Rush Limbaugh Knows Nothing About Cars, Has Opinion Anyway

If there’s one thing that drives me mad it’s when people who know nothing about a topic try to form an opinion on it anyway and then try to convince others that their opinion is right. This accurately describes Rush Limbaugh’s entire life.

If you don’t know who Limbaugh is, consider yourself lucky. If you are curious, well, let’s just say that he is an extreme right winged so-called political pundit who, for some reason, has his own radio show. As you can see by his picture, it’s obvious why no one wants to give him a  TV show.

Oh, and he’s also severely addicted to various pills. Nice.

On his radio show Limbaugh likes to talk about current events, of which he clearly does not follow or understand. Racist Rush, as I like to call him, decided to have a go at another topic that he is clearly ignorant about: Cars.

Specifically, Limbaugh decided to lay into the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Limbaugh claimed that the Volt is stupid because it costs too much. I will admit, the $41,000 US starting price is about five grand more than anticipated, but since Rush’s hates the environment and will find any excuse in the book to slam efficient technology, he almost purposely failed to mention that the Volt can also be leased for a very reasonable $350/month.

He then declares that since there are government incentives on cars like the Volt of up to $7,500 off ($10,000 off in Ontario), there clearly must be no demand for cars like these.  Because it’s not like America was hit hard by the recession thanks to fools like your beloved George W. Bush and people need stimulus in order to buy new cars again, right Rush? Besides, as Autoblog pointed out, there were tax write -offs for Hummers and other huge gas guzzling SUV’s just a few years ago. How come you didn’t speak up against that then, eh Rush?

And to top it all off, and to showcase just how ignorant he is, Rush then decided to misinform all his listeners by proclaiming that the Volt is only capable of 40 miles (65 kms) then it runs out of juice. A little research goes a long way and if Limbaugh had the inclination or the wit to do so, he would’ve found out that the Volt can go an additional 300 miles on a regular gas engine when the electric motor runs out of power.

Now, I’ve been a bit critical of the Volt myself in the past, but I know cars. They are one of my few topics of expertise. And with that said, despite my minor criticisms, I still like the Volt. And I want it to succeed. I’m very eager to try one out for myself, mostly because I understand how it works and it’s intriguing. I would never claim to hate something without first understanding it. But that’s how Rush rolls and he is exactly what is wrong with society today.

You don’t like the Volt, Rush? Just pop a few more of those pills and the Volt won’t seem so bad, will it?

[Detroit Free Press]

Get A Life: Supercars in Halifax Pulled Over by Police After Complaints

This past weekend, if you were in Halifax, you may have been lucky enough to notice a lot of supercars around, which isn’t really a regular occurrence down here. About a dozen supercars were in and around the Halifax area, turning heads and showing off those lovely exhaust notes to the public. Everything from Ferrarris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and even a Saleen was spotted.

They were apparently in town to tour the Maritimes thanks to sponsorship from ZR Autos in Calgary.

Unfortunately they didn’t receive the warmest welcome here since some people down here apparently have a permanent stick up their asses and can’t stand one ounce of fun or change in their lives.

The supercars were driving down Highway 103 to Halifax. People traveling the same highway definitely noticed them and instead of thanking their lucky souls that they were able to experience such and event, they decided to call the RCMP and complain that they were driving at a ‘high rate of speed’.

While I can understand safety concerns of speed, the last thing on my mind would be to call the cops. Chances are the people driving the cars are highly skilled professional drivers who are used to high rates of speed and know the limits of their cars. In my opinion, it’s no big deal for them to open up the taps of the cars if there is minimal traffic and are trained professionals.

The RCMP did indeed respond to the complaints and pulled over one of the cars. The rest of the supercars pulled over as well as a sign of a good gesture. In fact, when the police pulled over the supercars, they were all traveling at the speed limit, so I believe it was a case of just pushing the supercars to their limit with no one really around then slowing to the speed limit once traffic picked up.

Anyway, do you think after all that, these supercars are going to return? I sure hope so. And I hope in the meantime people can get a life instead of calling the cops.

[The Chronicle Herald]

Told Ya: Lupe Fiasco Jumps Aboard Camaro Infatuation

I really should be some sort of marketing guru because I predicted that the new Chevrolet Camaro will be the new Cadillac Escalade among rappers. And you know it’s true if Lupe Fiasco is doing it. Lupe tends to not care so much about materialism or fame, in fact he has gone on record as saying he never wants to be famous (even though he kinda is already). Thing is, he still has a love for all things traditionally popular, he just doesn’t let it all cloud his judgment.

The traditionally anti-traditional rapper posted this pic of him and a Camaroo SS on his blog and I must admit, I was a little taken aback by Lupe’s choice of ride, despite all the hoopla surrounding the Camaro in the hip hop world. I expected him to be in some sort of Japanese rocket like a Nissan GT-R. Lupe claims he’s “American mentally with Japanese tendencies” so I guess this is just his inner American coming out. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.

But what makes it even more forgivable than that is he is using the Camaro for a charity run called ‘Run to the sun’ where he and Caleb Garrett will drive from Chicago to Los Angles in order to raise money for homeless shelters.

Oh, and Lupe already named his Camaro. It’s called ‘Skull Leader Zero’. I kinda thought that was a stupid name at first, but for some reason it’s growing on me. I totally admire him for keeping the Camaro stock and resisting the temptation to put ridiculously massive rims on it like some people.

[Lupe Fiasco]

Audi Plays the Stereotype Game With…Everyone

Audi and BMW have long been German rivals as they have both taken pretty funny shots and jabs at each other from time to time. This time, Audi has decided to take a few additional shots at two other rivals: Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.

The 3 minute spot is called “Meet the Beckers” and although it’s an oldie, it’s a goodie. The whole point of the spot is that Audi is for normal people and its rivals are for walking stereotypes.

First Audi naturally takes aim at BMW. We see a blue E46 M3 convertible speeding down the road. It is driven by a stereotypical (in Audi’s mind anyway) BMW driver which is a douchebag wearing a blutooth headset, blasting European techno music with a rather dim witted female in the passenger seat. Driving very aggressively, they catch up to a slow moving Toyota Prius which angers the BMW driver so he lays on the horn, passes on the right, cuts off the Prius without signalling all while giving the Prius driver the middle finger. Basically Audi is showcasing the stereotype that BMW drivers are inconsiderate, aggressive driving pricks who show off to girls and blast loud questionable European techno.

Then Audi picks on Mercedes owners where we see an old man who is obviously not with the times and seemingly has lots of money. He has a gold digging wife much younger than he and has trouble operating all the gadgets and gizmos in the Benz as he leaves his parking spot with the wipers on and the right turn signal on…as he turns left. We also see them splash puddle water into a homeless man begging for money as they make a turn. So basically Audi’s stereotype in this case is that all Mercedes-Benz owners are old rich white guys who have young trophy wives and don’t know how to operate their cars (insinuating they only have a Benz for the badge).

Then Audi turns its eye to Lexus owners as we see a preppy family who seemingly is happy, normal and wholesome, but really they are a bunch of freaks. The daughters aren’t quite what you’d call normal with a gothic heavy metal tendency. Meanwhile the father is clearly a neurotic nerd who may or may not be a hypochondriac. So basically Audi sees Lexus owners as boring, nerdy people who are freaks deep down inside.

Of course, Audi sees their drivers as completely normal level headed people.

Do you think all the stereotypes are accurate? Check out the video above and sound off in the comments.

