I’ve driven so many different test cars—too many to even count anymore—with useless, quirky and just plain strange features in them. Looking at pictures of these cars brings up many memories— not all of them good.  This week, I came across photos of the flip-down liftgate speakers, which are for tailgating, in the 2010 Jeep Patriot. Call me stodgy, but does anyone older than 21 actually use these speakers? They’re kind of a fun gimmick, but I never whipped them out in the carpool lane.   The speakers got me thinking. What weird features do you have in your car?  There’s got to be at least one that makes you say, “What the @#%$ were they thinking?”  Tell us about it in the comment section below.   
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Over the years, minivan choices have narrowed to a select few. The automotive twins, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, are the last minivans offered by the Detroit Three. Recently, a 2010 Town & Country and Grand Caravan came through our offices. They had the same interior layout, with two captain’s chairs in the second row and a three-seat bench in the third row. For the Car Seat Check, we use a rear-facing infant-safety seat, a convertible child-safety seat and a high-back booster seat, all made by Graco. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The child seats are installed in the second row and, if available, third row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. Here’s how the 2010 Town & Country and Grand Caravan scored in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check: Latch system: There are two sets of lower Latch anchors in the second-row captain’s chairs. They’re visible to the eye and easy to use. In the third-row bench, a set of lower Latch anchors sits off-center of the middle position. When a child-safety seat is installed using the Latch anchors in the third row, the three-seat bench essentially becomes a two-seater. I can’t say I’m wild about that, especially if you’re using a minivan to haul a bigger family. The exposed tether anchors sit at the base of the seatbacks, which is a long reach.  Booster seat: In the second row, the booster seat fit well in the captain’s chairs after the head restraints were removed, and the seat belt buckles sit in stable bases that are well within a child’s reach. In the third row, the seat bolstering interfered with the booster’s fit. There also were problems with the seat belt buckles in the third row. The buckles were floppy, which are harder for kids to manage, and fell behind or under the booster seat.  Convertible child-safety seat: The exposed Latch anchors made installing both the rear- and forward-facing convertible seat a cinch. I had to remove the head restraint to get a good fit with the forward-facing convertible in the captain’s chairs. Rear-facing infant-safety seat: This was also easy to install in the second row. Do two car seats fit? Yes, in both the second and third rows. Do three car seats fit? Yes, if using both rows. Four car seats will fit into these minivans easily, but five might be difficult unless the three car seats used in the third row are narrow.
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“Toyota sympathizes with the individuals and families involved in any accident involving our vehicles. We are making an all-out effort to ensure our vehicles are safe and are making substantial progress towards completing our recalls with effective and durable solutions. We also remain committed to investigating reported incidents of unintended acceleration in our vehicles quickly, as in Harrison, New York, and we will continue to work in close partnership with law enforcement agencies and federal regulators with jurisdiction over accident scenes whenever requested. “As always, it is important to remember that many of the complaints in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that could help identify the cause of an accident or, in some cases, even the specific vehicle involved. Furthermore, instances of unintended acceleration can be caused by many factors and they are not all sudden or sustained. The category is very broad, affects all major automakers, and can include issues involving pedal entrapment, pedal misapplication, transmission surges and driver reaction to normal engine speed control variations when cruise control or air conditioning systems are in use.”
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Awesome video of the new Dodge Challenger from the Minneapolis Auto Show.

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The 2010 Cadillac CTS defines what an American Luxury car can be this year. The roomy and elegant cabin, seemingly endless options, and available “all wheel drive” make this secure handling car a must see in the mid size luxury sedan category. All CTS models for 2010 are rear wheel drive and come standard with a six speed manual transmission. A six speed automatic and “all wheel drive” are optional drive trains. The CTS comes in five trim levels this year, below is a breakdown and specs on all of them.
 
