Car Movie Review: Super Hybrid

Tilda’s (Shannon Beckner) life is less than perfect: her boyfriend is a layabout body builder who refuses to work because of a back injury, her boss (Oded Fehr) is a sexist asshat who has just passed her over for a promotion and her estranged nephew (Ryan Kennedy) talks about her behind her back.

She works at the 29th District Garage in Chicago, the place where all the accident vehicles go. The garage’s latest resident is a near-totaled Chevrolet Nova with a matte black paint job.

Only this isn’t just any old car: it’s actually a shape-shifting, man-eating killing machine! With the garage closed for renovations over the weekend and our band of misfits sealed in, it is a race to survive against nature’s smartest – and most devious – predator.

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iPhone Video Review of New BMW 1-Series

British motoring show Fifth Gear flew over to Germany to try out the new 2012 BMW 1-Series hatchback.

The TV show's crew was going to film the first test drive of the Bavarian model on a normal camera but a mishap forced them to shoot the entire clip through one of their Apple iPhones (it probably looks better than it sounds).

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Holden Ute SS Series II featuring a 6.0-liter Generation IV Alloy V8 engine pumping out 260kW (equal to 349-horsepower) at 5,700 rpm

Our man Tristan has snagged the keys to a Holden Ute Series II SS V8 model for a first drive in Queensland, Australia this week, and just to make it a bit more interesting, he’ll be driving the Down Under-flavored El Camino to a classic car gathering in Brisbane.

Blurring the line between cars and trucks, the Holden Commodore-based sport pickup comes from a long line of Utes dating back to the middle of the previous century. The Ute almost made it to North America when Pontiac revealed the G8 Sport Truck at the 2008 New York Auto Show, but GM’s growing financial troubles at the time put a stop to that plan, and eventually the brand itself which was discontinued in 2009, and finally shut down in 2010.

The Holden Ute Series II you see here was presented in late 2010 alongside the rest of the Commodore lineup which includes a four-door sedan and a snazzy looking Sportwagon.

The first notable update to the series since the introduction of the VE Commodore and Ute models in 2006 and 2007 respectively, brought some minor styling revisions, equipment upgrades and most importantly, the ability to run the 3.0-liter SIDI V6 and 6.0-liter V8 engines on Bio-ethanol [E85], E10, Unleaded, Premium or any combination in between. Holden also makes word of improved fuel efficiency across the range.

Our test car is the Holden Ute SS Series II featuring a 6.0-liter Generation IV Alloy V8 engine pumping out 260kW (equal to 349-horsepower) at 5,700 rpm and 517Nm (381.3 lb-ft) of peak torque at 4,400 rpm. Power is transferred to the rear axle through a six-speed automatic transmission, with buyers being able to opt for a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Stay tuned for Tristan’s encounter with the Ute SS, which will be published on Carscoop next week.

By John Halas

[Photos Copyright Carscoop / Tristan Hankins]

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