12/07/2010

RPMGO Car Blog

RPMGO Car Blog


A Living Legend – Lancia Stratos

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 01:03 PM PST

2010 Lancia Stratos

Michael Stoschek is one of the few lucky (wealthy) people that owns a classic Lancia Stratos, but this wasn't enough for him; so after having a serious conversation with the engineers at Lancia, they came up with a recreation of the 1970s rally legend, according to the specifications given by Michael and his son Maximilion and by using today's modern technology and construction methods. Both of them took part in creating the design for a project known as Fenomenon and after that they commissioned Pininfarina to turn this project into reality.

The 1970s original Lancia Stratos HF was a legend in terms of design and racing, managing to win three consecutive rally championships (1975-1977). The car features a V6 DOHC 2.4-liter that was taken from the Ferrari Dino. The power unit was mounted transversely and mid-ship, right behind the compartment for the passenger. It was quick then, it still is now after almost 40 years, being able to reach 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds. The design of the original model was revolutionary at that time – the car looked very similar to a spacecraft, very different from the 70s rally cars that were box-shaped. The design of the original Stratos was done by Bertone.

2010 Lancia Stratos

The modern Stratos borrows Ferrari's 430 drivetrain and platform. The wheelbase decreased almost 8 inches in comparison to the 430 due to the fact that the extruded aluminum frame was shortened. In comparison to the Ferrari, the Stratos is much safer and stiffer thanks to the FIA-Certified rollcage manufactured from a 1 ½-inch steel tubing.

As far as the exterior design is concerned, it keeps the same unique shape of straight lines and bulging arcs that made the original Stratos a legend. Absolutely all of the exterior components are made out of a high-strength sandwich structure of carbon fiber that is laid over low-density foam core. The car was tested in the rolling-road wind tunnel owned by Pininfarina, using the aerodynamic balance of the Ferrari 430 as a development baseline.

The original car had a powerful V6 engine that was capable of outputting 190 hp; it was one of the most advanced engines of those times. The new car borrows the 430's engine, which is a 4.3-liter V8 that offers 510 hp. The power unit was tweaked and received a new engine management, high-flow catalytic convertors and exhaust manifolds. The acceleration from 0 to 200 km/h is done is less than 10 seconds, which makes the Stratos a vehicle worthy of the "supercar" title.

Other modifications the car received include new spring rates as well as electro-hydraulic dampers that were recalibrated. From a steering wheel-mounted control, the driver can choose different suspension modes. To efficiently brake the car, the engineers at Lancia equipped the Stratos with a modern Brembo system that offers 15.7-inch front rotors that have 6-piston calipers for the front wheels and 13.-8 inch rotors that have 4-piston calipers for the wheels in the back.

This modern Lancia Stratos is a one-off car at the moment, but with such a large fan base for the original Stratos, who knows what the future might bring us. We hope that more and more legendary cars will be brought back to life following the successful recipe of the Lancia Stratos, a legend that was brought resurrected after almost 40 years since the original model revolutionized the rally world and the entire automotive genre.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

A Living Legend – Lancia Stratos

Honda 2010 Overview

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 11:48 AM PST

Honda Accord CrossTour

Without any doubt, this year (at least the beginning of it) looked very promising for the Japanese automaker. Why? Take a closer look at Toyota which is drowning in hundreds of thousands of recalls on various models and two out of the Detroit 3 climbing out of the dark days of bankruptcy. But despite the fact that Honda had everything in its favor, things did not go as they expected, on the contrary. Honda's United States sales and overall share went down this year. The brand sales in November are up only by 4% in comparison to the market's 11% rise.

According to Lincoln Merrihew who is the managing director of a market research firm called Compete Automotive, it seems that "Honda is not riding the wave". Some might say that this is because of bad timing as two of their most important models, the CR-V and the Civic are at their final year of product cycle and the Accord is following them, a fresh update is due in 18 months. The reasons for their low sales are not limited to these factors only, as the buyer consideration has also decreased; the outdated inventory system also caused serious losses. Add to this the various reputations among youngster, and the entire image does not look very pretty for Honda.

Some of these issues can be however easily repaired but Honda made another major mistake back in February when they held back production and inventory in the wrong moment when the economy was slowly gaining terrain, allowing other automakers to aggressively promote their new cars.

