PRICE: (base) $27,625

SPECS: Engine: 191 net hp: 156hp Duratec 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve Atkinson cycle, 106hp Permanent magnet AC synchronous motor (electric)

MPG: 41 city/ 36 mpg

RIDE:
If you’ve driven any number of hybrids, you’ve surely noticed a significant difference in the way they drive compared to normal, gasoline powered cars. The brakes usually depress in a weird way due to the regenerative brake system that turns the energy wasted during braking into energy the car can use. And when the electric motor kicks in there’s a very noticeable change over; sometimes it’s so noticeable, a hybrid newbie may think something’s wrong with their engine. The Fusion Hybrid doesn’t suffer from either of those set backs. If it wasn’t for the customized gauges or the badges, you’d be hard pressed to realize you were driving a car with a gas engine and an electric motor. It’s that good. The brakes function and feel like normal brakes, and the cut off between the electric motor is barely noticeable. A main barrier of admission for most people when looking at Hybrids is them not wanting to sacrifice their usual driving experience. With the Ford Fusion, you don’t have to.

EXTERIOR:
The Fusion was already a good looking car, more in tune with Ford’s Euro offerings than its stateside models. For 2010 Ford nipped and tucked the Fusion’s sheet metal to give it an even more sleeker look. Get the Fusion in its Sport trim and you have a car that looks as good as some more expensive sport sedans. But we’re not talking about the Sport trim here, we’re focusing on the Hybrid, and let’s just say, Ford must have spent most of their mind muscle in making the car sip fuel than look fly. Better (bigger) rims and some sort of kit would have rounded out the look a little better. Though we’re sure those opting for the Hybrid aren’t too concerned with looks.

INTERIOR:
Clean and modern. Not too fussy, Ford nailed it with a great blend of quality materials and accents. The seats, which are made from 85 percent post-industrial materials, are comfortable but sturdy, offering decent lumbar support—great for long road trips. Hop behind the wheel, turn the key and your eyes will be immediately drawn to the new dual LCD SmartGauge Cluster. With bright greens and blues the SmartGauge cluster uses two LCD screens to the right and left of the speedometer to inform you of your gas mileage, battery level, fuel level and your electric motor levels. But the coolest part of the cluster is the green motivator all the way to the right. What starts out as a bunch of vines grows into a bush of leaves as you drive more greenly. Pretty dope.

AUDIO:
Our Fusion Hybrid came equipped with Sony’s 12 speaker (two subwoofers), 390 watt, Dolby DAEP 5.1 Surround Sound technology equipped, 6-disc in-dash CD system. And it knocks. We wish the volume went a little higher, as it was hard to really get into your song when driving with the window’s open. If you’re getting a Fusion, this is the system to get.

WHIP APPEAL:
Let’s be real: You don’t buy a hybrid to stunt. That said, the Fusion is one of the best looking hybrids on the road. Spec it out a lil’ and you can at least look like you’re driving a sports sedan.

ONE MORE THING:
Most hybrids can only go up to 20mph in electric mode, where as the Fusion Hybrid can go up to 47 mph.

SUMMARY:
Hybrids are a tough sell for some people, we know. But peep this: We took the Fusion Hybrid to Massachusetts for a weekend, drove all around, drove back and didn’t have to stop at a gas station once. We don’t know about you, but having money in our pocket is cool to us. And besides, what girl do you know doesn’t want to save the planet? Think about it.
RATING: 4.5/5

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No matter how nice you believe your wheel game to be, we’re pretty sure it’s not as nice as Ken Block’s. A love of all things motor led the co-founder of DC Shoes to train as a rally driver so he could compete in the Rally America series. He was so nice behind the wheel of his Vermont SportsCar prepared Subaru WRX STi that he won Rally America’s Rookie of the Year award. To further show off his skill, he put together two videos of him in his Subaru ripping and sliding through a Gymhana course, both of which became instant hits on the ‘Net.

Yeah, dude knows a thing or two about car control. So who better to teach us how to do a drift? We got Ken to give us a basic run through on how to initiate a slide through a hairpin turn. Keep in mind: These four steps are basic instructions and won’t make you an expert, so please be careful. So buckle up and read on to learn how to get (safely) sideways, and then peep Ken’s second Gymkhana to see how it’s really done…

Needed: A Manual-Drive vehicle, driver’s license, and lots of space (parking lot favored, empty is ideal)

1. GET UP TO SPEED.
Firstly, you need to find some open space (a parking lot or course is ideal) and start on the straightaway slowly. In order to drift, you need to break your tires’ grip on the road, so your car needs to get up to a certain speed. Eye the drift point and begin to accelerate down the straightaway. Keep the car in second gear and accelerate so that you hit the drift point going about 40 mph. For your first time, if you’re going any faster than 60 mph, you may not make it, so don’t go too nuts.
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2. HIT THE BRAKES.
Weight transfer is the key to car control and the easiest way to control your car’s mass is with the accelerator and the brake pedals. “I would come in at a pretty high speed,” explains Block, “so I would brake fairly hard with the regular brakes to get the weight transfer and to get the weight under the front wheels.” As you approach the turn, tap your brakes. This will transfer the weight of the car from rear to front, which lightens the load over the rear wheels. That allows them to break traction more easily, and allows you to get them sliding.

