2009 Audi A4 Avant
2007 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium
2008 Audi R8
2009 Audi S5
2008 BMW 135i
2006 BMW 330i
2009 BMW 750i
2002 BMW M3
2009 BMW M3
2008 BMW X5 4.8i
2008 Buick Enclave CX
2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI
2007 Cadillac SRX
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
2007 Chevrolet Silverado LT
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
2009 Dodge Ram 1500
1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
2007 Ford Edge SEL
2009 Ford Flex Limited
2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe
2005 Ford GT
2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
2007 Honda Civic GX
2006 Honda Civic Si
2007 Honda Fit Sport
2009 Honda Fit Sport
2010 Honda Insight EX
2007 Hyundai Azera Limited
2009 Hyundai Genesis V6
2006 Hyundai Sonata LX
2008 Hyundai Veracruz SE
2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport
2006 Jeep Commander Limited
2007 Jeep Compass Limited
2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
2007 Kia Rondo
2006 Kia Sedona EX
2006 Lexus RX 400h
2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring
2008 Mazda CX-9
2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2010 Mazdaspeed 3
2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport
2006 Mercedes-Benz R500
2007 Mini Cooper S
2009 Mini E
2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
2009 Nissan 370Z Touring
2007 Nissan Altima SE
2009 Nissan GT-R
2007 Nissan Versa SL
2008 Pontiac G8 GT
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2007 Saturn Aura XR
2008 Scion xB
2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2009 Suzuki SX4
2007 Toyota Camry
2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
2004 Toyota Prius
2006 Toyota RAV4
2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
This list only includes the cars we've had since starting the blog.
The pictures are in no way meant to persuade you, I just picked shots that I like.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Ever want to know what it's like to ride in a GT-R on the highway?
Well, yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Driving north on highway 5, I saw this truck hauling a black GT-R and though the picture would be cool. With the shutter of my point-and-shoot set at 1/100 and with a wide focal length it should've been pretty sharp, afterall, it was a fairly bright morning. Well, it's not...and yes, I was in COMF.
*Kurt Niebuhr just saw the picture and added this: Yeah, it kinda does ride like that. Like it's being hung off the back of a truck."
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant
Categories: 2009 Nissan GT-R
Thanks to gooney911 for this week's favorite caption.
Here are the others that had us rolling:
The Soon to be Flat and the Furious (ergsum)
Squishy and the Bandit (ergsum)
Girl Scout Troop 4723 got their nuts crushed. (ergsum)
Well, Volvo IS Latin for 'I roll'. (eidolways)
This Volvo DOES have roll-over protection, right? (eidolways)
Swede Bump (ergsum)
Geely better hurry up with that check. (thejohnp)
Edmund's searches for run flat tires. (hybris)
These new run flat testing standards are getting out of hand (wable)
Volvo - Become one with the road (mnorm1)
All right, let's roll! (vt8919)
Rollover testing the Volvo (stpawyfrmdonut)
Flattest torque curve in the fleet. (sideswiper)
Volvo City Safety: Paving the way in pedestrian safety (subytrojan)
Those are the biggest racing slicks I've ever seen. (mnorm1)
What was your favorite?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Categories: 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD
Ever wondered what it takes to build a hybrid? Well, that depends on what sort of hybrid you're talking about.
The hybrids that Toyota and Ford put out are complex (and effective) series-parallel hybrids, meaning they can run on gas, electricity, a direct parallel blending of the two or a series piggyback mode where the gas engine generates electricity for the battery while an electric motor uses that electricity to drive the car. It takes two powerful electric motors that are integrated into a mind-bending (but mechanically quite simple) planetary CVT system to pull this off. Powerful control software continually switches between these modes so you don't have to think about it.
But our 2010 Honda Insight is based on a simpler parallel-only setup, in which the engine and transmission are prised apart so a thin, flywheel-sized electric motor (just over 2-inches thick) can be slipped between them. This electric motor goes by the name of Integrated Motor Assist or IMA, for short.
It's basically laid out like this:
Engine --> IMA --> Transmission
Let's have a look, starting at the back of the car.
