Mercedes Bluetec Diesel SUVs, Reviewed

07A2603.JPGOur friends at Popular Mechanics have just driven three Mercedes SUVs equipped with the Bluetec diesel engine. The ML, GL and R all share the same 320 CDI Bluetec oilburner, with Popular Mechanics reporting that it does an ample job of powering all three, despite occasionally feeling overwhelmed in the big GL. The…

Discuss…
12L

2009 Chevy Traverse, First Drive

2009-Chevy-Traverse-First-Drive.jpgSo this crossover thing? Yeah, it's starting to get a little out-of-hand. What we have here is the 2009 Chevy Traverse. If you want to use the promotional literature, it's an 8-passenger crossover vehicle. If you use your eyes, it's a minivan with big wheels and no sliding side doors. Thus the stage is set for that…

Read…
61L

2008 Citroën C5, Reviewed

CitroenC5wagonIV0508.jpgA 6-speed manual-equipped wagon that's big enough to hold all your enfants terrible, gets 34 mpg (US) and has hydropneumatic suspension? Of course it's not sold here. But the folks over at Popular Mechanics did get the chance to test a 2008 Citroën C5 during a rainy English holiday, discovering that the big Frenchie…

Discuss…
24L

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Three

Mazdaspeed3_P3.jpgWhy you should buy the 2008 Mazdaspeed3:
You want a fast car, but have to pick up your children from school. You want a WRX STI, but can't quite afford the running costs and you don't need the AWD anyways. You got a bunch of tickets a few years ago; you still like driving fast, but want to preserve what little…

Read…
61L

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part Two

Mazdaspeed3_Part3.jpgExterior Design: ***
The 2008 Mazdaspeed3 doesn't visually distinguish itself much from the standard Mazda 3 hatchback, but it doesn't need to. The basic design's thick D-pillars, subtle shoulder bulges over the wheels, and angular lines are a good starting point. More important is how the car doesn't look. There are…

Read…
73L

2009 Lincoln MKS, First Drive

When the powers-that-be over here at Jalopnik asked me to test drive a car for you boys, I was pretty excited. Finally, I thought, Jalopnik is learning to respect a woman's automotive point of view. And then Ray told me it was going to be the 2009 Lincoln MKS. Hmm. I'll admit, I have a bias against big cars that dates…

Read…
94L

2008 Mazdaspeed3, Part One

Cruising the affluent suburban streets of the Chicago area in the 2008 Mazdaspeed3, I'm looking for trouble. The dimming evening light and warm weather has brought out all the usual suspects: everyone from boy-racers in tuned Hondas to middle-aged men in Ford GTs. Chirping the tires as I dart from stoplight to…

Read…
244L

2008 Smart ForTwo IIHS Crash Test Results In, Little Tyke Did "Good"

Although we've already seen the NHTSA crash tests and the leaked IIHS test video, the official Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test results are finally in for the 2008 Smart ForTwo. It turns out the little bugger did pretty well. IIHS awarded the micro-machine its highest rating of "Good" for front…

Read…
55L
 Loading more stories…