Author: kurt

The Japanese have a knack for building some out-there vehicles, and these scooters are no exception. Modified to the point of being unrecognizable, they’re definitely an acquired taste; then again, so are scooters in general, especially if you’re a bike guy. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, props to the builders for the amount of work spent creating these rides.

Source: DUB Daily

Times are tough, and everybody I know is trying to save as much money as they can. What do you do if you’re a gearhead looking to improve your ride on a budget? You’ve got a limited amount of money to spend, so what mods will give you the best return for your investment?

Every car is different, and it’s impossible to cover specifics by make and model. Still, the information below, general though it may be, applies to nearly all stock vehicles. Some mods will give you a “butt dyno” improvement in acceleration, others will help cut your lap times. If you’ve got any experience wrenching on cars, most of these can be done in your own garage, saving you a boatload on labor costs. You can do them one at a time, as your budget allows, since all of them are “stand alone” mods that don’t require additional upgrades to function properly.

Ditch your stock tires for “summer only” performance tires

Most cars come equipped with all season radials supplied to the automaker by the lowest bidder. These may be fine for commuting, but tires are generally the weakest link in any stock vehicle.

Upgrading to a higher performance tire will give you better braking, better turn-in and will allow higher cornering speeds. Four new tires, especially good ones, won’t be cheap, but bargains can be found on brands like Kumho or Hankook. Both build decent tires, but don’t have the inflated overhead of Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone or Pirelli.

Save your stock all season tires for winter driving (unless you live where it doesn’t get cold), and your upgraded tires should last you for quite a while.

Upgrade your exhaust

You can spend a little bit of money doing this or you can spend a lot; it all depends on your budget and performance expectations. Going with custom headers, a low restriction catalyst (or a ‘test pipe’, for off road use) and a performance muffler will net you the best improvement, but will have the biggest cost. Chances are good you’ll need to replace an oxygen sensor and you may need to reflash the cars ECU, so it may require a shop if you don’t have the tools and the knowledge to do this at home.

Replacing just the muffler will get you a small gain, probably just enough to feel the difference under hard acceleration. By retaining the stock exhaust upstream, you reduce the cost and complexity of swapping components that tie into your car’s ECU.

Add a cold air intake and high flow air filter

Changing out your stock airbox for a cold air intake can generally net you a few more horsepower, plus it makes the car sound a whole lot better. The downside? Since cold air intakes are generally located as low as possible in the engine compartment, you need to be careful when driving through puddles. Sucking water into a cold-air intake is a one time thing, and you’ll get to learn all sorts of cool science about how liquid isn’t compressible. You’ll also pick up valuable experience in swapping your motor for one that doesn’t have a connecting rod sticking through the side of the block. Just be careful, don’t drive through any deep puddles and you should be fine.

One more word about performance air filters: it it flows more air, chances are good it’ll flow more dirt as well. If you want the maximum performance, an aftermarket intake with a high flow air cleaner is the way to go. If you want the longest possible engine life, you may want to stick to the stock airbox and filter.

Change your stock springs for lower, stiffer ones

Stock suspensions are always a compromise between comfort, handling and crash testing requirements. If you want better handling from your ride, you need to drop the suspension and firm up the springs.

Most manufacturers have multiple options for each car, ranging from a slight drop and small increase in stiffness to track-only setups, with a radical drop and brutally uncomfortable ride. It’s your choice, but I recommend going with the smallest drop unless you’re building a race car. The net result will still be a better appearance and superior handling compared to stock.

Add stiffer sway bars

Sway bars may be the most mis-understood upgrade that people make to their vehicles. Stiffer isn’t always better; you need to know what handling traits you want before buying sway bars. Adding a stiffer bar to the front will cause more understeer if the rear is left alone; generally speaking, this results in slower lap times, not faster ones. Likewise, setting a rear sway on full stiff can result in a poorly balanced car that’s unforgiving at the limit; remember, a fast car is well balanced.

My preference is for a slightly stiffer sway bar up front and a medium-stiff bar in the back. Compared to stock, this gives me a car that has less understeer and controllable oversteer. It’s comfortable to drive on the street, yet predictable enough for track trays and autocrossing.

So there you have it, the five best “bang for your buck” car mods. Let me know if I overlooked something, or if you have other suggestion.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just published a study showing that bikes equipped with ABS are 37% less likely to be involved in fatal crashes, and have 22% fewer claims for damage than non-ABS equipped motorcycles. Why? Because new or returning riders generally aren’t proficient at accident avoidance, and ABS helps to compensate for this. The most common new rider mistake in a panic stop is locking the rear brakes while avoiding the front brakes altogether. This is a bad move for several reasons: first, under braking or deceleration, a motorcycle shifts weight from the rear wheel to the front, reducing the traction available at the rear tire. Second, when the rear tire starts to slide, retaining directional control for novice riders is nearly impossible. By preventing wheel lockup, motorcycle ABS generally allows riders to retain control, especially in sudden, panic-inducing situations.

ABS on bikes isn’t infallible, and stomping the binders while at an extreme lean angle in a corner will still result in a low side crash. I’ve had two ABS equipped bikes, and I’ve got to say that I’m personally not a fan. ABS makes the braking systems harder to maintain and bleed, and gets costly when parts do fail. It’s not a substitute for proper rider training, as it won’t save your bacon in every case. If it were up to me, I’d suggest you spend the money saved on ABS brakes on a few track days; you’ll learn riding skills that will help in every situation, not just a few.

Source: IIHS

As this video proves, some ‘Wingers actually know what knee pucks are. Better yet, they know how to use them. The rider’s form looks good, but I’m thinking that the Goldwing doesn’t have nearly enough lean to require hanging off. Not that I’m an expert, since I’ve never dragged my knee on a Goldwing.

Source: Bikerpunks, via Two Wheels Blog

It’s a good thing that Toyota’s March sales were up 41% over March of 2009, because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking a $16.4 million fine against the automaker. Under federal law, automakers have five days to notify the NHTSA that a safety defect has been found; documents obtained from Toyota identify the sticky accelerator pedal issue as early as September 2009, months before the NHTSA was notified.

The $16.4 million fine is the maximum allowable per violation, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is looking for additional violations from Toyota. If any are found, rest assured that Toyota will be slapped with more fines.

The previous record fine was $1 million, levied against GM in 2004 for failing to disclose an issue with windshield wipers. The original amount of that fine was $3 million, but GM was able to negotiate a lower settlement. It will be interesting to see if Toyota has any luck doing the same; given the current political climate, I’d be guessing no.

Reference: CNN

So you’ve just hit the mega-million lottery and you want an ocean view lot in Malibu. You’re conflicted, because you also want a place to start your new car collection; fear not, because RideLust has found the perfect new hacienda for you.

Sure, it’ll set you back $4.4 million, but all that coin nets you a 5,834 square foot love shack on a half acre lot, with enough garage space to park 13 cars (12, counting the F40 that the current owner is throwing in, gratis). It’s got five bedrooms, five bathrooms and (of course) a pool. Since it’s not on the ocean, it’s quite a bargain; the house across the street is listed for $50 million, and that one doesn’t include a Ferrari.

The F40 appears to be mint, with less than 800 miles on the clock. I presume it’s seen regular servicing, so it’s not likely you’ll have to dump a ton of money into it. Don’t like F40s? You can flip it at Barret-Jackson Orange County if you move quick enough; it should net you around a $700k rebate.

The house has one too many lion statues and Swarovski chandeliers for my taste, so I won’t personally be bidding on it. Like any good deal, this one has a time limit; if you want the house AND the F40, you’ve got to close the deal by June 30.

Source: Wallet Pop

If you’re a motor head of any kind, you owe it to yourself to make the pilgrimage to a Barrett-Jackson auction. Part auto auction, part theater, part state fair, there truly is something for everyone, including some outstanding bargains to be had on classic cars. Whether you’re in the market for an unrestored bargain or a concours winning classic, you’ll find it at Barrett-Jackson; their online auction catalog (with lot descriptions and post-auction pricing) is a great source of information. Want to track how 1967 Pontiac GTO’s have increased in price? The Barrett-Jackson catalog from past auctions is a good starting point.

I saw some truly impressive sheetmetal cross the block this weekend, and the amount of money spent ($8.8 million in the first two days of the show) bodes well for the economy. It’s a good time to be a buyer, as a lot of collections are paring down their cars to fund operational expenses or new acquisitions. As with real estate, quality cars are still selling at respectable prices, though the market seems to have decreased quite a bit from its pre-crash peak.

