Inside The Mind Of An Automotive Geek

You’ll be surprised if you happen to see one of the newest redesigned models from the Volkswagen range of cars. It is definitely a bold move for the company as they unveiled the new looks for 2008.

VW has made a number of changes and most of these are just minor ones such as trim level naming switches and color removal. The major changes were done underneath the body. Take for example the additional power for the 2.5-liter five cylinder engine which is being used by the Jetta and the Rabbit. Twenty horsepower were added and this produces 177 ft-lb of torque.

A new model for the Beetle is expected in 2009 with additional 20 horses beneath the hood. There was a new driving force, courtesy of a brand-new software and a new intake to improvise the extra breathing capacity. Here are the additional and changes done to some of the 2008 VW models:

RABBIT

• New 170-hp, 177 lb-ft 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine standard on two- & four-door
  
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
  
• New trim level naming: Rabbit S (two- and four-door)

• 15mm ride height reduction on both two- and four-door
  
• Sirius satellite radio now standard
  
• Reflex Silver is now special order only
  
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
  
• New trim level naming: GTI and GTI Autobahn

• New trim level naming: S and SE
  
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
  
• Fog lights deleted from all trims
  
• New sixteen-inch alloy wheel S
  
• New seventeen-inch alloy wheel on SE
  
• Temporary use spare tire
  
• Deleted Shadow Blue on sedan and convertible
  
• Deleted Platinum Gray on convertible
  
• Deleted reflex silver on convertible
  
• Laser blue no longer available with gray interior
  
• Black not available with crème top
  
• Deleted front floor mats
  
• Deleted Leather seating surfaces from all trims
  
• Cold weather package available on S as stand alone option

• Reflex Silver is now special order only
  
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
  
• New trim level naming: GLI and GLI Autobahn

• New 170-hp, 177 lb-ft 2.5L five-cylinder engine standard
  
• Delete 2.0T engine (only available on GLI)
  
• Automatic only available with SEL
  
• Temporary use spare tire
  
• Laser Blue replaces Shadow Blue
  
• Delete Wheat Beige
  
• Front and rear lower valance in black textured color on S and SE
  
• Body color front and rear valance on SEL
  
• 2.5 badge included on S
  
• Sixteen-inch steel wheels with full covers standard on S
  
• Delete Climatronic from all trims
  
• Deleted leather seating surfaces from all trims
  
• Power recline standard on all trim levels
  
• Seventeen-inch wheel standard on SEL
  
• Deleted Homelink from all trims
  
• Cold weather package now optional on S
  
• Sixteen-inch alloy wheel now optional on S
  
• Sunroof now optional on S

Have you ever wondered who’s behind Rolls-Royce’s success for the past productive years of the company? Since the legendary and the most celebrated brand was bought by BMW in 1998, this man carried Rolls-Royce to success, and he’s no other than Ian Cameron, Rolls-Royce’s Design Manager. But before being a 15-year BMW-Group veteran, he first joined and worked with Range Rover and he also, before that, worked on the Z8 Roadster. Talk about great experience, huh?

The automobilemag.com has provided a sweet and fun conversation with Rolls-Royce Design Manager Ian Cameron. Let’s have a peek on the short interview organized by automobilemag.com.

How does this Drophead Coupe's design differ from the four-door Phantom's?
Ian Cameron (IC) : We know the customer for this car will be quite different. The Phantom is a much more formal sort of beast. With this car, the message of performance is much clearer. I think the design, the form, the streamlining, the way the grille is integrated into the body and the subtle haunches over the rear wheels separate it from the Phantom. This all suggests that you will enjoy the elements of this car in a unique Rolls Royce way. Rolls Royce has always had an open car in its model line, and it's very nice to have that back.

Do these two cars represent the design vision for future Rolls Royce cars?
IC: This is certainly one part of the future of Rolls Royce, but not the only one. We have announced a smaller car that will be a different set of products, but it will be a Rolls Royce.

