpg when running in gasoline-powered generator mode.

The Volt, which critics panned because of its battery range and equivalent fuel economy, fares significantly better. It’s battery range is 36 miles, which is a 12.5 percent improvement over the Karma. An additional four miles of battery range won’t be enough to impress most people, but the difference in mpge will: the Volt gets 93 mpge, which is a 79 percent improvement over the Karma. Running in generator mode, the Volt delivers 37 miles per gallon, an 85 percent improvement over the 20 mpg delivered by the Karma.

I don’t expect this will win over many critics, but maybe it does illustrate that the engineering behind the Volt is solid. Factor in the cost difference between the Karma and the Volt, and justifying the purchase of a Karma becomes even more challenging. Unless, of course, you’re compelled to be a trend-humping fashion lemming who drives the latest Hollywood “image car,” in which case you probably don’t care what the Karma costs or how well it performs. As for me, I’d take the Volt and sink the $57,000 in savings into something really entertaining to drive.

Source: Autoblog