Ram Long-Hauler concept offers 1,600-mile range for epic road trips

Filed under: Concept Cars, Truck, Work, Dodge, Specialty

Ram Long-Hauler concept

Ram Long-Hauler Concept – Click above for image gallery

Need a way to get yourself, four buddies and a whole lot of cargo across the country with the bare minimum of fuel stops? The Ram Long-Hauler Concept is your truck. The rig got a quiet coming-out party at the Mid-America Trucking Show, which was held March 31st through April 2nd in Louisville, Kentucky.

This behemoth of a tow rig sports a 197.7-inch wheelbase, or about as long as your average oil tanker. That much space means it has a full-size eight-foot bed and Ram’s four-door MegaCab passenger compartment. In keeping with the oil tanker theme, the Long-Hauler has the capacity to hold an astonishing 162 gallons of diesel fuel, thanks to a 60-gallon auxiliary tank in the bed. That much fuel should give this thing enough range to cross the country in two fuel stops if you aren’t too liberal with the throttle.

The Long-Hauler is based on the Ram 5500 commercial truck chassis cab, which comes with a 19,500-pound gross vehicle weight rating. Ram combines that with a self-leveling air suspension on all four corners, a dual-rear-wheel package, 19.5-inch Alcoa 10-lug wheels and an Allison six-speed automatic. Add it all up and you’ve got a gross vehicle weight rating of 37,500 pounds, which should be enough to handle whatever you throw this hauler’s way. Doing the grunt work will be a 350-horsepower, 6.7-liter Cummins diesel inline six spitting out 650 pound-feet of twist.

The Ram Long-Hauler, should it make production, will be aimed at those who need enormous towing capacity and range, but don’t want to step up to something like a Freightliner SportChassis just yet. There’s still no word on a production timetable or what the truck might cost should it become available.

Gallery: Ram Long-Hauler Concept

Ram Long-Hauler Concept front 3/4Ram Long-Hauler Concept side

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com | Images: Pickuptrucks.com]

Ram Long-Hauler concept offers 1,600-mile range for epic road trips originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Ram Long-Hauler concept offers 1,600-mile range for epic road trips”

New York 2011: 2012 Nissan Versa offers 33 mpg for $10,990

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Budget, Sedan, Nissan

2012 Nissan Versa

2012 Nissan Versa – Click above for high-res image gallery

Revealed “simultaneously” as the new Tiida in Shanghai, the 2012 Nissan Versa drove onto the stage here at the 2011 New York Auto Show spouting some impressive numbers: 33 miles per gallon (combined, and 30 city/37 highway) for the low, low price of $10,990. Sure, 33 ain’t nothing compared to a Toyota Prius, but you could buy two Versas for the price of a Prius, and $10k buys a lot of gas at 33 mpg.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that Nissan wants car buyers to do, and the company is encouraging this train of thought by branding the Versa with its Pure Drive efficiency label – first applied to cars in Europe in 2008. The 2012 Versa, sporting a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine and weighing 150 fewer pounds than the previous generation model, will be the first Pure Drive vehicle in the U.S. Speaking at the show, Nissan’s executive vice-president of the America, Carlos Tavares, said that this “is a real car, complete with air conditioning, vehicle dynamic control, CD/radio with aux in, electric-assisted steering and 15-inch wheels and tires.” You want more features, like satellite radio or “Fine Vision instrumentation?” They’re available of course, but they’ll cost you a bit more.

Tavares said the Versa is already the best selling car in it’s segment, and we can see Nissan selling quite a few of these if the numbers talked about today bear themselves out on the road. Check out the details in our gallery below and read plenty more in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2012 Nissan Versa: New York 2011

Gallery: 2012 Nissan Versa

2012 Nissan Versa2012 Nissan Versa2012 Nissan Versa2012 Nissan Versa2012 Nissan Versa

Live photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading New York 2011: 2012 Nissan Versa offers 33 mpg for $10,990

New York 2011: 2012 Nissan Versa offers 33 mpg for $10,990 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “New York 2011: 2012 Nissan Versa offers 33 mpg for $10,990”

Porsche offers 540-hp kit for Cayenne Turbo, improves Diesel’s efficiency

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, SUV, Porsche, Diesel, Luxury

2011 porsche cayenne turbo

2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche has announced changes to its 2012 Cayenne that provide more power, increased efficiency and a few options that weren’t available before.

