Thursday, November 21, 2013

Buick Looking Into The Future


 Image result for buick enclave

Buick has made some great accomplishments in the past few years, that includes the refreshed 2014 Regal. Which starts out at $31,560, and packs the standard 259-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine—an upgrade over the previous and optional original engines—paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Some luxuries you can opted for are a remote start, dual-zone climate system, heated front seats, a sunroof and 18-inch wheels.

But Buick is thinking of another way outside of their usual luxury options and stylish looks draw in customers. The 2013 Encore was an awesome crossover for Buick, but it did lack one feature, that is power. 138 hp just was not enough for a bigger vehicle like the Encore, but its overseas cousin, the Opel Mokka, which was recently introduced with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (with both gas and diesel variants) could find its way into Buicks line-up.

The Buick Verano, a close relative of the Chevy Cruz, could also be a good candidate for a diesel motor coming up in 2014. Either way, a more powerful diesel motor with good gas mileage could be just the attribute that Buick needs to separate itself from companies like Cadillac, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, etc. -- and bring in new customers.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Corvette Stingray: 2014 Automobile of the Year

If you know cars or at least pay attention to the news once in a while, you know that Corvette brought back one of their most successful cars of all time, the Stingray. The Corvette made a huge media splash at the North American Auto Show in Detroit this year. And the buzz that it created has been following it around every since.


The buzz was so great that the car is now named the Automobile of the Year. This is not a step in the right direction for General Motors, but more of a path in the right direction that they have been going down all this year.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Cadillac CTS was named the Motor Trend car of the year. With GM's redesigned trucks and newly redesigned cars, GM has enjoyed some much needed success for 2013 and going into 2014.

Back to the Corvette; the completely redesigned Corvette has been able to impress consumers with the new stylish outside and inside. The aggressive curves give the car more of a super car look and the interior is said to be more of a durable high quality lay out.

Drive-ability is much more tighter and more fun to drive thanks to a more sophisticated suspension, and acceleration is nothing short of spectacular.  I have seen claims of 1/4 mile times of 11.9 sec, but times more around 12.4 sec is probably more likely, and with a 185 mph (est.) top speed, there is a whole lot of fun that can be had here.

But power, styling, drive-ability, etc., is not the only reason why the Stingray found its way to being named the Automobile of the Year. Impressive gas mileage due to a cylinder deactivation system is also part of the Corvettes success. Not only can this car move out when the gas paddle is hammered on the floor, but it can also provide the driver with an extremely comfortable driving experiences at low rpm's for everyday driving while saving gas (fuel economy: cty//hwy 17/29 mpg.). 



Specs and Stats

Powertrain       6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
Standard Engine       Gas V8
Displacement (liters/cu. in.)       6.2L/376
7-speed manual transmission       Standard
6-speed Paddle Shift automatic transmission       Available
Horsepower @ RPM       455 @ 6000
Horsepower (with performance exhaust)       460
Torque @ RPM       460 @ 4600
Fuel Injection       Direct Injection
Drivetrain       Rear Wheel Drive
Axle Ratio       3.42
Steering/Suspension      6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
   Front Suspension        Short/Long Arm
Rear Suspension      Short/Long Arm
Brakes    6.2L V8 DI engine RWD
4-Wheel Disc Brakes       Yes
Brake/ABS System      4-Wheel


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

"American Graffiti": The Best Car Cruising Movie Ever


This movie emulates a great time in car history. 
Cruising, Racing, Music -- great cars that ended up becoming some of the most wanted cars by American car collectors today. "Wolfman Jack" has his part in the movie, along with many other actors that went on to have well-rounded acting careers. The movie takes place in a more light-hearted time. 

I was much to young to remember that time, but me and a lot of other car guys did have a place to cruise right outside of Detroit -- on Telegraph rd. Unfortunately, the fun of that was short-lived. The fun it created on Fri. and Sat. night probably went on for quite a long time before I got my first cruiser, '71 Skylark (455). The fun died out when younger kids were starting to drive their Mommy and Daddy's funded Rice Burners around. The movie "Fast and the Furious" just came out (a poor representation of the drag race world) and everyone who had a wing on the back of their Honda Civic thought they could fly. 

Drunk Driving, illegal racing for money, car accidents, crotch rocket motorcycles too fast for their own good etc. etc. left authorities no choice but to police the situation.

