The Basics: The Tribeca is Subaru’s mid-size crossover—a little larger than the automaker’s rugged Outback wagon, and as the name hints, a little more urbane in purpose. That’s the idea, but in reality it’s hard to see why to choose the 2012 Subaru Tribeca over the Outback if they’re beside one another at the dealership. While at the time of… Read more here: 2012 Subaru Tribeca

Upwards of 4,300 cooking-related home fires will break out this Thanksgiving Day, resulting in 15 deaths. Poison control centers will receive hundreds of calls about food and alcohol poisoning. And on the roads, approximately 1,000 people will likely be killed during the two-week Thanksgiving holiday season (from now until December 1). Many of these tragedies are preventable. With less than a week to go before the big day, Consumer Reports gives you seven ways to make it a safe, happy Thanksgiving. Keep an eye on the kitchen. The range accounts for nearly 60 percent of all cooking-related home fires. The hours between 12 noon and 2 p.m. are particularly dangerous. Never leave food that’s frying, grilling or broiling unattended. When boiling or baking, don’t walk away from the kitchen for long. Use back burners when young children are present, turn pot handles in, and enforce a kids-free-zone of at least three feet from any hot stove. Want to trot out a deep-fried turkey? We have concerns over propane-fired turkey fryers, which can heat oil to the point of combustion. In Consumer Reports tests, the Masterbuilt Butterball Professional Series Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer turned out a nicely-browned, juicy bird with less risk of fire. Check fire-prevention equipment. There should be a smoke alarm on every level of your home. Consumer Reports recommends you place an interconnecting photoelectric alarm about 10 feet from the kitchen (installing it right in the kitchen can lead to nuisance alarms, which could result in the device being disarmed). We also suggest you keep one multipurpose fire extinguisher on each level of the home, plus a smaller supplemental unit in the kitchen. Follow food safety rules. Fresh turkey should sit in the refrigerator for no more than two days, so plan your purchase accordingly. Thaw frozen birds over a catch tray to prevent cross-contamination from juices. When cooking, use a meat thermometer to make sure the birds internal temperature reaches 165 degree F. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking. As for what goes onto your plate, don’t overdo it, especially if you have a heart condition. An unusually large meal can quadruple the chance of having a heart attack within the next two hours. Read “Heart...

It’s clear that the designers of Cadillac’s new CUE infotainment system paid a lot of attention to the negative feedback surrounding the much-maligned MyFord Touch . After getting a run-through of CUE in Los Angeles, my initial impressions are that the system is more intuitive and user friendly, although questions remain about the potential for driver distraction. CUE, which stands for Cadillac User Experience, will debut next spring on the 2013 Cadillac XTS . Like MyFord Touch, CUE relies on a touch-sensitive display and touch-sensitive buttons on the dash. To give you some physical feedback, however, it provides a haptic response—a slight vibration—when you press a button, which helps give it the reassuring familiarity of using hard keys. The system can also sense the proximity of your hand. So, simply moving your hand to within about four to six inches of the screen can automatically prepare it for a command. When using the navigation system, for example, the display will show a full-screen map while you’re driving. But moving your hand toward the screen will cause nav-function buttons to appear along the top and bottom of the display. The CUE screen is uncluttered and has relatively large buttons and customizable settings. It’s also multi-touch sensitive, so you can scroll, swipe, and interact with it as you would a smart phone or tablet computer. Since even dead areas of the screen are active, you don’t need to be pinpoint precise when pressing a button, according to a spokesperson. A function will often activate even if you press in the vicinity of the related button. The digital gauge cluster in front of the driver is also customizable. When using the navigation system, for example, a second route map can be displayed there so the driver doesn’t have to take his or her eyes as far off of the road. According to Cadillac, CUE’s voice-command system has a conversational interface, so you don’t need to remember specific commands. This is becoming more common with other voice-command systems, as well. As with many of today’s infotainment systems, driver distraction remains a concern, however. According to Cadillac, CUE will allow a driver to search for such things as gas prices, restaurants, and...

