After three distinct concept that came before, the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi made its world debut today. The Kizashi is the Japanese car company’s first premium midsize sedan and will go on sale in North America this winter, where it will compete with other import models like the Mazda6.
As expeced the Suzuki’s design is inspired by the three concept vehicles with its bold and aggressive appearance that is accentuated by the 18 inch alloy wheels and integrated dual sport exhaust. For the interior, Suzuki fitted a set of sport seats as standard equipment, an elegantly illuminated instrument panel, leather wrapped surfaces as well as iPod connectivity and optional streaming audio via Bluetooth.
Under the hood, Suzuki placed a 2.4 Liter DOHC inline four cylinder engine as standard equipment that is mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or optional continuously variable transmission. The fun to drive Korean automaker is also working on a few other possible power train combinations that will be offered sometime in the future.
We recently received a Deep Water Blue Pearl 2009 Dodge Avenger SXT in our Top Speed test fleet. The Avenger is the smallest sedan in the Chrysler lineup and because of that it carries a few styling cues from its larger brother, the Charger. Aside from the captivating pearlescent paint our Avenger’s most attractive feature are the blistered fender flares that house 18 inch thick five spoke rims and the bold hump in the rear quarter panel that gives this little front wheel drive four door the stance of a bona fide muscle car along with the sharp front lip and rear wing.
The Avenger’s seats are wrapped in stain resistant black cloth while almost every other surface is made out of some kind of plastic, but the Dodge design team did manage to dress it up with some shiny trim in a few key places, like on the door speaker, handle and lock. Our Avenger SXT also comes with a few nice interior appointments like Chrysler’s uconnect multimedia GPS system that incorporates the radio, hard disk navigation unit and Sirius real time traffic information into a well laid out touch screen display right in front of the driver. Just below that piece of user friendly technology is one of the coolest cup holders in any vehicle, because it will either heat or chill your beverage depending on what you want it to do.
If you’ve heard of the Twindoor system, chances are you’ve probably heard of Skoda. The Czech-based Volkswagen subsidiary is known for their innovative technology all while giving new meaning to the term ‘hybrid’ – and were not talking about fuel efficiency.
That being said, Skoda is set to unveil their latest creation, an estate version of their Superb sedan, the Superb Kombi at the Frankfurt Motor Show, along, of course, with about two dozen other vehicles of different classes.
But while the Superb Kombi is neither a sports car nor a luxury sedan, it does have one thing none of those other cars car come close to having: the Twindoor trunk/tailgate system.
If General Motors is to bounce back from its beleaguered state, it’s got to deliver on its promises. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz made one when he said that the Pontiac G8, scheduled for the chopping block at the end of the year, will eventually resurface in Chevrolet showrooms as the Caprice.
"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Despite the Vice Chairman’s promise, there still seems to be mixed feeling within the organization regarding the future of the G8. One of the people against the move happens to be CEO Fritz Henderson, who has been repeatedly heard saying that he isn’t a fan of rebadging.
Nevertheless, Lutz is bent on keeping his promise, saying that the wheels have already been set in motion and that export agreements with a number of countries, specifically Australia, where the Holden Commodore has already been rebadged as Chevrolets in a slew of countries. This precedent, according to Lutz, is something that he is looking at using in order to repackage the G8 as a Chevrolet-badged vehicle under the Caprice name.
The 407 has an elegance that truly stands out in its segment, in keeping with the 207 and 308. Its excellent resale value and reliability are combined with competitive running costs, as confi rmed by surveys carried out recently in Germany. In terms of handling it excels, combining active safety, driving involvement and comfort of a high level. Incorporating the very best technical solutions, this recognised expertise will be referred to as Peugeot Road Touch Tech in communications to the general public.
Subtle visual improvements updating a design that is just as dynamic and bold as before but now features more in terms of elegance, robustness and high quality, both externally and internally. New enhanced comfort equipment increasing the appeal of the different versions by offering even greater specification and well-being to its occupants, particularly onboard temperature control and new telematics systems.
It is available with a choice of four- and six-cylinder engines featuring the latest technology, particularly on the HDi diesel versions, the most popular engine specifi ed in the 407. These include an uprated 2.0-litre HDi engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox which develops a power of 103 kW (140bhp), an increase of 3 kW (4bhp). It also benefi ts from a fuel consumption of 5.6 litres/100km (42.0mpg) and CO2 emissions reduced to 150g/km.
