Hopkins Manufacturing 43515 Trailer Connector Kit Nissan Frontier 1998-04 on 2040-parts.com

Consumer Reports slams new Honda Civic

Honda Motor Co., still struggling with supply shortages of the redesigned 2012 Civic after the March earthquake in Japan, took a slap in the face today when Consumer Reports rated the new Civic "too low to be recommended." The 2012 Honda Civic dropped 17 points, from a very-good score of 78 to a mediocre 61, in the latest Consumer Reports road test of small cars. Previous Honda Civic models have often been Consumer Reports' highest rated small sedans, as well as Top Picks in five of the past 10 years. But the redesigned model was slammed for the cheapness of its interior, poor ride quality, long stopping distances and loud interior noise.

Jaguar XFR – the Cat’s out of the bag

The XFR is Jaguar’s answer to the barn-storming saloons from Mercedes, BMW and Audi, and if looks and spec (and the experience of driving the non-blown XF) are anything to go by, the new big Cat should get the cream. The XFR gets the new version of Jaguar’s AJV8 engine, which is a 5.0 litre supercharged lump, producing a whopping 510bhp, with the usual limited top speed of 155mph, and a 0-60 of around 4.5 seconds. The New Jaguar XFR surfaces ahead of Detroit Visually, the XFR gets the ‘Aggressive’ look, with big, chrome-trimmed air inlets at the sides (a Jaguar theme?

Rinspeed to debut autonomous XchangE concept at Geneva motor show

Dutch coachbuilder Rinspeed has built a reputation for imagining and creating cars from 10 years in the future and making them a reality, either for well-heeled customers or for auto show crowds. So it came as no surprise when it revealed its newest project slated for the 2014 Geneva motor show, meant to preview the interiors of the self-driving cars of tomorrow. Yes, that's a Tesla Model S underneath with a (mostly) muted restyling of the front fascia, though it is really the interior that's meant to be the showpiece.