Thursday December 24, 2009
I had a good feeling about the Ford Fusion Hybrid ever since I heard it was coming out. My good feeling dates back to a test drive of the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid I did for About.com's SUVs site. At the time, I was convinced that Ford (Mercury's parent company) had the best hybrid system on the market -- better, even, than the one in the Toyota Prius. So did the Fusion Hybrid meet my expectations? Find out in my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid test drive and review. -- Aaron Gold
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Photo © Aaron Gold
Tuesday December 22, 2009
As a devoted wagon fan, I've been quite eager to get my hands on Cadillac's new CTS Sport Wagon. I had high hopes but a pessimistic heart, and as I drove the CTS wagon, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Did it? Find out in my 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon test drive. Want photos? I have a couple dozen new ones in my 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon photo gallery. -- Aaron Gold
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Monday December 21, 2009
UPDATE: It ain't over yet. GM apparently received several inquiries about Saab over the weekend, and has apparently re-opened talks with Spyker. Watch this space for more news.
Previously reported: Potential deals to sell Saab to Swedish automaker Koenigsegg and Dutch automaker Spyker have fallen through, and General Motors has announced that Saab will go the way of Pontiac and Saturn -- the division will close. Parts will continue to be available and service will be provided through other General Motors dealerships.
This is really a shame -- after years of neglect, Saab looked like it might be starting to come into its own again. The latest version of the 9-3 -- I last tested one in 2007 -- was a wonderful car, and the new 9-5 looked promising. General Motors has sold some of the tooling and technology from the 9-3 and 9-5 to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. Ltd. (which, among other things, was an unsuccessful bidder for both Opel and Volvo) -- so who knows, we may not have seen the last of those cars.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to buy a Saab, there's still time -- according to an article in Automotive News (registration/subscription required), Saab opened December with an inventory of about 2,100 unsold cars -- a 4-month supply.
The closing of the Saab division strikes an especially sad note for many of us in the auto-writing biz. Earlier this month, Jan-Willem Vester, Saab's long-time North American PR chief, passed away at the young age of 51. Jan left Saab last April and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We deal with a lot of great PR people, but Jan was among the best of a really good bunch -- and he was a true Saab enthusiast dating back to his boyhood in the Netherlands. Jan always seemed to have time to talk, no matter how busy things were, and on more than one occasion I called to get a quick answer to an obscure question and wound up in a lengthy and enjoyable conversation about the Saab brand and where it was going. Jan is survived by his wife, three children, and hundreds of journalists who were lucky enough to work with him. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is truly saddened by his loss. -- Aaron Gold
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Thursday December 17, 2009
Infiniti, and their parent company Nissan, were conspicuously absent from last week's Los Angeles Auto Show. Rather than hold a press conference, Infiniti gathered a bunch of journalists at a hotel in Beverly Hills and gave us a chance to check out the upcoming 2011 M-series in person.
The M is Infiniti's flagship, and while the current version of the M is a wonderful car to drive, it's a bit of a wallflower from a styling perspective -- especially compared to the gorgeous G37 sedan. Well, all that's going to change when the 2011 model arrives. The M has been restyled with the same curvy, muscular theme that adorns the G, and it also gets two new engines: A 330 hp 3.7 liter V6 for the M37 and a 420 (!!) horsepower 5.6 liter V8 for the M56. (A hybrid version will follow in a year or so.) The new M's interior appointments and space are every bit as nice as the current M, though the trunk is cast in the same vein as the G's -- lumpy and oddly shaped.
Analysis: This is totally the right move for this car. As great as the current M is, it's just too dull looking. The new M fixes that problem nicely, and the new engines -- especially that 420 hp V8 -- are just icing on an already-delicious cake. Frankly, I don't see how Infiniti can go wrong with this car. That said, I didn't see how they could go wrong with the G37 convertible, and they did (although the drop-top G does show that even when Infiniti gets it wrong, they still get it right).
The new Infiniti M37 and M56 will go on sale in spring 2010. Take a closer look in my 2011 Infiniti M37/M56 photo gallery. -- Aaron Gold
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Photo © Aaron Gold
