The Lotus Elise SC experienced in this video reaches 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds and has a 240 kmph top speed.

According to Mr. Plato, the engine has not been tuned properly and arrangement is good but not accurately fun. Next complaint is not having ergonomics of the inside-designing and the cost of the SC – 32000 pounds which gets very near to Porsche Boxter’s cost.

Let’s watch the Lotus Elise SC review video here:

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 ^^.

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.

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.

The new version of the IS300, the 2006 IS, practicly has nothing in common with it. other then the name. Although still basically of a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, it’s built on a completely different chassis platform, derived from that of the larger GS. The IS is now a multi-model lineup, comprised of the IS250, all-wheel drive IS250 AWD, and IS350. Gone is the IS300’s inline six-cylinder engine; all new IS models have a V6, of 2.5 liters capacity with 204 horsepower, close to the IS300’s 215, for the IS250 models, or 3.5 liters and 306 horsepower for the IS350. Transmissions are all six-speeds, with a manual standard in the IS250 and the automatic available there standard in the others.

Then new model is a bit biger, in terms of width and hight. Its muscular looks establish an immediate kinship with the GS. It’s design, shape and all other makes the sport-sedan car aim, of this car, seem clear, but being a Lexus the luxury level available, especially for the top-line IS350, is limited only by budget.

Despite its emphasis on sport, there is no shortage of luxury comfort and convenience in a new Lexus IS. It wouldn’t be a Lexus without that, after all. All IS models use the keyless “Smart Entry'’ system, which uses a transponder to allow the driver to open or lock doors and start the engine. The front buckets offer good comfort and support; rear space is reasonable for two medium-sized adults but a high central tunnel and the cushion’s contours make three less likely. Trunk space is reasonable, although the opening is a bit small. Leather is standard in the IS350, as is a power moonroof and 13-speaker premium audio system with MP3CD capability and an auxiliary jack for an external music player.

With 306 horsepower (at 6400 rpm) and 277 lb-ft of torque (at 4800 rpm) from its namesake 3.5-liter V6, the IS350 is one of the most powerful cars in its class.he engine’s torque spread is broad enough, and the transmission good enough, that automatic is the way to go except in extreme high-performance driving.

Allthough not the best example of a sport-sedan car, the Lexus IS350 is probably the best example of a???? sports-luxury-sedan.

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.

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.

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.

On the road with the R33 the first thing you notice is how smooth the R25DET engine is power delivery is linier and the car pulls hard from 3000rpm to the 7000 rpm redline. The manual coupe version will propel you from 0-100 in 6.18 seconds and complete the quarter in 14.4. Maximum power is 187kw at 6400 and a max torque 295nm at 4800. The RB25DET is a ripper and featured technology ahead of it time. The 2.5 liter turbo intercooled straight 6 features a twin cam head with variable valve timing on the intake side.

Handling of the coupe is great with a good balance between comfort and a sports like feel. The rear of the car steered by a system called HICAS which works by calculating the speed and angle of the car through the corners. This feature seems to minimize under- steer and kept the car flat through the corner. The rear on the car is equipped with a viscous LSD and steps out ever so progressively when pushing hard. This makes the car easy to control but if pushed to hard it would be easy to loose the rear end. The skyline is a medium size coupe weighing in at 1360kg and when cornering its a great drive but not quiet as direct or nibble though the bends as the lighter R32 was. But light suspension modifications improve handling significantly.

In Australia a good series 1 GTS25-T can be picked up for around $17,000 and a series 2 for around 20,000. With standard features including electric windows and climate control I thinks it is great value for money. With light modifications to the engine and suspension this car can be turned into a street weapon. For more information I recomend visiting http://nissanskyline.6te.net
About the author
Glenn Munn has been a sports car Enthusiast for many Years. More information and tuning guides for all popular skyline models can be found at my new website http://nissanskyline.6te.net

With its position at the top of the sales charts, the Camry is a serious target for all competitors. Toyota has recently made their jobs much more difficult by replacing the fifth-generation Camry, introduced in 2002, with a new and very different sixth generation debuting early as a model year 2007 vehicle.

Little about the Camry has been left unchanged. Most apparent is new styling, bolder and more international than previously seen on a Camry. Overall size is not much changed, but a longer wheelbase and wider track translate to even more interior space. Crashworthiness has been improved by changes to both materials and design. Wheels and tires are larger, and all models feature four-wheel antilock disc brakes.

And “all models'’ has more significance, with an expanded lineup. After all, the Camry didn’t reach the peak of popularity by being a niche vehicle. Even the entry-level CE grade is well-equipped, with power windows. mirrors, and locks, Optitron backlit gauges, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with a jack for an external MP3 player, and seven air bags. The core-model LE adds remote entry, a power driver’ seat, and a long list of available options. The SE has gotten sportier, with an aero body kit, extra chassis reinforcement, and a specially-tuned suspension. The premium XLE gets as standard equipment many of the LE’s options, and upscale options including a DVD navigation system, leather upholstery, and a keyless push-button starting system.

The standard engine is all non-hybrid 2007 Camrys is an upgraded version of Toyota’s 2AZ-FE 2.4-liter four-cylinder, now with 158 horsepower. It’s matched to a five-speed manual or automatic transmission. Optional in all but the CE is a new 3.5-liter V6, with 268 horsepower. It comes with a six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode. The Camry LE four-cylinder may be statistically average, but with good power and economy, plenty of passenger and trunk space, and typically Toyota high build quality, it’s the benchmark family sedan.