Triple Black Toyotas Takeover Culver City
The “triple black” look ( known more iniquitously as “murdered out”) remains popular across the entire demographic range here in L.A. Cruising Culver City yesterday I spotted two Toyotas, on opposite ends of the brand’s lineup, sporting the ever-intimidating black paint/black rims/black interior formerly reserved for the only the most gangsta-asses of, well, another part of town.
This FJ Cruiser caught my attention first, with that sweet hood-covering bull bar. It was also sporting some light armor on the rear and an always awesome roof access ladder. Naturally, I sprinted across four lanes of traffic to have a look.
The hood protection apparatus, while cool looking, appeared to be on a hinge (for engine access) and therefore pretty much useless. What’s the point of one-inch steel bars if they’re going to be secured by a five-millimeter flex point? You know that thing’s going to snap the first time an elephant sits on it.
I would have gone with a drop-in style link, and held it in with a few massive cotter pins or shackle links but whaddo I know.
At least the smashed roof lights indicate that this guy’s been doing some real off-roading. Or he just tried to park in the Trader Joe’s garage on Washington Street, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because I don’t care what the haters say- this is a sick looking rig.
Less than thirty minutes later I spotted this Prius rocking the same kickass color scheme.
To be honest, I was so surprised/pleased to see aftermarket wheels on a Prius that I almost glossed over the fact that the badges and interior had been soaked in sinister pitch-black paint.
It’s pretty tough to stand out amongst the horde of Prii running around California, but I think this dude’s got it dialed in pretty nicely. He even paid for his parking space! Good on ya, mate.
I would make a comment about how the Prius is really the perfect drive-by assault vehicle, its silent operation ideal for a sneak attack, but posting that kind of shit on the internet will get you straight shot… so I’ll just leave it for you to infer.
Aston Martin Cygnet: Dismantling an Oxymoron or Tarnishing the Badge?
Don't let this happen to your friends.
I laughed out loud when I saw the concept of the Aston Martin Cygnet.
No way could this thing be real- it looked like something you’d see in a Photoshop thread on a Smart Car forum.
But when I heard the car was actually going into production I broke down and became a full-fledged, pants-peeing ROFL machine.
It looks ridiculous. Aston’s marketing plan is basically “we’re bringing sexy to the super-efficient.” But instead of coming up with a new style that would make a small car look nice, they borrowed a Toyota iQ and slapped a mini version of their DB headlamps, tail lamps, and trademark shark-mouth grille on.
This car isn't sold in America, but it is a Toyota- and it is the Aston Martin. Bummer.
I have no idea what Aston Martin was thinking. This looks like Jay-Z’s gaudy golf car, not the smart little runabout James Bond uses to go buy condoms from the 24 hour CVS when his “real” Aston is too much trouble to drive.
Wow, Aston Martin is so artsy and sleek. Seriously- this is the only attempt at "creative" photographing I've seen of the car yet.
Don’t get me wrong- I still believe the oxymoron of “tiny opulence” can be torn down. Land Rover’s proving that with their Evoque mini-SUV.
The difference there is that LR invented a totally new look for their little baby Rover, and it was designed to be small from the beginning so the style “works.” The Aston is a farce.
Interior doesn't have as much to make fun of, but I'll show you anyway.
The Top Gear trio are with me as well — Clarkson and company expressed universal distaste for the pokey little thing on a recent episode of the show.
I think Aston should have gone the other way, and built the SUV they threatened enthusiasts with awhile back. Cough Cough.
Looks like something a gay "Dog the Bounty Hunter" might drive.
But then again, that thing wouldn’t have brought down the company’s average carbon emissions would it? Ahh, we’re on to you Aston Martin.
So in case you give a shit: This rolling caricature is going to cost around $50,000, and will be built at the same Warwickshire temple from which beauties like DBS’s, DB9′s and the Vanquish were born.
And when I say the Cygnet will be “built”, I mean somebody from Aston will run to the Toyota dealer, buy an iQ, swap the bumpers and stick some carbon fiber over the cup holders.
