May 2006
You are currently browsing the articles from Super Car Blog written in the month of May 2006.
Recent high increasements in gas prices, have made gasoline very expensive, up to 3 $ a galon, but this price would be happy nostalgia for Europeans, where fuel can be twice as much, or more. So what kind of cars are popular in Europe? Small, economical, but roomy ones. Cars like the Toyota Yaris Liftback.
Yaris is a new nameplate for Toyota in the U.S., but it’s been well-received in Europe, where it’s Toyota’s best seller. Here, the second-generation Yaris, in both hatchback “Liftback” and sedan body styles, will be Toyota’s new entry-level model, replacing the Echo.
With its small size, only twelve and a half feet long, the Liftback can fit easily into tight urban parking spaces. At five and a half feet wide and an even five feet tall, over three inches taller than the sedan - there is much more room inside than expected, aided by an optional split rear seat that can be moved backwards for extra legroom. And if its fuel economy isn’t quite as high as that of a hybrid like a Prius, it’s not exactly thirsty with EPA estimates of 34 mpg city and 40 highway. With a base price of $10,950 ($13,510 as tested), it’s half the price of a Prius. Even at $4 a gallon, that difference buys a lot of regular unleaded.
It’s small size and low fuel consumtion per galon, have made this car to enter in the “econobox” class. Econoboxes of the 70s and 80s were no-frills vehicles, with few creature comforts and minimal power. The Yaris is a much more developed vehicle, with the precise construction, quality materials, and attention to detail for which Toyota is known. It’s not at all cramped, and with its 1.5-liter, 106-horsepower engine, it has no trouble keeping up with traffic. Even driven hard, it sips fuel - I averaged over 35 mpg in a week of mostly highway driving. It’s not boxy-looking, either.
The first Yaris Liftback I drove was an automatic, when the Yaris line was introduced to the press in suburban Irving, Texas, last Fall. I’ve spent the past week with a manual-transmission model with key convenience upgrades. As expected, performance with the five-speed stick was better than with the four-speed automatic. But fuel economy should be nearly the same for both, and the ease of driving an automatic in traffic is undeniable. In either form, the Yaris Liftback should make a great commute module - or a good low-cost car for anyone on a budget. Even though it’s Toyota’s entry-level car, it’s much more than basic transportation.
Written by admin on May 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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Before i started writeing this review, i thought I was looking at a rather evolved version of the M35x, to my surprise the differences are in greater number then the similarites.
The make things clear, from start the G35x and the M35x are not different versions of the same cars, as I thought. The ???????M???????? sedan is billed by Infiniti as a premium performance sedan and the ???????G???????? is called a premium performance sport sedan. Both are rear-wheel-drive with an all-wheel-drive option and both are luxurious and competent. Both have that wonderful 3.5-liter V6 named by Ward????????s AutoWorld as one of the world????????s 10 best engines. The ???????G????????, however, is a tad smaller than the ???????M???????? and with sportier suspension settings.
On the inside you imediatly recognize the differences. While the ???????G???????? has a keyless ignition it works differently than the ???????M????????. The latter is a push button on the dash and one must have a foot firmly on the brake pedal to start the car. The ???????G???????? on the other hand has a twisting switch that has a little gate which is too small for the fob and must be turned about 60-degrees to start, much like a traditional switch, but without a key inserted. In the ???????G????????s case we needn????????t have a foot planted on the brake, which I thought was superfluous in the ???????M???????? anyway.
The interior is luxurious with fine leather, aluminum trim and quality materials. A little pod high on the dash contains the lovely analog clock and some data fields. Power seat controls are on the console-side seat bolster. When tilting the tilt/telescopic steering wheel the entire gauge pod moves with the wheel, which keeps the gauges readable through the wheel. Like the Nissan we took to Tennessee a few weeks ago there is plenty of travel in the tilt and telescope functions to get the wheel in just the right position.
The fast 3.5-liter engine truly feels, and even sounds, like a V8, giving the ultimate
driving sensation. With 24-valves, aluminum block and heads, dual overhead cams and continuously variable valve timing, ???????microfinished??????? camshafts and molybdenum-coated pistons, in conclusion a extremely efficient and sophisticated engine. Generating 280 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque it has plenty of thrust and a smooth delivery. Just remember, you can also get a 4.5-liter V8 with 335 horsepower, if you wish, and you can get a 6-speed manual transmission with short-throw shifter.
I was as impressed with the G35x chassy as much as i was with the chassy of the M35x when i first saw it. The mulit-link fully independent designs front and rear make for stability, stiffness without harshness, and great control. Bouncing firmly over a particularly rough railroad crossing disturbs the chassis not an ounce. The suspension is tuned for a bit more stiffness with this sport sedan than last week????????s luxury sedan.
If you????????re in the market for a sporty premium luxury sedan with plenty of technology you????????ll want to include the M & G35x in your search. Put them up against the Lexus GS models, BMW 5-Series, Cadillac CTS and Mercedes E-Class and you????????ll have a tough choice to make.
Written by admin on May 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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When thinking of a mid-size family sedan variety, I beat most of us won’t think of Kia.The Korean-based manufacturer would like to change that, with its new 2006.5 Optima, which was recently introduced to the automotive press in California’s Napa Valley and is now available.
You might tend to confuse the 2006.5 Optima with the 2006 model, huge mistake. The new-generation Optima shares only the name, and the optional V6 engine. It’s built on a new platform, with a longer wheelbase and increased width giving more interior space - more than any of the other common mid-size sedans, actually.