Here’s a rendering of Volkswagen’s Passat replacement. Last year we reported that VW will split up Passat production in a similar way that Honda makes one Accord for North America and another for the rest of the world (the other version of the Accord is a smaller car and is sold in the U.S. as the Acura TSX.)
The next Passat for the U.S. will be larger than the other version and likely shared with China. The parts for the U.S. car may be made in China and assembled at VW’s new facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen should have it’s NMS (New Midsized Sedan) ready for 2010, and it hopes to sell about 150,000 annually.
Opel’s revelation of a new driver-aid system comes a day after we found a new application for classmate Distonic plus present on the Mercedes S-Class. This technology would support rather than irritate buyers looking for a mid-size car with extra safety features.
Some of the S-Class’s customers complained the Distronic plus along with other safety allies, snatched most of their effort while driving. A group of onboard computers were found guilty for this problem of turning drivers into merely passengers. A car which can brake and accelerate on its own is not a driver’s car after all, is it?
What a driver’s car needs is a device or a group of electronic gizmos to promote driving and not monotony. Opel’s answer couldn’t have come at a much better time.
Opel’s technology uses a camera fixed to the front windshield behind the mirrors, which detects road signs on the go. By clicking and analyzing 30 pictures every single second, the system can detect road signs displaying speed limits. Instead of applying the brakes or setting a constant speed, it will alert the driver by displaying the speed limit on the instrument cluster. If the speed limit changes, the driver is alerted again.
There are award categories for cars with the best engine, best design and even security. Here’s another you can add to that list. The car with the best towing ability.
In this year’s Towcar awards, contestants were put through a series of challenges to ultimately decide which car was the best for camping trips that involved towing caravans. It not only included towing ability but practicality, driving ability otherwise, safety etc.
The evaluating panel were specialists in this field. It included industry experts, motoring journalists and caravanning enthusiasts who watched closely at the ability and performance of all cars.
The judges chose the XJ Diesel as the champion because: "Stability and ride comfort don’t always go together. Cars with rear suspension that’s firm almost to a fault in normal driving are often the most composed when towing. But the XJ combines unflappable stability with limousine comfort. The suspension’s alchemy was worth its weight in gold through the lane-change test. The XJ changed direction quickly, gripping hard and holding the intended line. However much the caravan slid behind it, the Jag wouldn’t budge. Data from the ATC shows how much G-force was generated in the van, but the smooth curve of the graph speaks volumes as to how undramatic the Jaguar made this manoeuvre."
The body of the Jaguar XJ is built out of Aluminium and notably in the past it played a special role as that of an armored vehicle, which demonstrated its rugged attribute. So if you are on the lookout for a vehicle to haul your caravan, we have an answer- Jaguar XJ diesel.
Suzuki is planning to gave big head aches to models like Toyota Camry and Honda Accord starting early next year when they will unveil a new mid-size sedan based on the Kizashi 3 concept. Set to be a 2010 model, the future sedan will be priced between $21000 and up to $28,000 for the top-of-the-line model.
The design will be inspired by the aggressive sleek looks of the Kizashi 3 concept, and most of the elements from the concept will also be kept for the production version.
For the entry-level version of the production Kizashi 3, power is expected to come from a 2.5 liter inline 4-cylinder engine while the range-topper will carry a 3.5 liter DOHC 24-valve V6 that will produce 260-hp. The latter is said to be derived from GM’s V6 found in the Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Malibu.
The future model will be produced at Suzuki’s new factory that is currently under construction in Sagara, Japan.
Kia unveiled at the New York Auto Show the 2009 Optima, a model that offers a completely modified exterior, which offers a more aggressive, dynamic style than previous models, and is outfitted with a new engine that provides more power and better fuel economy. The 2009 Optima will go on sale in early fall.
For 2009. Optima is being offered in three different versions: LX, EX and the new sporty SX trim. Along with a sport-tuned suspension, SX upgrades include: a black-bezeled front grille and headlamps, LED outside-mirror turning signals, fog lights and hyper-silver-finished 17-inch wheels. EX and LX V6 models are equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, and are fitted with Goodyear tires.
The 2009 Optima is available in two powerplants – a 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 2.7-liter V6 engine – and two five-speed transmissions (manual with LX four-cylinder model only). The four-cylinder engine delivers 161 hp and the 2.7-liter V6 delivers190 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The V6 is mated to a five-speed, gated automatic transmission. All automatics feature Sportmatic clutchless shifting.
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