As previously reported, Suzuki has decided to include navigation on its SX4 Sport and Crossover before you make the first mark on the options list. That will make the $15,999 car the lowest priced car in America to come standard with talking maps. And now they're set to arrive in the SX4 Special Editions that arrive in Suzuki showrooms this month.
To recap, the nav system is called TRIP -- Travel, Real-time traffic, Information, and Play -- and incorporates several Microsoft features. Drivers can get traffic info, weather reports, headline news, stock quotes, movie listings, the lowest priced gas in the area, and directions to 500 nationwide Suzuki dealerships. If buyers go for the expansion module, they'll also get Fodor guide reviews of eateries and nightlife spots. It sounds like an awful lot to do in such a little car, but that's the march of progress.
One of the more useful bits of technology we encountered at the Chrysler What's New for 2009 event last week was "Rear Cross Path Detection," a byproduct of the new blind spot monitoring system on 2009 minivans that employs two radar sensors mounted on the corners of the rear bumper. Blind spot monitoring has become increasingly common on luxury vehicles in recent years, but Chrysler is claiming that the 2009 Caravan and Town & Country are the first minivans to be equipped with the technology.
If you've found yourself in a parking space flanked by two mondo SUVs, you've found it difficult, if not damn near impossible, to back out safely, and all too often drivers trolling parking lots are too busy looking for an empty slot to pay attention to cars backing out. When in reverse, the cross path detection uses the radar sensors to look to the sides for oncoming vehicles. If someone is in your path of travel the system audibly warns you of impending disaster. Check out the videos after the jump to see how both systems work.
Mercedes -- like a lot of other folks -- believes oil is going to run out eventually. But instead of waiting until the "Low on Oil" light comes on, the brand behind the three-pointed-star has set a goal to convert its entire fleet to run on alternative fuels by 2015. That's seven years to get off the drink we've all been addicted to for well over a century.
In the pipeline first are fuel-efficient technologies such as Stop/Start on the marque's next A- and B-Class models sold in Europe. Then come the BlueEfficiency vehicles with Mercedes' supremely parsimonious diesel engines, and eventually the Diesotto first shown in the F700.
And then come the real showstoppers: ethanol, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. There are electric smarts running trials in London right now, and the F600 Hygenius is expected to eventually spawn some sort of production variant. On the face of it, seven years to go diesel- and gas-optional for an entire fleet is somewhat hard to fathom -- but the prediction is coming from a company not previously known for wild daring. Even if they just get close to success, in only seven years, they might prove a nearby rival wrong about what's doable under the new CAFE laws.
Click above to view high-res gallery of the ROUSH trainer
We wind up behind horse's asses every day on the interstate, but ROUSH has developed a vehicle with a rear-mounted cabin for the express purpose of towing a crew of three around while staring at the business end of an actual Equus caballus. ROUSH Technologies is more than just mechanical Mustangs, and the company has proved it by developing an equine training vehicle for Kurt Systems, a Turkish racehorse and camel training equipment company. The vehicle has an open front stall where the animal can run, and a rear mounted cabin that allows a driver, a veterinarian and a trainer to keep a keen eye on vital signs. The suspension is partially F-150 based, while power is provided by Volvo's 2.4-liter five-cylinder engine hooked up to an automatic transmission and driving through some reduction hardware. The vehicle will start serial production soon; in an odd sort of irony, ROUSH is even further tied to fast horses now. Press release after the jump.
This is the kind of photo Rich Truesdell will teach you to create
We've actually talked about doing this ourselves before, at least internally here at AB HQ. Giving some practical pointers on basic photography theory for new bloggers trying out their DSLR skills for the first time. Basic stuff like composition and lighting, focal lengths and depth of field. Well, our pal Rich Truesdell beat us to the punch, and did a much better job than we probably could have done in the process. Check out the series of articles he wrote to learn the basics and a whole lot more. While not everyone wants to be the next Ansel Adams, these tips can help you capture the best angle of your ride for that craigslist or eBay ad, or to show it off on your forum of choice. The article even gets into tips on catching the eyes of editors if you want to get your shots published. Really good information for anyone with a camera really. Click over and read the whole thing for yourself.