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3. INITIATE THE SLIDE.
Now that the weight is off of the rear wheels, you can begin the drift. Gymkhana has a lot of tight turns, so Ken Block recommends using the handbrake at the start: “I sometimes initiate with an opposite turn to get the rear wheels loose but using the handbrake is a little bit more consistent and a little bit quicker.” At the top of the corner, turn your steering wheel slightly into the turn, give it a little more throttle, push the clutch in, and pull the handbrake. You will feel the rear wheels lose traction and the rear of your car will begin to slide out.
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4. CONTROL THE SLIDE.
Once the rear of your car begins to drift, use the steering wheel to keep the car going around the apex of the corner. First, keep it pointed in the direction of the turn; then, as you reach the apex, quickly begin to counter-steer (turning wheel in the opposite direction) while pulling the handbrake intermittently. That will keep the wheels loose, but will also slow the car down. So, depending on the angle of your corner, you need to keep on the throttle and make sure enough power is being sent to your wheels. Once you’re through the corner, point your car towards the next turn, hit the throttle, and repeat.

VIDEO: KEN BLOCK GYMKAHANA INFOMERCIAL (FEAT. ROB DYRDEK)

*DON’T WRECK YOUR CAR (OR YOURSELF) WITHOUT CHECKING OUT TEAM O’NEIL RALLY SCHOOL FIRST.

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s been this little global financial meltdown going on, so you’re not getting another Hummer for your birthday this year. It’s a good thing, then, that self-propelled locomotion is the move in ’09. From high-end hipster stylings (Freeman Transport’s collapsible fixies) to commuter revolutions (bike-sharing programs in D.C., Denver, Tucson, and elsewhere), America is figuring out what the world’s known for years: Bicycles are a great way to get around when polar bears are doing the backstroke and wars for oil aren’t as fun as they used to be. See below for 5 Great New Bikes For Any Style…

THE COASTER: VANMOOF 28″
• Bike-riding doesn’t have to be about getting from point A to point B in the fastest possible time. Shit, it doesn’t have to be about getting anywhere. The “Moof” is perfect for aimless cruising.
http://www.vanmoof.com/index.php

THE RACER: COLNAGO EPS
• If you do have to get somewhere fast, it’s hard to top Colnago, the Italian racing company that’s provided the locomotion for over 5000 pro wins since 1974.
http://www.colnago.com/index.php

THE MOUNTAIN BOMBER: INTENSE SPIDER FRO
• The opposite of aimless cruising is bombing down off-road trails, and in the case of the latter, the goal is having the most thrills per minute while also keeping your vertebrae in more or less working order. The Spider helps you do both, as its VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) suspension system tailors your ride to each bump while keeping your speed up by reducing pedal bob.
http://www.intensecycles.com/

THE ECO-FRIENDLY: BAMBOO BIKE STUDIO
• You’ve already reduced your carbon footprint by biking in the first place, but if you wanna really do your part, get a fully customized bamboo bike from Bamboo Bike Studio. In a weekend, the folks at BBS will teach you how to make your own bike from scratch, and give a portion of your class tuition to support bamboo bike factories in Africa and South America.
http://bamboobikestudio.com/go/

THE FIXIE: FREEMAN TRANSPORT NO1 TRACK BIKE
• Yeah, fixed gear hoopla has us ready to gag on a shotgun, too, but we’ve got to admit some of ‘em are kinda cool (once you get past the overwhelming dorkitude of the whole thing). Case in point is Freeman Transport’s collapsible NO1, a fun ride that won’t have your fellow commuters ice grilling you on the subway.
http://www.freemantransport.com/

Test on the famed Nürburgring in Germany, the CTS-V was built to be the best production performance sedan on the market, and we’ll be damned if it isn’t at least in the top 3. To really test it out, we got a chance to take the CTS-V around the track at the Monticello Race Way in Monticello, New York. Read our full review and watch track day video below…

PRICE: (Base) $57,920, (As tested) $68,135

SPECS:
Engine: 556, HP 6.2L Supercharged V8
MPG: 12 city/18 hwy

RIDE: When creating the CTS-V, it’s obvious Cadillac wanted to build a car that would be as comfortable in bumper-to-bumper traffic as it would rounding an apex on a track, and for the most part they’ve succeeded. The CTS-V comes equipped with driver controllable four wheel independent suspension with magnetic ride control. From the driver seat you can adjust the stiffness of the suspension by switching it to either “Tour” or “Sport” mode. Tour for your everyday driving and Sport for more spirited, performance driving. That said, while on the track the car felt comfortable enough in Tour mode to hold its own. But once switched to sport, you automatically sense a more firm and able ride with much less body roll. However, that doesn’t mean you can feel every hole in the road. It’s still a Cadillac and it rolls accordingly—nice and smooth.

But all that doesn’t matter once you floor the throttle. Open up the supercharged V8, wait for the rear end to settle a bit and then hold on as the car takes off. The power is limitless. On the highway, at any speed, you can floor it and the V will keep accelerating. 60 mph comes in around 3.9 seconds and 100 comes quickly after that. Suffice to say, you can get yourself in a shit load of trouble with the CTS-V if not careful. Mostly due to the fact that 110 mph feels as stable as surefooted as 30 mph.

EXTERIOR: The CTS-V pulls off a great balancing act. Thanks to its mesh grill, bulging hoodscoop and bodykit (front and rear diffusers), the V looks vastly different from the regular CTS. Seen from a review mirror, it looks like it could effortlessly devour a Civic. It straight up looks vicious. At the same time, it still looks buttoned up enough to roll up to the fanciest of restaurants with. And the 19″ aluminum wheels top off the look.