Heritage plays a critically important role in the design of any Rolls Royce.
IC: Absolutely. The coach doors, for example. This is the most elegant way to get in and out of a car, and it is true to the coachbuilders of the '30s. Also, in the materials we've used, we've been inspired by Americas Cup J-Class yachts of the 1930s. That was the closest you could get to the elements of speed and performance, and Rolls Royce has always been interested in delivering performance and driving enjoyment. Also the whole way this car is tuned. This is the Phantom platform, but we've taken 10 inches out of the wheelbase to improve its agility, and the suspension geometry has been changed to optimize its handling.

How do you feel about the responsibility of being the Rolls Royce designer?
IC: It is something that keeps you awake at night, because the challenge and the excitement of trying to produce the best car in the world is very humbling. At least that makes the job very clear.

Remember the Michael Jackson hit song entitled “Earth Song”? It talks about how we give attention to mother earth, and how people take for granted everything despite of the benefits we gain from it. He also emphasized that people don’t even give a d*mn, even a little bit of consideration on this.

Well, I just remembered that song since I’ve encountered news in the net that features not actually anything about the Volvo alternator that I’m looking for. Rather, it talks about simple tips on how to have greener cars.

According to that piece of news, if you have a car, it doesn’t matter whether it’s already old-fashioned or if it’s the latest model in the market or how big it is or how cute it looks. What is important is to make sure that it is environmentally friendly - with that you’re not just enjoying your ride but you are also lending a hand in making our environment more beautiful to live in.

But do you know how to make certain preventive measures and are you aware of those steps to ensure yourself that you’re driving a greener car? If not, you have to take into account the following steps to have a friendly car at the same time have better gas mileage.

First step: Maintain to have a vehicle appropriately tuned-up for a most advantageous and a most favorable performance. Make sure to have balance of control so you can have a great fuel economy.

Make sure to check the battery, charging and starting; engine mechanical; powertrain control; fuel; ignition; and emissions. Remember that by inspecting those car parts will guarantee you an improvement in gas mileage.

But if ever you encountered a more serious problem like fixing a Volvo cargo liner or a Volvo oxygen sensor, let a professional mechanic do the task if you can’t handle the situation.

Second step: Calling all who own vehicles using a Saturn air filter, take time to inspect your air filters and it is necessary to replace it if you notice that it can no longer function well because of accumulated dirt. This may cause the engine to breakdown and that will only give you a headache. Replacing a dirty air filter will save as much as 15 cents/gallon.

Third step: If you have a Saturn spark plug or any kind of spark plug, try to check it. Just like the air filter, this one also wastes fuel and it is one of the causes of car failures and breakdowns. Better replace it if you think it will not help you get a nice ride.

Fourth step: Maintain the vehicle’s cooling system thermostat to help increase its competence and lessen vehicle emissions.

Fifth step: Follow all the maintenance and repair tips from the Car Car Council site www.carcare.org/.

Sixth step: Make sure that the tires are puffed up the way it should be and do away with forceful driving.

Car fans would surely appreciate the new offering by the car making giant that is General Motors. For the 2008 model year, the company will offer the redesigned Saab 9-3 range which boasts of a concept car styling. That is because the new Saab 9-3 possesses styling cues direct from the Saab Aero X Concept.

According to its manufacturer, they strived to offer a car with a better handling, performance and safety. The new Saab 9-3 boasts the “clamshell” hood design which was first used in the Aero X Concept.

Aside from the new styling of the car, a more potent engine offering comes with the 2008 Saab 9-3 range. It also comes with a lot of standard features. Optional features are also abundant as General Motors tries to promote the brand to American car buyers.

According to the company’s site here are the engine specs for the Saab 9-3 range:

• Engine specifications – 2.0T
  
• Type – Inline 4-cylinder turbo
  
• Displacement – 121 cu. in. (1988 cc)
  
• SAE horsepower rating – 210 hp @ 5500 rpm
  
• SAE peak torque – 221 lb. ft. @ 2000 rpm

• Engine specifications – 2.8 V6T
  
• Type – 6-cylinder turbo, 60° Vee
  
• Displacement – 170 cu. in. (2792 cc)
  
