BMW of North America announced today the pricing for the 2012 BMW 328i and 335i. The entry level sedan starts at $35,775, while the 335i will sell for $43,275. The outgoing models are selling for $34,600, and $42,050 respectively. The 2012 BMW 3 Series goes on sale in February of next year and the first 3 Series test drives have just begun. The new 3 Series will be offered with a standard package and M Sport package, as well as three new lines: Sport, Luxury and Modern. These will provide an extensive customization program for customer by offering more upfront options. Customers can therefore adapt the appearance of their car to their personal lifestyle and preferences – in their own way and with eye-catching results. For the company, these new lines will result in additional savings. Stay tuned for more information on the new 3 Series! Original post:  2012 BMW 328i and BMW 335i Pricing

You always remember your first — and in the land of automotive firsts, they’re few and far between. But today, I was the first automotive journalist to turn the key, push the clutch in, and rev up the most expensive production Camaro ever: The $54,995 — hey, that includes $900 shipping — 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible here at the LA Auto Show. More » Excerpt from: 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible: First Drive (Technically) [Jalopnik Reviews] Here is the original: 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible: First Drive (Technically) [Jalopnik Reviews]

Honda’s new compact SUV has been spied undisguised, ahead of its world debut next week, at a recent media event. The pre-production CR-V ’s with all-wheel-drive were snagged roaming around in California, alongside the outgoing model for comparison purposes. Spies also snapped the interior, which features a compact screen on the centre stack, new instrument panel, and a foot-operated parking brake. While the wood trim maybe a welcomed addition, those plastics look cheap and scratchy. Honda will detail the new  CR-V very soon. Via WorldCarFans.com Go here to read the rest: Spied: 2013 Honda CR-V See original here:  Spied: 2013 Honda CR-V

Spy photographers have nabbed the Volvo V30 again, this time without the fake body panels, as it undergoes extensive chassis testing on a private track in Southern Spain, alongside the upcoming Vauxhall/Opel premium supermini . Taken with a telephoto lens, the V30 appears to carry over Volvo’s new design language, so expect a sleek, stylish fascia with bug-eye-like headlights and vertically-curved tail-lights. Inside, we expect the cabin to be influenced from the recent S60 sedan. Power will come from a series of new engines when sales start in the third-quarter of 2012. Via WorldCarFans.com Go here to see the original: Spy photos: 2013 Volvo V30 Here is the original post: Spy photos: 2013 Volvo V30

Filed under: Comment What cars have captured your imagination for the wrong reasons? Or to put it another way, is there a car that you love, despite it being a bit rubbish? This was the question I asked myself and the team of Autoblog contributors. The results were interesting, see what you think of our choices and let us know if you agree or disagree below. Martyn Collins Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon Land Rover might have tried to modernise the Defender a couple of years back by fitting six-speed manual transmission and a 2.4-litre diesel engine from a Ford Transit; but this modern day descendent of the 1947 original, still offers a driving experience that is definitely old-school. Inside, it’s like a tardis in reverse. As despite the the Land Rover’s ample dimensions, the interior feels cramped. Out on the road, things don’t get much better, as the ponderous steering will put you off going near the national speed limit. I’d still add one to my ultimate garage, as there’s really nothing else like it. The Defender is the only car I’d want to go mud-plugging with and I’m glad it’s going to be around for a while yet. MG TF The MG TF is a car that shouldn’t work. Originally conceived under a cash-strapped Rover Group as the MGF, its undepinnings and switchgear were borrowed from the humble Metro. Then there’s the raised driving position that doesn’t really work for tall drivers, popping headgaskets and the questionable build quality. So, when it died in the MG Rover collapse, I didn’t shed a tear. Yet it’s a car that wouldn’t die, as in 2008 the TF came back from the dead. Yes, the LE500’s £16,867 list price was a bit ridiculous, it was completely outclassed compared to newer rivals and the dodgy build quality remained. However, on the road the TF can still raise a smile, the N-Series engine is willing if noisy, the steering giving plenty of feedback and the mid-engined chassis feels nimble. Find a good one before they’re all gone. Alex Fisk Hummer H2 A ghastly gas guzzler and rapper’s delight, the Hummer H2 has to be one of the worst vehicles to hit the streets. They look even more ridiculous on tiny British roads and have all the style of carpet shoes....

