Right in Our Own Backyard
On my way home from a meeting yesterday afternoon, this "beauty" caught my eye. And, yeah, I had to stop in and see how much they're asking for it and if anyone's actually buying them. We've known that the option would be available, though not supplied by Ford directly, has been floating around for a while, but this was our first in-the-vinyl-and-tin sighting.

Though it seems that the same people who talk about how ugly such options also bemoan the use of vinyl to create a wood look over heavy, expensive, and difficult-to-maintain real wood, the Flex actually wears this niche choice as well as possible, and far better than just about any other modern-day car.

Continue reading "Road Noise: 2009 Ford Flex Woody" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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An event of this scale just makes one feel...insignificant.

Continue reading "Road Noise: Greetings From the Dream Cruise!" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Summer’s getting on. It’s still blisteringly hot most of the time, but it’s getting dark a little earlier each night, and the great summer holidays – Memorial Day, Independence Day, my birthday – are behind us. Only the county fair stands between us and the short, quick slide into autumn.

Positively bucolic. It can’t last.

Continue reading "Road Noise: Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined." »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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There’s supposed to be a point in everyone’s life where you’re sitting around with some friends, and everyone’s bored at the prospect of the boring day/weekend/month ahead, and then you look around at each other, and as one, you all go “Wooooo! Road trip!” And then everyone has a life-changing coming-of-age experience. At least that’s how movies and daytime TV have sold it to me.

They’re having fun. See, this is fun!

Continue reading "Road Noise: No Sleep -- Or Stops -- Till Brooklyn" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Green technology at the Woodward Dream Cruise? Hmmm. You could fit a whole Prius under this baby’s hood, I guess.

Continue reading "Road Noise: The Green Parade" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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So, first Volkswagen announces that they’re building their new plant in Tennessee, and then like two hours later, General Motors comes out with another little ray of sunshine: No more health care for salaried retirees, bonuses for nobody, and they’re closing the hell out of a bunch of plants.

You know, times have been tough, but even taking that into account, we’ve had better Tuesdays, you know?

The manufacturing economy. (Artist's rendering)

Continue reading "Blue Tuesday" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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On one hand, it’s the best idea in human history: Dad drives the minivan, and while little Pashley is engrossed in her Dora DVDs, mom can e-mail her sister about how ill-advised this trip is, Junior can watch a panda get hit in the junk on YouTube, and Sister can do whatever it is those damn kids do in their Facespaces or Mybooks or what have you.

On the other hand, it’s the Internet in the car. Well, there’s a brilliant plan with absolutely no flaws, don’t you think?

”DSL? Where we’re going, we don’t need DSL.”

Continue reading "500 Miles to Ironforge" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Hokay, so. We’re talking about hybrids this week here at the VehicleVoice Interntronic Webblargh. Saving gas (and gas money) is a subject near and dear to my heart, as the more patient and visionary among you may have gathered from last week’s slightly garbled missive. This time around, let’s talk about the two-mode hybrid system that George liked so much on the Yukon earlier this week. Development of this particular system was a joint project between BMW, General Motors, Daimler, and Chrysler.

That guy from Futurama approves

Continue reading "Two-Mode Hybrid: Simpler than the stupid Internet would have you believe." »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Hey, you know what I’m totally not sick of hearing about? High gas prices. Let’s talk about that.

Continue reading "It's an expensive world out there, kids. Just stay home." »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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So, by now you’ve seen BMW’s GINA concept car. (And if you haven’t, jeez I have to do everything around here.) Opinions here at VehicleVoice World Internet Headquarters and House of Waffles are sharply divided: Steph thinks it’s intriguing, and I think it hungers for human souls.

We were going to argue about it – you may not have noticed, but I’m only happy when I’m in a quarrel – but then I realized, “Wait, this is just what BMW wants us to do!” Because GINA isn’t so much as a car as a Rorschach test made from an umbrella frame and an old swimsuit.

Work with me here.

GINA: The blank slate upon which the observer inscribes her insecurities.

Continue reading "Psychotherapy With BMW's GINA Concept" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 10:30 AM | Permalink

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A highly scientific poll conducted by calling my friend Doug and asking him, “Hey, who do you think has more screen time in Iron Man: Jeff Bridges or the Audi logo?” determined recently that, yeah, there might be some product placement at work in the entertainment industry.

The star of Iron Man. Also pictured: Guy in a robot suit.

Continue reading "I've got your product placement right here." »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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This is fun, right? We’re having fun!

Well, here we are in the World of Tomorrow. The food pills and flying cars are some ways off, but our brave boys in the trenches of science have figured out how to harness those spastic blinky necklaces (pictured) issued by law to every obnoxious child at every fireworks display and use their power for good. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the LED headlamp.

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum blinds you with science

Continue reading "[insert "bright future" joke here]" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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It’s been proven, through complicated, peer-reviewed studies chock-full of science (I’m not going to link to them. Let’s be realistic -- you weren’t going to read them anyway) that people who think they’re really good at something turn out to be not-so-great at it in reality.

You see this a lot in the audition rounds of American Idol: People who think – nay, know -- that they’re the finest vocalists ever to come out of Peoria or Podunk or Sacramento or wherever. And then they sing and we all have a good laugh and nobody gets hurt, except for the idiot singer, who doesn’t count.

However, you also see this phenomenon in effect in other, not-so-harmless situations. For instance, I’ve always thought I’m a pretty good driver.

Continue reading "World's Greatest Singer, Meet the World's Greatest Driver" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I remember the call like it came just last week, because it did.

“Katrina, I have a new car.”

“How exciting!”

“It…it has a stick shift.”

“Even better!”

“You don’t understand! I don’t know how to drive a stick. I need you to teach me.”

“You’ve made me a very happy woman, grasshopper.”

Continue reading "Stick It To The Man" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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In the spirit of up-to-the-minute analysis that separates the good blogs from the great ones, I hereby present a short essay on hybrids and automotive environmentalism in honor of Earth Day … which was three days ago.

Well, it’s the thought that counts.

Continue reading "How Green Was My Hybrid" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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