Teh Car Blogz

If there’s one vehicle (besides the gawdawful Chevrolet Volt EV thing) that’s been hyped, overhyped, and überhyped by the press, it’s got to be the new Nissan GT-R.  It’s the latest in a long line of all-conquering Nissan rocketships, that were previously based on the old-fashioned Skyline chassis.  For an example of an early GT-R, read this post.  The new GT-R, which drops the Skyline prefix, is significant for many reasons.  Most importantly, it’s the first GT-R that is officially being imported to the USA - previous Skylines had to come in through a number of sketchy importers, including MotoRex, who collapsed amidst all sorts of legal trouble.  For more information on MotoRex’s sad story, there is a decent Wiki which can be found here.

Patrick (some call him “Steve”) and I were given the opportunity to ride in a new GT-R by a very generous owner in Raleigh, NC.  It was a brief impression, but obviously this is a GT-R - there is more than enough to write about.  More details below the jump.

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I recently had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new Dodge Caliber SRT-4, the Chrysler group’s latest effort at a performance compact car, and thought I would share some impressions.

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Yes, the return of the car with a really long name. The perennial rally boy special is now decidedly upmarket. Now equipped with so many letters, your head will spin. WRX, STI, SI-Drive, DCCD, VDC, AWD, EBD, DAVCS, TPMS, DRL, ABS, HID, LED, BBS, and a partridge in a pear tree to boot. In reality these systems work very well together for a seamless driving experience…

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There are a lot of things that can be said about the new Tundra. It’s remarkable in a lot of ways: it’s the first real bid by a foreign manufacturer at the full-size truck market here in the US, and it’s the first one done right. It’s built in San Antonio, Texas - domestic parts content is somewhere near 80%, which is a bit weird. It has the capabilities of a truck, but rides sort of like a car. It’s got a rather arresting appearance.

So there are a lot of impressive and surprising things about the new Tundra, in theory and in execution. But one stands out above all the others: this truck has a TON of power. As in, like, occasionally more than you’re really comfortable having.

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