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Test Drive Unlimited 2 offering free downloadable content to make up for buggy launch

Filed under: Toys/Games

test drive unlimited 2

Test Drive Unlimited 2 – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you jumped right into the Test Drive Unlimited 2 world, you may have been disappointed to find a slew of bugs and server issues. Atari and Eden Games have been working hard to rectify that situation. A new update has been made available and it includes a variety of fixes, as well as a thank-you bonus item. The first batch of downloadable content for TDU2 thrown in the mix for free.

Called the Exploration DLC Pack, the downloadable add-on features new wrecks to find. The two new wrecks, once found, will put a rally-version Lancia Stratos and 1969 Dodge Charger in your garage (or garages, if you are progressing through game more quickly).

In addition to the extra vehicles, this update addresses the following issues:

Casino performance has been improved
Log-in time has been improved
Game is more stable across the board
Saved games are no longer corrupted
Friend lists are now populated
Invites work correctly
Clubs are now online

It’s clear that Eden Games and Atari have been listening to the masses, and are working hard to provide an enjoyable gaming experience. The update is being provided to PC users first, then it will filter over for console gamers.

Gallery: Test Drive Unlimited 2

[Source: Joystiq, Test Drive Unlimited 2 Forums]

Test Drive Unlimited 2 offering free downloadable content to make up for buggy launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Tanner Foust and Justin Bell set Focus Global Test Drive benchmark time… sort of.

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Ford, Humor

justin bell and tanner foust

Justin Bell and Tanner Foust team up for a lap in a Focus – Click above to watch video after the jump

Martin and Lewis. Farley and Spade. Frost and Pegg. Bell and Foust? Are Justin Bell and Tanner Foust the next great comedy duo? No. However, the two can drive around a track very quickly. Though their styles may differ, they have teamed up to set a baseline run in a 2012 Focus for Ford’s Global Test Drive Event.

Bell is a GT2 Champion and veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tanner Foust is a champion drifter, X-Games gold medalist and overseas Rallycross rookie. The two can drive a car to say the least. Can they work together to put down a solid lap time with the 2012 Focus? Click past the jump to find out.

[Source: Ford via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Tanner Foust and Justin Bell set Focus Global Test Drive benchmark time… sort of.

Video: Tanner Foust and Justin Bell set Focus Global Test Drive benchmark time… sort of. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Sportage tops small CUVs in Consumer Reports test

Filed under: Etc., Crossover, Hatchback, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan

2011 Kia Sportage

2011 Kia Sportage – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Kia Sportage beat out both the Nissan Juke and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in a recent CUV shootout conducted by Consumer Reports. According to CR, Kia has managed to more effectively straddle the line between a full-on SUV and a more civil hatchback with its offering. That’s thanks largely to the fact that the Sportage serves up plenty of interior room without falling on its face in the fun-to-drive department. While the Juke delivers unique styling and plenty of performance, buyers are forced to make major sacrifices in the cargo room department.

Meanwhile, Consumer Reports found the Outlander Sport to share too much DNA with the standard Outlander to take the title.

Everything wasn’t all roses and sunshine with the Sportage, however. CR noted that the vehicle has a planted highway ride, but that acceleration was “leisurely.” Additionally, the Korean CUV has a stiff ride and plenty of road noise at speed. The tester for this particular competition carried a $23,790 MSRP and the company’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 176 horsepower. CR says that the vehicle managed 22 combined miles per gallon in its testing. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Sportage: Review

2011 Kia Sportage

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Kia Sportage tops small CUVs in Consumer Reports test originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ferrari P4/5 Competizione laps Vallelunga during test session

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari P4/5 Competizione – Click above to watch video after the jump

We’ve seen video of James Glickenhaus’ “daily driver” Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina on the track and the street, and we already know that his race-prepared P4/5 Competizione is progressing nicely. While photos show the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione to be just as sexy as the Enzo-based road car that inspired it, nothing shows off a racing car’s chops like actual footage of it in action.

That’s now available via just-released in-car video of the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione lapping Italy’s Vallelunga circuit. It’s the latest exidence that Jim Glickenhaus’ new machine is indeed the business. Sounds as good as it looks, too. Follow the jump to watch. Thanks to Don for the tip!

Gallery: Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 Competizione

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari P4/5 Competizione laps Vallelunga during test session

Video: Ferrari P4/5 Competizione laps Vallelunga during test session originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games, Reviews

Massively Open Online Racing Rolls Again

Test Drive Unlimited 2: Review – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s hard to believe that four and a half years have passed since Eden Studios took its best shot at merging the open online gameplay of an MMO with a racer to create the original Test Drive Unlimited. Most would agree that the attempt wasn’t exactly perfect, but that didn’t stop TDU from being refreshing and incredibly fun to play. Really, who wouldn’t get behind the idea of amassing a collection of gorgeous cars and recklessly racing them all over Oahu?

And so, similarly, who wouldn’t get behind the idea of amassing a huge collection of amazing cars and racing them around both Oahu and Ibiza? Yes, this time gamers will be putting on their clubbing duds and hitting the Mediterranean party island as well, with the two rocks offering over 1,500 miles of roads – some of them unpaved. A lot has changed on this second trip to paradise, but even more has stayed the same. Is there enough new to make this journey worthwhile a second time?

Gallery: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Continue reading Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 teams wish Robert Kubica a speedy recovery at Jerez test

Filed under: Motorsports, Safety

Speedy Recovery, Robert

Speedy Recovery, Robert – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Formula One circus is in Jerez this weekend, testing the latest batch of racecars before the season kicks off next month in Bahrain. But something’s missing. Someone actually, and that someone is Robert Kubica.

The Polish driver on the Lotus Renault GP team, as you may have heard, is recovering in the hospital from injuries substained in a rallying accident in Italy that had his car impaled by a roadside guardrail. At the Jerez test his team will be giving a number of drivers – including their own tester Bruno Senna and F1 veteran Nick Heidfeld – a shot at temporarily filling Kubica’s seat, but they’re not the only ones feeling his absence.

The majority of the teams on the grid have placed special messages of hope for Kubica’s recovery somewhere on their cars. Some have placed them on the front wings, some on the sidepods or front keel, while others have placed them on the side of the rear wing. But the message is the same: “Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert”, in his native Polish – speedy recovery, Robert. We’ve assembled a few close-ups of the messages on the Jerez test cars and placed them for your viewing pleasure in the gallery below, so click on to check ’em out. Thanks for the tip, Arek!

Gallery: Speedy Recovery, Robert – Jerez F1 test

[Source: F1Fanatic]

F1 teams wish Robert Kubica a speedy recovery at Jerez test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opinion: Chrysler no longer left for dead, biggest test still coming

Filed under: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat

Some years ago, sitting in my office with the windows open on a warm spring day, I heard a deep rumble – not unlike the sound of a freight train passing by… but closer, more menacing, and immediately followed by a violent shudder as a rare Midwest earthquakes rolled out from under Lake Erie.

This wasn’t supposed to be a particularly good year for the smallest of the Detroit makers.

I’m starting to hear a similar sound, not quite so loud, but this time emerging from Auburn Hills, Michigan, where Chrysler is headquartered. Call it a hum, maybe a rumble, though definitely not yet the sort of buzz that would follow a similarly seismic event – in this case the turnaround of a company most folks had long written off for dead.

This wasn’t supposed to be a particularly good year for the smallest of the Detroit makers. Its product pipeline, went the conventional wisdom, was all but empty, other than the completely-remade Jeep Grand Cherokee and redesigned Chrysler 300, due later in the model-year. But I think most of us in the media were delivered a pleasant surprise a few months back when we got a first good look at the rest of the maker’s 2011 lineup.

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.

Continue reading Opinion: Chrysler no longer left for dead, biggest test still coming

Opinion: Chrysler no longer left for dead, biggest test still coming originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Toys/Games

Test Drive Unlimited 2

Test Drive Unlimited 2 features character customization – Click above to watch video after the jump

Can you think of something missing from the current crop of automotive video games? If you said cosmetic surgery then you must work for Atari. The upcoming Test Drive Unlimited 2 is going to let you customize more than you car. Your on-screen avatar can appear exactly how you want it to thanks to numerous facial and clothing options. Click past the jump to see what we’re talking about.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters

Video: Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IIHS uses NHTSA data to show its crash test results are right on

Filed under: Safety, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hyundai

Jeep Wrangler Side Impact IIHS

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been testing side-impact crashes since 2003. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been collecting traffic fatality information a lot longer than that. Yet it took until 2011 for IIHS to compare its considerable crash data against NHTSA’s crash mortality data.

As a result, IIHS can now underscore the importance of its crash test scores with credible outside data. Bloomberg reports that the Institute found that drivers of vehicles with an IIHS rating of “Good” for side-impact crashes were 70 percent less likely to die in an accident. That’s the exact type of statistic that can sway shoppers’ purchasing decisions. Further bolstering IIHS’s findings is this nugget: 27 percent of all fatal accidents involved a side-impact collision. For 2011, the Hyundai Accent, two-door Jeep Wrangler and Chevy Colorado all receive “Poor” side impact ratings.

Meanwhile, NHTSA will further regulate vehicle standards beginning in 2018 to include more protection against side impacts as well as occupant ejection in the event of a rollover. Stronger side glass and side-impact airbags are among the available solutions.

[Source: Bloomberg]

IIHS uses NHTSA data to show its crash test results are right on originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car finishes first test at Sebring

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Cadillac, Racing

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe SCCA Race Car

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe SCCA Race Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

The boys and girls at Cadillac have taken their newest toy out to play. The CTS-V Coupe race car got its first sampling of track time at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida earlier this week. Drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim took time behind the tiller for the car’s first real shake down as the car and team prep for the first race of the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT. The series kicks off in St. Petersburg, Florida from March 25 to 27.

As you may recall, it’s been a good long while since the Crest last suited up to go fender-to-fender. The company last competed in the World Challenge GT series in 2007. At that time, Cadillac had campaigned a CTS-V sedan for three seasons. General Motors is hoping that taking to the track once again will help establish the CTS-V Coupe as a legitimate performance competitor capable of taking on the best that Germany has to offer. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

Gallery: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe SCCA Race Car

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car finishes first test at Sebring

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car finishes first test at Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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