You'll remember a few weeks back when we told you about that new, smaller Rolls-Royce sedan that is being developed as Britain's auto uppercrust looks on enviously at the success of those callow youths at Bentley? Well, if you're "in the know," you won't be surprised at all that Britain's Autocar magazine has the first spy shots of the first rolling prototype of the new car, dubbed the RR4 until they find a suitable name for the new vehicle.

Autocar reports that the new model will carry on with the Phantom's design language, from the thick C-pillar to the suicide rear doors. But the new model is significantly shorter and lower than the Phantom, which will inevitably lead to speculation that it's based loosely on BMW's 7-Series sedan. We're not saying, we're just saying. Engines could include the Phantom's 6.75-liter V-12 and potentially, a 400-hp, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8. Even more surprising is the mag's report that a diesel Roller might even be under consideration.

Rolls is boosting capacity in Goodwood to build the new car, and prices in Britain will be around £175,000. We can't imagine it selling for $300,000 in the U.S., but an on-sale date on Rodeo Drive and an on-sale price remain to be seen.

Click here for Autocar's full story and more photos of the Rolls-Royce "RR4"

So we just got back from driving the new Dodge Journey in Las Vegas, and we’re dreading the hordes of “Don’t Stop Believin’” cliched subheads we’re going to see on Friday, when all the first road tests of the new crossover appear. So to get a step ahead--as you TCC readers are used to being a step ahead--we’ve written this driving-impression-free review of the Journey incorporating every song title from the group’s greatest-hits album. Bully for you if you can pick out all fifteen without the help of iTunes.

Stay tuned for our road test on Friday, or earlier if some monthly magazine/Dutch Web site/filterblogger lets loose with their “first drive.” Until then, with apologies to Steve Perry:


Chrysler’s asking all of us - don’t stop believin’ in the company even though its public troubles are in the Wall Street Journal every other week. You’re right there with them--but how to convince your wife the new Dodge Journey is the right crossover to buy, even though the likes of the Saturn Vue and Honda Pilot are still out there?

First, explain to her this is no ordinary SUV. Women don’t always care about these things - your girl can’t help it if she thinks this is a “truck.” The Journey’s a crossover vehicle; only the young TCC readers will know it as such. The rest of us will want to call it a station wagon or an SUV.

It has a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine. There’s no manual transmission version offered--ask the lonely console shifter, which rarely needs to be touched.

The Journey handles pretty well. You can put a wheel in the sky if you’re super stupid with the gas, but it responds faithfully to most rational steering inputs.

In the rear seat, two or three kids can go their separate ways (worlds apart?) since there’s enough room across the middle row. A third row is available, and there are all sorts of lights inside to help answer the question, “Who’s crying now?” You won’t have to ask often, because there’s a big rearview mirror to keep an eye on things.

Or you can just leave them all home. “I’ll be alright without you,” you can say, and crank up the optional Sirius satellite radio, or play your own music from the MyGIG internal hard drive.

The cargo area has enough room for lovin’, touchin’, squeezin’ -- really, anything that will get you arrested in a parking lot. There’s even room to embrace with open arms in the front seat, even though the Journey’s based on the mid-size Avenger.

You can order the Journey any way you want it, as long as it’s front- or all-wheel drive. Be good to yourself and order the midline SXT. Oh and for your wife? Send her my love.

Mercedes-Benz sent us a lovely card today reminding us that today, January 29th, is what they consider the birthday of the automobile. Of course we normally send out our own salutations by e-card. It must have been lost in the spam filter. We swear.

You probably don’t remember it like yesterday, but in 1886 Karl Benz applied for a patent for a “vehicle with gas-engine operation.” Karl’s “Motorwagen” had a four-stroke gas engine, three wheels, front-wheel steering and the name Tri-Car. That vehicle is now located in a museum in Stuttgart, has a top speed of 10 miles per hour, 0.75 horsepower and displaced 58 cubic inches.

