Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Volkswagen, First Drive

The state of California has the toughest vehicle emissions regulations in the world in its LEV II (and the corresponding national Tier 2 Bin 5) standards. Those rules treat all engine types the same regardless of what fuel they use. It doesn’t matter if the engine runs on gasoline, diesel or cow dung, the emissions standards are the same. These rules are so tight that no manufacturer has been able to sell light-duty passenger vehicles powered by diesel engines in California and four other states for the last several years. That’s all about to change beginning with last month’s sales launch of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta TDI is the first new diesel-powered car to meet the tough T2B5 standards, and it’s fitting that VW invited us out to the birthplace of these emissions regulations to drive it. We spent a day driving the Jetta TDI in and around Santa Monica to gauge whether it has the right balance of Fahrvergnügen and low fuel consumption to be a viable alternative to cars like the Prius, Civic and Focus. Continue after the jump to find out more.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

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Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, First Drive

The state of California has the toughest vehicle emissions regulations in the world with its LEV II (and the corresponding national Tier 2 Bin 5) standards. Those rules treat all engine types the same regardless of what type of fuel they use. It doesn’t matter if the engine runs on gasoline, diesel or cow dung, the rules are the same. Those rules are so tight, that no manufacturer has been able to sell light duty vehicles with diesel engines in California and four other states for the last several years. That’s all changing now beginning with last month’s retail sales launch of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta is the first new diesel-powered car to meet the T2B5 rules and it’s fitting that VW invited the media out to the birthplace of emissions regulations to drive it. We spent a day driving the Jetta TDI in and around Santa Monica to gauge whether the Jetta has the right balance of Fahrvergnügen and low fuel consumption to make it a viable alternative to cars like the Prius, Civic and Focus. Continue after the jump to find out more.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading AutoblogGreen First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sedan

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Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford, First Drive

Save the hot hatch for last. That’s what we kept telling ourselves as we wandered the Belgian countryside looking for Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground. As it turns out, the facility, located next to an air force base - restricted airspace, you know - is so secret, our hosts at Ford could hardly find it. So we had a little extra time to repeat the mantra: save the hot hatch for last.

On our way to Italy to drive the new Fiesta, we took a detour to Lommel to sample some of Ford’s European C-segment offerings. A variety of vehicles, including one with the new dual-clutch gearbox, a Kuga crossover and the fire-breathing Focus ST, would be on hand for us to drive around the track. But we knew that if we gave into temptation and drove the ST first, the rest would seem sluggish by comparison, even though the vehicles aren’t comparable. So did we resist the urge, or give into the little demon that’s always whispering in our ears to go faster? Follow the jump and we just might tell you.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec)

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Nissan

hspace="4" height="163" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/04/IL_07Altima.jpg" alt=""
/>Once again the boys and girls over at href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=110046#3">Inside Line have sold their souls
to the devil in order to gain access to a preproduction version of the href="http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/12/new-york-auto-show-nissans-ultimate-expression-of-the-altima/">2007 Nissan
Altima before the car even debuted at the New York Auto Show last week. Their initial impressions of Nissan’s
most significant sedan are very positive.

The current model Altima made shockwaves when it debuted in 2001
ready to throw down with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. It’s fared well in the marketplace since then but has
been hampered by an unsatisfactory cabin experience and reflexes that weren’t quite as quick as its elite
competition.

The 2007 Altima is based on a brand new platform and features a new version of the
company’s superlative VQ 3.5L V6 producing an expected 265 hp. The author even had praise for Nissan’s
improved Xtronic CVT, despite the inane inclusion of simulated shifts. Also improved are the interior’s
touchpoints, which this time around are “supple” rather than “rock-hard.”

The 2007
Nissan Altima was one of our best picks for the ‘06 NY auto show and we’re anxiously awaiting our turn
behind the wheel.

[Source: Inside Line]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Cadillac, First Drive

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

After decades of decay, Cadillac began a transformation in the waning years of the last century that would allow the brand to compete against modern luxury brands. Decrepit beasts like the late Eldorado and Seville were euthanized and, while the decision to switch mostly to alpha-numeric naming was dubious, Cadillac finally started creating cars that could compete directly with the best from Europe and Japan, and the first generation CTS was one of them.

In spite of this progress, the Germans still had something Cadillac lacked, namely AMG, M and RS models. So Cadillac devised the V-Series, the first of which was the 2004 CTS-V. Just as BMW does with the M3 and M5, Audi with the RS4 and RS6 and Mercedes with innumerable AMGs, the CTS-V had a bigger, more powerful engine; beefier brakes and tires; a suspension to match and an upgraded interior. This, however, is an arms race that has yet to subsie in spite of ever higher fuel prices. With BMW, Mercedes and Audi now offering even more powerful engines, Cadillac has stepped up to the plate with an all-new CTS-V and we had a chance to drive it at the even newer Monticello Motor Club in New York. With a new supercharged LSA engine closely related to the LS9 in the Corvette ZR1, the CTS-V makes some big promises. Read on after the jump to see if it delivers.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V

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