video

,

#6, The Weekly Driver Podcast (video): All-Electric Rivian examined

The all-electric Rivian concepts, the R1T pick-up and R1S SUV, have gained substantial attention since their debuts last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicles’ debut is scheduled for late 2020 through direct sales. Michael McHale, the company’s director of communications, is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with McHale the pending debut of the vehicles and how the innovated truck and SUV could change the automotive landscape. The company has been touted as a competitor to Tesla, a proposition it welcomes. Rivian was founded nearly 10 years ago by Mainstream Motors in Florida. Its name was changed to Avera and now Rivian. The SUV and

Read more

Review: Thinkware Dash Cam is vital car technology

It’s time to get a dash camera. Thinkware makes good ones. I had a chance to use a Thinkware Dash Camera in my vehicle and I loved it. I never thought I had a need for constantly recording the view out my vehicle’s windshield, but now I do. The vibration-free, high quality, recording of my travel is not only fun to view, but it could be vital to an insurance company or the law if my driving decisions were ever questioned. A Dash Cam is also of real value when sorting out the cause of traffic accidents. I used the Thinkware model F50. It’s a tiny camera (smaller than a GoPro) that stick-mounts to the windshield behind the rear-view mirror.

Read more

BMW drives itself better than some drivers drive BMW

BMW doesn’t have the first autonomous car prototype, but its modified 2014 M235i Coupe sure looks impressive. Several manufacturers have predicted the public will be driving driverless cars by 2020, and a few states have legalized the vehicles under certain conditions. In the meantime, BMW (and others) are showcasing their autonomous cars on tracks and doing so impressively. They corner well and pilot through cones at high speed. The BMW new ActiveAssist feature can bring a vehicle “back into line in demanding driving situations without any input from the driver”, using 360-degree radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors. The German manufacturer revealed a modified version of the M235i Coupe at the recent 2014 Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas. The car

Read more

2013 LA Auto Show: New cars, concepts, sexy women (video)

As it does every year, the 2013 LA Auto Show offers a sensory overload of new cars, wild concept cars and an impressive collection of pretty women, called product specialists, who work for the manufacturers to showcase the new vehicles. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru combined will present 22 global debuts of vehicles at the show, which continues through Dec. 1 at the LA Convention Center. 2014 Porsche Panamera at the LA Auto Show. Image by James Raia/2013 World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of

Read more
,

Seven ugliest car colors at the 2013 LA Auto Show

New cars are rarely identified as simply painted blue, green, white, black or gray. The color names are most often embellished with fancy-sounding word combinations. It’s no different at the 2013 LA Auto Show. I recently drove the 2014 Nissan Versa Note. It had several rich exterior color options,  including an inviting shade of blue. It was called Metallic Peacock. At the LA Auto Show there are plenty cars with exteriors that simply could be called red, white or blue. But manufacturers and going to extremes not only to come up with fancy names for the colors of their cars, they’re introducing more colors, some not very attractive. Of course, the beauty of cars, like many things, is in the

Read more

NEW CAR VIDEO REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L

A lot of cars, even from different manufacturers, look the same. But in recent years, Nissan, Kia, Scion and MINI have all strayed from the usual conformity of car styles. And now the 2014 Fiat 500L has joined the non-conformists. Nissan has the Cube. Kia has the Soul. Scion has the xB. And even MINI has strayed from tradition in recent years with the Countryman, its compact wagon. The 2014 Fiat 500L is not as outrageous, but it’s a five-door compact hatchback wagon with a lot of character, innovation and a unique design. The Fiat 500L is more than two feet longer than its more well-known sibling. It’s equipped with a 1.6-liter, 160-horsepower turbo-charged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic

Read more

The world goes to Nebraska car auction for 500 barn finds

The nearly 500 classic cars set for auction in September in Pierce, Nebraska, have achieved international acclaim from The New York Times to network television news. Some of the vehicles from the Lambrecht Chevrolet Company have been outside and left to the elements for 50 years. And there are some cars nearly new and stored indoors for a half-century and with odometers readings of less than five miles. The sale, scheduled Sept. 28-29 with a preview day Sept. 27, is ultimate description of barn finds, without the element of surprise. Everyone knows the cars are there and will be auctioned. But like any auctions, who knows how much 500 vintage cars, some untouched for 50 years, will fetch? The auction

Read more
,

2013 BMW 750Li: Superior luxury, hefty price (video)

The 2013 BMW 750Li, my weekly driver, showcased BMW’s power, as in a 4.4-liter, 32-valve V8 with 445 horsepower and five-second, 0-60 mph prowess. The 7-Series is the BMW flagship, of course and it deserves the status. It’s a beast of a seat, a 4,600-pound cruiser best suited for long, open-road hauls. But the long (201 inches) sedan is also a standard bearer of engineering, technology and for audio enthusiasts, an over-the-top whirlwind of sound. There’s a lot to lot about the new BMW. It short, it’s opulent. And it’s got a hefty price to go along with all of the fine mechanics and superior workmanship. Videographer Bruce Aldrich, editor/publisher of www.tahoetruckoutdoor.com, and The Weekly Driver, review the top-line BMW

