Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Safety First

If you are going on a trip, especially a long one, you know you have to consider a lot of things.  First of course is safety.  This is where checking your car’s brakes, battery, and other stuffs.  By making sure that your car is in tip-top shape, you are reducing the risk of being involved in an accident.  For example, just by checking your wheel’s nuts you can easily eliminate the risk of a wheel falling off.

Another thing that you should consider of course is the safety features present in your automobile. If you are only about to buy a new vehicle, checking that it has passed rigorous crash tests is a good way to make sure that you are buying a safe vehicle.

Recently, The Auto Channel announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the redesigned 2009 Nissan Murano the Top safety Pick Award after it has passed the front, side, and rear crash tests with flying colors.  That’s good news for Nissan as more and more consumers are now putting safety their top priority on buying a new vehicle especially those with a growing family.

While the Murano excelled in the three crash tests, the Jeep Liberty (also sold as the Dodge Nitro), Jeep Wrangler, and the Kia Sorento failed miserable in some of the crash tests performed on them.  

The Liberty and the Wrangler performed poorly on side crash testing registering only a marginal score.  Marginal corresponds to the second lowest score.  The Kia Sorento unfortunately finished with poor ratings in the side crash tests.

Other vehicles tested by the IIHS include the Mazda CX-7 and the CX-9 as well as the Mitsubishi Endeavor.  The two Mazda vehicles would have been given the Top Safety Pick rating but it only managed to register marginal scores in the rear crash tests. The Endeavor on the other hand only managed a poor rating.  These vehicles though are relatively safer than SUVs in the past even those equipped with AC compressors.

Posted by Kev at 02:18:31 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

5 Vehicles To Impress Your Date

Crafting a perfect date isn’t easy as 123. Finer points have to be polished. Bigger details have to be infallible. You don’t want to be put to an awkward situation when you are with your date, right? So everything has to be perfect – including your car.

Yes, your car completes the valentine picture. Whether you’re a guy or a girl, having a great ride tells your date so much about you. The Monroe Max-lift lift strut isn’t enough to boost your confidence. You have to choose the right road machine.

So what vehicles are perfect to hit your date off his or her feet?

5 Different Autos For Your Type Of Date

Aston Martin DBS
Price Range: $260,000+
Engine: 5.9 Liter V12 (510 Horsepower)
Seats: 2
Doors: 2
Reason your date will like it: Uncompromising luxury without being obnoxious

Smart Fortwo
Price Range: $12,000 to $17,000
Engine: 1 Liter 3-Cylinder (71 Horsepower)
Seats: 2
Doors: 2
Reason your date will like it: So much fun packed into a trendy little package

1965-67 Ford Mustang
Price Range: $5,000 to $20,000+
Engine: Varies
Seats: 2+2
Doors: 2
Reason your date will like it: True classics are always crowd-pleasers

Jeep Wrangler
Price Range: $2,000 to $30,000
Engine: Varies
Seats: 4
Doors: 2
Reason your date will like it: Shows your date you’re willing to break from the crowd and create your own path in life

Mazda Miata
Price Range: $3,000 to $26,000
Engine: 4-Cylinder (116 to 166 Horsepower)
Seats: 2
Doors: 2
Reason your date will like it: There’s a reason you always see smiling couples in the brochures for fun little roadsters

The vehicles are of no moment if you don’t like the person you’re riding the car with. A special car plus your significant other make up a perfect valentine date. Enjoy your date.

[via: WMUR]

Posted by Kev at 15:08:19 | Permalink | Comments (3)

And The Pet Friendliest Automaker Award Goes To…

What usually influences your car choice? For family-oriented individuals, the first question that crosses their mind is: Is it family-friendly? For women, almost certainly the question is: Is it classy? Men will probably ask, “Is it fast and trendy?” Well, of course, car choices vary depending on the lifestyle and other individual differences of car buyers.

But did you know that another influential factor has just emerged in the auto industry? It’s none other than pets. Yes, pets. According to Kathryn Segura, movie industry and animal trainer, more and more shoppers as well as companies nowadays have their pets in mind in buying and marketing various products.

