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Hyundai Genesis 100K or Bust: Doing Time

Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.

Trip Mileage: 555 miles

Current Odometer: 71,234 miles

Destination: Chicago, Illinois

To get to our goal of 100,000 miles, we all have to do our time behind the wheel of the long-term Hyundai Genesis. And, like many people who have done time, I decided to commemorate the event with a tattoo. (Before you ask, no, I didn’t get a big Hyundai “H” or a “Save the Manuals!” logo tramp-stamped on my lower back.)

Putting miles on the Genesis turned out to be the perfect excuse to get a traditional piece done by Nick Colella at Chicago Tattoo Company. Unfortunately for me, Ann Arbor to Chicago and back would not put me over the required-daily-mileage mark, so I had to stretch it out a bit. As an ode to the veterans who had a big hand in making tattoos what they are today, I swung by the lovely city of Toledo, Ohio, where the vets’ ride of choice, Willys Jeeps, were built. With no time to stop and trade war stories, I shot across 80/90 to Chicago.

As nice as the Gensesis seats still are, I was happy to get out of the car in Chicago—if anything, the ride quality has only gotten worse during the car’s admittedly long stay. The guys at Chicago Tattoo specialize in all types of skin art, but one thing you notice when you walk into the shop is their attachment to history. The walls are covered in traditional-style flash. I knew I had come to the right place.

After a couple hours of being tortured by Nick, I got back in the Genesis to be tortured over another couple hundred miles back to Ann Arbor. At about 11 pm, I handed the keys off to Mike Austin so he could leave for his burger quest early this morning. More on that tomorrow.

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2011 Porsche Cayman R – Auto Shows

2011 Porsche Cayman R

The Cayman reasserts itself as quite possibly the most desirable Porsche.

As much as we like the Porsche 911, the Cayman is better to drive in many ways, thanks in large part to its lighter weight and optimal mid-engine layout. But Porsche has been careful to keep the Cayman in its place, limiting horsepower and spinning off a handful of appearance variants; after all, a high-performance version would have the potential to render its much-pricier big brother all but obsolete. Nevertheless, we’ve continued to ask Porsche about a quicker, lighter, and even more agile variation of the Cayman—and now such a thing exists. Meet the Cayman R, essentially the fixed-roof version of the Boxster Spyder.

2010-Los-Angeles-Auto-Show-Click-Here-For-Full-Coverage

Keep Reading: 2011 Porsche Cayman R – Auto Shows

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Hyundai Genesis 100K or Bust: As Luck Would Have It

Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.

Trip Mileage: 720 miles

Current Odometer: 70,671 miles

Destination: Indianapolis, Indiana

Montreal: Too far to go there and back in one day. Chicago: Probably just the right number of miles (especially to the northern suburbs where my cousins live) but too crazy to drive through, almost any time of day. And the distance to Alpena, my favorite northern Michigan city, is just a little shy for what I was looking for.

Indianapolis, though, about 300 miles away from my front door, would be just right for a 600-mile round trip. And as luck would have it, I know a nice little casino just outside of the city. I checked out Indiana Live online, figured out my husband and I could go there for the buffet lunch and try our luck at a little video poker. Well, the lunch was okay, but the machines were not friendly. We headed back home.

But it was a beautiful day for a drive, and the ride through the Ohio and Indiana countryside, light on traffic, was easy and pleasant. Can’t beat satellite radio when you’re in the middle of nowhere. We shuttled back and forth between Soul Town (it was Motown Monday, so lots of favorites came on) and E Street Radio. My husband found the Genesis comfortable (at six-four he appreciated the legroom). I love the easy-to-operate thumb switch for the cruise control and I really appreciate that there’s nothing “adaptive” about the system, too. Let me hit cancel when the road gets too congested for the speed setting, and I know when to hit resume, too. The decent mileage (we averaged 25 mpg) and the good-size gas tank means you can easily go 400-plus miles without stopping for gas. Nice.

The Indianapolis roundtrip (600 miles), plus the mileage I had put on the previous evening after I took the handoff from Jordan Brown (91 miles), along with my commute to work (29 miles)  means we’ve now reached 70,671 on the Genesis’s odometer. That leaves 29,329 miles to go. With good-weather driving days and a little bit of luck, just maybe . . .

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2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible – Auto Shows

With up to 426 hp, an available stick, and some real structural reinforcements, this Camaro could banish the redneck jokes for good.

Chevy’s new Camaro convertible may have recently popped out from behind the curtains in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, but the 2010 L.A. auto show is the car’s official cotillion. From what we know at this point, it looks like the droptop Camaro just may overcome the less-than-stellar reputation of Camaro convertibles past. (Crank the Whitesnake! No, wait—don’t.)

