2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD Review

The 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4-Wheel Drive. Now that is quite a mouthful. Is that sentence and oxymoron? SUV, Hybrid, and 4-wheel drive all in one car? Apparently not. With gas guzzling SUVs becoming less of an option for most, mid-size SUV Mariner, the more refined hybrid twin of the Ford Escape, has received its fare share of recognition from Green supporters, from the Green Car Journal to the U.S. Environmental Projection Agency and probably your savings accounts.

Mariner is part of the Ford Motor Company and was formed in the 1930s to be an upscale brand alongside Lincoln. Updates for the 2008 model mainly include styling. It stands out from the Escape with a more luxurious or prominent front grille.

The reviewer drove a 2008 Mariner Hybrid with a 153-horsepower 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine combined with a 94-horsepower electric motor powertrain and FWD (2WD). It came with the Hybrid Premium Package, which included power heated mirrors, heated front seats, a digital navigation system, roof rack with cross bars, leather seating, and a retractable cargo cover ($3,395). It also had Sirius satellite radio ($995) and an AC 100V power outlet ($180). Total vehicle price came to $31,000.

Full Review

2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

Are people still buying the hell out of these things? Sure are. This is basically the best selling line of SUVs for like, forever. Not sure you need much of a travel guide when you go off with an SUV since gas probably costs more than your entire trip combined at this point, but if you want to go really fast in an SUV, then the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is your vehicle.

Jeep stuck a snarling 6.1-liter V8 HEMI engine under the hood, capable of delivering 420-horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. This engine can also be found in Dodge's attractive little sports car, the Viper. Full review

Cadillac Breaks Production Sedan Speed Record

I had this video on my usb flash drive and then saw a story about it on AutoNews.com so i figured I'd put it up and let you take a look at it. They actually made a video of their own so I will just use theres as I don't really want to try and upload it anywhere and wait for it to be approved :).

Last Friday, the new 2009 Cadillac CTS-V laid down a blistering time at Germany's Nurburgring. Driver John Heinricy completed a lap of the legendary Nordschleife in 7:59.32 which could possibly be the fastest recorded time for a production sedan on factory-spec street tires.

2008 BMW 335i Convertible Review

Now here's a car that everyone envies. The 2008 BMW 335i Convertible. No longer just the soft-cover type of convertible, the BMW 3-Series convertibles come with the hard top cover now. Drivers now have the choice between the two for this awesome automobile.

Fresh out of a drug treatment center this was the first thing my buddy bought. Wanted to show himself off I guess as a new man. Said that with the money he saves from drugs and booze he can pretty much afford anything now ;).

The pleasure of driving the 3-Series convertible stems, no surprise, not only from its convertible nature, but also from its being a BMW, with first-rate chassis dynamics and powertrains. As with other current 3-Series cars - in sedan, coupe, and wagon styles - engines are a pair of 3.0-liter inline sixes, one (328i) naturally-aspirated and the other (335i) with forced induction from twin turbochargers. (And, to be more exact, the wagon comes only in 328 form.) The turbo engine is BMW's first road-going gasoline turbo in decades - the only previous examples were found in the 745i sedan in 1981 and the 2002 Turbo in 1976. Neither of those cars were officially imported to the US. Full review

The Rise of the Hybrid

Hybrids are all the rage now a days. Vehicles that lower the cost of fuel and make people giddy about how they help not only their pocket books, but the environment so they can actually enjoy lounging in their patio furniture rather than having to do so with gas masks on.

This story from Fox News talks about how the hybrid is becoming more common than ever. With record smashing oil prices many are hopeful that the prices will help push more funding towards alternative ways to fuel our automobiles. The video below covers this issue.

Gas Prices Angering Americans

Not a day goes by right now in which you don't talk to at least someone who mentions the price of gas. The expense that Americans face just to get to work causes as much heartache as anything in this struggling economy. With people looking for such things as foreclosure help, it is difficult to see how many can even afford to go to work at the current cost of gasoline. Certainly no one that makes less than $30,000 a year can afford to drive more than a few miles everyday to get to their jobs as it just eats half their paycheck away paying for the gasoline.

Seeing comments like these certainly piss people off:

The $4 mark, compounded by a sagging economy, could be a tipping point that spurs people to make permanent lifestyle changes to reduce dependence on foreign oil and help the environment, says Steve Reich, a program director at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.

"This is a more significant shift in behavior than I've seen through other fluctuations in gasoline prices," he says. "People are starting to understand that this resource … is not something to be taken for granted or wasted."

I doubt anyone believes people drive less because they are concerned about supply. They are concerned about being able to afford it. USA today breaks down some numbers today and talks more about these crazy gas prices.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 Review

You all know the status of driving a Mercedes into your Hilton Head rental and being a big shot. The reviewer of the Mercedes-Benz C63 had other problems, however. Rolling out of the parking lot, I guess excited to be driving such a great vehicle they got pulled over for speeding...lol

The dire warnings from the PR spokesperson, “Lots of cops are out there waiting for you” are usually not ignored by auto writers when test driving a new model in city, post-rush hour traffic … usually is the operative word.

Not more than two minutes after leaving the parking lot of the hotel, the driver of the vehicle – who must remain nameless -- in which I was the navigator passenger was given a 16 mph over the posted speed of 30 mph ticket for $186. Full Review

2009 Suzuki SX4: Under $16,000 with Standard Navigation Sold in U.S.

When you think of an automobile that has a price tag of just $16,000, you really can't be thinking of features. You are probably thinking that if it is still running 2 years from now, you will be quite satisfied, much less offering features such as standard navigation.

American Suzuki Motor Corp. today announced the addition of a fully integrated standard navigation system to the 2009 Suzuki SX4. The company's offering marks the first time a new vehicle under $16,000 will include navigation as a standard feature. The innovative navigation system will be included as standard equipment on both the four-door SX4 Sport and front-wheel-drive version of the five-door SX4 Crossover, propelling the 2009 SX4 to the front of the compact segment as the personal technology leader.

I guess they finally decided that the technology is so cheap now that they may as well slip it into the package and make it a great seller for themselves. Kind of like how you can upgrade your computer memory by juicing up your ram for cymp change these days. Customers can't be complaining either with the new add on I'm sure.