Mar 31
If Ferdinand Piëch hadn’t set his engineers on a course for 1,000 horsepower and 250 mph (Hello? Bugatti Veyron?), sports-car science projects like the Porsche 918 Spyder
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Feb 04
Comedian Bill Hicks once said, "Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a jet ski, and you never see an unhappy person riding a jet ski." Mr. Hicks, and most of those who have copied his quote since, never saw someone ride Kawasaki’s new 310-horsepower jet ski, the Ultra 310. The rider of this brutish machine may be having fun, but that person, particularly if he or she is a rookie personal water craft pilot, will also be terrified.
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Dec 26
Without anyone noticing, Formula Drift cars became quite possibly the most powerful racers of their kind in any competition anywhere in the world. How do I know this? Because I drove Tony Angelo’s 705 wheel horsepower Scion FR-S… and crashed it.
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Jul 26
We’ve driven a number of EV‘s over the years — from the Ford Focus Electric to the Tesla Model S — but none have been as affordable as the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV. It costs $19,995, including the $7,500 federal tax credit, and just $17,495 in California, thanks to an additional $2,500 credit. The Spark EV is GM’s first pure electric car since the company scrapped the EV1 program in 2002. It’s a five-door supermini designed to carry four people plus luggage in comfort. While it’s primarily a city car, it’s perfectly at ease on the highway. We recently got the chance to take one for a spin in lovely Portland, Oregon, so hit the break for our impressions and hands-on video.
Gallery: Chevrolet Spark EV hands-on
Filed under: Transportation, Apple
Jun 26
Volkswagen wanted to build a 235 MPG car. Now, 15 years after setting that challenge for themselves, they’ve exceeded their goals in almost every way. The VW XL1 is built like a supercar, looks like a spacepod, feels like a production model and crosses the Autobahn while using barely 0.004 gallons of fuel every mile. This is what it’s like to drive the future.
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Mar 22
The Ford Fusion Energi joins the C-MAX Energi and Focus Electric as the company’s third vehicle with a charging connector and access to California’s HOV lanes. While it’s a larger car than the C-MAX Energi, it weighs about the same and features pretty much the same plug-in hybrid powertrain with 195 net horsepower and three EV driving modes. It combines a 2-liter DOHC 16V Duratec (Atkinson cycle) engine and CVT with an AC synchronous motor powered by a 7.6kWh Lithium Ion battery. This pack takes about 2.5 hours to fill up with a 240V charging station and provides a range of 21 miles (100MPGe) at up to 85MPH in all-electric mode. Both autos share the same unfortunate battery protrusion in the trunk area, and while it’s less of an issue in the Fusion sedan than the wagon-like C-MAX, it detracts from the overall package. The Fusion Energi also packs the company’s latest and greatest tech, including MyFord Mobile, SmartGauge with EcoGuide, Eco Cruise and SYNC with MyFord Touch. Sure, that’s pretty exciting, but how does it actually drive? Find out after the break.
Gallery: Ford Fusion Energi test drive
Filed under: Transportation
Nov 13
You know how it takes OMG like foreverz to get the newest version of Android on your phone? Motorola has a new plan that’ll get you its latest and greatest software long before you normally would. It’s called Test Drive. More »
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