The above shot from my suspension walkaround series shows why the simple twist beam suspension configuration was used here: it leaves plenty of room between the wheels for a deep central well that houses the spare tire and battery pack.
Continue reading 2010 Honda Insight EX: Hybrid System Walkaround.
Categories: 2010 Honda Insight EX
Last week I called the Honda Fit the "no-brainer" winner among econoboxes, and nothing changed my mind in the spirited discussion that ensued. But what I'm stuck on today is the fact that the Fit is frankly the only no-brainer Honda has left. Back in the day, this company was an engineer's delight, pushing the envelope with thrilling VTEC engines, focused interior designs, distinctive low cowls and sophisticated driving dynamics. Now it makes the Pilot and the TSX and the overrated Accord. What happened? Where did the so-called Japanese BMW go wrong?
I'm prepared to accept the sales argument. You know how it goes. "Americans don't like that old kind of Honda. They don't care about how a Prelude VTEC sounds at 7,000 rpm, or an Integra GS-R at 8,000, or even a mid-'90s Accord EX at 6,500. They don't care about superior forward visibility or classically sporty gauges. They never noticed the instantaneous steering response of those old hydraulic-assist Hondas, the remarkable precision of their manual transmissions, the extraordinary athleticism they displayed in corners despite those ridiculously skinny OEM tires.
"What Americans want is size, broader powerbands and chunky styling, and maybe some randomly weird dashboard layouts. And that's what the new Honda provides."
Fair enough. But as an enthusiast who's intimately familiar with the old Honda, I can't help feeling like the company has lost its edge. It used to be the engaging Japanese option, the one with superior engineering that made you feel like you got what you paid for. Now, I'm searching for reasons why I shouldn't tell people to buy Fords or Hyundais instead.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor @ 14,458 miles
Categories: 2009 Honda Fit Sport
Monday is Veterans Day, so I'm packing the family (two adults and one 3-year-old) into the Insight for a long holiday weekend up California's coast. Staying one night in Morro Bay and the rest in Berkeley, with at least one day trip into San Francisco planned. That means I've got approximately 800 miles to see how the little hybrid handles elevation gains, lots of kid-related luggage and bony rears. I'll give you the whole story when I get back next week.
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com
Categories: 2010 Honda Insight EX
I usually have the same passenger every time I drive our long-term Mini E. And every time, he hums along to the ascending whir of the electric motor on its way to its 12,500-rpm redline. And as soon as my foot comes off the throttle, he hums to the descending whir of the regenerative braking. It has become a joke between us. There's a mix of humor, wonder and resignation in the humming, I think. By wonder, I mean that electric motors do sound sort of cool. And by resignation, I mean that neither of us is yet ready for a world where all, or even half the cars, sound quite like this.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 2,699 miles
Categories: 2009 Mini E
(Photo by Kurt Niebuhr)
Like everyone else here, I'm not thrilled with the pathetic range of our 2009 Suzuki SX-4. It's mostly due to the small gas tank made necessary by the all-wheel-drive system, and could be fixed, for us here in Southern California, by deleting that option. But this Suzuki has a neat little trick up its sleeve that, in a sense, increases the range on the AWD SX-4.
Continue reading 2009 Suzuki SX-4: Options.
Categories: 2009 Suzuki SX4
As Bryn mentioned, we were still waiting to get the go-ahead from our insurance carrier before repairing the rear bumper damage on our 2009 Dodge Ram. Not long after her post went up, we received the settlement check. And the repairs were completed just as quickly.
Within 2 days the new bumper was ordered, shipped and installed. The at-fault driver's insurance company picked up the $637.43 tab.
Days out of service: 2
Total Cost: None
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 12,749 miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
You learn a lot about a car between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Most of your time is spent on Interstate 15 banging through the set of the Road Warrior. It's a wonderful drive to clear the head and education yourself about a vehicle's rights and wrongs. Basically, it's a 600 mile (300 miles each way) run with nothing to do except nit pick your ride.
Here's what I learned about our long-term 2009 BMW 750i, there are ten.
Continue reading 2009 BMW 750i: Welcome To Nevada.
Categories: 2009 BMW 750i
