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Posts Tagged ‘New Cars’

Car manufacturer Jaguar have released their new car model, the XJ. The XJ is the newer version of the XF model and just like the XF, the new XJ will need to bring in a lot of sales.

When the XF model was released, the amount of sales that it brought in lifted the company out of a slump that it was in. Jaguar are hoping that the new XJ will do the same job.

It’s been announced that Tata, new owners of Jaguar and Land Rover, are losing £1 million every day on the companies.

Because Jaguar are using this car to help save the business, they are changing the design of the car slightly. Although some Jaguar owners have complained about the new design, Jaguar stand by their efforts to make the car more modern. They have done this because they are trying to attract a new type of car buyer.

They have altered the design of the car by making it more sleek and stylish. Ian Callum, the designer director, has said that the new design is “right and correct for the 21st Century” and they are now hoping they will gain new customers that wouldn’t have wanted to buy a Jaguar in the past.

Jaguar have also added some modern gadgets to the inside of the car like a virtual dashboard. This will allow you to customise your dashboard, you can even put your GPS on it. The car comes equipped with a large boot as well as a panoramic windscreen, all inside a light weight aluminium shell.

This all sounds very good, however, it all comes as a high price. The car ranges from £50,000 to £90,000 based upon which model you want.

I don’t think this would really be an ideal car for driving lessons. Maybe if you went with an experienced Worthing driving instructor, it might be more successful.

While I was driving to the office about a month back I started to get stuck in a huge traffc jam, I was getting really bored and fed up. I suddenly found myself day dreaming, I quickly glanced over onto the other side of the road and all I could see was brand new vehicles being driven. There I literally was in my car that was falling to bits whilst everyone else was driving their own brand new motors. I mean where to they find the resources?

After briefly thinking for a while, I came to the conclusion that not everyone can afford brand new vehicles, so here are my ideas.

1) They buy the cars on finance, more and more people are getting things on finance that they really cannot afford to pay off, and then is ultimately why the economy has come crashing down in the first place. People go and get the best vehicles around and they literally cannot keep up with the monthly payments that they commited themselves too for so long.
2) In my opinion this is how a lot of people are getting their vehicles and it is the best possible way, something that could in fact overtake buying vehicles is car leasing. You just pay a monthly fixed rate for a new gleaming car and you do not have to worry about all of the repair costs. At the end of your yearly or two yearly contract you pass the car back and then get yourself another brand new one.

To be honest the second option sounds so interesting that I might just go a lease a honda tomorrow.

Do you need to lease a vauxhall

New cars and those that have been retro fitted with the new innovative LED lights can be spotted from miles away. Their beams shine a much cleaner and purer white light and they illuminate all they hit with more detail than is possible from standard bulbs. These lights are more popular than ever now and selling faster than they can be produced. but how come they are so good?

Firstly they provide much higher quality light that aids driving. Wolfgand Huhn, Audi’s lighting exert said recently “everyone who has seen these lights in action is not only astonished by the excellent output but also thrilled with the homogenous distribution of light and the agreeable, daylight-esque colour of the light.”

The LEDs have proven to have much great efficiency than the standard car bulbs.  The average energy consumption of the lights in a car using normal bulbs is around 200w while a car fitted with the new LED’s will only demand around 15watt of power.This essentially means that your battery gets a bit of a break and fuel usage can actually drop. This is turn reduces CO2 emissions and goes some way to helping the planet.  Your wallet will feel the benefit as well, not only because you are spending less on filling up the car but also because the LED’s have a practically indefinite service life.

Lastly, these revolutionary lights will improve driver safety. They react up to 10 times faster than traditional incandescent bulbs or obstruction lights and their purer light makes seeing hazards easier. Their durability means that there is less chance of a bulb going out and leaving you in the dark. Now that the new lights are being used for both high and low beams, and even indicator lights and licence plate illuminators, their benefits are now able to be multiplied.

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As the new car market plummets to another all time low, there is better news in the second hand vehicle arena as auction houses are starting to see climbing figures.

There is no dispute that the new car market is in real trouble. Lay offs have been announced across the board at car firms, with major manufactures really struggling with production as demand is so low. The luxury car market has also been hit, with Bentley announcing job losses last month. Official figures show a 30.9% reduction in new car registrations in January as compared to the year previous according to the Society of Motor Manufactures. This drop is said to be the largest of its kind for over 30 years and the direction shows no signs of changing soon. Industry experts are suggesting that the new car market won’t see an upturn for at least three years.

