Road Reality » Hot Car – Upcoming

2011 Nissan Rogue gets refresh

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:31:32 +0000

Nissan’s Rogue was introduced in 2007 as a 2008 model, and for 2011 it will be receiving its first refresh. The model names are being changed to follow in the Maxima’s footsteps, so you’ll find S and SV models on dealership lots. Newly-available features include a USB port for your iPod, navigation, backup camera, automatic climate control and automatic on/off headlights. That’s a lot for a compact crossover, and a big boost to the feature (and option) list on the Rogue.

In addition to S and SV models, Nissan is offering a Krom version of the redesigned Rogue, just as it has on the 2010 model. The Krom model features more chrome, unique body kit, special 18″ wheels and a sport-tuned exhaust.

The front end gets a more grown-up look which is more cohesive and more in line with the Murano’s face, especially in the grille area. There’s more chrome on the exterior as well, which I’m not sure if I like, but since even the average AWD Rogue won’t see much more than some snow-covered roads, it might work out well.

Out back, on the other hand, screams boy racer with its long overhanging spoiler. The spoiler itself looks tacked on as an afterthought, while the rest of the rear of the Rogue looks very similar to the new Hyundai Tucson.

Inside the Rogue, you’ll find a two-tone black over beige theme, with the standard Nissan color scheme of red and white for its gauges and needles. An overly large hood covers the main instrument panel, and the center console looks out of place with its squared-off lines, in stark contrast to the rounded shapes found elsewhere in the Rogue. The information display found between the two main gauges in the instrument panel, however, looks decidedly upmarket, reminding me of the ones used by Mercedes-Benz. The 5″ touch screen for the navigation seems a bit small, especially considering the 7-8″ screens found in other cars, and its distance from the driver.

Overall, I think the new model looks better than the one it’s replacing, but Nissan still has a ways to go before they get a really cohesive design on this car. It’s as if Nissan isn’t sure what to do with the Rogue – should it be an entry-level vehicle, and thus mass market, or should it play a smaller, but more expensive role? When it first went on sale, it was the 3rd best-selling vehicle Nissan had, and it still continues to sell well.

The 2011 Nissan Rogue will be officially unveiled to the public at the 23rd Annual International Z® Car Convention in Nashville on July 31st, and should go on sale August 13th.

by John Suit

Source: Nissan

Chevrolet Volt Pricing, Fuel Requirement

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:59:23 +0000

Yesterday, GM announced the official price of its upcoming EV (Electric Vehicle). I’ve reported on the Volt before, but with a price and a government tax break, the Volt is getting closer to reality. The base price? $41,000. The rumor? It requires premium fuel.

Automotive site The Truth About Cars (TTAC) delved into GM’s Online Order Guide for the Volt, and found the Standard Equipment List. This list contains exactly that – all of the Volt’s standard equipment, including anything that could be used to help market or sell the sedan once it enters production, presumably later this year.

In pouring over the details, TTAC found a funny little detail: the Volt’s “range-extending” gasoline engine, which is only to power the on-board batteries, requires Premium Fuel. Yep, no 87-octane “regular” fuel for Volt customers, just the good stuff. While this sounds odd, and it is, it’s probably due to some extra efficiency the engineers were able to squeeze out of the tiny engine when running higher-octane fuel.

Online Ordering Guide - Click to Enlarge

While this small detail won’t be costing the average Volt user a whole lot of money during their time with the car, it is a black mark on such a green car.

Meanwhile, the pricing was announced by GM. The car will start at $41,000, and there’s no word yet on options and their prices. There will be a government-backed tax rebate of up to $7,500 for buyers of the Volt, so the actual price should be closer to $33,500, including destination charges. This doesn’t include any upgraded electric work you need to have done to charge the Volt in a decent amount of time.

Lessees will be paying $350 per month for a 36-month lease, for a total of $12,600, leaving the car with an approximate residual value of $28,400, or $20,900 after the tax rebate. That’s a pretty good residual value, and unlike GM’s previous EV-1 electric vehicle, those who choose to lease a Volt will have the option to buy it at the end of the lease.

by John Suit

Sources: GM, The Truth About Cars

Preview: 2011 Ford Explorer

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:44:59 +0000

This week, Ford announced a whole lot of details about the upcoming 2011 Explorer SUV, including photos, technology and capability. They spent a lot of time talking about fuel efficiency and high technology, which I’ll go into after the break, followed by a high-resolution image gallery.

There are several technologies which Ford added to its newest Explorer design, in order to keep its current SUV customers happy, while stealing away buyers from its competitors. The highlights of this laundry list are the following:

Efficiency:

Aerodynamics: The design for the new Explorer was optimized in a wind tunnel to produce the least amount of drag, one of the biggest problems with large SUVs trying to gain fuel efficiency.
EcoBoost Engine: Ford’s name for its powerful but efficient engines, which all employ Direct Injection and Turbocharging, boosting fuel efficiency and power, respectively. Also, at cruising speeds, the turbocharger isn’t needed, which also boosts efficiency.
Lighter Vehicle Weight: By using aluminum and high-strength steels, engineers were able to remove about 100 pounds of weight, compared to the 2010 Explorer.
Low Rolling Resistance Tires: Special rubber in the tires lessens the waste heat generated when a car is moving. These tires are usually standard equipment on hybrid vehicles.
New Air Conditioner: A “variable displacement” air conditioner, which works more like the engine in a car, in that it only produces as much energy as is needed. This is used again to boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing power.

Overall, Ford is expecting its V6 Explorer to have a 20% increase over 2010 models, and the EcoBoost 4-cylinder should be closer to 30% more efficient. This should lead to 18/26 city/highway mileage numbers for the turbo 4-cylinder, and probably 16/23 city/highway for the V6 model.

Safety:

RSC, or Roll Stability Control, helps keep the Explorer from rolling over, while Curve Control keeps the vehicle moving in the intended direction.
BLIS and Cross Traffic Alert help in lane changes and parking lots, respectively. Adaptive Cruise Control helps keep your distance while on the highway.

The new Explorer will employ all of Ford’s standard safety features, as well as the latest and greatest innovations, the highlights of which are listed above. This should lead to a pretty safe SUV.

Quiet:

Using their NoiseVision technology, Ford’s engineers found the “hot spots” where noises are generated as wind flows around the vehicle, and engineered these noises out during the design phase. This leads to a much quieter ride that requires less sound deadening materials.

Other:

Unit-body Construction: The new Explorer rides on a platform similar to that of the Ford Flex, Taurus, as well as the Lincoln MKS and MKT. This means it will have a more car-like ride to it, but retain all the ruggedness of its predecessors.
Intelligent 4WD: Ford has equipped the new Explorer with an intelligent 4WD system, capable of handling most types of off-road terrain via a driver-selectable knob.
Towing: The new Explorer, when equipped with a V6 engine, will be able to tow up to 5,000 pounds, and a rear-mounted camera with zoom capability will aid drivers in hooking up their toys.

While it may have a car-like ride on-road, and be based on car and crossover DNA, the new Explorer should be no slouch when the going gets tough.

Summary:

Beyond all the aforementioned improvements and features, Ford will of course be offering its MyFord Touch system, as well as an audiophile-grade sound system by Sony. Also, a lot of you are probably wondering why Ford even bothers, as the new Explorer closely resembles one of the myriad of crossovers they are already producing. The answer to that question lies in the intelligent 4WD system, not found on any Ford crossover. It allows drivers to go places crossovers simply can’t – namely mud, sand and deeper snow.

When the new Explorer goes on sale, which should be sometime later this year, I think it might actually cannibalize some of Ford’s crossover sales, especially the Edge, and if it’s as quiet and luxurious as their PR department says it is, look for the already fairly slow-selling Lincoln MKX and MKT crossovers to take a hit as well. With any luck, Ford is already designing a Lincoln-ized version of the new Explorer, which should include Bridge of Weir leather, nicer interior materials, its own bodywork, and some of the other touches that differentiate Lincoln vehicles from their Ford brethren.

