Who Will Drive BMW i3 Electric Cars? Waify Metrosexuals, According To Ad
Although its arrival is still months away, we already know a lot about the all-electric BMW i3. We have a good idea of its range (with and without the optional range-extender), we’ve hypothesized about its sticker price, and a few lucky journalists have even gotten to drive around in it.
But there’s one thing we haven’t known: who’s going to buy this thing? Luckily, a new video from BMW has answered that burning question.
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ADS
There are many, many types of ads — classified ads, display ads, radio spots, and on and on. Most of the car commercials that we see on television are 30-second clips featuring shiny new vehicles zipping down scenic highways. Many don’t bother showing people at all: we just hear voiceovers from well-known actors like John Hamm (Mercedes-Benz), Jeff Bridges (Hyundai), or Tim Allen (Chevrolet Cruze and Volt).
One of the newer sorts of ads that’s been made possible by the internet is what we might call the “video demo”. These clips are a cross between commercials and owner’s manuals, and they’re generally far too long to be used on TV.
First Drive Review: 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited proves that mainstream need not be boring
I’m not married. Nor do I have any kids, a 401K, a mortgage, and an underlying fear for discoloring hair and sagging body parts invoked by the stress of a nine-to-fiver and coming home some to juniors running around…yet (no offense). But all in all, I pretty much seem like the worst candidate to be reviewing the all-new and completely redone 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. And that’s because, majority of the people in the market for a crossover SUV are left with options that only blend you into the mainstream automotive hodgepodge. It’s the kind of market that me, being the youthful college upperclassman that I am, seeks to avoid simply because I am by virtue, the complete antithesis to the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe’s intended market.
But the company as a whole has certainly reaffirmed its footprint in the automobile industry as of recent, representing one of the greatest automotive turnarounds of the new millennium. So that said, even my youthful self was curious to see how Hyundai’s efforts paid off with their latest model, the redesigned 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Pedantic individuals would keenly note from the pictures alone that this new Santa Fe is, well, a little bit on the big side. And that’s because it is. The original Hyundai Santa Fe was originally classified as a compact SUV when compared to its peewee subcompact sibling, the Tucson. Over the course of time, the Hyundai Santa Fe grew over time from market demand, but it essentially still remained a compact crossover—and that’s something that this particular 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe, isn’t.
The Continental: Design Talk, Powertrains from Europe, and Praise for Jaguar
Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
2016 Mercedes-Benz C-class Cabriolet Spy Photos: A Properly Badged C-class Droptop
What It Is: The cabriolet version of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-class. This droptop is expected to hit the market in 2015, a year after the new sedan, as a 2016 model. The new C will adopt Benz’s latest design language, which is characterized by flowing lines and not necessarily inspired by company history. For instance, the trunk is low, round, and sloping, similar to the characteristics of the new CLA sedan. And the exterior mirrors are positioned not in the front window triangle, where they’ve been on Benzes since the early 1970s, but rather on the door panel’s shoulder, similar to the most recent SL and SLK. Audi in particular has promoted the notion that this mirror position is sporty.
As will the next-gen C coupe, the C-class cabriolet features frameless windows, and it is fitted with an electrically operated softtop. The composite-material top featured on this mule is merely camouflage.
Nissan Altima Review
The Nissan Altima already fronts the V8 Supercars program for its marque, but this markedly different production version won’t go on sale in Australia for another few months.
Following the New York auto show, however, CarAdvice sampled the car that us locals will soon be able to buy, a mid-level 2.5-litre four cylinder front-wheel-drive model with an automatic, continuously variable transmission (CVT).
While it’s important to recognise that the Altima that will race around Bathurst this year is nothing like this production car, the same can be said for the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. Yes, the Ford and Holden offer V8 engines and rear-wheel drive, but they are only philosophical similarities – the hardware is entirely different.
More crucially for buyers shopping in the mid-sized sedan segment, the 2013 Nissan Altima is in the US-spec tested an excellent car.
When it arrives in June the four cylinder Nissan Altima will rival the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo, while the optional 3.5-litre V6 will take on the Falcon, Commodore and Aurion.
Garmin officially teams up with Mercedes-Benz to make and support their infotainment systems
GPS and satellite navigation manufacturer Garmin International has officially announced a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG. For future Mercedes-Benz models, Garmin will be the supporter and provider for Benz’s infotainment systems for the next four years.
“Being selected by Daimler as their global tier-one navigation solution partner is a testament to Garmin’s growing capability and exceptional product quality in the auto OEM space,” said Matt Munn. “We are honored by Daimler’s confidence in Garmin and we look forward to working with them to deliver an exceptional navigation experience for the world’s most discerning drivers.”
Garmin has a strong presence in the automobile industry, not just because of their portable GPS navigation devices, but also with in-car devices as Chrysler employs Garmin’s latest systems in many of their vehicles via Chrysler’s UConnect system. We here at egmCarTech also found this system to be one of the fastest and least difficult to use when compared to Chevrolet’s or Ford’s equivalent systems.
My Rotary Diaries: An Owner’s Guide to the Mazda RX-8 Galaxy
“The RX-8 doesn’t just like a drink; it is the founding member of the AA institution for sports car engines”
Are you tired of my RX-8 reports yet? If you secretly nodded your head in agreement, then I have good news for you, because this will be the final one, in which I’ll try to recount the ups and downs of running Mazda’s last rotary sports car – until, hopefully, the next one comes up…
First of all, let me introduce you to the world’s first contemporary four-door coupe. The Mercedes-Benz CLS that supposedly invented the niche? It was launched a year later than the RX-8, which is a coupe and has four doors. True, the Merc and its clones are perched much higher in terms of pricing and none adopted the rear suicide doors that did without the B-pillar, but you get the point.
There’s nothing else like it on the market – period. Its powerplant shuns valves, pistons and conrods for ports and rotors and thus produces 228HP from a capacity of just 1.3 liters and a mad 9,500 rpm redline. I’ll admit, it suffers from a severe lack of low-end torque, but it revs so creamily and effortlessly that a chime has to remind you to change up before you hit the limiter.
This comes at a price. The RX-8 doesn’t just like a drink; it is the founding member of the AA institution for sports car engines. Yes, it really is that bad. No matter how gentle the right pedal is treated, a shocking 16-18 lt/km (15-13 mpg US) average in mixed use is common. Combine it with the 61–liter fuel tank and visits to gas stations are much more frequent than Lindsay Lohan’s to courts and rehab facilities.
On the bright side, it doesn’t get that much worse when it gets a good pasting. Thus, since the tank and wallet are draining at nearly the same rate regardless of speed, better to indulge in it. That’s what it was made for after all, right?