don Archives | AutoDepot

2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Audi, Diesel, Luxury

2012 Audi A6 Avant

2012 Audi A6 Avant – Click above for high-res image gallery

Worldwide, 60 percent of all A6 sales are Avants.

We return to an old whine: Why exactly does the United States as a whole clearly possess the psyche that can categorically reject perhaps the two most useful body configurations ever thought of for road-going automobiles? Namely, the hatchback in all its various configurations and the most wonderful all-rounder on Earth, the station wagon.

Regarding the latter, witness this latest chapter in sensational wagoning, estating, call it what you will: the new 2011-12 Audi A6 Avant, which just had the covers pulled off it at a Berlin ceremony. We know that opinionists sprout from the ether of the Internet and have the habit of saying things in ways that reflect the writer’s intensely personal and frequently skew-ish “obvious reason why” North America many years ago thumbed its collective nose at the wagon. But go ahead and comment; it’s a lively and fun ritual. And for more of our own commentary, continue reading…

Continue reading 2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore”

Opinion: If distracted driving is such an epidemic, why don’t statistics show it?

Filed under: Safety

Declining Highway Death Rate Challenges Distracted Driving Fears

Distracted driving

The distracted driving debate is being marred by an overdose of hype and hysteria.

My weekend nearly got off to a disastrous start when a driver, busy texting, suddenly realized he was going to miss his exit. At the last possible moment, he slammed his brakes and surged across four lanes of traffic, avoiding the need to go a few miles out of the way – but nearly touching off a multi-car accident in the process.

We’ve all seen the texters, the women putting on makeup, the guys checking their sports scores. Heck, a woman in Florida recently crashed while giving herself a bikini shave. But are we experiencing, as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood puts it, “a deadly epidemic” of distracted driving – one that can only be addressed by the most draconian of new laws?

There’s no question that there are some things you just shouldn’t be doing behind the wheel, and few would argue against the laws that many states have passed prohibiting motorists from texting while driving. But what other steps are needed? The latest federal data on highway fatalities suggests we’ve probably gone far enough – and that the distracted driving debate is being marred by an overdose of hype and hysteria.

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

[Image: Corbis]

Continue reading Opinion: If distracted driving is such an epidemic, why don’t statistics show it?

Opinion: If distracted driving is such an epidemic, why don’t statistics show it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Opinion: If distracted driving is such an epidemic, why don’t statistics show it?”

Video: We don’t need no stinkin’ bridge

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Toyota, South America

Pickup truck being floated across a river in Bolivia

Build your own bridge alternative – click above to watch video after the jump

What do you do when you need to cross a river, but don’t have a bridge? These folks in Bolivia offer a quick answer that involves a pair of boats and some makeshift ramps. Check out the video to see how a Toyota avoids fording a river. Pun intended. See how it all comes together after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Dark Roasted Blend]

Continue reading Video: We don’t need no stinkin’ bridge

Video: We don’t need no stinkin’ bridge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: We don’t need no stinkin’ bridge”

Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Mitsubishi, Humor

ice drifting

Drifting on ice causes facial distortion in some passengers – Click above to watch video after the jump

Drifting on ice sounds a lot more exciting than Disney on Ice. At least to us, anyway.

A back-seat full of Japanese comedians may beg to differ after going for a sideways slide in the back seat of an older Mitsubishi Evo. There really isn’t much for us to add to this clip because… well, we don’t really know what’s going on. We do know that the action is fast and furious while the comedians’ expressions are of shock and sickness. Click past the jump and see the sideways-drama unfold for yourself.

Oh, and can we just say how crazy and insane – and undeniably entertaining – Japanese game shows tend to be?

[Source: dvice.com]

Continue reading Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting

Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting”

Feast your eyes on Truck Norris. But don’t stare. He doesn’t like that.

Filed under: Truck, Jeep, Humor

Truck Norris

You know all the lines by now, like “Chuck Norris doesn’t have a chin – under his beard is another fist,” or “There’s no such thing as thunder – only Chuck Norris’ laughter.” Well, like most jokes, they got old and died. (Unlike Chuck Norris, of course, who is immortal.) But now they’re back, in truck form.

