PaddockTalk
F1, Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, MotoGP, ALMS, And More! |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test: 2009 Toyota Tacoma Access CabText / Images: Iain Shankland
Toyota trucks have been known worldwide for years as being indestructible. If you’ve ever seen the BBC TV show Top Gear, then you’ll know how much abuse the Toyota can take and still live to drive home. They’ve sunk it in a lake, set it on fire and put it on top of a building and then blew up the building – and it still runs!!!! Check it out HERE
We know that Toyota build dependable cars and trucks – that’s a given. You just have to look at the news to see how many rebel forces use Toyota trucks to overthrow the government. It doesn’t matter what continent they are on – Toyota is the truck of choice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test & Beyond: Dream GarageBy Iain ShanklandTransform a Dingy Garage into Dual-Purpose Space - For a Car and a Portrait Studio
Recently my wife and I faced the daunting task of finding a more appropriate space to call home for our portrait photography business. Needing to keep overhead to a minimum we decided to simply expand at our current location, leaving us with the daunting task of transforming a big old, ugly cluttered garage into an inviting and useable space for our clients. Since we know there are a lot of photographers out there who have converted their garages into studios we figured this would be a pretty easy task – especially since we were already dealing with a fully insulated, heated environment. After gutting the garage and many trips to the dump, we enlisted the talent of a carpenter-friend to install a huge bank of storage cupboards along the back wall, painted the ceiling and walls. Our carpenter friend did a fantastic job, and even came up with an excellent concept to divide the space in two, so that we could keep fingers and prying eyeballs off the very expensive classic car – a 1959 Ford Anglia - that we have the privilege to share our rented accommodations with.
While good progress was made with the purge and clean up, the floor remained the biggest and most irritating portion of the entire project. Knowing that we could put it off no longer, we completely stripped the garage of its old flooring – first a layer of linoleum, then a layer of tiles – to the best recollection of the owner it had been down there since the late ‘60’s or early ‘70’s. The great unknown was what we would under the tiles? How good or bad would the concrete be and what would it take to fix it? Thankfully the concrete was in good shape with only a few minor hairline cracks. What was more worrying were the areas where the tiles had been adhered with glues and tars! With many worries and visions of dollar signs dancing in our heads we began further exploration of the replacement options which included new roll stock, concrete repair kits, epoxy finishes and more!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test: 2009 Chrysler 300 Touring AWD
Text & Images: Iain Shankland
When I first saw the Chrysler 300 a number of years ago I loved the look of it right away. In a sea of jelly-bean shaped Camry’s and Accords the 300 stood out like a sore thumb. It was a manly-looking sedan that the ladies could also appreciate. Instead of ho-hum, Chrysler gave everyone something to get excited about.
The 300 was refreshed for 2008, with a new front and rear that only the keen eye could see. Regardless, it’s a subtle improvement to a new icon. It also got an all-new interior that includes better quality soft-touch plastics throughout. The Powertrain remains unchanged, with the choice of a 3.5 liter 250 horsepower V-6 or a 340 horsepower 5.7 liter V-8 – both available with AWD. For those that require more power there’s the all-dancing all singing 6.2 liter 425 horsepower 300C SRT8 – complete with AWD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test: 2009 Volvo C30 VER 2.0 / T5 AutomaticText & Images: Iain Shankland
Having driven the C30 T5 a couple of years ago and loved it, I couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity to drive another while on a business trip/vacation in California. The manual transmission in the C30 T5 is one of the sweetest and slickest gearboxes available; however, since probably 90% of these cars are purchased with an automatic transmission, this provided a valuable opportunity to experience the other side. With the intended sightseeing route I figured it wouldn't be such a bad thing to drop the tranny into D and just go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test: 2009 MINI Cooper S ClubmanText & Images: Iain Shankland
Having grown up in the UK, the Mini has always been an integral part of the roadscape to me. From the familiar and traditional 2-door version to a station wagon (Clubman), to a panel van version and even a pick up, the mini was everywhere. When British Leyland (BL) decided to re-design the Mini in the mid-eighties, more than a few people went: “Bluh” and refused to buy it.
British Leyland scrambled and re-introduced the “Mini Classic” – basically the original version with a couple of new elements, to it like bigger wheels and brakes, more creature comforts and a price increase to boot. The “Classic” continued to be sold alongside the new one and handily outsold the newer version for more than two decades. BL was eventually sold and carved up, with various parts sold to other manufacturers. BMW gobbled up the Mini, Rolls Royce and Rover (which they later dumped). Fortunately the German giant returned MINI to its former glory and changed the name to all capitals to differentiate it from the past while introducing modern safety features like airbags and ABS brakes. Instantly recognizable, the all-new MINI won the hearts of people around the world when it arrived in 2001.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Road Test: 2009 Chrysler Town & Country Touring and Dodge Grand Caravan
Text / Images: Iain Shankland
The last time I had a couple of minivans we did a head-to-head test between the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Hyundai Entourage. That was way back in the fall of 2006. Since that time, Chrysler has completely re-designed the Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan. Also within that time-frame, Ford have killed off the Windstar and got out of the minivan business altogether, meanwhile General Motors just changed the label from “minivan” to “SUV” while claiming to be abandoning the minivan as well.
