http://www.thecarconnection.com/reviews Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:33:30 -0500 Car Reviews -- Get the consensus and opinions from TheCarConnection and from around the Web on your favorite car. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/reviews http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037816_driven-2010-bmw-activehybrid-x6 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037816_driven-2010-bmw-activehybrid-x6 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:05:00 -0500 BMW's X6 "Sports Activity Coupe" is a car of contradictions. Our review of the 2009 BMW X6 range called it "an oddity: a sport-utility vehicle designed to have a coupe-like shape." For 2010, BMW has added a new model that may polarize people even further. It's the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, the first production hybrid from the maker of ultimate ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037918_rolls-royce-ghost-goes-greenish http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037918_rolls-royce-ghost-goes-greenish Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:16:00 -0500 Early last month, we reported on surprising rumors that less-than-green Bentley is developing a hybrid powertrain for 2011. Not wanting to be left out of all the eco-fun, Bentley's high-end rival, Rolls-Royce, now says that it's also working on a hybrid powertrain -- one for the new Rolls-Royce Ghost. There's no official drop date, but reports ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:59:00 -0400 Think that the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle is more hideous than iconic? Apparently you're not alone. Business Week has posted its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," including a number of models present and past, and the New Beetle is just one of the newer and still-produced models on the list. Others include the Cadillac ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034973_tcc-tip-can-the-bmw-7-series-get-baby-on-board http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034973_tcc-tip-can-the-bmw-7-series-get-baby-on-board Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0400 A few times each week, TheCarConnection reaches into our mail bag to answer car questions and offer advice our readers can't find anywhere else. Today's question comes to us from North Carolina, from a reader who wants to know if he can get his babies on board in the new big Bimmer: I enjoyed your review of the 2009 BMW 7-Series.  I have three ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036541_video-bmw-unveils-three-wheeled-simple-hybrid-concept http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036541_video-bmw-unveils-three-wheeled-simple-hybrid-concept Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:35:00 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036252_bmw-to-launch-0-series-in-2013-based-on-mini-platform http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036252_bmw-to-launch-0-series-in-2013-based-on-mini-platform Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:59:00 -0400 If you were surprised by BMW's plans to revive the Isetta brand, this may fully blow your mind: the company is planning a new series of BMW vehicles called the "0-Series", which will be based on the third-gen MINI platform and feature front-wheel drive. The line should hit showrooms in 2013, appearing in three-door, five-door, and roadster ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036028_german-luxury-brands-face-uncertain-future-in-u-s http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036028_german-luxury-brands-face-uncertain-future-in-u-s Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:43:00 -0400 As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, new fuel efficiency and emissions regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation could have a serious impact on gas-guzzling luxury vehicles. If approved as they stand in draft form, the regulations provide very little room for deviation, which could result ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035631_bmw-furniture-for-bus-stops-would-look-awesome-anywhere http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035631_bmw-furniture-for-bus-stops-would-look-awesome-anywhere Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:07:00 -0400 A handful of automakers like BMW and Porsche have strong industrial design programs separate from the ones that govern the look and feel of their vehicles. BMW's DesignworksUSA unit has been particularly well-regarded in the larger design world -- and its reputation will likely get another shot in the arm thanks to its new "metro 40" ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035400_bmw-driver-alert-your-gps-does-not-substitute-for-common-sense http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035400_bmw-driver-alert-your-gps-does-not-substitute-for-common-sense Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:15:00 -0400 It's not that we don't love BMWs; we do. It's just that their drivers are so easy to make fun of sometimes. Take one Robert Jones, a British driver whose trust in his TomTom satellite navigation system led him to follow its directions down an increasingly narrow, rutted and precarious path in Tormorden, West Yorkshire, last March. Until he got ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035293_first-drive-2010-bmw-5-series-gran-turismo http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035293_first-drive-2010-bmw-5-series-gran-turismo Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:11:00 -0400 This week, we've been focused laser-like on the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. Focused, precisely, on the moment we could leave the un-air-conditioned halls and Frankfurt's grey dinge for the Portuguese coast and a tour of Lisbon behind the wheel of the 2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo. We're just back from the first drive of the "GT," as it's ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035260_confirmed-2013-bmw-3-series-will-have-four-cylinder-engine http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035260_confirmed-2013-bmw-3-series-will-have-four-cylinder-engine Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:29:00 -0400 At the Frankfurt auto show, German automaker BMW has confirmed that the next-generation BMW 3-Series will offer a four-cylinder engine. But it's still two and a half years away. The twin-turbocharged four-cylinder would likely be offered alongside its much-loved in-line six-cylinder engines, as well as a diesel, as BMW already offers in the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035251_rumor-daimler-bmw-may-buddy-up-to-retain-market-share http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035251_rumor-daimler-bmw-may-buddy-up-to-retain-market-share Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:20:00 -0400 Despite all the great news coming out of Germany in recent days, it's apparently not all biergartens and schnitzel over there: a new article in Der Spiegel reports that high-end German automakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW are facing tough times on the sales floor, as the world's touch-and-go economy forces customers to purchase cars from their ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034741_frankfurt-auto-show-bmw-vision-efficientdynamics-concept http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034741_frankfurt-auto-show-bmw-vision-efficientdynamics-concept Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:08:00 -0400 It's a diesel, a hybrid, a plug-in, a three-cylinder--and a tour de force, perhaps? BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics concept has been the subject of rumor and innuendo for weeks, but with today's public debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the intrinsically green show car proves it has the looks to sell its wares. As the name implies, this ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035218_can-the-new-audi-a1-help-audi-reach-its-lofty-sales-goals http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035218_can-the-new-audi-a1-help-audi-reach-its-lofty-sales-goals Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:05:00 -0400 Back in June, you might recall that Audi announced plans to roll its new A1 citycar into dealerships by early 2010. The automaker said that the A1 would debut as a three-door model, but that a five-door sportback version would soon follow. At the time, the A1 was slated only for European release. However, there's a lot of auto news flowing ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034754_bmw-news-mini-crossover-delayed-isetta-based-on-toyota-iq http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034754_bmw-news-mini-crossover-delayed-isetta-based-on-toyota-iq Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:10:00 -0400 There's been a lot of chatter about the MINI Roadster (also known as the MINI Speedster) which is set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in just a couple of weeks. That's not surprising: everyone likes a roadster, and the sporty renderings popping up on the web have sparked the interest of journalists and enthusiasts alike. The MINI ..]]>