Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake!

2015 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG, Photos courtesy of Daimler.

Mercedes is continuing to generate an insane amount of new models as it quests to take over the whole world. This time the company has developed a shooting brake version of the CLA-Class, which if you don't know is the new entry-level offering that's supposed to draw in Millennials who have a fat trust fund.

Follow These Tips to Avoid Getting Stranded This Winter

Image courtesy of GM

Have you ever had your car battery die? It's the pits, especially if you are somewhere remote, or at a parking lot late at night when pretty much everyone else has gone home. It pays to have a roadside assistance program that will come and give you a jump start, but even better is to take some preventative measures so that your battery lasts through the winter.

Configure Your Fantasy Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Now!

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Image courtesy of Chrysler.

If you've been fantasizing about the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, you can now delve deeper into the dream. The car brand's website has just launched the configurator, which means now employees can waste an entire afternoon making it look like they're doing something productive.

Chevrolet Looks to Make New Volt Easier to Charge

2016 Chevrolet Volt. Photos courtesy of GM.

Chevy's been pretty tight-lipped about the 2016 Volt, which launches a new generation of the controversial range-extended electric car. A few details have come out officially, and among what we know now is that there will be some interesting features that will making charging the car easier.

The GT350 is Back!

2016 Ford Shelby GT350. Photos courtesy of Ford.

The Shelby GT350 will return to the Mustang lineup in 2016, after a long hiatus. Most young people know about the earth-shattering GT500, but this muscle car is completely different. Instead of being designed to tear down drag strips, the GT350 is made for carving through tight turns.

BMW Drivers Are Jerks

BMW M 135i Concept. Photo courtesy of BMW.

What's the difference between a porcupine and a BMW? The pricks are inside the car.

There are plenty of stereotypes, even in the world of cars. One of the biggest is that BMW drivers are all jerks. There is even science to back up the claim, at least according to a couple of studies.

Jeeps are Gonna Roll! (with video)

Image courtesy of Chrysler

I laugh every time that I hear someone ask if Jeeps are good, stable vehicles.
These people obviously have never heard of the Jeep Death Wobble, or just taken a Wrangler fast around a corner. I remember the first off-road vehicle I owned required me to completely change how I drove, because it wasn't some tight-handling sedan from Europe.

Just to prove to everyone that Jeeps can and will roll, check out this rather entertaining YouTube video:

To be honest, these drivers could have avoided rolling their rig, but they lacked experience, got overconfident or something like that. There are plenty of quality training courses out there that will teach you how to tackle all sorts of terrain. I definitely prefer one that is taught by a competing vehicle manufacturer.

The truly scary thing is to see how much the roofs of these Jeeps crush when they roll. That is at least a visit to the chiropractor, if not the mortician. Also unbelievable is how dogs scamper out of a fair amount of these rolled Jeeps. Do the drivers also have their two year-old kid strapped in the backseat?

Why All the Hate for Fuel Cell Vehicles?

Honda FCV Concept. Photo courtesy of Honda.

There has been considerable push-back against fuel cell vehicles recently, leading some automakers that are pushing the technology to step up their efforts to educate the public about its benefits. One of the funniest things about the efforts being made against fuel cell vehicles is that they are coming from electric vehicle proponents.

Winter is Here: It's Time for Everyone to Drive Like Idiots Once More

Even behind the wheel of one of these you still need to drive carefully. Photo courtesy of Land Rover.

I've posted on here before about how you shouldn't be a winter driving idiot, because the message just doesn't seem to be getting through to drivers. Winter is upon us again, at least around here, and yet again I've seen a number of people driving exactly the opposite of how they should.

The Corvette is too Raucous for Korea!

2014 Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy of Chevrolet.

The automotive industry has very much become global, which means that all sorts of interesting interactions are taking place these days. I've had to learn all sorts of things about different parts of the world that were never covered in school just to keep abreast of what's going on in the industry and why they're happening. Just this week I learned that the Corvette Stingray is far too raucous for the likes of South Korea.

The Marvel That is the Electric Turbocharger

A Volvo experimental electric turbocharger. Photo courtesy of Volvo.

You're probably not aware of it right now, but electric turbochargers are quietly making ripples in the automotive industry.  In fact, the stage is set now for this new technology to start making big headway, dramatically altering how we get around.

Mercedes Changes Things Up

GLK-Class. Photo courtesy of Daimler.

If you have the growing array of Mercedes vehicles memorized, like the M-Class, GL-Class, C-Class, SLK-Class, etc. you are going to have to relearn everything. Mercedes is redoing how it assigns model names, similar to how Infiniti restructured its nomenclature not that long ago.

Gas is Getting Cheap, and That's Bad

Photo by Markus Spiske

Everyone's getting excited that gas prices are dropping, because everyone knows that's just a good thing, right? Well, sometimes the truth is counter-intuitive and it sounds like that's the case with gas prices right now.

Tesla Model X Delivery Postponed. Nobody is Shocked.

2015 Tesla Model X. Photos courtesy of Tesla Motors.

At this point, it's pretty much a given that the Tesla Model X will be delayed. The Model S was as well, leading critics a few years ago to call the luxury electric sedan "vaporware." So anyone who has plunked a deposit down on a Model X is going to have to wait even longer, again.

Use Your 4WD or Lose It

Photo courtesy of Toyota.

Winter is coming, and that means people who live in snow-prone areas like here turn their attention to the SUV or pickup truck they neglected during the warm summer months. I say neglected because not driving your four-wheel drive vehicle all summer is actually shortening the life of the driveline, which can in turn lead to some pretty expensive repairs.

Toyota Prius Hatred is Very Much Alive

2012 Prius. Photo courtesy of Toyota.

After all these years, people still really hate the Toyota Prius. The Chicago Tribune last week ran a piece about how hated the hybrid hatchback is, but you need a subscription to read it. I gleaned some of the info from Green Car Reports, which highlighted the fact that the Prius is usually associated with those who lean left on the political spectrum. The article also highlighted the "Prius repellent" known as rolling coal, which I have talked about on here.

Mechanic's Fees Aren't Always What You Think

Photo courtesy of GM

A few weeks ago I was reading somewhere about a person who was complaining that his mechanic was charging for five hours of work when the customer found out the repair only took two and a half hours to complete. I wish I could remember where it was, but I honestly don't.

What Weird Car Names Mean

2015 Toyota Camry XLE. Image courtesy of Toyota.

"What's in a name?" That famous question was posed by Juliet. While the young lover trivialized the meaning of names, the fact is that there is a lot in a name. Just think if someone you know were to have a child and name him Adolf Hitler (that's happened).

RIP: Tom Magliozzi

I hear about celebrities dying on a regular basis. It used to be that I had a vague idea of who some of them were, but I'm getting to that age where I have more of a connection to them. And then I opened Facebook today and was hit with some news that hit closer than pretty much any other celebrity death ever, at least for me.