Even the days of having fun at the world-famous "Woodward Dream Cruise" has became a thing of the past. Miles and miles of traffic that moves about 3 mph when it's not totally stopped, the street is flooded with 90% of the cars being the same cars you see on your way back-and-forth to work everyday and advertisements is the main reason for the event. 

Unfortunately, the last time I was at the cruise spot, I was arrested, along with 250 other people who all received tickets for loitering. My Camaro was towed to a place down in Detroit, and that cost me a lot to get out. The only fun thing about that night was when it came time for all 250 pissed off people to show up in court, I believe authorities may have thought, maybe this was not such a good ideal.



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Friday, November 8, 2013

Cadillac CTS: Motor Trend's 2014 Car of the Year



With great safety ratings and inside and out styling, this Cadillac deserves the crown.


  2014 Cadillac CTS4 2.0T 2014 Cadillac CTS 3.6 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport
BASE PRICE $46,025 $54,625 $59,995
PRICE AS TESTED $65,345 $67,470 $60,095
POWER (SAE NET) 272 hp @ 5500 rpm 321 hp @ 6800 rpm* 420 hp @ 5750 rpm*
TORQUE (SAE NET) 295 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm 275 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm* 430 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm*
ACCEL 0-60, MPH 6.0 sec 6.3 sec 4.4 sec
QUARTER MILE 14.5 sec @ 93.5 mph 14.7 sec @ 96.7 mph 12.8 sec @ 111.9 mph
BRAKING 60-0, MPH 115 ft 111 ft 98 ft
LATERAL ACCEL 0.81 g (avg) 0.85 g (avg) 0.94 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.8 sec @ 0.65 g (avg) 26.7 sec @ 0.66 g (avg) 24.7 sec @ 0.78 g (avg)
EPA ECON (CITY/HWY) 19/28 mpg 18/29 mpg 17/25 mpg
REAL MPG (CITY/HWY) 20/30 mpg 18/32 mpg 20/27 mpg
*SAE certified
  2014 Cadillac CTS4 2.0T 2014 Cadillac CTS 3.6 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front engine, AWD Front engine, RWD Front engine, RWD
ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads Twin-turbo 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads
VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT 121.9 cu in/1998 cc 217.5 cu in/3564 cc 217.5 cu in/3564 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO 9.5:1 11.5:1 10.2:1
REDLINE 6500 rpm 7000 rpm 6500 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER 14.3 lb/hp 12.0 lb/hp 9.4 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION 6-speed auto 8-speed auto 8-speed auto
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.27:1/2.19:1 2.85:1/1.97:1 2.85:1/1.97:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 16.2:1 16.5:1 15.4:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.8 2.5 2.5
BRAKES, F;R 13.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS 13.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS 13.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS
WHEELS 8.5 x 18-in, cast alum8.5 x 19-in, cast alum 8.5 x 18-in, cast alum (Vspt fr), 9.5 x 18-in, cast alum (Vspt rr)
TIRES 245/40R18 93V M+S
Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season
255/35R19 96V M+S
Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season
245/40R18 93Y (fr), 275/35R18 95Y (rr)
Pirelli P Zero
DIMENSIONS
TURNING CIRCLE 39.0 ft 36.7 ft 36.7 ft
SEATING CAPACITY 5 5 5
HEADROOM, F/R 39.2/37.5 in 39.2/37.5 in 39.2/37.5 in
LEGROOM, F/R 42.6/35.4 in 42.6/35.4 in 42.6/35.4 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.9/54.8 in 56.9/54.8 in 56.9/54.8 in
CARGO VOLUME 13.7 cu ft 13.7 cu ft 13.7 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30 1.6 sec 2.3 sec 1.6 sec
0-40 2.8 3.4 2.4
0-50 4.3 4.8 3.4
0-60 6 6.3 4.4
0-70 8.2 8.3 5.6
0-80 10.5 10.4 6.9
0-90 13.2 12.8 8.5
0-100 16.9 15.8 10.3
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 3.5 3.1 2.1
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1800 rpm 1500 rpm 1500 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes
AIRBAGS Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee
BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 mi 4 yrs/50,000 mi 4 yrs/50,000 mi
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 6 yrs/70,000 mi 6 yrs/70,000 mi 6 yrs/70,000 mi
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 6 yrs/70,000 mi 6 yrs/70,000 mi 6 yrs/70,000 mi
FUEL CAPACITY 19.0 gal 19.0 gal 19.0 gal
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium Unleaded regular Unleaded premium


The Stats speak for themselves.

It's a car that can give you luxury and sportiness in one show.

Motor Trend makes a good choice.