The Daily Wheels » Uncategorized

5 Terrible U.S. Road and Highway Designs: Lessons Learned

Carlos — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:15:57 +0000

The Offenders: The Cross-Bronx Expressway, New York City; The Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle

To the 21st-century American, the idea of razing homes to make room for more roads may seem inconceivable, or at least dated. Our metropolises might be strangled with congestion, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a traffic engineer or highway designer who thinks more urban expressways are the solution. That wasn’t always the case.

Popular Mechanics

Obama Accelerates Crackdown on Dirty Trucks

Carlos — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:15:19 +0000

The White House said at the time that it was confident haulage firms could cut emissions from heavy trucks by about 20 percent using existing technologies.

Now the EPA and DOT have lodged draft standards with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

The OMB provided no details on the nature of the proposed rules, signaling only that it has received a draft proposal for “commercial medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles and work truck fuel efficiency standards.”

2011 Nissan Quest unveiled in Japan as Elgrand

Carlos — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:30:09 +0000

Nissan is set to release the next-generation Quest minivan in the States later this year, but we may have gotten an early peek at the people mover thanks to Japanese unveil. Nissan pulled the sheets off of its JDM-only Elgrand – the corporate cousin to the Quest – and the van looks suspiciously similar to the teaser shots of the U.S. version we’ve seen so far. If the information on the Elgrand is any indication, buyers can look forward to getting their minivan with either a 3.5-liter V6 or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, with all-wheel drive available on select models and both seven and eight passenger configurations.

Autoblog

2011 Saab 9-5 – First Drive Review

Carlos — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:29:17 +0000

Until Dutch specialty carmaker Spyker took the plunge and bought Saab from General Motors, there was a good chance that this car would never be built. True, the new 9-5 had been seen on the auto-show circuit, but had GM failed to find a buyer for Saab and completed the liquidation of the company, this sedan would have remained stillborn. That would have been a pity, because this is the best Saab for some time—and, ironically, the best one developed under GM’s 20-year ownership.

CarandDriver.com

Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Honda Odyssey

Carlos — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:11:41 +0000

“Minivan Enthusiast” from New York City is pretty disappointed with his 2010 Honda Odyssey. While he’s fine with the quality of the ride, he’s unhappy with the mileage he’s been getting, which is well below the Odyssey’s EPA rating. Maybe he drives in a lot of stop-and-go New York traffic. Whatever the reason for the poor gas mileage, read his full review to find out his beef, and then write your own here.

Cars.com

Honda Releases First Images of 2010 Accord Crosstour CUV

Carlos — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:47:39 +0000

With the 2009 Toyota Venza filling a perfect niche between a crossover and a sedan, Honda is quickly following suit with the upcoming 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour. After teasing a pair of images, Honda has finally taken the wraps off the new model for all to see. The bad news for Honda is that the design of the all-new Accord Crosstour doesn’t seem to be making any friends, but the good news is that the Acura ZDX is suddenly starting to look much more attractive. Shortly after Honda’s countdown page expired and a pair of images were released, the “Honda Accord Crosstour” Facebook page was suddenly inundated with negative feedback.

Autotropolis

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

Carlos — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:42:07 +0000

Bayerische Motoren Werke’s engineering prowess is long established, as is its well-worn rep as purveyors of ‘ultimate driving machines.’ With its EfficientDynamics program, BMW is drawing from its considerable expertise in an effort to continue to develop engaging, sports-themed cars while at the same time improving the efficiency of its vehicles through the use of new technologies.

Motortrend

2010 Mercedes S400 with some new features

Carlos — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:23:49 +0000

The new rear wheel drive 2010Mercedes S400 will come in the market with some new features including redesigned lights with the addition of LED day driving lights, new front and rear bumpers, full LED tail lights, latest driver assistance systems and modern innovative design.

Tecneek

Hennessey Venom GT Concept – 272 MPH Monster Destined for 2010 Geneva Motor Show

Carlos — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:15:37 +0000

Back in 2007, Hennessey Performance Engineering originally announced the forthcoming Venom GT supercar. There have been many different variations and renderings over the last couple of years but it looks like the company has finally settled on a concept and some preliminary specs. The Hennessey Venom GT will feature a V8 engine rated up to 1,200 horsepower with a curb weight just under 2,400 pounds. With these two figures, even a third grader could perform the math here to see that the power to weight ratio is insane. The sprint from 0-60 mph should take only 2.4 seconds with the car reaching 100 mph in just 5.3 seconds. And it tops out at a whopping 272 miles per hour.

Sub5zero.com

Hummer to produce Jeep Wrangler-sized H4

Carlos — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:43:13 +0000

Execs at GM have given the green light for the Hummer H4, a new baby SUV similar in size to the Jeep Wrangler that’s expected to go on sale in the 2009 model year. Hummer has been experiencing strong sales outside of the US and the addition of a new smaller model will only cement that success.

MotorAuthority