Monday, May 24, 2010

2011 Ford Fiesta


Another incredibly good-looking car. It's amazing how car makers are able to make such marvelous cars, but at the same time some can build horrendous cars. Ford has really dome a nice job with this car, and with it being released in the United States, we also benefit. This model is made in Mexico, which means it will arrive in Brazil without paying any importing taxes at all.

The Fiesta will be available in Hatchback and Sedan versions, but I chose only to put pictures of the Hatchback because I think it looks better. In total, it will have 3 different trim levels, and many color options. There won't be any engine choice, since all models will have the 1.6 liter engine delivering 119hp, but the buyer will be able to choose between a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

To me the best feature of this car isn't one of its technical specs, but its price. It starts at around US$ 13'ooo in the United States, which is incredibly good value for such a beautiful car. I'm trying to convince my father to buy me one when I go study in the United States. At least he won't be able to say that costs are too high.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Audi R8 Spyder


The audi R8 is probably one of the best-looking cars on sale today. As I was talking to my friend Francisco last week, another R8 fan, the white one is probably one of the "sexiest" cars around.

For our benefit, Audi released the Spyder version of its supercar. As it is seen in the video, each spyder R8 is produced by hand, not in a manufacturing process like regular cars. This means the precision of the fit'n'finish, painting and engine is incomparable.

Like the regular version, the Spyder R8 is available with a V10 engine, which delivers an amazing 525hp. If being one of the most beautiful supercars in its class, it is also one of the most powerful, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.1 seconds and top speed of 313 km/h. The biggest time figure it seems to have is how long its top takes to "disappear", which is 19 seconds. The video of the manufacturing process shown above highlights this incredible process.

Source: Carscoop

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Favorite Post (Blog Category: Informative)


As it was already introduced in the last post, Fiat recently announced the totally-redesigned Uno model for the Brazilian market. Now, this post highlights the regular versions, its specs and its prices.

The above model is the Vivace. It is the simplest in the range. It has black front-and-rear bumpers, and black doorhandles and side mirrors. This version has 13" wheels, and Fiat believes it will be the top-selling version of the Uno range. Tis version starts at R$25'500 for the two-door, and R$27'350 for the four-door, and both come with a 1.0 liter engine.

This yellow model is the Attractive version. It is the top-of-the-range non-"adventurous" model. It comes with 14" wheels, many storage compartments, including on the car's doors and on the car's central console. All bumpers, doorhandles and side mirrors are painted in the body color, and prices start from R$29'280 for the two-door and R$ 31'080 for the four-door. This trim level is only available with a 1.4 liter engine.

Finally, this is the Way version. It is the "adventurous" trim level of the Uno. It comes standard with off-road "accessories," such as the black bumpers, black mudguards and black roof rails. The interior has special fabrics on the seats, and the standard equipment is the same as the Attractive model. This trim level is the only one in which the buyer can have an engine choice, either the 1.0 or the 1.4 liter engines. The prices for the two-doors start from R$26'690 for the 1.0 and R$30'070 for the 1.4, and the four-doors start from R$28'490 for the 1.0 and R$31'870 for the 1.4.

The picture above is the interior of all the trim levels. The appearance only varies depending on the options the person chooses, which vary from power windows to air-bags. The buyer may also choose visual accessories, such as stickers, wheels and dashboard colors.

André's opinion

I went to a dealer to see this car, and I think it has everything to be a best-seller. It has plenty of room on the inside, and it is compact enough to fit into almost any parking space. In addition, the accessories the person may equip the car with allow them to build an unique car. This has everything to be a best seller, and the best of all, it's cheap!

New Fiat Uno


As it was already introduced in the last post, Fiat recently announced the totally-redesigned Uno model for the Brazilian market. Now, this post highlights the regular versions, its specs and its prices.

The above model is the Vivace. It is the simplest in the range. It has black front-and-rear bumpers, and black doorhandles and side mirrors. This version has 13" wheels, and Fiat believes it will be the top-selling version of the Uno range. Tis version starts at R$25'500 for the two-door, and R$27'350 for the four-door, and both come with a 1.0 liter engine.

This yellow model is the Attractive version. It is the top-of-the-range non-"adventurous" model. It comes with 14" wheels, many storage compartments, including on the car's doors and on the car's central console. All bumpers, doorhandles and side mirrors are painted in the body color, and prices start from R$29'280 for the two-door and R$ 31'080 for the four-door. This trim level is only available with a 1.4 liter engine.

Finally, this is the Way version. It is the "adventurous" trim level of the Uno. It comes standard with off-road "accessories," such as the black bumpers, black mudguards and black roof rails. The interior has special fabrics on the seats, and the standard equipment is the same as the Attractive model. This trim level is the only one in which the buyer can have an engine choice, either the 1.0 or the 1.4 liter engines. The prices for the two-doors start from R$26'690 for the 1.0 and R$30'070 for the 1.4, and the four-doors start from R$28'490 for the 1.0 and R$31'870 for the 1.4.

The picture above is the interior of all the trim levels. The appearance only varies depending on the options the person chooses, which vary from power windows to air-bags. The buyer may also choose visual accessories, such as stickers, wheels and dashboard colors.

André's opinion

I went to a dealer to see this car, and I think it has everything to be a best-seller. It has plenty of room on the inside, and it is compact enough to fit into almost any parking space. In addition, the accessories the person may equip the car with allow them to build an unique car. This has everything to be a best seller, and the best of all, it's cheap!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

New Fiat Uno Ecology Concept

It is rare for Brazilian carmakers to make concept cars, or concept versions of their cars. Fiat just released the all-new restyling for their oldest model on sale, the Uno. And during the debut event, they surprised everybody by showing a concept version of the Uno, called the "Ecology Concept." As the name already suggests, this is only a concept model, which could make it to production or not.

The "Ecology Concept" does not fit any ground-breaking technology, like the American and European carmakers do in their home countries. Instead, it proposes simple technologies that can make a car more efficient, and are not expensive to implant in production models. It features a start-stop system, which shuts down the engine at speeds below 3km/h and switches it back on as the driver takes its foot off the brakes.

It also features a tire-pressure monitoring system, which assists the driver in maintaining optimum tire pressures, so that fuel consumption is not increased. The most unusual technologies it carries are plastics, fabrics and some parts of the body made of recycled PET bottles and coconut fibers; it also features photovoltaic solar panels on its roof, which make it look as if a glass roof was installed. It is unlikely that Fiat will release an "Ecology" version of the Uno with all these features, but it is indeed likely that it will use some of these technologies on already-existing trim levels.
André's opinion

Fiat's redesigned Uno is a very good-looking car, but I have not seen it in person yet. Only after I actually see it, I will have a strong opinion about it. However, I find these technologies simple and easy to implant on models, which could not only benefit the driver with lower fuel consumption, but also reduce the car's impact on the environment.

Friday, April 23, 2010

2011 VW Phaeton

Volkswagen recently released official details for its facelifted Phaeton, the most luxurious model sold by the german carmaker. Although it may look like a recent model, the Phaeton came out in 2002, and VW only updated the front and rear designs, giging it the brand's current "identity."

Since it is a reasonably expensive car, the costumer is able to customize it the way he/she wishes. There are two wheelbase options (normal or extended), two backseat options (two seats or three seats) and four engine choices, three of them are petrol-fuled and one of them is diesel-fueled. The "basic" petrol engine is a V6, which delivers 280hp. The second petrol option is a V8, which delivers 335hp. The top-of-the-range petrol engine is a W12, which delvers 450hp. The only diesel option is a V6, which grants its driver with "only" 240hp, but plenty of torque.


VW's main objective when redesigning this car was not only to make it look like the other VW models, but also to mak it more efficient. All engines have direct fuel injection, which helps to increase fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. They also paid attention to small details, such as the headlights, which had their conventionsl lightbulbs replaced by LEDs, which consume less battery power and illuminate more. Prices and trim levels haven't been announced yet, but they should be kept the same as the current Phaeton's, which starts at 52'000 euros for the desel model. Official details will appear close to the car's debut, which should occur in August 2010.

Friday, April 9, 2010

2011 Chevrolet Camaro


This week, Chevrolet announced the small changes it made to the 2011-mode-year Camaro. It is a muscle car which came out in 2009, as a 2010 model. Now in 2010, Chevrolet made some minor changes, so that the Camaro can confront (and defeat) ts biggest opponent, the Ford Mustang, in a better way.

The first update it did was announce an extra 8-horsepower for the V6 engine, with a total of 312 hp. The Mustang has 305 hp in its V6 version, and before the change, the camaro had 304. Now, GM can claim that their car is more powerful, even though they only made changes on the elctric unit that controls fuel injection. This difference will also probably not be felt by most drivers, since 8hp isn't much to consider a car much faster or slower than another.

The second change, and the one I most like, is the new color that is available, the Synergy Green, just as is seen in the first picture. My favorite color is green, and I would love to have a Synergy Green Camaro, may it be the V6 or the V8 model. However, GM has announced that it will only be a limited-run, so there will only be a limited number of Synergy Green Camaros on the streets. What a shame.