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Is one better than the other? A thinking engineer would cagily answer, “it depends.” Front drive is the Spocklike logical solution in low-power compact cars with high-mileage ambitions. Speed freaks swear by the Velcro traction of all-wheel drive, particularly if their engines are percolating more power than their tires can pour. And rear drive is the choice for passionate drivers… a rear-drive car’s steering wheel is a rare conduit to touch subtlety and balance, delicacy and finesse—even if it’s just on the way home from work. – Motor Trend

Nearly two decades ago the Honda/Acura NSX shook up the performance car scene.

This year, the Nissan GT-R is said to be doing the same.

But could the two cars be any more different?

Looking at this picture I stumbled across on the web – is the NSX is too much like a Formula 1 car or is the GT-R is too much like an SUV?

The problem is that the Ralliart is a heavy machine, what with all that transmission, and the SST transmission has an annoyingly tardy getaway. All would be forgiven were the Ralliart a rousing drive, but for all its claimed power the engine never really lets rip. You find yourself revving it to death to goad it along, easily done given the strange shortness of the intermediate gear ratios, and it’s much harder work than a torquey turbomotor should be. It sounds nondescript, too. But it will all come good in the corners, yes? No. This Lancer really misses its tougher brother’s AYC and the resultant favourable torque distribution to each rear wheel. There’ll be no lovely powerslides here; go too quickly into a tight bend and it understeers like the nose-heavy car it is. – evo

Although the [Ridgeline’s] entire engine is carryover, the all-aluminum 3.5L V-6 does have a new Magnesium dual-stage intake manifold that bumps the horsepower and torque up by three and two, respectively. Additionally, Honda keeps the current five-speed automatic, but does offer slightly different gear ratios, in some cases changed only 0.2 percent, to help to improve overall responsiveness. Of note, throttle response off idle is vastly improved, making it feel like the truck has more power off the line because of how strongly it jumps from a stop. A new computer software program works with the new gearing strategy to make it feel like there’s more power than the small gains in hp and torque would suggest. – Motor Trend

Over 3 years ago, I posted on the benefits of using your spare tire before it aged…

Recently ABC picked up on the same story, as you can see here.

Ordinarily I take pride in being ahead of the curve, but this time I’m just despondent at the number of people who not having read my blog have inadvertently put themselves at risk.

Tell a friend…

You’ve heard by now of the many changes (e.g. direct injection, dual clutch sequential manual gearbox, a revised suspension and rear track…) made to the 911 (no doubt to counter the astonishing R8). What you probably hadn’t heard is this…

DFI isn’t the only new system incorporated into the classic flat-six layout. In fact, not one component is carried over from the previous boxer, and, amazingly, the new sixes are built with 40-percent-fewer parts, which reduces overall weight by 12 lb and rotational mass by 7 percent. Other advantages of the new design are a 50mm shorter height and mounting points lower in the chassis for a ground-hugging center of gravity. – Motor Trend

I’m slackjawed…

Unique among the current BMW line-up is the sublimely effortless, torque-rich delivery of its all-new, direct-injection 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which develops 400bhp from 5500 to 6400rpm and 442lb ft of torque between 1750 and 4500rpm, wafting the 50i to 62mph in a claimed 5.4sec. There’s no M Power-flavoured lust for revs here. [The X6’s] eight-speed auto with the option of changing gear via steering-wheel paddles might seem like a recipe for a conspicuous work-rate, but the delivery is almost Bentley-like in its laid-back lack of drama. – evo

When buying an amplifier for your home theatre, people in the know take into account the weight of the thing; more being better.

With cars, more weight is a sign of lazy engineering, and only the most advanced companies manage to retain strength while keeping weight down.

I applaud GM for making their cars have integrity at last, but like the last generation Hyundais the attempts are dragged down by the avoirdupois.

As products from GM’s friendly brand see tremendous progress, weight reduction appears to be the final frontier. Interiors are improving, Opel is making Saturn beautiful, and ride and handling are matching or surpassing the competition. All Saturn has to do to make the Vue a worldbeater is pare a measly 500 pounds. Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. But cut some fat, and the Vue—already a very good miniature ute—will take another key step toward excellence. – Car and Driver

That said I prefer the current GM approach to the current everyone else approach – i.e. make it so light and tinny that it feels disposable (even if it isn’t).

today’s engineers understand they are designing cars that have to be appreciated at different levels, that the straightforward goal of pure performance is no longer practical in an era when cars can easily be designed that are faster than you can reasonably drive them on the road. We see the focus of design shifting to the experience of performance… Even Ferrari tunes its exhaust to sound racy — at the expense of power. – Sam Posey, Road & Track

In an age when advertising and moviemaking’s flooded with computer generated work and even more flooded feature lists, the commercial ‘M3 Revolution’ was a revelation.

You can see the spot – and how they made it – here.