CANADA'S ecoAUTO REBATE

The Government of Canada's initiative to put more people into fuel efficient vehicles by giving them money sees a rearranging of models for year 2008. The list, with the cashback value, is below.

$2000
Toyota Prius
Honda Civic Hybrid
smart fortwo (coupe and convertible)
Ford Escape Hybrid (front and all-wheel drive)
Saturn Vue Hybrid

$1500
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Nissan Altima Hybrid
Toyota Highlander Hybrid

$1000
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Yaris (hatch and sedan)
Mini Cooper (and Clubman)
Honda Civic (coupe and sedan)
Honda Fit
Lexus RX400h
Jeep Compass (2.0L w/CVT and 2.4L manual tranny)
Jeep Patriot (2.0L w/CVT and 2.4L manual-tranny)
Chevrolet HHR
Nissan Rogue

FLEX FUEL VEHICLES $1000
Chevrolet Impala
Dodge Avenger
Chrysler Sebring

CDN COTY

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has named their many cars of the year. AJAC doesn't like to herald the advent of one new vehicle more than another, it seems, and so the awards are split amongst mutliple - specific - categories. The category names do not remain stagnant. For more about the proceedings, visit this link. The various winners are below. Remember, The Good 12 debuts December 20th here at GoodCarBadCar.net and carries through until the end of 2007.

Saturn Astra, Honda Accord EX sedan, Mercedes-Benz C-class, Audi R8, Mini Cooper S, Audi S5, BMW 335i convertible, Hyundai Entourage, Chevrolet Silverado, Nissan Rogue, Saturn Vue, Buick Enclave.

OTHER NUMBERS FROM CAR & DRIVER'S JANUARY ISSUE

The Good Car Guy already filled you in on Car & Driver's 0-60 testing of eleven cars in its January issue. Other important Numbers are viewable below.

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24 - miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman, the best figure in a comparo where the Mini finished sixth. Its EPA city and highway figures were also the best-in-test.

18- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, the worst figure in a comparo where the Lancer Ralliart finished dead last. Its EPA city figure was worst-in-test and its EPA highway figure was tied for worst-in-test.

156- top speed, in mph, of the 260-bhp Chevrolet Cobalt SS, limited by aerodynamic drag, placing the Chevy tops in a seven-way comparo where it finished third overall

19- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the all-wheel drive Acura TL, better than what was managed by the aforementioned Mitsubishi with its 1.7L-smaller engine, 68 fewer horsepower, and 445 fewer pounds.

33- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Volkswagen Jetta, which with a 140-bhp 2.0L turbodiesel, still had to propel 3353 pounds.

24- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Hyundai Elantra wagon which posted identical acceleration figures to the Jetta TDI with one extra horsepower, 99 fewer lb-ft of torque, and 321 fewer pounds

0.61- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad.

1.08- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad

18- difference in sound levels, measured in decibels by C/D, between the loudest car of the year, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the quietest cars of the year, the Ford Flex Limited and Dodge Journey R/T, both of which let out 65 dBA at 70mph 

BREAKING NEWS - TOYOTA, LEXUS, AUDI & MERCEDES-BENZ, MINI POSTING RECORD SALES IN CANADA

Ironically, on a day when Canada's figurehead Governor General, Michaelle Jean, will fly home from Europe to deal with a political crisis that was precipitated to some degree by a lack of extra funding to the automotive manufacturing sector, Toyota says that its best ever year (and it's only December 2nd) comes as a result of Canadian-built models. Excuse the long sentence - The Good Car Guy gets excited over irony.

Not only has Toyota already surpassed 2007's record-setting sales total through just eleven months, but Audi has done so, as well. Lexus and Mercedes-Benz both posted their best-ever Novembers, too.

Details will be forthcoming over the next day or so regarding both American auto sales for November as well as Canadian sales figures. For now, consider that Toyota Canada sold more than 200,000 cars in one year for the first time ever and did so in just eleven months. Lexus Canada sold at a record-setting pace for the 8th consecutive month. Audi Canada set an annual record for the third straight year but did so this year in just eleven months. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz's year-to-date growth stands at 27.7% through November.

Toyota's Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4 along with the Lexus RX350 all posted huge sales gains and are all built in Canada.

UPDATE: Mini has joined the flock of best-ever folk with its eighth-consecutive month of record sales and a best-ever November. Chrysler, Honda, Acura BMW, and Volkswagen are all down - some by large margins - but Jetta sales are waaaaaay up because of new Clean Diesel TDI availability

CAR PCOTY

British car magazine, CAR, whose editors proclaim on the cover that they offer the definitive view, has named their Performance Car of the Year.

