Getting a new vehicle is always exciting, but determining how to pay for it rarely is! Here are some tips to help your put in the driver's seat:
Check your credit report for accuracy.Even if you think you have a strong credit rating, ir pays to review your credit report before applying for a car loan. Credit score plays an important role in determining the interest rate you'll receive. Check for possible reporting errors; identify open accounts that can be closed; and review for any signs of identity theft. Be sure to correct any errors promptly. Three major credit card reporting agencies in Canada include Equfax Canada, NCB Inc. and TransUnion Canada.
Explore all loan sources before you buy.Dealer finance departments offer one-stop convenience, but you may not get the lowest possible interest rate. Several loan options are available outside for the dealer. Banks and credit unions can also provide vehicle loans but may require branch visits or pre-shopping to select your car before approving a loan.
Evaluate your puchase incentive options. Dealers may offer cash rebates or a discounted financing rate, but often not both. You may come out ahead by selecting the rebate and applying it to your purchase price, then using your own low interest rate loan (instead of taking the dealer's rate offer). Bring a calculator or laptop to the dealer to see what option is best for you.
Approach your purchase as three different transactions.Treat the car-buying process as three separate transactions: 1) financing, 2) vehicle prize, and 3) trade-in value. This strategy will maximize your negotiating opportunities and simplify the transaction by breaking the process into three manageable parts. Pricing information on hundreds of vehicles can be found in the automotive section at caamanitoba.com.
Review your contract closely. Consider taking your contract outside of the dealership to read it carefully and without pressure. Don't sign the documents until your know your interest rate, total amount financed, length of loan, and trade-in value. Also, double-check to ensure that unauthorized "extras" haven't been added to your contract (e.g., extended warranties, rust proofing, etc.) And never sign a contract with blank spaces, or rely on oral promises.
Select the length of your loan carefully. Match the length of your loan term to the length of time you plan to drive the vehicle. Buyers who take out longer terms can find themselves "upside down" on their loan - that is, owing more on the car than it's worth in trade when it comes time to buy a new car.
Birchwood Nissan
3965 Portage Avenue
In the Pointe West AutoParI
261-3490
birchwood.mb.ca
The Nissan names, i product names, feature names, and slogans are trademark ,1a owned by or licensed to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and/or ,ts North American subsidiaries.
jueves, 29 de octubre de 2009
lunes, 26 de octubre de 2009
Model Car Closeout Season - Get your Best Deal
The "End of Year Closeout" period at car dealerships is quickly approaching and offer consumers a wide variety of never-before driven cars at steep discounts relative to their new-year model companions.
Purchasing a year-old car is the best deal for you if:
You're going to keep the car for more than five years. If you tend to keep your cars at least five years, then you would be better off to save money up front on the year-end model, because after five years of depreciation the difference between what was a new car and what was a year-end model will be negligible.
There's almost no difference between last year's and this year's model. If the difference between this year's model and last year's model is slight, the best deal from a resale value would be to purchase last year's model.
Year-end models carry the most incentive for you to buy them. Typically, dealers must move their inventory, so dealers will be more apt to offer the consumer a great price on this type of car.
Here are a few money-savvy tips that may help you drive a great deal on your next car purchase:
Educate yourself before you go to buy your car.
Check your credit rating before applying
Explore all of your financing options.
Arrive at the dealership with financing in hand.
Treat the car-buying process as three separate negotiations - vehicle price, trade-in value, and financing.
Read the final contract carefully.
Match your loan term to the time you expect to own the vehicle.
Purchasing a year-old car is the best deal for you if:
You're going to keep the car for more than five years. If you tend to keep your cars at least five years, then you would be better off to save money up front on the year-end model, because after five years of depreciation the difference between what was a new car and what was a year-end model will be negligible.
There's almost no difference between last year's and this year's model. If the difference between this year's model and last year's model is slight, the best deal from a resale value would be to purchase last year's model.
Year-end models carry the most incentive for you to buy them. Typically, dealers must move their inventory, so dealers will be more apt to offer the consumer a great price on this type of car.
Here are a few money-savvy tips that may help you drive a great deal on your next car purchase:
Educate yourself before you go to buy your car.
