We shall call this series stupid tricks with autos

Well, "Stupid" may be a little harsh, but most of the gems involving cars that show up in my email lack any indication that professional stuntmen were involved in the planning and execution of said stunt. Not that I'm any sort of angel and haven't ever done something stupid with a car, none were quite this brazen. Mostly.

This gem showed up with the RE line "Hold onto my beer..."

50 years of crash testing - the payoff

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of car crash testing. To "celebrate" they crashed a mid-sized 2009 Chevy Malibu into a 1959 full size Chevrolet Bel Air. The Bel Air had a close to 1000lb weight advantage, yet the Malibu drove right into the passenger compartment of the Bel Air. All those years of increased safety requirements, equipment have paid of if in dramatically improved survival rates. You have to see the end result analysis in the movie to see the final results, you will be surprised.

2010 Volvo C70 convertible hard top

Probably the niftiest feature of the Volvo C70 Convertible is its hard top and how it moves in and out of the trunk space. Volvo isn't the only ones doing it, but for them its standard equipment whereas many others have it as an option above the traditional soft top.

Driving the car with the top down or up had little effect on the driving dynamics. It certainly isn't what one would put in the "fun to drive" category, rather its best suited to being a cruiser. Comfortable, cozy with a controlled but not hard ride. Handling was better than expected. No noticeable steering wheel wobble or dash shake over bumps. It went where you wanted to go with no drama. It was a Volvo, solid and did what you wanted, nothing more and nothing less.

As I was driving it I was pretty amazed at the quantum leap in body solidity from the last generation car. A friend has a 2004 model and it had considerable dash shake and steering wheel shimmy over speed bumps and humps.

Over the 7 mile route mapped out by the folks at Volvo the car performed well. The loop consisted of a good mix of urban streets and freeway driving. The turbocharged I5 was a pleasant surprise. The 5 speed automatic did what it needed to do quietly and unobtrusively.

The standard engine is an 153cid (2.5L) turbo that emitted only a slight whistle when pressed hard. There was ample torque at low revs to get the hefty 3,837 lb car moving quickly and without hesitation. Because this is a 5cyl engine there was a definite different note to the exhaust and a slight "lope" when cruising. Not droning, but definitely different that what gets from a finely balanced 4 (like from Honda) or a straight 6 from BMW. Different, but not objectionable.

The cabin was fitted out nicely for its roll as a cruiser. The model I drove had all the bells and whistles, the most remarkable was the BLIS, or Blind Spot Information System. Even with the top down the car had great visibility, but there still was blind spots. Any cars in your blind spot trigger a small red warning lamp to light in the side view mirrors. I got used to the feature very quickly and the next car that I drove without it I missed it immediately. I really liked the feature but found the $700 price tag associated with it a little steep...maybe it will drop as more models are equipped with it. Maybe?

Seating for the front passengers was ample. The rear would be suitable for short distances with a short driver. With the seats back further to accommodate my 6 foot frame rear leg room became an issue quickly. Still usable but much better suited to children than other full sized adults. Not a complaint to be had regarding the fit, finish or materials used in creating the comfortable cabin.

Of course no car isn't without some faults. For me at barely 6 foot tall the windshield header was a bit low and blocked my view of stop lights when I was at the limit line. I actually found myself just looking over the header to check the light color in those situations. Another niggle is the header though it looks nice all chromed up, needs to be more of a matte finish so it the glare off it isn't too bright when light hits it wrong.

The trunk at 12 cubic feet with the top up is decent for a car this size. With the top folded into place there is less than a few inches to work with, certainly would hamper the fun of going on a long distance road trip. (Volvo does offer an optional rear seat cover to make that a storage area).

Price for the well equipped standard C70 starts at an even 40K. Adding in some upgrades to the creature comforts (electric bun warmers) sound system, blue tooth/navigation and Bliss brought the price up to 45,850.

For those that concern themselves with the environmental impact of a car this Volvo scores a ULEV-II emissions rating which puts it into CA's very clean category. The carbon footprint for the car is mid-range with an estimated 8.3 tons annually. EPA fuel economy estimates are at 19city/28hwy/22 combined.

I liked the car. Would I spring for one if it fit my needs better, maybe. My "want" car from the Volvo line up remains the C30 and can't wait to see the next generation when it arrives at the coming LA Auto Show.

Welcome to the first post...and not the last either

If you've followed my photo/art blog you will know I love cars. Shooting them and driving them. I love them little buggers. Let me make it clear from the get go...I like CARS, not trucks, trucklet suv thingy's and certainly not suv's. Mini-vans...would rather slit my wrists than deal with them. I may do the odd post about them just to get access to better cars from the manufacturers, but not necessarily because I have a passion for them like a CAR.

So far the manufacturer that I've gotten to do the most with is Ford, simply because they get social media and the importance of bloggers. I had been doing GM before they went into the big swirl and laid off all my contacts...and I'd really like to be back on their list. Right now all the manufacturers are slimming down their press fleets and access due to budget constraints (Volvo and Mazda actually cancelled 4th quarter access for that reason this year) and little guys like me are low on the totem pole for getting to the good stuff. It doesn't however stop me from bugging them all to let he me have access.

I've been blogging cars for a while over at LA Metblogs but that really isn't the best forum for my car blogging hence the start of this blog. It would be totally improper and bad style to copy what was done there so I'll just link away to that blog all the posts I have on record. In order from newest to oldest:

• 2011 Fiesta Prototype
• 2009 OC Auto Show review and snark
• 2010 Model Reveal for Ford/Mazda/Volvo
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
• Electric Car "test mule"
• Donut Derelict - classic car cruise
• Strangeness at the 2008 Auto Show
• 2008 Green Car of the Year
• 2008 LA Auto Show must see list
• 2010 Lincoln MKZ World Premier
• 2010 Mustang World Premier Party
• Blasting about in a Bullitt
• Ford takes LA Beaches and aims for a bit more
• Next Generation Camaro takes to the streets
• Classic Car Cruise returns to Monrovia
• Chevy Rocks the Future@Disney

There you go a list of posts over at the Metblogs arena. Some will continue there but the pure reviews will be over on this corner of the internet.

Finally there is a series that is too numerous to list that appears on LA Metblogs, and will continue to do so, especially if I get to interview the owner for some history on the car. That series is "Found on Road Alive". Google it if you have the time to run through several dozen vintage cars I found on the road alive still in use today as daily drivers, not some old trailer queen that is all prissy pristine.