The market for second hand card has not been hit so hard, in fact there have been suggestions that numbers are healthy. Two of the countries most well know auction houses, Manheim and BCA have come forward to state that they have seem some record numbers of cars being put up for bidding. BCA announced that there were more sales of cars and vans in January this year than any year previous and the vehicle prices have risen for three months on the trot. Estimations have been put forward that suggest an average £300 increase.

Van leasing and car leasing is also on the up it seems as the major leasers are reporting improving numbers this year. This is a likely result of people choosing to lease their vehicles during this economic downturn rather than commit to purchasing them outright. Out of all the countries in the UK car leasing in Cardiff has seen the biggest boost.

Average wholesale van costs went up by close to £140 according to the other well known auction house – Manheim. The increase marks the first upturn since last year’s September. 4 wheel drive cars have seen the steadiest increases with numbers improving six months in a row.

In the 21st century cars are a must, if you are solely relying on public transport then be prepared for a stressful journey. People just want to have the best cars around and they end up setting them back a huge amount.

But is it worth the hassle of buying a new car these days? Let as have a look at why I just do not like this.
1.) The new car models have been manufactured not to last very long so you have to go out and buy a new one.
2.) Even if the cars were built to last people are spread out all over the country, so basically people cover a lot more miles than they used to in the old days.
3.) Service parts for a vehicle cost a fortune.

I think back to when I first got my drivers licence, it was an amazing time, but I was driving a car that had been built in 1985 and done a huge amount of miles but never let me down. These days I like to purchase newer cars but they always end up breaking.

Most people decide to purchase their vehicles on finance so by the time they pay them off the car would be dead anyway and then they would have to go and buy a new one, the manufacturers are very clever.  So in my opinion car leasing is probably one of the best options you pay probably less than you would as a monthly rate for finance, then when your term is up you hand the car back and get a brand new one, plus avoiding all of the cost of repairs and break downs.

Great Mercedes car leasing or BMW car leasing.

The latest release by BMW in its very popular seven series seems to be the best to date – it’s truly way ahead of the pack in its class and is a luxury car with a capital “L” – in every sense of the word.

Power

Under the hood is bigger and better than any previous effort in the seven series – the 750iL boasts a mighty 400 horsepower (which is more than 40 more horses than before) and can rocket from zero to sixty in less than five seconds.  Although the miles per gallon of the new  4.4 liter V8 engine are a bit modest in terms of conservation (15 city and 23 highway), they are still competitive among the big boys in the luxury class.

Comfort

The new 750iL is big in terms of power, but the older versions often came under a lot of criticism when it came to the interior.  Larger bodied individuals often passed up previous cars in the seven series even though the power and handling were second to none, simply because they didn’t feel there was enough room for them in the cockpit.Yet another complaint about the previous model was that there was no seat adjustments to easily accomodate larger individuals.

The new 750iL means to change all the criticisms of its interior by making the cab much roomier in terms of both head and leg room, and they’ve also reconfigured the placement of all of the cars instruments to make the overall driving experience more comfortable for everyone who gets inside.

BMW got the interior spot on with ergonomic design for comfort and ease of use.

Behind the Wheel

Incredible, almost space age options take the driving experience and the luxury car’s handling to unimaginable new levels.As ever the number of choices becomes more dream world like with each generation: night vision, side view cameras, rear wheel drive, and pedestrian detection.

The new 750iL also has greatly improved control with individually operating electronic dampers as well as anti-roll technology.The benefits of advanced electronics is that the car is become evident in the wet where the big 7 is up for the challenge.

BMW has always been a force to be reckoned with in the world of luxury cars, but even they seem to have outdone themselves with the new 750iL.This is a car that will make most owners proud of its looks and its dynamics. Certainly many will not mind the eighty thousand dollar tag.

By: M.E Bapela

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This is the model many hope will bring BWM back to its glory days as the leader in admirable car design and sex appeal. Not that the previous generation of designs under the direct leadership of the popular Chris Bangle was bad. Perhaps the designs were too futuristic, too sophisticated and too sexy in a way that confused an average BWM fan. The cars still delivered on the promise of “Sheer Driving Pleasure” the only issue being the driver wished dearly for better looks.

