June 2006
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Nissan North America, today announced pricing on the all-new Nissan Versa Hatchback, which goes on sale June 23 at Nissan dealers nationwide. The starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the newest addition to the Nissan lineup is $12,450 for the Versa 1.8 S with a standard 122-horsepower 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission.
Three other 2007 Versa Hatchback models are available: the Versa 1.8 S 4-speed automatic transmission (late availability), priced at $13,250; the Versa 1.8 SL 6-speed manual transmission offered at $14,450; and the Versa 1.8 SL, which is priced at $15,450.
The five-passenger Versa represents a dynamic new alternative to current entry-level vehicles. Versa offers a unique combination of class-leading roominess, exceptional interior quality and upscale amenities designed to appeal to a wide range of buyers with a variety of lifestyle needs.
“The all-new 2007 Nissan Versa is a no-compromise subcompact that offers the quality, style, roominess, comfort, performance and amenities that are unexpected in this class and this price range,” said Brad Bradshaw, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division.
Versa’s long list of standard equipment includes an AM/FM/CD audio system, 60/40 split fold-down rear seatbacks, an Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) and both front seat side-impact and side-curtain supplemental air bags.
Written by admin on June 26th, 2006 with no comments.
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More accolades for Honda. Civic has garnered praise and awards from all automotive quarters since its introduction late last year for innovative design, top-drawer engineering, unmatched performance and, of course, a reputation for flawless quality.
Just look at this thing! The windshield is so steeply raked there is hardly room for the hood to open. The big Michelins grip the road from positions so far out to the four corners that it has nearly the stance of a water spider. The top slopes back at a low angle to the tail terminating in curvaceous downward and forward lines. I can easily visualize the stroke of the stylist’s pen as he/she integrates the character lines along the side leading rearward. This thing is styling.
On a test run the Civic Si doesn’t sound or feel effortless. Rather, it feels and sounds like a racer. The exhaus system is tuned so that even closed up tight we hear her scream. The revs come quickly but not quietly. With this car that’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment. The scream is exciting not annoying.
The normally aspirated, 2.0-liter mill makes 197 horsepower at 7800 rpm and 139 lb.ft. of torque at 6100 rpm. A high revver, you say? That’s for sure. This 16-valve, dual overhead cam, normally aspirated, Multi-Point fuel injected engine is CARB certified as LEV2 (Low Emissions Vehicle). With modest torque the low-end grunt is less than impressive, but get her over 4500 and feel the fun. There’s something exciting and race-car-like about driving at higher revs all the time.
The Civic Si weighs less than 3,000 pounds and EPA estimates are 23 mpg in the city and 32 highway. The fuel tank holds 13.2 gallons and I only got about 300 miles on the first tank of fuel before the warning light came on. I’m guessing I was at the lower end of the mileage scale since I was running her hard. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that the Civic Si will be great fun even driving gently and I’m going to try very hard in the next couple of days to check that out. It ain’t easy though.
The Si comes with 17-inch alloy wheels fitted with 215/45R17 Michelin all-weather tires. Z-rated tires are available for those who want to go really fast or think they do. Suspension is independent all around with McPherson struts in front and reactive-link double wishbones in the rear. The power assisted rack-and-pinion steering is quick and turning radius is amazing, I found out when I turned down the wrong narrow street while shunpiking home on that first day. What this all means is quick, precise handling but with a reasonably easy ride. I didn’t find the Si’s ride to be unpleasantly harsh at all, though it is certainly a performance car.
Since this great little pocket rocket is targeted at young buyers the audio system and tech support features are important. Standard is a 350-watt AM/FM/XM ready/CD premium audio system with 7 speakers including subwoofer. It has MP3/Windows Media audio playback capability and an MP3/Auxiliary input jack. Navigation systems are XM satellite ready and equipped with digital audio card reader.
Speaking of the navigation system, I must say this Honda system is one of the more
user-friendly and intuitive out there. As regular readers will know, I’m not a big fan of these systems finding them unnecessarily complex and counterintuitive. But I’m getting used to them and if I had to live with one this would be the one I’d choose - at least among those I’ve fiddled with so far.