INTERIOR: If the exterior and the sonorous gurgle of the motor didn’t alert you to the fact that this wasn’t a normal CTS, the interior will. The two front seats are custom made by Recaro and do a great job holding you in place even under the most severe G (lateral pull)loads. They’re an $3,400 option, but we highly recommend you tick the box. Like all cars, the CTS has grown. There’s more room in the backseat—enough for three grown men to comfortably ride in for a number of hours. But, one of the best features of the interior is the suede steering wheel and shifter. It may not seem that important, but trust, the steering wheel is the one thing you interact with the most in the car and when it’s on point, it makes the experience all the better. Coming in a close second is the navigation/entertainment system which, with the push of a button, floats out of the dash to reveal of full touch screen. Yeah, we’ve seen this trick before, but it’s still cool to see.

AUDIO: A 5.1, 10 speaker, Bose surround sound system knocked loud enough to drown out the thundering of the engine. Bass came through clear and balanced, so much so we were able to hold a mini concert in a parking lot. Like most new rides, the V offers an integrated iPod/iPhone connection that allows you to control your iPod via the touchscreen. It’s not the best UI we’ve seen, but it’s much better than reaching down and fumbling with your iPod while on the road.

WHIP APPEAL: The boy racer has to grow up sometime, and when that time comes, the CTS-V is the perfect car. Heads in the know will give you props for copping the V over one of its competitors.

ONE MORE THING: With all the performance, along with its 4300 lb curb weight, you couldn’t possibly think this car was earth-friendly. Nah, not at all. The CTS-V has an average MPG of 15 mpg. And being that it’s almost impossible to drive this car responsibly, you will find yourself averaging less than that. You’ll be at the pump more often than DMX finds himself in the bing.

SUMMARY: If James Bond was American, this is the car he would drive. ‘Nuff said.

RATING: 5/5

The 2010 Camaro just hit the first set of pre-books this month, and the car will continue to deliver into the Fall, so it’s officially time to get excited (and to get your Long Island/New Jersey on). Hit the jump to watch Lifestyle Editor Bradley Carbone’s video test drive of the 2010 Camaro SS, one of the most anticipated cars this year…

-CLICK HERE TO WATCH MORE “TEST DRIVE” CAR VIDEOS
-CLICK HERE TO READ MORE “TEST DRIVE” CAR REVIEWS

All we know is that they’d have an easier time convincing the public to buy the new AfroMan album than they would convincing them to buy a Hummer. Maybe they could highlight all the good times the public has shared with the car. Don’t remember any? Don’t worry, we’ve compiled a couple of our favorite Hummer moments to jog your memory…


Hummer Comes to America, 1991

Originally created as a new age transport vehicle for the armed forces, the AM General’s (not to be confused with General Motors) High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (or HMMWV, bka Humvee) was the most raw and rugged SUV you could buy. Well, it would have been if you could buy it. At the behest of some wealthy Humvees (including Cali’s future Governor), AM General decided to make civilian versions of the Humvee under the brand name Hummer.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets the First Hummer, 1992

When they finally hit the streets, the first person in line was, of course, Mr. Terminator himself. We know how happy dude was, but he could have gone without shaking his glutes for the audience.

Master P’s “Bout Dat” Video, 2000

Be honest—when you saw this video, you wanted a stretch Hummer limo for your prom (along with the strippers). And, come on: “Bentleys and Hummers; lil daddy, we bout dat!”

Criss Angel Transforms a Toy Hummer Into a Real Hummer, 2008

Why was Criss Angel always doing magic tricks in parking lots in Vegas? Oh yeah, he’s a douche.

The Hummer Goes Electric!, 2009

What, you thought Arnold was gonna give up his Hummer just because they’re supposedly bad for the planet? FOH! That’s like him not doing Terminator 3 just because he was too old to play the part and the story made less sense than DJ Webstar having his own label. Before GM kicked the bucket, Arnold went to Washington to speak on behalf of Raser Electrics 100 mpg (as long as you didn’t drive more than 60 miles) EV Hummer.

One of those companies is Nissan. Even though they don’t plan to drop their EV until late 2010, they’ve already got a test mule up and running for journalists to put through the paces. They brought their EV-02 (the only one in existence) through New York and we got a chance to push it around a little bit. Read on for our full review below…

PRICE:
TBD. According to Nissan’s head of product planning, their EV will cost the same as one of their mid-sized family sedans, so think $25,000. Nissan has confirmed that the EV will qualify for the $7,500 tax credit.

SPECS:
At the time of our test drive, the only specs Nissan was able to give us were that the lithium-ion batteries used in the car were made by a partnership Nissan has created with a third party electronic company. So you won’t be seeing the same battery tech in any other non-Nissan cars.

RIDE:
Given that most of the driving population hasn’t had the opportunity to drive a fully electric car, one of Nissan’s (and every other company building an EV) biggest hurdle will be to make people believe that an electric car will drive just like their current gasoline powered ride. After driving Nissan’s EV-02 we can say the general public has nothing to worry about. Well, except for the instant torque.

Unlike conventional motors that have to rev and rev to build their torque (the power that actually makes the wheels turn), electric motors have all their torque available immediately. What does that mean for you? Well, even though the EV-02 isn’t the most powerful of cars, when you floor it, it takes off. We mean, tires chirping, head back, takes off. No need to turn this motors swag on.

Overall ride was smooth and velvety. The lack of noise was a little weird, especially since we couldn’t turn the music on, but once we hit the first corner and the tires actually broke loose, we really didn’t care. According to Nissan you will be able to get 100 miles out of a single charge which should be more than enough for most people.

EXTERIOR:
The EV-02 uses a Nissan Cube body as a mule. When the EV drops, Nissan will have developed an original body type. According to Nissan reps it will more than likely be a 5 door, hatchback to accommodate the battery packs. All we know is that it better look damn good.

