Subaru Forester : Soccer Moms Delight!
Tags: Subaru, Forester
Okay, so when you think soccer mom, you might not automatically think “Subaru Forester”, but you might be wrong. The Subaru Forester could very well be the most popular small SUV choice for moderately earth-conscious, safety-obsessed soccer moms. I speak from experience. It’s not like my 4-month-old daughter is really playing soccer yet, but I have plans! So, not only am I a newly reformed hater of station wagons and all overtly “family-oriented” vehicles, I am a Subaru Forester-loving new mom who thoroughly enjoys the grisly tales of accidents averted and survived told by Subaru sales folks everywhere. During my Subaru orientation this past winter, I was unable to take my eyes off the photos of the Subaru Forester that had rolled 4 times, but still didn’t have any frame damage. And I was even more in awe of the pictures of the Subaru Forester that had been hit head on by a Chevy pickup truck, its front end crumpled like an accordion - but by less than a foot - its owner having survived with only a broken foot. And then I found out that the 2006 model now has break-away pedals, which might have prevented this woman’s broken foot, but hey, in the scheme of things, a broken foot is not such a bad deal when you’ve gone up against a half-ton pickup truck!
So, that’s all the girlie information about the Subaru Forrester (for now); let’s get down to the some of the nitty gritty. The Forester comes with a 2.5 liter engine, standard, which is accompanied by 173 horses. You also can get a turbo charged version that provides 230 horses for those times that you cannot get the kids to school or activities fast enough. Not bad for a kid-toting, dog-toting, over-the-hills-and-through-the-woods-to-grandmother’s-house-we-go car, eh? All models also come with full-time all-wheel drive, which is nice if you’re living in the colder parts of the country and have to deal with snow, but it’s also nice if you live in the southern parts of the country that are prone to flash flooding. And, speaking of safety, the Forester has excellent crash-test ratings in front and side impact.
Things you might not want to do with your Forester - just in case you are hoping to tow more than the kids’ stuff, the dogs, and the camping gear, keep in mind that the Forester towing capacity is 2400 lb with manual transmission and 2000 lb with automatic transmission. Also, as tempting as it is to take the kids and the dogs off roading, the Forester is not a serious SUV and does not have the clearance or suspension required to go bouncing through the wild. If your heart is set on either one of these activities, you might want to check out a more SUV-y SUV.
Dream Car Garage
Tags: Porsche, Pagani, Zonda, Koenigsegg, Ferrari, Videos
This is a must see video. Apparently when you have a lot of money you can afford to have a Carrera GT that you have never driven. The dream car garage also includes a Ferrari F40, 2 Koenigsegg CCRs, a Zonda F, a Ford GT, and more…
McLaren-Tuned 2008 Dodge Viper
Tags: Dodge, Viper, Rumors
ASC (American Specialty Cars) previously unveiled their Diamondback Viper, a “killer snake” that sports a 615-hp McLaren-tuned engine and an 85 pound weight reduction via a carbon fiber roof, deck lid, rockers, fascia inserts, body trim, and hood. The coolest feature of all could be the OmniCarbon hood, which features a 10 air-take velocity stack. Talk about old school.
First thought was that this was only a “concept”, but now it looks like it might be moving into production and may be available as early as the 2007 model year. According to AutoWeek, the horsepower in the production model has been bumped to 650-hp and the 0-60 time is estimated at 3.5 seconds. Lets hope this is one rumor that turns out to be true.
BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia 2006
Tags: BMW
Now, I don’t know what you think, but to me this is a great looking car! BMW made this concept car to comemorate their long standing racing history with the Mille Miglia Auto Race. This gorgeous beauty is a modern interpretation of the 1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe which won the race that same year.
Steve Wynn Considering Ferrari Hotel/Casino
Tags: Ferrari
With Steve Wynn’s newest $4 billion hotel/casino in Macau not even finished yet, Wynn is already considering opening a new hotel in Macau using the Ferrari name for branding. Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn’s current resort in Las Vegas, currently has a Ferrari and Maserati built into the hotel/casino and it is said to sell more Ferrari’s per year than any other dealership in the world. It seems that theming a whole hotel on a car is kind of extreme, but with Wynn’s track record in dealing with hotels, how can you blame him?
