Archive for the ‘BMW’ Category

Early last month, we reported on surprising rumors that less-than-green Bentley is developing a hybrid powertrain for 2011. Not wanting to be left out of all the eco-fun, Bentley's high-end rival, Rolls-Royce, now says that it's also working on a hybrid powertrain -- one for the new Rolls-Royce Ghost. There's no official drop date, but reports indicate that the powertrain will be of the gas-electric variety, borrowed from the BMW ActiveHybrid 7. Described as a "mild" hybrid, it will marry a lithium ion battery pack and 27 hp electric motor to the Ghost's twin-turbo V-12. Since the setup won't allow for an electric-only mode, the Ghost's...

Think that the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle is more hideous than iconic?

Apparently you're not alone. Business Week has posted its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," including a number of models present and past, and the New Beetle is just one of the newer and still-produced models on the list. Others include the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, Hummer H2, Jeep Compass, Nissan Cube, and Toyota Prius.

They're particularly tough on the Escalade, sounding more like SUV-haters than design critics: "The perfect car design if fuel, practicality, maneuverability, and class mean nothing...

A few times each week, TheCarConnection reaches into our mail bag to answer car questions and offer advice our readers can't find anywhere else. Today's question comes to us from North Carolina, from a reader who wants to know if he can get his babies on board in the new big Bimmer:

I enjoyed your review of the 2009 BMW 7-Series.  I have three small children, all in booster seats--will three booster seats fit in the back seat of the 7-Series?

We contacted BMW's public-relations department for a final word. According to them, it seems that three boosters should fit in the back of the new 7-Series without a problem.  BMW USA's safety director...