In no particular order, here are some of the cars and the prices they sold at this weekend:

There’s a whole lot of information I carry around in the back of my brain: stuff like how to turn a rolled up newspaper into a weapon, how to convert kilograms to pounds and how to ask “How much for the women” in several languages. Add to that the proper way to jump from a moving car (or train). Will I ever need any of these skills? I hope not, but it’s always better to have them and not need them than vice versa.

So your car has become possessed by cosmic rays, tin whiskers or the ghost of James Dean. It’s heading for that bridge abutment no matter what you do, so your choices appear to be jump and live or stay inside and die. Quite frankly, neither is too appealing, but sometimes you’ve just got to pick the better of two very bad choices (like in a presidential election, for example).

First, make sure that you have no other options. If you’re traveling at any speed above 20 miles per hour or so, hitting the pavement is going to hurt big time. The best you can hope for is a lot of road rash and maybe just a few broken bones; if things don’t go so well, you’re looking at a serious head injury or death. I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will anyway – don’t try this at home. Remember, we’re trained stunt writers here at RideLust.

Double check that your seat belt is released, then open the door as far as you can. To avoid being run over by the car, jump away from the moving vehicle as hard as you can. If possible, aim for anything soft – gravel is a better choice than asphalt, but sand and dirt is a better choice than gravel. Try to time your jump to avoid solid obstacles, like telephone poles, guard rails or Jersey barriers.

Ready to jump? Just do it, but tuck yourself into a ball as quickly as you can. Bring your chin to your chest and tuck your legs, then cover your head with your hands and arms. When you hit the ground, try to do it on your shoulder; chances are very good that you’ll break your collarbone, but that’s the least of your worries right now.

Stay tucked and roll to lessen the impact. You’ll be rolling and sliding for longer than you think, so don’t try to stand up until you’ve stopped. Anyone that’s ever crashed a motorcycle (including yours truly) can tell you about the fun of trying to stand up while you’re still sliding on your ass at thirty miles per hour. It’s a great way to break more bones.

If you’re jumping into traffic (a really, really bad idea) do what you can to avoid being run over. Good luck with this, because it’s not like you’re going to have any directional control until you stop sliding and bouncing down the pavement.

When you do come to a stop, take a second to assess the situation. If you’re in a traffic lane, roll out of it as quickly as possible; otherwise, take an inventory. Can you move both legs? Cool, now how about your arms? Next, can you lift your head? If everything seems to be in working order, try to sit up and re-assess the situation. Get up slowly and double check if your legs will hold weight. If you’ve broken anything (and odds are that you have), you won’t feel the pain just yet. You’re amped up on pure adrenaline, so enjoy the last few moments of pain-free life that you’re going to have for a while.

So there you have it. Let’s hope you never need to do this, but if you do remember who hooked you up. You won’t find this kind of stuff on Jalopnik.

Reference: The Art Of Manliness

Vehicle sales may be growing slightly in the United States, but the combination of an expanding middle class and strong demand for cars has led to explosive growth for GM in the Chinese market. For the month of March, GM sold 41,502 more vehicles in China than in the United States. In fact, GM set another sales record in China, for the 15th straight month.

Worldwide, GM has seen a 71% growth in sales compared to 2009, when the global financial crisis hammered vehicle sales across the board. In China, GM’s flagship brands of Cadillac and Buick have seen the biggest spike in sales, recording an 89% increase in March 2010 compared to March 2009.

I had an opportunity to drive a Buick Lacrosse at the Barrett-Jackson auction, and came away impressed. Build quality has vastly improved over the past few years, and I would say that fit and finish is now on par with Lexus or BMW. The Lacrosse I drove had a very intuitive nav system, a DVD player (to be used only when the car is stopped, of course) and a built in flash drive for holding music and movies. The styling, while not cutting edge, was clearly penned to attract a younger audience as well. The handling was best described as “Buick-like”; you’re not going to be beating any 5 series BMWs at the autocross track, but that’s not the car’s purpose. If you want a solidly built midsize sedan that swallows up miles like Kirstie Alley swallows bon-bons, you could do much worse than the Lacrosse.

Source: Left Lane News

Remember the Corvette Z06 Carbon I told you about here? The first one went up for grabs at Barrett-Jackson, and a lot of wealthy buyers wanted to be the first kid on the block with the uber-exclusive (500 copies) ‘Vette. When the hammer dropped, the buyer had spent $297,000 to own the first Z06 Carbon. The model displayed at Barrett-Jackson was Supersonic Blue, but the buyer gets to choose his own color and witness the build. He can also take delivery at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

To refresh your memory, the Z06 Carbon is a cross between the Z06 and the ZR1. It uses the normally aspirated motor from the Z06, but borrows heavily from the ZR1’s chassis and suspension. It comes with carbon ceramic brakes and magnetic selective ride control, options not available on any other Z06 model. Chevy hasn’t announced pricing for the Carbon edition, but I suspect buyers 2 – 500 will pay quite a bit less than buyer 1, even with Additional Dealer Markup factored in.

As of Saturday, this 1967 Austin Healey 3000 Mark III roadster has the highest across-the-block price, selling for $110,000 with the buyer’s premium included. The big Healey was probably the finest I’ve ever seen, and was fresh out of Kurt Tanner Restoration’s shop. This particular car was one of only 553 sprayed in Metallic Golden Beige, and the overdrive plus factory wires made it the big Healey to buy.

The 3000 Mark III was introduced in 1963 and built until Austin-Healey ceased production in 1967. The Mark IIIs featured a 150 horsepower 3.0 liter inline six with dual carbs, a hotter cam and a reworked exhaust compared to the Mark IIs. Servo assisted brakes gave the car exceptional braking ability for its day. To maintain their high end feel, Mark IIIs came standard with a walnut dash, and buyers could opt for leather seats in place of the standard vinyl.

Nearly 18,000 Mark IIIs were manufactured during their five year production run. They remain popular among collectors and vintage racers, a testiment to both their styling and their durability. This was a high price for a Healey, but this car was exceptional in every way. Whether or not it will appreciate in value, it’s certain that the new owner will enjoy his ride.

The Sunbeam Tiger was produced at the same time as the big Healeys, from 1964 until 1967. Considered the muscle car of the Sunbeam line, the Tiger was essentially a Sunbeam Alpine with a 289 Ford shoehorned in the engine bay. Only 7,085 were manufactured during the car’s four year production run, and few unmolested examples remain today. The Subeam Tiger that sold at Barrett-Jackson on Friday featured a complete restoration for vintage racing, an updated 289 motor with aluminum heads, a four speed transmission and four wheel disc brakes from Wilwood. It runs on period correct Torque Thrust wheels and was signed by Carrol Shelby; despite this, the selling price was a bargain at $37,400. Why the huge gap between the two roadsters? First, Sunbeam Tigers have always been more of an acquired taste than Austin Healeys, whose styling remains timeless. Tigers have a reputation as being troublesome, both to drive and to maintain. The big Healey was restored to factory condition, while the Tiger was built for vintage racing and features non-original components. Even the link to Carroll Shelby, who developed the initial prototype Tiger for Sunbeam, wasn’t enough to drive the price of the car up any higher. At $37,400, this car was well bought and should continue to appreciate in value.

If there was any doubt about the team to beat in 2010, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Weber have made it pretty clear: Red Bull Renault is the alpha male this season. Weber grabbed the pole, with teammate Vettel starting behind him in third. When the lights went out and the cars launched, it was all Sebastian Vettel; he passed second position starter Nico Rosberg and slipped inside Weber at the first corner. There was no serious threat to Red Bull’s lead from this point forward.

The race finished with Vettel taking the checkered flag, followed by Weber and then Rosberg, who gave the new Mercedes team their first podium finish. Rosberg’s teammate, Michael Schumacher, went out of the race on lap eight with a wheel nut failure.

Bob learned the hard way: never steal the foreman’s reserved parking spot.

Source: There, I Fixed It

It’s official: new fuel economy standards will apply to all vehicles, beginning with the 2012 model year. By 2016, the emission output standard of less than 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile will force automakers to achieve a fleet wide standard of 34.1 mpg. Put this another way: Ford, for example, will need to sell a whole lot of hybrids to offset a single Mustang GT. Nissan will need to move a whole lot of LEAFs to offset a GT-R, and Chevy will need to move a boatload of Volts to even out the scales for a single ZR-1 Corvette.

