TTAC Commentator Karl_Donina writes: Hi, Sajeev. I want to know why it’s so fashionable for automakers to provide obnoxiously labyrinthine automatic shifter gates. It seems to have started with Jaguar’s innocuous J-shaped gates of the ’80s, but these days it seems to have become passé to provide a simple, easy-to-use linear gate — push button or

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Piston Slap: Design Week: Crooked Shift Patterns

Yesterday Daimler announced that McLaren would be buying out Daimler’s interest in their joint venture Formula 1 team. Many, including board member Erich Klemm, thought this made all kinds of sense. “In the (car) factories, every cent is being turned over three times. The employees are feeling the financial crisis with shorter working hours and

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Daimler Sells One F1 Team, Then Buys Another

Looks like GM may have done some creative accounting after all – at least according to Swedish Government and their consulting firm KPMG. As we’ve reported the last couple of days, Saab’s rescue has been hanging by a thread due to questions around the company’s financial situation prior to the start of the financial crisis.

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Swedish Government: Saab’s Books Were Cooked

TTAC Commentator edgett writes: What is the correlation between driver’s training and safety? Articles suggest that improved driver training does not improve highway safety are simply counterintuitive. Granted that nothing supplants experience on the road, but surely having some idea of the braking and handling characteristics of your vehicle, before “experience” requires it, is of more

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Piston Slap: Driver’s Ed Gets Piston Slapped

TTAC Commentator Volvo writes: Sajeev, today in a parking lot I was approaching a new Toyota Avalon from the side and at first thought I was seeing a recent Chrysler product. It had the bottom of the window about shoulder high to the passengers and the windows seemed rather short. As I walked through the lot

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Piston Slap: Design Week: Chop Top Talk

Mike writes: Sajeev, what ever happened to 14-inch wheels?  I mean, seriously, does the Caliber really need to be shod with 17-inchers? Why does my dad’s new half-ton pickup have 17-inch wheels? His old one had what used to be the industry standard 235-75R15. He about had a coronary when he found out new tires would

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Piston Slap: Design Weak: Big Ass Wheels

Chris writes: I have an ‘04 Chevy Silverado 2WD pickup with the 4.3 6cyl and auto tranny. Between 1100 @1300 rpms I get a strong vibration that you can feel in the floor of the truck. It happens mostly while coasting or decelerating. It feels like the vibration you get driving a manual transmission in a

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Piston Slap: I’m Pickin’ Up Good Vibrations Edition

At the risk of sounding older and crankier than I feel, it can be hell trying to find a car with a unique identity anymore. As our four-wheeled friends have become more refined, they’ve also become more homogeneous. Especially when sampling mass-market sedans, the distinctions are often subtle to the point of solipsism, and a

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Review: Ford Fusion Hybrid

GM’s last minute (i.e. post-German election) decision to pull out of a deal to sell its European Opel division to a consortium lead by Canada’s Magna Corporation has left chaos in its wake. The Associated Press reports that Opel workers throughout Europe are planning to strike GM on Thursday, protesting the automaker’s planned “rationalization” of 

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Opel Workers Set to Strike, Germans Recalling $2.2B Bridge Loan

A TTAC reader who wishes to remain anonymous writes: I have to buy a 2nd car to be used mostly in the city with short highway trips, my problem is that I have a budget of $7,500.00 since a car payment is not an option at this time. Clear title, no accident, reasonable mileage and low maintenance

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Piston Slap: On A Sunny Day You Can See a Dodge Caliber In Focus