traffic

Now drivers can view traffic camera images in real-time with a new application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

TrafficJamCam, from Visteon, lets users see current traffic conditions on highways and major roadways of their choosing, faster and more accurately than typical radio updates or other traffic reports. This allows drivers to plan or change their driving routes based on current traffic or road conditions.

TrafficJamCam is available in separate applications for viewing traffic in 17 metropolitan areas: Atlanta; Boston; Chicago/Indiana; Charlotte, N.C.; Denver; Detroit; Jacksonville, Fla.; Las Vegas; Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis/St. Paul; New York City; … Read more

More gentleman than sportsman, BMW's big 7-series is a refined luxury driver, comfortable for long highway cruises but not quite the cornering pro as its stable mates. We enjoyed the solid driving feel, the lush maps on the navigation system, and the very nice-sounding stereo as we covered the miles.

The car is also available with a good set of driver assistance features, including adaptive cruise control and night vision. But we couldn't figure out why BMW limits its top sedan to a six-speed transmission, when the 550i Gran Turismo gets an eight-speed.

Check out our 2010 BMW 750i xDrive review. … Read more

We've seen some pretty cool tech from Infiniti in the past, and the company is surging ahead again with new gadgets that practically let the car drive itself. The new EX35, an urban version of the bigger FX, features something called Intelligent Braking Assist, which can do just about all your braking work for you.

Another way this car stands out is its around-view cameras, which we took advantage of to pull into the tightest San Francisco parking spots. The short wheelbase of the car allowed for sprightly performance in the corners, with the all-wheel drive giving it an … Read more

Red lights aren't just torture devices that make your daily commute worse or God's way of keeping you from having fun; they're also a huge waste of fuel. Tackling that problem, Audi demonstrated Wednesday in Germany its "travolution" technology that enables cars to communicate with traffic singles using wireless LANs and UMTS links so drivers can better time the lights and reduce fuel consumption.

It's not just the flow of traffic that's improved by missing red lights--a 2006 study revealed that reducing waiting times at traffic lights could cut fuel consumption by 17 percent. In Germany, this calculation would save almost 185,000 gallons of fuel each year.… Read more

Tesla looks like a real car company all of a sudden; lifetime free traffic looking like the norm for GPS; new Pioneer AVIC gets married to Pandora mobile; TV broadcasts in your car have hit a snag; and we roll in our favorite sports sedan: the AMG C63.

• Toyota, Nissan make big moves on electric car factories

• We drive--and love--the Mercedes C63 AMG

• New Pioneer AVIC adds Pandora mobile app

• 85 miles in the Mitsubishi i-Miev

• Magellan Roadmate 3065 GPS worries about commute so you don't have to… Read more

Magellan gets in on the free lifetime traffic trend with its new 2010 line of GPS navigators. All eight of its new devices feature free traffic service, multidestination routing, and text-to-speech. Magellan has also included a few unique features across the line, such as its OneTouch menu shortcut, a parking lot finder that automatically finds and presents nearby parking lots when you reach the end of a trip, and a find-your-car feature that stores your vehicle's location when you disconnect the RoadMate and provides you with walking directions back to your car if you forget where you parked it.

The basic RoadMate 2035 has a 4.3-inch screen and comes packed with all of the aforementioned features and map coverage of the contiguous United States and Puerto Rico.

Users who want to explore Canada can step up to the RoadMate 2036, which adds Canadian map coverage, built-in AAA Tourbook and Roadside Assistance, and Highway Lane Assist--which displays a graphic representation of highway interchanges with information about what lanes are valid for the current route. At the top of the Roadmate 2000 Series is the 2045 which adds a microSD expansion slot--which is an odd feature to base an entire model differentiation upon.

Stepping up to the RoadMate 3000 Series nets you all of the features of the 2000 Series, but bumps the screen size to 4.7 inches. The RoadMate 3045 has preinstalled maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, while the RoadMate 3045-LM is the only unit in the line that gives you free quarterly lifetime updates to those maps. The RoadMate 3055 adds Bluetooth hands-free calling and voice dialing for improved safety. For users who need a bit more screen real estate, the RoadMate 5045 has the same feature set as the 3045, but with a larger 5-inch screen. … Read more

Last year we tested Cadillac's SRX small SUV. As most of its cabin tech mirrors what's in the CTS sedan, we had high praise for the vehicle; however, we felt its direct injection 3-liter V-6 engine didn't give it enough power. This year, Cadillac is releasing its top trim vehicle in the SRX line with a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 engine under the hood.

Despite the smaller displacement, the turbo SRX gets 35 more horsepower than the direct injection version has. Even though its fuel economy suffers from the turbo, it's not much. We also like … Read more

The new 5-series Gran Turismo is a strange beast. Its double-jointed rear hatch is cool, but ultimately not that practical. It weighs 500 pounds more than a 5-series sedan, so it doesn't handle as well. Yet we really enjoy driving it.

BMW loads the car with an extreme amount of technology, including heavily rendered 3D maps and driver aids that include night vision. Similarly, the car has an adaptive suspension, eight gears in its automatic transmission, and a turbocharged direct injection engine. Too bad it costs so much, and gets such poor mileage.

Read our review of the strangely … Read more

Defying the notion that geeky equates to pale and weak, the Nissan GT-R is probably the geekiest car on the planet, yet it can rip telephone books in half. You could go on for hours talking about the rear-mounted dual-clutch transmission with carbon fiber propeller shafts, the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-6, and the ATTESA all-wheel-drive, ending up surrounded by a crowd of none, or just blast along over the windiest roads you can find, getting the thrill of a life.

The GT-R does have its faults, such as poor mileage and a harsh ride, which are all trade-offs for the … Read more