Chrysler are committed to building minivans for the foreseeable future, taking on the Japanese and Korean manufactures single handedly – at least in North America. Never happy to accept that the present van is good enough to carry them through for several years, Chrysler are constantly making improvements and creating unique products that leave other manufacturers scratching their collective heads, wondering “Why didn’t we think of that!” Case in point: Stow ‘n Go seating for the middle seats in addition to the third row seat, and now they’ve gone and created Swivel ‘n Go seats - complete with a table. Chrysler have a habit of creating things we didn’t know we needed (cup holders) that then turn into mandatory standard features.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
· Road Test & Beyond: Dream Garage
(Oct 21, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 Chrysler 300 Touring AWD
(Sep 24, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 Volvo C30 VER 2.0 / T5 Automatic
(Sep 05, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
(Aug 18, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 Chrysler Town & Country Touring and Dodge Grand Caravan
(Jun 30, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer DE
(Jun 03, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 Dodge Dakota TRX / SLT Crew Cab V-8 4X4
(Apr 13, 2009)
· Road Test: 2009 BMW X5 4.8i M Sport Edition
(Mar 06, 2009)
· Road Test: 2008 BMW 535i
(Jan 15, 2009)
· Road Test… And Beyond: A Portable 'Car Wash' …. For Your Dog!
(Dec 11, 2008)
· Road Test… And Beyond - Should I Trade In My SUV Or Truck For An Economy Car?
(Oct 30, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro Roadster
(Oct 23, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Audi TT Coupe 2.0
(Oct 02, 2008)
· Road Test Special Report: Subaru WRX STI Ride & Drive Event
(Sep 12, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
(Aug 29, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Volvo C70 T5
(Aug 15, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible
(Jul 24, 2008)
· Road Test Special Report: Is It Worth Buying A Hybrid To Save A Few Bucks?
(Jul 11, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8
(Jun 20, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Chrysler Sebring 3.5 Limited/Touring & Limited AWD
(May 01, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Toyota Tundra CrewMax SR5 4x4
(Apr 13, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Hyundai Elantra
(Mar 28, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Dodge Nitro R/T
(Mar 25, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Lexus LS 460 L
(Mar 15, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Suzuki XL7 JLX Navi
(Mar 06, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Honda CR-V EX-L Navi
(Mar 01, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
(Feb 17, 2008)
· Road Test: 2008 Honda Fit Sport
(Feb 09, 2008)
· Road Test: 2007 MAZDASPEED3
(Jan 25, 2008)
· Road Test: 2007 MAZDASPEED6
(Jan 12, 2008)
· Road Test: 2007 Toyota RAV4 V-6 Sport
(Dec 21, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Honda Element SC
(Nov 30, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster - Limited
(Nov 08, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Audi Q7 4.2
(Oct 25, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Volvo C30 T5
(Oct 12, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Lexus RX 400h (Hybrid)
(Sep 27, 2007)
· Road Test: 2008 Dodge Avenger SXT
(Sep 14, 2007)
· Road Test…And Beyond: New 2008 Toyota Solara
(Sep 11, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Diesel
(Aug 31, 2007)
· Road Test…And Beyond: All-New 2008 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe
(Aug 21, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Toyota Camry SE
(Aug 15, 2007)
· Summer Car Safety For Man’s Best Friend – Is It OK To Leave Your Dog In A Parked Car?
(Aug 11, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Premium
(Aug 03, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Volvo XC90_3.2 AWD 7-seat
(Jul 19, 2007)
· Man’s Best Friend, Shouldn’t He Wear A Seatbelt Too?
(Jul 04, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Suzuki SX4 JLX/Sport
(Jun 28, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Ford Edge SEL
(Jun 21, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Chrysler Aspen Limited
(Jun 14, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Chrysler Pacifica
(May 31, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Acura TL
(May 17, 2007)
· Road Test…and Beyond SPECIAL REPORT: 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel
(May 15, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Hyundai Tiburon Tuscani
(May 10, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
(May 03, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Acura MDX
(Apr 26, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Toyota Matrix
(Apr 19, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Acura RDX
(Apr 12, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT
(Apr 02, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Honda Civic Si coupe
(Mar 24, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Audi A3 S Line
(Mar 14, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Mazda5 GT
(Mar 04, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe GL Premium
(Feb 22, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 VW New Beetle 2.5
(Feb 12, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Dodge Nitro SLT
(Feb 04, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Toyota Highlander 4WD Limited
(Jan 27, 2007)
· Does Your Vehicle Have A Winter Emergency Kit?
(Jan 27, 2007)
· Do Your Homework Before Purchasing Auto Insurance
(Jan 14, 2007)
· Road Test: Mini Van Showdown 2007
(Jan 05, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Hyundai Entourage Limited / GLS Premium
(Jan 05, 2007)
· Road Test: 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan STX
(Jan 05, 2007)
· Road Test … and Beyond with Iain Shankland: Winter Reminders & Tips…
(Dec 26, 2006)
· Road Test … and Beyond with Iain Shankland: Auto Financing
(Dec 26, 2006)
· Is Your Car Ready For Winter? Winter Tires Vs Summer/All-seasons Tires
(Dec 19, 2006)
· Road Test … and Beyond with Iain Shankland: Are You Ready For Winter?
(Dec 18, 2006)
· Road Test: 2007 VW GTI 5 Door
(Dec 14, 2006)
· Road Test: 2007 Mazda CX-7 GS
(Dec 07, 2006)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest (c) 2003-2009 by PaddockTalk.com.
Contact E-mail: admin@paddocktalk.com
Privacy | | |
|
|