The Ferrari FF has inherited a new meaning for its ‘ FF ‘ abbreviation; Fire Friendly. According to local media in Germany, a 44 year old owner of the FF was test-driving the supercar on the Autobahn in Frankfurt when he heard a “loud bang” and detected flames coming from the rear of the supercar. Pulling up safely on the side, he watched the €370,000 supercar roast as smoke billowed from the vehicle. The cause of the fire is unknown but Ferrari recalled around 1,200 mid-engined 458 ’s last year due to faulty wheelarch adhesive. Read more here: Video: Fire friendly; Ferrari FF spontaneously combusts Here is the original:  Video: Fire friendly; Ferrari FF spontaneously combusts

The Ferrari FF has inherited a new meaning for its ‘ FF ‘ abbreviation; Fire Friendly. According to local media in Germany, a 44 year old owner of the FF was test-driving the supercar on the Autobahn in Frankfurt when he heard a “loud bang” and detected flames coming from the rear of the supercar. Pulling up safely on the side, he watched the €370,000 supercar roast as smoke billowed from the vehicle. The cause of the fire is unknown but Ferrari recalled around 1,200 mid-engined 458 ’s last year due to faulty wheelarch adhesive. Read more here: Video: Fire friendly; Ferrari FF spontaneously combusts Excerpt from:  Video: Fire friendly; Ferrari FF spontaneously combusts

It doesn’t matter how skilled you are when it comes to driving, handling a powerful supercar carries risks, especially if you disengage electronic aids. Unfortunately, there’s always one douchébag moron who thinks they needn’t worry. Like this guy in a Ferrari 458 Italia . He lost control of the Italian supercar and almost ploughs into three photographers. The driver didn’t think to apologise for his negligence. If that wasn’t bad enough, he almost hit them for the second time. The rest is here: Video: Ferrari 458 Italia driver loses control View post: Video: Ferrari 458 Italia driver loses control

In sales, one will be taught all sorts of dirty techniques to persuade a customer into purchasing a specific product or service. Unfortunately, the sales manager of Bob Tyler Toyota in Pensacola, Florida taught its employees one of the dirtiest; using racist antics against other dealers, of the same brand. You see, the staff from the Floridian Toyota outlet depicted fellow Iranian-born Shawn Esfahani, who owns Eastern Shore Toyota in Daphne, Alabama, as an Islamist militant to shoppers. Bob Tyler Toyota sales manager, Fred Kenner apparently said to a couple in 2009 that Esfahani was of Middle Eastern descent and was “helping fund the insurgents there and is also laundering money for them.” Furthermore, the same couple was told by a salesman that “[Esfahani] is funnelling money back to his family and other terrorists. I have a brother over there and what you’re doing is help kill my brother.” Dubbed the “Taliban Toyota” dealer, as he was named, Esfahani filed a lawsuit for slander and asking $28m (£17.5m/€20.3m) in compensation and damages. The jury ruled in favour of Esfahani and granted him $7.5m (£4.7m/€5.4m) in damages. “The feeling I received in the courtroom for the truth to come out was worth a lot more than anybody can give me”, said Esfahani. More here: Say what: Toyota dealer awarded $7.5m in damages The rest is here:  Say what: Toyota dealer awarded $7.5m in damages

Attempting to navigate roads anywhere in the world can be a bitch, especially in parts of Russia. As you’ll see after the break at a zebra crossing, where the pedestrian has right of way, a motorist felt as if he had the right of way and didn’t let the pedestrian cross. After getting a small talking to by the walker, the driver approaches the next crossing with caution. Read more here: Video: Fight; Russian motorist given a small talking too More here:  Video: Fight; Russian motorist given a small talking too