• SAE horsepower rating – 250 hp @ 5300 rpm
  
• SAE peak torque – 258 lb. ft. @ 2000 rpm

• Dynamic, cohesive looks with new front, rear and side aspects
  
• Frontal styling inspired by Aero X concept
  
• 'Clamshell' hood, clean body surfaces, smoked white rear light lenses

• Intelligent Saab XWD offers greater driver involvement
  
• Active system for class-leading performance, up to 100% rear torque transfer
  
• Cutting-edge technology: pre-emptive engagement and active rear LSD
  
• New rear sub-frame and suspension geometry

Oh yeah! One of the mean machines of the past is back! The 2007 Frontier resurfaced the earth without any boundaries at all! This vehicle will break barriers and conquer the toughest terrains on this planet. The new Frontier came out with just a few changes on the outside but it maintained its boldness and power and additional interior features to balance the toughness of this vehicle.

Now we have the chance to have a further evaluation on the 2007 Nissan Frontier with this set of info that I got from the company’s official site. Let’s all check if the 2007 Frontier has the edge to push auto performance to the limits!

Engine:

• QR25DE - 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine
  
  • 152 hp @ 5,200 rpm
    
  • 171 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
  
  
• VQ40DE - 4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine
  
  • 261 hp @ 5,600 rpm
    
  • 281 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
  
  
• Emissions - LEV2/ULEV
  
• Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System (CVTCS)
  
• Variable Intake System
  
• Nissan Direct Ignition System
  
• Platinum-tipped spark plugs
  
• Electronic drive-by-wire throttle

• 5-speed manual transmission
  
• 6-speed manual transmission
  
• 5-speed automatic transmission
  
• Dana® 44 rear axle (M/T only on SE models)
  
• Switch-operated 2-speed transfer case (4x4 only)
  
• On-demand electronic locking rear differential
  
• 2-wheel Limited Slip (ABLS) - 4x2
  
• 4-wheel Limited Slip (ABLS) - 4x4
  
• Clutch Start/Cancel (manual transmission 4x4 only)
  
• Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
  
• Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist (HSA)

• Front vented disc brakes/rear vented disc brakes
  
• 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
  
• Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)

• Front: Independent double-wishbone with front stabilizer bar
  
• Rear: Overslung multi-leaf with solid axle
  
• NISMO-spec Bilstein® off-road performance shock absorbers
  
• Engine-speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering

• Air conditioning
  
• In-cabin microfilter
  
• Power door locks and windows with front one-touch auto-down
  
• Remote keyless entry
  
• Cruise control 2
  
• Variable intermittent windshield wipers
  
• Front map lights
  
• Three 12-volt DC power outlets
  
• Two 12-volt DC power outlets
  
• Multi-functional trip computer
  
• Voltage and oil pressure gauges
  
• Dual sun visors with extenders and dual visor vanity mirrors
  
• Dual sun visors with extenders and dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
  
• Tilt steering column
  
• First-aid kit
  
• AM/FM/CD audio system
  
• AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD audio system
  
• Radio Data System (RDS)
  
• Steering wheel-mounted audio controls
  
• MP3/WMA CD playback capability
  
• Four Speakers
  
• Six Speakers
  
• Auxiliary audio input
  
• Satellite radio pre-wiring3
  
• Satellite radio3 (XM® or SIRIUS™) Includes activation and 3 months of service.
  
• AM/FM/CD audio system [PR]
  
• AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD audio system
  
• Radio Data System (RDS)
  
• Steering wheel-mounted audio controls
  
• MP3/WMA CD playback capability
  
• Four Speakers
  
• Six Speakers
  
• Auxiliary audio input
  
• Satellite radio pre-wiring3
  
• Satellite radio3 (XM® or SIRIUS™) Includes activation and 3 months of service.

Well, I should say job well done to the Hyundai Motors Corporation as three of their world class car models topped the 2007 Total Quality Survey which was done by Strategic Vision just recently. Which of Hyundai car models tops the quality list?

Name it: the Entourage, the Santa Fe as well as the Azera. These join the list of the quality car list. The survey asked almost 27,000 motorists about the industry’s 2007 set of models and the survey was done starting last September up to November 2006. These respondents were asked about the quality problems met as well as the quality maintenance of these vehicles. They were also asked about the things that had gone wrong and their perceived quality of whether they got what they deserve for the money that they spent for these car models.

