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The Chevron Experience, Part 2 [Group Sex Video Footage Violated California's Consent To Film Laws]

On Friday, I posted The Chevron Experience, Part 1 [Group Sex Video Footage Edited For Content And To Run In Time Allowed] , which briefly outlined my tour of Chevron’s Richmond Technology Center in California. My account was cut short, however, due in equal parts to the fact that there was a wealth of information that I needed to organize, and that there was a substantial amount of my travel budget [provided courtesy of Chevron], that needed to be spent at various San Franciscan drinking establishments, immediately. I promised a full, uncensored post on Monday, but technical difficulties with RideLust and the mother of all hangovers prevented me from making good on my word, delaying the big reveal until today.

Despite being the single most data-saturated, excruciatingly technical press event I’ve ever attended [even surpassing a particularly painful city council meeting regarding septic tank overflow I covered during my newspaper days], the tour itself was actually pretty interesting. Total, there were about 18-20 auto bloggers present, including a member of the Jalopnik [cue Heavenly chorus] camp, to whom I so smoothly introduced myself as “Such a huge fan!”.

Although nearly 6 hours were spent outlining in painstaking detail why Chevron’s Techron Concentrate fuel additive was so revolutionary, the majority of us already came to the table with a pretty substantial background knowledge of Techron’s superior performance. Personally, I’ve been using Techron on the Red Rocket since the government began adding ethanol to the fuel supply, and I know guys from the garage I used to work in who depend on it as much as the average motorist depends on unleaded fuel. With that kind of widespread professional following, you would think Techron would already have the fuel additive market cornered, but you would be wrong. As a result of the current economic situation, the fuel crisis has cast energy companies in roles as the bloodthirsty villains, making consumers quick to finger the big boys like Chevron as the reason for the $4-a-gallon-for-gas epidemic. The truth is far less conspiracy-theorist, but the average consumer doesn’t understand the finer points of objectivism economics [I used to, but that was back in college, many, many a keg stand ago] and opts instead to inaccurately place the blame on the oil industry. That, coupled with the fact that there are no official standards by which to evaluate [or rank] the effectiveness of fuel additives, leaves Chevron between a rock and slippery, lubricated place [so to speak]. So Chevron did what most would do in a similar situation and turned to the niche market that, although relatively small, has shown them the most support and understanding: the gearheads. By opening their doors to me and my fellow auto bloggers, Chevron was obviously seeking a forum of understanding in the group of people who know their engines best.

Even a mechanic has his [or her, as the case may be] limits though, and for me, Arthur Fonzerelli appeared in full jet ski regalia around hour 4 when the tour of the microscope lab began. The only aesthetically pleasing aspects of the experience were the presenters themselves who, as I mentioned before, thoroughly blew GM’s Chevy Volt engineers out of the water [what can I say? I've got a weakness for guys in glasses]. Unfortunately, Chevron’s Richmond facility is an extremely secure zone and access is heavily monitored by the Department of Homeland Security, so my film footage from the board room of the tangled mass of limbs and lubricants was confiscated before I left the premise. As a consolation prize, however, Techron is sending me a free case of Techron Concentrate, which I fully intend to use immediately after I change the oil in the Vo’. If you behave yourselves, I’ll take pictures.



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The 2010 Lincoln MKT: We Don’t Hate It…

2010 Lincoln MKT
2010 Lincoln MKT

On Friday, Ford gave the official green light for production of the 2010 Lincoln MKT, Ford Motor Company’s luxury crossover vehicle. Developed under the codename “D472″, the Lincoln MKT was originally introduced in January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show as a Ford Taurus/Lincoln MKS/Volvo S80 inspired concept vehicle. In the fall of 2009, the Lincoln MKT vision will become a reality when 2010 models hit dealer floors.

In the midst of several rapid, major changes within its parent company, the Lincoln MKT is rumored to represent Ford’s commitment to revamping and re-marketing their Lincoln and Mercury lines. No longer in direct competition with Cadillac, the Lincoln MKT is intended to stand up next to similar luxury vehicles like the Acura MDX and the Audi Q7. Featuring the trademark Continental grill, the most notable of the new Lincoln MKT’s features is its V6 EcoBoost engine whose fuel efficient technology is expected to result in a 15% higher average mpg rating. The V6 EcoBoost, which engineered to run on either regular gasoline or E85 ethanol, boasts an impressive 415-hp and 400lb-ft of torque - working out to about 118 hp-per-liter. Offered with a 6-sp automatic transmission with select-shift AWD, the Lincoln MKT is intended to provide the perfect combination between “the comfort of a luxury sedan, the spaciousness and flexibility of a full-size utility and the performance of a sporty roadster.”

