Forbidden Fruit: Luxgen5

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Posted by on July 19, 2012

If you’ve just come out from under a rock, you might be surprised to learn that Chinese carmakers now sell cars in Europe and South America, not to mention many parts of Asia.  Their cheap price-of-entry and simple design makes them desirable in developing regions where purse strings are tight.  Unfortunately, they have not made much headway in more affluent countries like the United States, where spotty safety equipment/design and dismal emissions have kept the Chinese in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.  Then, in a shocking move at the height of a world-wide recession, a small Taiwanese auto-maker and -importer launched the Luxgen brand.  Recently, Luxgen caught my eye with their new Luxgen5 sedan – perhaps the first Asian car that I would buy (outside of Japanese and Korean automakers).  Why?  Read on to find out!

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Downsizing: BMW Does It Right

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Posted by on July 18, 2012

BMW USA has started replacing its naturally aspirated 3.0L I-6 engine with a new 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder mill. The engine, internally known as the N20, will be offered first in the Z4 sDrive28i roadster, and make its way into the 328i, 528i, and X3 models. It is unclear whether there will be a 728i offered, although it seems very unlikely – a 4 cylinder has never been offered in a European flagship in the US before.

Such a move is seen as blasphemy among many within the car community. BMW’s cult following will undoubtedly lament the loss of their legendary 3.0L inline-six. Its silky smooth nature, paired with its linear power delivery and sonorous exhaust note, made it a benchmark engine that many other automakers strived to emulate. Why is BMW moving away from such a wonderful engine and going back in time to the unloved 318i of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s?

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Stupid Technology: EcoBoost engines

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Posted by on July 17, 2012

With consumers driving demand for high-tech cars, it can be daunting to sort through the list of innovations that.  Many of the new technologies, like Bluetooth hands-free technology, has been well received industry-wide.  Others are just costly, useless inventions with fluffy names that consumers will likely regret buying.  This series is for consumers who are tired of doing research, and just want someone to tell them what not to waste money on.  The first part of this series concentrates on reduced displacement, turbocharged engines.  Ford in particular has concentrated on EcoBoost technology – using a smaller engine with a turbocharger.  This is said to provide relatively high levels of power while providing great fuel economy.  However, some EcoBoost engines are part of the options list, costing lots of extra money.  Nonetheless, others seem to believe in this method, with Chevrolet, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Dodge all introducing their own versions of smaller, turbocharged engines.  However, that doesn’t mean that EcoBoost is a runaway success.

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Review: 2012 Ford Focus SE

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Posted by on July 16, 2012

It’s a muggy and overcast day after a week of beautiful Southern California sunshine – awful beach weather, but perfect weather for taking a new 2012 Ford Focus SE hatchback through the twisty backroads near Malibu. Follow the jump to find out how the Focus fares against the hotly contested compact segment.

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2007 Honda Fit, Wrecked!

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Posted by on July 9, 2012

As a car enthusiast, I love the idea of a lightweight and nimble vehicle. While not sporty, nor powerful, my own xB weighs in at a svelte 2,400 lbs. While car enthusiasts pine for lightweight hot hatches like the original GTI (1,742 lbs), I’m glad that my friend Gordon was surrounded by an additional thousand pounds of steel and side airbags when he was T-boned in an intersection by a reckless driver. While his Fit was still under 2,500 lbs, it’s clear from the photos of the wreck that it did a good job of keeping structural integrity during the crash. He was also fortunate enough to have been hit on the passenger side while he was the only one in the car.  Gordon was shaken from the accident, and very sore for the following week. Even though we’re sad to see this Fit in such mess, we’re glad it was the car rather than the driver. With 150,000 miles on the clock, it was too soon for the Fit to die, but at least it lived a long and well cared for life.

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Obscure Maintenance: Cooling System

Posted by on June 28, 2012

The white residue indicates that the coolant has boiled over - this can be caused by a faulty $5 radiator cap or bad coolant overflow tank.

With a hot summer rapidly approaching, you might start to see ads about preparing your car’s cooling system.  I used to think these ads were totally bunk.  I mean, the cooling system is so simple, just add air and it should work just fine!  However, after I got my diesel pickup, I started to realize that there is much more to it.  Luckily, maintaining the cooling system on your vehicle is not only easy, but also the best investment you will ever make.  After all, it is most likely to fail under very inhospitable conditions – why would you risk it?

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Forbidden Fruit: GM Ecotec 1.6T

Posted by on June 27, 2012

Photo from flickr user iJayJay of his Cruze T.

Domestic automakers have enjoyed a resurgence of interest from the younger crowd as of late.  After being pulled through the recession by federal money, they have doubled up on their efforts to stay ahead of Toyota and Honda by introducing new vehicles with stunning design and loads of tech.  Just look at the new Fusion, Camaro, Edge, Cruze, etc.  The list goes on forever.  Which is why I am bloody mad that we continue to offer our support, while the big wigs in Detroit continue to short us of their best products.  Just take the Cruze as an example – GM’s most significant small car in a long time was introduced in Europe and Asian in early 2009, while Americans had to wait until late 2010 to buy this vehicle.  If that wasn’t insulting enough, now GM is withholding a new 1.6L turbo 4-cylinder engine from the US market.

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Road of the Month: Mt. Lemmon Highway, Tucson, AZ

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Posted by on June 26, 2012

A friend and I were talking the other day about being sent for training in other states, and he mentioned that for some reason, he almost always had to train in Arizona in the summer.  This may seem counter-intuitive considering that AZ is extremely hot during the summer, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  The heat means that tourism rates drop considerably in AZ during summers, and that leads to cheaper hotel rates for companies.  Likewise, consumers can also take advantages of these lower rates – but what do you do when it’s 120F outside?  You get in the car and you drive until you hit cooler weather.  Luckily, the Mt. Lemmon Highway, also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway, is a beautiful road just east of Tucson that’s perfect for escaping the heat.

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Review: 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

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Posted by on June 25, 2012

Summer in America typically means that families all across the country pack up and head out on road trips.  Mine is no different – we have been avid road trippers for a couple decades now, traveling as many as 4,000 miles in a week.  This summer, we decided to fly out to Chicago and road trip across the Midwest – St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville and Indianapolis.  While I was preparing for the trip, all I could think of was what van we would be picking up at the airport.  I’ll admit that I had been hoping for a Toyota Sienna or perhaps a Nissan Quest, so I was a little dismayed when faced with the choice of a Chrysler or a Dodge.  Nonetheless, I was still excited to see what improvements had been made to the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT.

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Obscure Maintenance: PCV Valve

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Posted by on May 24, 2012

The average age of vehicles on the road today has steadily increased for numerous reasons.  Better lubrication, better reliability, and a bad economy can all be cited as factors.  That’s why we’ve decided it’s time to start a series on obscure maintenance items – things that may be forgotten as the years pass by on a typical vehicle.  Tires, brakes, engine oil, belts, wipers – those are replaced with some regularity and don’t count.  This series is for components that many people, even true car enthusiasts can forget about – like the PCV valve.

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