Time-Waster of the Day: Nissan Europe Launches New 3D Juke Site

The Juke has seen its fair share of publicity, mostly due to its unusual shape and the fact that it is Nissan’s first entry in the small crossover segment. The most recent stunt is the announcement on the development of the Juke-R with modified GT-R underpinnings.

Now Nissan has moved on to another fantasy realm: not the “what if” 530HP Juke prototype, but the virtual one. Its European division has launched Stage JUK3D, an online module that promises to give its users “an incredibly immersive experience of discovering and driving” the carmaker’s small crossover.
Developed in association with software firms Adobe and Digitas France, the application uses Adobe’s latest 3D technology to make the Juke seem as real as possible.
The Stage JUK3D experience consists of two parts. The first one, “Discovery and Customize”, allows users to view the Juke from any angle both inside and out, discover its every detail and even choose the exterior color.
The second, and certainly more interesting, section is named “Drive”. As it is obvious from its name, users get to drive the virtual Juke in the edge of a city at night as fast as they can – in 3D of course. And they even get to challenge their friends and compare lap times over social networks.

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Video: New BMW Z4 sDrive28i's Turbocharged-Four Dyno-Tested

BMW's legendary normally-aspirated 3.0-liter straight-six is slowly giving its way to the firm's new generation 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four.

One of the first Bavarian models in the USA to receive the force-fed powerplant, codenamed N20, is the Z4 sDrive28i roadster, which Edmunds took the local dyno for testing.
The Germans rate the N20 at 240-horses at 5000 and 260 lb-ft of peak torque delivered from 1,250 to 4,800rpm.
Strapped on the dyno rollers, the four-cylinder engine cranked out an impressive 233-horses at 5,350rpm and 249 lb-ft at 4,450rpm. Not bad at all given that the output was measured at the rear wheels. Video follows below.
Story references: Edmunds

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Nürburgring Sports Car Pileup: In-Board Camera Captures the Second Crash on Film

It was only a matter of time before the first video concerning last weekend's much talked about Nürburgring crash popped-up on the internet.

The 15-minute long clip comes from an in-board camera mounted to look out the rear window. The driver of the car passed through the construction section moments after the first crash happened, but just before the BMW M3 Sedan 'Ring Taxi came smashing into the cars in front of it.
You'll have to speed up the video to around 9:50 to see the damaged cars and wait until about the clock shows 10:20ish to watch the BMW 'Ring Taxi collide in your upper right-hand corner.
Story References: Motorpassion 

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Video: Can You Guess What will Happen Next?

Simply put, there are some things you just shouldn't do with a motorcycle - i.e. attempt a wheelie on the move with three people on board. You can add to that over-loading your bike with products as if it were a two-wheel commercial vehicle.

If you're still wondering what we're talking about, click over the jump to find out what happens next in the short clip that follows.

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2012 Honda Pilot Commercial Taps on Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train Song

The Honda Pilot is not exactly the kind of vehicle you would associate with a rock icon like Ozzy Osbourne, nevertheless, the Japanese automaker has used of one his most well-known songs in a commercial for the mildly updated crossover.

The "Road Trip" ad for the 2012MY Pilot shows two grownups at the front and six kids at the back attempting to sing Ozzy Osbourne's 1980 debut solo single, "Crazy Train", a capella.
We're not sure the ad works but you can check it out for yourself after the break and tell us what you think.

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New 2012 Isuzu D-MAX Pickup Truck is the Chevy Colorado's Asian Twin

Isuzu has long abandoned the U.S. passenger and truck market but it continues to have strong ties with General Motors, which was once its primary stockholder.

This week, the Japanese automaker revealed its all-new D-MAX pickup truck, which was designed in cooperation with GM and is a sister model to the 2012 Chevrolet Colorado that made its debut on Wednesday. Albeit on separate occasions, both pickup truck models were presented in Thailand.

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Video: 2012 Camaro ZL1 Lapping the Nürburgring in 7:41.27"

We only just learned about the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1's Nürburgring lap time on Wednesday through a tweet from a GM spokesperson, yet the Detroit automaker has already released video footage from its run of the Nordschleife.

Officially, the new 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1 won't go on sale before the end of the first quarter in 2012, but GM said it used a"production-intent model, with no performance modifications", driven by Camaro Performance Engineer Aaron Link to record a lap time of 7:41.27.
According to the automaker, that is nearly 40 seconds quicker than a Camaro SS tested at the famous German circuit back in 2009.
GM pointed out that it achieved this time "from a flying start", suggesting it may take another shot at it in the near future to further improve the Camaro ZL1's record.
“Breaking an eight-minute lap in a 2+2 production car is a tremendous accomplishment, and validates that the Camaro ZL1 will truly be track-ready from the showroom,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer.
Aaron Link, the man behind the steering wheel commented: “One of the best moments is coming through ‘Fuchsröhre’, or Foxhole. The ZL1 accelerates at an unbelievable rate down through the tunnel of trees, and into a sweeping left-hand corner flat out in fifth gear. You have to have an extremely well-mannered, confidence-inspiring car to take any corner at 160 mph without lifting off the throttle – and the ZL1 was just brilliant.”

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