Things are not all bad for the Japanese car manufacturer as the repurchase loyalty rate among owners has been rising from a 42% back in 2001 to approximately 56% in 2009, according to the data published by R.L. Polk. The market's industry is approximately 44%. Lonnie Miller, analyst at Polk said that "Typically you get a spike with your own customers when you have new-product launches, and Honda has been pretty quiet. With sales performance and repeat selling, your owners get rejuvenated with new products."

Back in 2007, Honda posted an 11th consecutive year of record sales and it also managed to grab four awards of the 19 categories available (the most of any brand), in J.D. Power's APEAL survey that measures how gratifying how an automobile is to own.

As far as the battle for the most popular hybrids are concerned, Toyota's Prius model is outselling the Insight 8 to 1. The executives over at Honda United States planned to sell between 60,000 and 80,000 units of the Insight in 2010; by November they only managed to deliver 19,325 units. For this particular reason, Honda decided to introduce a cheaper Insight model that has less features, which is with $4,610 more affordable than the Prius. We will have to wait and see for a couple of months if this new more affordable Insight can get the attraction of more people that are looking for a hybrid car.

Another model that was outshined by Toyota is the Accord Crosstour which didn't stand a chance against the Venza model manufactured by the rival Japanese carmaker. Toyota managed to sell 43,325 of the Venza by November, in comparison to just 25,927 Accord Crosstour. It seems that the Crosstour inventories and the discount necessary to sell them are larger in comparison to the Venza, according to TrueCar – an auto research company.

Honda Accord CrossTour

Back in July, Honda made a big case when they announced the CR-Z model, despite the fact that they have set a very modest 15,000 cars sales / year. Even worse than that is the fact they only were able to sell 4,373 cars in the first five months since it was introduced, and about 3,000 CR-Zs are resting in an inventory as of November 1st, waiting for their customers.

We mentioned before that Honda has problems with its inventory system. Dealers affirm that the sales target could be achieved if the system called MOVE – Market-Oriented Vehicle Environment will be updated as soon as possible. Both small and large dealers agree to the fact that Honda's manufacturing, allocation and inventory are not properly aligned as they require a combination of math and luck in order to get the right models in stock.

To offer a relevant example to this problem, the Honda Odyssey has many pricey options like leather seats, power tailgate and rear-seat video, thus the model has many more trim levels and features. Most of the dealers consider that they are better judges of the local tastes in comparison to the factory representatives.

Honda's vice president of sales and logistics planning, Dennis Manns, affirmed that the new allocation system "will provide dealers with an intuitive, more localized and market-focused way of managing their inventories." It seems that the current inventory system used by the Japanese automaker is one of the important reasons why the dealer satisfaction scores have fallen.

On the good side, it seems that Honda's sales in the North American truck market have gone up if we take into consideration the fact that in August they have increased production capacity. The officials over at Honda said that their CR-V, Pilot and Odyssey models are doing very good. Most of the executives as well as some Honda dealers are looking at a much more positive 2011. They are hoping for an economic recovery aided by the introduction of the new Civic and CR-V models that are due in 6 months, and with the launch of the Accord which will occur in mid-2012.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Honda 2010 Overview

A Closer Look At The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 11:47 AM PST

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is probably the most popular SUV in North America and the 2011 model managed to grab the attention of many people in the business, including the guys over at CarAndDriver.com that were able to have a road test with this living legend SUV. The production planners at Jeep said with the occasion of the launch that no more than 5% of the Grand Cherokee buyers take the car offroad. This is somewhat of a sad story as the Cherokee was built to go where other normal cars fail. Ever since it was originally introduced back in 1992 at the Detroit Auto Show where I went through a plate-glass window, it was advertised as a car that can take you anywhere.

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the result of a 5-year development at Daimler Chrysler, then at Cerberus ownership and it was finished under the Italian management of Fiat. Although Chrysler had a bad 2009, they still have a few aces up their sleeves, like the Ram and the Ram Heavy Duty pickups. The 2011 Grand Cherokee is based on the same architecture of the Mercedes M-Class and benefits from a very modern running gear. In comparison with the live axle of the outgoing model, the 2011 version benefits form an independent multilink suspension.