ONE MORE THING:
In order for electric vehicles to work, there will need to be a network of charging stations around the country to support them like gas stations do regular cars. Nissan is already working with major US cities including, Seattle, Phoenix and San Francisco to build out those networks. In order to make charging easier, the battery and the accompanying home charging station (which will cost around $1,000) will have three charging modes: Level 1 which will charge on a 110 volt outlet and will take over 8 hrs, Level 2 which will charge on a 220 volt outlet (the same as an electric dryer) and will take 4 hours (this is the one Nissan recommends) and Level 3 which is a fast charge will be on a 480 volt outlet and will take only around 26 minutes.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:
Nissan says that the only way the EV won’t be more beneficial to your pocket than a conventional car is if gas drops below $1.10 a gallon. And since the current national average for gas is $2.27 a gallon, we don’t ever see the $1.10/gallon being cheaper. Also, many argue that the coal burnt to generate the electricity powering these cars is just as bad as the emissions from gas powered whips, but according to Nissan, the EV will be 67% cleaner from well to wheel. So if you’re looking to save major money at the pump and do mother earth a solid, electric cars seem like the way to go.

SUMMARY:
The EV-02 seems to have a lot of potential as long as the original body is attractive and the price isn’t too crazy.

SPECS:
Engine: 270hp, 3.2L V6 DOHC engine w/ FSI Direct Injection
MPG: 18 city/22 mpg

RIDE:
We had a chance to drive the Q5 over car-commercial-worthy roads in the hills of Pennsylvania. The Q5 feels sturdy while remaining deft enough to handle unpredictable curves at speed. (Hence, crossover CUV, right?) On the freeway, the V6 has more than enough kick to bullet past the slow and the curious. The Q5 also offers four switchable operating modes—Comfort, Automatic, Dynamic and Individual—which allegedly affect things like steering, transmission shift characteristics and engine response. Since we always left it at “Automatic,” we’ll have to take Audi’s word. It certainly sounds like a cool option.

EXTERIOR:
If the Q5 is Manny Pacquiao—you know, small but strong, engaging but menacing, etc.—then the front grille is Pac-Man’s left hook. Impactful. We’ve always loved Audi’s trademark grille but it looks especially fresh on the Q5 because if its lean, muscular physique. Should we pause that? Nah. We prefer the overall appearance of the Q5 to its main competitors, simply because it looks like a proper Audi, not a shrunken-down version of another car.

INTERIOR:
The insides of the Q5 are basically everything you’d expect from an Audi. From the moment you sit down in the driver’s seat, you feel the luxury. The new third-generation Multi-Media Interface (MMI) will be familiar to anyone who’s driven an Audi, but new features include 3-D navigation that is one of the best we’ve ever used (though an “along the route” option would’ve been nice). The display screen is big and clear, the cockpit is ergonomically perfect and the joystick controls (in both the console and the steering wheel) are very intuitive. The voice-command system—the navigation is programmed to respond to basic statements like “I need money” or “I’m hungry”—is cool in theory but a little gimmicky in execution. Way better than Ford Sync though.

AUDIO:
The “Prestige” package comes with an aptly-named Bang & Olufsen 14-speaker sound system—yep, it bangs. Thankfully, the Q5 also comes with a handy iPod cable in the glove compartment (it’s about time!) for seamless integration with the in-dash console. Unlike other iPod-auto integration systems we’ve used, the Q5 instantly recognizes all of your music and allows you to speed-search your entire catalogue. Using the steering-wheel controls to comb through a 60GB iPod while driving may not be the safest move, but it sure kills time in traffic.

WHIP APPEAL:
The Q5 is the type of car that doesn’t elicit double-takes so much as long, measured, admiring looks from grown-ass adults. Like, “I want to marry that!” instead of “I want to fuck!” It has a presence, this one.

ONE MORE THING:
For an extra $500, Audi offers “side assist”: a sensor light on each rearview mirror that goes on when a car is in your blind spot. Perfect for chronic cutter-offers. You know who you are. Assholes.

SUMMARY: We love pretty much everything about the Q5, but we also pretty much love everything from Audi. It’s not the most budget-friendly choice but for a crossover CUV, it’s the Complex choice.

RATING: 4.5/5

But with the General hedging all his bets on the Volt and Washington forcing them to trim the fat or declare bankruptcy, they had little choice (we’re not sure how Buick survived, but whatever). So, in remembrance of the failed brand, we’re pouring a little liquor out and reminiscing about their best cars…

#5: 1988 FIERO
• You know those girls who are real pretty but are terrible in bed? That was the Fiero. When it launched in ‘84, it was as stylish as any Euro offering, but take it around a track and you felt like you were riding shotgun with Sean Kingston. Pontiac changed all that with the 1988 model when they upgraded the suspension and also gave the four-cylinder and V6 engines a complete make-over. Too bad that was the last year of production.

#4: 1978 TRANS AM FIREBIRD
• If we were to ask you to say the first word that came into your head when you looked at the picture above, you’d probably blurt out “redneck”. And while we wouldn’t take points off or call you culturally insensitive, we would recommend you read up on this car and then maybe change your answer to: “Rebirth.” After years of de-tuning the Firebird, Pontiac said eff it and updated the 400 engine, upping the performance by 10%. The next year Pontiac sold a record 116,535 Firebirds.

#3: 1968 PONTIAC GTO JUDGE
• What do you do when you’re no longer the only muscle car maker in the land? You take your best chassis and best V8 and remix it. And with the Judges’ bright paint jobs, “The Judge” graphics and new tail, they did just that.

