Daimler AG’s tiny Smart Fortwo got decent–but unspectacular–scores in the U.S. government’s crash test program.

In the five-star rating system, the 2008 Smart sedan got four stars for protecting the driver in a frontal impact. It got three stars for the passenger in frontal impact and three stars for resisting a rollover.

In the side-impact test, the car’s door came unlatched–causing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to footnote the score with a “safety concern.” But the door problem did not subtract from the car’s five-star rating for side impact.

Results were made public on Thursday, April 3.

continue reading "Smart gets so-so U.S. safety ratings:"

A large hole left in our long-term fleet by the departure of the Chevrolet Suburban was plugged quite nicely, thank you, with the arrival of a dark-cherry Acura MDX late last fall (”Crossover Perfection,” AW, Jan. 14). The MDX got here just in time to handle a variety of hauling duties ideally suited for a midsize sport/ute.

We took teenagers and their luggage to the airport, half a softball team and their gear to a tournament and some furniture to a college dorm room. The MDX was also the centerpiece for a college football tailgate party. The third row of seats and the 60/40 split second row allow for plenty of options when carrying people and/or stuff.

continue reading "LONG-TERMERS: 2008 Acura MDX: Mega hauler: For moving people and stuff, Acura MDX is top choice"

A large hole left in our long-term fleet by the departure of the Chevrolet Suburban was plugged quite nicely, thank you, with the arrival of a dark-cherry Acura MDX late last fall (”Crossover Perfection,” AW, Jan. 14). The MDX got here just in time to handle a variety of hauling duties ideally suited for a midsize sport/ute.

We took teenagers and their luggage to the airport, half a softball team and their gear to a tournament and some furniture to a college dorm room. The MDX was also the centerpiece for a college football tailgate party. The third row of seats and the 60/40 split second row allow for plenty of options when carrying people and/or stuff.

continue reading "REVS: The pen is mightier than the V12: 2008 guide to auto-inspired fine writing instruments"

March U.S. auto sales plummeted by 12.0 percent to 1.36 million vehicles. And the first quarter results weren’t much better. Sales declined 8.0 percent for the quarter to 3.58 million vehicles.

Few automakers were spared from the bloodshed, even Toyota. Credit crunches, mortgage messes and rising fuel prices all combined to bring down sales and lower consumer confidence. The only hints of optimism during the month arose from smaller fuel-efficient vehicles.

In March, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. suffered its fourth straight month of lower sales, something that hasn’t happened in recent memory.

continue reading "Auto sales plummet by 12% :"

Mini wants to take its customers into off-road territory with the upcoming Crossman–seen here in prototype form. The Crossman, which has the familiar Mini silhouette, will be fitted with all-wheel drive and have higher ride height–the better to tackle unpaved roads.

When it goes on sale in 2010 as a 2011 model, the Crossman will be the first Mini assembled outside the U.K. Austrian contract manufacturer Magna Steyr will build the Crossman at its comp

The Crossman will be the first Mini to be assembled outside the U.K. Austrian manufacturer Magna Steyr will build the car for Mini.

continue reading "Early look at Mini Crossman:"

Indy Racing League boss Tony George hoped that the first unified IndyCar Series race in more than 12 years would be “memorable and historic” and, of course, safe. In the end, the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway was all of those things and maybe more.

The Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 wasn’t exactly symphonic as the disjointed field strung out like a multiclass sports-car race, but most longtime series followers would agree that it was better than either pivotal race the IRL or the Champ Car World Series staged back in 1996 when they became rivals.

That year, the IRL went to Orlando, Florida, in January with a ragtag bunch of misfits and castoffs. Every car seemed to be red, white or black, and almost none carried significant sponsor decals. Team owner John Menard took a gamble on a USAC champion named Tony Stewart, who nearly got knocked out by the safety truck. (Imagine where Stewart might be had contact occurred.)

continue reading "Scott Dixon wins the new-look IndyCar Series opener:"

Antron Brown became the first driver in NHRA history to win races in both Pro Stock Motorcycle and Top Fuel when he collected the Top Fuel trophy at Houston Raceway Park. Brown made the rare crossover from bikes to dragsters this past off-season and needed just four events to push his overall NHRA wins total to 17. He also became only the second black driver to win in Top Fuel, joining J.R. Todd.

In a very tight final, Brown, 34, trailed two-time champion Larry Dixon all the way down the dragstrip before passing him just a few feet from the finish line to win by just 0.0004 second, 4.605 seconds at 320.28 mph to Dixon’s 4.621 seconds at 309.06 mph.

continue reading "NHRA: Antron Brown makes history in Texas:"

Turbocharging is nothing special for Saab, which has indulged in the dark art of boosting power via turbo since 1977. Painting cars black also isn’t unusual for the Swedish automaker. The brand’s most recognized model from the past, the 900 Turbo, often was ordered in jet black.

Even sending power to all four wheels isn’t anything new for Saab. The company offered the Subaru WRX-based Saab 9-2X a few years back and still sells an occasional 9-7X, which shares its underpinnings with General Motors’ midsize sport/utilities such as the Chevrolet TrailBlazer.

With that history, it would be easy to dismiss the all-new 2008 Saab Turbo X as no big deal, just a turbocharged, Darth Vader black, all-wheel-drive 9-3 sedan. But it’s the unique combination of these traits, in an exclusive model that hits all the right luxury, performance and styling cues, that makes the Turbo X something more.

continue reading "2008 SAAB TURBO X: Black magic: Saab taps turbo heritage, Darth Vader and Swedish awd experts to create commemorative 2008 Turbo X"

OUR TAKE: In the extremely competitive compact-crossover/SUV market, it often comes down to the Honda CR-V versus the Toyota RAV4 in buyers’ minds, though the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Saturn Vue have become formidable entries lately.

It was refreshing to get into a base-model RAV4 with nonheated cloth seats and steel wheels with hubcaps, if for no other reason than that we liked finding how nice a small sport/utility it is without all the distractions of the high-zoot options.

The four-cylinder accelerates the vehicle along decently, but you will have to summon all 166 hp with a demanding mash of the throttle to blend in with expressway traffic. The ride is also confident and feels good either cruising at 70 mph or traveling on pothole-riddled city streets. Things get a bit twitchy only at more than 80 mph, but that’s true with much of the breed. Steering response is okay; a little more weight in the steering would be appreciated.

continue reading "2008 Toyota RAV4 4×4:"

This could be the most significant MG TD in the country. Its original owner, John von Neumann, is credited with having helped launch organized sports-car racing on the West Coast in the late 1950s, which eventually gave way to professional road racing as we now know it.

Today, Don Martine is the caretaker of this incredible machine–a time capsule he races today in the spirit of von Neumann a half-century ago.

Martine and the 1950 MG attained celebrity status in October 2007, when the MG Vintage Racers organization held its annual Focus Event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Each year, the event gathers vintage-MG racers from across the country to race together at different tracks around the nation.

continue reading "ESCAPE ROADS: 1950 MG TD: Von Neumann’s TD still sets records"