Does anyone else remember what happened when we implemented radical new standards for pollution control on cars, way back in the 1970s? Cars got more complex and less reliable, and by 1973 or so the classic muscle car was dead. I hope I’m wrong on this, but I see the same thing happening here. If you want a Mustang, Camaro, Challenger or Corvette, you’d best get your financing arranged quickly; I seriously doubt we’ll ever see this kind of automotive embarrassment of riches again.

Ever wonder what a party with 20,000 or so of your closest car guy friends would feel like? Well, I can tell you it would probably feel a lot like the Barrett Jackson auction in Palm Beach, FL. Want a non-collectable driver just for cruise nights? They’ve got ‘em. Want a concours quality ride? You’ll find that here as well. Automobilia ranging from signs to gas pumps? Check. Test drives of the latest from Ford and GM? Check. Free booze and umbrella girls? Um, no, but you can’t have everything.

Prices have been fairly modest so far, with day one ringing up a net of 125 cars sold for a total of $2.7 million. The good stuff will hit today and tomorrow, so I promise I’ll get pics up as soon as possible. In the mean time, here are a few teaser pics just to give you a feel for the auction.

How many of you really understand the codes on the sidewall of your tire? If you do, you’ll be able to tell your tire’s size, how much weight it can carry, how fast it can go, whether or not it’s rated for mud & snow and even the date it was manufactured. If you’re a gear head, you’ll want to know as much about your tires as possible; if you’re just a commuter, then you may only need to know your tire’s size.

Starting with the tire’s size, we’ll take these one at a time and give an example of each, based on the Michelin Pilot Precedas my 2006 Mazda MX-5 wears:

Tire Size Description (205/45 R 17)

The first number, 205 is the width of the tire tread in millimeters. The second number, 45, is called the “aspect ratio”, and represents the sidewall height as a percentage of the tread’s width. In the case of our example, the tire is 45% of 225 millimeters, or 101.25 millimeters high. The R denotes radial tire construction, and the 17 is the wheel diameter in inches.

Service Description (84W)

The first number, 84, is the load rating, or how much weight a tire can carry. Unfortunately, there is no direct correlation between the code and the actual value; to determine the tire’s load rating, you need to look it up in a chart. A tire with a load rating of 84 can carry 1,102 pounds; four of these can support up to 4,408 pounds.

The letter code indicates a tire’s speed rating, which was easy to translate when there were only a handful of codes. Today, there are over 14, so I use the chart here.

Per the example, my W rated tires are approved for speeds up to 168 miles per hour, quite a bit faster than a mildly tuned MX-5 can go.

North American Load and Pressure Marking (MAX. LOAD 500 KG (1,100 pounds), MAX Pressure 351 kPa (51 PSI))

For those of us living in North America, Big Brother has made it easy: the tire’s load rating (described above) has to be printed on the sidewall. As you can see, the load rating agrees with the one encoded in the service description.

The inflation pressure shown is the maximum pressure that the tire is designed to handle; never, under any circumstances, inflate tires to this pressure. Follow the instructions in your owner’s manual or inside the driver’s door for the proper (cold) inflation pressure.

DOT Tire Identification Number (OCLL KJVX 3505)

This code, mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation identifies the location of manufacturing, the tire size, manufacturer’s specifications and week and year of construction. I can’t help you on the location and manufacturer’s coding (but I’m sure it’s on the ‘net if you look hard enough), but the week and date are easy. The first two numbers of the last sequence, 35, indicate that my tire was manufactured during the 35th week of the year. The last two digits, 05, are the year. My tire was manufactured in late August or early September of 2005.

Tires built before 2000 use a three digit code, where the first two digits designate the week and the last one designates the year. A code of 018 indicates a tire built in January of 1998.

Why is this important? Because tires have a shelf life. As a general rule, avoid buying tires older than five years, as rubber compounds degrade with time. The older a tire is, the less likely it is to perform to the manufacturer’s original specifications.

UTQG Rating (Treadwear 240 Traction AA Temp A)

The Uniform Tire Quality Grade rating was originated by the U.S. D.O.T. to give consumers a reference point when shopping for tires. Based on standardized testing, a tire with a treadwear rating of 240 will last 2.4 times as long as the tire used to set the benchmark. This may be misleading, as tire manufacturer’s often estimate the treadwear based on initial wear. You cannot say, with any accuracy, that a Michelin tire having a treadwear rating of 240 will last longer than a Goodyear tire with a treadwear of 200. Confusing? That’s what happens when the government tries to standardize consumer products.

