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2013 Lexus ES 350: New bold image for upscale sedan

Now in its sixth generation, the redesigned 2013 Lexus ES breaks away from its 20-plus-year tradition of being a nice upscale Toyota Camry. The new front-wheel-drive ES has a nearly two-inch longer 111-inch wheelbase shared with the all-new top-line Toyota Avalon and is an inch longer overall. It has the signature Lexus spindle grille and looks more like the higher-line Lexus GS than the Camry. Its bolder appearance features such items as larger headlights and LED daytime running lights. Taillights look as if from the GS and sit above nifty dual chrome-finished exhaust tips. The low front end can result in curb damage, but helps allow smoother air flow under the car for better aerodynamics. The ES 350’s engine and

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1970 Chevy Chevelle SS shares Hollywood spotlight with Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher

Iconic cars have long played central roles in movies. Add the 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS to the list in the just released movie Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise. Cruise plays the former cop turned turned vigilante. He a crime-fighter who messes with people after arriving and then departing confrontations in the ’70 Chevelle SS. There are many action scenes and the car eventually gets thrashed. But the official trailer offers a solid glimpse what happens throughout with the now 43-year-old car throughout the film shot entirely in Pittsburgh, Pa. Will the car scenes joins other iconic cars in movies like the French Connection, Bullitt or the legacy of the James Bond films? Or will the Chevelle role attain the status

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Bugatti Veyron Super Sport takes Jay Leno for a ride

Jay Leno has favorite cars for favorite occasions, but nothing in the comedian’s famous garage full of cars got as much attention than the recent arrival of two new Bugatti Veyrons. The combined price of the two models is more than $5 million. Leno begins his discussion of the two cars, saying: “Like a lot of people, we’re huge Bugatti enthusiasts.” But looking a two Veyrons is one thing and driving a new Veyron Super Sport is another thing. After discussing the merits — carbon construction to massive horsepower — with John Hill, Bugatti’s North and South American marketing director, Leno takes the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport on a test drive. It’s all in the video below. While statistics can

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Volvo truck debuts with Faith Dickey's daredevil wired walk of faith

Volvo is no different than other carmakers with clever marketing. By the time new Volvo FH truck was launched Sept. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden, it had already received vast considerable attention via a YouTube video called Ballerina Stunt. In the 3 1/2-minute footage high-liner world record holder Faith Dickey walks on a wire strung between two new FH trucks driving at 50 mph as it approaches a tunnel. The stunt was set up to show the precise handling of the new Volvo FH. It was filmed on an unopened highway in Croatia in cooperation with Hollywood stunt director Peter Pedrero (James Bond, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean.) The video, which has 5  1/2-million views, was directed by Academy Award

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Concours on the Avenue, Carmel, 2012: Jaguar to Muscle Cars, Maserati to Mercedes-Benz

Concours on the Avenue is an ideal way to begin Monterey Auto Week. It’s low-key with a great mix of automobiles parked on Ocean Ave., and adjoining side streets for a one-day, judged show. The beauty of the show, this year, held Aug. 14, is the combination of the cars and their  engaging owners eager to discuss their vehicles w — Bugatti to Buick, Ferrari to Ford Pinto — with the public. And it’s hard to go wrong with a car show stationed in Carmel. The weather was in the mid-60s and the sunshine, as per Monterey Peninsula tradition and right on time, arrived in late morning. Bruce Aldrich publisher of I’mTahoeLive,com, filmed and edited the video below. James Raia,

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MINI Cooper takes on human flight launch in outrageous commercial

MINI takes chances with its videos, which means the iconic brand and its BMW ownership are successful whether the commercials are raging hits or fall flat. But to attempt human flight with John Cooper Works Countryman edition? That takes the carmaker's efforts to an entirely new horizon on the desert? Is the whole thing rigged? Is it real? And could the flying man in the wing suit possibly land on the car? It's up to the viewer's imagination, right? And isn't that one more reason why MINI commercials work so well? James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding

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Snow, car crashes and drivers' stupidity plentiful in Bountiful, Utah (video)

The dangers of driving in the snow aren't always readily apart. And even when what appears to be a rather tame slightly declining road in Bountiful, Utah, becomes increasingly dangerous, drivers and pedestrians just don't seem to get it. And so it was. Driving in the snow is downright nasty In this five-minute video, filmed by Rhee Braby, the driving nightmare begins slowly with a few cars hitting curbs. Then there are about a half-dozen accidents, cars skidding into yards and any number of vehicles careening out of control. But does everyone heed the warnings of citizens and policemen trying to help? No. The result: In a few minutes, a not-so-serious-looking Utah snow on Jan. 21 storm turns ugly. And

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Acura TSX, 2012: slick, quick worthy foe for BMW, Audi

The 2012 Acura TSX is a difficult car to categorize. It's often cited as an entry level luxury sedan. But with its new option, a peppy six-speed manual transmission, and a Special Edition package, it's also a sports car. Luxury sedan and sports car? That's an oxymoron in the automotive industry. But with Special Edition package, even if only offered on the four-cylinder Acura TSX, it's also an ideal description. The base TSX sedan and TSX Sport Wagon feature a long list of standard features: Automatic xenon headlights, 17-inch alloy wheel, foglights, heated outside mirrors, a sunroof, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering column, an eight-way power driver seat with memory, a four-way power passenger seat, leather

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New green, lots of green, Porsche hybrid will debut in 2013

