We unveiled our RPM Awards in the November issue of Maxim, featuring the seven of the sweetest rides 2008 has to offer. The Honor Roll is the best of the rest…
























ACHIEVEMENT IN PARTY-ENABLING TECHNOLOGY
2009 Dodge Ram
Chrysler engineers must have an Old School DVD looping in their cubicles: They’ve converted the walls of the new Dodge Ram truck bed into drain-plug-equipped coolers that can hold 120 12-ounce cans and ice. Somebody’s even been watching porn: They’ve named the feature “RamBox.”

PEDESTRIAN PRESERVATION BMW
Night Vision
If poky bipeds in front of you don’t have the decency to scream, “I’m walkin’ here!” BMW’s Night Vision—an option offered on the 7 Series—helps keep road kill counts low by scanning ahead and warning you of any hapless humans in your way.

BEST CONCIERGE FOR NON-ARISTOCRATS
Ford Sirius Travel Link
If you’re buying a Ford, you’re probably not a Rockefeller, but you can play one with this add-on. The politely obedient navigation/info system delivers weather maps, sports scores, and movie times with nary a sniff; it even fills you in on nearby gas prices.

TREND THAT MUST END AWARD
Mechaphilia
Lots of men love cars, but 57-year-old Washington resident Edward Smith is the Gene Simmons of sheet metal, since he’s claimed to have made love to roughly 1,000 cars—including his current flame, a VW Beetle named Vanilla. Smith is profiled in a British documentary called Strangelove that gives new meaning to the phrase “auto erotica.”

THE STICK-TO-IT-IVENESS AWARD
2009 Dodge Viper ACR
The ACR pairs the Viper’s 600 hp V-10 with a crazy aero package. The result: 1,000 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. You’ll stick to the tarmac like your sneakers to the peep-show-booth floor.

FASTEST FAMILY CAR 2009
Cadillac CTS-V
Big, bad Caddies used to be reserved for Mob heavies and bookies, but the supercharged 550 hp CTS-V ($60K est.) attracts a whole different breed: the speed freak who wants horsepower under the hood and a kiddie seat in back.

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Hummer H3T
Care more about good times than gas prices? Throw your gear in the bed of the H3T and hit the beach. Though Hummer’s first pickup still has the brutish styling of its battle-ready Humvee cousins, it’s actually smaller than a full size pickup. Hummer engineers can’t bend time and space, so that means the bed is a relatively modest five feet long. But still, that’s enough room for your surfboard, sand castle molds, and water wings for all your closest friends.

SPEC CHECK
Price:         $32,000 (est.)
Engine:      3.7-liter, 242 hp I-5
Torque:      242 lb.-ft.
0–60 mph:  Not available
Top speed: 99 mph

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SUVs have really been playing catch-up when it comes to gas mileage and, you know, not damning the earth to a fiery grave, but this year's auto show has more eco-friendly trucks than a hippie has hemp necklaces. The Explorer America has a super-efficient engine that can get 20-30% more milage than the current Explorer. The improvement comes from Ford's EcoBoost system, which directly injects fuel into the combustion chamber of each cylinder. From that you get smoother acceleration and a power increase on par with adding two extra cylinders. So, in short, America, Fu—well, you get it.

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The Chicago Auto Show is in full swing at the moment, and one of the big trends seems to be taking Ford's gigantic F-650 truck and turning it into something you would expect to see Shaq showing off on <em>MTV Cribs</em>. Alton's $200,000 <em>Cloverfield</em> monster of a vehicle has a 7.2-liter Caterpillar engine, a 42-inch plasma and a sound system with 42 speakers. I would still prefer one of those sweet old '70s vans with a wizard painted on the side with a couch that smells like piss crammed in the back, but I guess this thing is pretty cool, too. I do have to give them credit for beefing up the normal car horn to a friggin' train horn. I would blow that sucker right before I ran right over Mother Nature's stupid face. FOLLOW THE LINK FOR A HANDY COMPARISON CHART OF THE CANYONERO AND THE ALTON F-650.

Source: Autoblog

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