Crowley Auto Transport Blog

Filed under: Aftermarket, Podcasts, Etc., BMW, Chevrolet, GM, Honda, Lexus, Mazda

Chris, Sam, Alex and Dan convene for Episode #193 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the Ford Boss Mustang and Roush supercharger package, the latest Chevrolet Volt fuel economy dust-up, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, Mazda’s apparent new design language and the Lotus Evora S and Evora IPS. We finish it off by talking about snow tires, that most summery of topics. It’s an a quick 51 minutes, See you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #193 – Hot Mustangs, Volt Mileage, 1 Series M, Mazda design and Lotus Evoras

In the Autoblog Garage:

Honda CRZ
Lexus RX450h

News:

• BMW 1 Series M Coupe
• Volt sub-30 mpg claim
  
• Mazda Shinari concept
  
• Roush Mustang supercharger
  
• Lotus Evora S and IPS
  

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk, Alex Nunez

Runtime: 50:59

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Autoblog Podcast #193 – Hot Mustangs, Volt Mileage, 1 Series M, Mazda design and Lotus Evoras originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Lexus, Reviews, Luxury

A Perfect Prius It Is Not

Lexus likes to say that it pursues perfection. Toyota’s luxury brand has been playing the hybrid game for a while now with converted gas-powered models like the LS, GS and RX hybrids, and few would argue that these models represent the zenith of what a luxury hybrid can be. For that, Lexus finally decided to build a dedicated hybrid model from the ground up, and the result is the HS 250h.

Being that the brand’s parent company builds the Prius, the industry benchmark for hybrids in terms of both fuel efficiency and popularity, Lexus has, on the one hand, a much deeper well of hybrid expertise from which to draw than its competition. On the other hand, it has the toughest act to follow in the third-generation Prius. In the minds of many, a true Lexus hybrid should be everything Toyota’s magic bean is and more – it should be the perfect Prius.

Funny thing, the HS 250h is not. Lexus hasn’t built an upmarket version of the Prius with the HS 250h. Perhaps realizing that after three generations creating about as perfect a parallel hybrid as there is, Lexus up and decided that its own luxury hybrid should have a different mission. Unfortunately, after a week spent behind the wheel of a 2010 HS 250h Premium, we’re not still not sure what that mission is. Follow the jump to learn what else we found confusing about Lexus’ latest hybrid.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus HS 250h

Review: 2010 Lexus HS 250h originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Lexus, Reviews, Luxury

A Perfect Prius It Is Not

Lexus likes to say that it pursues perfection. Toyota’s luxury brand has been playing the hybrid game for a while now with converted gas-powered models like the LS, GS and RX hybrids, and few would argue that these models represent the zenith of what a luxury hybrid can be. For that, Lexus finally decided to build a dedicated hybrid model from the ground up, and the result is the HS 250h.

Being that the brand’s parent company builds the Prius, the industry benchmark for hybrids in terms of both fuel efficiency and popularity, Lexus has, on the one hand, a much deeper well of hybrid expertise from which to draw than its competition. On the other hand, it has the toughest act to follow in the third-generation Prius. In the minds of many, a true Lexus hybrid should be everything Toyota’s magic bean is and more – it should be the perfect Prius.

Funny thing, the HS 250h is not. Lexus hasn’t built an upmarket version of the Prius with the HS 250h. Perhaps realizing that after three generations creating about as perfect a parallel hybrid as there is, Lexus up and decided that its own luxury hybrid should have a different mission. Unfortunately, after a week spent behind the wheel of a 2010 HS 250h Premium, we’re not still not sure what that mission is. Follow the jump to learn what else we found confusing about Lexus’ latest hybrid.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus HS 250h

Review: 2010 Lexus HS 250h originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Safety, Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Hyundai, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has put a new crop of large luxury vehicles through its crash test gauntlet, and the Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M joined some impressive company in scoring a Top Safety Pick designation. The CTS and M clinched the highly regarded award by receiving the top score of “Good” in roof strength testing. To achieve the top score in rollover safety, a vehicle’s roof has to be able to support four times the weight of the entire vehicle.

The Top Safety Pick designation is handed out only to vehicles that received a “Good” score for all four IIHS crash tests while also featuring standard stability control to help avoid accidents altogether. The Cadillac and Infiniti join the BMW 5 Series, Lincoln MKS, Volvo S80, Hyundai Genesis and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class as Top Safety Pick winners.

Since large luxury vehicles cost so much and contain so many safety features, it’s not all that surprising that so many models aced IIHS testing. But not all vehicles passed the test with flying colors. The Lexus GS and Audi A6 managed only an “Acceptable” score in roof testing, while the aging Acura RL lagged behind the competition with a “Marginal” rating. Hit the jump to read over the IIHS presser.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Continue reading Cadillac CTS, Infiniti M models earn Top Safety Pick status from IIHS

Cadillac CTS, Infiniti M models earn Top Safety Pick status from IIHS originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Safety, Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Hyundai, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has put a new crop of large luxury vehicles through its crash test gauntlet, and the Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M joined some impressive company in scoring a Top Safety Pick designation. The CTS and M clinched the highly regarded award by receiving the top score of “Good” in roof strength testing. To achieve the top score in rollover safety, a vehicle’s roof has to be able to support four times the weight of the entire vehicle.

The Top Safety Pick designation is handed out only to vehicles that received a “Good” score for all four IIHS crash tests while also featuring standard stability control to help avoid accidents altogether. The Cadillac and Infiniti join the BMW 5 Series, Lincoln MKS, Volvo S80, Hyundai Genesis and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class as Top Safety Pick winners.

Since large luxury vehicles cost so much and contain so many safety features, it’s not all that surprising that so many models aced IIHS testing. But not all vehicles passed the test with flying colors. The Lexus GS and Audi A6 managed only an “Acceptable” score in roof testing, while the aging Acura RL lagged behind the competition with a “Marginal” rating. Hit the jump to read over the IIHS presser.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Continue reading Cadillac CTS, Infiniti M models earn Top Safety Pick status from IIHS

Cadillac CTS, Infiniti M models earn Top Safety Pick status from IIHS originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lexus, Design/Style, Luxury

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so the saying goes. But this will likely be the first and last time we ever refer to necessity and the Lexus LFA in the same context. Because while it may be a lot of things, the LFA could hardly be counted as a necessity by anyone this side of a Toyota executive bent on showing up Europe’s finest.

Supercars, as you may well know, often suffer from rather cramped luggage space, and so the fitted luggage was developed out of necessity. Some of the more established exotic marques like Ferrari and Maserati are well accustomed to offering baggage specifically designed (usually by some very exclusive leather craftsmen like Schedoni or Ferragamo) to fit into the diminutive trunks on their supercars. But for Lexus, this is new territory. So they’ve turned to established luxury luggage-makers Tumi to develop a set specifically for the LFA.

The result is a set of hard-shell suitcases custom fitted to the LFA’s trunk. Each is made of aluminum and carbon fiber, and each has a specific purpose. Like the “concourse” case that’s made to fit driving gloves and shoes for track work, or the “coastal” case for longer trips. Each unit will also carry the VIN from the actual car for that added bit of exclusivity. Pack your bags and have a closer look in the gallery below and press release after the jump.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus and Tumi saddle the LFA with custom carbon-fiber luggage

Lexus and Tumi saddle the LFA with custom carbon-fiber luggage originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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