TTAC tested a private car August 15.
Lieberman tested a press car September 19.

We’ve already reported that Forbes thinks buying a new SUV from just about anyone in these time of killer depreciation is a damn fine idea. Apparently, the mag’s enthusiasm for vehicles with barge pole marks also extends to other advertisers unloved automobiles. “Cars Worth A Second Look” can be roughly translated into “Four-Wheeled Dogs You Can Get for A Song.” Poster child for this ten worst best list: the Saab 9-5. “It’s not that the Saab 9-5 is a bad car, ‘it just doesn’t flow well’ with some people, says Stephanie Brinley, auto analyst at AutoPacific, an industry research and analysis firm. The interior is a little bit ‘off center’ with the ignition located on the center console and not the steering column or dash board, which is appealing to ‘a little different buyer with a little different personality,’ she adds. The fact that it sits on an ancient (i.e. decrepit) platform has nothing to do with it. This time out, Jacqueline Mitchell (for it is her) factors crap sales (sub-10k), safety (“acceptable” crash rating or better), EPA mileage (17 – 20mpg) and five-year cost of ownership (including depreciation!). [Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda Tribute, Mazda5, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Hyundai Veracruz, Hyundai Entourage, Acura RL, Audi A3 (captioned A2 in the slide show), Saab 9-5]

Forbes hit the SEO (search engine optimization) mother lode when someone realized that Google hearts ten best lists. Since that fateful discovery, we’ve had The Ten Best Subcompacts for Badminton Players, The Ten Best Minivans In Which to Play Badminton and The Ten Best Muscle Cars for Overcompensating Badminton Players. Normally, I ignore these lists. But you gotta sit-up and take notice when Forbes expands their advertiser-pleasing OCD to a dead genre guzzling– SUVs– and ups the ante to “15 SUVs Worth Buying.” Huh? “Just because the movement in fuel-efficient or green cars looks poised to take another step forward [with the Volt], doesn’t mean SUVs are going the way of the dodo. It doesn’t even mean that they’re bad cars–or even bad buys.” The doubly negative (positive?) Jacqueline Mitchell reckons low prices and safety, safety, safety make SUVs OK again. But fifteen recommendations? I mean, who doesn’t get a look in? Just because you’re pandering to the major playas doesn’t mean you shouldn’t not widen the remit to the point where no one’s not included, does it? And let’s not even factor in depreciation, ’cause that would be a major downer. [Mercedes M-Class, Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Volvo XC90, Acura RDX, GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave/Saturn Outlook; Subaru Tribeca, Honda Pilot, Ford Taurus X, Volkswagen Tiguan, Saturn Vue, Hyundai Sante Fe, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Forester.]

Hiscox Insurance provides coverage for pre-1980 cars, motorcycles and airplanes in the EU. They recently commissioned a study by psychologist David Moxon to assess human response to physical stimuli. In this instance, 40 participants, both men and women, were asked to listen to engine sound recordings of a Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari and… VW Polo. (No mention of which models, presumably expensive classics, nor the Polo’s mill.) Salivary testosterone was measured before and after listening sessions. Reportedly 100 percent of women and 50 percent of men experienced a rise in testosterone after listening to the Maserati soundtrack. Some 60 percent of men responded likewise to the Lamborghini. And some participants had a drop in testosterone after hearing the Polo. (Testosterone levels exhibit some natural variation and saliva levels are less accurate than blood levels.) Even if this study was reproducible, there’s not going to be a stampede to collectible cars. Sorry, Hiscox. Affordable and wearable aphrodisiacs can be had for less money. Active electronic mufflers if/when available open up the possibility of downloadable exhaust tunes. [thanks to ppellico for the link]

Although fans of Six Feet Under might disagree with that statement, much of the series-inspired chuckles were of the "laughing at" rather than "laughing with" variety. And it was a TV show. Back here in the real world, where the only thing that's certain is death and an endless stream of automotive press releases desperate for a news hook, we learn that Ewan Scott, UK spinmeister for Aardvark Associates, brings a bit of personality to the job of promoting… death. "Dealing with bereaved families requires compassion, empathy and a sense of dignity. So, funeral directors planning on making an attempt on a Guinness World Record might appear to be a bit of a stretch, you might think. However, that is just what the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD) aim to do at their annual conference at the Croydon Hilton on the 24 – 26th October this year." That's when the organization will stage the world's largest funeral hearse parade (cortege?). "The BIFD wants to open up the profession and its suppliers to their market to make the whole process less intimidating," Prez Adrian Pink reveals. "The hearse cavalcade is an event that puts us in the public eye, it lets the public and the funeral directors see the range of vehicles available from the carriage masters. A visit to the conference’s exhibition allows the public to see the wide range of options available to them, without being under the immediate stress of a bereavement." Unless, of course, they are.

American automotive design creativity and imagination in Detroit died with the 1977 wrap-around rear-window Oldsmobile Toronado XSR Coupe , but it's alive and well in the Nevada desert. At the annual Burning Man gathering, mobile imaginations/hallucinations incarnated run amok and are celebrated. It's a fitting (if extreme) reaction to the ever-more predictable and imitative automotive styling rut of the times. GM Styling guru Harley Earl would have felt (and looked) right at home tooling around the sand flats in his gas-turbine powered Firebird dream-car .

There isn't a whole lot to say here. Daihatsu has just revealed a special trim edition of its "Move" Kei car, calling it the Move Conte. To this writer at least, it sounds like something that a rapper would yell at other cars out the window of his Escalade. Or, in the words of one forum commenter, "What cupid stunt thought this was a good name?"

Those wacky Brits– you never know just what they'll try next. From Motor Trader comes a report that farmer Steve Burgess has become the first person to cross the Bering Strait in a land vehicle. He floated across the 56-mile stretch from Russia to Alaska in a Land Rover Defender equipped with pontoons, a propeller and motor. His 10,379-mile trek from his home in Yorkshire was sponsored by Cooper Tires. Back in Merry Olde England, earlier this month Top Gear's James Mays and oenophile Oz Clarke ran a Radical SR4 racing car from 0 ot 60 in 3.5 seconds using "a special distillation of whisky." Bruichladdich distillery manager Duncan MacGillivray said "The exhaust smells much better than petrol. It's a sustainable biofuel; but at £26 a litre, the duty and VAT isn't, so it's not a viable alternative just yet." Of course, that just begs the question of whether the police could charge you with DUI if your car had whiskey on its breath.

..

And here it is: the love child of a BMW Z3 and a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The fact that this Gorgon-on-wheels is trust fund-busting expensive is just icing on the pie-in-the-poseur's-face (a la Three Stooges). As for Autoblog's irony-free report on this monstrosity, someone needs to take Noah Joseph out and get him, well, you know. Drunk. High. Laid. Something. "The Pininfarina Hyperion was unveiled just this past weekend at Pebble Beach, and our man Drew was on hand to bring you the best shots of the one-off coachbuilt special from the show stand as it was unveiled and from the fairway where it was displayed in all its glory." I know, I know: Jay Leno's Tank Car– which he actually drove to Pebble Beach. But c'mon, there's nothing more ridiculous than looking ridiculous when you're trying SO hard to look suave. 

this is a real real Very best street race ever....

Extreme Toyota Prius