Image Gallery:

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Surprise! Hybrid Lincoln MKZ Price matches Gas version

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:00:09 +0000

Ford dropped a bomb on the hybrid car market earlier this year with the introduction of the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Just to enlarge the size of the crater, they’ve announced that its base MSRP will be the same as the gasoline version of the MKZ, at $35,180. While not an insubstantial amount of money, it’s the first time a hybrid variant of a car hasn’t carried with it a multi-thousand dollar price hike.

2010 Lexus HS250h

Probably the MKZ Hybrid’s best competitor, the Lexus HS250h, the MKZ is exactly $80 more expensive, at least before adding any options. While the Lexus HS250h starts at $35,100, to get some of the more popular features the Lincoln has standard, you’re going to be looking at $37,870, plus a couple of options. Oh, and don’t forget the 6mpg advantage the MKZ Hybrid gets over the HS250h.

This move is one I see as a direct attack against Lexus by Lincoln. While Cadillac goes after BMW and Mercedes with sportier rides, Lincoln is aiming squarely at Lexus, with the quiet comfort of the MKS and now the hybrid version of its fairly popular MKZ model. Paired with Ford’s SYNC technology and its EcoGuide hybrid displays, the MKZ Hybrid looks hot, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one!

by John Suit

Source: Ford

2011 Ford F-150 to get 3 new engine choices

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:00:47 +0000

Automotive News is reporting that Ford will be giving buyers of its F-150 pickup truck 3 new engine choices for the 2011 model year. Those new choices include a 3.7-liter V6, which replaces the current base V8, a 5.0-liter V8, and an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6. If any of those choices sound familiar, you’re right. The first two engines are found in the V6 and V8 2011 Mustang, respectively. The third one, the EcoBoost V6, is available in several Ford and Lincoln models.

While the two Mustang-sourced engines have already been used in a rear wheel drive setup, this will be the first time Ford’s EcoBoost V6 will do rear-drive duty. This cross-vehicle engine sharing allows Ford to build a lot more of each engine, dividing the several million dollars spent on development of each one.

3.7-Liter V6

The inclusion of the 3.7-liter V6 is a no-brainer, as it helps keep Ford on track for new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements set to take effect in 2012 and 2016. It also helps the F-150 compete with the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500, both of which offer V6 engines, while the F-150 has done without one since the close of the 2008 model year.

5.0-Liter V8

While all three engines should get superior fuel economy compared to the 2010 model, the EcoBoost V6 should be the most interesting. It is rumored that in the F-150, the EcoBoost will produce about 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque, both of which are crucial for truck sales. At the same time, it’s expected to get better mileage than its V8 brethren. While this high-tech V6 has the power, traditional truck buyers have it ingrained in their minds that V8 power equals better hauling, so it’ll be interesting to see how that all shapes up.

by John Suit

Source: Automotive News

Chevrolet Volt Battery Pack gets 8yr/100,000 mile warranty

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:00:26 +0000

In a not-so-surprising press release, GM has announced that the battery packs for its upcoming Chevrolet Volt Electric Vehicle (EV) will be backed by an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty. GM originally wanted the battery pack to last the life of the vehicle, and with their extensive testing of the Volt’s unique powertrain, it could very well do that.

In the mean time, however, this rather robust warranty should instill a bit of confidence with consumers who might be looking at purchasing the Volt but are still on the fence.

There are 161 parts in the battery pack, all of which are covered. The battery pack, which consists of 288 lithium polymer (LiPoly) cells and generates 110 kilowatts of power, was 95% generated in-house at GM. Testers have logged over 1 million miles and 4 million hours of testing, everything from physical tests to hard driving.

by John Suit

Source: GM