wagoner

The BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes C Class, and Lexus IS all used to be made in cool little sport wagon variants. Only one problem: America kind of hates wagons. So those models are all gone from our market at the present time. Then, there's Acura. … Read more

CUBA, Mo.--You, too, can be a part of American history by restoring one of the deteriorated jewels of the Mother Road. Today, the Geek's Guide to Route 66 looks at what it takes to join the glamorous life of motel ownership. Here's a hint: it's not all champagne and chrome.

To-do list

1. Buy a Route 66 motel. An operational, but run-down, motel can be picked up for a song. Look for a motel with a distinct neon sign and an architectural style that whispers about the mysteries of yesteryear. For example, you could have picked up the 1930s-era Wagon Wheel Motel here in Cuba, Mo., at a bargain price a few years ago. Current owner Connie Echols did just that. "I gave them an offer I didn't think they'd take," she says. Much to her surprise, she became a motel owner.

2. Don't look too closely. You really don't want to know just how bad of a shape the motel is in. At this point in the process, enthusiasm is key.

3. Start the restoration. Pick a room or a building, such as the office. Redo the roof, walls, plumbing, electrical, sidewalks, paint, and floor. Get out a hot-air gun and start peeling the paint off of the original doors. Don't think. Just do.… Read more

The Acura TSX wagon is sold as the Honda Accord wagon overseas, which is telling. It's a nice car, but it is basically an Accord and just doesn't quite print "Acura" enough. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

(Full CNET review of the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon)

Every time Apple launches a new product, someone has to be the first in line to buy it. The trouble is that it always seems to be the same people who attempt to amuse local news crews with their alleged Apple fandom.

As CNET's Greg Sandoval reported last year, some of these people might be more fans of fame than of Apple.

So the news that an Apple store in Dallas already has a tent perched outside its doors suggests only one thing: that alleged Apple obsessive Justin Wagoner is staking yet another claim for worldwide fame.

I am … Read more

Not exactly "The Tortoise and the Hare": This Web video shows a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon in a drag race with a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo

The CTS-V Wagon has been given a 650-horsepower Hennessey V650 upgrade and drag radial tires.

The upgrade includes a supercharger pulley and snout upgrade, stainless-steel long tube headers and midpipes, and a high-flow catalytic converter.

The Hennessey wagon offers 658 brake horsepower (bhp) at 6,200 rpm. And despite weighing almost 1,000 pounds more than the 911, the CTS-V Wagon bests the 480-horsepower Porsche.

Check it out for yourself.

The 2011 International Motor Show in Geneva is still a bit away, but Hyundai has given us our first look at the soon-to-be premiered i40 estate. "Estate," for our North American readers, is how our friends across the pond say "wagon"; and we like wagons.

The i40 was developed with the European market in mind, but shares a platform with the North American Sonata. The i40 will feature, among its power train options, a 1.7-liter diesel engine that emits just 113 g/km of CO2, which is pretty good--best-in-class good, actually.

The i40 was developed … Read more

Denso, a global OEM component and technology maker, today announced the most lightweight starter for compact cars--ever.

Because it's about 40 percent lighter than a conventional starter, not only is it easier to install, but also the reduction in weight will help increase the car's fuel efficiency. The Suzuki MR Wagon, which launched in Japan earlier this month, is the first car to have the new starter.

The starter can be used for compact cars powered by gasoline engines of 660 to 1,200 cc displacement, but no word yet on when it will appear in North American … Read more

Toyota must be getting sick of people calling it dull, because for sheer absurdity, no vehicle we saw at the 2010 SEMA Show impressed like Toyota's Swagger Wagon Supreme concept. Based on the new 2011 Sienna, this stretched out concept takes moving people to the next level.

The Swagger Wagon Supreme features a wheelbase that's been stretched by 44 inches, creating much more room for people and gadgets, but essentially retaining its seven-seat configuration. From the front seats to about the tailgate, the Sienna's carpet has been replaced with wood flooring. The second row captain's chairs … Read more

The wagon is back--in a big way.

General Motors is now taking orders for the CTS-V Wagon; a limited number of these beauties will be available later this year starting at $62,990.

The wagon, which debuted at the 2010 New York auto show in April, boasts a supercharged 6.2L V-8 with 556-horsepower. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.0 seconds.

It comes standard with six-speed manual, or a six-speed automatic transmission. And it has other features such as Brembo brakes and 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires.

Luxury standard … Read more