 
3.0 Base-Comes with automatic headlights, dual zone climate control, 17 inch alloy wheels, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, vinyl “leatherette” interior, cruise control, eight way power driver seat, auto dimming rear view mirror, and an eight speaker CD stereo system with satellite radio and auxiliary audio jack. The engine is a 3.0 liter V6 produces 270 horsepower and 223 pound feet of torque, according to their online auto brochure. Mileage is rated at 18mpg city and 27mpg highway. Standard safety features include traction control, anti lock disc brakes, front seat side airbags, full length side curtain airbags, stability control, and OnStar emergency communications system.
 
3.0 Luxury-Adds leather interior, heated front seats, driver memory front seat, eight way power passenger seat, wood and leather steering wheel, Bluetooth, interior ambient lighting, and a six disc CD changer. The optional Eco Lux Collection alters the car’s aerodynamics and tires to achieve 30mpg highway and is only available on this trim level. All other engine and standard safety features are the same.
 
3.0 Performance- This model has all the Luxury trim level equipment plus performance brakes, FE2 sport tuned suspension, limited slip rear differential, 18 inch alloy wheels, and adaptive HID headlamps. All engine and standard safety features are the same.
 
3.6 Performance-This model adds a 10 speaker surround sound stereo with digital music storage and USB/IPod interface. The engine jumps up to the bigger 3.6 liter V6 that produces 304 horsepower and 273 pound feet of torque. Mileage is rated at 18mpg city and 27mpg highway.
 
3.6 Luxury- This model has two available packages. The luxury “level two” includes a split folding rear seat, heated and cooled front seats, rear parking sensors, keyless ignition, keyless entry, remote start, and a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel. The luxury “premium” includes all the “level two” equipment plus a back up camera, hard drive based navigation system, and a panoramic sunroof. All engine and standard safety features are the same.
 
Notable options are the panoramic sunroof which is available on all CTS models. The back up camera and navigation system are available on all models except the Base CTS.
 
In government crash tests the 2010 Cadillac CTS sedan was awarded a perfect five stars for side protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the CTS their best rating of “good” in frontal offset and side impact crash testing.

Click Here To View Or Download The 2010 Cadillac CTS Online Auto Brochure pdf

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Chrysler’s upcoming 6.4-liter V-8 gasoline engine will only be available for the company’s high-performance SRT vehicles and not Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks unless substantial changes can be made.

Click Here To View or Download the 2010 Dodge Ram Online Auto Brochure pdf
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The 2010 Lexus ES 350 has lived up to its reputation this year. This luxury sedan continues to deliver a smooth ride, powerful V6 engine, and lots of high end features. New this year is a slight revision to the exterior, standard rear side airbags, and the optional “Lexus Enform and Safety Connect” telematics system. There is only one trim level available with an extensive list of optional equipment to choose from. Below is an overview of options and specs.
 
Standard Equipment- Includes automatic wipers, keyless ignition, keyless entry, 17 inch alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, cruise control, 10 way power front seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, power sunroof, auto dimming rear view mirror, leather interior, driver memory functions, Bluetooth and music streaming capability, eight speaker stereo system with six disk in dash CD changer, iPod interface, satellite radio, and auxiliary USB audio jack.
 
Optional Equipment-Available options are a self parking system, heated and ventilated front seats, upgraded leather interior, adaptive HID headlights, adaptive cruise control, power rear sunshade, panoramic sunroof, passenger memory functions, wood and leather steering wheel, hard drive based navigation system with back up camera, Lexus Enform telematics system, and a Mark Levinson 14 speaker premium stereo system.
 
Powertrain-The ES 350 has one engine option, a 3.5 literV6 that produces 272 horsepower and 254 pound feet of torque. Mileage is rated at 19mpg city and 27mpg highway.
 
Safety-Standard safety features include antilock brakes, front side airbags, rear side airbags, side curtain airbags, front knee airbags, traction control, and stability control. Radar based pre collision system and “Lexus Enform and Safety Connect” are optional safety features.
 
In government crash tests, the Lexus ES350 earned the maximum of five stars for frontal crash protection and front seat side crash protection. It received four stars for rear side protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the ES350 their highest rating of “good” in frontal offset and side crash tests.

Click Here To View Or Download The Lexus ES 350 Online Auto Brochure pdf.
 

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