Home again!

My family and I are back from our two-week Mexican road trip! Before we set off, we had scores of people tell us we'd be robbed, killed, shot at, shaken down, kidnapped, or otherwise severely inconvenienced. Nothing like that happened, nothing even remotely close. Read more...

Home again! originally appeared on About.com Cars on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 02:59:10.

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Pretty Exotic

It finally hit the mid-50s today here in NYC and it was great to see folks cleaning out their cars and even a few folks giving them a good wash down. Then what must have been a newly washed Maserati Quattroporte went past us. It's one of the most beautiful cars around and I could look at it all day long. Kristen over at Exotic Cars has info on the Quattroporte.

Did any of you spot an exotic car today? -Editor Bob

Pretty Exotic originally appeared on About.com Cars on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 22:38:00.

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Why not a minivan?

Hey, Car People! Jason Fogelson, About.com's Guide to SUVs, here. Happy to be your Guest Blogger once again.

I've pretty much given up on trying to convince car people that they should be driving SUVs or crossover vehicles. But what if you have a growing family, and you find yourself outgrowing your sedan or station wagon? You've taken a stand against SUVs, but you need more space. Perhaps it's time to consider the minivan.

The minivan has been much maligned as emasculating for men, de-feminizing for women. It has been accused of being no fun to drive, and ugly to look at.

Well, I'm here to praise the minivan, not to bury it.

When it comes to moving a family and all of its stuff, few vehicles can accomplish the task more efficiently and easily than a minivan. Sliding side doors and roomy interiors make ingress and egress easy for everyone from kindergartners to senior citizens. Clever storage and use of interior space can make the minivan a rolling office, child care center and sports equipment locker. Nothing promotes family togetherness like a long drive -- and nothing preserves family harmony like a well-designed mobile entertainment system.

So, consider the minivan -- you might be surprised at how well it accomplishes its goals. I've written a little article, "State of the Minivan", to bring you up to date on the minivan marketplace.

-- Jason Fogelson

Photo © Kia Motors Manufacturing America

Why not a minivan? originally appeared on About.com Cars on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 00:05:23.

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Taking a Break From Recalls

Editor Bob here filling in for Aaron while he wanders around Mexico in search of Montezuma's revenge. I don't want to gloss over the stream of recalls but it's taking the wind out of my sails so bear with me while I focus on some good news: Ford's kicking' butt! A big increase in sales made Ford the top-selling carmaker for February! Woohoo! Aaron's had a lot of positive comments to write about Ford lately so I'm glad folks are putting their money where... Well, I guess where's Aaron's mouth is. Ford's latest and greatest:

• 2010 Ford Mustang GT
• 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hyrbid

I drove the SHO around Manhattan (I think I got up to 8 mph) when Ford was showing it off to the press and I'll tell you, there's only one or two little plasticky bits to complain about. It's so much better than the Taurus of the 90s that it's hard to describe. It's also a big car. As in make-you-feel-like-a-kid-again big. And as far as the Mustang is concerned our Mustang Guide Jon Lamas says the 2011 Mustang is far superior to the current Mustang which he and Aaron both love.

For the record I'm aware the NY Times article starts off with Toyota recall information. Sigh. And I'm aware the previous post was about Ford, too, but I'm OK with that because this Ford stuff is news, baby!

Taking a Break From Recalls originally appeared on About.com Cars on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 09:50:58.

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The Shelby GT350 Paces NASCAR

Hi folks! It's Jonathan Lamas, your guide to Mustangs. Like Jason, I'm helping out while Aaron is away.

Speaking of trips, I just returned from Las Vegas where I was covering the Shelby American NASCAR race. The new 2011 Shelby GT350 Mustang was the official pace car on Sunday and I was there to get a glimpse.

The Mustang, which is a post-title package, starts off as a 2011 Mustang GT. After purchasing the car from your local Ford dealer, you send it to Shelby American for the GT350 conversion. The folks at Shelby add things like a new front fascia, tail light trim, front splitter, rear deck lid filler panel, and a new rear fascia. Other goodies include things like Shelby Guardsman blue Le Mans stripes, Cragar wheels, and super sticky Goodyear tires. The end result is a modern day Shelby with classic roots.

Check out photos in my 2011 Shelby GT350 Photo Gallery.

-- Jonathan Lamas

The Shelby GT350 Paces NASCAR originally appeared on About.com Cars on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 00:00:32.

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A Photo Gallery of the Retro-Style Honda CB1100: What? How? When?