Check your credit rating before applying
Explore all of your financing options.
Arrive at the dealership with financing in hand.
Treat the car-buying process as three separate negotiations - vehicle price, trade-in value, and financing.
Read the final contract carefully.
Match your loan term to the time you expect to own the vehicle.
jueves, 22 de octubre de 2009
66 Impressions: Honda Pilot
Restyled, designed Pilot is the Honda of SUVs
MONTREAL, Quebec - Having bulked up its second-gen Pilot SUV just ahead of all-time high oil prices, Honda's marketing job has suddenly become one of convincing buyers that the Pilot - much like Goldilocks in her search for a bed - is not too big and not too small, but "just right."
When Honda polled consumers several years ago ahead of the original Pilot's re-design, researchers heard that costumers wanted it to look more truck-like and rugged than its original incarnation.
But that was then. Today, with consumer alarm over rising gas prices and North American truck sales in freefall, 'trucky' looks could be more handicap than help when it comes to making sales.
In fact, the Pilot is more crossover than SUV in that it employs car-like unibody construction. With a redesigned MacPherson strut front and muti-link rear suspension, it rides and handles and generally conducts itself more like a car than a truck.
Honda scrapped plans to equip the new Pilot with a V8 engine, endowing all five trim levels available in Canada with a smooth and sophisticated 3.5-litre V6 that, when conditions warrant can run on four or even three cylinders, and back again, is so seamless as to be practically undetectable.
With all six cylinders on active duty, the V6 is good for a respectable 250 hp at 4,800 rpm and 253 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 revs on regular gas. Honda engineers claim an overall seven percent fuel efficiency gain over the previous generation Pilot. Transport Canada rates fuel consumption for AWD Pilots at 13.1 L/100 km (22 mpg) city, and 9.1 L/100 km (31 mpg), highway.
The new and improved fuel cutoff system - called Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) - is more advanced than the one available last year, which ran on either six or three cylinders. Engineers said that allowing the engine to run on four cylinders significantly increases the amount of time it will run on fewer than six - three cylinders too often didn't deliver the power needed when six were more than required.
Not to be confused with VCM, Honda's Variable Torque Management 4-wheel-drive system (VTM-4) automatically engages the rear wheels any time the vehicle accelerates to enhance traction, stability and control in all manner of situations. Many competitive systems engage only when the wheels actually slip.
Standard Hill Start Assist prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards between lifting off the brake pedal and depressing the throttle, when starting off on inclines greater than 10 degrees. With its integrated trailer hitch, the Pilot with VTM-4 has a 2045-kg towing capacity. Honda's claim of 8-passenger seating requires a caveat, in that for maximum comfort, the third-row passengers should ideally be little people or at most, adolescents.
Second-row passengers get significantly more room, along with rear cabin temperature controls and an available 115-volt modem for connecting devices such as laptops and game consoles. The second- and third- row seats split and fold as well.
MONTREAL, Quebec - Having bulked up its second-gen Pilot SUV just ahead of all-time high oil prices, Honda's marketing job has suddenly become one of convincing buyers that the Pilot - much like Goldilocks in her search for a bed - is not too big and not too small, but "just right."
When Honda polled consumers several years ago ahead of the original Pilot's re-design, researchers heard that costumers wanted it to look more truck-like and rugged than its original incarnation.
But that was then. Today, with consumer alarm over rising gas prices and North American truck sales in freefall, 'trucky' looks could be more handicap than help when it comes to making sales.
In fact, the Pilot is more crossover than SUV in that it employs car-like unibody construction. With a redesigned MacPherson strut front and muti-link rear suspension, it rides and handles and generally conducts itself more like a car than a truck.
Honda scrapped plans to equip the new Pilot with a V8 engine, endowing all five trim levels available in Canada with a smooth and sophisticated 3.5-litre V6 that, when conditions warrant can run on four or even three cylinders, and back again, is so seamless as to be practically undetectable.
