6′7″, 350lb+ Man Gets Stuck In Lamborghini, Hilarity Ensues

Alright, so I ball-parked his measurements just based on what I could see, but once he’s finally freed from the Lambo, you’ll realize that he really is easily as big as Andre the Giant. Video Bonus: Friend onscreen spends a full 30 seconds watching in stunned silence before he recovers enough to help.

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Cars Coming Soon–> New 4Runner, Ford Diesel, Sleek Sonata, and Accord Crossover

Ford's new Scorpion

The 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty has a turbocharged surprise: an all-new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel engine.

Ahh… it’s even fun to type.

Codenamed “Scorpion,” this new engine is completely Ford-designed and built, meaning Ford will no longer rely on a diesel engine supplier for its Super Duty pickups.

According to Ford’s massive press release on the engine,

the new diesel engine will deliver significant improvements in torque, horsepower and fuel economy while adding more fueling flexibility and easily meeting stringent new emissions requirements.

Stay tuned for more on the next-generation Super Duty as its debut comes closer!

If family hauling is more appealing to you than trailer towing, you might be excited by this: an all-new 4Runner.

According to pictures snapped by Car & Driver, the next-generation 4Runner is going blunt and boxy. The official debut happens on Sept. 24 at the Texas State Fair, but expect an exterior more like the latest Honda Pilot. Surely, more interior volume and more power will accompany the boxy new looks.

While Toyota models after Honda, Honda has been busy trying to one-up Toyota. Its new Venza-fighter, the Honda Accord Crosstour, was revealed this week ahead of its official launch, coming later this Fall.

All-wheel drive and old-fashioned Honda loyalty are in the Crosstour’s favor, but I think its looks could be a deal-breaker for many. Whatever happened to conservative-but-cool Hondas that got great gas mileage? Honda is going further down the ugly path toward Acura with every new debut.

Hyundai, though, is a company going in the other direction: from mild-styled and boring to super-cool and sleek. As evidence I present the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Anyone else thinking Hyundai is ending up in the place Honda should be in now?

The new Sonata launches in Korea on Sept. 10 and will arrive in the U.S. sometime in 2010.

Who has the better design right now: Honda or Hyundai?

-tgriffith

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Is That an ‘09 Escalade or a ‘90 Blazer? I Can’t Tell…

Remember seeing old VW Beetles with a Rolls-Royce grille attached to the front?

When I was growing up I’d see them around town, shaking my head in disgust at even a relatively young age. Why take a cheap car and adorn it with a front end associated with the super rich? I sure knew it wasn’t fooling anyone into believing the driver had a Rolls. And it was plain ugly. Even today, the point of such modifications completely passes me by.

I was reminded of the absurdity of it all when a friend sent me this picture of a Chrysler 300C (below). With a Bentley grille.

Right. I can understand wanting to modify your car and personalize it so it suits your personality, but why on earth identify yourself to the masses as someone who thinks everyone else on the planet is moronic enough to believe you actually bought a Bentley?

I don’t question the fact that Bentleys look a lot like Chryslers, which is not a compliment (in fact, I’ve gone as far as calling Bentley one of the ugliest cars available.) There’s still an undeniable luster a Bentley has that a Chrysler will never approach, even with Bentley’s logo gracing the front end.

I’ve even seen an obvious Chevy Blazer decked out in Cadillac Escalade badging. Pretty convincing, especially with the Chevrolet badge still dangling from the rear end.

Why do people do this to their cars? If you were to customize your car with an exotic front end, what would you do? I’m thinking an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish front end would look sweet on my ‘07 Suzuki SX4.

-tgriffith

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Three Superminis You Can’t Buy Here

I love little cars. They generally are much more fun to drive, handle like go-karts, and get great mileage. They populate the entire world… except here in the U.S.A. We do get a few, but not much in the way of real choice, and the ones that end up on our shores are boxy, ugly, under-performing, or all three.

In Mexico I saw what they call superminis everywhere. Some of them, like this SEAT Ibiza (above, right), are really sharp and bigger inside than they look. SEAT (“say-at”) is a Spanish carmaker now owned by Volkswagen AG, like so much else—Porsche may be next—in the auto world. The Ibiza Reference, shown here, comes with a variety of engines, weighing in from 70-105 hp, gas or diesel. Higher-powered, sportier models are available, and they look to be popular in southern Mexico. Tell SEAT to bring us its cars here. They probably won’t, but you can complain about how little choice we have.

Another sharp small car is the Ford Ka, built in Poland, Brazil, Argentina, and maybe someday in the U.S. An older version (probably 2007) is shown here, which is better looking than the new Ka that may come to these shores, according to Alan Mulally. (No, he didn’t say the older one was better looking.) Then it will have the Fiesta to compete with, so don’t hold your breath. If Ford did commit to a full lineup of small cars in the U.S., it could give Fiat/Chrysler and the Asians a real run for their money in 2011. The company’s global reach is surprising. More photos of the new Ka are here.

I asked the owner of this VW CrossFox (right) if I could take pix of his car. “Seguramente” [certainly], he said, and I realized I could get by in Spanish with phrases like this and “Si, como no?” for almost everything. One of VW’s line of “city cars,” the Fox series launched a few years ago in Brazil and has spread through Latin America in many iterations. The CrossFox is not much of an off-roader, but is great for Mexican pavement (and the lack thereof), taking the country’s many speed bumps with aplomb. Ask VW why we can’t have this car.

