Keith Bradsher’s High and Mighty discusses the dangerous rise of the SUV. One of the issues Bradsher illuminated was the safety risk of young drivers & late model SUV’s. Elizabeth Williamson tells the story of a 16 year old girl who died when she lost control of her 1999 Ford Explorer. Background links: alltheweb | Clusty | Google | Teoma | Yahoo Search |

Patrick Sauer summarizes his drive of a new Honda Accord V-6 Hybrid:

The new Accord V-6 Hybrid–that’s right, V-6 Hybrid–cruises out this winter and with it, a whole new way of looking at cars will follow in its wake. It used to be one or the other, V-6 power or four-banger mileage. But the super-geniuses at Honda have corralled an additional 15 horses under this Accord Hybrid’s hood (up to 255 hp) for those who like having their six cylinders but are feeling the pain at the pumps — by the way, this car will never, ever need to be plugged in. And here’s the best part, with that main course of horsepower comes a free side of better mileage–up from 24 city and 34 highway in the standard V-6 to 30 and 37 in the Hybrid. That means 633 miles per tank, in the fast lane–talk about wallet weight gain, ka ching.

J.P. Vettraino summarizes his picks for 2005’s hottest cars. His interesting picks include cars that many of us might consider, such as the Accord Hybrid and the MazdaSpeed 6 (I’m more of a used car fan for many reasons, mainly cost).

Dan Neil pens one of the more brutal car reviews I’ve seen: The 2005 Mercury Montego: “Mercury’s throwback makes everything new feel old again”.

I recently drove a couple of versions of the latest Chrysler Minivans: a basic short body length car and a longer Town & Country version (rentals). My quick thoughts:

• They work, and includes some very useful design items. The dashboard controls are easy to use (with the exception of the strange shifter) and the radio is not bad.
• Air circulation on the short version is not great (for the people in the last row), while the longer version has adjustable air ducts throughout the mini-van.
• Reasonable power, though they really should have a 5 speed automatic like the 2005 Honda Odyssey.
• Handling: Low marks as the ride is rather soft, especially when the minivan has 6 passengers. The 2005 Honda Odyssey feels more sure footed.

Allen Bukoff on the great hype behind hybrid cars. Hybrids have a great reputation now, but Bukoff says that the piper will be paid when the batteries must be replaced when the cars are out of warranty (and their used car value will plunge).

One of my coworkers shopped hard and purchased a new 2004 Civic DX Sedan for $11,800, including tax & title. I had no idea one could still purchase a car like this:

• 5 Speed
• No Air Conditioning
• Manual Windows
• No Power Locks

He bought the car from Wilde Honda.
A car like this is a smart buy as it gets great mileage and has few things to break. Most manufacturers are loading cars with software and electronics that will be rather expensive to fix….

Rather useful snow tire information site.

Wisconsin’s excellent Road America turns 50 in 2005. Tom Schultz has written a limited edition book.

Terry Box on the legendary muscle car builder Carroll Shelby:

Sometimes late at night, 81-year-old Carroll Shelby lies awake, thinking about all the cars he still wants to build.
“I’ve got 10 different cars in my head,” said Shelby, the lanky, legendary Texan who created the fierce Shelby Cobras and Mustangs of the 1960s and was a renowned racer in the 1950s.
At a time when most men his age are settling in for the final chapter of their lives, Shelby is on the move again.
Earlier this year, he and his wife, Cleo, bought a 4,600-acre ranch outside tiny Annona in east Texas. After years of living mostly in Los Angeles, he said he expects the new ranch to become his primary home — a symbolic return of sorts to east Texas, where he was born.

He has a website, of course.