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Subaru officially unveils new Legacy S
ubaru has revealed full details of its next-gen Legacy at the Chicago motor show following leaked images hitting the web earlier this week. The Japanese brand says it has focused on improving quality, dynamics and interior space with the sixth-generation of its mid-sized sedan, as well as introducing a suite of new features. While it rides on the same 2750mm wheelbase as the current car, the new model is slighter longer (up 50mm), wider (up 60mm) and marginally lower (down 5mm) and brings it in line with the new WRX in showcasing Subaru’s new design language which, as it did with the pocket rocket, is much more conservative than the swoopy concept that was revealed at the 2013 Los Angeles motor
The all new Subaru Legacy
show. Subaru has confirmed the Legacy will initially be available with a choice, in US specifications at least, of two horizontally-opposed engine options, both of which will drive its all-wheel drive system through a CVT automatic. The first is a mildly-upgraded version of the 2.5-litre four cylinder that produces 130kW and 236Nm (up 3kW and 1Nm respectively) with improved mid-range pulling power while the range-topper is powered by an unchanged 3.6-litre six-cylinder that delivers 190kW, although torque has been reduced from 350Nm to 335Nm to ensure the CVT’s long-term durability. Subaru says it has increased the body’s stiffness for better noise insulation and dynamic qualities, allowing for a revised
PH teams make history at Shell-Eco-Marathon Asia
T
he Philippine teams for Shell Ecomarathon Asia 2014 made history last night when they outranked several other teams from across Asia and the Middle-East in the world’s most prestigious smarter mobility competition. The De La Salle University’s Eco-Car Team-Electric ranked second in the Urban Concept- Battery Electric Category with a consumption rating of 66.38 km/ kWH.
Aside from winning, the DLSU team also showcased to the world the worldfamous Filipino hospitality by helping Team Eco-Warriors from the Madras Institute of Technology in India when their car was held at the Customs office in Singapore days before the competition. The DLSU Eco-Car Team gave the Indian team the chassis of their 2011 Prototype – Battery Electric vehicle to create a new entry for the mobility com-
petition. “We are so grateful for all the support from Shell, De La Salle University, and all the other teams from other countries who have rallied to help us. We’re happy that we still have the opportunity to compete in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia.” said Team Eco-Warriors member Subramanian Senthil Kumar. Also coming in as a top contender is the TIP Mileage team from the Techno-
logical Institute of the Philippines (TIP), Manila. They bested over 12 other teams in the Urban Concept-Diesel Category coming in third place with a fuel consumption rating of 47.44 km/L. The TIP Mileage team previously joined Shell Eco-marathon Asia back in 2012, where they placed second in the Prototype – Diesel Category. This year, they tok on the Urban Concept – Diesel category for the first time.
suspension and steering set-up that promotes more agile driving qualities while maintaining a comfortable ride. The interior has been re-jigged to increase occupant space, with revisions such as moving the A-pillar forward, thinner door sashes and roof frames and repositioned front seat rails improving head, leg and shoulder room for all passengers. The Legacy introduces the next iteration of Subaru’s Eyesight safety system with a smaller stereo camera system placed around the rear vision mirror that increases the view angle and distance by up to 40 percent and, along with Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Warning and a reverse camera, now includes fog lights that automatically adjust according the angle of the steering.
The San Francisco Post
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BMW 228i a contender in affordable luxury cars As Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Audi’s A3 sedan emerge with their entry level
affordable luxury cars, BMW is finally a competitor. BMW is fighting to keep up with the trends as they build a new performance line for young luxury buyers. At the Detroit Auto Show in early January 2014, BMW released the 2nd Series
Coupe that will go on sale March 2014, as a new and improved replacement for the discontinued BMW 1 Series Coupe. Beating out their competition, BWI 228i will be priced lower than $34,000, with 2.0 liter inline with a four cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower. The horsepower and price point are not the only eye catching attributes to the new 2nd series. 228i will give drivers 35 mpg on the highway in standard form due to selectable ECO PRO driving mode, Air Curtains, and Auto/Stop functions.