The super famous Japanese car manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation was able to grab the Things-Gone-Wrong category but failed on the perceived quality. The company says that it was attributed by the gradual change of preference by the car buyers. Strategic Vision was a little hesitant to post this new list because some brands and car models that are mentioned on the poll don’t correspond to the reliability survey. But because most of the respondents think the data is worth publishing, the group decided to post it.

Here is the list of the cars which received recognition because of quality. I found this on the blogs.cars.com. Here guys check it out.

Small Car: Honda Civic
Small Multi-Function: Volkswagen Rabbit
Medium Car: Saturn Aura and Nissan Maxima
Large Car: Hyundai Azera
Small Specialty (Under $25,000): Mini Cooper
Near Luxury Car: BMW 3-Series Sedan
Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan
Convertibles (Under $30,000): Mini Cooper Convertible
Convertibles (Over $30,000): Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Minivan: Kia Sedona, Hyundai Entourage, and Nissan Quest
Small SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe
Medium SUV: Kia Sorento
Medium Crossover: Dodge Magnum
Large SUV: Ford Expedition EL
Near Luxury SUV: Lexus RX 350
Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz ML
Standard Pick-Up: Honda Ridgeline
Full-Size Pickup: Nissan Titan and Ford F-150
Heavy Duty Pickup: Ford F-250/350

These are the cars which were chosen by the respondents to have better quality as compared to any other car models. It’s up to you if you are going to believe it - the motorist were the ones who made these results.

The Hyundai Azera won the Large car category while the Small SUV category was owned by the Hyundai Santa Fe. The Hyundai Entourage shared the title best quality Minivan with the Kia Sedona and the Nissan Quest.

There you go guys.

Never heard about the 2007 Murano? I understand - some of us are not familiar with this vehicle and that’s why I’m here! I’ll be the bridge that will connect you to this unique vehicle. Let’s get started, shall we?

The Murano is one of Nissan’s vehicles on the SUV section this year. I think I don’t have to make a lot of cheesy introductions about this car - you better just check some of its cool features and specs!

Engine:

• 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine1
  
• 240 hp @ 5,800 rpm
  
• 244 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
  
• Emissions — LEV2
  
• Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control
  
• System (CVTCS)
  
• Variable Intake System
  
• Nissan Direct Ignition System
  
• Platinum-tipped spark plugs
  
• Electronic drive-by-wire throttle

Convenience:

• Nissan Navigation System with GPS DVD-ROM atlas
  
• RearView Monitor (with hatch-mounted rear camera)
  
• 7.0" LCD color information center with multiple displays
  
• Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC) with high rear vents
  
• Illuminated steering wheel-mounted cruise control
  
• Intelligent Key
  
• Power windows with front windows one-touch auto-up/down and auto-reverse feature
  
• Power door locks
  
• Remote keyless entry
  
• Remote front windows down
  
• Key-operated front windows up/down
  
• Cruise control
  
• HomeLink® Universal Transceiver
  
• Tilt steering column
  
• Variable intermittent windshield wipers
  
• Rear intermittent wiper
  
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror with digital compass
  
• Map lights and rear reading lights
  
• Power-adjustable pedals
  
• Height-adjustable outboard seat belts
  
• Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors with sun
  
• visor extenders
  
• Two 12-volt DC power outlets
  
• Three 12-volt DC power outlets
  
• Retained accessory power and battery saver

Styling/Functionality:

• Roof rails (black on S and SL; brushed aluminum on SE)
  
• Dark charcoal-colored lower front and black rear bumper
  
• Dark charcoal-colored lower front and rear painted bumpers
  
• Chrome side sills accents
  
• Brushed alumimum rear bumper finisher
  
• High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-xenon projector headlights with manual levelizer
  
• Automatic on/off headlights
  
• Fog lights
  
• LED taillights
  
• Dual exhaust outlets with chrome tip finishers
  
• Dual power outside mirrors
  
• Dual heated outside mirrors
  
• Power sliding glass sunroof with multi-position switch and auto-reverse feature
  
• Front UV-reducing green-tinted solar glass
  
• Rear black privacy glass