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Study: GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test

Filed under: Etc., Safety

driving fail

Our roadways are filled with crappy drivers. It’s an unfortunate fact that we take our lives into our hands every time we strap on a seatbelt and head out on the open road. But at least we all have passed the most basic test of driving skill, right?

Sadly, according to a recent test carried out by GMAC Insurance, a driver’s license may not mean what we think it means. Apparently, one-in-five drivers would fail their driver’s test if they had to retake it today. Such simple rules about what to do when approaching a yellow light and how much distance to leave in between the car ahead were answered incorrectly by a shocking three out of four drivers.

After three consecutive years at the bottom of the list, New York drivers managed to move up to 45th, leaving the District of Columbia to earn their spot as the worst drivers in America. Kansas drivers scored the highest. In other us-versus-them news, men managed to score a significant six-percent better than women, and drivers between the ages of 60 and 65 scored the highest.

Check out the complete press release after the break for more interesting tidbits, and feel free to take a simple test yourself at the GMAC Insurance website.

Continue reading GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test

GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Ford Mustang dragster mule caught brandishing gargantuan hood scoop

Filed under: Motorsports, Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Racing

spy shots ford mustang drag racer

Spy Shots: Ford Mustang Drag Racer – Click above for high-res image gallery

Our spy photographers have trained their expensive camera lenses on something very interesting. Caught running around one of Ford’s private test tracks, this Mustang is clearly set to live life a quarter mile at a time. Out back sits a pair of massive Hoosier slicks, while up front, a set of skinny Hoosiers are tucked under the fenders. Oh right, we’re not sure if you noticed, but there’s a massive hood scoop planted on the front of this pony car.

What’s going on under the hood? We don’t know. The front-end (minus the scoop) is from a GT500, while the rear end is standard Mustang GT attire. That scoop, however, looks like it was pulled off a Donzi 22 Shelby GT speedboat. Actually, scratch that… it looks even bigger. Check out this possible next-generation Mustang Cobra Jet by clicking through the gallery below.

Ford Mustang dragster mule caught brandishing gargantuan hood scoop originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: WSJ looks at who the auto bailouts really left behind

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Chrysler, GM

Capitol Hill street view

According to The Wall Street Journal, Chrysler’s post-bailout restructuring allowed it to effectively erase any responsibility for car accident victims. Two years after the $12.5-billion auto industry bailouts, families like the one Vicki Denton left behind are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The WSJ reports that Ms. Denton was killed in a head-on collision in which the airbag in her 1998 Dodge Caravan failed to deploy. A court ordered Chrysler to pay Denton’s son and surviving relatives $2.2 million in damages, but that was just before the bailout hit. Since Chrysler is no longer under any obligation to the family because the bailout measures absolved Chrysler from its liabilities, the Dentons will almost certainly never see their money and have no legal recourse to get it.

The Chrysler case isn’t unique. The same rings true at General Motors, where a $50-billion bailout and restructuring left asbestos victims, laid off dealers and accident victims without any way to secure their damages. Beyond the unfairness of the deal, some experts suggest paying accident victims wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Those who coordinated the bailouts maintain that in situations like the ones at GM and Chrysler, full recompense simply isn’t possible for everyone. As far as the courts are concerned, there is standing legal precedent to allow for such omissions during a bankruptcy restructuring.

WSJ looks at who the auto bailouts really left behind originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Long Term: 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate, May 2011 [w/video]

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Hyundai, Luxury, Long-Term Garage

2011 Hyundai Equus

Long-Term 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate – Click above for high-res image gallery

The long-term 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate made its way into my driveway a few weeks ago, and since being handed the keys, I’ve added 1,900 miles to the odometer, putting our total distance traveled at just over 5,400 miles since the car’s March arrival at Autoblog Towers.

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Like both editor-in-chief John Neff and editor/test fleet manager Steven J. Ewing, I’ve been bombarded with compliments and curious questions about the Equus – and that’s before I tell them that they’re looking at a $65,000 Hyundai. It helps that the Equus looks like almost nothing else on the road, with its alien grille, massive proportions and over-the-top headlamps.

So far, I’m really enjoying my time with the Equus, and I’ll have a full rundown of specific pros and cons next month. Over the course of my 1,900-mile stint, I’ve averaged 20 miles per gallon flat – besting the 19.1 mpg that Ewing and Neff saw last month. But while the month of May has been mostly all stars, there was one service hiccup that reared its ugly head…

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2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate, May 2011 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Subaru’s RWD sports car caught wearing same outfit as Toyota sibling

Filed under: Spy Photos, Scion, Subaru, Toyota

spy shots subaru coupe

Spy Shots: Subaru Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

Judging by the recent influx of spy shots, Toyota is working hard, fine-tuning its upcoming Scion FR-S sports car. Now, we’re finally getting a look at the Subaru version. Spy photogs snapped the two-door Subie undergoing some road testing. The style is similar to the Scion we’ve been seeing, but the Subaru appears to get a different front-end treatment.

Though most of the important bits and pieces are well-covered by all the swirly graphics, the spy photographers did manage to grab a shot of the interior of the coupe. A paddle shifter is clearly visible, and we hope to eventually spy a version with a manual transmission as well. Check out all of the spy shots of the Subaru coupe by clicking through the gallery below.

Subaru’s RWD sports car caught wearing same outfit as Toyota sibling originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: No $1M prize winners in contest to crack Toyota sudden acceleration syndrome

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Toyota

Last year, Edmunds asked its readership to recreate a mechanical or electrical cause of sudden unintended acceleration of the kind that allegedly plagued Toyota in 2009 and 2010. The prize for coming up with verifiable proof of mechanical failure causing SUA was a cool $1 million dollars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that contest just concluded without a winner.

Over the course of the year, Edmunds readers were unable to come up with proof that a mechanical or electrical fault caused the accidents that led to Toyota’s drastic recall. That backs up NASA’s finding that absolved Toyota of any wrongdoing. With mechanical failure ruled out as a viable cause of SUA, we’re left with an uncomfortable thought: Short of those dealing with binding floor mats or those sticky recalled pedals, driver error was almost certainly the culprit for the flurry of unintended acceleration claims.

No $1M prize winners in contest to crack Toyota sudden acceleration syndrome originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: New kit enables you to rent your car out with an iPhone like Zipcar

Filed under: Etc., Technology

getaround car rental

Getaround Car Rental System – Click above for high-res image gallery

A new startup called Getaround is looking to jump into the car rental business by following a similar path laid out by Zipcar. Getaround is a bit different, however, because the fleet of rentals are comprised of customer-supplied personal vehicles. This is peer-to-peer car rental, and we’re intrigued.

Getaround co-founder Sam Zaid states that vehicles in the United States sit idle for an average of 22 hours every day. By signing your car up for use as a rental vehicle, you (and Getaround) can turn an idle situation into one that makes money.

The car sharing system works by creating a network of users that are connected via iPhone app and the Getaround website. Those wishing to rent their vehicles will receive a car kit that sits on the dash. When a customer has selected a car they wish to rent, you locate the car on a map and use your iPhone to unlock the vehicle. That gets you inside the car, where you can have access to a key hidden somewhere on the inside.

Rates vary by car, but the prices we’ve seen listed on the Getaround website seem quite reasonable. A Mini Cooper will cost you $5.50 per hour, a BMW Z4 can be had for $15 and you can tool around San Francisco in a Tesla Roadster for $50 per hour. The rate structure is a good incentive to keep people from putting serious mileage on your vehicle, but it also provides a fair deal at an hourly rate. Insurance is covered by Getaround thanks to backing from an unnamed provider, and it’s full coverage.

Rental fees are broken down so that Getaround takes in 60 percent of the profit while the car owner receives the other 40. If you’re interested in joining beta testing of the program, Getaround is currently offering the program to residents of San Francisco and San Diego.

If you don’t mind the having to re-adjust your seat every time you get in your own car and you’ve got faith in your fellow motorists, this seems like a potential win-win situation for those looking to earn a few extra bucks.

New kit enables you to rent your car out with an iPhone like Zipcar originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Dacia unleashes 850-hp GT-R-powered Duster “No Limit” Pikes Peak challenger

Filed under: Motorsports, Crossover, Renault, Off-Road, Racing

Dacia Duster

Dacia Duster “No Limit” – Click above for high-res image gallery

Dacia sends its racing team out in winters to drift across ice and snow for the Andros Trophy. But when the summer rolls around, even the snow on the French Alps begins to thaw. What’s an ice racing team to do? Why, head to Pikes Peak, of course.

The international hill climb event is coming around again next month, and when it does, the likes of Monster Tajima and Rhys Millen will have an interesting new challenger on its hands. And after months of reports and teasers, you’re looking at the finish product.

A joint effort between Dacia, Renaultsport, a number of independent firms and driver Jean-Phillipe Dayraut who brought them all together, the Dacia Duster “No Limit” was built for the Unlimited class at Pikes Peak, where (contrary to just about any other form of motorsport) there are essentially no restrictions placed on a car’s specifications. As a result, the purpose-built racer packs the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 from a Nissan GT-R (tuned to 850 horsepower), which is mounted amidships behind the cabin and mated to a six-speed sequential racing gearbox. All of that mechanical chutzpah is kept down by the most aggressive aerodynamics package this side of an F-35 Lightning.

It’s a beast of a car, and we can’t wait to see Dayraut – the reigning three-time Andros Trophy champion – take its wheel at the Peak on June 26. In the meantime, check out the extensive high-res image gallery for a closer look and follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Dacia unleashes 850-hp GT-R-powered Duster “No Limit” Pikes Peak challenger

Dacia unleashes 850-hp GT-R-powered Duster “No Limit” Pikes Peak challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Scandinavian homemade dyno is dangerously awesome

Filed under: Etc., Europe

home-built dyno

Home-built dyno is dangerously awesome – Click above to watch video after the jump

Tuning an engine can be a delicate procedure. There is a lot of time and patience required to dial things in just right. You can spend hours and big dollars adjusting parameters on an expensive professional dynamometer -or you can be a crafty Scandinavian and homebrew a dyno right in your yard.

Apparently, all it takes is the rear end from a heavy-duty truck, some straps and a quick skaal to Odin. The result is a snowed-in dyno that can tune all the V8-engine-swapped drift machines in the neighborhood. Click past the jump to watch ingenuity at work.

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Scandinavian homemade dyno is dangerously awesome originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How kids see the wild SLS AMG supercar [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG goes to middle school – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re no stranger to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The automaker’s two-seat flagship, powered by a 6.2-liter V8 rated at 563 horsepower, has been covered ad nauseam on our pages since its introduction nearly two years ago. We are big fans of the 3,573-pound aluminum-bodied sports car, so we’ve never avoided a chance to grab its key fob, swing open the unique “gull wing” doors and take it for a spin.

Presented with another opportunity to spend time with the eye-catching coupe, and realizing another driving review was simply out of the question, we chose to take the $203,500 Benz to a local middle school and see what the kids thought of it. Unlike us journalists, often oversaturated with horsepower and sexy sheet metal, the unjaded minds of kids could offer all of us a new perspective.

Continue reading How kids see the wild SLS AMG supercar [w/video]

How kids see the wild SLS AMG supercar [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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