If you're looking for consistently sound opinion, CAR may not be the place for you. Once known and perhaps even renowned for a magazine that centred on dynamic peformance, CAR has evolved into what seems to be a car-as-a-conversation-piece style magazine, with none other than Piers Morgan contributing.

Nevertheless, the PCOTY feature is certainly suggested reading. The Audi R8 was joined in the final three by the BMW M3 and Honda's Civic Type R. The Audi overcame some high-strung group members (Caterham 7 R400, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3 RS) and the M3 and Civic didn't put up enough of a challenge.

Having already battled the Renault Clio F1 Team R27, Vauxhall Corsa VXR, and a Mini Cooper with Works package, the CTR was relegated in the final round despite obvious credentials. "A great hot hatch.... but not quite torquey or communicative enough to feel really special in this company," said the judges.

And the M3? CAR says: "Because, as good as it is, it doesn't move the M3 game on massively. Yes, it's quicker than the old car, more refined, practical and as sideways as ever, but we expect all those things from the M3."

So the R8 takes the crown. One paragraph by Chris Chilton makes very clear the overall reasoning for Audi's win. "And then I pointed the R8 home and knew we picked the right car..... The icy white markings on the dials glowed back from the dash, the Bang and Olufsen hi-fi murmured quietly, and I tried to figure out how this car costs only £76,000. It's still a lot of money in anyone's reckoning, but not for a car of this calibre. In the context of an M3 that costs £50K, a Lamborghini that shares many of the R8's parts and costs over three times as much, and a Porsche that costs £94K but can't be driven in the rain, the R8 easily cements its place as a worthy winner."

In order of their lap times around the Cadwell Park circuit (as driven by British Touring car great Matt Neal), here are CAR's candidates and a brief summary by CAR and the inevitable GoodCarBadCar take as well.

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PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS: "Even Neal thought it was too hot to handle; naturally we wanted to marry it." GCBC says: "A regular GT3 is enough 911+, the RS adds way too much cost for way too little improvement."

CATERHAM 7 R400: "Like being hardwired into the tarmac; if lapping circuits is your thing, nothing beats it." GCBC says: "Proof that a little less weight will do you good."

LAMBORGHINI SUPERLEGGERA: "Couldn't beat the GT3 on the road but was even more exciting on track." GCBC says: "Amazing that extreme examples of extreme cars can face such competition now, such as the GT3 RS, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and 911 GT2."

AUDI R8: As happy chasing Lambo's on the track as tailing eVextra's on the M25. Brilliant." GCBC says: "Audi now has more than power, looks, and Quattro on its side; the R8 is a pure driving experience."

BMW M3: "We still don't like the steering but what fun - and what an engine!" GCBC says: "The original M3 had a four fewer cylinders and a lot less luxury....."

SUBARU IMPREZA RB320: "Last of the saloon Impreza's divided opinion. Mighty fast but hard work." GCBC says: "Showcasing passion that may never be revealed on the new WRX's or STi's."

NISSAN 350Z: "Quick, but far from the sideways here at Cadwell its roundabout antics suggest." GCBC says: "The Z, as usual, laps with the big dogs for a substantially smaller cash outlay and looks good doing it."

AUDI S5: "Old style Audi - safe and competent but not fun on track; A5 TDI better on road." GCBC says: "Not fun on track, true. But stinking fast and heart-wrenchingly beautiful."

VAUXHALL VXR8: "Bargain V8 saloon better on road than on track." GCBC says: "What was CAR expecting? I'm expecting the Pontiac G8 to be very good indeed."


HONDA CIVIC TYPE R: "Almost racer-like in its responses but amazing VTEC engine needs another 40 bhp." GCBC says: "Needs a communicative chassis and steering before it needs another 40 horsepower, but it looks sweet."

RENAULT CLIO 197 F1 TEAM R27: "A proper oldschool hot hatch and great at Cadwell; but hardwork on the road." GCBC says: "If the weight remained equal to that of the old Clio, then the long-titled new Clio would be in with a shout."

MINI COOPER S WORKS: "Great to look at but minimal power increase from Works kit and poor under braking." GCBC says: "Pray the Mini brand doesn't go soft. It hasn't... yet."

VAUXHALL CORSA VXR: "Torquey engine and smooth ride great on road but VXR outclassed on circuit." GCBC says: "Have you seen this little sucker go 'round the Nurburgring?"