The traction rating is only slightly more relevant. A tire with a traction rating of AA will measure greater than .54 g when braked on wet asphalt and greater than .41 g when braked on wet concrete; both tests are conducted at 40 mph. Does traction give an indication of how sticky a tire is in the corner? No, not at all. It doesn’t reference lateral loading and it doesn’t reference dry weather traction.

Temperature grade is redundant, since you already have separate (and more detailed) information on you tire’s speed capability. A temperature grade of A simply designates that the tire will be able to operate at speeds over 115 miles per hour without building up too much internal heat.

Mud & Snow Rating (M+S on sidewall)

The Pilot Precedas on the MX-5 are summer only tires and don’t have an M+S rating; in other words, don’t even THINK about attempting to drive in snow or on icy roads with these tires. Summer tires have much different tread designs and are made from different rubber compounds than all season or winter tires. Sure, having two sets of tires gets expensive, but winter tires are the best way to ensure that you’ve got traction when you need it most.

So that about covers it – feel free to hit me with any questions you may have on tires for your ride.

New Zealand stunt rider Jonathan Bennett isn’t wired like the rest of us. I don’t have a fear of bridges, but the thought of riding a trials bike up and over bridge support arches that are only 27 inches wide makes my head spin. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.

Bennett got a nice video out of the stunt, which also got him arrested. He was fined the US equivalent of $460 and had his license suspended for six months. Sounds like it’s time to find a more hoonage friendly country to me.

Source: Two Wheels Blog

Reader ppwsixspd (Pike’s Peak white, six speed) sent in pics of his 2006 Nissan 350z, a daily driver he’s building for time attacks. Working with a limited budget (just like the rest of us), his mods are well thought out to give the best gain for the money. Starting with the motor, this Z breathes through a Nismo R-Tune CAI and an AAM plenum spacer. Downstream, it exhales through an HKS Hi-Power exhaust with test pipes replacing the cats (for off-road use only, of course).

On the suspension side, the car rides on a Hotchkis TVS Stage I setup (sways set on full stiff), with SPL Pro adjustable end links and an Ichiba rear camber kit. The stock wheels were custom painted a metallic black, and really stand out against the white paint.

Rounding out the look is a Nismo rear wing, eyelids and 15% tint. Nice ride, ppwsixspd, and thanks for sending us pics.

Own a 2010 Nissan Xterra or Pathfinder? Was it one of the 4,038 built between February 22 and March 13 of this year? If so, expect to get a recall letter from Nissan in the very near future.

Xterra and Pathfinder models built within this time period may not have had passenger airbag fasteners torqued to the correct values. In the event of a passenger airbag deployment, this could cause the airbag to inflate at an incorrect angle, injuring front seat occupants.

I’m not a big fan of explosives aimed at my face, and I like incorrectly aimed explosives even less. Be sure to get your Nissan fixed as soon as you can; in the mean time, I hear the back seat is a good place for passengers.

Like the Smart Fortwo, but need a backseat to haul around your teacup poodle? Want an Aston Martin Cygnet, but don’t already own an Aston Martin? Your worries are over, Mr. American Minicar Buyer – the Toyota IQ is coming stateside as the Scion iQ.

Unlike the Aston Martin Cygnet, you don’t need to “qualify” to buy one; they’ll take anyone’s cash. Also unlike the Aston Martin Cygnet, the Scion iQ won’t have a mid-line price of $60,000. Sure, you won’t get an Aston Martin badge (but feel free to pry one off the car of a Wall Street hedge fund manager) and you won’t be able to check the box for “baby whale penis leather”, but you’ll save yourself around $45,000, plus the cost of buying an Aston Martin to qualify for buying a Cygnet.

Toyota bills the iQ as the “world’s smallest four passenger vehicle”. Four passenger is a relative term, as there is virtually no room behind the driver’s seat for anyone not employed as the “world’s smallest human”; think of it as a “three extremely small passenger vehicle that will also hold a cat”. Since American’s don’t equate cars the size of a dishwasher with safety, Toyota is quick to point out that the Scion iQ has 10 airbags.