Etc : Car News And Reviews

In the course of duty, Police officers have to transport strangers in their vehicles. This can create all kinds of health risks, as you don’t know what sort of illnesses their passengers might be carrying. Cop cars often use plastic rear seats that can be hosed down and cleaned with disinfectants.

Every car manufacturer these days has its own high-tech infotainment system. One of my favorites has been Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ UConnect system. In recent years, it’s been considered one of the most reliable and intuitive systems on the market, making its way into vehicles from Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, and Chrysler.

Most of us our doing our part to stay home as much as we can these days, so that means less time behind the wheel, and more time on the couch. The good news for gearheads is that there are tons of great car movies for you to enjoy from the comfort of your living room.

Tesla’s upcoming electric Cybertruck drew both cheers and jeers when it broke cover. With its primitive stainless steel body, its looks have divided opinions on whether it’s something a first grader would have come up with, or an innovative new approach to vehicle design.

Over the years, I’ve seen some really stupid things done to cars. One trip over to Reddit’s Awful Taste but Great Execution subreddit will fill your eyeballs with all kinds of automotive sins (among other horrors.) 

The Pontiac Aztek is arguably one of the ugliest vehicles ever created. While the early take on a crossover certainly wasn’t Pontiac’s proudest design moment, the brand did make lots of great sports cars over the years, with the 1970s Firebird Trans Am being one of the most iconic of its cars.

Since crash testing of vehicles first started, the practice has saved countless lives, influencing the design and engineering of just about every aspect of modern cars, trucks, and SUVs. But cars designed for racing must handle much more extreme forces in order to protect their occupants, with reinforced roll cages, protective head restraints, and form-fitting racing seats with five- or six-point harnesses among their standard equipment.

These days, automakers use virtual reality and simulation software to figure out everything from ergonomics and aesthetics to visibility. Car companies also use things like wind tunnels to simulate drag, and treadmills to test wear and tear.

If you’ve been following any of our coverage of the Bloodhound LSR, you know that this jet-powered vehicle is insanely fast. Not too long ago, it achieved a speed of 628 mph, as it tore across the South African desert during a testing run.

Take a trip back in the wayback machine to 1976, back to a time when automotive companies loved to show off the capabilities of vehicles using outlandish stunts. In this vintage commercial for the Ford F100, they rigged up the pickup truck with a couple of propane torches then ran it alongside a bunch of balloons.

While the modern-day Fiat 500 may be going away here in the U.S., it’s still an iconic little car, with lots of fans around the globe since its inception way back in 1957. To celebrate the heritage of the 500, LEGO has announced the release of a new Creator set based on the classic version of Italian subcompact.

These days, the use of nuclear energy is pretty much limited to power plants and submarines, but there was a time when it was thought the controversial power source could be used to drive our cars.

When I first drove the Toyota GR Supra, I was quite impressed with its handling and ability to get around a track pretty quick. But as is the legacy of the Supra, there will always be tuners who can eke more power and capability out of these cars.

Everyone who drives a car understands the basic concept of horsepower as a way of measuring their vehicle’s engine capabilities. Counting power based on the pulling strength of horses dates back to the 18th century as a way to measure the output of steam engines, when it helped buyers understand how many draft horses they could replace with a given engine.

It’s been a few years since the Ford GT first appeared on the scene, and it’s still one of the most beautiful and exotic cars being made today. For 2020, Ford Performance has given the car a couple of performance tweaks, bumping its 3.5-liter