Tough Luxe

Two large luxury cars, the 2005 model Audi A6 and 2006 Infiniti M35,
have received top ratings in crash tests conducted by a vehicle
safety watchdog group with links to the insurance industry.

The Audi A6 from Volkswagen AG's luxury division got "good" ratings
and "best pick" designations for its performance in both front- and
side-impact tests, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety

It said the Infiniti M35, from Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., also earned good
ratings in both tests but a "best pick" designation only for its crashworthiness in the front-impact test.

In the side-impact test there were indications that the driver of
an M35 could sustain torso injuries and the structural performance
of the vehicle was deemed "acceptable" but not "good," the Insurance
Institute said.

The 31-mile-per-hour side-impact test simulates a real-world crash in
which a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle runs a red light or stop
sign and plows into the side of a car.

The Institute's so-called offset frontal test measures how well a vehicle
can absorb the impact of a crash when 40 percent of its front end strikes
a barrier at 40 miles per hour.

Tests on the A6 and M35 were conducted with both equipped with standard
front and rear head curtain airbags and front seat-mounted torso airbags.

Top 10 Movie Car Chases - from Auto Blog

Hagerty Insurance (known for their coverage of collector cars)
recently asked its customers to rank the top 10 movie car chases
of all time. Topping the list was “Bullitt”, which is a choice
that’s appropriate if for no other reason than the wicked sound
of Steve McQueen’s Mustang (the fact that McQueen was Hollywood’s
biggest gearhead should also be considered). It won a whopping
40% of total votes cast, giving it a significant lead over the
number two selection, the remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds”. “The
French Connection” and “Ronin” placed only sixth and seventh,
respectively, leading me to wonder just how many second-generation
Trans Am owners are insured by Hagerty (”Smokey and the Bandit” ranked third).

Hybrid hype?

The Polk Center for Automotive Studies is about to release a study that reveals while American consumers are aware of and considering hybrids, they’re not yet willing to buy them due to additional costs associated with the technology. The study states that 61% of people surveyed might consider the purchase price a deterrent and 30% believe the benefits would not justify the extra investment. On the flip side, nearly two-thirds of those polled did not think hybrids are a fad.

Keep in mind that the study included a sample group of only 307 participants. It seems pretty sketchy to us to extrapolate the feelings of hundreds of millions of people from those of only 307.

New 4s from Porsche

Lots of stuff to like in the new Carrera 4 convertibles, like the 325-hp
3.6L flat-six in the non-S model and the large and lovely 3.8L making 355-hp
in the S. New for 2006 is the availability of the Porsche Active Suspension
Management system, which is able to continually adjust the level of damping
force at each wheel according to sensor inputs. Prices will start at $87K for
the Carrera 4 Cabriolet and $97K for the Carrera 4S Cabriolet when they’re
both made available in North America in November… just in time for winter.

Coming: A Turbo 1?

The BMW 135Ti (or maybe 135Tc for American buyers) will not be
your ordinary turbocharged sport compact. In fact, it will be powered
by BMW’s upcoming turbocharged six-cylinder and will produce in the
neighborhood of 330 bhp. The compact uber-BMW has been seen testing
on the Nürburgring. The decision to produce the car has not been made.
You can bet that it will be a rocket if it is produced. Now, there will
not be an M1 variant of the 1-series. The M1 was a GT sports car BMW
produced in the late Seventies and early Eighties. You can be sure,
however, that the 135Ti will either be developed by the M team, or they
may create an M variant off of the 135Ti. Either way, this should be a
sufficiently entertaining Bavarian.