Porsche has announced its 918 Spyder hybrid sports car, the carmaker’s most expensive model ever, will be priced at $845,000 in North America and will be available to buyers in November 2013. The vehicle, which will be priced at $1.09 million in Europe, will have appropriate production number, 918. The two-seat Porsche plug-in hybrid will accelerate to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds. It features a 500-horsepower V8 engine and 218-horsepower electric drive system. The car’s lithium-ion battery can be recharged in three hours. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday

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Toyota shines in Consumer Reports' 2011 Top Picks list

The Ford Mustang (Sporty Cars) and Kia Sorento (Family SUV) are among six new models named to the Consumer Reports annual Top Picks car list for 2011. The diverse selections include eight brands from six manufactures, with Toyota models claiming three categories. The redesigned Hyundai Elantra, which now comes standard with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), also tops the list in the Small Car category. The previous Hyundai Elantra SE was Top Pick for Small Sedan for the past three years. The Honda Fit, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Sienna and Chevrolet Avalanche are new additions to the list. The Infiniti G37, Toyota Prius and Nissan Altima are returning selections from the 2010 list. Consumer Reports’ Top Picks are the best all-around models

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Rolls-Royce unveils electric, nomadic 102 EX Phantom

Rolls Royce is calling it the first electric luxury car, but so far it’s only a “traveling global experiment.” At least that’s how the carmaker is describing the 102 EX Phantom concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös discusses the 102 EX Phantom at the show in the video below. As Müller-Ötvös describes, the car will be showcased on a year-long world tour to “car owners, prospects, enthusiasts and members of the media.” The goal, said Müller-Ötvös, is to determine if the electric Phantom “provides all the qualities expected of a Rolls-Royce, without compromise.” The new Rolls Royce has 125-mile and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph is less than eight seconds. James RaiaA sports,

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Geneva Motor Show: Jaguar debuts hybrid concept B99

The Jaguar B 99, a new concept car from Bertone, one of the world’s oldest design brands, will have its world premiere March 3-13 at the Geneva Motor Show. The B 99 projects Jaguar‘s classic style into the future with refined Bertone (now 99 years old) elegance with its sleek lines and smooth volumes. The result is a compact, four-door sedan that fits perfectly into the D segment. Starting with a classic three-volume architecture, Bertone designers have shaped a taut, muscular body with strong character, entirely constructed with handmade aluminum panels in true Italian “coachbuilder” tradition. The unique personality of the luxury sports sedan is emphasized by the sophisticated minimalism outside and in, with the exclusive use of prestigious materials

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Honda, Subaru, Toyota shine in Consumer Reports' study

Honda, a perennial top pick, Subaru, the all-wheel driver pioneer, and embattled Toyota claimed the top-three spots in the annual survey by Consumer Reports to determine the manufacturers with the overall best cars. Honda, whose Fit earned high marks with the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Avalanche, led the Japanese company’s consistent ratings throughout its line en route to the industry’s highest total in the magazine’s detail assessment. Ford posted the largest quality gains among the major automakers with improved road tests and reliability scores. Honda Motor Co., including its Acura division, had the highest overall score, 74, and the best reliability record of any manufacturer, the magazine said. Subaru finished second with 73 points, while Toyota was third with 71

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Mercedes-Benz, Liam Neeson battle black SUV in Unknown

Epic cars scenes in movies range from Gene Hackman in the French Connection to Steve McQueen in Bullitt and the classic Mini Cooper scene in the Italian Job to high energy catapult across the country by Barry Newman in his 1970 Dodge Challenger in Vanishing Point. Selecting best car scenes in movies is subjective. But Liam Neeson’s car chase scene in Unknown, the current No. 1 movie in the United States, is memorable. It fits in well with the flow of film and while not in the caliber of some of the best cars scenes of all-time, it’s edge-of-your-seat footage. In the scene, Neeson is the driver of a Mercedes-Benz sedan tax. With passenger Diane Kruger, the twosome, like in

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Oscars: Honda, Ford, Toyota teased in Hyundai Elantra ad

Among the nine commercial slots Hyundai has purchased for the Academy Awards, seven will be broadcast during the Oscars telecast, four with the voice over of Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. Three of the ads “Drawing Board,” “Childhood,” and “Deprogramming” all showcase the Hyundai Elantra. The commercial “Drawing Board,” is a straight-forward, none hi-tech 30 seconds during which Hyundai quotes car reviews in various praises of the 40 mpg 2011 Elantra. Toyota, Honda and Ford all take understated, perfectly timed criticism, while one car site is quoted as saying the Elantra has hit a home run in the compact car segment. The commercial ends with Bateman posing the question: “Anybody got a drawing board?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glAJWPE0xQg James RaiaA sports, travel and

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Academy Awards: Hyundai offers free iPad with Equus

Hyundai is arguably the current most talked about manufacturer in the auto industry, and now there’s another reason. The South Korean carmaker promoted during the Academy Awards commercials its unique top-of-the-line Equus feature — a free 16GB WiFi Apple iPad. Hyundai, the exclusive auto advertiser during the Oscars telecast, says in promotional copy for the new offer: “There’s nothing worse than buying a new luxury car only to sit down and have to learn about it through a boring owner’s manual.” “Thankfully, every Equus comes with a 16GB WiFi Apple iPad, and instead of the boring owner’s manual, the Equus Owner’s Experience app teaches you everything you need to know through demonstration videos, interactive product and safety demonstrations via a

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