2005 Red 2.5i! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The best cars we drove this year

Six hundred and fifty. That's roughly how many cars pass through the hands of Autoblog editors every year, from the vehicles we test here at home, to the cars we drive on new product launches, testing roundups, long-term cars, and so on. Of course, our individual numbers vary due to several reasons, but at the end of the day, our team's repertoire of automotive experience is indeed vast. But let's be honest, some cars certainly stand out more than others. So as the year's about to turn, and as we're readying brand-new daily cat calendars for our cubicles, our editors are all taking time to reflect on the machinery that made this year so special, with one simple, open-ended question as the guide – a question that we're asked quite frequently, from friends, family, colleagues, and more. "What's the best car you drove this year?" Lamborghini Huracan When I review the list of everything I drove in 2014, picking an absolute favorite becomes almost impossible. I mean, how does one delineate between the joy offered by cars as different as the Alfa Romeo 4C, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG GT S and even the humble-yet-wonderful Chevy Colorado? Okay fine, I'll just pick the Lamborghini. I drove the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 on a racetrack, in the mountains, and along southern coast of Spain. It felt like the king of the car jungle in all of those places, sucking the eyeballs of observers nearly out of their heads as it drove by, and almost melting my brain with its cocktail of speed and grip and intense communication. It feels a little easy to say that the one new supercar I drove this year was also my favorite, but the fact is that the Huracan is one of the finest cars I've driven during my career, let alone 2014. Judge me if you must. – Seyth Miersma Senior Editor Rolls-Royce Wraith There are a couple of ways to look at the question, "What's the best car you drove this year?" In terms of what was so good I'd go out and buy one tomorrow, that'd be my all-time sweetheart, the Volkswagen GTI. Or if I'm just talking about sheer cool-factor, maybe something like the Galpin GTR1, BMW i8, or Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. But instead, I'm going to write about the sheer opulence of being the best of the best. The hand-crafted, holier-than-thou, shut-your-mouth-when-I'm-talking-to-you supremacy. I'm picking the Rolls-Royce Wraith. I drove the Wraith for a week in April, and was really, really impressed. This car does everything, perfectly.

Recharge Wrap-up: Automakers talk connected cars, Toyota's CNG hauler

Tesla, Toyota and General Motors addressed the House Subcommittee on Information Technology about the security and benefits of "The Internet of Cars." Tesla put forth four suggested security principles for the security of connected cars. Those include standard cryptography ("signing") used by automakers, measures to prohibit direct connection over the internet, isolation of a car's networked systems from its mechanical systems and standard encrypted communications protocols. Tesla VP of Business Development Diarmuid O'Connell also urged against "overly restrictive regulation." O'Connell says, "Regulation at a time of rapid innovation runs the risk of limiting the realization of the full extent of safety advances." See the hearing in the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Details over the rollout of new DC fast chargers by NRG eVgo and BMW leave some i3 owners disappointed. The partners will add 500 fast-charging sites to the eVgo network in 25 cities by the end of 2015. The "Fast Combo" chargers will be available to use for free for BMW i3 customers for 24 months. The free charging only applies to new buyers, though, leaving behind some 15,000 current i3 owners. Still, many EV drivers – not just BMW owners – will benefit from the ability to charge quickly in more places. Read more at Green Car Reports. Toyota has announced its first CNG car hauler. The automaker's in-house transport company, Toyota Transport, will operate the truck out of Long Beach, California. The truck, which Toyota says emits 85 percent less particulate matter and 10 percent less CO2, will drive about 7,000 to 8,000 miles per month. "We started exploring the CNG option more than three years ago, and it has been worth the wait," say Toyota Transport Compliance Senior Analyst Kirk Welch. "Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and will help Toyota advance our environmental efforts to reduce fleet emissions." Read more in the press release below. Making Your New Toyota Run Cleaner Before You Even Start It Toyota's Latest Car Hauler Runs on Compressed Natural Gas November 23, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (Nov. 23, 2015) – Toyota Transport, the automaker's in-house vehicle transportation trucking company, now has its first car hauler that runs on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The Long Beach, CA based truck/trailer does what any other car hauler can do, except it does it while emitting 85 percent less overall particulate matter and 10 percent less carbon dioxide.

Beverly Hills road rage incident ends with BMW driver ramming bicyclist

An instance of road rage turned mortally dangerous in Beverly Hills, CA, recently, when an incident between a cyclist and a BMW driver took a scary turn in front of a rolling security camera.
LA Weekly reports that the person on the bicycle and the driver of the 2008 BMW 328i in the video had some kind of altercation, resulting in the cyclist punching the driver. The driver then followed the biker to an alley on the 9000 block of Wilshire Blvd and, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department, "Intentionally rammed the bicyclist with his vehicle pinning him to a metal rolling trash bin."
That the act was intentional is clearly evident in the video footage below, captured on a security camera. Police have published the video in the hopes of tracking down the driver, who is said to be in his mid-30s with dark hair, dark eyes and a thin build. BMW owners across the country can thank him - for reinforcing certain stereotypes - by helping to turn him in. Do your part, Bimmer Nation.