#2: 2008 G8
• If only the G8 had come years earlier, say, around 2001 when they introduced the ugliest compilation of sheet metal to ever leave Detroit: the Pontiac Aztek. And if only they had re-realized back then that their heritage lied in rear wheel drive performance and not family cars that looked as if they were the afterbirth of Optimus Prime’s baby’s mother. Although based on the Holden (GM’s Australia nameplate) VE Commodore, with the ability to get it with the 415hp LS3 V8 engine and looks that didn’t brag about its power, the G8 subtly let passerby’s know they couldn’t fuck with it . Not to mention it was a dream to drive. Responsive, agile, grippy. But after only two years (barely) in production, it does seem like it was all dream.

#1: 1964 GTO
• The engineers at Pontiac knew the big-engine loving, lead-footed kids were the future. Therefore a team headed by chief engineer John De Lorean (yeah, the guy that made the “Back to the Future” car) decided to take the Pontiac Tempest, make it rear wheel drive, throw their biggest V8 into it and make it a hot rod you could buy straight off the showroom floor. And thus the era of the “muscle car” was born. Thank you, Pontiac.

It’s not that Mazda can’t make a mid sized sedan as fun as the Mx-5. When Mazda dropped their 2.3L turbocharged I4 motor into the last generation 6, powered all four wheels and dubbed it the MazdaSpeed6, they proved they could make anything go zoom-zoom. It’s just that mid sized sedans are mostly bought by parents. And all they care about is getting from the crib to the dentist to Whole Foods with the least amount of fuss. Which the 6 will do since it’s now longer, wider and heavier than the last gen, meaning there’s more room for people and their things. Interior materials aren’t the best, but everything is ergonomically sound, so you’re not wondering why you can’t reach the climate controls or why you have no place to rest your elbow. Cop the Grand Touring edition and you’ll find yourself in the most comfortable interior Mazda has available. But all that doesn’t mean it’s just a cheaper Camry.

First off, the styling alone makes it more fun than its competition. Taking on more of Mazda’s Nagare design theme, the 6 looks like the sedan version of the RX-8. All the wheel arches are bigger, the roof line is more streamlined and future video girls can only pray their plastic surgeons can whip them up a rear end as attractive as this. Due to the new proportions, however, any wheel under 18in will look sillier than Cassie’s new haircut.

Just like her head, the 6 comes in two flavors— the “i” with a 170hp I4 (inline four cylinder) and the “s” with a 272hp V6. Despite the V6’s poor gas mileage (17 city/25 hwy), trust us when we say you’ll be happier with that over the I4. Especially if you live in a city where the cabs are already halfway through the intersection by the time the light turns green. Or don’t feel like keeping the revs up just to keep up with traffic.

While the engine choices left us wondering where that sports car soul was, the suspension gave us a little hint. It’s no canyon carver, but despite the light steering feel, if you whip it into a turn and the 6 won’t completely turn to Jello. So, yeah, the Mazda6 is still just a midsized sedan, but at least it looks like it wants to go zoom-zoom rather than go grocery shopping.

PRICE:Starting at $18,550 (iSV) goes to $28,260 (s Grand Touring)

SPECS: i: 2.5L 170hp I4, s: 3.7 272hp V6

MPG: i: 21city/30hwy, s:17city/25mpg

Let us not forget the storied history of the Segway, though! These things are awesome, from Cops running down gunmen to Arrested Development’s Gob showing how an executive can make the lamest device in the world classy. Hit the jump for a brief history the Segway…

2002: THE FIRST SEGWAY GOES INTO PRODUCTION

• There’s your dude, Dean Kamen. He’s a New Hampshire tinkerer, who figured out a way to jam a bunch of gyroscopes into your scooter for a little less than $6,000. After its 2001 unveiling, the device is hyped beyond any reasonable sales goals and is going to “change the world we live in”. The city of San Francisco, unfortunately, says “absolutely not,” and bans the device from SF sidewalks. Other cities follow suit, giving the device a rocky start.

2003: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT DEBUTS ON TELEVISION

• What does this have to do with the Segway? Gob’s transportation of choice, of course. The Segway doesn’t get much play until season two, but this show had a lot to do with reminding people that the machines existed, and that they could be awesomely bad. If you’ve never seen this, Netflix all three seasons now.

2006: WEIRD AL YANKOVIC – “YEAH THESE SUCK”

• When this guy disses you, there’s nothing left. Or is there? You ridin’ nerdy? Segway at 1:14.

2007: FAMOUS PEOPLE SHOW UP IN VIRAL VIDEOS ON THEM (50 CENT)

• Floyd Mayweather on 50 Cent: “Real recognize real. He’s a real motherf***er, I’m a real motherf***er.”
“He’s got a Seggy, I’ve got a…wait, what the…get this dude out of here! Fuckin’ rappers.”

2007: FAMOUS PEOPLE SHOW UP IN VIRAL VIDEOS ON THEM (ALEXANDER OVECHKIN)

• Riding a Segeway, and no one knows who you are. Double fail at :28. Sorry Alex, you got to get on the PR tip.

2007: LIMITED EDITION FERRARI AND CHANEL (2009) SEGWAYS HIT MARKETPLACE

• Here’s how to fix a failing brand: make it luxury! Now it’s twice as much, but fancy.

2008: ANYONE CAN DO IT- MONKEY ON A SEGWAY

• And he looks just like me!

2008: OH WAIT. NOT ANYONE: SEGWAY FACEPLANT

• Wait for it. Waaaaait for ittttt…

2008: ESPECIALLY NOT YOUR KID

• Something about that sound that really makes you…want to watch this one twice.

2008: BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. IT MIGHT GET YOU LAID/FAMOUS PEOPLE ON SEGWAYS

• Well, probably not, actually.

APRIL 2009: SEGWAY AND GM PRESENT THE P.U.M.A

• There it is folks, and if you want to see more, get yourself over to the Javits Center in NYC this weekend.

According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the chance of an injury occurring in a park is 1 in 9 million. Not bad. But if you wanna be even safer, we’ve come up with five precautions you should take before you go on your next amusement park ride. Learn about some past amusement park accidents below so you know what not to do. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

IF YOU’RE SOFT, STICK TO SKEE-BALL
In 2007, a 68 year old women fractured both of her legs and one of her arms while trying to get off Peter Pan’s Flight at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. While it’s endlessly unfortunate that the lady had to suffer such injuries, we can’t help but wonder: if your body is that fragile, what are you doing on the ride in the first place?

HOLD ON TIGHT
Amusement park rides are built to be used a certain way. 99.99% of the time, when you follow instructions you’ll have an enjoyable time. If only this kid would have sat up straight and held on to the bars like his mom.

BE EXTRA WARY OF CARNIVAL RIDES
The big name amusement park rides scare us enough, so why would you trust one that moves from town-to-town every week and is operated by a chain-smoking Carny? If it looks sketchy, skip it.

STAY ON THE BEATEN PATH
We’ve all lost things while riding roller coasters: keys, phones, shoes, lunch. But most of us have never risked life and limb by trying to retrieve those items while the ride was still active. That’s what the park workers are for. A 17 year old was decapitated when he hopped two six foot fences to get back his fitted that was lost while riding the Batman ride at Six Flags over Georgia. We hope it was one of those super-limited New Era’s Jeff Staple designed.

MATTER FACT, JUST DON’T GO ON ANY RIDES
Hey, ya never know when the shit could just break, like this ride in China. You’re better off trying to win your girl a teddy bear in the shooting gallery.

Worldwide Hydrogen Super Highways has designed an elevated railway that will utilize hyrdogen powered traincars that can reach up to 200 mph. Finally! We’ll have a train system that can compete with the systems found around the world. Just how good are those systems you say? We picked five of our favorites for you below…

FRANCE’S TGV DUPLEX (Train a Grande Vitesse)

• Opened to the public in 1982 to shuttle passengers between Paris and Lyon, the TGV, which is French for High Speed Train, is Frances high speed rail system. It currently holds the record for the fastest wheeled train due to a controlled test run that saw the TGV hit 357 mph. Thanks to enlarged wheels, lowered axle’s and a lack of sharp turns in the high speed railing the TGV is able to hit 200 mph during normal operation. To accommodate the high traffic of people wanting to quickly travel around France and to neighboring countries, the TGV added a Duplex train.

SPAIN’S AVE (Alta Velocidad Española)

• When Spain started building their AVE high speed rail system in the late 80’s, they had plans for the line to do more than quickly shuttle people around Spain. Unlike the rest of the railways in Spain, AVE can hit 186 mph and uses a standard gauge rail line making it caveman-simple to connect to other countries rail lines. And with future plans to connect to Frances TGV, they’re doing just that.

GERMANY’S ICE (Intercity-Express)

• The flagship of the German national railway company, the Intercity-Express is one of the most widely used forms of public transportation in Germany. Now on their third generation of train cars, the ICE 3 is the fastest train in the system, able to hit 186 mph during normal operation thanks to a system of electrical units with underfloor motors, making them more efficient and reducing the the load per axle for each car.

UK’S HIGH SPEED 1

• Due to the fact that British Rail didn’t want to build new railways for their high speed train service, most of the UK’s train systems can’t go over 125mph. But with High Speed 1, Britain’s special purpose high speed rail, that’s gonna change in ‘09. New commuter trains capable of hitting 140mph (around the same speed as Acela trains) will be introduced on the London to Kent route. Before you go thinking that our Acela lines aren’t that bad, there are already plans for a High Speed 2 that will accommodate trains that go over 150mph.

JAPAN’S JR-Maglev

• Unlike the other trains on this list the JR-Maglev doesn’t use wheels, it uses a magnetic levitation train system developed by the Central Japan Railway Company and Railway Technical Research Institute. Although it’s currently only used in experimental conditions, the Maglev is the worlds fastest train, able to hit speeds of up to 361 mph, so you can get to LA from NY in just six hours.

Truthfully, as long as their models still rip around tracks faster than Yung Bergs manager running from the cops, we’ll be happy. In anticipation of MB’s first lightweight, fuel sipping models, we compiled a list of our favorite lightweight sports cars. Whatever they build has to be at least on par with these. If not, they should be back to making 500hp family cars. Check out the best of the best below…

• Car: Caterham Superlight R500 2.0L
• Made of: Carbon fiber and fiber glass.
• Power: 263hp
• Weight: 1,115 lbs
• Price: $55,585
• Claim to fame: Track monster. Top Gear’s 2008 Car of the Year. Caterham claims their cars are made for the track but can be driven on the daily. Right. Unless you live in SoCal and don’t mind driving an inch from the ground and feeling every crack in the road, this ain’t a daily driver.

With our 44th President about to take the wheel, we’ve all been waiting to see what he was going to be whippin’. Today some info leaked out about the new Cadillac One, and let’s just say it’s better than a lot of dude’s cribs. But he’s not the first President to ride clean'read on for a look at our 5 favorite Presidential limos…

#5. PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S 1962 LI CONTINENTAL CONVERTIBLE

• What else would America’s flyest president ever roll in besides a drop top? Unfortunately, since he was assassinated no other president has been allowed (or wanted to) ride around with the titties out.