With all six cylinders on active duty, the V6 is good for a respectable 250 hp at 4,800 rpm and 253 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 revs on regular gas. Honda engineers claim an overall seven percent fuel efficiency gain over the previous generation Pilot. Transport Canada rates fuel consumption for AWD Pilots at 13.1 L/100 km (22 mpg) city, and 9.1 L/100 km (31 mpg), highway.
The new and improved fuel cutoff system - called Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) - is more advanced than the one available last year, which ran on either six or three cylinders. Engineers said that allowing the engine to run on four cylinders significantly increases the amount of time it will run on fewer than six - three cylinders too often didn't deliver the power needed when six were more than required.
Not to be confused with VCM, Honda's Variable Torque Management 4-wheel-drive system (VTM-4) automatically engages the rear wheels any time the vehicle accelerates to enhance traction, stability and control in all manner of situations. Many competitive systems engage only when the wheels actually slip.
Standard Hill Start Assist prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards between lifting off the brake pedal and depressing the throttle, when starting off on inclines greater than 10 degrees. With its integrated trailer hitch, the Pilot with VTM-4 has a 2045-kg towing capacity. Honda's claim of 8-passenger seating requires a caveat, in that for maximum comfort, the third-row passengers should ideally be little people or at most, adolescents.
Second-row passengers get significantly more room, along with rear cabin temperature controls and an available 115-volt modem for connecting devices such as laptops and game consoles. The second- and third- row seats split and fold as well.
sábado, 17 de octubre de 2009
Toyo Garit KX
toyotires.ca
The Toyo Garit KX is a performance winter tire that incorporates Toyo's superior winter tire technology using Toyo's Microbit compound and a newly designed tread pattern for great cold weather traction. The Toyo Observe Garit KX is also designed to help maintain the handling characteristics of today's performance tuned vehicles. In addition, added ice traction and advanced grip on snow all with a performance feel on dry roads makes the new Observe Garit KX an unbeatable combination.
Some key technological features in this tire are the wave sipes placed throughout the undirectional tread design either in high density, angled or wedged effect for optimum braking, cornering and accelerating on any slippery surface. "First Edge Technology" provides instant edge on new tires. Toyo's "Microbit" studless technology combined with a larger footprint further ensuring positive grip and road contact in all cold weather applications. Finally saw toothed edge blocks along with the five circumferential grooves add to the snow traction of the Observe Garit KX.
Hankook Ice Bear W300
hankooktire.ca
Hankook's latest winter tire is created for high performance cars.
It features asymmetric tread design with four wide main grooves to help superior handling on both dry and snowy roads.
Super Silica Compound and thin multi-waved kerfs are applied to increase aquaplaning resistance and thereby enhancing its wet traction performance.
This new winter tire is v-graded and utilizes Stiffness Control Contour Technology (SCCT), which allows speeds up to 240 km/h.
Yokohama Ice Guard IG20
yokohama.ca
Before designing the latest generation of winter tires, Yokohama engineers set out to solve a fundamental problem: what causes a tire to slip on ice? They discovered the most formidable challenge in winter driving is a thin film of water on icy surfaces that causes micro-hydroplaning.
But the real breakthrough came when they found that a film as thin as 10 onethousandths of a millimetre is all it takes to completely lose control. And that the danger is at its worst as the temperature rises to the freezing mark.
Armed with this information, they created Yokohama's most advanced winter tires yet; tires that will set a new standard against which all others will be compared, the Ice Guard IG20.
Castrol Syntec
castrol.ca
Short trip city driving, sloppy conditions, traffic congestion and low temperatures are situations calling out for Castrol's Syntetic protection. The synthetic base oil and dedicated additives package combine to insure your car starts easily and runs at its best in any weather.
Today's engines have been designed to run and last longer. Easy starting helps reduce cold-start emissions and saves resources. The use of fluids with exceptional characteristics allows today's engines to turn over easily; easier turn over helps save your car's battery and fuel. During the coldest months of the Canadian winter, some oils can get so thick that flow through the engine can be reduced. The solution is synthetic motor oil grades, which contain significantly less water and other impurities providing excellent flow under the most extreme temperature conditions.
Bottom line: For maximum protection this winter equip your vehicle with a winter emergency kit, proper tires and a Synthetic oil changed. This is Canada after all!
