Auto News 5

If your car or truck needs a new set of tires, consider going green. We don't mean colored tires; several manufacturers have tried colored tires, and it's never caught on. We're talking tires that are specifically designed to have low rolling resistance to enhance fuel economy.

Walk the aisles of any large auto parts store and you'll find dozens of motor oil brands that range from the majors (Mobil) to discounted, no-name house offerings. Choices within each brand include a staggering array of different base oils, formulations, and additive packages that meet an equally staggering array of performance levels (API CJ, SM, etc.).

Diabolical tyrants know that to control children is to control the future. How do we know? We've studied history and watched plenty of black and white movies about World War II. Thankfully, there's nothing remotely like the Hitler Youth movement behind this great new toy car; the H2go. The H2go, however, will influence kids as to the viability of fuel cell cars and the potential for green motoring. This is certainly not a bad thing.

Rinspeed offers an odd but innovative solution to the changing requirements in the automotive industry. The Swiss auto designer introduces the iChange, a car that changes its shape based on the number of passengers.

We've now passed the six-month mark with our 420-hp Four Seasons Jaguar XF Superchaged, and its dual personality continues to vex us: lovely styling and first-rate vehicle dynamics made this car a 2009 All-Star, but a seemingly endless list of quality problems has seriously marred the ownership experience. When the XF first arrived in our fleet in August, staff members lined up to sign it out, so enamored were we. Web editor Phil Floraday even complained that it took four months before he had his first chance to actually get behind the wheel. Nowadays, however, there is a general reluctance to sign out the XF for any trip of more than a hundred miles, for fear that something might break.

Volvo is no longer the only Swede to offer a jacked-up all-road wagon. The 2010 Saab 9-3x, making its debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show, is essentially an outdoorsy form of its 9-3 Sportcombi.