Yes, I'm seeing way too many Honda/Toyota cues. Aside from the body-length chrome belt-slash there's not much interesting to see, design-wise.

Agreed, but have you seen the QX99 or whatever the giganticist SUV in the Infiniti range is called? Sweet lord. And this is also better looking than the limp-wristed chrome wagon JX35. I'll take Lexus' techno-anger over the Infiniti chrome bacchanal any day.

I'm still not seeing it. The Nissan 3.7 that makes 350hp is the NISMO version, which is tuned to produce 18 more hp than the conventional 370Z V6 (still at 332). The torque curve changes with that tune (which includes an exclusive variable valve timing setup) and still only barely nudges the Pentastar on torque, and…

What's funny is that they left Stone off the list. It's clearly labelled on a tap and my go-to ahead of any of these other beers (depending on the Lagunitas offering).

You are both right. The whole point was to increase the efficiency of the engine: more power at a given weight, less fuel consumption at a given displacement. Daimler invented a supercharger; Buchi invented a turbocharger. And the French were probably the first to use the turbocharger in practical applications.

Nissan has an extra 30 or so hp, if that, but also has more displacement. Peak torque arrives at a higher rpm, I believe. Hyundai has an extra .2L of displacement, along with extra weight. GM's LFX may have an extra 25 hp at the same displacement, depending on application, but it's also got more technology (DI,…

I've seen two. One being driven in Jersey just the launch that was (I'm convinced) the same red car featured in a C&D article. The other was always parked at a crappy student rental at the Univ. of Michigan.

In NYC I saw one of these (R63) in...beige. Like the champagne tan color used on so many E320s. Total sleeper if not for the super low-profile tires. And the noise.

Not a third row, it's much too short for that. But it did have two fold-down jump seats for a total of 7 (uncomfortable) seats. Between the tall roof and sliding doors, it's got more "MPV-ness" than a lot of modern cars in Europe that are commonly called MPVs. The Kangoo, for example, is tiny, but is considered an MPV.

Chevy was very late to this game, and probably started only when the Chrysler van began setting sales records in 1984. Chrysler had been near death and this sort of "hit" was not expected. What's funny is that Chrysler was also responsible, in some sense, for the Espace. It began as a Rootes project with the help…

I think the Rendezvous was almost as heinous. The problem was proportion. Both vehicles were, I believe, based on GM's minivan architecture. I didn't really matter what brand carried the vehicle, it was going to look frumpy and drive, well, like a minivan.

Based on the photos at Old Motor, as well as Duncan's comments at that page, the S76 has 3 valves/cylinder. One giant intake valve per, and two exhaust valves.

Sorry, the Stabilitrak (or Smart Trak, or whatever GM was calling it for this gen) was full-time. A viscous type transfer box. The earlier version were slow to respond but later versions are pretty good.

Incorrect. The 4.2i and 5.3i versions of the 9-7x have the same Stabilitrak system as the other GMT360 models and about the same off-roading capability (they weren't lowered as far as I know). Which is to say "light" because it's only a part-time system. The Aero model (along with the TBSS) is more capable thanks to a…

A good indication of the direct link between the Offenhauser designs and the Pug was the unit construction. This approach allows very high (15:1) compression ratios with good reliability. It's also probably why, when the turbos arrived, they were able to run 44 psi of boost.

$32K is only a guesstimate, considering a base FWD 2.0 Tiguan starts around $22K/$23K. $32K theoretically will buy one a CLA250 4Matic as well. And a top-of-the-line GTI. The 4Motion/Haldex is a very good system. I've sampled it on an XWD Saab here in the States (that car had an additional, unique eLSD setup). It's a…

This seems like the best choice. The CVT in the newest Subarus isn't bad at all, and frankly the old 5-speed manual wasn't anything special (and I generally prefer manual shift cars). None of the other options come close in gas mileage, and except for the Mitsubishi Lancer they all have inferior reaction-oriented AWD…

That's about what they can be bought for in the U.S. with that year/mileage/spec but I would strongly recommend spending up to $20K to get a newer or lower mileage car under warranty. My main beef with the Tiguan is the fact it is far less spacious/practical than, say, a Forester, the gas mileage isn't any better than…

I should have specified... in the U.S. it's not paying any bills. The margin is probably $300 per unit. Obviously, that margin grows a lot in many countries where the Demio is a top seller. It could never be a big seller in the U.S. because it's not engineered for this market.

Great beer, although it's definitely a different animal and belongs with the recent crop of spiced stouts. Stone makes a Coffee Milk Stout that's probably a better analog, and this Gansett stands up to that one nicely.