For comparison the basic Civic sedan starts at $14,760 and $22,150 for the Hybrid Civic sedan. More on those later.
I for one rate de Civic Si a high mark, for it’s price/performance ratio and over-all good looks ^^.
Written by admin on June 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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For the many years they have been selling cars, the once small Korean manufactuarer Hyundai, has been growing. Once it was the purveyor only of low-budget entry-level subcompact sedans. Today’s Hyundai lineup includes the upper-middle class Azera sedan, the popular Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs, and the quick Tiburon sports coupe. All of those cars are considerably farther up the socioeconomic scale from Hyundai’s humble beginnings, but there is still a Hyundai for people with small budgets. That is the Accent, an inexpensive and economical subcompact sedan. The Accent is not exactly an afterthought in the Hyundai lineup, either, as the newest generation debuts for model year 2006.
The third-generation Accent shows how far “entry level'’ has come over the years. It’s larger than before, especially inside, where it can hold four people reasonably well, yet it’s still small enough for easy parking. Power is from a new 1.6-liter, 110-horsepower twincam four-cylinder engine with continuously-variable valve timing. Safety equipment is comprehensive, and much greater than expected in the entry-level class, with four-wheel antilock disc brakes and six airbags as standard equipment. The 2006 Accent four-door sedan has recently been joined by a two-door version, an early-release 2007 model.
Don’t look for sleek, sporty styling here. In common with most of the other current subcompacts, maximization of the passenger cabin in both length and height and a short hood and trunk gives the Accent four-door sedan chunky proportions. Think of a puppy that hasn’t grown into its head and feet. The wheelbase has grown 2.3 inches, but overall length is only up by 1.8 inches. Height has grown by three inches.
As for confort, the Accent’s large passenger cabin pays off for passengers. There is more interior room than in some cars a class higher. A two-tone dark-over-light color scheme mimics that of luxury cars, and both tight tolerances in fit and finish and improved fonts on the controls improve the interior experience, as does full and well-designed instrumentation. Front seat comfort is good, and the high roofline allows an upright seating position with a high eyepoint for both front and rear passengers. The driver’s seat adjusts, manually, eight different ways. Rear seat head and legroom are better than expected, with width the limiting factor for three-passenger comfort.
In terms of safety, there is no reason for an inexpensive car to be less well-equipped for safety than an expensive one. So the Accent protects its occupants with a full suite of standard active and passive safety features. Four-wheel, four-channel antilock disc brakes with electronic brake force distribution ensure quick stops to avoid an accident. Five mile per hour bumpers help reduce the cost of low-speed incidents. If a crash occurs, passengers are protected by a safety cage around the passenger compartment, aided by front and rear crumple zones and side reinforcement. All seating positions have three-point safety belts and adjustable headrests. There are six airbags, dual front, front seat side, and full-length side curtain.
Structurally, the new Accent’s increased rigidity not only improves its crashworthiness, it also improves its ride and handling. Although of typical layout for a small sedan, with its engine mounted transversely and driving the front wheels, independent front suspension by MacPherson struts, and a semi-independent torsion bad rear suspension, the Accent is well-executed and more refined than earlier small Hyundais. The suspension calibration is fairly soft but a front stabilizer bar reduces body roll and well-matched spring and shock rates ensure good comfort and compliance over poor surfaces and good handling. Engine-speed sensitive power steering allows light steering when parking and a more solid, stable response on the highway or at speed on a secondary road.
As a final conclusion i high-rate the Hyundai Accent GLS, for it’s small cost, confort and safety.
Written by admin on June 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Long-awaited on-road debut of the most powerful factory Ford Mustang ever, Shelby GT500, includes a 16-city cross-country tour.The 500 horsepower Mustang draws on Ford heritage, spirit of innovation and performance and exemplifies Ford????????s new marketing strategy that targets customers based on their attitudes and values
The cross-country tour of the Shelby GT500 is a giant step toward winning the hearts and minds of American drivers. Shelby-inspired vehicles have a long history with Ford and the new Shelby GT500 is hitting streets to showcase this ultimate expression of a bold move.
