Renault Megane Trophy Concept

Is a stateside Renault built for Saturn a complete pipe-dream? Following up on a report from Bloomberg over future Saturn production, the new/future owners of the former GM brand are addressing rumors of possible replacement models coming from Renault or Nissan. At the same time Roger Penske has thankfully taken Smart cars out of the mix for Saturn dealers…sort of.

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan

No, not all crossovers are created equal. Some are more car than truck, and most are essentially more wagon than anything else. And then there’s the Tiguan which Volkswagen has taken great pains in trying to guarantee that it is more than just a miniature version of the Touraeg. Here are the results.

$39,130 is what the newest hot Nismo version of Nissan’s revamed 370Z is going to set you back. Considering the regular Z starts at $29,930 and comes with 332 HP out of the box, what does the extra $9000 get you? First of all, you get all the cool Nismo external bits – the chin spoiler, side skirts, and a long nose for all the JDM fanboys to drool over. Also some 19″ RAYS wheels help with the straight-from-Japan aesthetic. What about power? Make the jump to find out.

2009 Nissan Altima Coupe

Perhaps because the midsize car segment is inundated with such strong performers like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and up-and-comers like the Mazda6, that the Altima is an often overlooked contender. But given its sporty performance, attractive styling, and bargain price tag, it may be the best midsize car of the bunch.

Remember when Dad used to be cool? Yeah, neither does he. But getting him his old car for Father's Day might do the trick!

What are you getting Dad for Father’s Day? A tie with little prancing horses on it? Forget it, he hasn’t worn the one you got him last year. Maybe a subscription to Classics Car Magazine? Great, another pile of un-thumbed newsprint to keep that stack of National Geographic company. A die-cast model of the one that got away? You’re such a jackass, going on and mentioning “that car” again and breaking your dad’s heart. You know he doesn’t like to talk about it.

Well, what if you could get him the real thing: the car he’s been dreaming about since he was in diapers, the only car whose front seat was ever more interesting than the back seat, the car he lost tragically in that glue factory explosion before you were born?

This year, Dad, we here at Ridelust want to give you that car. But, en lieu of the actual car, we’re hoping you’ll settle for our sincerest wishes. (That is, unless those carnal bribes to the old farmer’s wife down the road are successful, in which case, for Godssake put the computer down and open the garage door, I’m bringing this baby home!)

Now that the calendar reads ‘2009′ and summer is upon us, we can already begin shutting the book on the first decade of the new millenia. All the cars that will be produced have either made it to dealerships or have half a dozen reviews already printed in some magazine collecting dust on your shelf.

This decade closes much like the 1960s, in an atmosphere of uproar and protest, with rumors of war and peace and revolution at hand. The auto industry has experienced a second Golden Age, bigger and grander than the first, and has again sunk into crisis, darker and dimmer than the one Baby Boomers remember. And enthusiasts young and old fear that a similar fate awaits them in the coming years with news of outrageously stringent CAFE standards, and fear-mongering legislators fuel anxieties that we’ve already seen the best cars of the next thirty some odd years.

So it is that we turn back to this decade already a bit nostalgic. Here lie the future legends, the autos of myth and lore. With the future unclear, we ask ourselves which cars made the glorious 2000’s the decade we will all miss more than we know?

Renault Samsung SM7 - probably not your next Saturn.

The gossip mill is alive this morning with hoary rumors that Saturn’s new incarnation will be supplied with vehicles from Renault Samsung Motors, to replace the GM vehicles which will cease production at the end of the year. Renault has already been thrown about as a possible supplier, but word on the street is that the cost of federalizing European Renaults would be cost prohibitive.

Nissan 370Z

Nissan has been promising their own hybrid for some time while offering a hybrid version of the Altima in the short-term that utilizes Toyota propulsion and technology. Now there is buzz circulating that one of the first vehicles in the Nissan lineup to receive the in-house hybrid treatment will be the 370Z.

The RB26DETT is legendary in the tuner world. It’s no wonder this 2.6L inline-6 has been swapped into everything from Fords to Ladas. The 24 valves, six individual throttle bodies and parallel twin turbo system all made it unique compared to previous RB engines. What made it extraordinary was the cast iron block. Capable of withstanding diamond-producing pressures, this meager 6-banger could produce as much as 1,300 hp with extreme modification. That’s 500 hp per liter. Five-hundred! I’ll let that sink in for a minute.

Any stateside car fanatic worth his weight in Z-rated rubber knows that when it comes to performance imports the U.S. market often gets the shaft. It’s frustrating as hell. Even car manufacturer’s based stateside, Ford and GM, for example, have a history of keeping their finest performance automobiles out of the fat, greasy hands of their own people. What gives?