Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey equipped with a four-cylinder engine and four conventional side doors. In reality, it cultivated a loyal following among consumers who wanted lots of space combined with unwavering reliability and the fuel economy that a small engine could provide. The third generation Odyssey is far sportier looking than anything else in its category. A low roofline and reduced ground clearance give the new Honda a ground-hugging appearance. The Odyssey looks most attractive from front angles, where its sleek nose and aggressive headlight assembly – with eye-catching blue reflectors – give an impression like no other people mover. Sporty twin exhausts can be found at the rear and the top-of-the-line Luxury version (as tested) scores 16-inch alloy wheels. Plus, it is the first van to offer the clever “magic” third-row seat that folded into the floor.
Engine A 3.5-liter SOHC V6 engine with variable valve timing and lift electronic control (VTEC), generating 255 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 250 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm. Power flows to the front wheels through a new five-speed automatic transmission with direct shift control, getting to the ground more quickly thanks to a new drive-by-wire throttle. This engine runs on regular unleaded fuel, and meets stringent Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standards in California and New England. Model Lineup Honda offers the new Odyssey in LX and EX trim levels. A leather package is available on the EX, and a new Touring edition is a fully equipped luxury van with all the bells and whistles. Honda Odyssey, the LX also includes P235/65 tires mounted to 16-inch wheels, power windows for the first two rows of seats, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control, a CD player, a 60/40 split-folding “magic” third-row seat, an in-floor storage bin, and a smart maintenance indicator. On the Odyssey LX, the exterior trim is black rather than body color and the wheel covers are plastic, making it easy to identify as the entry-level model. To open the sunroof, reach down onto the lower left portion of the dashboard, rather than overhead, to find the controls. A leather package turns the Odyssey EX into the Odyssey EX-L. Advanced engine technology that generates better fuel economy is standard on this model, along with special noise-suppression technology, triple-zone climate control, and a power sunroof that lacks one-touch open and close control. Oddly, the leather package does not include a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Options for the Odyssey EX-L include a DVD entertainment system with integrated remote control and wireless headphones with personal surround sound; and a DVD navigation system with XM satellite radio, voice-recognition control, integrated Zagat restaurant surveys, and a reversing camera. EQUIPMENTS: A 360-watt premium audio system, automatic headlights, parking sensors, a second-row removable center console, a Michelin PAX run-flat tire system with tire pressure monitors, a driver memory seat, a programmable multi-information display, special interior trim, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a 115-volt AC power outlet, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and unique alloy wheels, power adjustable pedals, a power tailgate. ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY With an iVTEC (i = intelligent) Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system that shuts down three of the engine’s six cylinders to conserve fuel when cruising at a steady rate of speed or when decelerating. With this engine, the Odyssey is expected to achieve a 20-mpg city and a 28-mpg highway fuel efficiency rating from the EPA. Included with this engine is an Active Noise Control (ANC) technology that works in concert with the audio system to quell unwanted interior noise from the VCM and other sources, allowing the technology to work transparently to the Odyssey’s occupants. The brakes perform well but our test vehicle felt like it had a problem with its pads – it occassionally lacked pedal feel at moderate brake pressure. However, all-out stopping power can’t be criticised – the 300mm ventilated front and 305mm solid rear discs arrest the Odyssey without fuss. EBD and ABS come standard but brake assist is not available on local models. The new Odyssey is redesigned with this goal in mind, and the result is a comprehensive standard safety package on all models as well as a new Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure. ACE refers to the design of the Honda Odyssey’s forward frame elements, new upper and lower structural members engineered to spread crash energy over a larger area for absorption and disperse the energy away from the cabin. New gussets located in the lower corners of the engine bay at the firewall intend to reduce passenger compartment intrusion during a crash. Honda expects this new design to better protect the Odyssey’s occupants while making the new minivan more compatible with smaller vehicles in an accident. SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS Inside the Honda Odyssey, a full complement of airbags and safety technologies come standard to protect passengers. Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags are combined with standard side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor for all three rows. To help keep a rollover accident from occurring, every Honda Odyssey is equipped with a standard Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system, which includes both traction control and stability control. Also standard is a four-wheel-disc ABS with brake assist technology to bring the new Odyssey to a stop as quickly as possible. NEW FEATURES Odyssey which adds power adjustable pedals, a power tailgate, a 360-watt premium audio system, automatic headlights, parking sensors, a second-row removable center console, a Michelin PAX run-flat tire system with tire pressure monitors, a driver memory seat, a programmable multi-information display, special interior trim, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a 115-volt AC power outlet, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and unique alloy wheels. Beautiful speedometer.Optional on the Touring are entertainment and navigation systems. SPECIFICATIONS Engine Size and Type : 3.5-liter V6 Engine Horsepower : 255 at 5,750 rpm Engine Torque : 250 at 4,500 rpm EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 19/25 (estimated for LX and EX); 20/28 mpg (estimated for EX-L and Touring) Observed Fuel Economy : 19.3 mpg (Touring test model) Curb Weight : 4,378 to 4,634 (LX to Touring) Max. Cargo Capacity : 147.4 cubic feet Max. Towing Capacity : 3,500 pounds Max. Seating Capacity : 7 (LX and Touring); 8 (EX and EX-L)

