Luxury Cars

The 4 door Aston Martin Rapide has had one of the longest gestation periods of any car in recent memory. It first came upon the scene almost four years after its concept debuted at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. The initial reaction of everyone who saw it was a simple “Build it now!!!”

The Rapide will be completed with Aston Martin’s hand built 6.0-liter V12 engine that puts out 477HP at 6,000 rpm and 443 lbft of peak torque at 5000 rpm.

All that power and torque goes to the tarmac via rear wheels through Aston’s six-speed ‘Touchtronic 2? automatic transmission. Although a slush-box it does allow the driver to change gears automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted paddles made of magnesium. There’s no performance stats yet, but the word from Frankfurt is that 0-100km/h should happen in a little over 5,0 seconds. The Aston Martin Rapide features what the company terms four ’swan wing’ doors that open slightly upwards. Read more…

As Americans celebrate the inauguration of a new president of the United States next week, another new Cadillac will grace Pennsylvania Avenue to lead the proceedings. President B.H. Obama will ride in an all-new Cadillac Presidential Limousine, continuing a long tradition of Cadillac limousines that have served many U.S. presidents. This is a great American tradition that they’re delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac’s dramatic design and technology.

The image of an American president greeting crowds from a Cadillac limousine dates to President Woodrow Wilson and the early days of the automobile, and continues into a historic new era. The latest Cadillac Presidential Limousine is a completely new design, succeeding the DTS Presidential Limousine that debuted in 2004. The new car incorporates many of the dramatic design and technology features of new and highly acclaimed Cadillac vehicles in a purpose-built format tailored to specific and exacting specifications befitting presidential transport. Inside and out, the Cadillac Presidential Limousine includes many of the brand’s signature design elements. Assertive, modern and elegant, the front of the car includes the intricate, dual-textured grille made famous by Cadillac’s most popular current models, the CTS sport sedan and Escalade. Vertical design elements, such as the car’s front and rear lighting, mirror those used on production models.

Read more…

Few changes for this 2010 Volvo XC90. This versatile model is meant by cons more friendly and accommodating with the addition of a third row of seats – standard on all versions and no longer an option. Speaking of versions, there are three listed equipment has been revised for the new year.

It costs $ 51 995, which includes alloy wheels of 17 inches, an automatic climate control, a regulator of the dynamic stability and traction, driver seat power adjustments, a Home link transmitter and an eight-channel sound speakers, not forgetting of course AWD.
Read more…

It became popular since introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model. A lot of complain received  about the Range Rover Sport’s sub-par interior materials and lackluster power trains – even in Supercharged-guise – but this 2010 will make a difference.
Like the other 2010 models, the 2010 Range Rover Sport isn’t all-new for this model year, but the Sport’s mid-cycle updated makes it seem miles apart from the outgoing model. Almost every aspect of the Range Rover Sport has been redone for the 2010 model year, resulting in a high-performance SUV that is just at home on a winding back road as it is on a two-track mountain pass. Read more…

This model, first introduced in 2002 replaced the long-standing Jeep Cherokee. Although the redesign six years later has left many Jeep fans wondering what was actually changed, the classic Jeep styling remains intact and newer, boxier look may prove hard to beat in the next generation. Here we go!

These 2 versions (Sport and the Limited Liberty) now come standard with the noisy 3.7-Liter SOHC V6 engine. The engine produces 210 hp and 235 ft-lb of torque and is thirsty for the class at 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway for the 2WD models and 15 mpg city and 21 mpg on the highway for 4WD models. The 9.2 seconds to go 0 to 60 mpg seems sluggish for the vehicle class as well compared to the 8.5 seconds of the Hyundai Santa Fe and the 7.7 of the Nissan XTerra. Read more…

After many months of speculation and anticipation, the reincarnated Chevy Camaro makes its debut for 2010.

“Compromised visibility, a few ergonomic gaffes, marginal interior materials quality.”

It is not only lives up to the hype but also redefines what a muscle car can be. The traditional stereotype goes something like this — the affordable base model looks fast but goes slow due to a lumpy V6, while the V8-powered model will do apocalyptic burnouts in the high school parking lot but can’t corner to save its (or your) life. The latest Dodge Challenger comes uncomfortably close to this archetype, and the Ford Mustang is at least guilty on the V6 front. But this new Camaro, well, it’s an altogether different beast.

It is an excellent performance-car value whether it’s equipped with the base direct-injected V6 or the optional V8. The V6-powered base Camaro can sprint to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds, thanks to 300 horsepower, yet it costs the same as competitors like the considerably slower Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T. Heck, even the V6′s fuel economy is impressive compared to its competition. The V8-powered Camaro SS with the manual transmission dispenses with 60 mph in a blistering 5.0 seconds — 426 hp will do that for you — yet it’s considerably cheaper than cars like the BMW 135i and Challenger SRT8 and outperforms the slightly more affordable Mustang GT. The Camaro handles smartly, too, with even the base car surpassing the rarefied 68 mph mark on our slalom course.

“Extraordinary acceleration with either engine, capable handling, excellent value, head-turning looks, unique interior design, good fuel economy.” Read more…

The 2009 Toyota Venza is an exception to the crossover vehicle rules. The name combines “venture” and “Monza,” an Italian racetrack.

Venza can be considered as the big, bloated Highlander seven-seater and the sportier five-seat RAV4. It’s like the combination of all Toyotas; part Camry, part Highlander, partly its own creation. Venza looks tightly integrated and pretty interesting from some angles, particularly the side view. It’s a boxy crossover, yes—but the multibar grille and fast silhouette make it far more attractive than the plainer Ford Edge and less controversial than the Nissan Murano. The Venza’s interior takes a middle path as well, with an unconventionally shaped center stack of controls dividing driver and front passenger. Big, clear gauges and optional mahogany-grained trim dress it up better than its competition.

The Toyota parts bin also donates most of the Venza’s running gear. Engines include a 182-horsepower 2.7-liter four-cylinder, teamed to a six-speed automatic and an optional all-wheel-drive system that splits power between front and rear wheels. This base Venza strains a bit to provide uphill and passing performance, but putters anonymously in most other conditions, though with a bit more engine noise than expected. The 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 is substantially smoother and more powerful, but comes with its own slight penalty: Fuel economy in front-drive V-6 Venzas is 19/26 mpg, compared to the 21/29 mpg delivered by the four-cylinder version.

Read more…