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible – Auto Shows

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Hyundai Genesis 100K or Bust: Beware the Indiana Plain Wraps

Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.

Trip Mileage: 705 miles

Current Odometer: 67,948 miles

Destination: Indianapolis, Indiana

As regular readers know, we’re driving hard to accumulate target mileage—100,000 miles—on our long-term Hyundai Genesis test car. In order to achieve this goal by the end of the year, we calculate that our crew will have to rack up 641 per day, every day. As daily commutes go, that’s a bit on the high side, and we confess there are times when the Hyundai’s speedometer reading has been known to creep a little north of posted speed limits.

Of course, I didn’t confess that to the Indiana state trooper who pulled me over on I-465 outside of Indianapolis. You might get me to confess with a little water-boarding, but I’ve never seen the technique used at roadside.

“Do you know how fast you were going?” he asked, the pro forma question. I didn’t answer that one at all, in part because I was marveling at what appeared to be the ultimate plain-wrapper cop car.

“Is that really a Shelby Mustang?” I asked in return. It was light blue with the white racing strips, the trademark snake logo on the grille, and other Shelby identifying bric-a-brac. “If so, that’s not very sporting of you guys.”

The trooper, who looked like cover material for the Boy Scouts magazine, did not seem to be amused. “No, it’s just a GT with the Shelby stuff added on,” he said. “Gets better mileage than a Crown Vic.”

Duly impressed, I asked how fast he thought I was going.

“I have you for 71,” he replied. “This is a 55 zone.”

I thought about all the cars that had passed me in the last few miles—there were at least one or two—as well as the number of people I’d observed looking at their laps, with occasional glances at the road. There are several possible explanations for this—Christine O’Donnell, the Delaware senate candidate defeated in the recent election, probably has a theory. But texting seems the most likely.

Rather than mention this to the trooper, and appear disagreeable, I simply asked if he was going to write me for all of it.

“Of course,” he replied, in a tone of voice usually reserved for slow children.

I observed aloud that it was common in minor speeding incidents to make it just 5 mph over.

“That would be a lie,” he said, looking very Boy Scout.

What do you say to that? Nothing seemed to be the best bet. He handed over the ticket, with the usual explanatory remarks about who to pay and where, then said, “Drive safely.”

“I have been,” I said. The sarcasm was lost. These guys are giving Mustangs a bad name.

For the record, in Indiana the difference between 16 mph over the limit and 5 mph is just 10 bucks—.50 versus .50. That seems pretty reasonable, but the zinger is court costs, which are 4.50 for almost any garden-variety moving violation.

Oh yeah, the Genesis mission. Despite Trooper Scout, and an appointment at the Indy Speedway Museum, I logged 705 miles for the day, leaving only 32,052 to go. Nothing to it.

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Lamborghini Murciélago Replacement V12 Powertrain Details – Auto Shows

New Lamborghini Murcielago V-12 Powertrain

We get a glimpse at the new 700-hp V12 for Lambo’s next supercar.

Production of the Lamborghini Murciélago ended in May. Now, piece by piece, Lamborghini is unveiling the successor, starting with its heart—the engine—and new transmission.

2010 Los Angeles Auto Show-Click Here For Full Coverage

Keep Reading: Lamborghini Murciélago Replacement V12 Powertrain Details – Auto Shows

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Guzzler No More: Improved Fuel Economy for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550

Updated for 2011, the Mercedes CL550 is a personal luxury coupe with generous dimensions, plentiful power, a great presence on the road, and substantial mass. In years past, this recipe has yielded superb comfort and satisfying performance. Not to mention envious glances from fellow motorists.

There were many plaudits, but fuel economy wasn’t one of them. The car’s gas-guzzler tax—00 during the 2010 model year—was simply accepted as part of the base price. That undesirable element of the car’s persona came to an end late Tuesday when Mercedes-Benz North America received word from the EPA labs that the 2011 CL550 was rated for 15 mpg city and 23 highway, up from 14/21. Guzzler tax: zero.

It’s a remarkable achievement for a car that tipped the Car and Driver scales at a hefty 4699 pounds. It’s even more remarkable for a car that brings increased power to the game—429 hp and 515 lb-ft of torque from a 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8. The new engine makes use of a clutched alternator to eliminate the accessory’s drag, only engaging while the car is coasting, and therefore increasing fuel economy.

Check back soon for our test of the 2011 CL550 4MATIC.