For those of you that want to get this model you should know that it is available in a wide array of configurations. All of the trims are fitted with the standard V6 3.6-liter engine that is capable of outputting 290 hp @ 6,400 rpm and a decent torque of 260 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm. This engine is an improved model of the older generation that offered 210 hp and 235 lb-ft. The Laredo X, as well as the Limited and the Overland can be equipped with a more powerful 5.7-liter Hemi V8 that offers 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. The only available gearbox is a 5-speed automatic and all the trims can be either rear wheel drive or four wheel drive. With the V6, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is capable of towing up to 5000 pounds and with the Hemi, it can tow 7400 pounds.

The three 4×4 systems have the same names as the previous generation, but they have been tweaked and updated in order to be more efficient. The basic 4×4 setup is the Quadra-Trac I and is available exclusively to the Laredo configurations. It uses a single-speed transfer case that has a 50/50 torque split front/rear as well as electronic brake-based torque that is shunting from side to side. Available with the Laredo X models and above, the Quadra-Trac II comes with a 2-speed transfer case that has a 2.72:1 low range. It is capable of transferring 50% of the torque to the front wheels or 100% to the rear ones, depending on the available traction. The Quadra-Drive II is available only for the Hemi engine is standard on the Overland trim level and optional on the Limited and Laredo X configurations. The Q-D II (there is no Q-D I) offers an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential.

Quadra-Trac II and Quadra-Drive II setups come with the Selec-Terrain knob, which is positioned on the center tunnel and will permit the driver of the Grand Cherokee to choose from one of the five different programs for various conditions: auto, sport, rock, snow and sand/mud. The car can be equipped with an air suspension, on all models except the base Laredo. The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers 8.1 inches of ground clearance in normal. With the Off-Road I it offers 9.4 inches and with the Off-Road II it offers 10.7 inches of ground clearance. The park mode will lower the Grand Cherokee by 1.5 inches, which will make it easier for loading people or various objects. The aero mode will reduce the height of the car by 0.6 inches, improving fuel efficiency when travelling with speeds above 60 mph.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The older generations of the Jeep Grand Cherokee were not that bad to drive but the fact that they had cheap plastics inside the cabin, made them less desirable in comparison with other competitors. The level of the finish and fit is very high with the 2011 model, offering soft plastics in comparison with the cheap insertions used for the older generations. The car now has a decent leather quality, real wood trim (for the Overland trim level only), but the design of the door panes looks a little bit outdated. The seats of the Grand Cherokee are very comfortable and the cabin is still very quiet at speeds of 80 mph. The Overland trim level offers a buttery stitched-leather dash which looks very stylish and is very nice to feel.

The wheelbase of the 2011 model is 5 inches more in comparison to the outgoing generation and at its 114.8-inch, it is just about the same as the Mercedes ML. The increase of the wheelbase can easily be found at the rear seats where the occupants have now more space to relax, 3.1 inches to be more exact. A rather unusual fact is that although the 2011 model is 3.7 inches wider, 0.5 inches were lost in the front and rear seats. The 1.4-inch decrease in the front legroom is not noticeable so there shouldn't be any problems. The cargo volume measure now 36.3 cubic feet behind the second row and if you fold it, you will have 68.3 cubic feet to play with. These figures are 1.8 and 0.9 more in comparison with the previous generation.

Some of the most important standard features of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee include the cruise controls, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Sirius satellite radio, heated side mirrors and auto headlamps. The Laredo X (and above) is offered with leather upholstery, heated front seats, backup camera, subwoofer and 18-inch rims. The Limited offers in addition, Bi-Xenon headlamps, heated second-row seats and others. The Overland gets navigation, interior upgrades and many more.

Source: CarAndDriver.com

Post published on Rpmgo.com

A Closer Look At The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Testing The 2011 Honda CR-Z

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 11:44 AM PST

2011 Honda CR-Z

The Insight was the first hybrid automobile launched in North America about 10 years ago. Since it was introduced, it had a very hard time finding customers that were willing to pay for a carbon-conscious hybrid that managed to bring a very good fuel-economy ratio, but did not offer enough room for baggage plus the fact that it had only one additional seat. These impediments made lots of people to wait for the more practical Toyota Prius which was a hit from day one.