The car will available only for purchase by current Aston Martin owners at first. This way they can hang on to exclusivity for a bit longer… but I have a feeling they won’t have anybody waiting in line anytime soon.
Road Roving Goin’ Racing
…well, at least our stickers are:
Matt Weaver of Bootleg Racing is down for the cause and was kind enough to slap some RoadRoving.com livery on his Toyota Corolla rally car known as “Gurple” …which I’m guessing refers to paint, looking especially green/purple in this camera phone picture.
It’s no Evo, but in the capable hands of Mr. Weaver this little commuter car has been making some serious tracks at Rally Cross events all over New England for some time now.
Weaver’s next event is Wakefield, RI on September 26th, 2010.
Recently the car was graced with a new engine (up to 1.8 liters from 1.6) and since RoadRoving decals add 20 HP, I’m sure he’ll kick more ass than ever.
Good luck Bootleg!
The Hybrid Family Grows
The debate rages on about whether or not hybrid cars are “better” for the environment than, say, a 1984 Honda Civic (of course, the answer is that they are not).
But the fact remains that some people would just rather have a new car- and can actually afford it.
When first introduced in the 1990′s hybrids like the original Honda Insight were laughed off as goofy and nerdy, an unfortunate stigma that tended to plague their drivers as well.
I mean, come on- gasoline was $0.99 a gallon and the new Suburban just came out.
Your mum had one, admit it.
Once environmentalism came into fashion, the “hybrid movement” had another shot and the cars manifested themselves in the shapes we’re more familiar with today:
So it’s a little more “practical”, but it’s still reserved for people confident enough to ride around in a jellybean/shuttlecraft/dorkmobile.
Before you start commenting that Toyota “couldn’t keep Priui on their lots” and they “sold out quickly” I will say yes that’s true, but you’ve got to consider that these cars were produced in quite limited numbers for the first few years of their lives. Something to do with the government not having enough cash to award all those “green” rebates.
In the last few years, a new hybrid market emerged: high-end luxury. Now that Green is the new Gucci, the sex appeal of a Range Rover is just a little dented thanks to its bigfoot-sized carbon footprint.
So Lexus introduces the 460h, and later its RX and GX series hybrid vehicles.
Not to be left behind their Japanese rivals… Mercedes Benz cooks up the S400 Hybrid:
Nice.
This thing takes the “green” concept a step further with interior parts made of recycled fibers and all that crap.
Plus, it’s an F-ing S Class. This car is decidedly awesome.
Well now that rich people ride around in hybrids… the rest of us start wanting them too.
Ford provides the Fusion hybrid, Toyota releases a Camry hybrid.
Decidedly less exciting than a new S-Class… you can Google you own images for those if you’re that interested.
And no I didn’t forget about the SUV hybrid market. I just think it’s stupid.
Ford Escape: too small to carry a lot or tow anything and definitely not going off-road, so why deal with poor aerodynamics?
Chevy Tahoe/Escalade Hybrid: It’s sad when automakers can brag about 20 MPG. If you need a vehicle this big, get a diesel.
So let’s recap.
Ten years after the original Insight rolled out, we’ve got a pretty dynamic family of hybrid cars on the market for all four of the major car-buying demographics:
Nerds: Toyota Prius, Honda Insight
Rich People: Lexus LS460h, GX…h, RX…h
Normal People: Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid (and I think the Ford Escape hybrid snuck over here from the SUV category).
SUVs (also applicable to Rich People): Chevy Tahoe Hybrid/Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
But in the next year or two, the forerunners of hybrid cars are promising two new models to appeal to the most important demographic of all: Cool Kids.
You know, the people that marketing companies everywhere want you to be- the Facebook using, vintage sunglass-wearing, music-loving party people that are in catalogs.
These people need cars like the Lexus CT200h and Honda CR-Z.
Cool. But again with the white!
Cooler! And finally a new color.
