We’ve never pegged Kevin Hart as a car guy (despite those Ford commercials) but that didn’t stop Dub Magazine from putting the pint-sized funnyman on the cover of their November/December issue. In the cover story, Hart talks about his growing love for cars including his 2011 Ford Explorer (you don’t think he was going to leave that out did you) and his success as a comedian and actor. The issue hits newsstands later this week.

Just when we had gotten used to the hamsters, Kia is back with “rap” group LMFAOfor the Soul Shuffle Slam contest. Their asking you to submit a video to YouTube of yourself dancing to LMFAO’s song, “Party Rock.” The winner will receive $10,000 and an opportunity to dance to “Party Rock” during an LMFAO concert. Voting ends in a couple weeks. Check out the video below for more details.

SocialCarNews

In just six months the Infiniti FX designed for reigning Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel went from an idea to a reality. Unveiled at Frankfurt International Motor Show, the fastest Infiniti yet

features Rear Active Steering for maximum agility and the V8 FX50S Premium. Several changes to the Vettel edition versus the stock FX include increased power, lower weight, derestricted top speed, longer gearing, increased downforce and lowered and stiffer suspension.

Check the supercar out in action below:

Today, Infiniti released pricing information for the 2012 FX. The new design–inspired by the Essence Concept–features new 20-inch wheels, a reworked instrument cluster and a sportier front grille and fascia.

They also announced a new trim level for 2012. The FX35 Limited Edition will feature an exclusive Iridium Blue exterior color, unique 21-inch 10-spoke graphite- finish aluminum wheels with V-rated all-season tires, dark tinted headlights with Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) and auto-leveling, and dark tinted side air vents and lower door trim. Only 550 will be available for purchase.

One other cool new thing about the 2012 FX is that each one comes with the new Infiniti Personal Assistant benefit. The free service (no cost for the first four years) provides new Infiniti owners with unlimited 24-hour access to a live team of professional assistants. Accessible primarily through the owner’s mobile phone, callers can ask for answers or assistance on a range of topics and tasks, including directory assistance and driving directions, weather forecasts, dining suggestions and reservations, travel arrangements, emergency assistance and much more.

Detailed pricing and more images

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP)* are:

Model Engine/Transmission MSRP

Infiniti FX35 RWD 3.5-liter V6 / 7-speed automatic $43,450 USD

Infiniti FX35 AWD 3.5-liter V6 / 7-speed automatic $44,900 USD

Infiniti FX35 AWD Limited Edition 3.5-liter V6 / 7-speed automatic $51,550 USD

Infiniti FX50 AWD 5.0-liter V8 / 7-speed automatic $59,350 USD

The luxury crossover is expected to hit dealerships in October.

At 7:07AM this morning, Infiniti began their Power of 7 social media campaign with the reveal of the first image of the JX concept. A new image of the 2013 JX will roll out on the next 7 Thursday’s via Infiniti’s Facebook page until the concept has its global reveal at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18.

The JX was crafted to bring luxury flavor to the crossover market. The vehicle seats 7 and is aimed at families. The production version will be debuted at the L.A. Auto Show in November.

If you are in the market for a non-hulking utility vehicle then Nissan might be the brand for you. Kuhvet recently got our hands on the latest addition to the ever expanding crossover roster: the Nissan Juke. Hit the jump to see what we think of the sports-cross vehicle.

Overview: JUKE is a fun car and ultimately that’s what matters in a sports car. Based on the Qazana concept, Juke is a head turner. The sloping, seamless lines easily separate it from other hatchbacks. It does not look like Rogue’s little brother (or sister). Juke is definitely unique in aesthetic presentation.

Pros: The Integrated Control (I-CON) system drive mode selector is the highlight of the Juke driving experience. It offers drivers three different throttle/transmission/steering response settings (Normal, Sport, and Eco). These aren’t slight adjustments; a few seconds after pushing the button the driver will easily be able to tell the difference off of feel alone. Driving in Sport mode is the best way to maximize the Juke’s performance but it also obviously effects the mpg (more on that later).

The actual driving experience is favorable. The CVT is not nearly as noisy as you would think as it is properly masked by the rev of the turbo charged engine. Steering is fairly precise. Breaking is on point as well.

Cons: Though the interior is nice from a style perspective (especially the unique center console) but for most normal sized American the Juke can be a tight fit. And forget about backseat space, it is almost non-existent. Also gas mileage is not great but that’s to be expected considering Juke is half sports car. Other than that there aren’t many drawbacks.

Bottom Line: Juke is an ambitious offering from Nissan that will work for some. It’s not quite as sporty as we’d like it to be and not nearly SUV at all space wise but it does do enough of the job in both departments to deserve the sports-cross tag.

Earlier this summer Ford did a virtual reveal of the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer on Facebook but we really were not sold until a few days ago when the vehicle was physically unveiled.

Sporting a completely new interior and exterior Ford has aimed to reclaim the best-selling SUV spot that the Explorer enjoyed in the 1990’s. Built on the unibody platform (similar to the Taurus and Edge), the 2011 Explorer sports better fuel economy(EPA pending), horsepower (290hp) and price (starts at $28,190 than the 2010 version.

