Archive for June, 2009
Dodge Ram 1500 Ranked Top in Quality by Strategic Vision
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
Last week, J.D. Power and Associates gave its nod to the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra as the top full-size trucks in JDPA's Initial Quality Study. This week, it's the Dodge Ram 1500's turn. Consumer research firm Strategic Vision has awarded the half-ton Ram 1500 the best “Large Pickup” ranking in its 2009 Total Quality Index. In fact, the Ram scored the highest of any truck in the 15-year history of the TQI study and 15 points higher than it did last year.
“Our all-new 2009 Dodge Ram is rated by owners as the best truck ever built,” Doug Betts, a senior vice president at Chrysler, said in a news release. “It is a game-changing, class-leading truck that is second to none. This award confirms that we are making significant changes and improvements, which enhance the overall ownership experience and are being recognized by our customers.”
What were the features that Ram 1500 buyers liked most? The survey showed strong numbers for the new RamBox side-saddle storage, and the interior got the best score ever granted by full-size-truck customers.
Strategic Vision's TQI is based on buyers' ratings of all aspects of truck ownership, from buying and owning to performance and driving. A total of 20,101 buyers who bought 2008 and 2009 models from September to December 2008 were surveyed.
Here's how the Dodge Ram stacked up against all large pickup trucks:
Dodge Ram 1500 – 899 points
Ford F-150 – 883 points
Nissan Titan – 881 points
Chevrolet Avalanche – 877 points
Toyota Tundra -
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Demand for Chevy Camaro is High
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
In a bright spot for GM, the automaker is having trouble meeting demand for the 2010 Chevy Camaro, and dealers report the vehicle is selling for $500 to $2,500 above its sticker price. It may even catch the Ford Mustang, the perennial muscle-car champion, this month in sales.
When it debuted in May, GM sold 5,463 Camaros — well short of the 8,812 Mustangs that Ford pushed off the lot. With a gathering interest in the car, however, those numbers will certainly get closer. Perhaps the Camaro is riding the bump of the new “Transformers” flick, in which it stars as the robot Bumblebee.
Not that the success of the Camaro is going to cure GM of all its ills. While its price tag isn’t bad, starting at $22,245 for the V-6, a Camaro is not going to be mistaken for a utilitarian vehicle anytime soon, even if it does get 29 mpg on the highway.
Still, if you’re GM you have to be happy with the heavy demand, especially considering the fact that hype around the model has been building for years. Now all GM has to do is keep the balance between supply and demand working in its favor.
Chevrolet Races to Meet Demand for 2010 Camaro (USA Today)
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2010 Jaguar XF Lineup Grows With Second Supercharged Version
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
If updating the Jaguar XF sedan just one year after the model's introduction weren't enough, Jaguar is bringing back to North America a trim level we thought had been replaced by the all-new, performance-oriented 2010 XFR. Priced at $68,000, including destination charge, the 2010 XF Supercharged rejoins the Luxury and Premium trim levels that launched the model in 2009, as well as the new ultra-luxury Portfolio edition and XFR, which were introduced as 2010 models at January's Detroit auto show. The XF model line's prices range from $52,000 to $80,000 with destination.
The XF Supercharged splits the difference between the XF equipped with the optional 5.0-liter V-8 (new for 2010) and the XFR, which has a higher-output version of the new trim level's supercharged 5.0-liter. The breakdown is 300 hp for the 4.2-liter V-8, 385 hp for the new 5.0-liter, 470 hp in the XF Supercharged and 510 hp in the XFR. Jaguar's claimed 0-60 mph times are 6.2, 5.5, 4.9 and 4.7 seconds, respectively.
The Supercharged has upgraded brakes with silver-gray calipers and 20-inch wheels available on no other trim level. There's contrast stitching on the dashboard and door panels, a heated steering wheel, a faux suede headliner, exclusive Rich Oak Veneer trim and a Bowers & Wilkins surround audio system with HD radio. The XF Supercharged will hit dealerships in October.
Any concerns that Jaguar's new owner, Tata Motors of India, would put the brakes on development should be allayed at this point. If anything, they seem to have dialed things up.
2010|Jaguar|XF
2009|Jaguar|XF
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Recall Alert: 2009 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
Ford has issued a recall for 1,357 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles from the 2009 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The brake stop lamp switch may be adjusted incorrectly, which could cause a delay in the brake lights’ illumination.
In other words, the brake pedal could be depressed and the lights could either illuminate late or not at all. The failure of brake lights could endanger the vehicle’s occupants or other drivers on the road.
Dealers will adjust the brake stop lamp switch for free. Owners may contact Ford at 866-436-7332 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.
2009|Ford|Expedition
2009|Lincoln|Navigator
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Rendering: BMW 1 Series GT
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
There is no secret anymore that BMW is working on a Gran Turismo version of its future BMW 1 Series and this subject has been discussed and analyzed many times before. What we didn’t really have up to this point were some artists rendering that will give us an impression of what the 1GT might actually look like.
Of course, these renderings are usually based on personal opinions and might not reflect the final product, but we still find them interesting since it shows the endless design possibilities.
The BMW 1 Series GT uses a new modular platform available for all the upcoming 1 Series models. The backbone of these models was designed especially for this purpose so every model can have a variation backbone, simply be moving suspension points and firewalls to areas that will benefit each vehicle. Corroborated with more parts sharing, this new approach will allow BMW to reduce even more the production costs.
BMW 1 Series GT will be a 5-door vehicle, a mix of a hatch, wagon and sedan and to reflect the Gran Turismo, the 1 GT will have an elevated driving position.
Even though our friends at Automarket speculate that the 1 GT will import some design elements from the legendary 2002 model, our sources have not yet confirmed that.
The rendering does seem to be in line with the one created by the Autobild graphics artist, Huckfeldt, a rendering that we enjoyed back then.
As soon as the next generation 1 Series enters the Final Evaluation Phase, we will get more details and most likely, new, fresh renderings.
[Source: Automarket and Andrei Avarvarii]
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Toyota Developing Mind-Control Wheelchairs
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
It sounds like something out of a sci-fi flick, but Toyota is serious about controlling wheelchairs with brain waves. The automaker is developing a wheelchair that operates by brain-machine interface, which means people can control the chair’s left, right, forward and backward movements just by thinking about them.
Toyota’s system uses something called blind signal separation and space-time-frequency filtering technology that allows brain-wave analysis as fast as 125 milliseconds. Basically, the results of the driver’s thoughts would be directed to the panel of the chair before he or she could even sense a delay.
The system adapts to the characteristics of each driver, as well, so it can actually learn habits and inclinations that help it sense what the driver will do. Toyota says its system has an accuracy rate of 95%, which is one of the highest rates yet for BMI.
Obviously, we have to speculate that this tech could someday be used in a car, which opens up a whole host of safety and logistical questions, as well as the plot of some kind of Keanu Reeves sci-fi movie.
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Review: 2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
On paper, the Audi A3 TDI is an exercise in futility. The model shares platform bits with a Golf Rabbit. It’s smaller than a Jetta Sportwagen. It carries a lofty price premium; the diesel-powered A3 “boasts” the same engine that can be had across the street at the Vee-Dub for thousands less. It’s not as fast, sporty or capacious as the rear wheel-drive BMW 335d. By any rational measure, the A3 TDI is an answer to a question that few Americans even thought about asking. Which is why it’s better to judge the A3 TDI “in the flesh.”
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GM pitching Volt as sporty, green alternative to Prius, Insight
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
At first glance, there’s very little to differentiate the main contenders for your hybrid sedan dollar – the new Insight looks remarkably like the Prius. For that matter, so does the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Aerodynamic necessity is a harsh master. But General Motors is planning to set the Volt apart from the crowd on its sporty demeanor.
Sporty is definitely not an adjective that can fairly be applied to either the 2010 Honda Insight or the 2010 Toyota Prius, though both are efficient and fun in their own way.
2011 Chevrolet Volt pre-production prototype
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Official Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 photos leaked?
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
Modern supercars have pushed the envelope of performance so far that they require all sorts of technology to keep the average driver from instantly destroying themselves and the car. Hence all-wheel drive to deliver the power, self-shifting transmissions and, of course, traction and stability control. But to the hardcore driver, all of that stuff just gets in the way.
Enter the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2. Though it’s still completely unofficial, photos of a car purporting to bear that model name have emerged on the web today via Net Car Show.
Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2
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More Details on Chevy Equinox’s ‘Eco’ Mode
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
Hop in the redesigned Chevrolet Equinox, and you may notice an “Eco” button ahead of the automatic gearshift. It comes in four-cylinder versions of the Equinox. In other cars, “Eco” or “Econ” buttons can limit A/C usage or, in the case of the Honda Insight and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, scale back accelerator sensitivity. The goal is the same: Improving fuel efficiency.
The Equinox’s example is one of the few such buttons we’ve seen in a non-hybrid that actually influences the way the engine and transmission react. Thanks in part to that button, GM says the four-cylinder Equinox achieves an impressive EPA-rated 32 mpg on the highway. Eco mode doesn’t come without a cost to the driving experience, though. At a press event last Friday near our Chicago offices, GM program engineering manager Doug Smith gave us a rundown.
Specifically, Eco mode locks up the Equinox’s torque converter at lower speeds — most automatics do this at highway speeds — and changes shift patterns in the four-cylinder’s six-speed auto. It cuts the engine’s speed at idle, too, but it doesn’t affect the accelerator pedal. The net effect? About 1 mpg more with it on, Smith said.
“It could have a broader range,” he said. “We could get a lot more out of it than we did … but drivability has to be within certain acceptable limits.”
What are the compromises? For starters, in Eco mode the engine may start lugging at 40 or 50 mph, Smith said, like a manual transmission that’s shifted too early into its topmost gear. At idle speed, the engine can come off a bit coarse-sounding. The Equinox has an Active Noise Cancellation system that can lower undesirable sounds by up to 20 dB at certain frequencies, according to GM engineer Jim Vallance.
Smith’s characterizations may have been too harsh. We puttered around in a four-cylinder Equinox all over Chicago, and the Eco button doesn’t appear to cause any noticeable changes — until you get on the highway.
When Eco mode is engaged on the highway, there isn’t a burst of acceleration when you hammer down the gas pedal to pass; there’s no big kickdown in gears by the transmission. Instead, you must learn to push the accelerator with gusto, and you’ll be greeted with steady acceleration but not enough to get out of the way of barreling traffic. Since the fuel efficiency gain in Eco mode is relatively minor, most drivers will likely leave it off in highway traffic.
The four-cylinder isn’t the most potent drivetrain, but for EPA highway mileage in the 30s, it would have to be far pokier to merit more complaints.
Stay tuned later this week for Cars.com’s full review of the Equinox.
Mike Hanley contributed to this report.