???????The spirit of the new Shelby GT500 exemplifies our desire to aggressively design vehicles that excite and entice new customers, expand our image and pave our way forward,??????? says Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President and President of the Americas. ???????Across our product line, you will see bold vehicles and technologies that will take back the American road.???????
With a 500-horsepower, 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine, the Shelby GT500 is the most powerful factory-built Mustang ever. A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the new GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the performance that made the original GT500 the king of the road. True to the original GT500, it will be available both as a coupe and as a convertible when it starts reaching dealer showrooms in July.
The Ford Shelby GT500 starts with Mustang????????s solid underpinnings. The Mustang was designed from the beginning with performance derivatives in mind, providing an exceptionally rigid, well-engineered starting point for GT500 chassis engineers, who retuned and upgraded key chassis components.
Named after racing legend Carroll Shelby who collaborated with Ford on this and other storied Mustang models dating back to 1965, the 2007 version is by far the most attainable vehicle in the elite and exclusive 500-horsepower club ???????? the world????????s most powerful production cars.
Working with Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) engineers, iconic racing legend Carroll Shelby was instrumental in the development of the new GT500. ???????It????????s perfect,??????? says Shelby. ???????I wouldn????????t change a thing. It is everything I expected a modern Shelby Mustang to be.???????
The Shelby GT500 tour kicks off June 8 through 10 in Tulsa, Okla., at the 32nd Annual Mid-America Ford Performance & Shelby Meet. The new Shelby Mustang will then travel to Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City, MO; Danville, Va.; Tampa, Fla.; Boston; Fort Worth, Texas and Birmingham, Al., among other locations. It will conclude at the end of September in Las Vegas. The schedule for the tour is subject to change and vehicle event availability.
Written by admin on June 8th, 2006 with no comments.
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The first official Chevrolet “Super Sport” was an option package on the 1963 Chevy II Nova Sport Coupe. That year’s Impala also had “SS” equipment, which was a $161 option on the 425-horsepower V8.
Today, Chevrolet has an “SS” option for almost every vehicle it makes, and we expect to see an Aveo SS in the future if the trend continues. While the Super Sport designation made a lot of sense in the muscle-car era, and makes some sense today with emasculated power ratings for many vehicles, by rights, only the Impala should have an SS designation.
Behind the wheel there’s a retro style to the instruments and even the shifter. You have to know what gear you want and how to get there because there aren’t any markings next to the shifter as there are in almost every other car I’ve driven. Sure, there is an indicator on the instrument panel, but after a while you can shift by feel, just as you would with a stick shift.
The Impala also had a couple of nice modern features. For example, cruise control switches were on the multi-function steering wheel. No, it’s not as multi-function as a Formula 1 car, but it’s pretty good for a family sedan. Behind the wheel proper are switches on the right to control the audio system - volume, mode, etc. Storage areas abound. There is a nice small tray in the door pockets that convert them from being black holes to suck up all your belongings into a practical storage area. There’s also a nice cubby in front of the shifter with two 12-volt outlets. Two cupholders are behind the shifter. There’s also an insert tray inside the deep center console.
The HVAC system was excellent. It offered warmth on many cold evenings. The powered leather seats were also heated, which helped to warm the body before the heater kicked in. While we liked the heat in the seats, they could have offered more side support. Since the Impala SS had power, and handled very well for a car of its lineage, there could have been more side support to hold the driver and passengers in their seats. In general though, the seats were comfortable.
In addition, there was good rear legroom as well. Since the Impala’s prime use is as a family car (and not in SS form), rear legroom is important. So is the trunk, which is large by modern standards at 18.6 cubic feet. The rear seat backs fold forward, but not completely. With them folded, a large connecting “hole” from the rear seat area to the trunk opens, which facilitates loading of longer objects in the trunk. This is helpful, but I prefer complete fold-downs, but Chevy never asked me during the design process.
With a bottom line of $29,320, the Impala SS is probably equivalent to what the car would have cost in 1963, figuring in inflation and all the safety measures that have been added. The Ss is top-of-the-line in a series that has base prices as low as $21,330 for an Impala equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 delivering 211 hp. That’s still a pretty good value, figuring in inflation.
Written by admin on June 4th, 2006 with no comments.
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