More info and images

Bent on bringing back former Explorer drivers who have left the brand, Ford has stepped up the technology in the 2011 by leaps and bounds. They brought in Sony to design the user interface, which includes the My Ford Touch (think Sync on steroids) technology. For those that are unfamiliar, My Ford Touch is a fully integrated entertainment, navigation, phone and climate control system that features over 10,000 voice controls.

One brand new advancement featured in the SUV are the world’s first rear inflatable seat belts. Powered by cold compressed gas, the new seat belts are said to be more comfortable than the standard and are far more safe. Unfortunately the optional belts ($195) will not be available on the first production run.

Ford is also making the earth happy by using soy foam to make the  seats as opposed to petroleum based foam.

At the end of the day SUV’s are a popular look but if they don’t perform like a truck then they are pointless. The Explorer holds its own in that category as well with 5000 pounds of towing power, trailer sway control and an optional 4-wheel drive system.

There are three trim levels: Base, XLT and Limited currently in production and a 4-cylinder EcoBoost version is on the way as well. The 2011 Explorer will hit showrooms this winter.

With their latest edition of the Touareg Hybrid, Volkswagen seems to aspire to reach a level of newness and innovation.

The first thing you need to know is the Touareg Hybrid is much more about luxury than it is about fuel efficiency. The SUV shares the same platform as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi supplies the engine. The 26 mpg won’t please too many environmentalists however VW claims the latest Touareg will go 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and top out at 150mph, which should please most drivers.

More images and full preview

The hybrid also has the ability to deactivate the petrol engine whenever needed, a perfect combination of an electric motor and an 8-speed automatic transmission.

VW is that brand the floats under the radar, never universally mentioned as great yet, undoubtedly always a factor. You see them on the road all the time and everywhere and will continue to with the new Touareg. First off, on the 2011 model they changed the body significantly. The design language is different–you’ll notice that immediately. From far away it looks bigger but up close you can see that difference isn’t optical illusion. The new model is longer, wider, lighter and a little lower than its predecessor (480 centimeters long to be exact, 194 centimeters on the width).  It looks contemporary but not so much really modern just fresh. It has that thing that all VW cars have where it might not look like it’s pushing the envelope in design per se, but it somehow still is pushing it. It’s uncomplicated but definitely an attractive car.

The new Touareg has a very handsome interior as well. We can’t front on the inside of the car. It sits five grown adults’ easy—not European adults— meaning overweight Americans. At the end of the day those of us who are carrying a little extra poundage should feel comfortable in this car. The trunk is ok; you won’t be able to move any furniture but its standard I guess. You’ll be able to put some boxes back there, some weights, a couple pair of sneakers, etc. It is what it is. I would be remiss if is didn’t mention the seats. The leather is butter soft, granted that’s a prerequisite for luxury models these days and I’m not necessarily saying that VW should get points for having that. However, I can’t just pretend that when I touched the seat with my own hand I didn’t acknowledge how nice it felt. It’s impressively soft, next level soft, seemingly as soft as someone could hope.

The price tag is expected to be well north of 50K. It will be interesting to see how that flies in this unstable economy. –Khalid Salaam

The editors at cars.com came up with a list of the 30 worst car names of all time (actually the last 30 years, but all time sounds better).

“There’s a lot of talk about the importance of first impressions,” says Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor in chief. “Sometimes, as vehicle reviewers, our first impressions are formed when we hear the name of a vehicle. This list shows that those impressions aren’t always good.”

2009 Nissan Cube
Horsepower:122
Torque(lb-ft): 127
MPG (city/hwy): 30 est. combined
Price: $13,000-$16,000 (special edition Krom $19,000)

The Cube has been a mainstay in Japan for 10 years now but 2009 will be the first time the mega-popular small SUV is readily available on this side of the Pacific. See more pics and full review

Overview: Built on the Nissan Versa platform, though this is the 1st generation of the vehicle in America it’s the 3rd overall  and the most spacious by far. It’s a full 10 inches longer and 600 lb’s heavier than the previous generation. No need to fret, the little SUV still packs enough power to whip around traffic with ease. We drove the base, S and SL models around sunny Miami and not only did the Cube turn heads with it’s futuristic body it was also surprisingly spry.

Clearly Nissan much like Kia with their new Soul, is going after the Scion Xb market with the Cube. With a similar price point, boxy design and 40 individual accessory options the Cube is a mighty challenger to the throne.

Pros: For such a small vehicle, the Cube is very roomy inside, 2 grown men can fit comfortably in the front and the back seat is raised up theatre style so not only do passengers have decent legroom, they can also see the road. the interior is also accented with ripple effects from the ceiling to the floor, it sounds crazy but it works. The left hinge rear entry is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Cons: The fuel economy is good but from such a small base we expected highway MPG in the mid-high 30’s range. Also the Base and S model 2-speaker and 4-speaker systems leave a lot ot be desired. There would definitely have to be some after market action in that area. Last but not least it would be great if there was a sunroof option on one of the models. The last con is not Nissan’s fault, the previous 2 generations had a front bench seat but due to some regulatory issue.

At the end of the day the Cube is not a chick car but it’s one for the younger consumer. With their viral ad campaign and decent sticker price the Cube just might win in this climate.

How much you’ll kuhvet it:3.5 out of 5