Well, the biggest talking point about the new Z4 will whether there has been an improvement to its predecessor. Is the car good looking? Difficult to tell at a first glance. The design is still faithful to the original Z4 by continuing with the shark nose theme together with very masculine styling. One cannot say immediately that the car is good looking.

Which is a good thing because there is just a lot depth to the design of the Z4 which needs careful observation for it to be fully appreciated. The Z4 is on track to being a timeless beauty. It is beauty which will not wear out very quickly.BMW has not been completely shy in trying out fresh design ideas. Only this time they seem to have thought carefully about what people will say. The Z4 of late is more elegant, more civilised and more acceptable.

The new design is more like the story of sweet and sour of any favourite food. Sweet and sour desert. BMW have managed well to combine elegance and aggressiveness by blending the conservative front with the sporty lines that flow all the way to the rear. The front looks more like a Mercedes CL coupe while the rest of the body paying tribute to the original Z4. The back seems to be a misfit for the rest of the body maybe because of the largish, shark like front. Modesty is also found in the interior which could be yet another sign that BMW are playing it very safe.           

The new car will be propelled by straight 6 engines  and BMW is now coming up with an unusually naming convention for their engines. There will be the sDrive23i (2.5 litre/150kw) followed by the sDrive30i (3litlre/190kw). The will also be a turbocharged version sDrive35i which produces (3 litre/225kw). The new comer is quite quick off the mark too with times to 100 km (60 mph) ranging between 6 and 5 depending on engine size off course.  

Other minor points that work in favour of the Z4 are that it is bigger (5.8 inches longer) and partly because of the new aluminium hard top which closes down in a whooping 20 seconds. The iDrive makes a return and BMW claims the interface is much friendlier.

Is the new Z4 an irresistible must have? Difficult one as a lot of BMW fans lost faith during the previous wave of designs. The driving dynamics are expected to be nothing short of what BMW can deliver, however, this car might be unfairly made to pay for the controversial design of its predecessor. It will be scrutinised for the next while but in that time it might win new hearts for Bavarian Works.

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BY M.E Bapela

It has to be one of Volkswagen most important models and perhaps one that invokes and lot of emotion from all motorists and commentators alike. Nearly 26 million customers bought into the Golf in the past 35 years and if it was not for the Beetle the Golf would be VW’s leading legend. And yes along the way VW had its best sellers the likes of the cheap Citi Golf and the Polo for sale still in most countries. But the original Golf is the most special.

The Shape

This time it is round 6 for the golf with the new model being pampered with gizmos, made more efficient and safer. But the 6 is more like the Golf 5 just much improved and refined, more like a facelift. As ever the appearance is probably one aspect that drew many to buying the Golf throughout its history. Golf V was such an trend setter in term of new bold design and is still cool upto this day. Five years later VW has not made that much change in terms of design.

Is this a good or bad decision? Well if you liked the previous shape then you might be slight disappointed as this is a little conservative in appearance. So if you the previous Golf did not do your eyes and good, then you might want to look at the interior of the new one as the this is the only styling improvement. In short the new design is not that radically exciting and VW could have done a little better.

Cheaper to manufacture

Well the main point is that VW struggled to manufacture the Golf 5 at costs they would have liked and they aimed to have a more efficient production process with the next version. VW claims the car costs them 20% less to produce and that they will get smarter at reducing these costs.

Cost reduction is usually a not too good sounding a phrase but VW has mananged this perfectly. The golf 6 is mostly a new car but some of the parts and design are carried over and improved off course.

Engines and transmission

Engine for the Golf 6 will deliver power ranging from 59kw (79hp) and 118kw (158 hp). Power from the diesel versions is between 81 to 103kw (108hp to 138hp) and the engines are based on a 2 litre TDI.

But if VW has one area to brag about, it has to be the fuel efficiency of the new models. For instance the petrol engines have in the region of 6.4 litres/100km while the diesels are in the 4.6 litres/100 km approximations.

There is serious talk of the Golf 6 not featuring any automatic transmission but only a choice of 5/6 speed manual and a 6/7 speed DSG (direct shift gearbox)

Features

There are plenty of electro giga-gizmo goodies and the most significant being the auto brake distance control adaptive chassis control (select normal, comfort or sport), parking assistance and many more (all the usual electronics in improved guise cruise control, abs etc).The car is close to self parallel park with the assistance system where the driver is only required to brake for once the sequence is complete.

