Automotive Trends

      The 2007 HUMMER H3 might be a bit of a novelty item, but it has what it takes to be called a HUMMER. With the requisite off-road goods (skid plates, 4.56 rear axle, beefy suspension, and 33″ knobbly tires) this Colorado based SUV proved itself surprisingly capable off the beaten path. We felt far more confident churning through the muck with the H3 than with its all for show big brother the H2. On top of that the H3 received what we felt was the best interior appointments of the HUMMER franchise.

      In one of our more brilliant moves Exec Dye and I decided to venture out to the back 40 with the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox to see if we could get it stuck. Fortunately for us, the Equinox proved itself capable of exploring half-frozen half-muddy trails in Michigan’s snow covered Thumb. Though Dye may or may not have said a few choice words about my muddy trail across the office floor. I blame it on poor design!

      Now this is what we are talking about! A fully loaded Audi Q7 outfitted with none other than the V12 TDI motor from the R10 TDI LeMans racer. A detuned version of it that is, though 500-hp and 738 lb-ft of torque can hardly be considered detuned. This titan of the SUV race was on display at the 2007 NAIAS.

      Hidden beneath this engine cover is a 4.4L Supercharged Northstar V8 from the 2007 Cadillac STS-V. Yeah the cover isn’t impressive, but the 469-hp and 439 lb-ft of torque that twisted out of this motor sure was!

      In what is now ancient and obscure automotive history, in the late 1960s American Motors decided to shorten the chassis of its pony car offering, the Javelin, in order to create a hard-to-categorize two seat AMX.  A decade and a half later Honda seemed to have the same idea by abbreviating the chassis of the mundane Civic, creating a nimble and attractive two seater. Read more…

      This may look like a mere Mercury twin to the Ford Freestlye, but the Meta One concept shown here at the 2005 NAIAS was a techno tour de force. Really! Under the hood was a PZEV-capable diesel hybrid powertrain. It was also Ford’s first public test bed for their Lane Departure Warning and Collision Mitigation by Braking safety systems.

      Check out the lineup of DeLoreans we found at the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise! After careful inspection of each example Design Editor Gernand reported with much dismay that none of the DeLoreans present were powered by a Flux capactitor or a Mr. Fusion.

      When it comes to off-road vehicles the HUMMER H1 Alpha is the reigning king!

      The “best A4 yet” is how Executive Dye described this 2009 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro. And not only because the car was vastly improved for the 2009 model year, but because under the hood resides the ever fantastic 2.0L FSI Turbo 4-cylinder. We’ve sung this motors praises before but in A4 duty this motor cranks out 211-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. These are truly impressive figures for an engine displacing a volume equal to that of Design Editor Gernand’s midnight Mountain Dew!

      We managed to boost our host output by 50% for Episode 3 of the Automotive Trends Podcast (Impressive, we know!) as Design Editor Erich Gernand finally gets in on the action. This time we discuss everything from what the police are driving in Nebraska these days to what worries us about the future of Saab. There’s a lot to like here folks so click through to start downloading and let the next hour fly by.  Read more…