The VW eT! with auto-drive Follow me eT! A few days ago I wrote that the plug-in I really wanted was the self-driving plug-in . Well, I’m one step closer to having my dreams fulfilled, thanks to the new Volkswagen eT! electric van. OK. The eT! isn’t a fully self-driving vehicle just yet, but it can drive itself in some situations. For now the idea of the eT! is based around the role of a delivery fan. Consequently, a delivery person can exit the eT! and then request that the van follow him/her to the next delivery stop, and similar sorts of duties. Ultimately, the eT! electric vehicle wasn’t built to be a driver-less vehicle, but to help logistics-based companies perform their job more safely and efficiently. In that scenario limited self-driving options have a role, but as Google has proven with its self-driving Prius hybrids, self-driving technologies are very near real world viability, and the eT! is another example of how close is such a reality. Some day soon I’ll be calling an eT! driver-less taxi-van to pick up the family and take us to the airport, and I’ll have a car-sharing subscription for a VW Nils self-driving commuter pod. I can’t wait! Source: GreenCarCongress Here is the original: The self-driving electric car is here

The Coda electric car is now on track to reach customers in January 2012, and we got a chance for a brief stint behind the wheel of a pre-production model in downtown Los Angeles this week. The Coda is quick with instant torque and linear, smooth acceleration. Its electric motor produces the equivalent of 134 hp and feels rather energetic. Ride and handling didn’t seem particularly memorable on this limited drive, which can be interpreted as a good thing. Suspension noise and some squeaks and rattles were noticeable, however. Coda execs say that these issues will be addressed with regular production models. Modulating the brake pedal proved tricky and even disconcerting at times—another item the company promises will be fixed. The cabin is rather basic and mostly furnished with hard plastic, but a semi-soft door trim and some nice stitchwork showed an attempt to instill a semblance of interior quality. The gauges and controls are mostly conventional. Oddly, there was no prominent range display, which is pretty darn essential in an electric car. Coda says that they are adding such a display, as well as a battery state-of-charge gauge, on the central touch screen. Too bad the screen is low and requires glancing away from the road. Unlike other EV contenders, there is no automatic climate control, just a manual system. Due to the big 36 kWh lithium-ion-phosphate battery under the floor, rear-seat occupants will have to contend with a compromised posture with perches that lack thigh support. Let’s hope the rough edges are smoothed out before customers take delivery. Learn more about the Coda EV . See the Coda at the 2011 LA Auto Show . The rest is here: First drive: Coda all-electric car

Munich. BMW AG has secured a 15.16 percent stake in SGL Carbon SE. The company is thereby strengthening its focus on lightweight construction and the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) in automobile manufacture. The BMW Group and the SGL Group are already collaborating successfully in the framework of a joint venture. “Lightweight construction will play an increasingly important role in the automobile industry in the future. Our stake-holding in the SGL Group is a logical step that will further strengthen our successful cooperation,” stated Friedrich Eichiner, member of the Board of Management, responsible for Finance, in Munich on Friday. The company is not disclosing the financial details of the transaction. From today’s perspective, the BMW AG will not seek a seat on the Supervisory Board of SGL Carbon SE. The BMW Group and the SGL Group already operate a joint venture. The SGL Group holds 51% and the BMW Group 49 % of shares in the joint company, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers. The two partners have built a new state-of-the-art carbon fibre manufacturing plant together in Moses Lake in Washington State in the U.S. The new plant plays an important part in the two companies’ strategy to automate the production of ultra-light carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) for use in future vehicle concepts. The carbon fibres produced in Moses Lake are being processed at facilities in Wackersdorf and Landshut. Wackersdorf delivers textile fabrics made from carbon fibres, which are then being processed at the BMW plant in Landshut to make lightweight CFRP body components for the BMW i3 and BMW i8. Both vehicles will be assembled at the BMW plant in Leipzig. The BMW i3, the BMW Group’s first series-produced electric vehicle, will be released on the market in 2013, followed by the BMW i8 sports car shortly afterwards.   Excerpt from:  BMW secures 15.16% stake in SGL Carbon

Today at High Gear Media, Honda releases details surrounding its electric Fit EV while we review the 2012 Jeep Patriot. Audi is working on a new Super Bowl ad while the new R8 LMS Ultra makes its debut. All this and more in today’s car news, right here on The Car Connection. Fiat creates an ad for the 2012 500 Abarth that gets us itching for a… More:  2012 Jeep Patriot, 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth, Honda Fit EV: Today’s Car News

On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency announced new fuel-economy rules for vehicles manufactured during the 2017 – 2025 model years. While those regulations will invariably lead to higher car prices for consumers — around $950 at a minimum — the Detroit News reports that General Motors chairman… View post:  GM Says New Fuel Rules Are A Big Win For U.S. Automakers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall notice for 2012 GMC Savana and Cheverolet Express vans made by General Motors. Approximately 1,798 of the full-size vans have dual-stage air bags which might not inflate properly in a severe frontal collision. The NHTSA says the recalled vans, which violate federal safety standards for occupant protection, were made by GM from June through October. GM will begin this month to notify owners affected by this recall and instruct them to bring their full-size van to dealers who will replace the faulty air bags for free. For more information, consumers can contact GMC (toll-free: 800-462-8782) or Chevrolet (toll-free: 800-222-1020) directly or visit the NHTSA website www.SaferCar.com . Recall: 2012 GMC Savana / Chevrolet Express – Air Bags Campaign ID #: 11V543000 [NHTSA] Here is the original: Recall: 2012 GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express vans for faulty air bags