They're not very glamorous, but tires make or break our driving enjoyment. Ford wants to soothe drivers of its new Family Truckster Flex, so Goodyear's Assurance ComforTred tires have been specified as the original fitment for the big crossover. The Assurance ComforTred uses a special cushion layer to smooth out road imperfections, the last thing anyone wants with a Flex loaded for bear with the kids, the dog, and a fully stocked refrigerator. The Flex is obviously designed to devour large stretches of interstate without a whimper, and Goodyear seems to think their ComforTred tires share the same appetite for asphalt, backing them with an 80,000 mile warranty and calling the Assurance Goodyear's very best tires. To make the Flex a success, the entire program needs to encompass multiple "very bests;" here's hoping. Press release after the jump
If you're on Ferrari's mailing list for the new California, you might have seen a new email in your inbox today with a link to another chapter (literally) opening up on the vehicle's dedicated website. Today's installment leads to a video of the California's trick folding hard-top – another first for Ferrari (if you don't count the innovative one-piece mechanism designed by Fioravanti for the limited-production 575-based Superamerica). Thanks to a mechanism that moves multiple segments in unison, the hard-top can be deployed or retracted in only 15 seconds – faster than the soft-top on any convertible ever to roar out of the gates at Maranello.
Click above to view the Lamborghini Reventon in high res
Automotive news moves fast. Sometimes faster than a Lamborghini supercar, even. Take the Reventon, which by now seems like yesterday's news. But after being revealed back in October 2007, Lamborghini has yet to begin delivering the $1.5 million supercars to their 20 eagerly-awaiting buyers. We would hardly have noticed, waiting for news of one rapped around a pole somewhere, until Lamborghini started announcing the selection of component suppliers for the Reventon.
The latest: coating specialist Zirotec, which will be supplying its Diamond Black coating to the exhaust system on the Reventon. The material was developed for nuclear reactors, and uses zirconia-based ceramics to insulate extreme heat. The coating is plasma-sprayed to the exhaust tubing in order to protect the composite bodywork, and gives the tailpipes a unique black finish. The material is also used in racing cars and on the Koenigsegg CCX. Check the press release after the jump.
While many carmakers have worked seemless iPod integration into their vehicles – a surprising make-it-or-break-it factor for many buyers – Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will offer iPhone integration in its automobiles.
The feature will include a docking cradle in the center armrest between the driver and front passenger seats, with the device's phone and audio functions navigable via controls on the steering wheel. The kit will be offered starting in August, can be retrofitted to previous model-year vehicles and will be offered on new vehicles as an option. Although US pricing has yet to be announced, the feature costs the equivalent of $389 in Europe.
If you're a child of the 80's, you may very well have gone ballistic when news of Mio's Knight Rider GPS hit cyberspace. The sat-nav unit is not only styled like the original Knight Industries Two Thousand, but even has blinking red lights along the flanks (just like KITT's voice modulator) and features voice directions recorded by the man himself, William Daniels. (What do you mean, who is William Daniels?! He was the original voice of KITT!) You can have it call you Michael and feel like The Hoff himself, or select from a long list of pre-recorded name to have KITT speak to you when that gets old.
The boys over at Knight Rider Online got a hold of a preview unit and did a short video review, which you can check out after the jump. Thanks for the tip, joe!
GM shrinks Volt's gas tank, range drops from 600 to 360 miles
MINI dealers to sell Alfa Romeos in the U.S.
Honda to reveal OSM open-top concept in London
With crisis looming, GM may unveil Volt for 100th anniversary
Next BMW M5 will nix V10 in favor of twin-turbo V8
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Lincoln MKS
Track Test: 2008 Roush 427R Trak Pak Mustang
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Porsche Cayman S
First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable Hard Top
