Thursday, April 28, 2011

The 2011 Jeep Patriot ranks 20 out of 23 Affordable Compact SUVs. This ranking is based on our analysis of 48 published reviews and test drives of the Jeep Patriot, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.The Jeep Patriotis an affordable off-road SUV. And, while reviewers say it’s one of the most comfortable off-roaders you can by, it still can’t compete with smoother-riding crossovers.

Compact SUV buyers are generally looking for comfortable and practical runabouts with a touch of go-anywhere capability. Reviewers say that the Jeep Patriot is just the opposite: a capable off-road SUV with a touch of practicality and comfort. While it’s an affordable off-road SUV, it’s just not as easy-to-live with as most compact SUV competition.

Jeep Patriot

However, Jeep Patriot that doesn’t stop some reviewers for recommending the Jeep Patriot for its great fuel economy and low base price. Plus, with updates for this year, its interior is improved, and there are some high-tech optional features. But, reviewers complain about its uncomfortable rear seats and short list of standard features. If you want to go off-road and don’t want to spend a lot of money, the Patriot makes sense. For buyers who want a comfortable in-town runner, it doesn’t.If you want something more comfortable than the Jeep Patriot, you’ll have to pay more and give up some off-roading ability to get it. The 2011 Kia Sportage is an affordable small SUV that trumps the Patriot when it comes to interior comfort and standard features. It starts at about $500 more than the Patriot, and while it lacks the Patriots classically-Jeep styling, reviewers say it’s a more well-rounded SUV.

You can gain some around-town comfort while keeping some rugged ability by going for the Subaru Forester. Reviewers like the Forester’s practical interior and great safety scores. While it is about $2,000 more than the Jeep Patriot, it has standard all-wheel drive. You have to pay about $1,500 extra on top of the Patriot’s base price to get a four-wheel drive model, so in the end, you only end up paying about $500 more for the Subaru.

Jeep Patriot

While the Jeep Patriot base model lacks standard features, you can get some pretty high-tech systems as options. Chrysler’s Uconnect voice command system is a stand-alone option on all models, and you can also get things like flip down tailgate speakers for outdoor parties. Reviewers say that, overall, the Jeep Patriot interior features work well, but they wish for more standards and nicer materials

2011 Honda Fit

The Honda Fit is a super-metro champion. For 2011 the subcompact five-door hatchback offers exceptional space efficiency and fuel economy in an affordable and stylish package. The Fit is one of the most fun small cars in its class to drive. The hatchback has already won a multitude of awards that prove the vehicle's dominance.

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2011 Ford Fusion

2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid is armored with dual powertrain which include 2.5 L capacity four cylinder gasoline engine and pared with electric motor capable of generating 191 HP of power. This combo powertrain is mated with continuously variable automatic transmission and front wheel drive channel. This sedan is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 MPH in 8.7 seconds which is quick for a hybrid vehicle.

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Corvette

The Chevy Corvette is a sports car that has been designed by General Motors. The history of Chevy Corvette suggests that this racing car has been admired by thousands of people worldwide. This sports car was introduced in 1953 as a show car to compete with European companies like Jaguar and MG. The response was great and the production began in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose was to provide you with best racing experience!

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Ford Mustang

With an aggressive advertising campaign, over 22,000 Ford Mustangs were sold on the very first day that the car was available. By the end of 1964, over 250,000 Mustangs had been sold. In the first 12 months, the sales figure was over 400,000.

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Nissan USA

In the year, prior to the turn of the millennium, Nissan was a company in a serious financial crisis. Debt had approached $22 billion by 1999. The company had been too complacent, and had taken its prior success, for granted [2].

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Nissan Rebates

Consumers are much more savvy these days when shopping for a new car. The Internet has made it much easier to find and compare vehicles, saving car shoppers hundreds, even thousands of dollars off of the price of their new ride.

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Chevrolet Volt

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt ranks 3 out of 21 Upscale Midsize Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 25 published reviews and test drives of the Chevrolet Volt, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
Car reviewers have been buzzing about the Volt ever since Chevrolet floated the idea of an extended-range electric vehicle. With plenty of test-drives under their belts, reviewers agree that the Chevrolet Volt which is the 2011 North American Car of the Year, exceeds their expectations.

Rarely have expectations been as high for a new car as they were for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Amid industry debate (“It’s an electric car!” “It’s a hybrid!” “It’s neither!”), Chevrolet rolled out the Volt. With the first test drives complete, most reviews agree with the Detroit News, who cuts through the debate and says, "I'll simply add my 2 cents: The Volt is a great car." Automotive journalists even went so far as to vote the Volt the 2011 North American Car of the Year.

Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt is neither a hybrid car nor an electric car. Chevrolet Volt calls it an extended range electric vehicle. What makes the Chevy Volt so unique is its powertrain: it has an electric motor that powers the car for the first 25 to 50 miles of driving. Then, with its batteries depleted, the Chevrolet Volt switches on a gasoline engine that acts as a generator, providing more electric power for the motor. With most Americans driving less than 50 miles a day, it’s possible that the majority of Volt owners will rarely hit the electric motor’s mileage cap. For those buyers, the Chevrolet Volt is largely an electric car.
But, unlike electric cars, which are limited by the charge carried in their batteries, the Chevrolet Volt has its backup generator – removing the issue of battery range and finding a place to charge. In essence, the Chevrolet Volt was designed to be an electric car on most days, but operates like a conventional car when it’s time for a road trip. The Volt is an intriguing solution to the challenges posed by purely electric cars.

Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet volt test drivers report that the Chevrolet Volt is easy to live with, cheap to charge (about 80 cents worth of electricity is all it take to get a full charge and about 50 miles of travel) and, unlike electric cars, worry-free when it comes to its range. Even better, the Chevrolet Volt, unlike most hybrids, is actually fun to drive, with ample power and sporty handling, even if the ride is occasionally unrefined.
The Volt isn’t for everyone, however. Like any one-of-a-kind item, it’s priced high for what’s essentially a mid-sized hatchback. The Chevrolet Volt MSRP is $41,000 – which is a lot for a Chevy. The net price drops when you factor in the federal government’s $7,500 plug-in car tax credit, but even after the credit, $33,500 may be a tough pill for most buyers to swallow, especially when the Chevrolet Volt next-closest competitor, the all-electric Nissan Leaf, can be had for $25,750 after the tax credit ($33,250 before tax credit).

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Maserati Granturismo s

Maserati Granturismo s getting hotter out there. Barely one year after launching the new GranTurismo coupé, Maserati Granturismo s has unleashed the S version. This is the hair-on-fire model, equipped with the lunatic 4.7 litre V8 that Alfa Romeo uses in the stunning 8C Maserati Granturismo s coupé, albeit differently tuned. In the Maserati Granturismo s , it produces 433bhp, compared with the regular GT’s 400bhp.

Visually, the Maserati Granturismo s gains subtle side-skirts and a lip spoiler on the bootlid. Down below, the two oval exhausts are surrounded by a valance, which gives the tail an even more planted look. The overall effect – along with new 20in alloy wheels meant to evoke Maserati Granturismo s trademark trident – is to toughen up an already gorgeous form without making it look like a Halfords tack-on job.

Maserati Granturismo s

Maserati Granturismo s let’s start with that engine, which is just epic. Slide in behind the Maserati Granturismo s thick-rimmed steering wheel and slot the ignition key in – it’s good to see there’s no red-glowing start-button affectation going on here. Maserati Granturismo s after just one crank, the big V8 burbles gently into life with a low-key moan. If Maserati Granturismo s sounds a bit anticlimactic, the driver can fix it by prodding the “Sport” button on the instrument panel, which, thanks to pneumatic valves within the exhaust system, immediately transforms that gentle throat-clearing engine note into an angry, sharp-edged cackle with a “ragga-ragga-ragga” beat. If ever a V8 had an Italian accent, this one does.
Maserati Granturismo s noise at idle is a Hollywood soundtrack, the uncorked symphony is pure Bullitt meets Days of Thunder but with a dash of Italianate refinement.Maserati Granturismo s leaving Sport mode engaged and hammering the throttle provokes a rising, jagged snarl that snaps any pedestrian within 200 yards to attention, and even colleagues in following cars report a devastating wall of sound as the engine wails to its 7000rpm power peak. Lift off the throttle and you get a rolling thunder of

Maserati Granturismo s

A shame, that, because otherwise the Maserati Granturismo s is a supremely capable GT. The Maserati Granturismo s has a thicker rear antiroll bar than the regular model, uprated brakes, stiffer suspension and those larger wheels. Couple that with excellent weight distribution and you’ve got a coupé that has balance and poise through long bends, and enough agility to take on tricky, tight country roads. Body roll through corners is nicely contained, and the car keeps a close connection to terra firma over crests and dips.
The Maserati Granturismo s ride quality is surprisingly good, too, given the larger wheels and stiffer setup – it’s firm, but there is none of the nasty crashing through potholes and badly broken tarmac that I’d foreseen.
The cabin is a lovely place to spend time. Maserati Granturismo s driving position is fine, with an electric adjustment of steering wheel reach and tilt to fine-tune it. And the flappy paddles have been lengthened, especially at the top. The idea is that as you tackle a tight corner with lots of steering lock you can still grab a gearchange without moving your hands on the wheel.
There’s even room in the back for occasional adult passengers, although you wouldn’t want to be driving far. In the interests of better support for front-seat occupants – on account of the car’s more sporting brief – the seatbacks are quite firm. The support is good when you’re going hard but I did find them a bit too unyielding in longer runs.
Then there’s the price. The Maserati Granturismo s will cost £89,900 when it goes on sale here in September. That’s £21,150 more than the Porsche 911 Carrera S and £18,905 more than a Jaguar XKR. You’d need to beat up the options list heavily on either of those contenders to get anywhere close to the Maserati Granturismo s price tag. Even something as rarefied as the Aston Martin Vantage V8, which is arguably just as gorgeous as the Maserati, is a less expensive proposition than the S (admittedly, you could fix that by going crazy with the Aston’s long, long options list).
Maserati Granturismo s all of those competitors are extremely accomplished, and even if the Maserati Granturismo s gearbox isn’t an issue for potential customers, they might struggle to justify the extra spend. The GranTurismo is a gorgeous creation with a sensational engine, but are those two elements really worth an extra £20,000?