Back in 2007, Honda debuted several prototypes at the Tokyo Motor Show, among them a standard-style CB1100 that reincarnated the bike's groundbreaking '60s and '70s-era CB-series motorcycles. Fast forward to 2010, and the CB1100 has finally hit production... for the Japanese market.

The modern CB sticks to the basics, and from what I gathered on the Japanese Honda website, it's got an 1,140cc engine that produces 87 horsepower. Curb weight is 536 pounds (545 pounds with ABS), and apart from the anti-lock option, the new old bike appears to be fairly elementally basic. Incidentally, the bike-you-can-see-through phenomenon sure contrasts future-chic Hondas of late, like the automatic transmission-equipped DN-01 and the VFR 1200F sport tourer.

To find out if and when we're getting the CB1100 in the U.S., I called my PR contact at Honda, who-- rather predictably-- didn't have an answer for me. He did, however, say, "I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" to which I replied, "I want one, too!"

How about you? Take a look at this 2010 Honda CB1100 Photo Gallery for a closer look.

Source: Honda Japan (with zen-like video here)

Related:

Photo © Honda; click for photo gallery

A Photo Gallery of the Retro-Style Honda CB1100: What? How? When? originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 03:01:25.

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From the $8,995 Monster 696 to the $39,995 1198 Corse R Special Edition, a 2010 Ducati Buyer's Guide
My recent test of the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 produced a pretty major revelation: though the Multi's go (almost) anywhere attitude is consistent with the adventure touring genre epitomized by bikes like BMW's R1200GS and Kawasaki's KLR650, the high-tech Multi is a pretty serious departure from Ducati's usual race-ready fare.

Though fully-faired bikes like the 848 and 1198 typify their contemporary image, Ducati has also branched out of late into the supermoto realm (with the Hypermotard 796 and 1100 EVO) and the naked superbike genre (through the Streetfighter)-- all, of course, while enjoying a dalliance in the retro-styled arena (via the SportClassic GT1000.)

See key specs and pricing info for every brand new Duc in this 2010 Ducati Buyer's Guide, and let us know which of these Italian bikes make you scream "Mamma mia!"

Related:

Photos © Ducati; click for Buyer's Guide

From the $8,995 Monster 696 to the $39,995 1198 Corse R Special Edition, a 2010 Ducati Buyer's Guide originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 02:43:11.

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When Celebrities Don't Crash: Rumors of Tom Cruise's Motorcycle Accident Prove False

Yesterday-- which, conveniently enough, happened to be Oscar Sunday-- news stories spilled across the web reporting that actor Tom Cruise lost control of his red Ducati after an SUV ran a stop sign, alleging that he "struggled to his feet and was seen limping after the accident."

Though the celebrity/motorcycle crash story is entirely believable-- remember Brad Pitt's spill last October, George Clooney's wreck a while back, and numerous other famous folks who haven't kept the shiny side up?-- this time, the story was a hoax as revealed by Cruise's Twitter feed. The official word was that, "Tom NOT in motorcycle accident 2day...Tom tells us he hasn't been on his bike in days due 2 the weather, but when it clears up, look out. ;)"

Since today has turned into yet another typically gorgeous day here in Los Angeles, I trust that Mr. Cruise will no doubt take the opportunity to gear up and stay visible while he's out there on those wacky LA roads.

Related:

Photo © Getty Images; click to enlarge

When Celebrities Don't Crash: Rumors of Tom Cruise's Motorcycle Accident Prove False originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 17:49:35.

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2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Review

Greetings from the Canary Islands, where I just wrapped up a day-long test of Ducati's new Multistrada 1200.

Though the topic of its unusual styling seems to have dominated the buzz surrounding the bike, after riding the 150 horsepower, electronic suspension-equipped sport adventure tourer across the small volcanic island of Lanzarote, I must say that the last thing on my mind is its controversial appearance.

You can read out about the bike's performance-- both onroad and off-- in my 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Review, and see shots of the bike in this photo gallery.

Related:

Photo © Ducati; click for Review

2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Review originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 06:07:16.

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Triumph Bonneville SE Long Term Test Bike Photo Gallery


I plan on putting lots of miles on Triumph's Bonneville long term tester, but one of the first things I did after picking it up was take pictures of the bike.

See photos of the Bonnie-- including details like the optional Arrow 2-into-1 exhaust and bar-end mirrors-- in my Triumph Bonneville Long Term Test Bike Gallery, and read my first impressions in Long Term Report #1: Configurate Me!

Related:

Photo © Basem Wasef; click for photo gallery

Triumph Bonneville SE Long Term Test Bike Photo Gallery originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 00:01:43.

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