Archive for February, 2010
Man Trades In Bugatti Veyron For Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
You’d never expect to see a Bugatti Veyron sitting in the used car lot of a Chevrolet dealership but that’s exactly what happened at All American Chevrolet in Midland, Texas. The circumstances surrounding the bizarre occurrence are not exactly clear but allegedly a man by the name of Carlton Beal Jr. traded in his Veyron, estimated to…
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Lease A Tesla Roadster For $1,658 Per Month
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Don’t have a spare $109,000 lying around but want to drive an electric sports car capable of keeping up with Ferraris and Porsches at the lights? Tesla’s iconic all-electric Roadster and its more extreme Roadster Sport cousin are now available for lease. Under the scheme, lease customers will be able to take immediate delivery of a new…
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2010 Geneva Motor Show Preview: Pagani Zonda Tricolore
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Unadulterated, bombastic carbon-fiber insanity–the Pagani Zonda and its several variants are the embodiment of what it is to be a supercar. But all good things must come to an end, even the Zonda’s run, whose production is scheduled to cease sometime around September of this year. Its replacement, which has been codenamed the C9, has already been…
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Behind the 2011 Ford Super Duty Payload Numbers
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
We've just given you the full rundown of the new 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty's power, towing and hauling specs. The numbers are best in class in most areas, but we're going to look past the dazzling figures at some interesting relative comparisons.
Let's look at the payload ratings.
You might think the F-450 pickup would have a higher maximum payload than the F-350 pickup, but for 2011 that's not the case. Ford reduced the F-450's gross vehicle weight rating from 14,500 pounds in 2010 to 13,050 for 2011, decreasing maximum payload from 6,180 pounds to 4,920 pounds (highlighted in orange). The move is aimed at improving fuel economy by using new frame components and lighter axles.
But take a close look at the F-350, where the class-leading payload is limited to one very specific configuration. It's 6,520 pounds (highlighted in yellow) for an F-350 regular-cab long-box two-wheel-drive dually with a 12,800 pound GVWR and the all-new 6.2-liter V-8. However, the same configuration in four-wheel drive with the 6.7-liter diesel is rated at 5,230 pounds (highlighted in yellow) – 1,290 pounds less. Adding four-wheel drive in similar DRW configurations subtracts 300 to 400 pounds from the maximum payload. Taking into account the extra weight of the diesel and urea SCR system could account for another 300 to 400 pounds or so.
Where did the approximately 500 pounds of extra payload capability come from? Could it be from the 385-horsepower, 405 pounds-feet 6.2-liter gas V-8 engine?
Source: Ford, specs subject to change
Let's compare to the payload ratings for the 2010 Super Duty. The green highlighted numbers we'll discuss were calculated with the 362-hp, 457 pounds-feet 6.8-liter V-10, which is now only available for the F-450 and F-550 chassis cabs.
Maximum payload is 5,730 pounds for a crew-cab two-wheel-drive F-350 at 12,600pounds GVWR. That's a very different configuration from the 2011 F-350 maximum payload setup. The closest we can get to the 2011 payload number is 5,690 pounds at 12,000 pounds GVWR in two-wheel drive and 5,460 pounds at 12,200 pounds GVWR in four-wheel drive.
We've been told by Ford that the springs haven't been changed for 2011 from the 2010 hardware. Perhaps that's not the case because it doesn't seem as if the differences in engine ratings are enough to boost payload in the 2011 truck to such a high figure.
Source: Ford
Finally, let's compare to the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD, which for a brief time had class-leading payload in the three-quarter-ton segment. The Chevrolet 3500 loses to the Ford by 185 pounds. But look at two notable items about GM's payload figures. The first is that the GM HD pickups have a 6,000-pounds-plus payload rating for every cab configuration. The second is the spread is much narrower between the largest GM number and smallest — 6,335 pounds versus 5,905 pounds. In the Super Duty, it's 6,520 pounds vs. 4,900 pounds.
Source: General Motors
So we're scratching our heads a bit about the Ford number. We're not saying it's magic spring dust that gets them the 6,520-pound best-in-class rating, but there's something at work that isn't quite clear from last year's numbers and versus the competition.
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2012 Lexus LFA Supercar to Start at $375,000
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Lexus' first supercar, the 2012 LFA, will be limited to just 500 units worldwide when it goes on sale next year. It also will hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, thanks to a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body and a 552-horsepower, 4.8-liter V-10 engine.
That’s why the $375,000 price tag sounds almost reasonable, and that’s before any destination charges. Lexus is also leasing the LFA with an intent to buy, which is a bit strange, but it might be to keep out prospectors looking to run up the price early in the sales process.
The $375,000 is a base price, with custom colors and interior trim adding more. But for the base price, you can pick one of the three following configurations:
Configuration 1 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats.
Configuration 2 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats, Lexus navigation system and Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system.
Configuration 3 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats, Lexus navigation system, Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system and Lexus Enform with Safety Connect.
If the price is in your wheelhouse, don’t wait. Go to your local dealer and try to sweet talk them to even be considered for the LFA. In the rarefied air of supercars, most are spoken for well before they ever see public pavement. It might help if you buy an LX or LS — or two — to help things along.
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Motor Authority Heads To The 100 Acre Wood
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Get ready for one of the biggest weekends in North American rally racing, as Motor Authority heads to the Rally America Rally In The 100 Acre Wood and Trespassers Wil rallies in Salem, Missouri. We’ll be updating from the event as best we can, though pulling double-regional duty and five coefficients of mud-racing mayhem with a two-man team and…
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J.D. Power Finds Lexus and Hummer Tops in Customer Service
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
For 2010, J.D. Power and Associates split its Customer Service Index Study into luxury and mass market categories, with Lexus winning the luxury brand and Hummer at the top in the mass market column. Even before the news that Hummer was shutting down came to light Wednesday, the least expensive vehicle it sold was the H3 starting at $33,390.
In the luxury category, Lexus was followed by Cadillac, Jaguar, Acura and BMW. For mass market, GM took six of the top seven spots, with defunct Saturn in second place followed by Buick and Chevy. (Mini rounded out the top five.)
Keep in mind that the Customer Service Index says nothing about the quality of the brands. It simply measures maintenance service or repair work at the dealerships during the first years of ownership. J.D. Power’s criteria include service quality, service initiation, service adviser, service facility and vehicle pickup.
While this year’s study showed the industry improving overall, J.D. Power cautions that low volumes in the service bay could have something to do with this because of the downturn in new-car sales.
Check out both luxury and mass market rankings after the jump.
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2011 Porsche Cayenne: All New Plus A Hybird
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
- Competes with: Land Rover Range Rover Sport, BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz M-Class
- Looks like: A small whale
- Drivetrain: 380-hp (combined), turbocharged V-6 hybrid; 300-hp, 3.6-liter V-6; 400-hp, 4.8-liter V-8; 500-hp, turocharged 4.8-liter V-8; eight-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
- Hits dealerships: Cayenne S, Turbo July 2010; Cayenne, Cayenne S Hybrid fall 2010
The sky might be falling, folks, because Porsche — Porsche! — leads off its press release about the all-new 2011 Cayenne SUV with a headline that reads, “Next Generation Porsche Cayenne Led by Intelligent, Powerful Hybrid.”
Hybrid! Sure, the 500-horsepower, twin-turbo V-8 Cayenne Turbo gets mentioned three sentences into the release, but it plays second fiddle to the new hybrid model.
That hybrid will be a Cayenne S model that packs a 333-hp, supercharged V-6 engine teamed to a 47-hp electric motor. The two can power the Cayenne jointly or separately, and unlike other hybrids on the market, the hybrid Cayenne S can run on electric power at highway cruising speeds of up to 97 mph. Porsche calls this “sailing” mode. The hybrid can also travel on all-electric power at lower speeds up to 40 mph.
The company says the performance of the hybrid Cayenne S is on par with the new, gasoline-powered Cayenne S, which has a regular old V-8 engine with some 400 hp. It sounds downright boring by comparison, but it’s 15 hp more powerful than the outgoing model with a 23% improvement in fuel efficiency. The company hasn’t released EPA estimates yet, but the 2010 model gets a combined 15 mpg.
The base Cayenne features an all-new V-6 engine that we first heard about being added to the Panamera four-door.
Beyond all the under-the-hood specifics, the main thing to note about the new Cayenne is its new stance and more on-road manners compared with the previous generation’s off-road bias. The new Cayenne S, for example, weighs 400 pounds less than the outgoing model while the SUV is 1.9 inches longer with 1.6 inches added to the wheelbase. The rear seat slides forward and back, and the rear seatbacks recline.
The new interior also mimics the Panamera, with the center console sloping up toward the dash with rows of buttons buffeting the shifter.
There are more photos below showing the one attribute we expect most readers to weigh in on. The somewhat controversial styling appears to be a more organic take on the previous model and also makes the Cayenne look a bit leaner despite the added size.
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Toyota’s New York Benefits to Extend Nationwide
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
We reported Wednesday on how New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo negotiated certain arrangements for owners of recalled Toyota vehicles. Now it appears Toyota will extend those benefits nationwide.
In testimony before Congress, Yoshimi Inaba, Toyota's North American president and CEO of sales, said the arrangements made for owners in New York would be available to recalled vehicle owners everywhere in the country. Perhaps Toyota sensed a PR mess in the making by granting the accommodations just to one state.
Under the arrangement, Toyota will pick up and return the recalled vehicle, drive the customer to the dealership or his or her workplace and offer a rental or loaner car or taxi — all depending on the customer’s need. Toyota will then reimburse Toyota and Lexus dealers for the cost of providing these services.
Toyota gave no indication of what this program will cost, but it certainly does not sound cheap.
Toyota to Offer At-Home Pickup and Free Rental Cars During Recall Repairs (Associated Press)
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Hyundai Adds Brake Override to New Models
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
One bit of automotive technology that most car shoppers weren’t familiar with prior to Toyota’s recent recalls was a brake override system. The electrical system is an added fail-safe that will stop acceleration when the brakes are applied. This will prevent unintended acceleration if it occurs. Many luxury brands and European makes use the system, as does Nissan. Now Hyundai is adding it to its lineup.
The company’s two newest models, the 2011 Sonata and the 2010 Tucson, have brake override systems. All other Hyundai models with electronic throttle assembled after Feb. 20, 2010, also have the system. The only models without it are the Elantra, Elantra Touring and Accent, but those three models have traditional linkage accelerator assemblies, meaning no electronic throttle. You can see when a car was assembled by checking the label on the driver’s side doorjamb.
Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson said the company would not retroactively install the systems in older units already on dealer lots. Hyundai has a handful of complaints for unintended acceleration for 2008 and 2009 model year vehicles with electronic throttle control on Safercar.gov, but most were reported after the first Toyota recall in fall 2009. There was only one complaint for 2010 model year vehicles. The 2010 Toyota Prius, which is not recalled for unintended acceleration, has 125 vehicle speed control complaints filed with NHTSA.