What other foreign-made minis and superminis do you think should be made available to U.S. buyers?

—jgoods

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China Gets Hummer; Saab Going to…

The future of Saab if it winds up in Wyoming?

As General Motors explodes and sends pieces flying all over the world, we’re closely watching where those pieces are landing.

As we mentioned earlier, Hummer flew all the way across the world and landed in China. Saturn landed on Roger Penske’s racetrack. Pontiac was blown to smithereens.

Saab is still up in the air, with suitors in Sweden and New York trying to catch it. A third player has also been rumored to be in the running, but up until now no one knew who they were or where they were from.

Now we know: Contender #3 is an investment firm in Wyoming.

Yes, go ahead and keep laughing; I’ve been chuckling for about an hour. Saab in Wyoming makes Hummer in China seem like a natural fit. Wyoming is the one state the U.S. could probably sell without anyone noticing. If there were a polar opposite of Sweden, Saab’s current home, it would be Wyoming. Sweden has Stockholm and beautiful fjords. Wyoming has Casper and a lot of dirt.

I’d say the odds of Saab arriving in Wyoming are as remote as the state itself, considering the other firms trying for Saab are Sweden’s Koenigsegg, the sports car maker, and an investment firm in New York City.

Of course, we’ll be sure to let you know where Saab ends up, but we’re curious: What do you think the future of Saab holds?

-tgriffith

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Ten Questionable Best Used Car Deals

You know, relying on Kiplinger.com for used car advice is like going to Consumer Reports for info on buying a new car: You get real middle-of-the-road picks from the same folks who evaluate lawn mowers and diets.

Now, tgriffith is my writing buddy on this blog, but I can’t agree that Kiplinger’s “10 Best Values in Used Cars” represents anything like great cars or great prices. I do agree with him that the 2006 Infiniti G35 sedan (left) is a good car and a good value now ($32K new; around $20K now): It’s well-made, with performance and style. Mr. t is right about the Pontiac Vibe and the Ford 500, too: How did those clunkers get on the list? And there are more.

The 2005 Lexus LS 430’s $57K list price was always a fiction, and the fact that you can get this tank now for half that is merely a reflection of its originally inflated “value.” Same thing with the 2005 Toyota RAV4: At $13K it’s no steal, and it never was a steal. (Who would steal one of these things?)

Worst of all is the 2005 Honda Civic EX sedan, another victim of value bloat: At $18.8K new, your “certified used price” is now $13.3K. You’d have to be a total Honda fanatic to buy one at that price.

Let me put out the proposition that in fact it’s not such a hot time to buy a used car. There’s too much demand for good ones, and dealers rely mostly on their used car margins, as they always have, to move the iron. You can, however, make good deals on new vehicles if you’re willing to take some of the less desirable ones. Both GM and Chrysler are offering incentives of up to $6,000 on select trucks, SUVs, and sedans—the stuff that’s hard to move.

Through June 1, Chrysler will give you $4,000 back on most models, plus $1,000 for “consumer loyalty” if you own a recent Chrysler product, and another grand if you finance through certain credit unions.

GM is offering similar deals on select cars, plus 0-percent financing on many. Check GM’s Current Offers website for the cars and deals offered in your area. For example, you can buy the Chevrolet Tahoe (left) at 0 percent with a $3,000 rebate. A Buick Lacrosse will get you $4,500 back. You can probably negotiate much more than that from a dealer in distress. And which one isn’t?

The kicker is, of course, you have to want one of these guzzlers, and you must have faith that GM and Chrysler will be around in some form for service and warranty. With Uncle Sam as Big Daddy, your faith may be rewarded.

Buy new or used these days? Let us have your opinion, please.

—jgoods

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The American (sort of) car company you’ve never heard of

Which car would you rather buy:

1. A $27,000 made-in-America commuter that gets 60 miles per gallon, or
2. A $14,000 car that’s identical, but made in China

That’s a question the founders of ECO Motor Company had to address as they discussed bringing their three-wheeled commuter car to production.

ECO Motor Company began as a summer project between CEO David Joner and his son. Eventually design engineers from around the world were brought in and the innovative EMC3 Commuter was born.

Rated at 54 horsepower from its 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine, the rag-top convertible is officially classified as a motorcycle. In truth, though, it’s a car and built to automobile safety standards that include front airbags, dynamic side impact beams, and reinforced A and B pillars. ECO Motor Company is having crash testing performed on the EMC3 by the same laboratory used by big automakers and the NHTSA.

A base price of $13,995 will get you a manual transmission, convertible top, power windows and locks, air-conditioning, an AM/FM/MP3 player, and those precious front airbags.

I believe the EMC3 represents the kind of innovative thinking required for the auto industry to succeed. It is very basic transportation with a smart design that uses a regular gas engine and should deliver phenomenal mileage numbers while not compromising safety.

Quality is a natural concern, though… as ECO Motor Company has elected to have their car built in China by Geely, China’s largest privately held automaker. Even so, I think they made the right choice, as the pricetag is affordable, and the warranty is the same as if the car had been built in America: a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Production on the EMC3 has already started, with the first deliveries expected by May of this year.

So what do you think: Are you more apt to buy a $27,000 car made in America or an identical car made in China costing about half that?

-tgriffith

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