#4. PRESIDENT CLINTON’S 1993 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD BROUGHAM

• Billy Clint’s Brougham was the first Presidential limo to be designed by General Motors with maximum protection features. If he only he let Monica top him off while cruising the city, maybe it would of blocked out the haters. And Hilary.

#3. PRESIDENT HOOVER’S 1932 CADILLAC 452B V-16 FLEETWOOD IMPERIAL

• If he didn’t do nothing, he was gonna ball… even if the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. As the story goes, Herbert bought this top of the line, V16 powered, 175 HP Caddy during the tail end of his presidency and was ridiculed every time he pulled it out. And then he was voted out of office. Today’s lesson: Don’t be flashy in a depression.

#2. PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S 1928 CADILLAC

• For his first bullet proof ride, FDR didn’t get one built. Nah, he took one from the one man who needed it most: Al Capone.

#1. PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 2009 CADILLAC ONE

• Obama’s ride is going to be the first Presidential limo without an actual model name. They’re building an entirely new car for an entirely new kind of president. And just in case anyone gets any ideas, the Cadillac One is built like an Isreali tank. It’s got: armor plated doors eight inches thick that weighs the same as a 757 jet door, night vision goggles and pump action shotguns, a separate oxygen supply and firefighting system, armor plated gas tank and kevlar reinforced tires with steel rims underneath. It also comes with WiFi and a laptop so he can check his Facebook page and Barackobama.com.

According the spec sheet, the topless two-seater'named after legendary British Formula One champ Stirling Moss'seems to be a beast. It will feature a full carbon fiber body draped over the original chassis that will be powered by a 650hp supercharged 5.5 liter V8 with the five speed automatic transmission from the SLR 722. And don’t think the lack of a roof will make it any less capable on the track'the Stirling Moss edition will hit a top speed of 217 mph and hit 62mph in 3.5. There’s only going to be 75 of these made, each priced at around $1.2 million. Yeah, it’s out of our league too. Check out the photos below and keep dreaming…

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The GT Golden Bike site goes live on January 30th at www.GTisGolden.com, where you can get full race info and rules on how this actually works. Hit the jump for closeups of the bike, and the girl, both of which are pretty dope…

The Advanced Sports Car concept Acura introduced had car nuts, including us, losing their mind and patiently waiting for Acura’s next gen Ferrari fighter. After getting over the reality of the situation, we began to think about a couple other cars we were promised that never came to be. Check out our list below..

ACURA ADVANCED SPORTS CAR

• What? As soon as Honda killed off their premier sports car, the NSX, in 2005, people started asking when its replacement would hit dealerships. Their questions were answered in January of ‘07 when Honda announced they were developing a V10 powered successor to their Ferrari fighter.
• What Happened?: Thanks to the current global financial crisis, Honda announced their first unsuccessful quarter in 11 years after posting a $1.5 Billion loss forcing them to cut funding for certain projects.

CADILLAC SIXTEEN

• What? Remember the days when Caddy’s were lavish rolling luxury yachts that made parallel parking harder than finding a rapper under 18 who hasn’t been robbed? Yeah, GM does too, believe it or not, and in an attempt to reclaim its days of glory, they came up with this V16 (yes, 16) powered barge of an auto to compete with the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series.
• What Happened?: Fell just short of production approval. It was rumored Cadillac didn’t want to spend the bread to get this baby up and running, they even thought to swap out the V16 with a V12 or V10. Or, it may of been the Cadillac logo carved out of solid crystal on the steering wheel and the Bulgari sourced clock on the dashboard.

MERCEDES BENZ F400

• What?: A design study Mercedes conducted to find a better cornering system for their sports cars. The system allows the wheels to lean in the direction of the corner at a maximum of 20 degrees. The tires used in this system are made up of two types of rubber. One is a soft compound that holds grip and the other is a harder rubber like the type found in motorcycle tires.
• What happened?: While we didn’t expect this “design study” to actually make it to the production line, MB did say that this technology has a good chance of making it into their sports cars. It would have been dope on the SLR. Maybe now that McLaren and MB have parted ways and MB is working on their own supercar, they’ll implement it. But after dropping Chrystler to save dough, it doesn’t seem like Mercedes will be investing in this any time soon.

CHRYSLER FIREPOWER

• What? Chrysler’s bid to build a super luxurious grand tourer. The concept which first hit the scene in 2005 looked like an Aston Martin mangled with a 300C. Underneath was the Viper chassis, but instead of the Vipers potent V10, they swapped in the 300C’s 6.1L Hemi.
• What happened? It’s still up in the air whether or not the Firepower will make it to production. It was rumored to be coming in ‘07 as an ‘08 model, but now that Chrysler is the one US auto company no one seems to see making it out of this current crisis, it’s fair to say we won’t see anything like this coming from Chrysler anytime soon which sucks since, except for a fuel sipping small car, this is exactly the kind of car everyone wishes they would make.

BMW CS

• What?: BMW’s attempt to raise the upscale luxury car bar. The CS was a four door, big bodied sedan that was supposed to compete with Mercedes hot selling four door coupe, the CLS. Only, instead of coming in above the 5 series, the CS was being positioned as BMW’s flagship model, to be placed about the 7-series.
• What happened?: We all thought BMW was doing pretty well for themselves, but apparently they’re scared like everyone else. After receiving crazy buzz at the ‘07 Shanghai Auto Show, BMW announced that the CS was going to hit showrooms under the Gran Turismo name. A year later BMW announced that going forward, they will sharply focus on profitability and as a result they have reconsidered product decisions. They cited the CS’s inability to meet their required rates of return.

