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I am a fan of boxy compact SUVs because they are the most interesting of the affordable cars on the road. Readers of my blog already know this. There’s been some new news in the world of boxcars…

1. Nissan Cube

It’s official debut is at the LA Auto Show in a couple months, but some photos of the Cube leaked yesterday (thank you, Autoblog) that prove Nissan has the courage to put asymmetry into production:

Don’t hate me because I’m different.

The Nissan Cube stares down the incumbent Scion xB. Photo from Edmunds

If you are interested in a battle of the boxes, head over to Edmunds.com to find out what they thought of a Japanese-spec Cube they played around with earlier this year. My favorite line from the article:

Nissan is finally convinced there are enough of you to buy its Cube, a boxy car so far out on the funk continuum that the Element and xB might as well be Corollas.

The more I look at the Cube, the more I think of the neo-80’s crew Fanny Pack from America’s Best Dance Crew. They occupy a charming space in pop culture that is both odd and cool. …okay, maybe more odd than cool, but they had enough style to earn a poem from Lil Mama.

2. Suzuki Wagon-R / Mazda AZ-Wagon

There is not a lot of buzz online about the Suzuki Wagon-R / Mazda AZ-Wagon, but it’s worth noting that the look of half box/ half compact car (think Scion-xD) is sticking around.

3. 2009/2010 Honda Element

I saved the best for last. It looks like late next year Honda will give a clean new look to my beloved Element…

Source: Autoblog.com

Everyone knows how dull it is to get your emissions tested for your car. For those of you who’ve avoided this modern-day chore, this is how it goes…

You get a letter in the mail that your license plates are expiring. But before you renew your plates, you have to drive to an emissions testing station to have your car’s exhaust measured for pollution. The station is an open air garage that can service five cars at one time. Behind each service bay is usually 10 cars waiting for their turn. Imagine parallel lines of people waiting to pick up their food at the drive-thru at McDonalds. The end goal is to keep dirty cars off the streets, but the emissions testing station is one of the dirtiest spots in the city.

But the Arizona Department of Air Quality (ADAQ) is trying to solve the problem. They’ve set up webcams that update every couple of minutes that show everyone how long the lines are at each station around the city. Now you can gauge where and when you make the trip to the station. It’s a simple solution and everyone wins.

See it in action

Having a baby has opened my eyes to an entirely new world of design. Candyce and I have been excited about all of the fun kid stuff we’ve found online.  Click through the photos to see what I’m talking about…

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<irony>First of all, my baby is superior to all other babies.</irony> No, but seriously folks, my baby is strong. Shortly after she was born, the nurse laid her on her stomach to give her a bath. Then Norah flexed her legs and arms to lift her little body off of the ground an inch and a half. And then she turned her head to look at the nurse. Honestly, I wasn’t as much proud as I was freaked out. I mean, babies aren’t supposed to do that…she looked kinda Sci-Fi Channel.

I’ve told other people that Norah has superior strength, and they’ve all bounced back with their own stories of their strong babies blah blah blah. I’ve become so tired of hearing others brag about their children that I’ve stopped bringing up the subject. Then earlier this week we went to the hospital to get her foot pricked for some standard blood tests. The nurse had the most difficult time holding her foot still. After wrestling with Norah for a minute, she let go and looked to me and Candyce and said flatly: “You’re baby is very very strong.”

And that’s coming from a pro, someone who wrangles babies every day of the week. If she announces that my baby is very very strong, then that’s all the confirmation I need. I have a superior genetic pool.

In the last 10 years, two marvels have injected new life in the custom car scene: big rims and airbag suspension. Now full-size sedans finally had their chance to get a balanced proportions of more compact sporty cars.

In the photo gallery below, I’ve compiled several clean custom sedans I’ve found online from the past 40 years. With stock rims and suspension, most of these cars are forgettable family haulers. But with big rims and a low stance, these sedans have a whole new look on a Friday night cruise down the strip.

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