Sidney Poitier Car The Long Ship on 2040-cars

Auto blog

More head-up displays are coming to a dashboard near you

With the exception of Apple products — $1,000 for a freakin' smartphone? — one great thing about tech is you typically get more for your money with each passing year. This is particularly true with automotive tech: Features like driver assists and surround-view cameras that were once exclusively available in luxury vehicles now come standard even on some economy cars. The same thing is slowly happening with head-up displays (HUD). For example, the 10-inch HUD in the 2018 Toyota Camry is one of the largest and best HUDs I've seen in any car. And a big improvement on the much smaller HUD in the latest Toyota Prius. Mazda is another mainstream brand that offers HUDs in several of its vehicles. But instead of embedding expensive components in the dash and using a special windshield, the HUDs in the Mazda3 and Mazda6 use a thin plastic lens that folds down when not in use. MINI has a similar solution, but this low-cost approach has limits in terms of size and position of the images compared to traditional HUDs that use the windshield as a screen. We're also starting to see similar lens-based aftermarket options that can be added to any car. Last year I tested a portable HUD called Navdy that taps into a car's OBD-II port to provide info on speed and RPM and uses built-in GPS and Google Maps to show the surrounding area, display speed limits and route you to your destination. Navdy also connects to an Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth to display data from phone calls, texts and music playing on a connected device, and it's simple to use and easily visible in almost any lighting condition. While Navdy is still available online, late last year the company ran into financial difficulties, and product support has been halted. I recently tested a new portable HUD called Hudly that's not quite fully baked and falls short of Navdy because it doesn't tap into an OBD-II port. Since a companion smartphone app for Hudly isn't scheduled to launch until next month, for now it only mirrors what's on a smartphone. So it can be used for nav and other apps, and its features are very limited. Between automakers adding HUDs in more reasonably priced cars and the aftermarket filling in the gaps for existing vehicle owners with add-ons, the technology is becoming more prevalent and affordable. And it's also getting better.

2019 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2018 Cadillac XT5: How they compare on paper

There will no doubt be endless ads touting the "first-ever" 2019 Lincoln Nautilus, which is accurate, but it's really just a mid-cycle update of an existing midsize luxury SUV attached to a greatly welcomed name change. Frankly, Lincoln could've called it the Diamond Jubilee Bill Blass and it would've been an improvement. Whatever. The MKX is dead. Long live the Nautilus. Now, speaking of SUVs with silly alphanumeric names, the 2018 Cadillac XT5 lines up remarkably well with the 2018 MKX. Besides hailing from American luxury brands, they have virtually identical exterior dimensions and similar standard engines as well. Cross-shopping seems assured. But what does the change to the 2019 Nautilus mean for how it compares to the XT5? Cosmetic changes might tweak exterior dimensions by a tenth of an inch here or there, but the interior should remain the same. The Nautilus gets a new engine, though, so check out our spreadsheet below to see if America's (and Canada's) luxury SUVs still stack up. Conclusions The switch to a turbocharged four-cylinder base engine means the XT5 and MKX/Nautilus are no longer on equal terms under the hood. While the Cadillac now has a considerable power advantage, the Lincoln Nautilus could save you hundreds every year based on its likely fuel economy (the 2.0-liter turbo engine, albeit with a different transmission, is in the mechanically similar Ford Edge). Besides the new engine for 2019, the Nautilus also gains an eight-speed automatic and an automatic stop start system. Both of those elements are already included on the XT5. It was announced that the 2019 Nautilus will start at $41,335, which compares to the base MKX at $39,960 and the 2018 Cadillac XT5 at $41,590. In other words, the Lincoln is still less expensive, but just barely. Standard feature content is also comparable, especially as the Nautilus gains standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are already standard on the XT5. So really, no matter what they're called, the Cadillac and Lincoln should continue to be neck-and-neck competitors. 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Photos View 20 Photos 2018 Cadillac XT5 Photos View 28 Photos 2018 Lincoln MKX Photos View 57 Photos Related Video: Cadillac Lincoln Car Buying Crossover SUV Luxury Comparison consumer cadillac xt5 lincoln nautilus

Car-crazy 5-year-old boy writes automakers for treasures, gets big response

Part of the beauty of children is that they can find worth in something adults might deem unworthy or overlook entirely. Five-year-old Patch Hurty didn't see garbage or a broken piece of a car when he spotted a Ford badge lying on the side of a road. He saw an artifact, a souvenir, a start to a collection he could only dream of. Ezra Dyer of Popular Mechanics tells the story of Patch and his quest to turn that one lost badge into a museum of manufacturer logos. According to the article, Hurty is a car fanatic through and through, even using car names as a way of learning to read. After finding the Ford badge near his Connecticut home, he and his mom put together a plan to reach out to dozens of automakers, confessing his love of things on four wheels. In each letter, Patch assembled a picture of himself standing next to one of the cars, and a penny to pay for whatever he hoped was sent his way. The response was unexpectedly and overwhelmingly positive. Of the more than 50 letters he sent out, including to obscure or defunct companies such as Bugatti, Suzuki, and Saturn, a majority responded with warm notes and some type of souvenir. Two of the coolest responses came from Lincoln and Bentley. Lincoln sent a sketch of a Continental (all car lovers enjoy drawing cars, right?), and Bentley sent a wheel center cap. How awesome is that? The story reminds us of something that can easily be lost in all of the negativity involved with the auto industry: Everybody is in this because of a common infatuation with automobiles. For more details on the souvenirs Patch received and accompanying photos, read the rest of the story. Related Video: News Source: Popular Mechanics Read This Bentley Bugatti Ford Lincoln Saturn Suzuki