Years of wack cars and inflated CEO salaries has finally come to a head. But that’s not to say we want to see the Detroit Three disappear. Nah, we need all of ‘em. Even Chrysler. But there is room for improvement. If the Bush administration does dip into Wall St’s $700 Billion dollar rescue fund for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, here are a few things we think should be put into writing before their check gets cut. Wamp, wamp, what it do? Read on to find out..

STEP ONE: BRING OUT THE FLYING CARS

• Nah, just playing. But for real, innovation in the automotive world has been limited to the number of MP3’s you can plug into your dashboard and how quickly your car stops before your multi-tasking ass rams into the rear end of the car in-front of you. What happened to the days when auto shows used to show the vastness of the designers’ imaginations? We’re not saying that we need cars that fly or turn to an aquatic vehicle'although, some people have already developed such things'but it’d be nice to see that the auto companies are doing more than re-branding and repacking their mid-sized sedans and adding more seats to their pick up trucks. The Volt is a good start, but there needs to be more.

STEP TWO: BETTER INCENTIVES

• We’re glad to see a number of automakers are now offering incentives like lifetime power-train warranties and free maintenance, but we think they could do a little better. With the economy where it is, if people are going to be investing in an automobile, the least you can do is break ‘em off with a little something, something. Our suggestion? Have a multi-tier incentive program for buyers. If, say, a mom buys a minivan, give them free tickets to a talk show of their choice, or maybe a gift card to a department store. Or, if a guy buys a top of the line luxury sedan, maybe throw in a coupon for whatever escort service the CEOs rock with. Just sayin’…

STEP THREE: DUMP THE DEAD WEIGHT & ACQUIRE NEW BRANDS

• It’s painfully obvious that a lot of the brands at the Big Three are no longer pulling their weight. The American auto companies need to start thinking like Silicon Valley companies and acquire new, young, next generation companies like Tesla that are looking into the future to develop cars for today.

STEP FOUR: MAKE BETTER AMERICAN-MADE CARS

• Look, if you’re going to make hot cars, the least you can do is offer them to the people in the country you’re based in, right? It only makes sense. Out of all the wrongs that the Big Three have done, that is probably the one thing that pisses stateside auto enthusiasts off the most. It’s one thing when a foreign company leaves us out, but when we have to see Chrysler and Cadillac give diesel estate versions of their most popular models to the UK, or when a overseas GM brand build better muscle cars than we do, it’s like a slap in the face. With a steel glove.

STEP FIVE: CUT CORPORATE BONUSES

• While some of the corporate big whigs like GM’s Rick Wagoner vowed to further cut his yearly income by lowering his salary to $1 a year, we think more can be done. Yeah, $1 a year is great, but we know as soon as they get that money and things start to even out, he’s going to go right back to his multimillion pay check and bonuses. In addition to cutting down on bonuses, cocaine coffers and the use of corporate Jets and the like, top tier executives should implement the Ben & Jerry’s model of having the CEO’s make no more than eight times what the lowest level salaried employee makes. It may not do much, but it’ll at least show that they’re serious about making it work.

PRICE: $35,205

SPECS:
Engine: 273hp, 270 lb./ft 3.7L V6
MPG: 15 city/21 mpg

RIDE:
Even though the CX-9 won the 2008 North American Truck of the year award, the last thing Mazda’s top of the line SUV/Crossover drives like is a truck. Keeping in line with their soul of a sports car, zoom zoom marketing, the CX-9 handles better than any seven seater should. It’s nimble enough to weave in and out of traffic or traverse the windy roads of upstate New York, where we took the CX-9. The 273hp V6 was peppy and provided enough low-end grunt to power us past tractor trailers on the interstate. And while we couldn’t really test out the Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive, we felt it would be adequate in slippery situations. Our only gripe with the CX-9’s powertrain was the 6-speed transmissions sport mode. We found the shifting to be a little too sluggish to get any real performance gains out of it.

EXTERIOR:
Thanks to its low slung stance and exaggerated wheel arches, the CX-9 is one of the sportiest looking SUV/crossovers on the market today. However, from some angles, it also looks like a spruced up minivan. It doesn’t come with anything less than 18” which is good, because the wheel wells are huge. Too much space for underage rims.

INTERIOR:
Sporty and comfortable'just like every Mazda. The heated leather seats up front provide enough support to keep you in place should you decide to push it in a shalom. There’s more than enough head and leg room no matter where you sit'maybe not the third row. If you need more cargo room, the third can easily disappear into the floor. The layout of the dash was very intuitive and we really liked the orange LED information screen above the radio which showed temperature, time and the media output that is currently playing.

AUDIO:
The CX-9 GT came with an 11 Speaker Bose Sound System that knocked harder than Pacquiao’s blow to De La Hoya’s left eye. Like all Mazda’s it came with an Aux port so you could hook up your MP3 player.

WHIP APPEAL:
It doesn’t scream, “I’m ballin!” but it does look cooler and flyer than a number of other crossovers and SUVs on the streets. At least it doesn’t scream, “I’m taking the kids to soccer practice!”

ONE MORE THING:
Our biggest gripe with the CX-9 was the navigation system. When compared to most other navi systems, the CX-9’s seemed graphically out of date and insisted on taking us the scenic route no matter which option we route option we picked. It also had a hard time finding us certain points of interest'Burger King, Banks'which were easily found with our third party system.

SUMMARY:
We see why the CX-9 has gotten so much praise, it’s one of the dopest SUVs on the market. If you want something sporty but with enough room to carry all your friends (or fam), more storage stashboxes compartments than you’ll know what to do with and the ability to get you off your block when the snow falls, this may be the SUV for you.

RATING: 4.5/5