2010 Lincoln MKT



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The Top 10 Most and Least Expensive Cars to Insure

Apparently those nimble sport cars that we love so much are costing us. Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety compiles all the car accident and insurance data and comes up with lists of the vehicles that are most likely to cause the car insurance companies trouble (get into accidents, get stolen, etc).

The majority of the cars on the top 10 list are all hugely popular with the under 25 crowd. They’re also fast and small; combine that with “often times piloted by inexperienced drivers” and it really shouldn’t be any surprise.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Cars to Insure:

1.Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD
2.Subaru Impreza WRX 4WD
3.Hyundai Tiburon
4.Mitsubishi Lancer
5.Scion tC
6.Acura RSX
7.Nissan Sentra SE-R
8.Suzuki Forenza
9.Nissan Sentra/Mitsubishi Eclipse
10.Chevrolet Cobalt two-door

All the cars on this list are supposed to be sporty little cars favored by younger people. So whats the Escalade doing at the top? The answer is Theft. Escalades are theft magnets. They’re the hip hop video car of choice. Tony Soprano drove one. And according to The Family Guy, God drives one. Seriously, when I see them on the street, sometime I even feel like just hopping in a driving away. I wish I knew some hip hop lyrics with “Escalade” in them, I’d quote them now. But I don’t.

So what are the bottom 10?
The 10 Least Expensive Cars to Insure:

1.Ford Five Hundred 4WD (now the Ford Taurus)
2.Buick Rendezvous 4WD
3.Buick Lucerne/Buick Rainier 4WD/Honda Odyssey
4.Ford Freestyle 4WD/Subaru Outback 4WD
5.Buick Rendezvous/Honda Pilot
6.Chrysler Town & Country LWB
7.Honda Pilot 4WD
8.Buick LaCrosse/Chevrolet Uplander/Ford Escape/Volvo V70
9.Dodge Grand Caravan/Ford Freestyle 4WD
10.Ford Explorer 4WD/GMC Sierra 1500 4WD/Toyota Highlander/Toyota Sienna

What’s that at the top of the least expensive list? The Ford Five Hundred, aka The King of the American Roads, the Ford Taurus. I told you before, he’s an under-appreciated vehicle.

The rest of the cars on the least expensive to insure list are there because they are both unlikely to get stolen and generally belong to suburban parents who only drive to the mall and to soccer practice. It’s a simple life for the bottom 10. An easy, simple, inexpensive life.



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Making Good On Their Promise, Hyundai Releases 2009 Genesis

 
Initially introduced to the mass public back in February in the form of two commercials that actually managed to be snarkier then those of their luxury brand competitors, the Hyundai Genesis was touted as the working man’s luxury sedan. True to the projected Summer-2008 release date, the Genesis has been released to the public. Surprisingly, it turns out that upon closer inspection, Hyundai might have actually had a reason to be a little bit supercilious.

Offered with two trim levels, the 3.8 and the 4.6, the Hyundai Genesis shares roughly the same dimensions and luxuries as both the BMW 7-series and the Lexus LS460 - for about 40-grand less. The Genesis 3.8 retails for $32,250 and comes equipped with a 3.8L V6 engine and 290-hp; the 4.6 starts out at $37,250, upgrading the V6 to a V8 and boasting a powerful 368-hp. Standard equipment on both models include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), heated front seats, proximity entry & push-button start, Homelink transceiver, AM/FM/CD/MP3/XM and iPod auxiliary input jacks, and Bluetooth technology. Although admittedly an impressive package, the fact remains that the Genesis is still a Hyundai and thus doesn’t handle quite the way its luxury competitors do.

In a nutshell, the Genesis probably won’t be successful in swaying those consumers looking specifically to buy brands already well-established in the luxury market, but it will offer an almost-too-good-to-be-true option for those looking for more bang for their buck.



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