92 Black Full Size Blazer. No Rust Lifted 4x4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2018 Autoblog Technology of the Year finalists

After months of prepping and several days of testing, we narrowed the field for Autoblog's 2018 Tech of the Year award to the Nissan Rogue with ProPilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system, the Lexus LC 500h and its new hybrid powertrain, and the Chevy Colorado ZR2 and its trick Multimatic spool-valve off-road shocks. Three very different cars with very different technologies duking it out for the award. Look for news of our winner at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. We hand out this award every year to the technology or feature that we feel moves the bar forward for the automotive industry. Read more here on how our testing process works. We discuss, debate and count up score sheets, judging each vehicle and technology on a few different criteria. Is its purpose noteworthy? Does it work well? Does it advance the industry? The Nissan Rogue with ProPilot Assist was actually a prototype, as the technology will first debut in the 2018 Nissan Leaf. Still, we're here to test the tech and not the car. ProPilot Assist combines adaptive cruise control system combined with lane-keeping assistance. The system uses sonar, radar and a number of cameras for some light semi-autonomous driving and enhanced safety. While these systems aren't new individually, Nissan's system is affordable, intuitive, and coming to a mainstream product — democratizing the tech in a novel way, if you will. That's why it's here. The Lexus LC 500h uses a new powertrain that Lexus has dubbed the Multi-Stage Hybrid System. Basically it combines two types of transmissions — a CVT and a four-speed automatic — in a single unit mated to a naturally aspirated V6. That's complex and unorthodox technology, and Lexus engineered it to give drivers the efficiency of a CVT without sacrificing driving enjoyment. The package is subtle, working in the background to create a nearly seamless driving experience. It's engaging in a way most other hybrids can only dream of. The fact that it's wrapped in such gorgeous sheetmetal only makes things better. The Multimatic spool valve shocks in the Chevy Colorado ZR2 might seem low-tech compared to ProPilot Assist and the Lexus Multi-Stage Hybrid, but they represent a completely novel application of a technology that several years ago was so expensive that it was reserved for top-tier race cars. Like the LC 500h, these shocks really change your perception of how a vehicle like this should drive.

Hot air balloons caught in high winds drag fullsize SUV

A sudden storm front whipped up enough wind to send some hot air balloons flying into the air in Wisconsin over the weekend. One ballon proved so energetic that it was able to drag a fullsize SUV across a field and into a stand of tents. The freak accident occurred at Balloonfest in Waterford, Wisconsin. Spectators were horrified as balloons dragged handlers to the ground and launched with terrified pilots clinging to their baskets. Organizers had started packing up the colorful balloons due to ominous storm clouds when the wind kicked up. "Happened just like that; it was crazy," Nathan Fricke, crew member, told Fox 6. Winds were clocked at 40 to 50 miles per hour. A balloon caught in the wind dragged a large SUV (we think a Suburban or Yukon XL) hundreds of feet and into a cluster of tents on the edge of the staging area where balloons were on display for festival goers. Considering that the SUV surely weighs well over 5,000 pounds, it's lucky that no one was injured in the incident. News Source: Fox6Now Weird Car News Chevrolet GM GMC SUV

2016 Chevrolet Malibu First Drive [w/video]

You have to appreciate honesty in this business. When a car company admits its offering in a segment isn't up to the task, it catches you by surprise. The surprisingly open Chevy reps stopped short of saying that making the last Malibu smaller was a mistake, but given that the righting of the ship included a lengthening of this new model, it was certainly implied. The eighth-generation Malibu lasted only three years, with a major update coming just one year in to try and fix some of the bigger concerns. The goal for the 2016 Malibu wasn't to make a competent product better, it was to make an okay one good again. That started with a stretch. The Malibu is long again, a big car that meets America's warped idea of a midsized car. Because of this, the Malibu's dimensions sidle up to the Impala's. In fact, it's within a fraction of an inch of the Impala's wheelbase measurement, and sits right between the last Malibu and the Impala in terms of EPA passenger volume. The back seat gets the most of the payoff, bringing it back into competition with other midsized counterparts. The Malibu is now one of the longest in the segment, but also among, if not the, lightest. The 2016 model is claimed to be about 300 pounds lighter than its dimensionally challenged predecessor. While most new models tend to choose between lighter or larger these days, Chevy managed not-insignificant improvements to both. Styling doo-dads no longer separate the trim levels, it's the features inside that fuel the upsell. Some of that weight came out of the front end. The aluminum hood is lighter than before, and we'd wager that's because it stops very short of the leading edge of the car. Instead, the nose is enshrouded in a big plastic fascia, which has to be an advantage at the scales but creates a somewhat unfinished look. That's amplified by the fact that everything ahead of the hood is a bit busy, and actually surprisingly aggressive, in contrast to the rest of the design. The new Cruze, with its cowl-to-grille hood, wears a more cohesive new-Chevy front end. The styling adopts the, dare we say it, coupe-like look of many (most?) new family sedans. The profile is attractive enough but almost generic now since the Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, and others have already moved in this direction. The rear-end styling is inoffensive, almost original Mercedes CLS meets current Impala.