A few years later in 2003, Honda launched the hybrid version of the popular Civic model, but did not improve sales for the hybrid department of the Japanese manufacture. In 2005 Honda launched the hybrid version of their Accord model, but similar with the Civic, it didn't attract many customers that were looking for a hybrid model as they still preferred the Toyota Prius.

Five years later, Honda decided to bring a new approach to the hybrid market and launched the Insight which is a five-door, low-drag wedge that is very similar with the Prius. The new model was more popular than the Civic or the Accord, but still did not stand a chance against Toyota's model that offers more space in the back, more space for cargo and most important, better mileage. All these advantages of the Prius allowed it to outsold the Honda Insight 6 to 1 (80, 141 Honda's, 12, 115 Toyota's). These figures are available only for the first months of this year, because if we look back in 2009, Toyota was even more successful, managing to sell three times more cars (Prius) in comparison to the hybrid lineup (combined) offered by Honda (Civic + Accord + Insight).

Taking all these into consideration, Honda had to come up with a new model that would change the situation dramatically. With the 2011 CR-Z EX model, the Japanese automaker is hoping that it will attract more customers that are looking for a hybrid model. The CR-Z is considered by many as the spiritual successor of the iconic sporty CRX model that was launched in the 80s. The 2011 model is in fact a 2-seat version of the Insight rather than a reiteration of the model that was launched approximately 25 years ago.

Putting it head to head with the Insight, the 2011 CRZ model from Honda has a 4.5 inch shorter wheelbase, measuring 95.9 inches. The CRZ is however wider by 1.8 inches, totaling 68.5. Honda did not fully change the new model compared to the CRX from the 80s as both are three-door, two-seat hatchbacks. Plus the flashy styling of the 2011 model is inspired by the CRX.

The heart that powers the car is an electric motor, Honda's proprietary IMA – Integrated Motor Assist located between the 1.5-liter SOHC 16-valve engine that outputs 113 hp, and the 6-speed manual gearbox. The current hybrid configurations of the Civic and Accord are equipped with a 1.3-liter power unit. Due to the fact that it has a 6-speed manual transmission, the 2011 CR-Z is the only hybrid with three pedals. For extra money, you can get the CVT transmission that will cost you extra $650.

Having a closer look at the power unit of the CR-Z, you will observe that it is identical in displacement with the Fit's 117 hp engine. However, the engine resembles more with the first generation that powered the Fit's, a 1.5-liter power unit. This IMA is exactly the same to the one on the Insight – a 13-hp electric motor that is powered by 84 1.2-volt nickel-metal hydride batteries. It can offer 58 pound-feet of torque, which is similar with the Insight. The combined output of the gasoline and electric engines is 122 hp and a torque of 128 pound-feet. The torque is 123 pound-feet, for those of you that will choose the CVT transmission.

2011 Honda CR-Z

The 2011 CR-Z is 100 pounds lighter in comparison with the Insight, totaling 2644 lbs and it has an additional 24 hp, allowing it to reach 60 mph in 9.6 seconds, which is 0.7 seconds faster than the Insight. However, compared to a 1988 Honda CRX Si that has a 105 hp engine, it is slower by a second as far as the 0-60 mph sprint is concerned. We should also mention the fact the CR-Z is 558 pounds heavier than the CRX.

Equipped with the 6-speed gearbox, the car will do 31 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA's test procedures. Fitted with the CVT transmission, it will do 35 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. Compared to the Insight (40 mpg city / 43 mpg highway) and the popular Toyota Prius (51 mpg city / 58 mpg highway), the CR-Z is less efficient.

It appears that the CR-Z will not be a hit for Honda because many people will still continue to prefer the 5-door Insight which is not only more efficient and practical, but it costs just about the same. For people that can't or won't spend that much, there is the Fit which is however less efficient, but other than that, it is better and quicker. Of course, those that will buy the CR-Z will not be disappointed as it is a pleasure to drive. It offers a superb chassis, excellent ergonomics and a perfect shifter. The model is equipped with the efficient stop-start function which was further tuned by Honda for the 2011 CR-Z. The power unit cuts when the driver is slowing at a stop as early as 20 mph; once the driver shifts into gear, the car will power up without any unpleasant vibrations.

All things considered, the 2011 Honda CR-Z is a good car but it does not stand a chance in comparison with the Fit and the popular CRX model. It can be labeled as a green car but no way near the Insight or the Toyota Prius. However, it looks and drives fantastic.

Source: CarAndDriver.com

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Testing The 2011 Honda CR-Z

Summary – 2011 Dodge Journey

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 11:43 AM PST

2011 Dodge Journey

In the last few months, Chrysler has brought many improvements and updates for the vast majority of their models and the Journey was not left out of the deal. Along with the 2011 Dodge Durango and the Dodge Charger, the Journey brings for 2011 a new look, significantly more power, a much updated interior look and decent fuel economy. According to the people at AutoBlog.com that had the chance of taking the car for a quick spin, it has one of the most generous and fast touch screen ever installed on an automobile before.

We all know that with their recent models, Chryslers has managed to greatly improve the materials that are used inside the cabin and it should come as no surprise that the Journey is benefiting from this trend. This is not the most important update brought to the car in comparison with the previous generation, as the engineers at Dodge spent a lot of time tweaking the driving character of the car. With these changes brought to the car, the Journey morphed from a car that was never seen as a potential competitor, into one that is worth taking into consideration when picking out a brand new crossover.

These significant changes were not applied to the exterior look of the car, Dodge wanted to keep the original look and improve things here and there, giving a more fresh and updated look to the Journey. Up front you will notice the redesigned fascia, the freshened corporate split-crosshair grille and the massive 19-inch rims. In the back the car got LED taillights and that's about it, no other changes in comparison with the 2010 version of the Journey.

Once you get inside, you will notice the huge difference. Instead of offering new shades of the boring gray plastic, people over at Dodge managed to add new more exciting colors that give the car a new look as far as the cabin is concerned. Similar to other cars manufactured by the Dodge, the Journey benefits from the implementation of the single-piece, soft touch instrument panels. By eliminating the multi-piece dashboards that we are all accustomed to, Dodge managed to avoid the likelihood of rattles and squeaks and at the same time, reduced the possibility that during assembly, something might be done wrong. The nice to poke soft-touch material used for the cabin allowed the Dodge designers to throw in 0-milimiter tolerances for HVAC bezels.

We mentioned the big touch screen; it has a generous 8.5-inch diagonal (optional) that draws all the attention inside the large cabin of the Journey. The screen not only is very responsive and quick, but it also offers crystal-clear graphics. Changing the radio stations is done very easy without any hassle, and you don't have to wait between two stations, we all know how annoying that could get.

2011 Dodge Journey

Moving on to more important business, the engine of the 2011 Dodge Journey is the new generation V6 3.6-liter Pentastar that is capable of outputting 283 hp at 6,350 rpm. Torque figures are 260 pound-feet at 4,400 rpm. In comparison to the previous generation of the engine, the car is now 20% more powerful which makes it very agile than ever before. The engine is linked to a comfortable smart-swapping 6-speed automatic gearbox, which will not give you any trouble in traffic. The Mexico-built 2011 Dodge Journey is available with a four wheel drive and it will do a decent 17 mpg city / 25 mpg highway. For those of you that cannot afford the Pentastar V6 3.6-liter engine, Dodge is offering a smaller 2.4-liter that outputs 173 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 166 pound-feet @ 4,000 rpm which is linked to an outdated 4-speed automatic gearbox, making the car quite slow, taking into consideration the weight of the 7-seater.

Of course the Pentastar engine is agile, but nobody can say that it is fast. However, thanks to the fact that it has a quicker-ratio steering rack, along with a host of bushings and stiffer springs, the 2011 Dodge Journey is quite capable of taking corners, despite its weight and size.

The base model for the 2011 Dodge Journey, dubbed Express, will cost you $22,245 but it will come with the outdated engine and transmission that don't live up to the expectations of a 2011 model. For $2,000 more, you can get the Journey Mainstreet which will come with the powerful Pentastar engine. In addition to this price, you will have to pay a $750 worth of destination charge, regardless of the model you want.

Dodge managed to surprise many people with the launch of the 2011 Journey, which although does not offer many improvements as far as the exterior look is concerned, it brings many updates for the materials used inside the cabin, plus the V6 3.6-liter Pentastar power unit that gives the Journey a brand new life, leaving behind the rusted and outdated image of the outgoing generation that nobody took into consideration as a crossover choice.

Source: AutoBlog.com

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Summary – 2011 Dodge Journey

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