With seven air bags, sophisticated head restrain system and a knee protection VW has made the Golf to be much safer. With an NCAP rating of 5 stars, the Golf is a pretty safe car to drive.

Interior quality is another big talking point about the golf six. BMW 3 Series For SaleVW rather (Audi’s parent/Uncle) has made the cabin and overall quality of the product more upmarket. Many motoring journalists sing praises at the interior being with par with the more expensive Audi A3 segment. Very Good for now.

Summary

The new Golf is does not come across as an entirely new car. Good news for the buyer is that VW is able to reduce manufacturing overhead at the same time packing more items on the car. The new car is really value for money as it is essentially all the good things about Golf 5 plus more features.

It is as if Opel where going straight for the car of the year hour with their innovative Insignia, a car that beat Ford Fiesta to the prize by just one point.  The sleek looker had to convince 20 of the total 59 jurors for first place while the Fiesta was just one shy with 19 journalists giving it first place.

In third place was the Golf 6 followed by Citroen C5 and fith place was the MiTo by Alfa Romeo. It is interesting to note that no BWM model has ever one car of the year while Mercedes Benz only managed on win way back in 1974. Models winning this award are to meet a number of criteria such as higher than average safety levels, technical innovation and fresh styling.

However the winning formula seems to be a model that can balance all admirable features at a relatively low price for the average buyer. The BMW is a manufacturer that highlights pricing as a soft spot for jurors. BMW has won awards for technical breakthroughs in engines and they have a number of gizmos they can claim “you say it first in a BWM”. The issue remains, Opel or VW are more affordable cars.

Not to say the Insignia is very cheap but more like the sensible buyer’s alternative to the entry luxury sedans(C Class, New Audi A4). And this means the car is competing against the Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Citroen C5, Ford Mondeo and any car of the category.Definately the best Opel to date and complements the more affordable Opel Corsa Lite in terms of market reach.

The car has 7 different engine options 4 petrol and three diesel with power outputs ranging from 85kW/113hp from the 1.6 litre and top of the range 2.8 V6 producing 191kW/256hp. Conservative looks that borrow a lot from other cars but sill manage to appear fresh. The interior is also very neat and provides a relaxing feeling.

Just how did Opel pip Ford for the hounours with a single point? Difficult to pin point any one aspect as Opel work hard to provide quality at a fair price. The car has some respectable talking points

FlexiRide System

Not really classified as innovation, the FlexiRide sytem allows the drive to set chassis configuration as sport or for a normal drive. The System also has sensors that make the drive as smooth as possible by continuously auto adjusting. For instance the system can react to a rough bump so quickly the driver will not feel any discomfort. Various incarnations of FlexiRide should be pretty common in prestigious cars and it will be only available in top of the range Insignias.

Adaptive 4X4

Sophisticated dynamic traction control that works to provide the most efficient torque to the wheels. Just as with the FlexiRide system Opel goes into details how this feature is “ground breaking”. But from a driver’s point of it really is just smart electronic assists that are getting better.     

Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

By using smart light cameras couple with microprocessors the Insignia takes another step into the futuristic realm of cars that will one day drive themselves.  With TSR the driver is alerted to react to approaching road sign for instance, reducing speed in a limited zone. The driver is also alerted when veering off the lane by mistake by the LDW

Efficient lights    

Adaptive Forward Lighting system (AFL) is the head lamps that have nine different light settings that automatically adjust themselves according to the luminosity needed. Insignia’s lights also features highly efficient led’s that consume less energy resulting in emission reduction from 6g/km to nearly 0. 

Looking at the car a couple of times does not make it look better but rather like any of the modern design one would expect. In other words the cars looks might looks normal in a few months time and just fail to make the all time icons. Surely the competition will follow soon with their own traffic sign readers and dynamic chassis electronics.Still the Insignia is one of the hot cars for sale in 2009.

Does the Opel Insignia deserve the award? Yes partly because it is not a Porsche, BWM, or Mercedes as these models seem destined not to win. But mostly because it serves as a symbolic reminder that elegance, quality and innovation need not cost a fortune.

By:  M.E Bapela

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