The trunk is substantially larger, and like all new Kias, the full complement of safety equipment - six airbags, active front headrests, a tire pressure monitoring system, and four-wheel disk brakes - is included as standard equipment in all models. Antilock brakes with electronic stability control, traction control, and brake assist are available as a packaged option.
Most apparent is new and much more contemporary styling. Gone are the somewhat strange proportions of the first-generation Optima, replaced by a fuller and much more mainstream look, with short overhangs for optimum space utilization.
Like its competitors, the new Optima is a front-wheel drive car available in four-cylinder or V6 trim. The V6 is the same 2.7-liter unit found in recent models of the first-generation Optima, but it now has 185 horsepower, a nearly ten percent improvement, and improved fuel economy. The 2.4-liter four is all-new, and with a fifteen percent power increase, to 161 hp, it bests most of its four-cylinder competitors. The four comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission, but is expected to be more likely sold with the optional five-speed automatic, which has a “Sportmatic'’ manual-shift mode and is the only transmission with the V6.
Suspension is fully-independent, with MacPherson struts in front and a multilink setup in the rear. It’s tuned in a very European manner, softly sprung but well-damped, with spring, shock damping, and anti-roll bar rates all matched for a comfortable ride and good handling.
The new Optima competes in a price-sensitive class, and with base prices ranging from $16,995 for a four-cylinder manual LX through $ 21,000 for an EX V6, it’s very competitive. For the mid-size sedans that are available with both four-cylinder and V6 engines, the fours are the best sellers.
The 2006.5 Kia Optima is a car with a distinctive character that offers an alternative to the common mid-size sedan.
Written by admin on May 21st, 2006 with no comments.
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The american division of Wolkswagen automobile manufactuer, has annouced the price tag of it’s newest creation, the 2007 Eos convertible, a car that will be availeble in showrooms across the USA. This four-seater features a revolutionary three-panel roof that transforms a hardtop coupe roof with an integrated sunroof, to an open convertible. Volkswagen will offer the Eos with two engines: an award-winning 2.0 liter turbo, 200 horsepower, four cylinder starting at $27,990 and a 3.2 liter, 250 horsepower version of Volkswagen????????s narrow angle V6 starting at $36,850.In addition to the innovative CSC (coupe-sunroof-convertible) roof, the Eos includes high-quality standard features such as Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP), safety-optimized front headrests, front airbags and specially developed front side head-thorax airbags; 16-inch alloy wheels(17-inch standard on the V6 model), air conditioning system, fog lights, panoramic sunroof, power windows, and cruise control.
The dimensions of the Eos enhance the vehicle’s dynamics. Together with its length and height, the vehicle’s width lends the Eos a particularly powerful appearance and contributes to the car????????s extraordinarily agile and safe handling characteristics. Its leading-edge roof engineering includes multi-folding components with fully automatic operation. The result is pure driving enjoyment regardless of whether the roof is up or down.
Like all new Volkswagen models, the Eos comes with 24-hour Roadside Assistance for four years with unlimited mileage, and new vehicle warranties including:
- Five-year/60,000 mile (whichever occurs first) Powertrain Limited Warranty.
- Four-year/50,000 mile (whichever occurs first) New Vehicle Limited Warranty with wear and tear items and adjustments excluded after the initial 12 months/12,000 miles.
- 12-year unlimited distance Limited Warranty against corrosion perforation.
Written by admin on May 19th, 2006 with no comments.
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Today, i have for you car lovers all over, a review on the renowed Dodge Magnum SRT, a car that i don’t really regard to much. After a really bad point in Chrysler motor history, something clearly had to be doned to make profit. That something was the new and exciting automobile called Magnum SRT. This move was very bold, as this car isn’t a really conventional one, with a really aggressive looking automobile but which has been getting awards from all and sundry. Why is it not for me? Maybe it’s becouse of it’s???? 6.1 liter hemi engine, wich i found no troubles, in terms of controling it, but the power did come in rather suddenly and it did call for a great deal of concentration.
I see this as a great car for young Texans blasting to a rodeo but genteel Marin County is not like that. Percentage wise there are more Priuses here than anywhere else in the country and that probably says it all. Don????????t get me wrong-the Dodge is amazing value at around 40 thousand dollars. It is a bit of an International cocktail-the engine is made in Mexico, the transmission in Germany and final assembly is in Ontario, Canada.
Still, what matters is that the Dodge is very well screwed together. The instrumentation is excellent as are the seats. What I missed was the brilliant TV monitor - aiding reversing- from the infinity. The Magnum is a long car and the TV would be a God-send.
The Dodge has all the standard equipment one could reasonably expect from a 60 thousand dollar automobile and as I????????ve said huge fun and huge value for the right person. Having said that I am not that person. I am delighted they are doing well but as we all know the other half of the company is Mercedes Benz. For me an E series 320 with 4matic is the answer to my prayers. Until and if the new S class had a 4matic option as well.
For the record the Magnum does 14 to a gallon in town and 20 on the highway, although the chances are that the sort of speeds this Dodge is capable of will tempt people to put pedal to the metal and really go for it.
This is a rough car, not one for those who don’t like to “play it hard”, mostly for those of us who enjoy getting a speedying ticket.
Written by admin on May 18th, 2006 with no comments.
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