When it comes to power, the Cayenne Turbo already packs a 500-horsepower punch, but if that isn’t good enough for you, Porsche is now offering a kit that boosts power to 540 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque; an improvement of 40 ponies and 37 lb-ft. That increase comes courtesy of a pair of new turbochargers with titanium-aluminum turbine wheels and engine electronics adjustments. The added power will net you a 0-62 time of 4.6 seconds (from 4.7 seconds) and a top speed of 176 miles per hour. Porsche also improved brake cooling to help stop this raging locomotive, and the optional Ceramic Composite Brakes now feature larger front discs to boost stopping power.

The diesel-powered Cayenne has also received a significant upgrade, with a cleaner diesel engine that is more powerful and efficient than before. Output has been bumped by five ponies to 245 hp, and the automaker claims the oil-burning SUV consumes only 7.2 liters of diesel fuel per 100 km. That’s 39 imperial mpg, or roughly 32 mpg in U.S. mpg. The added performance also improves acceleration, with a quoted 7.6 seconds to reach 62 miles per hour, or .2 seconds quicker than the 2011 Cayenne diesel. Engine improvements include a new turbocharger, an amazing 44 pounds of weight savings (just from the diesel engine!) and a 10-percent increase in direct injection pressure.

Porsche also announced minor changes meant to improve the Cayenne Hybrid’s driving characteristics and the addition of Lane Change Assist to the 2012 Panamera. There’s a slew more detail changes outlined in the Porsche press release that you’ll find after the break.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Porsche Cayenne

Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche offers 540-hp kit for Cayenne Turbo, improves Diesel’s efficiency

Porsche offers 540-hp kit for Cayenne Turbo, improves Diesel’s efficiency originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Porsche offers 540-hp kit for Cayenne Turbo, improves Diesel’s efficiency”

Drivers wanted: Repairacar offers car nut’s dream job

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Specialty, Luxury

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

For most of us, the opportunity to drive a rotating assemblage of the world’s finest cars, from the Ferrari 458 Italia to the Bugatti Veyron to the Bentley Mulsanne, is an unattainable dream. For one person, though, the dream could become a job. British repair shop Repairacar is looking for a responsible person to pick up and return customers’ supercars from all over Europe.

The job entails taking public transportation to the customer’s house, picking up their car, driving it to Repairacar for whatever service or fix it needs, and driving it back to the owner once repairs have been made. According to Repairacar, assignments could come from every corner of Europe, necessitating spending a lot of time on public transportation. The reward, though, should make the bus or train ride well worth it.

Because of the high-liability nature of the job, Repairacar is being very particular about whom it will hire. Ten years’ experience with high-performance driving is a requirement of the job, and showing up for your interview in a Civic with a fart pipe will likely get you automatically disqualified. Repairacar says the pay is around $50,000 a year, plus expenses for travel. Applications close at the end of April.

Gallery: First Drive: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Repairacar via Carscoop]

Drivers wanted: Repairacar offers car nut’s dream job originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Drivers wanted: Repairacar offers car nut’s dream job”

World Class Driving offers pieces to the 200-MPH puzzle. We assemble them

Filed under: Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari

Autoblog Returns For Another Crack At The 200-MPH Club

World Class Driving 200 MPH

World Class Driving 200 MPH Challenge – Click above for high-res image gallery

Driving 200 miles per hour has always been at the top of my bucket list. Unfortunately, accomplishing this dream has always eluded me as it is laden with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. First, the task requires a machine capable of the speed. Second, one needs a very long, straight piece of pavement. Lastly, there is the hurdle of the law – getting tagged at three times the typical legal limit will not only seriously ruin your weekend, but also take a sizable chunk of money (and probably a driver’s license) out of your leather wallet.

After decades of frustration, World Class Driving has come to my rescue. The same company that has been touring the nation with its fleet of expensive exotics, offering regular civilians the opportunity to drive on road and track, offers the “200 mph Challenge.” In a nutshell, they provide the cars, pavement and amnesty from the law in one turnkey package. It isn’t cheap ($4,995 for this program), but successful completion puts participants in a very exclusive group of non-professionals who have driven 200 mph. To put it into perspective, more people have been launched into space.

Participants are an eclectic group. Of the 16 in my class, there are prominent physicians, attorneys, CEOs and wealthy adventurists who do it for sport (you know, the kind who travel to Russia for a supersonic flight in a Mikoyan MiG-29). There is also young 16-year-old Alec Feintuch, attending through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Poignantly, I’m not the only one with the dream of driving 200 mph.

Continue Reading World Class Driving offers pieces to the 200-MPH puzzle. We assemble them

Gallery: World Class Driving 200 MPH Challenge

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading World Class Driving offers pieces to the 200-MPH puzzle. We assemble them

World Class Driving offers pieces to the 200-MPH puzzle. We assemble them originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “World Class Driving offers pieces to the 200-MPH puzzle. We assemble them”

“World’s biggest dating site for married people” offers Clarkson £1m to be spokesperson?

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, UK, Celebrities

Jeremy ClarksonIt seems there aren’t many news cycles that go by without a celebrity being accused of cheating on their spouse. But for some reason, when Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson is alleged to have been caught making out with a production assistant on the Top Gear World Tour, he gets a £1 million ($1.64M U.S.) offer to be the spokesperson for an adultery website.

The Guardian reports that dating site Ashley Madison (motto: “Life is short, have an affair”) has placed the bounty on Clarkson’s head in hopes that the Top Gear host will work as the site’s public face. The Guardian feels Clarkson would be a lousy spokesperson for the site given the fact that his alleged affair was anything but discreet, but the site doesn’t seem to feel that way.

An Ashley Madison spokesperson reportedly told the paper “what he has or hasn’t allegedly done isn’t important, he has made discreet adultery a major talking point.” We’d add that if Ashley Madison were looking for a more discreet cheater that hasn’t been caught, he or she certainly wouldn’t be a spokesperson for the site… unless they wanted to be caught.

Further, we’re guessing the £1 million offer has a lot more to do with the website trying to gain some publicity for itself, as the chances of Clarkson taking them up on the offer are slim to none. And for the record, Clarkson and his assistant both claim the alleged affair never happened.

[Source: Guardian]

“World’s biggest dating site for married people” offers Clarkson £1m to be spokesperson? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading ““World’s biggest dating site for married people” offers Clarkson £1m to be spokesperson?”

Car and Driver offers up the best of David E. Davis, Jr.

Filed under: Etc.

David E. Davis, Jr.

David E. Davis, Jr. – Click above for high-res image

Legendary automotive journalist David E. Davis, Jr. passed away earlier this week at the age of 80. Davis (known to his countless friends and colleagues simply as “David E.”) was a prolific writer, with published bits of wit and wisdom dating back over fifty years.

David E. spent a lengthy tenure atop the masthead of Car and Driver, and the magazine has put together a collection of his most memorable pieces published in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Davis had a passion for driving “great cars on great roads,” and stories like his April, 1968 C/D review of the BMW 2002 showcase his influence. In writing about the 2002, Davis brought BMW front and center within the mind of the American automotive enthusiast.

A total of nine stories are offered in C/D‘s collection, available as either text or downloadable magazine-layout PDFs. Head over to Car and Driver‘s website to read the lot.

[Source: Car and Driver | Image: Winding Road]

Car and Driver offers up the best of David E. Davis, Jr. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue readingCar and Driver offers up the best of David E. Davis, Jr.”

Jeep offers sneak peak at Moab Easter Safari vehicles

Filed under: Concept Cars, SUV, Jeep

jeep renegade concept rendering

Jeep Renegade concept rendering – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’re a Jeep fan, than it’s time to get excited ,because Easter is almost here. Why Easter? Eggs and candy! Because it signals the return of Jeep’s Moab Easter Safari. This event is often a showcase for new products and concept vehicles from Chrysler’s off-road brand.