AutoChannel cited a study conducted by American Pet Products Manufacturer Association (APPMA) which revealed that in 2007, Americans spent about $40 billion dollars on their pets. In fact, DogCat radio, America’s radio station for both pet lovers and their pets, awarded Ford Motor Company as the “Pet Friendliest Automaker” for its broad access of vehicle models that deliver safety, comfort and easy entry for pets.

According to Adrian Martinez, chief executive officer of CatDog radio station, Ford’s Taurus X passed all the criteria required by the award including fuel economy, cost-effectiveness, spaciousness, safety and of course, creature comforts.

A mid-size crossover sport-utility vehicle, Martinez considered the Ford Taurus X as a perfect family car with just the right size, safety and value. It can accommodate about six to seven passengers. It is powered by a V-6 engine that produces 263 horsepower with an automatic transmission. It also features an advance electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes that are most probably equipped with a quality brake caliper and a total of six airbags for the driver as well as for the passengers.

Los Angeles-based DogCat radio station that features music, news and reviews, received the “Wave of the Future” Award from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Posted by Kev at 04:50:45 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Ford Focus On Melody

Audi and Hyundai have shelled out millions of dollars to come up with wonderful campaigns for the Super Bowl. But for me, the real winner is Ford for coming up with an orchestra entirely-made of Focus hatchback auto parts.

The new advertising campaign will be featuring clutch guitar, rear suspension spike fiddle, hatchback kick drum, fender bass, door harp, handheld gear tambourine, and the transmission case cello-dulcimer.

The melodic masterpiece orchestra is a work of art of two American composers - Craig Richey and Bill Milbrodt. They turned 21 parts from the new Focus into musical instruments and arranged them to be played by an orchestra.

“When we got it to the mechanics shop, it had less than a mile on the clock. We took the doors and fenders off, but we had the body shell intact and we later cut out of that the parts we wanted,” said Milbrodt.

“[None of the construction] was really improvised on the spot. The car was dismantled completely, and the parts were sorted into boxes and around the workshop (door parts with door parts, etc.). I had previous experience making the Car Music Project instruments from my old Honda Accord, so that experience was applied. But, the basic process is one of putting together a puzzle,” Milbrodt said in an interview with Peter Kirn.

The maker of the best-selling F-150 Ford truck and Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon have recorded a song backed by instruments made from the Focus hatchback hot from production line. Although a car door, clutch and bumper were employed to help make the remix of the song, For You I Will, it will be more classical than heavy metal, according to Metro.

“Alesha heard about the advert using car parts as an orchestra and asked Ford if they would do a classical remix of For You I Will using the instruments,” said a spokesman for the automaker.

Hmmm. Sounds good. I dare not miss the TV launch on the 18th.

Posted by Kev at 01:57:45 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday, February 7, 2008

30 Years Of “Help Miles” Travel


It’s such a liberating experience to drive one’s car off the countryside. With a backpack on the passenger seat, camping materials in the compartment, plus R & B music playin,’ well, who said that getting a life could never be that fun?
Not until your car stucks. Camping in the middle of the road, anyone?

It always happens, particularly to amateur drivers (how mean!). It’s whether your car would suddenly have a flat tire, a dead battery or any other vehicular emergencies of that sort that will intentionally develop your patience (and an auto repairer’s instinct, I guess). You begin remembering that there is a God who can send you angels to the rescue.
 Somebody must have prayed earnestly while on the same pathetic situation 30 years ago. For now, there already exists an organization with the mission to provide help and relief to millions of drivers everyday who need some roadside assistance.
 
The CVS Samaritan Van Program was launched by CVS Pharmacy, a retail division of CVS Caremark on February 6, 1978 - yeah, thirty years ago. It started with a single vehicle and its driver who began to offer assistance to stranded motorists during the “Blizzard of ’78″ that dumped 27.1 inches of snow on Boston , leaving the whole city and surrounding areas paralyzed.

