Pickup trucks have become an interesting anomaly in the automotive world. These vehicles, with a cab for people and a bed used for hauling or towing, they were originally built to do manual labor. No frills, no fun. Just the ability to start on a cold morning and work all day on the farm or construction site without issue.

Today though, things are radically different. Sure, trucks these days still promise to fulfill everything expected of them, but they are now much more civilized and comfortable, offering many luxuries found on more expensive cars.

But do the fundamentals still work? Are these two four-wheel-drive behemoths, the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4TRX and 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab, capable of working hard all day, then take the family out to dinner in the evening in comfort? I got to spent some time finding out. Continue Reading…

Ah yes. Luxurious performance sedans. The cars for those who want power mixed with luxury, and got the dough to get it.

These include the haloed brands of BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, and soon to come…Cadillac.

The above names are almost legend among performance sedan aficionados, well, the first two are. BMWs “M” series and Merc’s AMG have been hot-blooded contestants ever since their conception. Audi has their RS 4. Lexus made their debut into this category with their “F” series, but BMW and Mercedes have pretty much got this segment bagged. Then along comes Cadillac to wreck the party.

Now, Cadillac has never done well in the performance sedan category, and the first generation CTS-V pretty much failed against the likes of BMW and Mercedes. But from what I see about the new CTS-V, I think that this time, they’re actually gonna do quite well. Not only does the CTS-V look a lot better this time around, but it also is the fastest and most powerful sedan to ever come from an American manufacturer, and check this out: it just may be the fastest sedan in history. Continue Reading…

Check out these two comparisons by Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Both feature the all new Dodge Challenger, and in both tests, the Challenger was pitted against its only current rival— the Mustang. Now, since the Dodge will only be sold in SRT8 trim for this year (the most powerful of the bunch), it’s only fair that it competes against an equally powerful Mustang. Car and Driver chose the Mustang Bullitt, and Motor Trend selected the Shelby GT500.

The Mustang was the first true muscle car in a few decades, and its retro fifth generation design stole the hearts of many consumers (and a good chunk of their change). The Mustang has been the undisputed champ, partly because it was a good car, but mostly because it had the segment all to itself. Now, however, the old ‘Merican pony is going to have to fight for its title, with the new Dodge Challenger the first to strike, and the Mustang’s most feared rival, the Chevy Camaro, due to brawl with both of them in 2009. From the looks of things, it’s going to be one heckuva fight.

Go to the links above for the comparisons, if you could care less about the tests but just want the results, I’ll have the gist of both tests, the winners, and a lot more pics after the jump. Continue Reading…

Recently, my brother moved from the Big Apple back to Pittsburgh for a new job. Since he would walk, take the subway, or catch a cab if he needed to go anywhere, he never needed a vehicle in Manhattan. However, the sprawling suburbs of the Steel City have not been blessed with an adequate public transportation system. So he is in the market for a new car.

The ideal car for him would be something small, four-door, and frugal on gas, but at the same time, fun to drive. There are plenty of vehicles that fit this niche, but after some initial searching and brand preferences, he narrowed it down to three choices: the 2008 Mazda3s Touring, 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, and the 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS. Each car was similarly equipped, with power everything, manual transmission, sunroof, upgraded stereo, sport-appearance packages, etc.

As my family’s resident car guru, I was invited along as a second opinion and to make sure he knew what to look for and how to feel each vehicle. So, I thought I would do a little comparison of each vehicle for you all to enjoy.

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Ahhh….the sound of 454 cubic inches of raw untamed muscle coursing through my body, beckoning me to summon all of its inner demons with each crack of the throttle. Almost forgetting the laws of the land, I release the clutch, smash down on the “loud” pedal, and let rip every pony that existed in that motor all at once, singing to the tune of five thousand rpm, snapping both rear tires loose in a ballet of sideways movements that even the best ice skater would envy.

To look back on the time that you could actually do that and be admired by your friends and neighbors would take you to the days that you could buy one of the beast muscle cars for under four grand. People nowadays have spent years, countless hours a day and a ton of rolled up quarters and dimes to make that once famous entry into “cool” another reality. Although theres a simple solution that has come about within the last 10 years of automotive development.

Its the NEW age muscle cars!! Cant put together that 68 Camaro sitting in your garage for the past 22 years? Buy a brand new one! With front and side airbags even. Want that rush of power that you missed since high school but cant seem to get it from your wifes minivan? Buy the new Dodge Charger!! Comes complete with a HEMI for all you wheel spinners out there. Continue Reading…

The newest concept from Peugeot is a 2+2 coupe that bears a striking resemblance to the current Mitsubishi Eclipse. Peugeot (pronounced “pooZHO” in case you’ve ever wondered,) calls this new car the 308 RC Z. Don’t expect to be impressed with tire-smoking abilities here; this concept is more about elegant design. However, the 308 Concept houses a 1.6L 218 horsepower turbocharged Inline-4 Cylinder which can get you from 0-60 mph in 7 seconds - not shabby for an efficient everyday driver, but it’s no Ferrari.

The overall design of the car is elegant, if you can tell if it’s coming or going. The rear and side profile looks a bit like a new Mitsubishi Eclipse: Continue Reading…