Mobil 1
mobil1.com
Mobil 1 with SuperSyn helps protect your vehicle even in the coldest Canadian weather.
It is difficult to make short trips of less than a kilometer especially in winter, oil has been frozen and needs to warm up and boil off moisture and unburned fuel. This can lead to the formation of corrosive metal eating acids. Mobil 1 helps lower the risk of corrosion by being formulated to retain harmful acids safely in suspension and neutralize them.
Pour in the performance of Mobil 1 - the world's leading synthetic motor oil - which is available at most mass merchants, quick lubes and automotive dealerships.
Valvoline SynPower
valvoline.com
You want to protect your engine, but everyday heat, deposits and wear stress engine parts. Valvoline SynPower Full Synthetic Motor oil is formulated to keep your car running at its best. That's because SynPower is the only leading full synthetic containing special chemistry with more durable anti-wear additives that stay in the oil longer. With SynPower Full Synthetic you get the ultimate protection against the three major causes of engine stress - heat, deposits and wear.
SynPower Full Synthetic is not just for those seeking horsepower. With a balanced combination of full synthetic base oil and premium additives, SynPower helps prevent engine stress from reducing engine efficiency, fuel economy and performance. SynPower is for anyone who wants to protect their engine and keep it running properly.
yourcarguide.ca
toyotires.ca
The Toyo Garit KX is a performance winter tire that incorporates Toyo's superior winter tire technology using Toyo's Microbit compound and a newly designed tread pattern for great cold weather traction. The Toyo Observe Garit KX is also designed to help maintain the handling characteristics of today's performance tuned vehicles. In addition, added ice traction and advanced grip on snow all with a performance feel on dry roads makes the new Observe Garit KX an unbeatable combination.
Some key technological features in this tire are the wave sipes placed throughout the undirectional tread design either in high density, angled or wedged effect for optimum braking, cornering and accelerating on any slippery surface. "First Edge Technology" provides instant edge on new tires. Toyo's "Microbit" studless technology combined with a larger footprint further ensuring positive grip and road contact in all cold weather applications. Finally saw toothed edge blocks along with the five circumferential grooves add to the snow traction of the Observe Garit KX.
Hankook Ice Bear W300
hankooktire.ca
Hankook's latest winter tire is created for high performance cars.
It features asymmetric tread design with four wide main grooves to help superior handling on both dry and snowy roads.
Super Silica Compound and thin multi-waved kerfs are applied to increase aquaplaning resistance and thereby enhancing its wet traction performance.
This new winter tire is v-graded and utilizes Stiffness Control Contour Technology (SCCT), which allows speeds up to 240 km/h.
Yokohama Ice Guard IG20
yokohama.ca
Before designing the latest generation of winter tires, Yokohama engineers set out to solve a fundamental problem: what causes a tire to slip on ice? They discovered the most formidable challenge in winter driving is a thin film of water on icy surfaces that causes micro-hydroplaning.
But the real breakthrough came when they found that a film as thin as 10 onethousandths of a millimetre is all it takes to completely lose control. And that the danger is at its worst as the temperature rises to the freezing mark.
Armed with this information, they created Yokohama's most advanced winter tires yet; tires that will set a new standard against which all others will be compared, the Ice Guard IG20.
Castrol Syntec
castrol.ca
Short trip city driving, sloppy conditions, traffic congestion and low temperatures are situations calling out for Castrol's Syntetic protection. The synthetic base oil and dedicated additives package combine to insure your car starts easily and runs at its best in any weather.
Today's engines have been designed to run and last longer. Easy starting helps reduce cold-start emissions and saves resources. The use of fluids with exceptional characteristics allows today's engines to turn over easily; easier turn over helps save your car's battery and fuel. During the coldest months of the Canadian winter, some oils can get so thick that flow through the engine can be reduced. The solution is synthetic motor oil grades, which contain significantly less water and other impurities providing excellent flow under the most extreme temperature conditions.
Bottom line: For maximum protection this winter equip your vehicle with a winter emergency kit, proper tires and a Synthetic oil changed. This is Canada after all!
Mobil 1
mobil1.com
Mobil 1 with SuperSyn helps protect your vehicle even in the coldest Canadian weather.
