2009 Ford F-150, First Drive

The comes from people who are intensely aware of what a pickup truck should do, how it should perform and what the customer is after. With the latest iteration of the F-150, Ford has a considerable reputation to live up to and in the face of dwindling pickup sales, needs...

Nov 16, 2024

2009 Volkswagen CC: First Drive

The car industry and the publications that serve it like order. They like to place things into categories and through doing so, exert some illusion of control over the marketplace. The BMW 3-series competes with the Audi A4. The Honda Accord competes with the Toyota Camry. Vehicles are priced to...

Nov 16, 2024

2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid: First Drive

The wasn’t designed for us. If we wanted a hybrid, we wouldn’t want it in the form of a small crossover SUV. But since we don’t actually want a hybrid, it’s probably a good thing that GM designed the Vue 2 Mode for people that do want one and want...

Nov 16, 2024

AEV HEMI-Powered Jeep Wrangler: First Drive

The new Jeep Wrangler is a damn fine off-road vehicle straight from the factory, but a 202 HP V6 just doesn't quite fit the bill for the folks at . Remember, this is the same group of guys who built the and the amazing that'll let you turn your Wrangler...

Nov 16, 2024

2009 MINI Cooper Clubman S, Part One

As interns at Jalopnik, we’ve got a pretty sweet gig. Admittedly, there are occasionally humdrum duties such as cleaning the tire debris off of and , but at the end of the day, the perks outweigh everything else. Heavily. When two of us were tossed the keys to a fully-fueled...

Nov 16, 2024

2009 MINI Cooper Clubman S, Part Two

The preserves much of the styling moxie possessed by the original while hiding much of the added heft. At a distance, it's nearly impossible to differentiate between the two variations, causing us to do more than one double-take. The only major giveaway is the 50/50 split rear barn doors with...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: Nissan 200SX Convertible For $6500?

It's time for , where you make the call on a car seller's possibly-not-on-speaking-terms-with-reality asking price. Last time we were here, 69% of you thought that $19,000 was just too much to pay for . Today we're going to look at a slightly more affordable Nissan product: an early-80s Nissan...

Nov 16, 2024

2009 MINI Cooper Clubman S, Part Three

You're extremely wealthy and like small cars. You never liked going around corners that much anyways. The most exciting thing that could possibly happen to you in the course of a day is spotting another Mini in exactly the same color and getting the driver of it to wave feverishly...

Nov 16, 2024

First Look: Ford SmartGauge Instument Panel

That newly unveiled looks pretty slick and all, but today we got a chance to sit down in the — complete with black and white jelly bean camouflage — and play around with the new twin-LCD display. We'll let Ford Researcher Jeff Greenberg, a Senior Technical Leader at Ford walk...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $14,900 Ford Fairmont Durango Pickup

Ready for another round of Nice Price Or Crack Pipe? Yesterday, a decisive 89% of you felt that $6,500 was just too much to ask for , so it's off to Booth Number Two for that car! Today we've got something for you fans of vintage Detroit iron- a genuine,...

Nov 16, 2024

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor: First Ride

Ford took us into the desert dirt outside of Las Vegas today to show us a new stock truck package for the 2010 F-150 that looks like it may set the off-road world ablaze. It's called the . Thanks to upgrades like internal bypass FOX Racing Shox, a seven-inch wider...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $6,200 Geo Metro?

Here we go with again, offering a chance to chime in with your opinion on reasonable-versus-unreasonable vehicle asking prices. Last time, garbooned poll hamsters made it impossible to say with scientific certainty whether or not the would have been an overwhelming Crack Pipe winner, but the tone of the comments...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $200,000 Turbo Buick Regal?

You ready for It's ready for you! Today we've got a really interesting one: the original prototype Gale Banks Buick turbocharged V6 engine- the one that led to the Grand National- installed in a Full Mullet Airbrush Mural Overload '81 Regal… and priced at two hundred grand. That engine, if...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: Opel GT Batmobile For $9000?

An astonishing 93% of you felt that paying $200,000 for would require a trip to Booth Number Two for the crack pipe. Today's contestant sold for far less, and we could see how driving it would be pretty damn fun… but nine grand? That's how much the winning bidder paid...

Nov 16, 2024

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: 1973 Ford Ranchero Camper For $12,500?

Here's once again, the day after made NPOCP history! You see, for the first time we've got the majority of voters opting for the Nice Price side of the poll; admittedly, the voting is 173 to 172 at the time of this writing, but that's still a win for the...

Nov 16, 2024