The “hot hatch” category is finally getting back to its MPG-friendly roots with this pair of tiny-yet-heterosexual cars that I wouldn’t mind owning.
Once thought of as just a teaser concept, I’m now pretty sure the CR-Z is for real. The picture above is from Honda’s official website.
These cars are pretty cool, but don’t get your hopes up about neck-snapping performance.
Despite what the world’s ricers and eurotrash will have you believe, you’ve got to remember to take “hot hatch” performance with a grain of salt.
I’m afraid you will get crushed by creepy old guys in Mustangs at a stoplight in one of these.
But you’ve got to remember you’re getting 30+ MPG, you don’t have to rebuild your carburetor every Sunday, and your girlfriend won’t complain about the omnipresent smell of gasoline when you take her places.
And if you can’t afford one… try an 88 CRX.
Google’s RechargeIT Electric Car Program… What Can It Do For You
In the next stage of its world-takeover scheme, internet superbrand Google has set up “RechargeIT.org” an electric-car initiative that puts- you guessed it- electric cars in the hands of their employees to use as commuter vehicles.
They’ve got a large garage of plug-in electric hybrids called the “GFleet” made up of Toyota Priui and Ford Escapes, some with full-plug in technology, and few gas-burning cars too for the sake of comparison.
It seems like the experiment was pretty straightforward- see how much fuel/CO2, cute baby whales they could save by swapping SUVs for plug-in hybrids.
The test results are pretty much exactly what you would expect, the plug-ins used a lot less gas than the Ford Expedition they were comparing it to. Google chose not to publish the chart of how many more times the guy driving the SUV got laid during the experiment.
Here are Google's actual results, click the image for a breakdown.
But it’s not these results that make RechargeIT.org significant.
This initiative is the first of a non-automaker corporation throwing serious money and research into revamping the American automotive infrastructure.
And if other companies want to be as cool as Google, which I bet a few will, we might see further adaptations of the technology with private funding.
The worlds governments are trying their best to save our planet and solve the petrol problem, but sometimes a little “private funding” is what a movement needs to really get its feet off the ground and start making headway.
When large corporations in America and worldwide start contributing to the solution to the problem of “our current transportation system is not sustainable” situation, I’m sure we’ll see results faster than if it were left for Uncle Sam to deal with all by himself.
If you’re ambitious and want to learn more/waste a little more time, check out some of the links above or watch Google’s goofy promotional video:
Does a Toyota Conspiracy Exist?
Alright, what’s the deal.
The “sticking gas pedal” situation was sketchy… and still misunderstood by many. Then there was that dude who ran from the cops in his Prius and claimed the car “wouldn’t stop accelerating.”
The other day the Lexus GX460 was called out for being “too easy to roll over.”
Now, the Toyota Sienna minivan is being recalled because some kind of tire tread wear issue?
This is getting crazy.
Toyota is an awesome automaker that has made the rambunctious Celica All-Trac Turbo, the iconic Mark IV Supra, the FJ40 Land Cruiser which arouses me in a totally non-weird way and of course all those limp-wristed hybrids you NPR listeners and San Francisco residents love so dearly… did we forget about all that already?
I feel like there’s something weird going on here.
How could a company that is renowned for reliability suddenly start churning out cars that… suck.
That was supposed to be Ford’s job, now they grace us with the Fusion and latest-generation Mustang. No, I’m not being sarcastic, I like those cars!
You'll look at it and you'll like it.
Has the automotive world got it’s head up it’s butt or did the dudes in charge of Awesomeness Synergy get transferred from one organization to another?
I think we’ve got to get down like old bastards in The Crucible and “touch the bottom of this swamp” before Toyota’s good name is tarnished beyond repair.
Who knows, maybe they are having some kind of company-wide meltdown that’s ruining their decades of hard work. But I say we show an old friend some love and make a second pass at these accusations before we start writing Toyota off as a significant automaker.
Stay savvy, Road Rovers.