Read more
,

Consumer beware: Car theft rampant, often from driver error

A motor vehicle theft occurs every 44 seconds in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the largest percentage of cars are stolen for a surprising reason — driver error. Between 40-50 percent of cars are stolen for the following reasons: keys left in the ignition in or on another location of a car; open or unlocked window; parking in a secluded area; valuables left in the car. July and August are the top-two months for vehicle thefts in the United States and only about 52 percent of all stolen cars are recovered. The top-10 cars stolen in the United States: 1. Dodge Charger 2. Pontiac G6 3. Chevrolet Impala 4. Chrysler 300 5. Infiniti

Read more

Acura RLX, 2014: Odd-looking luxury sedan elegant, plush, pricey (video)

What should a consumer expect from a car with a starting point of just under $50,000? That’s the beginning price of 2014 Acura RLX, the new medium-sized Acura luxury sedan. The Acura RLX replaces the RL as the carmaker’s top sedan, and it’s firmly positioned against a few heavy-hitters — the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Lexus GS 350. Like its rivals, the Acura RLX has a lot to offer with a variety of trims, powerful engines and enough plushness and superior touches to make it hard not to like. For starters, it has a 3.5.-liter V6 with 310 horsepower. There are faster sedans, but the new Acura has a steady powerful growl of authority while accelerating. It only

Read more

Honda Civic Si, 2013: Coupe or sedan, it’s a sports car (video)

With the 2013 Honda Civic Si, there’s no transmission choice. The coupe and sedan only have a six-speed manual transmission option, which is a good thing. It further complements the once basic, competent Civic in its transition into its current sports car-like coupe or sedan. My weekly driver was the 2-door, 4-seat coupe. In addition to 17-inch wheels, the re-tweaked Civic has a new front grille, a new rear design and a host of other more subtle upgrades, including better-constructed seats. The more handsome sculpted design is matched with a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder, 201 horsepower engine. Driving the 2013 Civic is surprising since its personality — handling to acceleration — is more like its upscale relative, Acura. Which makes a lot

Read more

Volkswagen Bug, 1965: A video review

Bill is the weekend butcher at Compton’s Market in East Sacramento. And just lik any passionate Volkswagen owner, he loves his 1965 VW Bug. He’s owned the car for 18 years and drives it to work 16-miles each way. Bill’s VW Bug has a long and varied history. The car’s been stolen and returned and it’s had a tree branch crush the hood. Bill parks the car in the front corner of the market, and it gets plenty of attention. Yet, the now 48-year-old Bug looks fine, so much so it’s won Best-in-Class three straight years at the Bug-o-Rama. While driving, Bill says he’s had people wave, take pictures and videos, and afford him extraordinary driving courtesy. And Bill has

Read more
,

Honda Accord, 2013: Family sedan turned luxury car

Now approaching middle age, the Honda Accord has been among the top-selling cars in the United States for nearly 25 years. The first generation was launched on May 7, 1976 as a three-door hatchback with 68 horsepower, a 93.7-inch wheelbase and weighing about 2,000 pounds. For 2013, after several manufacturers began to match the Accord’s quality and offer better warranties, Honda acquiesced and debuted a complete redesign. Among a vast array of other attributes, the Accord now has a 109.4-inch wheelbase and weighs 3,559 pounds. The Accord, available in more than a dozen configurations and as a coupe and sedan, has come a long way, including the V6 Touring edition, my weekly driver. It features a 24-value, 3.5-liter, V6 with

Read more
,

Mitsubishi Lancer 2013: tame to wild and unheralded

The Mitsubishi Lancer compact four-door sedan and hatchback come in models ranging from a tame 148-horsepower model to a crossfire-hurricane 291-horsepower version called the “Evolution,” which car buffs love. The often-overlooked Lancer was Mitsubishi’s second best-selling model in America in 2012, behind the Outlander Sport SUV. Most Americans don’t realize Mitsubishi is a huge conglomerate that sells vehicles throughout the world and that it’s an innovative outfit. Mitsubishi’s tough race/rally cars were among the world’s championship cars. Mitsubishi pulled out of world rally competition about seven years ago, although development continues for production classes that keep its race-bred Lancer Evolution model a feared performer. List prices for Lancer sedans and hatchbacks range from $15,995 to $34,695. Besides the top-line race-style

Read more

Audi A7, 2012: A Weekly Driver 2012 Top 10

Launched at the 2010 Paris Auto Show and then to the United States market in April 2011 at New York Auto Show, the 2012 Audi 7 marked the manufacturer’s return to the luxury hatchback segment. The three-door Audi 100 (1970) and the five-door Avant (1977) were Audi’s previous upscale hatchbacks — and a lot has changed in 37 years. A friend said the 2012 Audi 7 is at the forefront of a new car segment — or at least a new segment en vogue for the first time in 40 years. He called the new sedan a Luxury Utility Vehicle or a Sporty Utility Vehicle. After a week with the A7, I think my friend makes an astute point. With

Read more

Kia Rio, 2013: Solid driving fun, utility

The Kia Rio got sporty, nicely sculpted styling for 2012 and adds such automatic transmission shifter paddles for the top-line SX, a fuel-saving “idle stop-and-go” feature and extra storage space via a cargo floor tray for 2013. The 2013 Rio looks like it’s fun to drive, and the top-line SX model I tested is just that. While small on the outside, the Rio has a fairly long (for a subcompact) 101.2-inch inch wheelbase, with wheels pulled to the far corners of the body to provide a roomy interior—although a tall person behind a driver will find they don’t have a surplus of legroom. But the middle of the rear seat is soft enough to be comfortable, which often isn’t the

Read more
Next