The company said in March that it had applied to the Macau government for a 21.9-hectare site on the Cotai Strip to develop four hotels, three with casinos. Wynn said Thursday: “I’m talking to Luca di Montezemolo, the chairman of Ferrari, and we’re talking about doing one of our hotels as a Ferrari hotel.”
Koenigsegg CCX. 250 mph. Enough said.
Tags: Koenigsegg, CCX
Koenigsegg previously had a Ford engine in their CCR that produced a pretty impressive 600 hp to the brake. With the CCX Koenigsegg decided to up the ante quite a bit by producing their own twin-turbo charged engine that produces a mind boggling 800 hp to the brake. This ridiculous horsepower, along with a carbon fiber body allow the CCX to reach a top speed of 250 mph, putting this car into the league of the Bugatti Veyron. With no rear spoiler on the CCX, this car sounds about as safe as base-jumping. All I can say is “buyer beware.”
The CCX is the latest iteration of the Koenigsegg CC family. The CCX is in many aspects a new car since it has been re-engineered to comply with the US regulation and market demands. Still, it has been a key issue for the Koenigsegg Team to keep the distinctive and record breaking CC shape. We believe it is important to avoid trends and instead hone the aerodynamic shape of the CC range for the future, only enhancing its unique look and appearance with tighter lines and a more aggressive stance. We also believe in continuity.
No V-Series For Cadillac Escalade
Tags: Cadillac, Escalade
Cadillac has decided that style, not horsepower, is the name of the game for their Escalade. Currently Cadillac has no plans of offering the popular V-Series editions of the Escalade or its smaller cousin, the SRX. I think this is a pretty smart move, because if you purchase something as big as an Escalade, I am pretty sure you don’t have hopes of drag racing down the streets of suburbia.
The brand will also do a similar appearance package for its long-wheelbase Escalade ESV in model year 2008 or 2008. Called ESV Platinum, the package will borrow styling cues from the V-Series cars, with a leather-wrapped console and pillars, heated and cooled cupholders and a suede headliner. The Escalade ESV Platinum edition will retail for upward of $70,000, according to Cadillac executives.
Cadillac also is considering a special black chrome package on the standard Escalade for ‘08 or ‘09 but probably will make it available only on vehicles with black exterior paint.
SVT No Longer; 2007 Shelby Cobra Mustang Will End the Run
Tags: Ford, Mustang
I remember hearing about this in the past, but now sources inside the company are starting confirm the rumors that the Special Vehicle Team (SVT) of Ford Motor Company will soon be meeting its end, possibly as soon as April 1, 2006. But don’t worry, the 2007 SVT Cobra Mustang2007 SVT Cobra Mustang will still be available and still adorn the SVT badges.
So what went wrong?
It appears that the balls-out effort to build the Ford GT by the company’s 100th anniversary took its toll on the SVT staff, slowing development of more mainstream future products, such as the next-generation Lightning, an updated SVT Focus and an SVT version of the Fusion. The Ford executives who oversaw SVT, group vice presidents Steve Lyons and Phil Martens, didn’t give SVT the resources it needed to rebuild.
I would suspect that the 2007 model will turn into some sort of collectors item, so start saving your money and get one in the upcoming year.
A BMW That Parks Itself
Tags: BMW
Have trouble parallel parking in those tight spots? Did you struggle to pass your driver’s ed class? Well fear not, because BMW has come out with a way for the car to park itself. That’s right. As if we weren’t already lazy enough, we now have cars parking themselves. Can it really be that easy?
Hip-Hop Cadillac Escalade
Tags: Cadillac, Escalade
GM has announced that for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade, they will be offering 22″ rims as a factory option. They will also add a blinging grill and some white-leds in the interior. They even had a private showing with some of the top entertainments and sports stars.
Sounds like some interesting options, but sports stars can’t buy all of the Escalades. I think Cadillac would have been better off bringing in a group of rich moms to tell them what they wanted in the Escalade.