26 PICTURES OF THE MINI COOPER S CABRIO

Looking back now, do you not get the very strong impression that BMW was on to something? The Mini brand has been a roaring success. BMW stuck to a style and invested engineering strength to make on-road dynamics a vital selling point. True enough, choosing the convertible points out very clearly that you're not all about on-road dynamics, are you? The speed of this Cooper S convertible is numbed because of additional weight that adds stiffness to the structure while the suspension tuning is softened a bit to stave off shaky rearview mirrors and dashboards. Check out the new Mini Cooper S cabrio in 26 pictures below.

evo SUMMARIES - ATP

British car mag evo, whose thrust is 'The Thrill of Driving', recently wrote the following regarding the subjects ↓ and GoodCarBadCar showcases them in this special Across The Pond:

(Fiat) Abarth Grande Punto: ".... But now there is a road car, the Abarth Grande Punto, and it's being displayed in this flagship showroom where we're also about to settle down for the press conference. Although clearly based on a Fiat Grande Punto, you won't find a single Fiat badge on it. There are scorpions on the wheels, a shield on the bonnet, a shield and tricolour lightning bolt on each flank, more shields inside, but not a single four-letter word beginning with 'F'...... the engine is much better than you'd expect a 1.4 to be. It's remarkably unturbo-like and, whilst it needs to be kept on the boil, it sounds good and pulls strongly between three- and five-thousand rpm." - Henry Catchpole


Mini One: "With all the brouhaha surrounding the Minis in the upper echelons of the range it's easy to forget about the One, the 1.4L entry-level model..... When it's all said and done, it's hard to knock the One. It's an honest, no-frills tool that delivers on all levels. So unless you're after a full-blown hot-hatch, our advice is to keep it cheap and keep it cheerful. After all, it's the way Minis used to be." - Roger Green


Audi A4 3.2 Quattro S-Line: "The tuneful V6 makes short work of straights and slow-moving traffic, while high grip levels and tight body control make for impressive composure when you up the pace.... For all its talents, though, the A4 feels slightly inert from behind the wheel. It;s undeniably capable, combining agility and pace, but the whole experience is very businesslike..... Don't despair though, because it's an improvement on the old car across the board, which means the legend of the RS4 is in safe hands." - Ross Pinnock

External links:
Punto
Mini
New A4

LISTEN TO THE MINI E WHIR AND HUM OVER HILL AND DALE IN MOTION

As a pedestrian, few experiences are as strange as watching out of the corner of your eye as a car rolls toward you (or speeds toward you) without making sounds. You may hear a whir or a bit of tire roar, but the sounds aren't processed correctly.

Curious to understand my full meaning? Mini's new electric version of the Cooper makes some noise; but not much. Read more about the Mini E here, watch the clip below.

HOW CONSUMER REPORTS RELIABILITY RANKINGS RELATE TO GCBC AWARDS

Late last year and in early 2008, The Good Car Guy handed out twenty awards. Well, let's be honest: eight of them were shameful awards. The Good 12 and The Bad 8  place significance on vehicles that can be purchased by people you and I know - no Ferraris, Lamborghinis, or Bentleys. Of the hundreds and hundreds of different models available to the North American consumer, The Good 12 tells you which you should buy if at all possible in 2008 and The Bad 8 makes very clear which cars you should not buy if at all avoidable.

Of course, those vehicles are in the running for 2009's Good 12 and Bad 8. If they're still the best, they ought to be recognized that way. But before that comes, it appears that Consumer Reports has released its reliability rankings, pieces of news in which many consumers (how ironic) place a great amount of trust.

So, how do those rankings compare with The Good 12 and The Bad 8? Have a look below.

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Small Cars: Consumer Reports says the Scion xD and Mini Cooper Clubman are at or near the top while the Nissan Versa sedan is the worst. The Good 12 holds fast on the regular Mini Cooper while the Versa sedan resides in The Bad 8.

Family Cars: Consumer Reports puts the Toyota Prius and Kia Optima at or near the top with the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger platform-mates at the bottom. GoodCarBadCar.net is silent on the topic.

Sporty, Coupes, & Convertibles: Consumer Reports places the Lexus SC430 and Volco C30 at the top with the Chrysler Sebring convertible and Saturn Sky at the bottom. The Bad 8 has both the Sebring and Lexus SC in its grasp.

Luxury Cars: Infiniti's M35 and Lexus IS250 are CR's most reliable; the V8-powered Cadillac STS and V8-powered Mercedes-Benz E-Class are at the bottom. GoodCarBadCar.net speaks neither well or ill of all four.

