Aramation Auto

Forbes is a very list-happy publication, and their latest auto list counts down the top (worst?) 20 most dangerous vehicles.

1. Buick Rendezvous
2. Ford Ranger / Mazda B
3. Nissan Frontier
4. Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner
5. Toyota Yaris
6. Hyundai Accent
7. Toyota Matrix / Pontiac Vibe
8. Kia Rio
9. Cheverolet Aveo
10. Suzuki Reno / Forenza
11. Ford Focus
12. Jeep Liberty
13. Dodge Dakota
14. Chevrolet Cobalt / Pontiac G5
15. Nissan Xterra
16. Saturn ION
17. Chrysler PT Cruiser
18. Honda S2000
19. Scion tC
20. Mazda3

As suspected, the list is full of small cars, small SUVs and small trucks. The moral: buy bigger! Actually, it’s probably unreasonable to expect smaller vehicles to be safer than bigger vehicles which can contain more safety equipment and just stronger components. Almost no manufacturer is spared which means it literally pays to keep in mind all the safety features of a vehicle when you purchase one.

[Read Forbes for their testing method]

Coverage on the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS continues as Edmunds takes it to Nurburgring track in order to test its performance. The car they tested (with 304HP and manual transmission) would be priced around $40,000 making it somewhat competitive to other cars already on the market… we’ll still have to see how the road performance is in real-life situation.

Bonus: Edmunds posted many pics, which show the pop-upnavigation system in action!

[Read road test at Edmunds.com]

Edmunds.com just finished comparing the 2007 hybrid sedans: 2007 Toyota Camry, 2007 Nissan Altima and 2007 Saturn Aura. It may not be an entirely fair comparison since Aura doesn’t employ a full hybrid system like the other two. And notably missing is the Honda Accord hybrid as it has been cancelled due to poor sales.

[Read the comparison at Edmunds.com]

Now we finally have the leaked pricing for 2008 Cadillac CTS and the price of the options… The new Cadillac CTS will start at $32, 245 USD which turns out to be slightly more expensive than 2007 Infiniti G35 sedan. Follow the jump for a list of options and their prices.

Read more »

 Mercedes-Benz’s M-Class often looks more like a minivan than a full-fledged crossover (or even a SUV) and its vanilla styling and plain looks are much improved thanks to the new “Edition 10″ models that should be available for all the M-Class range. Some of the improvements include:

• 20″ alloy wheels
• Two tone black/beige interior
• Blue tinted glass
• Square twin-tip exhaust
• Tinted taillamp cluster

[Autoblog's full gallery of Edition 10 M-Class pictures]

Unlike us in Canada, Americans south of the border do not have access to very small cars such as Mercedes-Benz’s B-Class and Smart’s ForTwo. Now that Smarts are arriving, it looks like many Americans are interested. More than 20,000 people have reserved a spot by paying $99 up front to be one of the first Smart owners on the block. It is an encouraging sign, and I’m sure the ever-so-rising gas prices helped make their decision. Here in Kansas City, the gas is already at $3.19 a gallon… can you believe that? When will it hit over $4.00?

The British Car Magazine asks you, what kind of car are you? After answering a few questions about recognizing cars, knowledge of car racing, and stats of cars, I was deemed a Volkswagen Golf, with middle of the road car personality. How well did you score?

[Take the quiz at CarMagazine.co.uk]

 The new Cadillac CTS promises to right a lot of the wrongs by the first model such as oh-so-much-plastic interior and incoherent exterior. If these pictures taken by a GM Inside News reader are to be believed, the new CTS will finally bring much-needed class to the Cadillac lineup.

[View more pictures including interior here]

Mercedes-Benz finally released its latest incarnation of the C-class. How does it compare against BMW’s newly redesigned 3-series? Edmunds.com compares the two in its comparison test.

[Read Edmunds comparison test]

SYNC by Microsoft and Ford promises an unparalleled integration of phones and media players with cars. Some of the notable features of SYNC include the ability to read text messages aloud, the ability to select music tracks by voice commands and compatibility with a wide range of devices. Once it comes out on all Lincoln models and select Ford models as an option, it promises to be the most advanced system available on the market.

Video by Autoblog: