Animals Wallpaper, #3246

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Aston Martin, New Car Reviews, LuxurySquirrelling Away In Motown With British Royalty As far as unexpected encounters with wild animals go, squirrels don't normally rate. The furry little nut-smugglers are omnipresent fixtures in my neck of the woods - literally - so normally a chance meeting doesn't warrant caution the way a bear or even an ornery raccoon might. But one's list of priorities can't help but change a bit at 175 miles per hour. That was exactly the case when I drove this Aston Martin's predecessor, the DBS, a few years ago. I was hammering around a closed course - Ford's Romeo proving grounds - on the company's high-banked track, 25 mph shy of the double ton, when a little red dot appeared on the surface of the track, far up the straight. It was a squirrel, which, lacking the good sense not to be on the track at that particular moment, was at least smart enough to flatten itself into a pancake (perhaps it heard the Aston's mighty V12 closing in). I prayed it wouldn't dart from its adjacent lane into mine, because at my closing speed, I figured I wouldn't have time to retaliate. Naturally, the kamikaze rodent skittered on its stomach directly into my trajectory at the last minute, leaving me no choice but to issue a critical hair's breadth correction at the wheel. Roadkill manufacturing is normally a momentary wince-inducing affair - a grimace, a quick appeal for the universe's forgiveness - and then on with one's day. Yet in a car as low as an Aston Martin, at the velocity I was traveling, a bit of fur flying and battered karma would've been the least of my concerns. The squirrel, the DBS and I all survived to fight another day, and that 175-mph run still stands as my own personal v-max. The Aston's high-speed stability and steering saved my bacon that morning, but in truth, I wasn't that impressed with the car overall. So it was with some consternation that I took possession of this 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish, its replacement killer.Continue reading 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish2014 Aston Martin Vanquish originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Mercedes-Benz Although Mercedes-Benz isn't the first automaker to develop a Car-to-X system, it sounds like it will be the first to get this automated safety technology into a production vehicle. Car-to-X allows a car to transmit and receive data in order to warn the driver of impending danger or traffic problems. Using a mobile communication platform, the car would be sent alerts for approaching concerns including a broken down car, dangerous weather conditions or a car being driven the wrong way. In addition to automatic alerts, this system will have the ability to allow users to warn other motorists of road dangers, such as animals or debris on the road. Mercedes says that it will not only have this technology as a standard feature in its vehicles by year's end, but will also offer a kit that can be retrofitted to older models. It sounds like this technology will likely be limited to Germany or Europe for now, and the automaker it is also working with other automakers to get such a system implemented quicker. Scroll down for a press release.Continue reading Mercedes ready to offer Car-to-X communications by end of yearMercedes ready to offer Car-to-X communications by end of year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments