Cars

Vehicles play a big part in the last century of United States history, with such icons as the presidential limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated to the bus where Rosa Parks was arrested.

These vehicles and more are on display at a new exhibit from the Henry Ford Museum called Driving America. CNET Australia took a tour of the exhibit just prior to the opening.

Click here to see the photo gallery.

Although there are some significant vehicles from Ford in the exhibit, such as the 1962 concept car on which the Mustang was based, vehicles from a … Read more

The L means large, said the press release in reference to the Fiat 500L the company will show at the International Motor Show in Geneva.

Taking a page from the Mini playbook, Fiat is beginning to design variants of its very popular 500 model. The Cabrio version of the 500 came out at launch, and Fiat is launching the Abarth version in the U.S. soon, but both of those variants are based on the standard 500 body style.

Although no limousine, the 13.5-foot 500L is 2 feet longer than the standard 500. The increase in length allows for rear doors, making for easier access to the rear seats. Cargo area will be greater as well, especially since the rear seats can be folded down. … Read more

Do you groan every time you see those mundane stickers on the back of a car's window representing a family, often using cute stick figures?

Geek things up a bit with the Star Wars family member car stickers by Star Wars Spoofs. Revel in the dark or light side as fans of the franchise honk away as you pass by. The collection features some larger characters for mom and dad, and little pint-size heroes and villains for the young ones. Pricing ranges from $2.75 for pets to $3.75 for kids and $4.75 for parental units. … Read more

The current 300 SRT8's engine might share the pushrods of the original Chrysler 300 models, but the big touch screen, adaptive cruise control, and active suspension certainly weren't available in 1965.

Like an old muscle car, the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 starts up with a roar from its 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, then settles down to a low rumble that makes the car shiver as if alive. At the same time, an 8.4-inch touch-screen makes useful features such as navigation and a Bluetooth phone system easily available to the driver.

When reviewing the car, we found a … Read more

If you've ever compared a Formula 1 racer steering wheel with the one in your street car, you probably found yourself taken aback by the sheer number of buttons, knobs, and controls crammed onto the relatively small surface of the former.

That's exactly the feeling that I got when unboxing the SteelSeries SRW-S1 steering wheel for the Simraceway online racing game. Compared with, for example, the Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheel, S1 (for short) more than doubles the number of buttons available to the player--an attribute that may be daunting to some novices and enticing to many hard-core gamers. However, despite my initial impressions, I'd learn during testing its control scheme (and lack of pedals) it is probably a better fit for casual players than its complex appearance belies. … Read more

My iPhone, with 8GB of memory, can hold about 1,700 tracks. A BMW's internal hard drive has room for almost 3,000 tracks. Now, BMW's new Mog integration puts 14 million tracks at a driver's fingertips.

I sat in the driver's seat of a 2012 BMW 650i, with Robert Passaro, the head of BMW's App Center, in the passenger seat. But we weren't going anywhere. Our entire focus was on the stereo.

Passaro slotted an iPhone 4S into the BMW's cradle, nestled in the console compartment. Tapping the Mog icon on the … Read more

When the X6 launched, it was an odd-enough shape and so lacking in utility that even BMW did not count on it being a big seller.

But ahead of the 2013 model update, BMW points to the more than 20,000 of the cars sold in the U.S. as a measure of its success. Essentially an X5 with reduced utility, the first-generation X6 played up to a bad-boy image.

Now BMW has released some photos ahead of the launch of the 2013 X6, and the styling changes make it look more conservative, with a front end similar to that of the 5 Series. Does this mean the X6 will start getting beaten up in the parking lot by Porsche Cayennes?… Read more

You could win a Chevrolet Corvette GS Convertible 4LT or one of the 19 other vehicles Chevy is giving away to viewers.

Chevrolet is giving away 20 cars and trucks--including Chevrolet Volt, Camaro 2SS, Silverado 150, and a bunch of Sonics and Cruzes--between now and the end of the big game. To win a car, players will need to download the Chevy Game Time app, complete the registration, and receive a unique "license plate." If your license plate is drawn before the game or in one of the Chevrolet ads shown during the Super Bowl or online post-game, … Read more

Small cars mean big stress relief in the urban jungle.

Short overall length makes these cars experts at fitting into parking spaces and easily maneuverable through narrow streets. And these days, small cars don't have to suck. Our selection of five urban champions includes stylish rides and comfortable cruisers, boasting quality cabin materials and advanced electronics. As an extra bonus, fuel economy tends to be high because of new engine tech and light weight. Further savings comes from the initial low sticker price, with all of these cars coming in at well under $20,000. … Read more