Don’t forget the anti-freeze and coolant Open the hood on your car, take a look underneath that hood, and you’ll see something that is really compact. Lots of stuff in a small space. And you’ll notice that there’s a lot of sophistication in there. Well what that essentially means is that there’s nothing cheap to repair under the hood of a car anymore. And that means you have to look at your preventive maintenance differently. You see, cooling systems in particular. Back in the day, you used to take a hydrometer like this, you would pull some of the fluid from the radiator up into the hydrometer, you would first look at the freeze protection to make sure it was correct, then you would look at the color of the coolant—that’s the reason you can see through these things. And if the coolant looked good and the freeze protection was good, everything was fine, you didn’t have to do anything. Well, that doesn’t work anymore. Now the reason is real simple. What made the coolant change color as it got older, was metal parts— steel parts, inside the engine that rusted. Well look at this. Here we have a modern radiator, it’s made out of plastic and aluminum. Neither one of those rusts. Here we have a modern water pump. Again, plastic and aluminum. Look at the engine itself,
the entire engine is made out of aluminum; the whole block is aluminum. Most of the parts that the coolant touch is either going to be aluminum or plastic. So, you may have a situation where the coolant never changes color. So you might be going along, thinking everything is fine, when in reality, the coolant has lost its ability to properly protect the plastic and the metal in the engine, and you have a major repair. A major repair, such as we see right here. This is an intake manifold gasket off of a late model car that never had the coolant flushed. Well the coolant that came out of this engine looked like brand new. Yet, this gasket is completely destroyed because the coolant was acidic. You don’t want that to happen. It was a major expense. So, here we have two coolants. One of these is very acidic. The other is brand new, you can’t tell the difference. So what do you do with coolant? Well you check it periodically using coolant test strips, or better yet, just figure out a routine procedure. Usually two, maybe three years. Flush the cooling system, reinstall fresh coolant of the proper type, with distilled water, and forget it. You’ve protected the cooling system properly.
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Porsche 911 marks 50th year 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, and for much of that time it has served as the global benchmark of sports cars. Part of that reason is that Porsche never lets the 911 sit back and enjoy its accomplishments, at least not for very long. Porsche designers are constantly working towards an even higher performance goal for the 911. So, it is appropriate that this is also the year for the latest 911 Turbo to hit the streets, and from our initial outings, it does appear a new level of street-legal performance has been reached. Unlike previous generations of the 911 Turbo, with the latest 991-series, both Turbo and Turbo S models are available at the same time. As per tradition, the S adds more standard equipment and more power, this time for a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-6. The Turbo ratings are 520-horsepower and 487 lb-ft. of torque, while the Turbo S hikes those to 560 and 516. In addition, up to 553 lb-ft. of torque is available at full throttle from the overboost feature that is a part of the popular Sport Chrono package. All in all it makes the Turbo S the quickest road going production
Porsche ever with expected 0-60 times of under three seconds. That’s getting into performance motorcycle territory. But, as impressive as that straight line speed sounds, what really makes the 911 Turbo shine is its handling and agility. Both are aided mightily by the fact that all Turbos continue to include standard all-wheel drive. The current system is an evolution of the torque vectoring setup with an added Electro-hydraulic control that enables more power to be delivered to the front axle faster. In addition, the new 911 Turbo gains rear wheel steer. With an actuator for each back wheel, the system provides varying degrees of steering to both tighten turns and increase high speed stability. Not only does all this electronic based hardware provide an astounding amount of grip, but it does so without entirely dialing out all of the driving enjoyment. As for bringing all this fun to a halt, the Turbo’s standard ceramic brakes are up to the task and then some. When it comes to a transmission, the Turbo is PDK automatic-manual only. The PDK’s shifts are incredibly quick, and it makes street driving in every day traffic very livable.
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Maintaining Safe Driving Habits When You First Pass Your Driving Test Learning to drive is a long winded process. You’ve spent months, maybe even years taking regular driving lessons, spending time practicing, revising for your theory test and going through the stress of your practical driving test. When you pass your driving test, there is an overwhelming feeling of relief and freedom. If you’re lucky enough to have your own vehicle, where do you go for your first drive? Where to most new drivers go on their first independent journey behind the wheel? According to a survey by the AA, the first drives for the majority of newly qualified drivers was a drive home or a drive “anywhere”. According to officials, driving home alone for the first time after a driving test is not advised. After the nerves leading up to a driving test and the exhilaration of passing, a driver’s concentration levels may be quite low. Some new drivers prefer to go for a drive around the block for their first drive whereas a sixth of new drivers take themselves to college or work on their first solo drive. Reassuringly, only one per cent of drivers drive to a social occasion on their first trip behind the wheel. Almost two thirds of new drivers are cautious and only take journeys which are under 10 miles the first time they get behind the wheel. Surprisingly, 16% of drivers are confident enough to drive for more than 100 miles the first time they’re in a car independently. Keep distractions to a minimum When you first hit the road after passing
your driving test, don’t get complacent. You’ll soon come to realize how much you took your driving instructor for granted. Whilst learning to drive, you benefit from having another passenger who is focusing on the road as much as you are. You will no longer have that backup and it is your responsibility to notice any hazards that crop up. It is advised that you: Avoid having music on too loudly and avoid changing radio stations whilst driving. When you first learn to drive, you spend a lot of time thinking about changing gear and your foot controls. It takes some time before these actions become second nature to you. Whilst you are concentrating on the controls of the car and your surroundings, the last thing that you need is further distractions. Don’t fill your car with passengers until you are ready When you pass your test, you are likely to be excited and want to show off to your friends. Don’t carry passengers in your car until you are ready. You may find that one passenger is reassuring, but having four passengers in the car could be overly distracting. Never succumb to peer pressure and attempt to show off with erratic driving behavior. Remember that the passengers in the car are relying on you to keep them safe. A few seconds of poorly judged behavior could cost your friends their lives, so always prioritize safety. This was a guest post by Julian Salmon and Julian is a well known author of all things automotive related. When getting the latest information on car finance, Julian visits motorloansdirect.com.
Mazda Stuns The World Mazda now have a new car, I was waiting to see when they would bring another one out. I think this one can compete with the RX8 which is my personal favourite of the Mazda range. Mazda is preparing to stun the world with its third-generation Mazda6 sedan and just two months ahead of its planned debut at the Paris Motor Show, the company has issued a short teaser video showing a portion of the front end. And it’s not an unfamiliar sight – the video in fact confirming how similar the production model looks to the Takeri concept, pictured here, at least as far as the front grille and headlights are concerned.
Another interesting bit from the concept is a chrome line that runs along the lower end of the bumper before piercing into the headlights….More at New Mazda6 shows (some) face – Independent Online
How To Recognise And Deal With Issues With Your Car The majority of motorists are not car experts and sometimes struggle to decide how to respond to problems with their cars. Sometimes, what may appear to be an issue to the inexperienced eye is in fact quite harmless. In other cases, something which may not appear to be too serious can actually be incredibly dangerous to your car. Running a car is incredibly expensive, motorists have to fork out for fuel, car insurance, road tax, M.O.T’s and servicing, not to mention the cost of the car itself. By dealing with maintenance issues as they crop up, you can save thousands in the long run. Many car issues get worse in time, so dealing with matters promptly is the best approach to take. Below we have a few tips on issues that you may face and how you should deal with it. Is your car emitting an unusual smell? Whilst you’re out on the road, it can be difficult to work out whether an unusual smell is coming from your vehicle or whether it
is something in the environment. It should soon become apparent if the smell is coming from your own vehicle. If this is the case, the type of scent should give an indication to the cause of the problem. If your car is emitting a burnt plastic smell, this could be due to an electrical fault in your vehicle. If your car begins to give off a sweet smell, this may be down to your engine coolant burning. When a car emits the smell of burnt rubber, this often means that a clutch or brakes are overheating. Whatever the smell may be, it is always wise to get it checked out by a professional. Sometimes cars emit smoke in different colours. Depending on the colour of the smoke, your car may have one of a few issues. It is most likely that if your car’s exhaust is emitting smoke, it is blue, black or white. When a car emits black smoke, this is often due to raw fuel being burnt. The cause of this is sometimes simply a blocked air filter, although there could be a number of other causes behind it.
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