Autoblog

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Va. has just concluded testing on some 75 vehicles' head restraint systems and after performing a simulated rear-end impact of 20 MPH, only 22 of the systems received the top score of "good."

At the head of the class was Audi's A4, S4 and A6, along with the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Five Hundred (Taurus, whatever) and its Mercury counterpart, Honda's Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Jag S-Type, Kia Optima, Merc E-class, Nissan Sentra and its lesser sibling the Versa, Subaru's Impreza, Legacy and Outback, as well as Volvo's S40, S60 and S80 (no surprise).

The flunkees included the Acura TSX, BMW 5-series, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, Caddy CTS, DTS and STS, Chevy's Aveo, the Honda Fit and Accord, Infiniti's M35, the Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Pontiac's Grand Prix, plus the Toyota Avalon and Corrolla.

Considering that the IIHS estimates that the injuries sustained to the back and neck in these types of collisions costs insurance companies around $8 mbillion dollars per year, their interest in the matter is obvious. Whether or not consumers will include this in their purchasing criteria is another matter however.

[Source: IIHS]

Yet another week passes by, and all we have to remember it are the pictures. This week on Autoblog we had reviews of the Holden Commodore SS V Series, the Mercury Montego, and the Kia Rondo. Plus, we saw a glass-shard Maserati that was one of the more popular posts in recent memory. Oh, and let's not forget that the Infiniti G37 broke cover as well. We've captured some of the best photos of each and placed them in this video. For your enjoyment, a few of the related galleries are included below.

Music for this piece comes from EL84 with "Race Car". Enjoy!

click above image for desktop-sized pics of the 2007 Mercury Montego

Alas, Montego, we hardly knew ye. Of course, the large sedan from Mercury is not going away, but being relaunched as the Sable with a new schnoz, larger engine, and some interior upgrades. The Montego name will once again drift off into obscurity like its Torino-based forebear. While the Sable picks up where the Montego left off, it would be foolish to think the Montego is a dud. The 2007 Montego Premier AWD is a big car, with some dimensions exceeding the Grand Marquis. With a bump here and a nip there, the Montego would make the best Marquis ever. As it is, the Volvo-donated architecture underneath the Montego makes it a very modern driving sedan that belies the comfort-sized dimensions.

Episode #57 is a breezy little number, clocking in around 32 minutes long. Though on the short side, it's action-packed! We recap the Chicago show, paucity of activity and all. For starters, we return to one of our favorite subjects recently, the impending Pontiac G8. Let's just say it's even better up-close. Next, we ruminate over the all-new Scion xD and xB. The little Toyota offspring were all that happened on the second day of the show, and the aging boomers there were thrilled with the updates to these cars. Nothing like nailing your target market, eh? Before wrapping up for the night, the boys take a ride through the return of the Taurus and Sable nameplates, and how successful that move may prove to be. Capping Podcast 57 is the one bit that's not Chicago-related; the upcoming unveiling of Dodge's Demon roadster at the Geneva show. It looks nice, but we're dubious that it has any production plans, though this is Chrysler, which is capable of turning a show car into reality better than most. Enjoy the 'cast!

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Making both a bold and simple move, Ford's North American boss Mark Fields confirmed this morning what we already knew, that the Taurus and Sable brands will be resurrected for 2008.

Fields, delivering the keynote address at the Chicago Auto Show this morning, said the Ford Five Hundred nameplate will be dropped in favor of the venerable Taurus badge. The Freestyle crossover vehicle will also be renamed the Taurus X, and Mercury Montego will switch to the Sable nameplate. All three vehicle will be introduced to the press later in the day, though we were first introduced to the new "Taurus" in Detroit.

Fields said only four in 10 consumers were aware that Ford offered a vehicle called the Five Hundred. Yet the Taurus nameplate, which was killed last year, had built up 20 years of strong brand recognition and was recognized by 80 percent of shoppers. Fields also said Taurus was Ford's third-best-known brand behind F-Series and Mustang. During the early '90s, the Taurus was America's best-selling car five years running. About seven million Taurus models were sold in 21 years, and Ford estimates nearly 3.5 million are still on the road.

Check out more of our thoughts, a complete transcript of Mark Fields' speech, and VIDEO of him delivering the announcement after the jump.

Much has been said about how "nice" the Ford Five-Hundred and Mercury Montego are. They're good cars, people say, once you get to know them. Well, cars are largely sold on first impressions, and the 500 and Montego are both getting a second chance to make a good first impression with buyers. We saw the updated 2008 Ford Five-Hundred at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, and here's our first look at the updated Mercury Montego that will likely be debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in early February.

The front end is clearly inspired by the more fashionable Milan with headlights that sweep back up into the hood. The new grille is placed within a recessed part of the front end that dips down into the bumper and gives the Montego's face a lot more character. Out back are new white taillights and a new rear bumper that now houses the Montego's license plate. It's certainly not a full redesign, but we'd call it a sorely needed refreshening that ensures you won't lose your Montego in a crowded parking lot anymore.

[Source: World Car Fans]

If Ford had made all the Right Moves from around the turn of the century to the present, it wouldn't need a Bold Move to pull it back from the brink. This post will imagine a Ford lineup of today that could have been had the Blue Oval been bold back then. Such a lineup, we believe, would have made Ford a top contender today in terms of product. Instead, for many reasons, Ford is forced to turn itself around while mired in a product lineup that's ill suited for today's tastes. So let's put on our imagination caps and envision the lineup that Ford took a pass on.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford will be recalling close to 140,000 Five Hundreds and Mercury Montegos, along with over six thousand Hybrid Escapes.

The cause of the recall on the Five Hundred and its Mercury stable mate is a faulty door latch that may allow water to enter the mechanism and, if the water freezes, could cause the door to open while the sedan is in motion. The recall will affect 2005-2006 model year vehicles.

On 2006 Escape Hybrids, Ford has found that the drivetrain shaft could fracture and, in turn, may cause the vehicle to move even if the 'ute is in the 'Park' position.

Ford dealers are instructed to inspect and replace the part if it's necessary.

[Source: Reuters]