Kia ran just one ad during the Super Bowl and it was best car ad of Super Bowl 44. The ad for the Kia Sorento, called Joyride, shows Sock Puppet, a teddy bear, and other animated toys enjoying themselves on a cross-country trip, stopping to jet-ski and relax in a hot tub, with a final stop in Las Vegas. (Reference to Las Vegas has been a big no-no in the past, on account of the word "Las Vegas" suggesting people might gamble on the Super Bowl.) The ad ends with the toys no longer animated, in the back seat of the Sorento, as a child climbs in, fastens his seat belt, then mom presses the Sorento's start button and drives away. Fun, nostalgia, a blonde in a hot tub and a brunette in a nightclub, cute kid, motherhood - everything you want in a car commercial - and at just the right time for Kia.

With its pending Uvo Bluetooth and entertainment system (think Ford Sync on steroids), Kia is a car company about to be noticed this year. The ad couldn't be better. More on the automotive-related cars of Super Bowl 44 (XLIV for traditionalists) where the game (New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17) actually was better than the commercials, after the jump.

Toyota is a Japanese car and it's a German word that comes to mind, schadenfreude: taking glee in the misfortunes of others. In this case, take glee if you want, but also take advantage of their misfortunes if you're in the market for a car. Toyota's reputation is horrible this month. Whatever ails the cars is relatively minor (I believe) but prices will depressed and dealers will be cutting prices to build showroom traffic. If you're thinking of buying, now's the time. Some tips after the jump, plus how to deal with a sticking throttle.

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro lives in two eras. It's a 1970s muscle car at heart - big, loud, visible - yet it's also more polished thanks to the dozens of microprocessors that keep the rear end from breaking loose under acceleration, maintain fuel economy in the mid-twenties, and provide connections for your iPod and cell phone. If you're a pony car fan, the choice of Camaro vs. Ford Mustang comes down to whether you're a Chevy guy or Ford guy. Ford offers more cockpit technology even if the Camaro has just about enough on its best-equipped V6 and V8 models.

The impending robot takeover gets closer: NASA and GM have developed and built Robonaut 2, a second generation humanoid robot that is faster, more dexterous, and more technologically advanced than before. Both companies said that the new robot can use its hands to do work, and even work safely alongside people. OR SO THEY SAY.

"This cutting-edge robotics technology holds great promise, not only for NASA, but also for the nation," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement. "I'm very excited about the new opportunities for human and robotic exploration these versatile robots provide across a wide range of applications."

NASA and GM hope their robotics partnership--through a Space Act Agreement at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston--will lead to advanced safety systems for future vehicles, improved safety and efficiency in manufacturing plants, and in space, the ability to aid astronauts during hazardous missions. I'm not scared at all.

 

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, is caught up in Toyota's unintended acceleration problems. Wozniak's 2010 Toyota Prius unintentionally accelerates to as much as 97 mph when using automatic cruise control, he says. Wozniak told Bloomberg News that Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven't responded to his complaints submitted over the past two months. (Maybe his iPhone wasn't in a 3G coverage area?)

 

Insurance industry researchers say they're not sure that the use of cell phones leads to more car accidents. While conventional wisdom has been that holding a cellphone and talking while driving is hazardous, crash data doesn't  clearly show it.  What's more amazing, the conclusion comes from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an arm of the insurance industry that generally finds most every aspect of driving to be dangerous to motorists and by coincidence to insurance industry loss reserves.

Snow tires and technology aren't an obvious pairing since there are no microprocessors embedded in the tire. (In the wheel, yes, to monitor tire pressure.) The technology goes into R&D computer simulations of how rubber compounds and tread patterns work in deep snow, in a dusting of snow, and on dry pavement. A recent weekend trip in a powerful sports car with rear drive and not much weight in back proved uneventful in an eight-inch snowstorm because the car was fitted with snow tires all around. The combination of snow tires, traction control, and stability control allowed me to go confidently with rear-drive where others were slipping in all-wheel-drive vehicles with summer tires.

Tesla Motors plans to cease production of its signature Roadster electric sports car next year, according to paperwork Tesla filed ahead of its IPO for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Autopia reports that a replacement Roadster won't hit the road until 2013, leaving the upcoming 2012 Tesla Model S sedan as the company's only car for a year. The current wisdom is that this is because Lotus is retooling its manufacturing plants to accommodate the next-generation Lotus Elise, upon which the current Tesla Roadster is based.