Toyota Prius

Hi to all...glad to meet you guys with an interesting article about the Toyota Prius...Toyota comes with this stylish car...lets see about the features of the car and details...
The Toyota Prius is an impressive technological feat. It offers much better fuel economy than conventional cars and radically less environmental impact. We wouldn't have expected the pairing a small gas engine with a battery-powered motor to create a social phenomenon, but that's what the Prius has done, and it continues to be in demand.

The Prius is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the United States and in the world. Toyota sold just 5,600 in 2001, but annual sales expanded to 54,000 in 2004 and 108,000 in 2005. Sales for the first quarter of 2008 were up from the same period in 2007.

Introduced as a 2001 model, the Prius was redesigned for 2004 and updated for 2006. The 2008 Prius gets some new options, notably leather upholstery and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

We find the Prius to be a comfortable car that's easy to like and live with. It's roomy, with adult-size back seats and lots of cargo space. It's pleasant to look at, with sleek, futuristic styling, easy to spot in a parking lot. In short, we like the Prius.

The EPA ratings for the 2008 Prius are 48 mpg City, 45 mpg Highway, and we're guessing everyday fuel economy for most owners should fall somewhere between 40 and 50 mpg. The test procedure used until recently by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency exaggerated the fuel efficiency of all hybrids, but the EPA has revised its test procedures to more closely simulate modern driving habits.

While the Prius excels at fuel economy, its performance in terms of emissions is even better. Prius is certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV); meaning that it meets the Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) exhaust standard; plus a zero evaporative emissions standard, a 150,000-mile durability demonstration, and an extended emissions system warranty. That makes the Prius an excellent choice for buyers who want to reduce air pollution and America's dependence on oil. The Prius isn't cheap, but it costs less than a lot of other vehicles that are commonly promoted as family transportation.

It's important to understand that the Prius is not an electric car. You never plug it in. And there's no worry about driving beyond the range of the battery. A small, highly efficient four-cylinder gasoline engine charges the battery as you drive. No special knowledge is needed to drive the Prius. It works just like a regular car: You get in, you twist the key, you put the lever in Drive and you go. When it gets low on gas, you fill it up.Thank you for seeing this post...hope you like it..please fill your comments in the cbox...thank you for your cooperation...

Cadillac STS

Hi to all...Glad to meet you with an interesting article about the cars...in this we are going to seeabout the features of the car Cadillac's STS...lets see the features of the car...Cadillac's current-generation STS was the first to use a rear-wheel-drive chassis, which at last put it on equal footing with big-name players such as the Mercedes Benz E-class, the Lexus GS, and the BMW 5-series. That's very tough competition and, at the midpoint in its season, the STS is getting some fortification.

For 2008, the STS attempts to dazzle its opponents with the chrome wattage of its bigger, fancier grille, chrome door handles, and--today's must-have style accessory--chrome front fender vents. Inside, there's revised wood trim and a new steering wheel. But the real substance comes in the form of mechanical upgrades, starting with a new engine that produces 302 hp.

That figure, by the way, is for the V-6, which Cadillac has switched to direct injection, adding 47 hp and 20 lb-ft of torque in the process. That makes the 3.6-liter GM's most powerful production V-6 ever. Now paired with a six-speed transmission, it provides the STS with brisk acceleration--lively enough to catch the Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan, which also claims a 6.5-second 0-to-60-mph time.

To quicken the STS's reflexes, Cadillac offers a performance handling package, which firms up the suspension and swaps in the larger Brembo brakes from the STS-V. With it, the ride is a bit more tied down but large body motions aren't controlled as well as they are with the V-8 model's Magnetic Ride Control in performance mode. Taking a page from BMW, the STS now offers active steering, although that's reserved for V-8-powered, all-wheel-drive models. Besides varying the steering ratio, this system also works in conjunction with Stabilitrak to steer the front wheels (by up to 3 degrees) into a skid, which is not as creepy as it sounds. Also new on the safety front is a lane-departure warning system (useful, particularly for cell-phone yakkers) and a blind-spot warning system (less useful, due to the subtlety of its warning light on the sideview mirrors).None of these changes will have the STS running away from the field, but the more potent V-6 makes the base car (which accounts for four out of five sales) a much more solid player. In this league, that's doing pretty well for a rookie.