It is difficult to make short trips of less than a kilometer especially in winter, oil has been frozen and needs to warm up and boil off moisture and unburned fuel. This can lead to the formation of corrosive metal eating acids. Mobil 1 helps lower the risk of corrosion by being formulated to retain harmful acids safely in suspension and neutralize them.
Pour in the performance of Mobil 1 - the world's leading synthetic motor oil - which is available at most mass merchants, quick lubes and automotive dealerships.
Valvoline SynPower
valvoline.com
You want to protect your engine, but everyday heat, deposits and wear stress engine parts. Valvoline SynPower Full Synthetic Motor oil is formulated to keep your car running at its best. That's because SynPower is the only leading full synthetic containing special chemistry with more durable anti-wear additives that stay in the oil longer. With SynPower Full Synthetic you get the ultimate protection against the three major causes of engine stress - heat, deposits and wear.
SynPower Full Synthetic is not just for those seeking horsepower. With a balanced combination of full synthetic base oil and premium additives, SynPower helps prevent engine stress from reducing engine efficiency, fuel economy and performance. SynPower is for anyone who wants to protect their engine and keep it running properly.
yourcarguide.ca
martes, 13 de octubre de 2009
SEVILLE, Spain - Mercedes-Benz is another in a long line of automakers looking to stay relevant in a rapidly changing marketplace loaded with confusion. Sure, the company has been making decent bucks since ditching Chrysler - especially in 'emerging markets' like Russia, China and India.
However, Mercedes-Benz is aiming to keep up with the Joneses in this energy revolution and recently pulled back the curtain on its "Road to the Future" at an event in Seville.
The company is taking a multi-faceted approach to conversion - or as one colleague generously called it, "throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks."
The three-part plan is similar to one we've heard before:
Optimization of vehicles with the very latest combustion engines - such as downsizing, gasoline direct injection, turbocharging and BlueTEC - as well specific vehicle optimization initiatives in areas such as aerodynamics, lightweight design and energy management (BlueEFFICIENCY).
Further efficiency improvements via individually tailored hybridization in a number of stages - from the start/stop function through to the Two-Mode hybrid with full electric drive capability.
Zero-emissions driving with fuel cells and battery-powered vehicles.
On hand were a number of engineers, designers and product planners ready to answer any questions, while the stars of the show - two of MBs' recent concept vehicles, the F 600 HYGENIUS and the F 700 - hauled interested journos around a local racetrack.
The F 600, launched at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, is a fairly 'traditional' hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, albeit one wrapped in some pretty funky swan-wing-door threads. The 115-hp fuel cell drive combines with a series of lithium-ion batteries to act as a hybrid, bringing fuel economy down to an amazing 2.9 L/100 km with a total range of over 400 km.
The F 700, however, is a brand new beast. Revealed a year ago at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, this full-size luxury mobile previews the styling of the next-generation S-Class. The exterior design is full of neat touches, including the yes-they-really-are-there Lucite 'spats' over the rear wheels, improving aerodynamic efficiency without resembling an early '90s Chevrolet Caprice. Mercedes-Benz calls it Aqua Dynamic.
The interior is equally innovative, with spacious seating for four, however if the passenger seat is unoccupied, the rear seat on the right-hand side can be reclined or swiveled to face away from the direction of travel if, Mercedes claims, "he wishes to talk face-to-face with the person opposite, or to work, rest, or indulge in some audiovisual entertainment." The passengers-side rear door is even hinged at the rear to ease access if the seat is reversed.
Those passengers riding in the rear won't have their conversation disturbed either, if the F700 has anything to say about it. MB fitted the concept with its new PRE-SCAN suspension, which really is an evolution of the company's ABC system (Active Body Control) that reduces pitch and roll in any number of its high-end products. PRE-SCAN takes all those computers, pumps and pieces.
However, Mercedes-Benz is aiming to keep up with the Joneses in this energy revolution and recently pulled back the curtain on its "Road to the Future" at an event in Seville.
The company is taking a multi-faceted approach to conversion - or as one colleague generously called it, "throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks."
The three-part plan is similar to one we've heard before:
Optimization of vehicles with the very latest combustion engines - such as downsizing, gasoline direct injection, turbocharging and BlueTEC - as well specific vehicle optimization initiatives in areas such as aerodynamics, lightweight design and energy management (BlueEFFICIENCY).
Further efficiency improvements via individually tailored hybridization in a number of stages - from the start/stop function through to the Two-Mode hybrid with full electric drive capability.
Zero-emissions driving with fuel cells and battery-powered vehicles.
On hand were a number of engineers, designers and product planners ready to answer any questions, while the stars of the show - two of MBs' recent concept vehicles, the F 600 HYGENIUS and the F 700 - hauled interested journos around a local racetrack.
The F 600, launched at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, is a fairly 'traditional' hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, albeit one wrapped in some pretty funky swan-wing-door threads. The 115-hp fuel cell drive combines with a series of lithium-ion batteries to act as a hybrid, bringing fuel economy down to an amazing 2.9 L/100 km with a total range of over 400 km.
The F 700, however, is a brand new beast. Revealed a year ago at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, this full-size luxury mobile previews the styling of the next-generation S-Class. The exterior design is full of neat touches, including the yes-they-really-are-there Lucite 'spats' over the rear wheels, improving aerodynamic efficiency without resembling an early '90s Chevrolet Caprice. Mercedes-Benz calls it Aqua Dynamic.
The interior is equally innovative, with spacious seating for four, however if the passenger seat is unoccupied, the rear seat on the right-hand side can be reclined or swiveled to face away from the direction of travel if, Mercedes claims, "he wishes to talk face-to-face with the person opposite, or to work, rest, or indulge in some audiovisual entertainment." The passengers-side rear door is even hinged at the rear to ease access if the seat is reversed.
Those passengers riding in the rear won't have their conversation disturbed either, if the F700 has anything to say about it. MB fitted the concept with its new PRE-SCAN suspension, which really is an evolution of the company's ABC system (Active Body Control) that reduces pitch and roll in any number of its high-end products. PRE-SCAN takes all those computers, pumps and pieces.
viernes, 9 de octubre de 2009
Flex Marks the Spot: The Box Ford's Future Comes In
New York, N.Y. - It is, hands down, the best new product to emerge from Ford of Canada's Oakville assembly plant in years. Globally it is Ford's boldest, most original and refreshing new vehicle.
With a long-list of innovations and style unique to its class, Ford's full-sized 2009 Flex crossover might at first glance appear to be on a collision course with rising gasoline prices. Gas-sipping microcars aren't ideal for everyone, however, especially those who regularly carry up to a half dozen passengers and their luggage or sports equipment.
Among the current crop of SUVs' pickup trucks and even cross-over-utility vehicles, the Flex is an out-of-the-box front-runner.
Offered in Canada in two trim levels, it starts at $34,999 MSRP for the well-equipped front wheel-drive SEL, and runs to $42,999 for the all wheel-drive Limited.
Designers opted for radically distinctive styling in as two-box design with signature horizontal side grooves, 'all-black' green-house and two-tone roof in white or silver.
Power is delivered via Ford's smooth 3.5-litre V6 Duratec engine linked to an equally smooth, six-speed automatic transmission that it shares with the Taurus X. It makes 262 hp at 6,250 rpm and 248 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 revs.
Ford projects fuel economy numbers of 12.6 L/100 km (city) and 8.4 L/100 km (hwy) for the front-wheel-drive Flex and 13.5 (city) and 9.5 (hwy) with AWD. Flex will be available next year with the turbocharged ecoBoost engine.
Inside, the Flex seats six (or seven, with the no-cost optional second row 60/40 folding bench seat) with ample space and comfort and upscale features and details. Thoughtful features include coat and grocery-bag hooks and storage compartments throughout.
Class-leading technologies include SYNC, voice-activated navigation with reverse camera system, premium Sony sound system and 'surprise-and-delight' features like Ford's EasyFuel cap-less refueling nozzle and exclusive, compressor-driven refrigerated console.
With a long-list of innovations and style unique to its class, Ford's full-sized 2009 Flex crossover might at first glance appear to be on a collision course with rising gasoline prices. Gas-sipping microcars aren't ideal for everyone, however, especially those who regularly carry up to a half dozen passengers and their luggage or sports equipment.
Among the current crop of SUVs' pickup trucks and even cross-over-utility vehicles, the Flex is an out-of-the-box front-runner.
Offered in Canada in two trim levels, it starts at $34,999 MSRP for the well-equipped front wheel-drive SEL, and runs to $42,999 for the all wheel-drive Limited.
Designers opted for radically distinctive styling in as two-box design with signature horizontal side grooves, 'all-black' green-house and two-tone roof in white or silver.
Power is delivered via Ford's smooth 3.5-litre V6 Duratec engine linked to an equally smooth, six-speed automatic transmission that it shares with the Taurus X. It makes 262 hp at 6,250 rpm and 248 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 revs.
Ford projects fuel economy numbers of 12.6 L/100 km (city) and 8.4 L/100 km (hwy) for the front-wheel-drive Flex and 13.5 (city) and 9.5 (hwy) with AWD. Flex will be available next year with the turbocharged ecoBoost engine.
Inside, the Flex seats six (or seven, with the no-cost optional second row 60/40 folding bench seat) with ample space and comfort and upscale features and details. Thoughtful features include coat and grocery-bag hooks and storage compartments throughout.
Class-leading technologies include SYNC, voice-activated navigation with reverse camera system, premium Sony sound system and 'surprise-and-delight' features like Ford's EasyFuel cap-less refueling nozzle and exclusive, compressor-driven refrigerated console.
martes, 6 de octubre de 2009
Greetings Dale , Iman , Lawrence
Same video put on all 3 sites to confirm ownership
A teenager could be hired for a hamburger to paste in Java code onto the html of webpages
As the only car with less than 200 hp (197), you might think the Civic Si has no place in this fast company. You'd be wrong. Sure, its acceleration numbers may lag behind the turbocharged mayhem unleashed by some of these challengers, but Honda engineers have been tweaking Civics for over 20 years, now, and they know a good balance when they find it. With limited horsepower and even shorter reserves of torque (139 lb-ft), you won't win any drag races, but keep the engine pinned at 7,000 or 8,000 rpm and the precise steering means you can lose a lot of challengers in the turns thanks to its little weight (1,310 kg) and superb balance. The Si is a joy to put through a slalom, never putting a foot wrong with the front limited slip diff balancing torque between the front wheels when powering out of corners. The Si is also graced by an impeccable interior with a futuristic layout that some will love, and others, well, won't. While Subaru is not quite as old a hand tuning its go-fast compact car, the WRX nameplate has earned plenty of credibility as a more economical version of the rally-bred WRX STi. The 2008 Impreza WRX we had puts out 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of torque (the '09 will make 265 and 244, so stay tuned), which is right in the middle of this pack. However, the WRX's trump card is Subaru's symmetrical AWD, which puts power down 50:50 front: rear for surges of acceleration that will warp your perceptions into thinking it's the fastest, although it falls a hair short of the Cobalt SS according to Motor Trend's numbers. The long suspension travel and low centre of gravity developed for Subaru's WRC campaigns also translate into a smooth ride over even the harshest roads, and there's no doubt that this is the only choice for year-round grip and performance. Being the safest car in the compact class doesn't hurt either, but you pay for what you get, and the Impreza WRX is one of the most expensive in this group, starting at a heady $33K.
Same video put on all 3 sites to confirm ownership
A teenager could be hired for a hamburger to paste in Java code onto the html of webpages
As the only car with less than 200 hp (197), you might think the Civic Si has no place in this fast company. You'd be wrong. Sure, its acceleration numbers may lag behind the turbocharged mayhem unleashed by some of these challengers, but Honda engineers have been tweaking Civics for over 20 years, now, and they know a good balance when they find it. With limited horsepower and even shorter reserves of torque (139 lb-ft), you won't win any drag races, but keep the engine pinned at 7,000 or 8,000 rpm and the precise steering means you can lose a lot of challengers in the turns thanks to its little weight (1,310 kg) and superb balance. The Si is a joy to put through a slalom, never putting a foot wrong with the front limited slip diff balancing torque between the front wheels when powering out of corners. The Si is also graced by an impeccable interior with a futuristic layout that some will love, and others, well, won't. While Subaru is not quite as old a hand tuning its go-fast compact car, the WRX nameplate has earned plenty of credibility as a more economical version of the rally-bred WRX STi. The 2008 Impreza WRX we had puts out 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of torque (the '09 will make 265 and 244, so stay tuned), which is right in the middle of this pack. However, the WRX's trump card is Subaru's symmetrical AWD, which puts power down 50:50 front: rear for surges of acceleration that will warp your perceptions into thinking it's the fastest, although it falls a hair short of the Cobalt SS according to Motor Trend's numbers. The long suspension travel and low centre of gravity developed for Subaru's WRC campaigns also translate into a smooth ride over even the harshest roads, and there's no doubt that this is the only choice for year-round grip and performance. Being the safest car in the compact class doesn't hurt either, but you pay for what you get, and the Impreza WRX is one of the most expensive in this group, starting at a heady $33K.
viernes, 2 de octubre de 2009
Chevy Cobalt SS Turbocharged & Dodge Caliber SRT4
Compared to most of our other sport compacts, Chevy and Dodge are newcomers to the game. The Dodge has a leg up going into its second generation SRT4, and the Chevy Cobalt SS got a big engine swap after only a couple of years on the market, but they are still both the newest entries to the sport compact scene in this group. Interestingly, the Yanks are playing the import game, with prices that will shock you considering how much they deliver for right around $25K. In fact, I'm not even sure it's responsible to be selling this much power this cheaply.
Then again, this type of car isn't exactly about responsibility, although when driven responsibly in a safe setting like a track or an autocross course, both have a lot to offer, and both return excellent fuel economy if you keep it in check on weekdays. The Caliber has the edge in wheels and tires (hello, Goodyear Eagle F1s on shiny 19-inch rims), but it still might be a case of to much power. Despite being harnessed by engine management trickery (torque is limited to 214 in first and 245 in second), power gets lost and the car starts to wander around on quick launches as the traction control alternately brakes one front wheel and then the other. Despite the odd sensation, it's still faster than any compact 5-door hatchback has any right to be, and the practicality and loaded options list mean it is a steal. Of course, so is the Cobalt SS Turbocharged, making the switch from the 2007's supercharged 2.0 to the turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0L 4-cylinder first seen in the Solstice GXP and Sky Redline. Not only is it a huge jump from 205 to 260 horsepower, but torque also gains 60-lb-ft, up to 260 from 200. But the real magic of the Cobalt is how it handles all this power, practically banishing torque steer and delivering flat cornering without a punishing ride. But at the end of the day, both of these Americans show their economy car roots with ordinary interiors full of hard grey plastic, but for the price of entry, it's about what you should expect if you want your money spent purely on performance.
Then again, this type of car isn't exactly about responsibility, although when driven responsibly in a safe setting like a track or an autocross course, both have a lot to offer, and both return excellent fuel economy if you keep it in check on weekdays. The Caliber has the edge in wheels and tires (hello, Goodyear Eagle F1s on shiny 19-inch rims), but it still might be a case of to much power. Despite being harnessed by engine management trickery (torque is limited to 214 in first and 245 in second), power gets lost and the car starts to wander around on quick launches as the traction control alternately brakes one front wheel and then the other. Despite the odd sensation, it's still faster than any compact 5-door hatchback has any right to be, and the practicality and loaded options list mean it is a steal. Of course, so is the Cobalt SS Turbocharged, making the switch from the 2007's supercharged 2.0 to the turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0L 4-cylinder first seen in the Solstice GXP and Sky Redline. Not only is it a huge jump from 205 to 260 horsepower, but torque also gains 60-lb-ft, up to 260 from 200. But the real magic of the Cobalt is how it handles all this power, practically banishing torque steer and delivering flat cornering without a punishing ride. But at the end of the day, both of these Americans show their economy car roots with ordinary interiors full of hard grey plastic, but for the price of entry, it's about what you should expect if you want your money spent purely on performance.
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