Minivans/Wagons: The Toyota Matrix and Scion xB are the best of the bunch in CR's rankings, the Chrysler twins (Town & Country, Grand Caravan) are the worst. GoodCarBadCar.net is silent.

In the SUV/truck arena, the Toyota Tundra; Honda Ridgeline; Toyota Sequoia; Honda Pilot; Lexus RX400h; Honda Element, and Toyota FJ Cruiser are all leaders of their respective packs. Conversely, the Ford F-250; Land Rover LR2; Saturn Vue in V6 all-wheel drive form; Land Rover Range Rover; Volkswagen Touareg; V8-powered and diesel-fired Mercedes-Benz GL-Class; and the Dodge Dakota 4x4 are all unreliable by Consumer Reports' standards.

One more thing: Consumer Reports also said the Honda Fit; smart fortwo; and Infiniti G35 are "also very reliable". Those cars are in The Good 12.

YOU NEED A CAR? WIN IT

You're a hybrid lover but acknowledge that the added expense in most cases won't be covered by your fuel savings. What to do, what to do? Wells Fargo is going to give somebody a Honda Civic Hybrid and an iPod so it might as well be you, so long as you're an American resident not living in Rhode Island, Florida, or New York. Follow the link.

It seems that a car isn't a grand enough prize in and of itself. Civic Hybrid + an iPod, GMC Acadia & a Garmin StreePilot navigation system. American Airlines must figure there's a fair number of 8-member families who can't afford flights, so AA's giving an Acadia (and directions) to somebody. It might as well be you. Follow the link, Americans.

Prefer a larger hybrid? Win a Toyota Highlander here. Enjoy your efficiency in more natural ways? A Mini Cooper S from Samsung would fit the bill.

Canadians outside of Quebec could win a Nissan Versa from Much Music. The Dairy Farmers of Canada are offering a free Toyota Yaris, and Dodge is going to give away a Ram.

FLASHY NEW CAR SITES

It's been quite a while since GoodCarBadCar rated the best super-luxury automotive websites. Lamborghini came out on top of the eleven-company comparison. If you were to cut away some of the cost found inside those websites cars but keep the cool web features; you might arrive at the sites found below.

Check out these two GM sites: the new Malibu at www.chevrolet.com/malibu and Vauxhall's VXR site at www.vauxhall.co.uk.

Considering the market BMW is attacking with the Mini, www.miniusa.com better have a good site. Fiat wants to cater to the same folks who'll spend slightly higher dollar figures on slightly smaller cars. So, www.Fiat500.com is pretty awesome, especially the configurator/build section.

Suffer through the slow load times and you'll be impressed by www.honda.co.uk/car. Finally, LandRoverusa.com has some Extraordinary Experiences. Watch the Range Rover Sport in Tokyo.

2009 MINI COOPER & CLUBMAN RECALLED - JCW VERSIONS, SPECIFICALLY

John Cooper Works is only about as British as Rolls-Royce and Mini these days. The famed Mini tuner is a slave to BMW; as are the others.

For 2009, JCW kits were available to the regular and Clubman versions of the turbocharged Minis. Unfortunately, the brake discs fitted to these John Cooper Works cars were inadequate 16-inchers. Simply put, they're not up to the task of bringing Mini Coopers to a halt. Thus, NHTSA says, 560 of these cars are ready for a Recall. "Dealers will inspect the front brake discs and pads and, if necessary, replace them," NHTSA says. For more on JCW Garages, click here.

MUST HAVE CARS

Following up never hurts. GCBC maligned three cars in the previous post (Buick Lacrosse/Saab 9-5/Suzuki Aerio) so today we'll skip the criticism and head straight for celebration.

Lifestyles differ drastically from one individual to another. The first car mentioned could and would supply everything my family needs. Albeit, the first car seats only two comfortably. The second vehicle can squeeze in seven if need be. The third presents itself in the format of a typical family sedan..... with a turbo. All three are attainable cars for regular human beings. Attainable, but not necessarily practical. So, The Good Car Guy offers options. Herein lies the justification.



The Mini Cooper - or Cooper S or Cooper D or Mini One - are suggested purchases. On the authority of The Good Car Guy. Reasons are legion. Here come they.

