RideLust

Just a few short months ago, it seemed impossible to escape the hype surrounding Ford’s new subcompact, the Fiesta. Ads were everywhere, ranging from websites through print media, and the automaker even launched wildly successful social media campaign. Initial demand for the car was high, but by last month sales had plummeted to just 3,473 units according to Autoevolution. That’s about half the amount of Nissan Versas sold in the same month, and nearly 700 less than the amount of Honda Fits that left dealer lots. Even the aging, Daewoo-built Chevy Aveo sold nearly as well in November as the Fiesta, losing the fourth place spot by just 211 units. For a car with that much marketing support behind it, those numbers are more than slightly disappointing. When was the last time you saw an ad for the Honda Fit or Nissan Versa?

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Not long ago I was asked as to whether or not I would actually pony up the cash and purchase an electric car. My knee jerk reaction was HELL NO! Then after thinking about it for awhile I started to rethink the question in terms of; what would an electric car have to become in order for me to purchase it? So much of what I love about the automobile is visceral. The looks, feel, sounds and smells are all part of what make an automobile attractive to me. For me to like a car you can better believe that it needs to have one hell of a presence to it. Today’s cookie cutter jelly bean rides are crap, and although they do serve a purpose, they have no place in my garage. Seriously, my version of hell would be having to drive a Toyota Camry everyday for the rest of my life… dear God that would suck.
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Thumbs Up: Big content, small price, great build quality

Thumbs Down: Turbo engine is all midrange, no bottom or top end

Buy This Car If: You want an American alternative to a Honda Civic or a VW Jetta

In 1985, General Motors announced the formation of a new division, called Saturn. Saturn’s mission was to go head to head with the best compacts Japan had to offer, then beat them on content, build quality, customer service and price. I’m not sure that the Saturn Corporation ever lived up to it’s potential, but General Motors has finally produced a car that lives up to the Saturn ideals. That car is the Chevy Cruze, and it’s the first entry level sedan from Chevrolet that’s ready, willing and (more than) able to beat the Japanese at their own game.

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You’ve got to love car companies with a sense of humor. Hyundai, eager to let consumers know that all Elantra models are EPA rated at a fuel economy of 40 miles per gallon highway, opted for a creative and humorous way to deliver the message. The ad is also good for some beauty shots of the new Elantra, which looks to be another stunning car design from Hyundai. Ultimately, it pokes fun at the new Chevy Cruze, which only achieves 40 MPG fuel economy in the Cruze Eco version. Other versions of the Cruze still manage 36 MPG on the highway, so it really isn’t the big deal that Hyundai makes it out to be.

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I was walking through the Dallas Cars and Coffee Saturday morning and I saw these two Mini’s parked next to each other. I’m a huge fan of Mini’s – both the original old-school Morris and the BMW re-launch MINI – but I’ve never seen the two variants sitting beside each other. Read More…

Throughout the years the automobile has been the subject of countless tacky and tasteless trends. Arguably some are better than others, but in the end the majority of these are downright reprehensible. The 1960′s for example saw the advent of vinyl tops, the 1970′s brought us louvers that covered our rear windows and the 1980′s saw the creation of cars that actually talked to us via a funky digital microchips. Most of these trends were created by the automotive manufacturers themselves, but then in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s the aftermarket industry seemed to kick into high gear, and with that came some of the most heinous pieces of add-on trash the world has ever seen. Below is a quick list of five items that are thankfully starting to disappear into the annals of automotive history.
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The EPA has finally issued its fuel consumption rating for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and thank God because this was the last thing holding up the first deliveries of GM’s new plug-in electric car. With an estimated 93 MPGE for electric usage and 37 MPG for traditional fuel, GM seems quite pleased. Autoblog.com reports that Chevrolet Volt Global Vehicle Line Executive Doug Parks is happy with the EPA’s numbers for the Volt. He also said that they (GM) worked together with the EPA to figure out how all different modes of driving actually impacted the Volt’s actual efficiency.

Source: Autoblog.com

I suppose if you throw enough money and development at something you can make anything go fast and look good. Take this Fiat 500 Abarth for example. In stock form the U.S. version is said to have about 170 hp, a figure that seems pretty good in a car that’s no bigger than a roller skate. You’d figure with that much power in such a pint-sized package most people would be feeling pretty good about it. However the tuners at Hamman and H&R are not most people, so they decided to have a crack at getting a few more ponies out of Fiats little play toy.
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2012 Volkswagon Beetle Concept

Who is better than Oprah Winfrey? She’s an actress, producer, talk show host, TV executive and one hell of a philanthropist. Oprah is one of the most influential and giving people on the planet and when she gets an idea in her head those who benefit the most are generally the people around her. Back in 2004 for example, she handed out brand new Pontiac G6′s to every member of her studio audience just for being present, a stunt that not only surprised them, but the general public as well. Now it seems that the Queen-of-Daytime-TV is at it again, but this time she’s decided to go the German route by choosing the yet to be release 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.
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Thumbs Up: It’s a lot of car for a reasonable price, styling is much sharper than outgoing model.

Thumbs Down: No cloth or leather seating option, numb steering.

Buy This Car If: You can translate “Farhvergnügen” and want a solid value in an entertaining compact sedan.

I like Volkswagens, and have owned or driven my share over the years. My wife loves them, too, and still misses her 2002 VW Jetta Wagon. The date we sold the car is circled in black on our kitchen calender, and no amount of flowers can pull my wife from her funk on that particular day. I get it, since the car was like a member of the family, through good times and bad, and never gave us an ounce of trouble over the five years we owned it. It got through the worst northeast winters without complaint, and would go places with snow tires mounted that SUVs feared to tread. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to drive the new Jetta, but it certainly had some big shoes to fill.

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