Infiniti G35

Hi guys happy to meet u all with an interesting article...in the latest car series here comes Infiniti G35...Lets see about the features of the car...its more than a car...One spouse prefers SUVs; the other craves classic sport-sedan driving delights. While satisfying both prerogatives sounds like a job for Dr. Phil, walking the perilous line between sport and utility is precisely what the infiniti G35 accomplishes.

Infiniti has staked out a microscopic site of unclaimed turf in the gridlocked crossover segment. Sizewise, the new EX is a low-riding BMW X3. Stylewise, it's an infiniti G35 sedan with a bobbed tail and a hatch. Philosophically, it's a machine with the uncanny ability to maintain garage goodwill.

Mechanically, this is another shuffle of the Nissan/Infiniti FM-platform components deck. Take a front suspension from the G, bolt on a rear suspension from the FX, stir in a fourth-generation 3.5-liter V-6, and add a smart five-speed manu-matic. Keep the curb weight below two tons, whip the energy supply toward 300 hp, and avoid the severe FX suspension settings that intimidate the weak of spirit. Season liberally with electronic goodies for the gadget-afflicted.

Tidy dimensions keep the EX35 from being the jack of all SUV skills. There is no macho off-road pretense. The back seat is roomy enough for two, although adult-size shoes must be twisted to clear the narrow door openings. While power-folding rear seats make the most of the cargo hold, the 16.8 cubic feet available (with all seats in use) falls short of a sprawling family's needs. This is an SUV for two camps: those wishing to curb a supersize habit and car folks dipping a toe in crossover waters.

Utility sacrifices are well-rewarded. The EX's speed-sensitive steering maintains a truthful dialogue with the road, especially when the optional all-wheel drive is eschewed. Thanks to a reasonably low center of gravity, firm dampers, and ample roll resistance, the body never flops like a fish out of water. The automatic transmission offers well-spaced ratios, crisp shifts, an authoritative sport mode, and rev matching on downshifts. The engine loves every unbridled run to its 7500-rpm redline. Driving the optional eighteen-inch, V-rated Dunlop SP Sport tires through their grip limit, it's easy to forget that you're wearing crossover attire.

Four interior hues are available with black-lacquered plastic and textured aluminum or real maple trim. The optional navigation system includes a 9.3-gigabyte hard drive for music storage. An eleven-speaker Bose sound system offers iPod connectivity via a USB port. Two innovations are an Around View Monitor that mixes four video-camera feeds into one bird's-eye look at your immediate surroundings and a Lane Departure Prevention system that nudges the brakes to curtail unintended lane changes.

With the long-running sport versus utility dispute solved by Infiniti's EX35, modern couples may now focus their energy on other pressing issues, such as who's actually responsible for the laundry.

Ford Falcon XT sedan

THE blistering XR6 Turbo might be earning all the praise, but it is the base XT that holds the key to the Ford FG Falcon’s success. The bread and butter model might be the cheapest in the range, kicking off at $36,490, but it is anything but a bare and basic fleet special. It now comes with a new five-speed automatic transmission, which, together with the range of other FG upgrades, makes the XT a well-specified large sedan. The engine has been upgraded, is smoother than ever before, is more powerful and its fuel economy gets awfully close to many four-cylinder cars. FG upgrades include the new double-wishbone suspension, revised steering rack and all-new cabin. But it’s not all roses because the FG XT looks very similar to the previous model - it even has the same wheel covers - and the full-size spare has been replaced by a space-saver.

THE BF MkII upgrade of October 2006 was essentially a styling exercise and a re-jigging of equipment levels. Holden had just introduced the bold new VE and Ford needed something fresh to show. It gave the Falcon range a facelift, modifying the headlights, bonnet and making more of a feature of the trapezoidal airdam at the front. What few people knew at the time was that this was actually a very strong pointer to the FG styling, which had already been locked in. Ford had previously upgraded the engines, with independent variable camshafts and fuel savings, and introduced the ZF six-speed automatic for the BF model of 2005. For the BF MK II it made no mechanical changes, but did increase the availability of ESC and the six-speed auto.

