By: Megan Benoit | The Truth About Cars

Over the last few years, the last generation Audi A4 was growing increasingly stale. Updated offerings from BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, everyone but Volvo have overtaken Ingolstadt’s brot und butter model. To keep the faith– or at least the faithful– Audi’s engineers initiated a massive redesign of the A4. Obviously, it’s a better car. Vorsprung and all that. But can the new A4 leapfrog the luxury brat pack? Or is it more of the same? Yes.

2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro Review continued »

What Zeus Would Drive To Work.

Looks fast, even standing still.

Next week Audi will officially unveil the 2009 Audi RS6 at the Paris Motor Show. Audi’s teased the uber-sedan with a bevy of new shots and we’ve got a few here to share. We know little other than the fact that the RS6 will be powered by a twin-turbo V10 and won’t be sold in the U.S. initially. This, despite the massive pools of drool covering the desks of men gazing at the supercar humbling sedan, this one included. Damn those Germans and their teasing.

More photos after the jump.

[as seen on: Autoblog]

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Taking Car Security Systems To A Whole New Level

The 2009 BMW 5-Series Security. Aging yuppies need not apply.

The likelihood of buying a BMW 5 series? Possible.

The likelihood of purchasing a BMW 5 series that withstands .44 caliber Magnum bullets, has VR4 ballistic protection, explosion-resistant armored underbelly, thorax airbags (huh?), reinforced heat-resistant rubber tires, intercom and camera systems? Err, not likely.

But who cares, because the idea of a 367 hp, 4.8 liter V8 BMW that can take a bullet or grenade sounds kind of cool, as much as getting shot at isn’t.

BMW Security

Sorry, You Can’t Get One

Jeep J8 Heavy Duty. Grrrrr….

The Jeep J8 Heavy Duty. Further evidence that great vehicles don’t always make it to the United States.

A diesel powered Jeep makes sense. Not just because diesel vehicles are fantastic and efficient, but the notion that a heavy-duty Jeep would answer the calls and wishes from off-road enthusiasts. This writer included. The 158 hp/295 lb-ft torque 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine gives the J8 a 7700 lb towing capacity through its Command-Trac four wheel drive system. It’s also fitted with a hood-mounted snorkel for fording 30 inches of water, a sandstorm (or LA dust) for up-to 5 hours and all-around ruggedness credentiality.

Don’t call it a Wrangler. This is the Jeep J8. Just too bad you can only get it if you’re in the military or civilian government. Additional image after the jump.

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By Samir Sayed | The Truth About Cars

Evaluating the Canadian-designed, built and sold Acura CSX without mentioning the Honda Civic is no easy task. (See?) Comparisons are so tempting, namely because the latter is an excellent car in its own right. The feeling’s mutual. Honda of Japan loved the Acura CSX so much that it served as a template for the JDM Civic. And why not? The CSX delivers an excellent compact luxury package without the reliability issues bedeviling certain (cough German cough) imports. Said otherwise, the CSX is the penny-pinching—I mean, thinking man’s luxury compact.

2008 Acura CSX Navi Premium Review continued »

The Argument for Diesel Powered Vehicles

2009 BMW 335d

By Bradley Hasemeyer & Eric Yang: With the arrival of the 2009 BMW 3-Series Diesel, quite possibly the most ubiquitous of the German cars, it goes without saying that diesel cars are coming to America. Moreover they’re coming for the long haul. Taking aside the fact that, to us, hybrid vehicles are over-hyped fads and we know you’re not into fads. Proven technologies like diesel fuel are what power many of the world’s cars and contrary to your preconceived notions, diesel cars rock. Let’s discuss.

Both Bradley and I have spent time overseas so we can attest that the days of hand-me-down massive black-soot belching behemoths purchased during the last American fuel crisis are gone. With the advent of urea-injected technology from companies like Bosch, you’re now seeing diesel automobiles that are not only more economical than their unleaded and hybrid counterparts, but absolutely stick it to them in terms of performance. And with today’s fuel prices and ongoing recession, that’s a good thing. Our essay after the jump.
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