August 2009 Archives

The Car Connection have published their "hands on" review of the 2010 Audi R8. 'Consider the 2010 Audi R8 an entry-level exotic car-entry-level only in reputation, possibly. Audi doesn't have the track record of Ferrari, Lamborghini or even the Corvette, but with the R8, and particularly the new V-10-powered R8, it's stepped without hesitation into the rarified world of ultra-performance machines. For the 2010 model year, the R8 adds a V-10 option and a handful of new features. The base price remains $115,400, but V-10 versions top out at $156,300 before options are added.'

The Truth About Cars have published their review of the 2010 Mazda Mazda3s Sport. 'The Mazda3's performance has always kept it a step ahead of the other economy cars on the market. However, as Mazda's worked to differentiate their econobox from cookie-cutter Cobalts, Corollas and Civics visually, they've tweaked it from "different" to "borderline bizarre." They say, "beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bones." Has Mazda gone too far, or is the 2010 Mazda3s Sport still good enough underneath to make you overlook its sheet metal shortcomings?'

SearchChicago have published a review of the new 2009 ACURA TL SH sedan. 'The all-new fourth-generation TL sedan has a wonderful way of making you think you are going faster than you actually are while delivering outstanding comfort and fine handling. The Acura TL always offered a lot of comfort for a base price around $34,000, though as a front-wheel-drive sedan it was limited somewhat in handling and performance. I think this newly redesigned TL treatment is a step up in aggressive, sleek cues as well as offering fine performance under the hood. I recently tested the Acura TL SH-AWD, a TL upgrade treatment featuring a 3.7-liter V-6 power plant, Acura's most powerful ever offered in the sedan line. And, as if that was not enough improvement of a good thing, an all-new all-wheeldrive version is available.'

Auto Express have published their "test driven" review of the new Volkswagen Polo. 'The Polo bears a striking resemblance to a shrunken Golf, and it is longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces. That means head, shoulder and legroom are improved all round, as well boot capacity. This is now 280 litres, or 952 litres with the rear seats folded flat - only a few square centimetres short of those of the larger-proportioned Fiesta. But despite the added practicality, engineers have reduced the car's kerbweight by nearly eight per cent - part of the reason the new Polo delivers up to 20 per cent fuel savings across the board.

A review of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan hybrids has been posted over at BusinessWeek.com. 'Inside the cockpit, the cars' green identity literally glows. What jumps out are detailed feedback systems dubbed by Ford "SmartGauge with EcoGuide." To refine this instrument cluster, Ford worked with IDEO and Smart Design, two leaders in the design of devices and interface systems. A key focus, says Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of sustainable mobility technologies, was to make the rendering of even advanced data very clear and nondistracting.'

The Car And Driver have published their "Short Take Road Test" of the 2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage supercar. 'Aston Martin's V-8 Vantage is the company's least expensive car, but it looks a lot like its V-12-engined big brothers, the DB9 and DBS. Although only car nerds can distinguish which current Aston is which, the Vantage's short overhangs, taut lines, and absence of gratuitous scoops and fins make it the best looking of the bunch. Even in DBR9 racing green--without the proper sponsorship decals, it's a color more suited to a wedding than a racetrack--people instantly recognize it as an exotic. The interior, which is mostly shared with its more expensive siblings, looks the part. To start the car, the stainless steel and glass key, which Aston calls an "Emotion Control Unit," slides dramatically into the middle of the dash.'

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Honda Insight five-door hybrid. 'The Insight's exterior styling is certainly eye-catching but it's also not wholly dissimilar - again - to the latest Prius. Honda prefers to emphasise the Insight's similarity to its hydrogen-powered big brother, the FCX Clarity. Line all three cars up and remove the badges, and many people would struggle to tell them apart, suggesting that this is the shape you get when you ask a large computer to design an aerodynamically efficient five-door hatchback.'

The Independent have published a review of the new Mazda 3 sedan. 'Opening the driver's door causes LEDs to illuminate the footwells and interior door handles. Simultaneously the instruments and the controls on the centre console light up and briefly grow brighter. If you then touch any control for the air-conditioning or the excellent, easy-to-use stereo, its background lighting again intensifies. Clever stuff.'

A review of the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart has been posted over at CNET.com. 'Based on Mitsubishi's humble Lancer platform, the Lancer Ralliart adds a turbo, all-wheel-drive, and, best of all, the Sport Shift Transmission, a twin clutch automated manual, also found in the new Evo MR. Unlike the Evo MR's 291 horsepower, the Lancer Ralliart's engine only makes 237 horsepower. Torque numbers are 300 foot-pounds for the Evo MR, and 253 foot-pounds for the Lancer Ralliart. And the Lancer Ralliart's all-wheel-drive system comes from the previous generation Evo, so it lacks advanced features such as active yaw control. That reduction in performance tech also equals about a $10,000 reduction in price.'

Inside Line have published their "First drive" review of the 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR. 'The 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR is a derivative of the Opel Insignia OPC introduced in Europe earlier this year, itself the high-performance version of the Opel Insignia. The Vauxhall Insignia became the U.K.'s 2009 Car of the Year by a single vote over the Ford Fiesta. Built on the same GM Epsilon II platform familiar to us in the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu, the Insignia rides on a 107.8-inch wheelbase and measures 190.2 inches overall, 73.1 inches wide and 60 inches high.'

