The first Ford Mustang-themed pinball game was introduced in 1964 and this week, honoring 50 years of the Pony car, Stern Pinball debuts three new Mustang-themed pinball games at the Chicago Auto Show. The new games will pay homage to such icons as Boss 302, Boss 351, Boss 429, the original 1965 Mustang and the upcoming all-new 2015 Pony car.
Two years ago I reviewed the Kia Rio, and I was pleasantly surprised. Later that year I reviewed the Kia Optima Hybrid, and I was impressed. This past week I’ve had the chance to review the 2014 Kia Soul, and I think I am in love. It was hard to say goodbye to our review car!
What is that sleek, sophisticated and dynamic new sport ute you just saw? According to Toyota it is the all-new third-generation 2014 Highlander. While previous models were very good in their own right, the new Highlander may just be the epitome of the saying ‘Third time’s the charm’ by delivering more style, more comfort and more utility and capability.
Gear Diary’s own Dan Cohen headed to the North American International Auto Show earlier this month to check out Ford’s 2014 lineup. He shared some of his thoughts on the week as a guest on the Green Divas Radio Show. Be sure to head to the podcast and listen up! You can find the podcast here.
As the buzz from the North American International Auto Show begins to wane, Lincoln (that other car company from Ford) has unveiled to the world its next Navigator full-size SUV. Arriving this fall, the 2015 Lincoln Navigator (the Lincoln that does NOT use the “MK” nomenclature in its name) is all-new inside and out and will be powered by EcoBoost.
It has been about five years since we last saw an “all-new” Mazda6, and that was about five years after Mazda first introduced the new midsize sedan to the world as a replacement for the 626. In that time it’s made valiant attempts at grabbing marketshare from key competitors Accord and Camry, but efforts always fell short – until now.
Escort’s Passport Max is the best radar detector I have ever used. It looks great, sounds good, and works extremely well — signaling only if there’s a real issue. (Read my review, and keep an eye out for Judie’s “second look” post!) I was, however, missing the active real-time connection with traffic information. The Escort SmartCord Live! fixes that.
If you love the Chevy Corvette, then we’ve got an amazing giveaway just for you. While attending NAIAS 2014, we received this Corvette Press Kit. It includes a USB Drive full of info, three cool pins, and a special collector’s box. We even got a model of the car in hot red. Here’s how you can win it!
Usually when I show up in the review vehicle of the week, friends and family freely express their opinions on the new model and I find these to mostly be favorable but sometimes polarized with love it/hate it reactions. Not so with the new 500L from Fiat where nearly everyone told me it was just flat out ugly.
As media days for the 2014 North American International Auto Show come to a close, Detroit prepares for the onslaught of visitors to the show that is boasting some 50 concept and new model debuts from automakers. Before the doors open to the public in Motor City Jan. 18-26 we bring you a photographic look at the rest of what was debuted this year.
During our time at the #FordNAIAS we had the opportunity to learn about the creative process currently employed by Ford as they bring their new products from concept to reality. What was perhaps most striking about it is the way in which Ford employs both traditional artistic methods and bleeding-edge technology in the process. Let’s look at Ford Design in 2014.
When Ford says they are committed to innovation they mean what they say. For example, they received one of the first five Oculus Rift HD prototypes and immediately put it to work in their design process. In this demo we take a look at how it works.
Nissan is celebrating its 80th anniversary as it releases the Sport Sedan Concept at the North American International Auto Show, calling it a design study with a real emphasis on next-generation design and sporty style, embodying Nissan’s next-generation design signatures. The Sport Sedan Concept shares some common traits of recent concept vehicles and now brings them to a four-door design.
Honda unveiled the all-new 2015 Fit subcompact hatch at the North American International Auto Show. Arriving this spring, the new Fit is redesigned from the ground up offering more interior space in a stylish, fun to drive package with good fuel efficiency and state-of-the-art safety combined with vehicle connectivity, or, in Honda’s words, a small car with big aspirations.
Mercedes-Benz debuted several new models at the North American International Auto Show including an all-new longer and wider C-Class powered by turbo four- and six-cylinder engines, an AMG variant of the already announced 2015 GLA45 compact SUV, the Concept S-Class Coupe that seeks sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury and the return of the iconic S600 uber-luxury sedan.
Just a few short hours after its Corvette Stingray was named North American Car of the Year, Chevrolet debuted the 2015 Corvette Z06 supercar that boasts track times faster than those of the 2013 ZR1. The new car features the all-new LT4 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine that will deliver 625hp and 635 lb. ft. torque.
The Chrysler Group, consisting of Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram, debuted the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 Sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will be the first midsize sedan with a standard nine-speed automatic gearbox via new electronic rotary shift dial and offer an all-wheel-drive system with an automatic fully disconnecting rear axle.
Toyota started things off with a bang at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit by debuting its FT-1 sport car concept. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Calty design studio, FT-1 (which stands for the ultimate Future of Toyota apparently) continues a lineage that includes the 1978 Celica, Lexus SC400, Supra, FT-HS and LF-LC.
While it came as little surprise to us here at Gear Diary, the North American Car and Truck of the Year were announced as both being from the Chevrolet stable: The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Silverado 1500, respectively. The winners were announced at a ceremony that kicked off the 2014 North American International Auto Show media days in Detroit.
The best-selling truck in the world has just gotten better. Today Ford is taking the wraps off its next-generation F-150 light duty pickup boasting it will be tougher, smarter and more capable than any before it. The 2015 F-150 is being unveiled at the North American International Auto Show with aspirations of setting the standard for the future of trucks.
The Open Automotive Alliance was announced this week as a partnership initially between Audi, GM, Google, Honda, Hyundai and NVIDIA to work together to advance integration of the Android platform into the automotive environment. The announcement boasts the OAA being dedicated to a common platform to drive innovation and make technology in the car safer and more intuitive.