Across town that same year, Gottlieb Daimler’s motorized carriage also appeared in 1886, making it the first four-wheeled automobile with an internal-combustion engine on the planet. Add Daimler plus Benz and...well, you don’t get Chrysler, that’s for sure.

In case you’re updating iCal, Karl’s birthday is November 25. We’ll remind the Benz PR team to update their Amazon wish list accordingly. Meanwhile, please to enjoy this highly interactive tour of the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, with a warning: it’s so Flash-heavy you’ll think you’re in Central Park instead of Swabia.

Over at People magazine online, they’re asking about lip gloss and diet tips and the latest Lindsay sighting--while you’re telling us about future cars, fuel economy, the environment and politics. Yep, we here at TheCarConnection.com have the smartest readers on the planet and we have the words to prove it.

This month’s comments on our blog have given us reason to hope that Ford’s new Taurus has some interested shoppers still out there--and that we’re doing the right thing when we hound the OEMs about “embargoed” stories. And when it comes to getting busy in a smart fortwo, well, we think we’re far ahead of the curve in thinking about the new minicar in family-planning terms. See what we mean?

First up is Ford’s semi-venerable Taurus. The Detroit media reported that Ford CEO Alan Mulally confirmed that a new Taurus would be on the way next year. But wait: what do people want from the Taurus anyway? Harry told us, “Bring back a high performance sport sedan version like the SHO–I believe there is a core group of loyal Ford enthusiasts who would welcome an opportunity to carry the Ford banner in something other than a Mustang or a truck and done correctly it should attract new, younger enthusiasts/ buyers from the foreign competition.”

Then, when photos of the new Dodge Challenger started appearing around the Web, weeks before an official appearance at the Chicago auto show, we explained how automakers sometimes ask us to hold information on embargo so the monthly print magazines can prepare their stories--and how in some cases, they simply hand the “buff books” stories without involving any other media. Brian said: “I find embargoes an odd concept. Agreeing to an ‘embargo’ indicates some level of collusion between the manufacturer and the publisher and therefore calls into question how objective the reporting itself is. I presume that violating an embargo means a news outlet may find itself on the outs when it comes to being a part of the next preview. Wouldn’t bad reviews of the product do the same thing?” You can see the original item for our comments. Meanwhile, Jon told us the print magazines don’t even matter anymore. “That is why I let my magazine subscriptions lapse. What is the point anymore? TCC has the news I need when it happens.”

Next, we got into a semantic war with a tire-industry spokesman over new rules for safer, more fuel-efficient tires. Jim Smith, the editor of Tire Review, told us that our “poor research, supporting data and flippant attitude is one of the main reasons consumers have so little factual information and help with their automotive problems and concerns. Suggest in the future that you consult with an expert before you go spouting off with your ‘expertise.’” Scot chimed in on our behalf: “While I compliment the thoroughness of your reply, readers should note that Tire Review Magazine is an industry mouthpiece. The following comment calls into question the validity of your entire commentary.”

And lastly, we wondered openly how the next generation of horny teenagers might not benefit from the smart fortwo’s lack of a back seat. Another Brian told us succinctly: “A better car for a teenager is an old Volvo 240: Safe, slow and cheap.”

First we saw it in the south of France, then in Germany, later in the States, and now in Sweden: a prototype of the production version of Opel’s GTC Concept, which made its debut in Geneva in 2007.

By adding two doors to the concept, this becomes the next generation Opel Vectra, which is now known as the Insignia. Here in the States, we’ll likely be calling this the next generation Saturn Aura. And even under the busy camouflage, one can easily see that the front styling and overall feel of the design slightly mimics Opel’s GTC Concept, as well as Saturn’s new face.

These photos also include the first interior view of the new Aura, which shows a careful evolution of the current car's cabin.

Based on the new Epsilon 2 platform, our sources are telling us that Opel’s version will go on sale in late 2008 as a 2009 model, but we may have to wait a bit longer here in the States to see the new sleek Saturn make its debut.--Brenda Priddy & Company

More spy photos of the 2010 Saturn Aura

TheCarConnection.com Road Test: 2007 Saturn Aura