PaulTan.org have published their "First impressions" review of the new Toyota Prius (3rd generation). 'The internal combustion engine of the new Prius is the 2ZR-FXE, an Atkinson cycle engine with 1.8 liters of displacement. This is up by 0.3 liters from the previous 2nd gen Prius 1.5 liter engine. The new engine puts out 99 PS compared to 77 PS from the 1.5 liter engine, and 143Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. Now why does a 1.8 liter engine put out so little power you ask? It's because of the Atkinson cycle - it's more fuel efficient however has less power density. The engine is now beltless thanks to an electric water pump. The combined output of the motor-generators produce 60kW and 207Nm of torque.'

Search Chicago have published a review of the 2009 Ford Focus Coupe SES. 'Ford gave its Focus a new look last year and for 2009 Ford made additional tweaks to the Coupe to make it sportier and more desirable. The Focus Coupe was all-new last year and some criticized its exterior styling and sluggish performance. Ford listened and spent a lot of time talking to small-car customers. The result is a Focus Coupe with new front and rear fascias, a new roofline spoiler, a bit more horsepower on fivespeed manual versions and quicker acceleration (thanks to a new final drive ratio) on models with the optional four-speed automatic transmission.'

A review of the 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC 125TDI has been posted over at CarAdvice.com.au. 'While the Passat CC only seats four passengers, the cull of one seat means there is no discomfort between rear passengers as would be the case if five seats were on offer. Volkswagen makes no apologies for this vehicle only being a four seater. They say that drivers can opt for the regular Passat if they're in need of five definitive seats. Rear seat leg room is very impressive. There's enough space to stretch out, while a useful cubby between the rear passengers allows storage space for odds and ends. The only downside to the Passat CC's profile is the sloping rear roof line, which doesn't do any wonders for tall passengers.'

CNET have published their review of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro LT. 'The Camaro LT uses the same power train as the Cadillac CTS, a 3.6-liter direct injected V-6 with the optional Hydra-Matic 6L50 automatic transmission, with a six-speed manual standard. The automatic transmission has a manual mode, but we didn't find that gear shifts were particularly quick. Manual mode really suffers from the ergonomics of the shifter buttons. Paddles peek up over the tops of the steering wheel spokes, but they are fixed, merely showing which side upshifts and which side downshifts. Buttons on the backs of the spokes are used for shifting, and they are very poorly placed, impossible to touch with a finger with hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel.'

Auto Express have published a review of the Renault Clio. 'A facelift four years after the Clio's initial launch in 2005 has introduced a more modern appearance that takes many of its styling cues from the New Megane, At the front there's a reprofiled nose that features larger, swept back headlamps, while the rear gets a new bumper and tailights. As before there's a choice of three and five-door hatchbacks together with a versatile Sport Tourer estate. There are six trim levels to choose from - Extreme, Expression, Dynamique, GT, Privilege and Initiale. At the top of the range is the scorching Renaultsport 200, identified by its muscular flared wheelarches, black grille surround and bodykit.'

A review of the 2009 BMW M3 sedan has been posted over at LeftLaneNews.com. 'Based on the E90 sedan, the M3 Sedan is the first ever V8-powered four-door 3-Series sedan. It's a car that gives enthusiasts who are "maturing," a chance at the same power, handling, and sheer "tossibility" that coupe owners have been enjoying all along. As the typical M3 owner grew older, married and settled down, chances were good that such an owner would move on, trade in the hot rod for the minivan and get on with life. And then came the M3 Sedan. All bets are off now, and chances are good that the backbench now holds a Recaro bolstered baby seat.'

The Truth About Cars have published their review of the 2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro sedan. 'The supercharged V6, denoted by the "3.0T" badge on the trunk and the nifty little faux-carbon-fiber "Supercharged" insignia on each fender, is merely okay. On the road, it feels characterless. The powerplant never quite as strong as Audi's rambunctious direct-injection V8, which it's meant to replace. Over the course of ten laps of Nelson Ledges, heat-soak makes its presence known. Each successive exit onto the front straight feels softer. If you're in the market for an A6, or for the S5 coupe, do yourself a favor. Get the V8 while you still can. It's infinitely superior to this blown six, in sound, power, feel and feedback.'

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Mitsubishi iMiEV five-door electric car. 'The iMiEV's exterior is frankly something of a love or hate affair, though our test car was hardly flattered by all the advertising and information logos that Mitsubishi had plastered all over it. Of course, the basic shape, with its rather bulbous cabin and extremely short front and rear overhangs, has nothing to do with the specific needs of electric propulsion since it's carried over from the petrol-driven Mitsubishi 'i' city car, a vehicle not available in the UK.'

CNET have published a review of the 2009 Audi Q5 SUV. 'As the Q5 is a completely new model for Audi, it doesn't suffer from legacy issues, getting the new cabin tech package from the start. The previous generation MMI, which we last saw in the Audi S8, uses a knob surrounded by a quartet of buttons. The new MMI merely adds a small finger-movable joystick on top of the knob, the only advantage being that you can use the joystick to move a cursor around on a map. Not a huge improvement, but it sure makes map navigation a lot easier.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Vauxhall Insignia Elite Nav 4x4 2.8i saloon. 'As a brand new model, we had high hopes for the Insignia's infotainment rig, known in top spec as the DVD800. It's actually the latest customer system supplied by Bosch. Historically, Bosch infotainment systems have been a little behind the curve, but first impressions certainly suggest a well specified setup complete with a large central LCD display, BMW iDrive / Audi MMI-aping control wheels and a secondary information screen in the driver's instrument cluster.'