Dream Cars

I'm dreaming about buying a new car, but can't justify it during this economic climate.

When most little boys are dreaming of sports cars, fire engines and police vehicles, I was imagining myself in a Jeep Wagoneer or a Volvo station wagon.  Don't ask why.  I'm not quite sure.  The best I can come up with is that I was always finding discarded furniture on the side of the road or on people's curbs next to their trash and would bring it home and try to restore it. Not always with great success, but I was thrilled with the find and the possibility.  I knew when I grew up I'd need a car that could accommodate all my tools and finds.  It had to be able to handle the adventure and the work load.  

I have a Volvo wagon (my second) but have never owned a Wagoneer.  I dream about owning one. I visit Wagoneer web sites that restore old ones and sell them.  I try to justify buying one and the very small, practical side of my brain always gives in and I stick with my Volvo. Don't get me wrong, I love my Volvo.  The way it hauls stuff & the look of it.  Also, the safety.  I drive a lot in L.A. and I feel a bit safer in my car.  

The Volvo feels just right, but the vintage Jeep Wagoneer makes me think that my life would be somewhat different.  Simple yet solid.  

The closest I even came to a Wagoneer "type" car was an old Ford Bronco II. Vintage Wagoneers were (and still are) pricey.  I was dirt poor and the Bronco cost me about $1,000. That was a huge fortune for me and I poured more money into that thing that it was worth. 

Just look at the Wagoneer.  Look at the way the lines of the vehicle just seem to be trying to move forward even while it's standing still.  Sure it looks like it could handle almost anything, but it doesn't seem like it's boasting about it.  You know?  It's just doing it's job is all.  

Once I get over the idea of spending money (still in tax mode and not going to happen anytime soon) I will probably settle on one of the Volvo vehicles below. Still good times and safe.

What's your dream car?

-angelo surmelis

photos: www.volvocars.com

Which is Truly the Best Hybrid Car Available Today?

Which is Truly the Best Hybrid Car Available Today?

Saving the environment through less gas emissions from cars have been becoming sort of a sacred statement today. More and more people are voicing out their concerns about saving the environment from deadly gas emissions from vehicles and yet are still buying cars. Well, the convenience a car gives is incomparable, but the damage it brings is astounding. That is why Hybrid Cars have become a viable solution in answering the call for convenient and easy modes of transportation and lessening or eradicating air pollution.

Lamborghini Estoque unveiled

After a lot of teasing from the Italian carmaker, today the official debut of the Lamborghini Estoque finally took place, at the Paris Motor Show. The four door coupe is actually a design study created by Lamborghini for the French show and, with four seats and luggage space shows their vision of the perfect “everyday sports car”. Like we said before, the name Estoque comes from the name of a sword used by matador in bull fights. Though I don’t really dig all this four door coupe thing, I must admit that Lamborghini did a great job with this one, because it looks amazing, with features like its styling inspired by the Murcielago LP-640 and the Reventon or the large 22 inch wheels.

The press release also mentions that Lamborghini hasn’t yet decided whether this concept will be the starting point of a third model in the company’s range. They’re probably waiting to see the feedback for this concept and, judging by what we’ve seen, we’ll probably see this on the streets some day.

Fourth Citroen GT Concept

While Lamborghini decides to keep a total mistery around their upcoming four door coupe, Citroen has decided to take another aproach. Their Citroen GT Concept is doing some sort of striptease, because, with every teaser photo released, the car get more and more unveiled. After we’ve seen three teasers so far, the fourth one shows us a little more than the last one, we get to see a partial view of the front part. Just as a reminder, all we know so far is that the vehicle is a full scale concept of the Citroen sports car features in the upcoming GranTurismo Prologue5 video game for Playstation 3, that will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Renault Ondelios Concept reveale

It’s no suprise that the French carmakers will do their best to have the most interesting stands at the upcoming Paris Motor Show and so far it seems that Renault has taking the lead. After announcing the new Renault Megane yesterday, today they’ve released details another premiere, the Renault Ondelios. Not the most beautiful concept we’ve seen, the Ondelios is Renault’s interpretation of a high-end crossover.

First thing that stands out is the aluminium-finish grille flanked by headlamp units with LED headlights, the butterfly-type side doors and the boomerang shaped tail lights. “Ondelios is inspired by motion rather than speed and is a whole new response to the call of the open road,” said Patrick Le Quément, Renault’s Design Director.

Meant to be a luxury car, the Ondelios offers all the passengers their own Samsung interactive portable multimedia devices which they can use for sharing data or multiplayer gaming, speakers incorporated into the headrests and a multizone HVAC system enables each passenger to set the temperature to his or her own liking. The dashboard also offers a whole bunch of features, like active display skins showing driver aid and ride information, monitor at the base of the windscreen displays the different menus and pictures from the door mirror cameras, three large strip displays provide driving-related information, revs and how the hybridized drivetrain is operating and a digital speedometer.

The Renault Ondelios is built on a hybrid powertrain, which combines a 205hp (150kW) 2.0 dCi engine, with two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear, mated to a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox. They operate in mild hybrid mode, giving the engine extra boost as required and use a brake and boost system, recovering energy during braking then delivering it to the engine to boost acceleration. The Ondelios goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.8 seconds, while keeping fuel consumption at 4.5 litres/100km (52.2 US mpg) and CO2 emissions at 120g/km. Read more about the car on the official press release.

Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept

At next month’s Paris Motor Show, GM’s Swedish arm will present the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept. The design study is meant to give us a preview of how a possible Saab hybrid cabrio might look like. The most interesting part of the concept is its Canopy Top and the wraparound glasshouse that includes the rear screen. The four passenger cabrio is shares its powertrain with the 9-X BioHybrid, being powered by a 1.4-liter Saab BioPower engine that combines engine rightsizing with turbocharging, the use of E85 bioethanol fuel and hybrid technology.

Source: GM

Concept Fascination from Mercedes-Benz

Change is the most describing word for the current and future design line for Mercedes-Benz, after the brave change for the C-Class, the next one set for a new appearance is bigger brother, the E-Class. Already a lot of spyshots and other materials have surfaced, betraying the bold new line the designers have took, but this new concept is rumoured to represent a lot of ideas that will be implemented for the next generation E-Class, in both sedan and the highly anticipated coupe version.

It sure is a nice design, both futuristic and agressive, but you can clearly distinguish an elegance emanating from the bold lines and angles of the car. The exterior is highly personalized by the 2-piece headlights and the extended rear tail lights that give it a certain unique look. On the inside, Mercedes say that a V-shape of the outside is continued on the interior, with a dashboard displaying five tubes and silver dials, and the cabin can hold 4 passengers and their luggage quite easily.

In terms of power, the concept is set to be graced with the presence of new generation fuel-efficient engines, like the BluEfficiency one that will appear on the C250 CDI model, presented earlier today. We will all see the concept live next month at the Paris Motor Show. More photos after the jump.