VOLKSWAGEN PICKUP CONCEPT REVEALED AS A SEARCH & RESCUE TRUCK

Years and years of rumour and innuendo has eventually led to a moment where Volkswagen has released images of a truck in beach-side search and rescue form. A truck that could be called the Robust in production can be seen underneath and behind the light bar, lift kit, graphics, defibrillator, and life jackets.

Details are sketchy at this point but for the fact that Volkswagen plans to build the truck in Argentina and introduce it on that continent as well as Europe, South Africa, and Australia late next year. VW Group's range of diesels are the first powerplants of choice. Interior design is recognizable as Volkswagen-like but simpler than any North American-market VeeDub.

Compared with a Chevrolet Silverado crew cab/short box, the Volkswagen concept is 24 inches shorter from bumper-to-bumper and five inches narrower. That makes it about as wide and a smidge shorter than a Toyota Tacoma Access Cab. 

MERCEDES-BENZ INTRODUCES NEW PULLMAN S-CLASS

Continuing the theme of German luxury that began this morning with the new Audi S4, we head madly off in a completely different direction. At Mercedes-Benz, today's debut is of the new S600 Guard Pullman, deliveries of which begin before the end of this year.

With 506 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbocharged V12, power should be sufficient even with the excessive weight of this protected and stretched S-Class. Photos above show the regular non-Pullman S600 Guard; making it appear miniscule underneath the stretched Pullman. Few cars work as well for the Russian Mob, as determined here at GoodCarBadCar.net in one of the most popular GCBC articles ever. The new and improved S-Class creates a new improved Pullman, a brand that once denoted the most luxuriously appointed railroad cars built by the American Pullman Palace Car Company. 

Mercedes-Benz directs the S600 Guard Pullman to "governments, businesses, monarchs, and heads of state". Benz uses the word "businesses" liberally, subtly indicating that an owner's tendency to lord over drug empires or kidnapping rings or escaping from such powerful figures is the owner's own matters. Check the gallery below, taking special note of the rear seat. Naturally.

THE NEXT AUDI S4 IS REVEALED - NO MORE V8

One generation after Audi hopped on the V8 train with the Audi S4 and RS4, to be joined later by the BMW M3, the current A4 morphs into an S4 with a six cylinder TSFI.

Explaining the technology behind the 333-horsepower, 325 lb-ft V6 isn't easy. Says Audi: "The "T" in the 3.0's TFSI nomenclature no longer merely stands for "turbo", but rather for the concept of supercharging in general - extensive testing on the big V6 has proven the superiority of mechanical charging. In conjunction with direct injection it is far superior to twin turbochargers, both in terms of packaging and of starting performance and responsiveness."

Audi expects the S4 to find almost 25 miles for every gallon in a mix of driving. You'll be able to shift through six gears or opt for a seven-speed dual clutch arrangement. On the outside, Audi has added aggression to the already more-handsome A4, but it's easy to complain that the S4 Avant image is far too A6-like. No, the A6 isn't a bad-looking car. There's simply something to be said for model lineups that show connections without becoming mini or maxi-size versions of each other.

Back to the engine, Audi seems rather proud of its tidy arrangement. "The compressor is so compact that it easily fits inside the 90-degree V of the cylinder banks, in place of the intake manifold," says the release. The full gallery of S4 images is below. Oh, and since your curious as to the switch back to V6, Audi's previous S4 used a 4.2L V8 that generated 340-bhp and 302 lb-ft of torque. 

HONDA'S GROOVED ROAD IN LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA TO BE RE-PAVED

The William Tell Overture is played by every car that drives over the grooves on Avenue K five miles west of Antelope Valley Freeway in Lancaster, California - sometimes way off key.

CBS2 reports that the overture is meant to be played perfectly by a Honda Civic (or any car with its exact tire, wheelbase, and track dimensions traveling at 55mph) for a Honda advertisement to be aired later this fall. Since other cars aren't able to 'play' in tune, and perhaps even since Civics can, neighbours in a nearby subdivision are enveloped in frustration at the song that plays because of perfectly spaced grooves. Officials now believe that it was a mistake to allow such groovy roads, so tomorrow they'll be repaved. Grooviness has been in place since the 5th of this month.