HSV ClubSport LS3 V8 range

MOST of us might be reeling from record petrol prices, but soaring sales of Holden Special Vehicles suggest that Aussie muscle cars are, so far, immune to such pressure. As many brands down-size, HSV is going the other way and increasing the size of its engines from 6.0 litres to 6.2 litres. The new engine is called the LS3 and it replaces the LS2 on all V8 HSVs including Maloo and ClubSport, GTS, Senator and Grange. This is a different family of engines to the Gen IV than runs in Holden models and is more performance orientated. The new HSV engine lifts power by 10kW to 317kW, but the torque is capped at 550Nm in order to protect the gearbox and rear differential. Some revisions have been made to the automatic gearbox, which now has a new, larger, oil-cooler and new mapping. Other than that, and the availability of 20-inch rims across the range and some new colours, there is little else different.
You can also pick a gear, any gear, and the LS3 will just pull away. It proves, to an extent, that "there is no replacement for displacement".

GoAuto tested the LS3 at the national launch just out of Perth. It was enough for a light sample of the cars, but the limited kilometers and the open nature of the roads meant we were unable to truly test the engine's capability.

The only place you can really do that is on a racetrack, but a road with lots of tight corners and opportunities for acceleration would also allow you to comprehensively explore the engine's wide powerband.

The LS3 delivers a wonderful growl at all points of the rev range, which builds to a menacing howl from around 4000 revs onwards.

In the long-wheelbase Grange, the exhaust is a little more sedate, but all of the cars are loud and gruff, both when running at low engine speed or when pushed hard.

The LS3 is quite lumpy at idle. This is either good or bad depending on what you want from your prestige muscle car. Sitting at the lights, you can feel the big V8 wobble and shake the whole car.

This issue is largely due to a more aggressive camshaft profile and the lowering the idle from 800rpm to 650rpm to save fuel.

Some performance car fans won't mind, in fact a lot like it and feel that such a trait is part and parcel of big and brawny eight-cylinder machine.

Others, especially those who are looking at the more luxurious Senator or Grange might, not appreciate the 'hippy-hippy shake' a characteristic that would never be tolerated in a German luxury vehicle that HSV says are its competitors.

The manual gearbox is quite good given the power and torque characteristics of the cars. Its clutch is relatively light compared to the hefty pedal of the past and the gears are easy to select.

The automatic transmission has been improved and it is a reasonably good gearbox. It changes are not shorter and the gearbox can be more intuitive than before when put into sport mode.

Still, customers will compare this gearbox to the ZF six-speed available in the potent Ford models, which shows-up the HSV box. The HSV auto does not change gears as smoothly or as quickly as the ZF and is also not as intuitive.

For example, in some cases when you press the throttle considerably hard, the HSV transmission will drop down a gear, pause and then shift down another. In the same conditions, you would expect the ZF to judge the throttle input and simply drop down two gears.

Pontiac G8

We have Australia to thank for the all-new Pontiac G8. It was designed and is built there by Holden, a division of General Motors, and is sold as the Commodore SS. They've had the time to perfect it.

The G8 is a rear-wheel-drive sedan, Pontiac's first full-size car since the Bennoville was discontinued in 2005. It becomes the Pontiac flagship, being bigger than the mid-size front-wheel-drive G6, and it takes that spot at the top of the line with pride, being a very good car, with no weaknesses. At least not with the V8-engined GT, which Pontiac accurately bills as the most powerful car on the market for under $30,000. But it's not just powerful; there's a wonderful six-speed manual automatic transmission, the ride is comfortable without being soft, and the handling is taut. It all works.

And it looks good: smooth and muscular, with an unmistakably Pontiac nose. The interior is comfortable and tidy, with good instrumentation and a reasonably roomy rear seat. The standard cloth seats are excellent, with good bolstering and lumbar support. Leather is optional. The GT features an 11-speaker Blaupunkt sound system.

Even with 361 horsepower, the G8 GT gets 15 city and 24 highway miles per gallon, on regular fuel. Premium is recommended but not required. When Pontiac measures the horsepower on the dynamometer, guaranteed, they use premium fuel.

It comes with a comprehensive list of safety features, including electronic stability control, curtain airbags, and Onstar.

The V6 G8 uses the same engine that's in the Cadillac . It doesn't rate the same praise as the GT because it doesn't have the V8's power, six-speed transmission or taut suspension or steering. It costs $2400 less, and its highway mileage is only one more mile per gallon, at 17 city and 25 highway.

The GT is the hot setup. The 6.0-liter, 361-horsepower V8 engine, using a six-speed manual automatic transmission, totally changes the car. Starting with the hood scoops, passing through the seat of your pants with the tuned suspension, and ending at the four polished stainless exhaust tips. Inside, it adds dual-zone air conditioning, a leather wrap steering wheel with controls, color LCD display, and six-disc CD with Blaupunkt 11-speaker sound system.