Maybe ‘twas the pay it forward chain at work, because today, the CVS Samaritan Van Program is already an established organization with a fleet of distinctive white vans bearing the red ”CVS/Samaritan” logo patrolling highways around nine major cities in US including Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, providence and Washington D.C.It has currently traveled more than 10 million miles, assisting more than a million people stranded on the road.

“By helping to keep people safe on our nation’s highways, the CVS Samaritan Van program is part of our company’s vision to strive to improve the quality of human life,” Eileen Howard Dunn, senior vice president of Corporate Communications and Community relations at CVS Caremark, told AutoChannel.

Now that makes a more significant roadtrip!

 

Posted by Kev at 09:45:28 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Calling All Outdoor Adventurers!

Yes you! Land Rover invites all outdoor geeks and true-blooded adventurers to join the off-road “adventures”! According to a Ford.com press release, the world-renowned group will set up camps for clients and other guests in Moab, Utah from April 18 to 29, 2008. Moab is known for its spectacular surroundings, vast red rock monuments and outstanding outdoor recreation.

Ford.com reported that The Land Rover Moab Adventure is a four-day, three-night exclusive outdoor experience for Land Rover clients and off-road buffs. The program will provide the best local cuisine and convenient accommodation night in and night out at the Sorrel River Ranch which is next to Colorado’s splendid river banks.

Professional and beginner off-road explorers will be given a chance to drive a Land Rover Range Rover with the tough header pipe, Range Rover Sport and LR3. These powerful vehicles will be used during several exciting activities in Moab’s tough but stunningly gorgeous, red rock tracks. Customers will be guide by Land Rover’s first-rate driving instructors.

“Land Rover has traveled the globe throughout its 60 year history and our owners reap the benefit of our experience in creating and delivering exceptional outdoor travel experiences. Our owners tend to seek out adventure in remote and out of the way places and our adventures are designed to showcase the capability of our vehicles while finding unique and memorable locations,” says Bob Burns, 3D experience driving programs manager of Land Rover North America.

Posted by Kev at 02:02:03 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Hot List Of Future Car Collectibles

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It’s not that hard to imagine if your car can possibly make the cut as one of the future collectible vehicles. Some of the classic cars from way, way back are still capable of capturing the hearts of thousands of car enthusiasts around the world. So if you think your car is highly regarded as one appealing hot stuff, then it might be one of the car legends in the future. Wait a minute. I guess we don’t have to hang around for another 20 years just know if our car is included on the hot list. Why? It’s because Hagerty Insurance will provide the set of vehicles that is certain to be a future collector’s item. So hold your horses, drop those fuel pumps and check this out!

The Auto Channel reported that Hagerty Insurance, the country’s leading insurance agency for collector vehicles and boats, has already come up and announced their choices… it’s the Hagerty Hot List: Top 10 Future Collector Cars. Hagerty Insurance prepared this hot list to update customers and car owners what car models will remain appealing in the next 20 years. McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance Agency and an expert automotive analyst, presents the top cars included in Hagerty’s Hot List.

Check the list below and find out if your car is a candidate!

  • Cadillac XLR-V Roadster
  • Lotus Exige S
  • Audi S5
  • Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR
  • Chevrolet Corvette Z06
  • Smart
  • Subaru Impreza WRX STi
  • Honda S2000 CR
  • Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky
  • Dodge Charger Super Bee

“Many consumers could be driving a future collector car right now. Our goal was to find cars that are currently on the road but may be considered nostalgic in 15 to 20 years. Each car on Hagerty’s Hot List possesses a ‘buzz,’ a Wow Factor that resonates with consumers of all ages, many cars being daily drivers that turn heads already,” says Hagerty.
“In a time when all the major manufacturers are fiercely competing for market share, we wanted to pick some modern day driving machines that grab drivers’ attention now and will continue to do so down the road,” says Hagerty. “The cars on this list have all the right ingredients to be looked upon by the next generation of enthusiasts as cool cars to collect.”

Posted by Kev at 02:38:13 | Permalink | Comments (3)