Categories: Car News

Over the last decade, everything has slowly but surely changed about the way we operate controls inside vehicles. What once was done with a series of manual controls—like changing the pitch and bass of the radio & sound volume, air conditioning & climate adjustments, and turning lights on & off have almost become a thing of the past. Surprisingly, the Ford Motor Company is making one of the boldest moves in controls in vehicles that’s been done in many years—they’re bringing back more traditional buttons and knobs to be integrated into their fleet’s MyFord Touch infotainment system and controls.

Destined to become the world's most fuel efficient production car, the revolutionary Volkswagen XL1 is being prepared for a limited production run. Volkswagen last showed it at the Geneva Motor Show and plans to get it on the European market by the end of the year. While the United States is unlikely to get access to the 261-mpg ultralight cruiser, Volkswagen may use the car as the basis for a high-performance sports car that will make it here.

Jeep introduced the all-new Cherokee revival at the New York International Auto Show a few months ago. The crossover, which has been absent for a decade, gets some radical new styling but enjoys a classically rugged build designed to excel off-road. Jeep announced pricing of the 2014 model this week and will get it to dealerships in the third quarter.

It used to be that supercars only came from a handful of countries like Italy, the U.K., and the United States. No more. We've seen supercars from every continent not covered in a massive ice sheet, and some countries are slowly catching up with the leaders. The Netherlands is one such country. Spyker returned to the scene more than a decade ago, and Savage Rivale gave the country another legitimate supercar—or super convertible, in that case. The new Vencer Sarthe makes three. 

AAA wants drivers to know that in-car, voice-activated technology is giving you only a false sense of security, not more safety. Hands-free devices and technologies have undoubtably made it easier to talk, text, and interact on social media while driving, but you’re not doing so as safely as you think. A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety highlights that distracted driving is extremely deadly and doesn’t have to involve your hands being off the steering wheel or eyes off the road.

This thorough and comprehensive study leaves very little left for questioning when it comes to using a device in any way while driving. AAA has presented their research to the public in hopes to finally convince people to pay attention to the road as they drive, and nothing else!

The rental car industry is a multi-billion dollar a year enterprise in the United States. Every year, millions of people take to the road using rental car services. According to Auto Rental News, as of 2012 there were over 18,000 rental car locations in this country. Renting a vehicle for travel is practical in many circumstances. A rental can keep mileage off your personal vehicle, supplement transportation needs when you don’t have other options, and many people use rentals because smaller models get better gas mileage than their daily driver.

Yes, if you are planning to hit the roads this summer, you will quite possibly end up in a rental car during your travels. It sounds easy enough, right? Wrong, most people are baffled by rentals, and you can’t expect to get much help from the customer service representatives at these facilities—they are just as confused as you are.

The Toyota Corolla has always been a lot of things. Affordable, reliable and strong selling are among the top few things that come to mind. Interesting to look at? No, we can't say that one follows closely. But Toyota is intent on changing our minds with the 2014 Corolla. Toyota calls it "exciting, impactful" styling, and we have a hard time disagreeing with that description. 

California led the way in the campaign against diesel-powered automobiles but that trend is in major reversal. The once labeled “dirty”, diesel-powered cars are driving back into the Golden State and are occupying the roads as green vehicles. During the year of 2012, over 10% of the vehicles on the road in the state were diesel-powered passenger cars and sports utility vehicles. Many wonder what has prompted this new change in attitude.

A major year for anniversies, 2013 serves as the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin, the 50th anniversary for Lamborghini and McLaren, the 60th anniversary for the Corvette, and the 50th anniversary for the Porsche 911. Each automaker is celebrating in its own way, and those celebrations tend to include special anniversay edition sports cars. The Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition is the latest model to receive its official introduction, celebrating half a century, seven generations, and more than 800,000 models produced of Porsche's quintessential sports car.

The Toyota Corolla is one of the world's best-selling transportation devices, with over 40 million copies sold across 154 countries. They're not particularly exciting cars from an enthusiast’s standpoint, but they are reliable, and they are practical. The first chief engineer for Toyota's new compact said that he wanted “to develop a car that brings happiness and well-being to people around the world.” And after 47 years on the market, it's safe to say that the Toyota Corolla has made two or three people happy.

Years ago, Range Rovers were as British as bad teeth and kidney pie. Pomp & Circumstance came standard, and you could literally go anywhere you pleased. Of course, they started leaking oil on the assembly line, and they ran properly only twice a month. But for those two days, you felt like the King of the World.

Ford bought the storied off-road brand from BMW in 2000 and promptly fixed the leaks, and had an exorcism performed on the electrics. The anesthetized Range Rover could now journey down Rodeo Drive without embarrassing itself, and it could even make the return trip without the aid of a tow truck. This new-found reliability allowed Land Rover to expand the Range Rover product line, and the asphalt-themed Range Rover Sport became the preferred ride of aristocratic playboys from Miami to Milan.