In the past, Jeep has used the Moab Easter Safari to show off concept vehicles like the Lower Forty, Wrangler J7 and Trail Boss, Patriot Extreme and even the “Moparized” Ram Power Wagon. This time around, for the 45th annual Safari event, Jeep is feature two new vehicles that invoke visions of an older period in Jeep’s history: the Jeep Renegade and the Jeep “Porkchop.”

These are just two of the six vehicles that Jeep is bringing to Moab. The Easter Safari runs from April 16 through the 24.

Gallery: Jeep Moab Easter Safari Vehicles

Jeep Renegade Moab Easter SafariJeep Porkchop Moab Easter Safari

[Source: Jeep]

Jeep offers sneak peak at Moab Easter Safari vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Jeep offers sneak peak at Moab Easter Safari vehicles”

Barrett-Jackson 2011: Chevrolet offers up a drop-top Camaro set to lead the Indy 500 field *Update: w/video

Filed under: Convertible, Auctions, Videos, Chevrolet, GM

2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car at Barrett-Jackson 2011

2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car at Barrett-Jackson – Click above for high-res image gallery

Chevrolet is taking to the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale stage to auction off a special drop-top. The first of 50 limited-edition cars, this 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car will cross the stage before heading to lead the field at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The orange and white color combination matches that of the Indy-fied 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, which has since become a collectors item of its own. As far as we know, the Camaro ‘Vert will be a 2012 model, but everything here at Barrett-Jackson is listing this as a 2011.

Proceeds from the sale of this limited-edition Camaro will go the David Foster Foundation, which supports families with children in need of live-saving organ transplants. Charity cars have gone through the roof at the 2011 Barrett-Jackson auction and we would expect nothing different from this one.

The Camaro Convertible doesn’t have an official listing page, as it was something of a surprise for bidders, but you can watch Speed’s live online coverage here. Are you playing Speed’s Online Fantasy Bid Game? If not, test your auction pricing mettle by guessing what a series of featured vehicles will end up bringing at the auction block – you could end up winning a prize, like an Apple iPad. Enjoy!

*Update: The final gavel price? $225,000. Click past the jump to watch this Camaro cross the auction block.

Gallery: Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car at Barrett-Jackson 2011

Photos copyright 2011 Jeff Glucker and Jeremy Korzeniewski/AOL

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2011: Chevrolet offers up a drop-top Camaro set to lead the Indy 500 field *Update: w/video

Barrett-Jackson 2011: Chevrolet offers up a drop-top Camaro set to lead the Indy 500 field *Update: w/video originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Barrett-Jackson 2011: Chevrolet offers up a drop-top Camaro set to lead the Indy 500 field *Update: w/video”

Chevy offers free driving school to all Corvette buyers for limited time

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery

We operate under the impression that on the whole we live in the best period of automotive innovation and power that the world has ever seen. Manufacturers are turning out four-cylinder engines with more horsepower and torque than the mighty V8 lumps of just two decades ago and eight pots that boast fuel economy numbers as impressive as their dyno charts. These days, mega power is mega cheap and more accessible than ever. But, as Uncle Ben reminds us, great power comes with great responsibility, and to that end General Motors is offering all Corvette buyers a chance to learn how to get the most out of their machines.

For a limited time, GM is giving away vouchers to both of the company’s Corvette Driving Schools to anyone who buys any model of a new Corvette. Typically, the driving schools are free only to those who lay down the coin for a mighty ZR1, but for a limited time, The General is splurging for Coupe, Convertible, Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1 buyers to go on the company’s dime. The schools are at the Bob Bondurant school in Phoenix, Arizona and Ron Fellows school in Las Vegas, Arizona.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible

Photos copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL

[Source: GM]

Chevy offers free driving school to all Corvette buyers for limited time originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Chevy offers free driving school to all Corvette buyers for limited time”