The report said that Tesla may not have a problem if the Model S launches on time. But if it doesn't, the automaker may not have any cars on the showroom floor for a while. I can see how Tesla arrived at this plan, but that doesn't make me any less worried.

Don't miss Gearlog's full preview and "test ride" of the Tesla Model S sedan.

As Saab continues to bounce between foster care and outright abandonment, one thing is clear: Saab's days providing leadership in safety and technology are mostly in the rear view mirror. Even Saab's lovable quirkiness isn't much in evidence anymore. Nor are Saabs themselves: Down from a peak of 48,000 sold in the U.S. in 2003 to 21,368 two years ago to 8,680 last year. If Saab goes under, the world won't change, except to Saab's handful of hardcore fans. What made Saab special was its past, not its present or future. Alas.

One of the nicest midsize sedans you can drive is the Mazda6. It's roomy and sporty, as you'd expect from the Zoom-Zoom company. The much-reworked 2010 Mazda6 has grown in size and poise. But if you want knockout cockpit technology, the Mazda6 may be a non-starter. The good stuff is only available on the more costly models. Nicely equipped, what started out as a $19,995 bargain with a peppy four-cylinder will be in the low thirties with a lower-mpg V6 if you want technology options. The iPod adapter is available only as a dealer add-on and the blind spot detection feature has a few quirks.

Time-shifting programs works great for DVRs, so why not bring it to radio? GM has announced it is bringing its Pause and Play radio feature, currently available in models like the Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX, to the upcoming Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze.

Pause and Play radio lets drivers or passengers stop a live broadcast, record up to 20 minutes of it on an embedded hard disk, and play it back later. It engages with one push of the radio's Reverse button.

It also works with the car off; for example, a driver could pause the radio, shut off the car, fill up at a gas station, get back in, and resume listening to a football game or talk show where it was left, without missing all that time in the middle.

Other cars with the feature include the GMC Terrain and the Cadillac CTS Jukebox and Navigation radio, where the feature first appeared in 2008. Back in October, GM announced that Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC dealers will begin offering Autonet Mobile's $499 WiFi router as a dealer-installed option on its SUVs and trucks.

Drivers in the U.S. tend to stay within the speed limit range on most major highways, according to new GPS data from TomTom. The company crunched numbers from its Speed Profiles database, sourced from TomTom's Tele Atlas map business unit and a part of TomTom's trademark IQ Routes feature that tracks the average actual speeds of drivers on typical routes.

It found that even drivers in the fastest stages--Mississippi, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, and Alabama--stayed either within or just over posted speed limits of 65 to 75 mph. This next bit is news to no one, but congested routes like I-95 on the eastern seaboard exhibit dramatically different average speeds in different sections, with the slowest being in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Interestingly, Montana was nowhere to be found in the top group; that state famously lifted all numerical speed limits in December 1995 and replaced them with "reasonable and prudent," and did things like issue $5 "energy use" tickets for anyone driving under 100 mph. That whole thing didn't stand up in court very well, so it was repealed four years later.

 

The unusually shaped BMW 550i Gran Turismo provides incredible long-distance touring comfort for four passengers. It's like being in a private jet, especially if you order the business class seating in back, then pile on the entertainment and driver assistance options.  Costs like a private jet, too.

Between BMW's two hatchback-like recent offerings, the 550i GT is the better vehicle than the two-year-old BMW X6. The GT will be even more desirable once BMW in the spring adds versions with a 300-hp six-cylinder engine and with all-wheel-drive. Only two things require acclimatization: the view from the outside looking at the side and rear, and the view from inside looking out the rear window. 

My plane crashed on the way back from the Consumer Electronics Show and that, like CES itself, turned out to be less than expected. My United 634 flight home Sunday lost a landing gear, circled the field for a half-hour, then skidded to a stop halfway down Newark's longest runway: no smoke, fire, or injuries, just a big dent on the bottom of the engine nacelle. Which left me with this dilemma: How do you tell your grandchildren tall tales years from now about something that's only an "incident?" CES 2010 was low on the excitement scale, too. Here's my biased take on the five most important themes of CES from the perspective of a fan of gadgets, gear, and car technology: