Rapper M.I.A Explores Arabian Drifting In New Music Video

It’s no secret that Arabians are big fans of drifting their cars. Whether or not they do it because they love it or just because they are intensely bored is another story. But regardless, there’s no doubt that the sport of drifting has inflicted most of the middle east as of late.

One person to hop on board the drifting infatuation, unsurprisingly, is British rapper M.I.A. In her new music video for ‘Bad Girls’, M.I.A explores the side of her that the title suggests as a couple of older BMW 3-series’, an Alfa Romeo 156 and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class show off their drifting skills (known as hagwalah). The rapper even gets into the thick of things herself as she can be seen rapping on the windshield of a 3-series while it’s only on two wheels.

Whatever your thoughts about drifting hagwalah, this video is worth checking out for the cars alone. Let’s just hope that there were no accidents when filming like there usually is.

[Youtube]

Sexy AND Safe: 2012 Volvo S60 Gets Top Safety Marks

Volvo may be pumping up performance in the S60 with the R-Design but that doesn’t mean that they’ve lost sight of their roots: safety. Case in point, the 2012 S60 has just earned perfect ratings in all categories including frontal, side and pole crash tests run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. The S60 aced the pole crash test in particular as no other vehicle’s occupants (read test dummies) has ever faired as well in that test.

The S60 is just the second vehicle to ever ace all of the NHTSA tests. It joins only the Chevrolet Camaro for perfect marks.

So, we have a stylish, fun to drive Swedish sports sedan that will likely keep you together in one piece if you wrap accidentally wrap it around a tree. What’s not to like? The S60 is starting to look more and more like this year’s most underrated car. Now all Volvo needs to go is offer it with a proper six-speed manual and then they’ll have a clear winner for sure.

Click the video above to see the side crash test of the S60.

[Examiner.com]

Hybrid Wars: Infiniti Targeting Porsche

Just because you may have an interest in the environment or just plain ol’ saving some cash doesn’t mean that you have a disinterest in performance. Just ask the Prius driver jailed for racing.

Anyway, there are lots of performance oriented brands that have now offered up their version of a no-compromise hybrid. Infiniti is the latest with their brand new M35 hybrid. In fact, Infiniti is so confident that their new hybrid is a no nonsense performance sedan that they decided to put their money where their mouth is and stack it up against in a drag race against one of the most expensive hybrid offerings on the market: The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid.

First things first, the specs. The Porsche comes with 380 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h time of just 5.7 seconds all while returning 7.8 L/100 kms in fuel efficiency on the highway.

The M35 gets a 360 horsepower V6 which makes the dash in… your guess is as good as mine. Infiniti has not released official numbers yet. Perhaps this is why this video exists in the first place. In terms of efficiency, the M35 fairs better at 7.3 L/100 kms on the highway.

So without further ado, check out the drag race above. Since this is a video made by Infiniti I probably won’t ruin it for you by saying the M35 hybrid beat out the Porsche on this one, but in the same regard, since it is indeed made by Infiniti, take it with a grain of salt as there is probably lots of unaccounted variables that gives the M35 an edge (not least of which is not showing the drag race from the start line).

Still, the M35 hybrid does make a decent case for itself for those who want luxury and performance but who aren’t willing (or who aren’t able) to pay the Porsche’s $95,000 price tag.

[Youtube]

Merry Christmas From Car Driven & The 2012 BMW M5

Enjoy.

Another Pointless Car Comparison

Here we go again.

Remember when GM compared a Chevy Cruze to a previous generation Hyundai Elantra as if it was some sort of accomplishment that their new product was better than someone else’s old product? Remember when Audi did the exact same thing with their new A8 and the aging S-Class? Remember when Hennesey compared their heavily modded CTS-V to a non-modded preivous generation Porsche 911 and a non-modded Nissan GT-R?  Well apparently the apples to oranges comparisons in the auto industry isn’t going to stop any time soon as GM decided to to pit the Cadillac Escalade against… wait for it… the Mercedes-Benz C300.

GM decided to ‘prove a new standard’ by showcasing that their full-size SUV could beat the Benz in a drag race. And that’s it.

Now, again, here’s my problem with these sorts of comparisons. If you’re the type of person who wants or feels as if you need a full-size SUV then the C-class isn’t going to be found anywhere on your shopping list. So what’s the point? And vice versa, it’s not as if any C-class shoppers are going to spring for a full-size SUV just because GM proved it to be  faster in a straight line. By the way, GM conveniently left out the part when both vehicles  approached a bend in the track, didn’t they? I guess they didn’t want anyone to see the C300 absolutely slaughter the Escalade in the handling department.

And on top of it all, GM really didn’t play fair by choosing the 228 horsepower V6 trim level of the C-class against the 403 horsepower V8 of the Escalade. Why not see how the Escalade does against the 457 horsepower C-63 AMG then? Or better yet, to make it even more fair how by pitting it against the Escalades actual competition like, say, the Mercedes-Benz GL?

Honestly these kinds of nonsensical comparisons do nothing more than proof that you, as an auto company, are willing to stoop to new lows just to sell product when really, the product should be selling itself.

Click the video above to see one of the most ridiculous drag races of the year.

[Youtube]

Ultimate Drag Race

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone pitted a drag race between a BMW 1-Series M, a Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a Chevy Corvette Z06, a Ferrari 458 Italia, a Nissan GT-R, an Audi R8 GT, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a Lexus LFA, a Porsche Cayman R, and a Lotus Evora S? Of course you have. And so apparently has Motor Trend because they actually had the pull to make it happen.

All 11 vehicles are definitely among the best of the best in terms of performance vehicles that are currently made. With that said, they all excel at different things. For instance, there’s no question that the 1-series M is going to lose to the 458 Italia. So, why bother doing it? Because each one of us has a 5 year old boy in us that’s why. Without giving too much away, it’s clear that Motor Trend arranged the obvious front runners to be in the middle of the starting line and then worked backwards. The result is a spectacular flying ‘V’ made up of American, Japanese and European brilliance. The symphonic notes coming from each of the exhausts comes together exquisitely.

Click the above video to see it all unfold.

[Youtube]

Evidence Shown of 7-Speed Manual in Porsche 911

The internets were a buzz last month when rumours started to surface that Porsche was developing a seven-speed manual transmission for the iconic 911. The speculation was that the addition of a seventh gear would help out in the fuel efficiency department. Besides, automatics are now into the 8th gear realm and quite possibly beyond.

Well, now there is actually some evidence. Porsche has released a teaser video of the next gen 911 and one thing that almost went unnoticed was the gear shift during the shots of the cockpit.  It’s hard to make out, but if you look at the zoomed portion of the gear shift there’s actually an extra line going up and to the right.

In the current generation of row-the-gears-yourself 911s, the reverse gear is up and to the left. This would seem to suggest that the extra line to the right on the gear knob is indeed the rumoured seventh gear. And if it is indeed true, this could very well be the proverbial life saver that the manual transmission so desperately needs to stay alive past the next decade.

Click here to check out Porsche’s teaser video.

[Youtube]

Threading the Needle in a BMW 1-Series M

I have to assume that marketing is an interesting business to be in, especially if you’re marketing for the automotive sector. Coming up with fun and creative ways to sell cars can be challenging but rewarding when you’ve come up with a winning idea.

In some cases though, purely showing off a car’s capabilities is all that’s needed and that’s exactly what the marketing team at BMW decided to do for the new 1-series M. Just some tarmac, a driver and a challenge: get the 1-series M through cut outs that are shaped exactly to match the shape of the 1-series M and quickly as you can without hitting the concrete walls.

The point, seemingly, is to showcase just how well the 1-series M can perform by threading the needle. It’s not clear if those barriers are computer generated (that would pretty much ruin the entertaining value of the commercial) but it’s pretty clear that the actual driving part is real.

[Youtube]

Audi Uses Supply Woes to Jab Its Competition

If you haven’t heard, Audi is taken a bit of heat for not being able to build and supply vehicles to meet demand. Basically customers are asked to wait anywhere from six to eight months if they choose to order rather than buy an Audi off the lot. With that said, Audi is fully aware of the problem and has even gone to some pretty generous lengths to keep customers satisfied and from canceling orders.

However, Audi being Audi, they couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to use their slight misfortune to playfully jab the competition. In a new commercial we see an owner of a BMW 3-series spot a truck full of brand spanking new Audis. Seemingly, said owner has already ordered an Audi and was patiently waiting for it arrive for months until he saw the truck and decided to take things into his own hands.

In addition, Audi then ends the commercial stating that more and more BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus drivers are jumping to Audi than ever before.

This commercial is just the latest in a long lasting friendly feud between Audi and BMW, and to a lesser extent Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Click here to check it out.

What do you think of Audi’s commercial?

[You Tube]

Top Gear Tries Electric Cars Again, Fails

I must say, Top Gear might very well be the best show ever made. Seriously. No car show has ever received the viewership or fanbase that they have and no car show has ever been able to lure people otherwise uninterested in cars before. With that said, a good chunk of the reason why Top Gear is able to attract such a wide variety of viewers is because of the dynamic between hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, but also because it’s wildly entertaining.

The latter should be considered when watching the above clip. Clarkson and May decide to have a go at the Peugot iOn and the Nissan LEAF – both full on electric vehicles. However, to ensure that it’s still entertaining they decided to see if they could trek across the country is said vehicles. Since most electric vehicles are designed to be city dwellers, this is obviously an attempt at entertainment. And knowing them, they succeeded.

May and Clarkson found themselves at the University of Lincoln as they stopped to ask where they could charge their cars. Inevitibly no one could point them to a charging station because there weren’t any. So then the duo decided to just drive around looking for a charging station until the cars ran out of juice and had to be towed.

This really seems like more of a middle finger to Tesla, who has filed a lawsuit against Top Gear and the BBC for allegedly rigging the test of their roadster which gave the impression that the car is useless because you have to charge it too often. Even though Tesla wasn’t involved in this video, it’s clear that Top Gear are not fans of the electric car industry in general. However, James May has actually written a column saying that electric cars aren’t all that bad and can work in certain instances. Obviously in this instance, they aren’t ideal.