Filed under: Latest News Luxury car maker BMW is using social networking sites to spot problem trends with its cars early so it can take action. The firm’s managing director Tim Abbott explained the brand was harnessing the power of sites like Twitter to spot keywords that relate to issues with its vehicles. A customer services team monitors chatter on social networks – including Facebook – so it can verify if issues are widespread and then alert its dealer network. “If a lot of people are mentioning BMW and specific parts failures we can pick up on these,” explained Abbott. “We can monitor how many are mentioned and are then able to gauge if that problem is an isolated incident or if it is part of a more widespread issue. “Our teams monitor search terms constantly. It’s a good way for us to know what people are saying about our cars and our brand. In days gone by you’d have to wait for incidents to be reported at dealers or, in serious cases, the news. Now social media lets us listen in to what’s happening live. It’s very useful indeed.” Monitoring social networks is just one of the ways the car manufacturer is using technology to make life easier for its customers. One dealership in Norfolk is currently trailing two customer advisers in showrooms who use iPads to help guide customers through the plethora of options. “These guys are salaried, so can give unbiased advice on the cars and options customers should be looking at – because they are not commission-based roles the advice can be more impartial,” explained Abbott. “We recently toured the high street and looked at the different retail experiences, especially Apple’s, and we realised it’s these ‘product geniuses’ that customers want to interact with. “The exit surveys of customers who have used the service in this BMW showroom are very favourable. It’s a pilot scheme that we may well roll out to other showrooms.” Abbott added that he feels the motor industry lags far behind the retail industry in terms of technology and customer service, and he hopes these new initiatives will be the start of a revolution in BMW showrooms. Would you prefer to chat to a product adviser...

Filed under: Consumer Parents are putting their children at risk by buying second hand car seats, it has been claimed. Ill-fitting and unsuitable used seats are being snapped up by austere mums and dads from car boot sales and online auction sites in an effort to save cash. But their actions could be lethal, say experts. Figures from high street accessory giant Halfords show that purchases of pre-owned child car seats are rising as families struggle to make ends meet. The firm says seven per cent of its customers admit they have previously bought seats second hand – a rise of two per cent compared to a year ago. “A lot of wear-and-tear on a pre-owned child car seat may not be visible to the untrained eye and buckles and straps that look fine at first glance may actually be so damaged that they could fail during an accident,” warned Halfords expert Samantha Preece. What makes the situation even more dangerous is a worrying 51 per cent of parents do not know how to check if their child seat is correctly fitted. Preece added: “It is a big worry that some people may buy a second-hand car seat that doesn’t even come with instructions.” It can be virtually impossible to tell how old a second hand seat is, if it has been involved in an accident, or even how to fit it, as most are sold without the original fitting instructions or safety manuals. It probably comes as no surprise that a retailer that sells child seats is advising you to buy new, but the firm’s advice has been echoed by safety groups too. “The law requires drivers who carry children to ensure that a child seat is correctly fitted,” explained Adrian Walsh, director at charity Roadsafe . “If they are in any doubt, parents should seek professional advice.” While Robert Anslow, managing director of the Baby Products Association, went a step further saying: “Generally a car seat will be used numerous times each day for many years and the BPA can’t stress enough the importance of buying new from a retailer who can provide expert product advice and the correct fitting instructions, which in the event of an accident, could save their child’s life.” Every year, 30 children under 11 years old are killed and 400 seriously injured...

The Basics: The 2012 Lexus GX 460 fits into the Lexus lineup just below the Land Cruiser-based Lexus LX 570. And actually, it is part of the Land Cruiser family; it’s a full-featured, extra-luxurious version of the Land Cruiser Prado that sells in other international markets. The GX is also related to the Toyota 4Runner, and there’s a clear… Read the rest here: 2012 Lexus GX 460

The BMW i8 Concept is the Successor to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Car Featured in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” Starring Tom Cruise and Paula Patton to be Released in December. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – November 16, 2011… As scenes from the latest installment of the Mission Impossible film series played on an 18-foot-tall, 39-foot-wide silk screen, the screen itself was whisked away to unveil the first concept vehicles of the new visionary and sustainable brand, BMW i – the fully electric BMW i3 Concept and the hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept – from which Paula Patton, star of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and BMW President Ludwig Willisch emerged, officially unveiling the vehicles for the first time in North America at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The BMW i3 and i8 Concept vehicles represent the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The BMW i8 Concept, which is the successor to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car featured in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise to be released in December, is a sleek, low-slung, silver and glass sports car with flip-up doors. The BMW i3 Concept, previously known as the “megacity vehicle,” is more compact for congested city driving and features the same color scheme with large glass doors that open “coach” style, i.e. the rear doors opening in the opposite direction from the front. In addition to BMW vehicles being featured throughout Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – including the futuristic BMW Vision EfficientDynamics and the BMW 6 Series Convertible, which are driven by Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt – BMW vehicles are prominently featured in several scenes. BMW is also a major part of the promotional trailers and signage that is being released leading up to the film’s premiere and has launched a Mission: Impossible-themed marketing campaign dubbed “Mission to Drive.” The all-new BMW M5 also made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The BMW M5 combines an exceptionally dynamic high-performance sports car with a luxurious business sedan, offering significantly improved efficiency, supreme long-distance comfort and...

The BMW i8 Concept is the Successor to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Car Featured in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” Starring Tom Cruise and Paula Patton to be Released in December. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – November 16, 2011… As scenes from the latest installment of the Mission Impossible film series played on an 18-foot-tall, 39-foot-wide silk screen, the screen itself was whisked away to unveil the first concept vehicles of the new visionary and sustainable brand, BMW i – the fully electric BMW i3 Concept and the hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept – from which Paula Patton, star of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and BMW President Ludwig Willisch emerged, officially unveiling the vehicles for the first time in North America at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The BMW i3 and i8 Concept vehicles represent the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The BMW i8 Concept, which is the successor to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car featured in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise to be released in December, is a sleek, low-slung, silver and glass sports car with flip-up doors. The BMW i3 Concept, previously known as the “megacity vehicle,” is more compact for congested city driving and features the same color scheme with large glass doors that open “coach” style, i.e. the rear doors opening in the opposite direction from the front. In addition to BMW vehicles being featured throughout Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – including the futuristic BMW Vision EfficientDynamics and the BMW 6 Series Convertible, which are driven by Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt – BMW vehicles are prominently featured in several scenes. BMW is also a major part of the promotional trailers and signage that is being released leading up to the film’s premiere and has launched a Mission: Impossible-themed marketing campaign dubbed “Mission to Drive.” The all-new BMW M5 also made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The BMW M5 combines an exceptionally dynamic high-performance sports car with a luxurious business sedan, offering significantly improved efficiency, supreme long-distance comfort and...

Carbon Fiber With the i3 and i8 gaining more press the last few days it seems appropriate to take a further look at the material forming the passenger cell (‘Life Module’ in BMWspeak) for the two cars. We’ve discussed the manufacturing process BMW will use to create the production cars passenger cells. It is known as resin transfer molding (RTM). It shaves team and expense from what heretofore has been a costly and time consuming production process. But we haven’t mentioned how you get to the point of actually creating carbon fiber ‘cloth’ that can be feed into the RTM press. The carbon fiber sheets most are familiar with actually start life as a synthetic material. In the case of the carbon fiber cloth that BMW will use it starts as rayon fibers. The rayon is heated to remove atoms other than carbon (though not all non-carbon atoms are removed – and depending on the raw material used only up to about 95% of the end result is carbon). The process of carbonization requires significant energy inputs and that is one reason BMW and SGL settled on the Moses Lake, Washington USA location to perform the transformation from rayon to carbon fiber. The Moses Lake location has access to an inexpensive, renewable, hydroelectric power source. Once the carbon fiber strands are created they are wound on bobbins and serve as input to the production of cloth. For BMW, that process takes place in Wackersdorf, Germany (north-northeast of Munich). Once it’s been woven into cloth it can be ‘pressed’ into finished components of the passenger cell. The quality and quantity of carbon fiber raw components has to ramp up if it is going to be used on a large scale in automotive manufacturing. BMW has made a strategic decision to partner with SGL Carbon and the wisdom of that became apparent when VW tried to buy into SGL Carbon significantly. There is a very good article on the automotive demand for carbon fiber by Dan Carney in the November, 2011 issue of ‘Automotive Engineering’, a publication of the Society of Automotive Engineers. The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit I had a chance to read Michael Cannell’s book, ‘The Limit’, recently. It’s a very...