FAIL: This is Why I Park Like A Jack-Ass

My friends usually make fun of me for where and how I park my car. I refuse to park next to anyone anywhere. Therefore, I park way at the other end of the lot where no one bothers to park because it’s too far from the doors of the store. Because you know, it’s not like North American’s could use the exercise that the extra walk from the car to the door provides. Anyway, even then I only park in corner spaces because there is always some cock bag who will park next to me regardless of how much out of my way I go to ensure that very situation does not happen. And then I park on the line closest to the corner of the space to ensure no dings can ever occur from people who apparently have enough sense to pass a driving test but not enough sense to know how to open a car door properly. People usually call me a jack-ass for purposely parking on the line, but whatever. I figure if I park far enough away, it doesn’t really affect anybody anyhow.

Now, the picture above is a perfect example of why I do this. I don’t think I could describe in words the amount of rage that would consume my body and soul if I was the owner of the Nissan 370Z (40th anniversary edition too!) pictured above while coming back to my car. I would likely bludgeon the owner of the white Honda Accord along their family with an axe. There’s no way the clot who owns the Honda Accord Hybrid didn’t notice how close they had parked to the 370Z. There’s no way there wasn’t any scraping. Judging by the condition of the Accord, the owner obviously doesn’t care about the car to begin with. If there were a car equivalent of child services, I would be tempted to call to save this poor Accord from its reckless owner.

In any event, FAIL FAIL FAIL to the Accord Hybrid owner. I’m going to print this picture and show it to the next person who makes fun of me for parking the way I do.

It’s the Car’s Fault, Officer

Full disclosure: I have been pulled over for speeding before. Three times, if I’m honest, but I only managed to get a ticket for one of those times.

Now, a lot of times, I am aware of my lead foot. So when I get caught, I don’t usually put up a fuss.

But there are certain times when you really are not aware of how fast you’re going. Some cars in particular are very difficult to drive slowly. My personal vehicle for instance is one of them (full disclosure again, I drive a 2008 BMW 128i).

A friend of mine just purchased a 2006 Mini Cooper S, and after some time behind the wheel, I have decided that his car is also a difficult car to drive slowly. The BMW 550i GT that I tested is also hard to tame, and now comes word from the folks at European Car Magazine that the 335d is hard to drive slowly as well.

See the pattern? All those cars mentioned are BMW’s (or made by BMW).

European Car was pulled over for going 93 mph in a 70 zone and the reviewer tried to explain the characteristic that is seemingly a trait with all BMW’s.

“It’s not my fault, this car wants to go 120 mph all the time… it’s the car’s fault.”

Needless to say, that didn’t work. The reviewer got a ticket anyway. But it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who seems to have a hard time driving BMW’s slowly. Their engines are so smooth and responsive

It’s also worth mentioning that European Car was able to get 6 l/100 kms out of the 335d despite the inability to drive the speed limit. It’s one of the reasons why we chose it for Canadian Car of the Year for 2010.

In any event, our tip of the day is: if you ever find yourself behind the wheel of a BMW, mostly any BMW,  make sure you keep a close eye on your speedometer.

BMW M3 vs. Lexus IS-F

After just writing the post below, we thought we would share this with you…. in case there was ever any doubt in your mind as to who is still king.

(Oh, and Jeremy Clarkson for President of the World)

World Car of the Year 2010: Top Ten Entries Revealed

What is the best car in the world? It’s all relative and subjective and thus, impossible to determine. But that doesn’t stop automotive journalists from trying.

52 automotive journalists representing each continent in the world (except Antarctica – Penguins can’t legally drive yet) have gotten together and submitted their top ten choices for World Car of the Year in two categories: Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year. There will then be three finalists chosen for both categories.

Find out what car made the top ten and what our pics are for the finalists after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Canadian Car of the Year Finalists Revealed! We Make Our Picks!

Those lucky ducks that have coveted AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) memberships all recently got together to rate the best new car of the year from the Canadian perspective for 2010. They tested them, rated them, and broke down the finalists into five categories.

Since Car Driven is literally only hours old as we write this, it seems a bit premature to have our own COTY awards. So instead, we’ll just use AJAC’s finalists and make our own picks.

Find out the finalists and our picks after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »