Entries for May, 2008
For the ultimate low-budget wheels you turn to the Corolla base model, but it has manual, wind-up windows and manual door locks. Upgrading to the Corolla LE includes power windows and door locks. If you fancy a fancier interior, the wood-grain trim in the Corolla XLE goes in that direction, although you can't get leather. Finally, there are two sportier models, the Corolla S which looks the part and has some seat and chassis upgrades, and the Corolla XRS which brings a bigger engine, brakes, and tires to the party.
All models come with standard safety features like six airbags, ABS, Electronic stability control and traction control. Also, it features high-grade seatbelts that will hold even in extreme accidents, that is assuming of course that you are wearing them.
The 2009 model offer a much more spacious cabin than its
predecessor. Once inside, you will be forgiven in thinking it’s a Camry. It’s
that roomy. All in all it’s definitely a good investment for those looking to
purchase a budget car with bangs and whistles that rival those of more
expensive models. The future once again looks rosy for
Written by autopartsware at 03:30 AM.
The 2008 BMW M3 is either a complete winner or a big
disappointment. It all depends on your expectations. If you're looking for a
supremely fast, incredibly capable back-road stormer, you won't be
disappointed; the E92 is even faster than the previous E46 M3. If, however, you
think the M3 should be more than just speed, you'll be disappointed. After only
a few seconds behind the wheel, it becomes obvious that the M3's engineers
traded some driver involvement in return for more speed.
More speed, in this case, comes from the retirement of the inline-six cylinder engine that has defined the previous two generations of M3s. As it turns out, there was no more power to be had from a block with six holes in it. The previous 3.2-liter developed 333 horsepower, and the only way to add more ponies would have been to add more displacement. That sounds easy enough, but it wasn't - the engine block was already bored to its maximum, and increasing the stroke would have reduced the engine's maximum RPM. Thus, the engineers had no choice but to add two more cylinders.
The new V-8 is anything but a half-hearted attempt at fixing the problem. It
is, after all, based on the powerhouse V-10 from the M5. Whereas the old
inline-six was iron, the V-engines' larger bore spacing allows them to be made
of aluminum, and as a result, the V-8 actually weighs
Though the clutch is a twin-disc design (the first in an M3), the pedal is soft and easy to modulate. The shifter is familiar 3-series, which is to say precise and satisfying, if slightly rubbery. Mash the loud pedal, and the quiet V-8 turns into a screaming demon. Thrust builds gradually until 3900 rpm (the torque peak), but never falls off. In fact, the engine's note becomes more and more hysterical as the tach swings clockwise. From 6000 to the 8400-rpm rev limiter, it sounds angrier and more ferocious than any V-8 you've ever heard this side of Maranello. The soundtrack is nothing short of magic.
From a review:
Thanks to our tester's Electronic Damper Control, ride quality is
phenomenal. On
The biggest letdown - and it's a huge one - is the steering. Whereas other 3-series (and all previous M3s) read the road surface to your fingertips, the M3 is frustratingly numb on center. It transmits only the largest of messages, and effort is too light and doesn't build naturally. The ratio is wonderfully quick but, to add insult to injury, the M3's turning radius feels vastly larger than any other 3-series.
Brake feel is excellent, but pedal effort rose precipitously during lapping
of the 26-turn Ascari racetrack in
The list of 3-series parts redesigned and re-engineered for M3 use is
staggering - the V-8 car shares surprisingly few parts with those with a
six-cylinder under the hood. BMW isn't known for frivolous modifications, and
all of the changes serve a performance purpose. Unfortunately, they seem to
also dilute the driving experience. Once a direct, raw, and frenetic monster,
the M3 has morphed into a polished and refined grand tourer.
The original M3 was a track-ready, high-strung performer that made no
excuses in its performance. As fun in a 15-mph school zone as it was at
ten-tenths on a race track, it dominated everything that came its way. And
while it's likely that the new M3 is faster around the Nordschleife than its
competitors, it's lost a good bit of the driver involvement that has made
previous Ms Legends. At the end of the day, we don't just expect fast lap times
from an M3; we expect it to put a big smile on our faces. And this time around,
the smiles just aren't as big.
Written by autopartsware at 09:44 AM.
Apparently, people are really starting to see the benefits
of owning a hybrid car. According to figures released this week by
Since the Prius was first launched in 1997, cumulative sales of the gas-electric hybrid have reached 1.028 million as of the end of April 2008. It is estimated that use of the vehicle over the past ten years has accounted for a decrease in global carbon dioxide emission of 4.5 million tons.
For the first four months of 2008 there were 24,200 Prius sales
in
Written by autopartsware at 09:50 AM.