NEW Lexus IS250c

Some might think that hard-top convertibles are new.  Back in 1957, Ford built a retractable hard top convertible. It was the best of both worlds. Hard top for rain and stability and top down motoring to enjoy a warm, sunny day.

Although a great idea, it was a bit ahead of its time.  The hard-tops were big and somewhat clumsy. A big trunk was needed to retract the large car roofs of the day and many of them leaked. Very few of these cars were built and most are valuable collector cars today.

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It’s amazing how far Hyundai has come in 20 years. I remember looking at the Excel back in the 80’s and thinking wow this car is cheap! and not only the price, but really the quality.  A breaking problem was the first of many issues that haunted Hyundai over the early years. From it came a reputation of cheap, unreliable junk from Korea.

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I can’t quite get over the odd looking rear-end of the 2010 Mustang.  I spotted one the first week they were out at a dealership in San Francisco. I stopped to take a look and was impressed by the front-end, side view and interior. This was a GT Premium with the 19″ wheels. It looked sweet! Then I got around to the back of the car to check out the new tail light design. I had seen dozens of photos before hand, but had hoped that it would look better in person. To my dismay, no such luck.

Ford had a goal to make the new mustang look smaller. The angled bumber, tappered lights and up tilted rear tail lights did the trick. It also gave the mustang an odd look in my opinion. Will Ford recognize the odd look and fix it before a refresh is due? my guess is no!

I would still consider buying a Mustang for the pure muscle, but with the lack of an IRS, 5 speed rather than 6 speed and that odd looking rear-end only a huge rebate would actually make me do so. What do you think? Does this rear-end need to be fixed before 2011?

New Pontiac G8 GXP

Over 400 HP and a zero to 60 time of less than 5 seconds. The new Pontiac G8 is a force to be reckoned with!  For about 40K you can have a full size BMW fighter that is all American Muscle with a bit of help from our friends down under. Take a look at this article from our friends at Motortrend.com and let us know what you think. Can America compete with the high performance luxury from Europe?

After a long delay, Ford has decided to release the 2009 Ford F150 truck.  This truck is more evolution than revolution. The frame is now boxed to bring extra strength and to provide better driving dynamics.  The drive train choices are a hold over from 2008, although they will provide slightly greater power and fuel efficiency. Will this be enough to hold off the new Dodge Ram? only time will tell. Now that gas is back near $2 per gallon, truck sales may be slightly better, but the credit crunch and housing crisis will limit sales for both customers and company fleets.

Interior 2009 Ford F150