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2012 Bentley Continental GT – First Drive Review

2012 Bentley Continental GT

With the Continental’s glacial advancement, Bentley makes all the right fixes.

What Bentley is asking you to do with the 2011 Continental GT is block out all the pink-over-white-quilted-leather GTCs you’ve seen on TMZ and all the murdered-out, 24-inch-rim-wearing Supersports at the SEMA show, and instead think of its coupe as a timeless icon of ultra-refined performance. In its bid for immortality, the Continental GT changes very little for its first full makeover in seven years, as its bodywork—a bit crisper, a bit wider, and a bit more wide-eyed—evolves at a decidedly Porsche 911–like crawl.

Keep Reading:  2012 Bentley Continental GT – First Drive Review

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Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 65: 2011 Audi TTS

Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 65

On Tuesday, we posted an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note. To hear it again, click play above. Several of you were on the right track with guesses of a VW four-cylinder and DSG. The car in question was an Audi TTS coupe.

Like that sound? Download the MP3 and quiz your friends, make your own ringtone, or just lull yourself to sleep with sweet, sweet vehicular ear candy.

2011 Audi TTS Exhaust MP3 (Right-click to Save As…)

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Hyundai Genesis 100K or Bust: World’s Largest Road Trip

Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.

Trip Mileage: 1001 miles

Current Odometer: 66,588 miles

Destinations: World’s Largest Rubber Stamp, Cleveland, Ohio; World’s Largest Apple Basket, Frazeysburg, Ohio; World’s Largest Basket, Newark, Ohio; World’s Largest Cornfield, Dublin, Ohio; World’s Largest Rocking Chair and Dresser, Franklin, Indiana; World’s Largest Stuffed/Preserved Steer and Sycamore Stump, Kokomo, Indiana; World’s Largest Egg, Mentone, Indiana

This was by no means the world’s longest road trip, although the 1001-mile day was a personal best for me. I thought it would be fitting to take the Genesis—now officially our longest-term car in history—on a tour of “world’s largest” roadside attractions. Here’s how I spent 22 hours with the car (and without sleep).

The Genesis arrived at my door just before 6:30 on Monday morning, fresh from a coworker’s trip to St. Louis and already warmed up. My first stop was Cleveland’s Willard Park to see the world’s largest rubber stamp. I arrived after about three hours in the car, parked illegally, and hopped out to snap a photo. One down. Then I headed south and slightly west through Ohio Amish country.

The two-hour drive took me on some hilly, deserted back roads that provided a chance to stretch the car’s legs; it was a surprising amount of fun and helped me on my several-hours-long process of waking up. Stop number two was the Longaberger Homestead in Frazeysburg to visit the world’s largest apple basket. This thing is pretty darn big, but it couldn’t prepare me for what I was about to see at Longaberger’s headquarters in nearby Newark.

Engined-cheese sandwich, anyone?What I saw there was the headquarters building itself. You can’t miss it because it’s shaped like a basket. Yes, the basket-making company’s seven-story office is also the world’s largest basket. Brilliant. After marveling briefly at the eighth wonder of the world, I popped the hood and slipped my lunch—a tinfoil-wrapped cheese sandwich—under the engine shroud.

Engined-cheese sandwich, anyone?

Fifty miles later in Dublin, Ohio, I had a warmed-cheese sandwich—and a view of the world’s largest cornfield. Actually, it’s the world’s largest gathering of huge corn cobs—the field itself, which sits at an intersection in this Columbus suburb, ain’t so big. There are 109 six-foot-tall concrete cobs situated, for some reason, among several office parks.

The next leg took me west on I-70 to Indianapolis and then a bit south to Franklin, Indiana. It was dark by the time I found the world’s largest rocking chair, but luckily it was illuminated by a flood light. This is also where the world’s largest dresser lives; as you can (sort of) see, its light was out.

I arrived in Kokomo, Indiana, around 8:15 to seek the world’s largest stuffed/preserved steer and Sycamore stump, both of which are located in the town’s Highland Park. I drove slowly through the park but didn’t see either, so I gave up and continued north.

About an hour later, I was in Mentone, Indiana, “the Egg Basket of the Midwest.” That’s what the world’s largest egg told me, anyway. From there it was about 250 miles to Mr. Sutton’s house, where I handed off the car (well, I left it in his driveway because it was 2:30 in the morning) so he could take it on its next adventure.

Seven out of nine ain’t bad, and neither was the mileage total. Thanks to my relatively leisurely pace and the time spent on two-lanes, I managed 27 mpg for the trip. But that wasn’t the point. This was the Bugatti Veyron of road trips; I did it to prove that I could. Entirely unnecessary mission accomplished.

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