You don't want to wait until Honda's official ad to hear the WTO, so here are a couple YouTube clips of amateurs making it happen.

CNN VIDEO LOOKS AT LEXUS LANES IN SOUTH FLORIDA

Curiously enough, just earlier this afternoon GCBC partner AutoEnergy took a look at the financial implications of selecting the less efficient 5-speed manual Honda Fit compared with the automatic Fit... in south Florida. Only a few minutes later, a CNN.com video related to payways in Miami comes to The Good Car Guy's attention. Watch it below.

John Zarella notes that the use of these lanes on regular highways in Miami will cost more or less depending on traffic conditions. Perhaps just $0.25 will get you a quicker pass down I-95; but you might need as much as $2.25. 

Despite what's being said by a California transportation worker who oversees the Golden state's hot lanes regarding the makeup of payway users, the term "Lexus Lane" has still caught on. If time is money, then time saved by the rich - the ones who can pay for the faster trip - equals more money. For them. The rich get richer, creating the appearance of genuine capitalism in a country that's been called the United States of France only today.

FUEL SAVINGS TRADE-OFFS : SAVE YOUR MONEY

Re-hashing a BusinessWeek story that used EPA statistics may not seem like the most inventive GoodCarBadCar.net post of all time, but it is strikingly informative. Every second car will save you some money compared with the car that came before, and that's just at the fuel pump. In some cases, your monthly payment will tumble as well. Remember, the fuel savings were calculated with Environmental Protection Agency figures and not AutoEnergy numbers. The comment below each contrast is The Good Car Guy's alone and shouldn't be taken as commentary from BW or the EPA.

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*minivans*

HONDA ODYSSEY costs $250 more than a MAZDA 5

Complete cents and sensibility. If you can sacrifice a little space and save a lot of money. Read AutoEnergy's comparo between the Mazda and Kia's Sedona here.

*SUVs*

CHEVROLET TAHOE costs $1,100 more than a SATURN OUTLOOK

On the surface, a GM crossover comes across as so much more effective than a GM jumbo-SUV. That doesn't make the Outlook economical. Check out the Tahoe's bigger sibling match up with the Ford Flex.

*taxis*

FORD CROWN VICTORIA costs $1,630 more than a FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

If only every taxi would make the switch. Huge mileage helps the Escape's case to no end.

*SUVs II*

TOYOTA SEQUOIA costs $1,500 more than a TOYOTA MATRIX

It sounds like a massive drop in practicality, but with a measured look at your space requirements, you might see the sense in a Matrix.

*small wagons*

BMW 328XI WAGON costs $700 more than a HONDA FIT

Obviously, luxury and performance fall off tremendously, but the Fit is fun.

*sportscars*

PORSCHE 911 GT3 costs $500 more than a MAZDA MX-5 MIATA

The $500 savings helps the Porsche's case. Imagine, a massive increase in performance that comes with the world's most famous sporting car in its second-most hardcore form. An extra $500 in fuel? Bring it.

*family*

MERCEDES E350 costs $1,200 more than a TOYOTA PRIUS

Curiously, BW skipped the possibility of the E320 Bluetec, a car that would cut this gap significantly. Read about the E320 Bluetec's comparison with the E350 here.

*size matters*

FORD F-150 costs $1,400 more than a FORD FOCUS

For the truly pickup needy, this is irrelevant. For those who use a pickup as family transportation, this should enlighten you.

NEW TESLA ROADSTER PICTURES

In recent days we've seen the LCC Lightning move about, and even with its higher-than-Tesla pricetag, it surely moves the technology goalposts. Nevertheless, the $100K Tesla Roadster is a Lotus Elise in the electric emperor's new clothes, so one sits up and pays attention.

Selecting the best of the most recent Tesla photos, GoodCarBadCar.net wishes it to be known that the Tesla has some angles on its side and some.... not so much. The first three photos you see are Tesla, the bottom shows its Lotus origins.