From time to time, we all need some assistance, like the owner of this previous-generation Volkswagen Polo hatchback. Shot in a South Korean underground car park via a CCTV camera, the driver, who seems inexperienced, couldn’t get the manual-transmissioned car around the corner and ended up rolling into a Cadillac SRX. After explaining, the Cadillac driver was more than happy to assist her. Here is the original: Video: New driver gets assistance from fellow driver The rest is here:  Video: New driver gets assistance from fellow driver

With the recent release of our annual car reliability data , there was widespread coverage of the findings that showed Ford stumbled with some new cars, Chrysler made dramatic improvements, and the Japanese automakers dominated the top 10 brands, joined notably by Volvo. However, not all media outlets seemed to understand or explain our methodologies. So, let’s clarify a few key points around the reliability survey and auto testing , busting those myths before they spread further. The same people who test toasters and coffee test cars. Nope. While we take nothing away from our colleagues who do test toasters and coffee, Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Division has its own dedicated staff and facility. Most of us have worked in the automotive industry before coming here, including stints at General Motors, Land Rover, Ford, Nissan, and Pirelli. And everyone who tests cars has been to high-performance track driving schools, and some staff members even teach them. Plus, many of us have true racing experience, as well. Consumer Reports recommends Toyotas without even driving them. False again. In order for CR to recommend a car, several things must happen: CR has to buy the car and test it; the car must first score high enough in our tests to be recommended; the car must receive average or better predicted reliability based on our annual survey results; and the car must perform adequately in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety tests, if tested. For some redesigned vehicles, CR will predict above average reliability if the previous outgoing model was consistently very reliable. It has always been this way, and always will. Consumer Reports reliability data is biased because it only surveys subscribers. We’re proud of our reliability data . It is based on the largest survey of its kind, with over one million responses. That covers quite a variety of people, as evidenced by the critical letters from subscribers we get every day. The responses also covered over 300 domestic and imported models, the majority of all the new and used models available in the past 10 years. Do we brainwash people to, say, like certain cars that do well in our tests? We don’t. And if we did,...

Planning to purchase a new Chevrolet or GMC vehicle in the coming months? If so, you might want to head over to Costco. According to a report in Automotive News, the wholesale club is offering special deals on select light trucks through January 3, 2012. Shoppers who purchase a Chevy or GMC during the promotion will receive “preferred pricing” on… Read more here:  Costco Offers Discounts On Chevy & GMC Vehicles Until Jan. 3

Like any other urban legend, those related to cars probably started with an element of truth, but were processed through the grand telephone-game known as media and communications. What’s the greatest automotive urban legend? More » View original post here: What’s the greatest automotive urban legend? [Question Of The Day] Here is the original post:  What’s the greatest automotive urban legend? [Question Of The Day]

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CHRIS DOANE AUTOMOTIVE Additional camouflage has dropped from prototypes of Ford’s upcoming 2013 Escape, revealing more than ever just ahead of the crossover’s L.A. auto show debut next month. What has emerged, it seems, is an evolutionary design of the outgoing European Ford Kuga, which itself looks like the lovechild of the new Focus and a Toyota RAV4. We had kind of hoped that Ford’s first “world” crossover would retain more of the character of the Vertrek concept —which previewed this model—than apparently it will. An interior shot provides a glimpse of tunneled gauges and a center stack arrangement much like that of other recent new Fords. A screen appears tucked deep inside a binnacle at the top-dead center of the dash. Don’t look for the capacitive touch controls like those found on the Explorer/Edge inside this particular Escape; this prototype features buttons all the way, and lots of them. That said, we expect that a (hopefully much-improved) version of MyFord Touch will be offered. As we previously reported, Ford has confirmed that the Escape will be powered solely by four-cylinder engines and will offer no hybrid option. Given that the only Escape Americans know is a squared-off box on wheels that dates back to 2001, this new one will probably be well-received. Anyone who’s been to Europe and seen a Kuga, however, may be less surprised that Ford can pump out a cute ute that’s handsome and decent to drive. We’ll have the full details and an undisguised look at the 2013 Escape in the coming days. See original here: 2013 Ford Escape Spied With Minimal Camo Prior to L.A. Debut View original post here: 2013 Ford Escape Spied With Minimal Camo Prior to L.A. Debut