[The Lincolnite]

Which Would You Rather?

Okay, so you’ve got a stupid amount of cash to spend on your next ride, but there are a few caveats. 1) It needs to be able to carry a bunch of stuff 2) It needs to be able to seat at least four people 3) It needs to be incredibly fast and 4) It needs to be able to handle like it’s on rails in the bends. What does that leave you?

Well, Motor Trend is convinced it has that list narrowed down to the Porsche Panamera Turbo, the BMW X6 M and the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. All very impressive vehicles, yet all very different from one another and all are not necessarily competitors with each other. All the more reason to see how they compare!

Obviously they ended up loving them all but for different reasons. They did choose one in the end, but I won’t spoil that for you. Click the video above to see who came out on top.

I must say, if I had to choose, this would be a very tough choice. The Cadillac’s manual transmission, low price and decent looks for a wagon are all great selling points. BMW’s unreal ability to make a 5,100 pound SUV perform as if it’s a car is mind boggling. Porsche’s ability to make the fastest production 4-door/hatchback and make it rival actual supercars on the track is also incredibly impressive. Especially considering how big it is!

Which would you rather? Have your say in the comments section. Also check out a video of the trio in a drag race after the jump.

[Youtube]

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BMW i3 to Be Mid-Engine

BMW’s newest and smallest offering from the i sub-brand was recently caught out and about cold weather testing in Sweden. Well, all that snow essentially confirmed which wheels will be powering the little carbon fiber city car. The power slides, tail happiness and donuts essentially confirm it will be rear wheel drive.

Also confirmed is the mid-engine set up. This places the motor in front of the rear wheels and the battery pack below the trunk. BMW says the drivetrain can be completely separated from the body which means less labour time for you to pay for when you’re getting work done on your i3. It should make things a lot easier for mechanics (or yourself if you prefer to do it yourself).

Still no good shots of the exterior. That swirly paint is definitely doing its job, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before an official reveal is made.

[CarPix]

Kobe Bryant & Smart Fortwo Brabus Save the Day

Ever wonder what would happen if you put Kobe Bryant in a Smart Fortwo? Well apparently they make a dynamic duo.

Smart is looking to up its sales in China so they came up with the odd combo marketing campaign. In the commercial, an art thief makes off with, um, art. A woman, presumably the owner or creator of said art chases him out into the street. It becomes painfully apparent that she’ll need some wheels to keep up. She then causes all traffic to stop and has a choice between a Chevy Corvette and a Smart Fortwo Brabus. Bucking the trend, she goes for…you guessed it, the Smart. Turns out, the driver is Kobe Bryant and she commands him to follow the thief. He does so, for some reason, and then we see a cool sort of chase throughout the streets of China. Presumably they used a stunt driver for most of these scenes. As you might have guessed, in the end, the thief was caught by Bryant in a way only he can do.

So I guess the point of this commercial is to bust the myth that Smarts are really small (inside anyway) since a major league basketball player can sit inside and that Smart cars are not boring city fuel misers.

Think it worked?

[Advertising @ Chinasmack]

A Half Hour of Awesomeness

I’ve been holding off blogging on the upcoming M5 for a while because I feel the M5 commands a certain respect that should be returned in showing it off in its official form. It deserves better than simple spy shots with weird camoflage and swirly paint jobs.

But this is too good to pass up. You might have seen the shorter version of this film which highlights the M5 cold weather testing and having a good time of it. Well now BMW has leaked the entire video which is about 30 minutes of  tail slides, revving V8 goodness and beautiful still shots.

Right now, all we know is that the V10 found in the previous generation M5 will be replaced by a V8 – although it’s not certain if it will be the 4.4 litre V8 found in the 550i, but if it is, you can be sure it will be tuned to over 550 horses at least.

Also confirmed is the availability of a manual transmission – at least for our market. There were rumours going around that it would be auto only which had BMW purists shouting blasphemy from the hills but BMW has indeed confirmed it for our market. They have yet to confirm it for other markets however.

The official reveal will happen in mid-April. Car Driven will have all the details!

[Youtube]

Auto Journalist Damages Brand New Ferrari FF!

Oh man, this is pretty much my worst nightmare.

If When I become credible enough to be on Ferrari’s press vehicle list, I’m definitely going to ensure that this never happens to me. Which is probably easier said than done.

A fellow auto journalist for CAR magazine was given the opportunity to review the new Ferrari FF. He had a camera set up inside the car so he could relay his impressions as they occurred. Unfortunately, the camera also caught his reactions when he drove the FF over a curb!

Needless to say, his reaction was understandable, if fairly restrained. My reaction would’ve been, shall we say, stronger. As in, I would turned into the hulk and beat myself up for doing such a stupid thing. I would imagine that the folks from Ferrari felt the same way when they found out what had happened.

Watch the cringe-worthy video above. I feel your pain, fellow auto journo. I feel your pain.

[Motor Authority]