1. Cool. Not a chick car, not a boy-racer, not an old man. Cross culture; cross barrier; cross socioeconomic classifications. Cool.
2. On-road dynamics. Admittedly, the steering isn't what it was on the first new Mini, but this car is just a big go-kart. Fun to own, fun to look at, but also very fun to drive.
3. Efficient transportation. Fun to drive while also economical? You bet'cha.
4. Easy to drive. Fun to drive, cheap to drive (but not buy), and easy to drive.
   

Mazda's 5, on the other hand, is relatively cheap to own; shockingly fun to drive; and more economical than just about any competitor. One of North America's two small seven-seaters, both of which base with a four-cylinder, the Mazda offers minivan living for those who don't crave boatloads of Grand Caravan space. This Mazda offers less than 160 horsepower, accepts only the short of leg in the rearmost seats, and can't hold 7 + a week of luggage. It does, nevertheless, offer these immensely positive purchase motives.

1. The 5 is the best looking minivan you can buy.
2. The 5 is up to 4 mpg better than the Honda Odyssey.
3. The 5 has lively steering. It pretty much communicates.
4. The 5 will never cause your teenagers embarrasment at the school drop-off.

But, I admit, there are those for whom a minivan - even a mini minivan like the 5 - is unnecessary or, dare I say it, unwanted. The Mini may come up short in too many categories. You want a regular car, but you can't give up the fun factor. You'd never consider a car as stand-out as the Mini. Thus, Subaru builds the Legacy GT for you. Available in wagon or sedan form, equipped every time with all-wheel drive, and ready and willing to propel you forward with 243 horsepower and almost as much torque right in the middle of the tachometer. Sweet. Need a list of reasons to present to the significant other on behalf of the Subaru? Well, would you believe a list is already prepared?

1. It's a Q-ship. The Subaru is for the mature buyer; young or old. Classy and tasteful. Neither overdone or undercooked.
2. It has 243 ponies that perform like 280.
3. A manual transmission is available and recommended.
4. The purchase of the GT Wagon positions you near the top of The Good Car Guy's good books. Especially if it's black with the manual shifter.
   

GOODCARBADCAR.net PHOTOGRAPHY II

One hope with every piece of photography is to capture something in such a setting; with such perfect lighting and at the absolute right time, that the actual object can't be critiqued. 

Being a writer and not a photographer, it's hard to assume The Good Car Guy is actually able to fulfill such hopes. Regardless, sometimes the MacBook isn't active but the Nikon is. Here are some of the results. 

Others were posted earlier, which you can see with a click. A certain Mr. Nesbitt better be pleased with the shot of the Chevrolet HHR in the mirror of a Chrysler PT Cruiser.

BMW POSTS TERRIFIC SALES IN CANADA

Canada is LARGE, but not a large marketplace for consumer goods. The price of fuel is typically stuck somewhere between cheap (USA, Venezuela) and expensive (Europe, Japan). Financial concerns, rather than worries, have slowed the economy to a small degree; but nothing like that of the American system. It's not unusual to see what would appear to be an equivalent purchase of an automobile be a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla in Canada where you'd expect that vehicle to be the Accord or Camry. Rav4 or CR-V; over Highlander and Pilot. 

You get the picture. 2007, however, was a wicked sweet year for automakers in Canada. Some executives had high hopes for 2008, most of which dwindled as the full brunt of the housing crisis struck the USA; an economy that's intricately tied in with the neighbour to the north. So, now that 2008 is in full swing; now that people have seen the excitement of an equal dollar ebb and flow; now that spring has sprung, how are automakers coping? 

Let's look at BMW as an example. April of 2008 was the best-ever April for BMW in Canada. 2,310 BMWs exited dealer doors in the first full month of spring. That's a 2.3% increase over the previous April, although first-third sales are down 9.3% from the January-April period of 2007. 

BMW's British small car division, Mini, also posted its best-ever April. 456 Minis were sold during the period, a 22.3% increase against last year's April. Both brands' numbers include the benefit of having more models to sell, the Clubman and 1-series to name the most prominent.

And, if there were doubters, even BMW & Mini pre-owned sales rocketed 21 and 50.3%, respectively.

ASSUME THEIR CAR SALES ARE DOWN

If you were wondering how your favourite automobile brand fared in the USA during February - at least as compared with February of last year - wonder no more.  It is more than likely that they (Acura, Buick, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru etc.) sucked.  Royally.  

Thank the tumbling housing market, nation-wide economic concern, and rising gas prices.  Although earlier this week we heard rumours of that the major Japanese makes would escape February unscathed. Not so much. Nissan and Toyota suffered sales drops of 3.2% and 6.3%, respectively.

Rather than explain everybody's bad news, GoodCarBadCar chooses to be positive.  Yeah, right. Whatever. 

Mini sales jumped 38.5%, but you can assume that additional models account for much of that growth. Honda growth did occur, but just 1.9%.  Mazda's + was 2.5% and Mercedes-Benz saw 3% higher sales than February of 2007.  

As Autoblog put it, the leap year simply "offered most automakers an extra day to suck", although the percentages you see relate to average daily selling rates.

VERY GREEN CARS

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has named their most environmentally friendly vehicles for 2008.  Members of this company include:

HONDA CIVIC GX: Powered by natural gas; appearing all-natural Civic; and achieving a 36mpg equivalent, this Honda is especially CO2 friendly.  If such a thing exists.

TOYOTA PRIUS: I'm sure you've heard of it.

HONDA CIVIC HYBRID: Apart from the funny wheels, you may think a regular Civic just whistled by.  Come to think of it; that story rings true with the Civic GX as well, and may contribute to Honda's lackluster sales in the hypergreen market.

SMART FORTWO: With its very small footprint, the fortwo should be able to leave a... very small footprint, in the carbon sense.

TOYOTA YARIS: Toyota offers smaller options in other parts of the world (Aygo) and will offer a true smart competitor in the near future (iQ).  For now, the Yaris is very economical and just plain good.

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID: Nissan can thank Toyota for some of the technology, but very few customers have the option of thanking Nissan for the Altima Hybrid because of its limited geographic availability.

TOYOTA COROLLA: One of the world's best selling cars of all-time happens to be very cheap to run.  Millions already knew it.

MINI COOPER & CLUBMAN: Kart-like handling and absolute efficiency are not mutually exclusive.

FORD FOCUS: The Focus is aided by fairly impressive handling, but really gains membership by its recognition as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle, the only non-hybridized gasoline engined car on the list to go PZEV.

TOYOTA CAMRY: Like most hybrids, the Camry's efficiency gains may not be enough to help the consumer's wallet, but that doesn't change the facts: 34mpg on the highway in a large car.

HONDA CIVIC: Here comes the garden-variety Civic, which along with Hybrid and GX causes one to reconsider the size of Honda's green-merit badge.

HONDA FIT: Efficiently packaged and inexpensive to buy and run.  What more can you ask for? Membership in The Good 12?

JALOPNIK'S RIDICULOUS MSRP'S

It has got to be one of this week's most interesting automotive articles.  Jalopnik - and its readers - have compiled a top ten list of the most ridiculous Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price.  No, not base price. Few could deny that the Honda Accord is a decent value as a new car, so an Accord mentioned in a Ridiculous MSRP list doesn't seem right.  But somehow, I think you might agree with Jalopnik's placement of the Accord coupe on this list.  Follow the link to Jalopnik.com or check out the brief rundown below.

#10-  Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ @ $97,011 including $42,000 in options

#9- Lincoln Town Car @ $56,020

#8- smart fortwo passion cabriolet @ $29,928 including about $10K in options

#7- Honda Accord Coupe @ $39,122

#6- Volvo C30 @ $46,792

#5- Mercedes-Benz C300 @ $57,944

#4- BMW 135i @ $52,550

#3- Mini Cooper @ $55,535 (more expensive than the parent brand's sporty coupe above but with 180bhp less)

#2- Porsche Boxster @ $118,295 trebling the base price

#1- Porsche Cayenne @ $163,573 including $1,880 to match the interior air vents to the exterior colour

JCW = M

Mike Cooper's pa tuned his first Mini in 1961.  John Cooper is an iconic name in Formula 1 design, and his impressive touch and know-how had a positive, lasting, and serious impact on the similarly iconic British small car.  

Now Mike, CEO of John Cooper Garages, has a strong affiliation with BMW, owner of the Mini brand. Along with the run-out edition of the previous-gen Mini - the outrageous GP - Mike Cooper and BMW have also teamed up to offer upgrades on the run-of-the-mill Mini's and the supercharged S.

BMW has realized the strength of branding.... duh, and decided to push the John Cooper Works idea a little farther.  The new logo that you see will hopefully become a strong enough performance connection that JCW will be to Mini what M is to the parent brand.  BMW's M3 and M5 have taken what was a cult following and made it into the major factory performance group in all of autodom, perhaps with Mercedes AMG a close second.

The newest JCW package on the Cooper S provides an extra 20bhp.  An aero pack, sports suspension, upgraded brakes, and cosmetic differentiation are all there for the taking, too.