Say hello to Truck Norris. (But don’t say hello too loud, lest you invoke the wrath of – you guessed it – Truck Norris.) Born before the dawn of time, but so named by its ~~owner~~ caretaker – Jeep enthusiast and IFSJA forum member Derf – when he noticed the falling snow avoiding his truck with trepidation, Truck Norris is an ’86 Jeep J10 pickup that has spawned a thread of frankly hilarious anecdotes. A few notable examples:

Truck Norris is as close as he wants to be to the objects that appear in his side view mirrors.
Truck Norris doesn’t come equipped with 4-Wheel Drive. 4-Wheel Drive comes equipped with Truck Norris.
Truck Norris doesn’t need oil. It just drives back in time and eats dinosaurs.

There’s plenty more laughs, if you’re so inclined, to be found in the forum thread, so head on over to check it out for yourself.

[Source: International Full Size Jeep Association via Hemmings]

Feast your eyes on Truck Norris. But don’t stare. He doesn’t like that. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Feast your eyes on Truck Norris. But don’t stare. He doesn’t like that.”

Seatbelt use up to 85% nationally, 1 in 7 adults still don’t buckle up [w/poll]

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Volvo Seatbelt

According to the Center for Disease Control, seatbelt use among American adults is at an all-time high. In a recent study, 85 percent of those surveyed said that they wear their seatbelts regularly. That number is up from just 11 percent in 1982, though the CDC points out that at least one in every seven adults still don’t wear their seatbelts on the road. That’s despite evidence that points to automotive accidents as the number one cause of death in the U.S. among people aged 5 to 34.

So which states take the cake for seatbelt use? The CDC says that Oregon has the highest rate of buckling up, with 94 percent of respondents from that state claiming to use their belts on a regular basis. North Dakota came in dead last, with a paltry 54 percent of those surveyed strapping in. Not surprisingly, the study found that states that have laws allowing police officers to pull over a driver solely for not wearing their seatbelt have significantly higher rates of buckling up. Click on the jump for a look at the full synopsis, but before you head over there, make sure to take our poll on seatbelt use below.

View Poll

[Sources: CNN Health, CDC | Image: Volvo]

Continue reading Seatbelt use up to 85% nationally, 1 in 7 adults still don’t buckle up [w/poll]

Seatbelt use up to 85% nationally, 1 in 7 adults still don’t buckle up [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Seatbelt use up to 85% nationally, 1 in 7 adults still don’t buckle up [w/poll]”

Spoiler Alert: Race of Champions goes the distance, plenty of champions don’t

Filed under: Motorsports, Celebrities

2010 Race of Champions – click above for high-res image gallery

Düsseldorf’s Esprit Arena hosted this year’s Race of Champions, making it the first time the event has been held in Germany and the first time it’s been held indoors. The 1.2 kilometer track, consisting of an outside and an inside loop, would play host to one of the finest collections of motorsport champions ever assembled: Formula One World Champions Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, 500cc motorcycle World Champion Mick Doohan, Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx and British Touring Car champ Jason Plato. However, it was a rookie from a country not known for its motorsports that took the fight to all of them and walked away with the belt. Make the jump for our detailed recap.

Gallery: 2010 Race of Champions

Continue reading Spoiler Alert: Race of Champions goes the distance, plenty of champions don’t

Spoiler Alert: Race of Champions goes the distance, plenty of champions don’t originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Spoiler Alert: Race of Champions goes the distance, plenty of champions don’t”

Video: 50 Cent hides his millions in Murcielago’s trunk, don’t tell anyone

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Celebrities, Humor

50 Cent cash in Lamborghini

50 Cent loads his Murcielago down with cash – Click above to watch video after the jump

We’ve seen some pretty bizarre automotive trends on the web over the past few years, but this one, friends, takes the cake. Celebrities are suddenly no longer content to flash their wealth with expensive, ultra-rare cars. Nope. Now they have to stuff them with cash. Rapper 50 Cent is the latest to hop on this bandwagon by shoving stacks of cash into the nose of his Lamborghini Murcielago. We think that we can pretty fairly say that the hero of the film after the jump has successfully gotten rich without dying while trying.

Hit the jump to see for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: 50 Cent hides his millions in Murcielago’s trunk, don’t tell anyone

Video: 50 Cent hides his millions in Murcielago’s trunk, don’t tell anyone originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: 50 Cent hides his millions in Murcielago’s trunk, don’t tell anyone”

LA 2010: All-electric Mitsubishi i (don’t call it i-MiEV) debuts for U.S.

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Electric

Mitsubishi i i-MiEV

U.S.-market Mitsubishi i – Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi has been working on electric vehicles for a long time. So much so that the car the company is now calling the “100% battery-powered Mitsubishi i for the U.S. market” was emblazoned with the words “40 years of EV development” on its back bumper when it as unveiled at the LA Auto Show today. As the sketches we saw of the widebody i hinted at, the new vehicle is indeed longer and wider than the original i-MiEV in order to meet U.S. safety regulations. Oh, and the inside is “a little bit larger for larger frame people,” said Maurice Durand, manager of product communications for Mitsubishi Motors North America. Yes, America, Mitsubishi has heard your pleas for more butt space.

The electric i will go on sale in the U.S. next fall and be priced “around $30,000.” The company expects to sell just 20,000 units by fiscal 2015 – a modest goal, indeed. This is due, in part, to Mitsubishi positioning the i as an electric vehicle best suited for commuting, not one intended to replace the SUV or car you take on long road trips. “Frankly, the main purpose of this car for us is to get us in as a stakeholder in the electric vehicle game and to help pave the way for our future products,” Durand told AutoblogGreen. What future Mitsubishi vehicle might that be? The PX-MiEV. Details are yet to come.

As this vehicle shows, the MiEV name survives as something to brand Mitsubishi’s eco drivetrains that are based on the battery system used in the i and the i-MiEV. The hardware in the American, European and Japanese vehicles are the same, but the software that runs it is going to be upgraded for the U.S so that the car hits a range target of 85 miles on the LA4 test cycle and performs as American drivers expect.

Once available, buyers will be able to buy a preferred 220V charging station, designed and manufactured by Eaton that can fully charge an empty battery in eight hours, at Best Buy. Mitsubishi had a partnership with Best Buy in the past and had some Geek Squad groups use Japanese-spec i-MiEVs for service calls. Having Best Buy get familiar with the vehicle – learn how it charges and how it reacts in a real world environment – helped convince the retail giant to sell the charger, Durand said. Check out the full press release after the break.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

LA 2010: 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Continue reading LA 2010: All-electric Mitsubishi i (don’t call it i-MiEV) debuts for U.S.

LA 2010: All-electric Mitsubishi i (don’t call it i-MiEV) debuts for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “LA 2010: All-electric Mitsubishi i (don’t call it i-MiEV) debuts for U.S.”

Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Videos

Locked Door screencap

Upper Moreland Township moves to make unlocked cars illegal – Click above to watch video after the jump

A suburb of Philadelphia is looking into making it a criminal offense to leave your vehicle unlocked. According to NBC Philadelphia, Upper Moreland Township wants to curb a recent rash of personal property thefts from unlocked vehicles by setting up a system of warnings and citations for those that forget to secure their car or truck on the street. Vehicles parked on personal property wouldn’t be subject to the ordinance, but the proposal would have police do spot checks in neighborhoods. Owners of unlocked vehicle would be given a warning by the police on first offense, and if the same vehicle was found to be unlocked within a year, the owner could expect a $25 fine and a citation.

So why are local lawmakers targeting vehicle owners instead of the criminals breaking laws that are already in place? NBC Philadelphia reports that Police Chief Thomas Nestel says that each year, more than 75 percent of thefts are from unlocked vehicles, which in turn means a lot more man hours and paperwork for the authorities than might otherwise be necessary. Meanwhile, local residents are having predictably mixed reactions to the idea of being fined for failing to lock their vehicles. Hit the jump to see the local news spot on the issue, and then weigh in with your own thoughts in Comments.

[Source: NBC Philadelphia]

Continue reading Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars

Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars”