Everyone is saying ENOUGH to driving while distracted; Volvo announces a plug in hybrid, while Mini wonders how to charge them; Chrysler gets rid of the book we never read, but always wanted; and we go for a ride in a really affordable performance car you wouldn't have taken seriously a few years ago.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe with iTunes (audio)
Subscribe with iTunes (video)
Subscribe with RSS (audio)
Subscribe with RSS (video)
EPISODE 137
SHOW NOTES• U.S. to hold a summit on driving while distracted--soon a stigma equal to drunk driving?
• Volvo promises its first plug-in hybrid, in showrooms by 2012
• CNET takes a drive in the new Nissan 370Z Roadster
• Mini finds out that charging an electric car isn't as easy as just plugging it in
• Hyundai Genesis Coupe on the road with the editors of CNET. Look out!
Top Gear reviews the new BMW Z4 and the Nissan 370Z, putting each car through the paces. Although the 10-minute video favors the Z4, the Nissan has a few surprises.
Folks are always talking about Nissan and Porsche's Nurburgring rivalry between their heavyweights: the GT-R and 911. But the automakers may have another rivalry on their hands a short way down their respective product lines.
When the Nissan 370Z first hit the streets late last year, many automotive journalists compared the smaller, lighter Z car's performance to the midengined Porsche Cayman S. One thing these cars do have in common is that they both live in the shadow of their more exotic siblings.
Check out this video from Best Motoring that pits the 370Z (also known as the Fairlady Z) using Synchro Rev Matching manual transmission against a manually shifted Cayman S. Also in the field is a Porsche 911 Carrera with the PDK transmission, a BMW 135i coupe, and the Honda S2000 Type-S (which is similar to our S2000 CR).
If you don't speak Japanese, go ahead and skip to the 2:00 mark, where the action begins.
This is by no means a scientific test (for example, that 911 driver should be blowing away the rest of the field), but it's still fun to see the Z-car keeping up with zee Germans.
You know, I'm a big fan of Mustangs, both past and present. They're the classic American muscle car. But I'm also a fan of the Nissan Z series (my favorite model being the 300ZX, but I think they're all pretty sweet) as it's a fun, semisporty Japanese cruising machine. While I was searching for video for this week's blog series dedicated to my favorite cars, I found a video that had not just one but two of my fave rides--the Mustang and the Nissan 370Z. So here it is...an in depth look at recent editions of these storied automobiles.
This video from Edmunds.com compares a couple of the newest editions of the Ford Mustang and Nissan 370Z in terms of engine size, acceleration time, interior space, and pricing. As the video points out, the cars are very comparable in nearly every way--including cost. While I do prefer the old school makes of these cars (I prefer '60s Mustangs and early '90s Nissan Zs), both of these cars are reasonably economical, powerful and still stylish in the new millennium.
Did hydrogen cars just blow up? GM's closer to unloading Saturn, but also to keeping part of it. One less GPS nav brand to contend with. And, we get a lot of stares in this week's test car.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• First look at the Nissan Cube
• Yet another EV comes out of the woodwork
The 370Z might get extra boost from an electric motor, if the rumors are true.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)Rumors running around the Internet suggest that Nissan will offer a hybrid version of its 370Z sports car somewhere around 2012. Currently, Nissan's only hybrid is the Altima sedan, with a power train licensed from Toyota. But Nissan has long promised a car with a hybrid system developed in-house, and showed off a concept car that would use this system, the Essence, at the Geneva auto show. The first production car featuring Nissan's own hybrid system should be based on the Infiniti M45, expected to come out in 2010. Nissan has been working on lithium ion battery development in partnership with NEC.
The 370Z hybrid could be the first hybrid sports car, although Honda has been working on its own CR-Z, which should come out as a sporty but compact hybrid. Even if Honda beats Nissan to the punch, a 370Z hybrid would be more powerful and likely have better handling, if our experience with the 2009 Nissan 370Z is any indication. According to the rumors, the 370Z hybrid would use the same 3.7-liter V-6 as the standard version, but would get extra boost from an electric motor. The car is supposed to also have plug-in capability, and use similar battery technology to that which Nissan is developing for its pure electric vehicle.
(Source: 370Z.com)
Nissan drops the top on its 2009 Z to create the 370Z Roadster. Top up or down, this new Z Roadster is a looker, which is more than we could say for its awkwardly proportioned precursor, the 350Z Roadster.
Also new to the Roadster is the availability of Nissan's complete suite of cabin technology, including hard-drive-based navigation.
Nissan adds a few more ponies, a firmer suspension, and a few Nismo badges to the 370Z Coupe. The result should be better performance all around.
One thing is certain: that wild body kit makes the Z's controversial looks even more polarizing.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
SHOW NOTES
• TomTom online routing in early beta
• Study report on how cell phones are distracting, no matter what
Click to view more photos of the 2009 Nissan 370Z unveiling.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)On Tuesday, Nissan revealed the 2009 370Z Coupe at the 2008 LA Auto Show and we've got the pictures to prove it.
Viewed in the round, we can see the new Z's shapely rear end and muscular shoulders. Hints of Nissan GT-R can be seen in the catfish's mouth front air dam and concave roof. Factor in dimensions and proportions that are more in line with the classic Z car formula and you've got what at least looks like a winner.
Of course, not everyone is a fan of the Z's new look. Pop over to our gallery and judge for yourself.
