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Simply fantastic product and fantastic people. I had been suffering from white exhaust smoke and burning oil. I came across lots of symptoms on forums and came across the dreaded swirl flap issue. Needless to say I was very concerned and got in touch with PMW. There help, advice and expertise was invaluble.
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In this week’s Guardian, Charles Arthur has produced a statistical analysis showing that current fuel prices are not as high as at other points in history, when considered relative to inflation and income. That may well be, but despite this the pressure exerted on car manufacturers to adapt to the price of fuel is surely greater now than it ever has been.
The current rate of increase must alarm manufacturers who have not specifically geared themselves for efficiency targets (i.e. a great proportion of the major players). Fuel economy is quickly becoming the most significant governing force across the car industry, with consumers more economy conscious than ever.
After all, who cares if a new car costs only £6,995 if it would use £4,000 of petrol annually, where an £8,995 alternative would use only £2,500, for example. The cost of a new car has never been quite so intrinsically linked to its fuel economy as it is today (previously it has been one factor of many in the decision to purchase).
Certain manufacturers have less to fear from this general consumer trend - namely manufacturers of SUVs, whose customers are typically less deterred by financial factors (though these companies too will suffer if government regulations regarding economy and emissions are tightened). Apart from this narrow band of the market, pretty much all other manufacturers face a tough time ahead; make cars more affordable to run, or face losing market share to more efficient rivals.
With UK petrol prices currently averaging £1.15/litre, many drivers are already being priced out of cars they bought only a few years ago. For example filling a 1.9l Renault Espace cost £50 in December of 2006 - now it would cost £85, and within a few months could exceed £100. It looks like the oil economy is going to do what governments/Kyoto/Greenpeace etc never could - and finally instigate a rapid overhaul of the motor industry towards greater efficiency (and thereby reduced CO2 emissions as a by-product).
Hybrid models like the Toyota Prius are suddenly looking like a much better buy than many initially cheaper petrol or diesel alternatives. Initially the Prius found only a small market with environmentally conscious drivers. Now it looks like the green model might come into its own as a mainstream market option.
Ultimately it is unlikely car manufacturers seriously think this will all blow over. The nature of the oil market dictates that though the rate of increase might slow somewhat, a significant decline in the near future is highly unlikely. Car manufacturers have for so long been successful in lobbying governments to give them near enough free reign over economy and emissions levels (in the US especially - Japan for example is a different story). Now it seems that another consideration (and one wholly out of their control) is set to force their hand.
The times of cheap cars and cheap petrol look to be over - old technology must give way to new systems that address the challenges of today’s market; how to deliver clean and economic (but affordable) motor transport. Interesting times ahead for a massive industry…
Dejan Levi
CO2 emissions, Dejan Levi, Fuel Economy, Fuel efficiency, green motoring, Toyota Prius
For those of you eagerly anticipating the launch of the new Mercedes GLK (or those of you still deliberating whether or not the new compact SUV is worth your hard-earned riches), a fantastic new webspecial dedicated to the model has just been released which grants a unique, interactive look at the model. In addition to offering traditional interactive content, such as the ability to customize your own GLK with various colors, rim designs and equipment packages, the web special also offers users the ability to obtain comprehensive behind-the-scenes access to the design and engineering features of the GLK.
If that’s not enough action for you, registered users can pose questions directly to the engineers who created the SUV, and each week the five most interesting will be selected and answered via video, thus granting you worldwide fame and fortune. Topping off the webspecial is a number of mobile entertainment offerings and a widget (for either the Mac or PC), all of which equates to slickest MB webspecial to date.
To learn more, you can check out a few screenshots of the new GLK webspecial below, or visit the official Mercedes GLK website for yourself.
Enjoy.
Original story here (includes photos).
Ever wondered what your choice of car colour says about you? We’d always assumed that white indicated a slightly unhealthy obsession with 1980s hot hatches, grey said ‘look elsewhere - look at anything but me’, and yellow told everyone you worked for a breakdown rescue service.
Apparently not. A new study from CNW Marketing Research in the US suggests that car colour is linked to confidence levels.
A study of some 1,900 Americans found that people with emerald green, dark blue and silver cars had above-average self confidence, drivers of white cars had average self confidence, while those who chose yellow, orange, blue or red cars had below-average self confidence.
The most downbeat colour of all, the report says, is black. Someone tell Batman. And Knight Rider. And Alan Sugar.
The CNW study also tracked responses over time, allowing researchers to calculate the ‘moodiness’ of drivers. Apparently people with black, dark blue or silver cars have the most consistent mood, while those driving orange, red, bright yellow or green cars have the most pronounced mood swings.
In other words, if your dentist drives a 599 GTB in Rosso Corsa red, be afraid. Mainly because you’re paying him too much.
Original story from Top Gear.
There will be no Camaro vs. Mustang death match this week due to a distinct lack of Camaro, so can we interest you instead in a muscle-car comparison test? Here we have two classic nameplates, each with a 400-horsepower V8 stuffed into a smallish four-door body shell and powering only the rear wheels.
Naturally we’re referring to those two paragons of modern muscle, the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan and the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
Don’t be confused by the German nameplates, the aura of high-tech engineering and the rarefied price tags. The 2008 BMW M3 Sedan and 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG match up as naturally as any muscle cars on Woodward Avenue during the 1960s.
The Contenders
The 2008 BMW M3 Sedan marks a return of the four-door sedan to the M3 family, a variant that skipped the previous generation only because of engineering complications, not market appeal. This M3 packs a 4.0-liter V8 that is essentially the M5’s 5.0-liter V10, only with two fewer cylinders. It steps up the M3’s game to a new level of performance with 81 hp more, even though it actually weighs less than the last-generation M3’s inline-6.
Compared to the 2008 BMW M3 coupe, the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan gains almost 100 pounds and loses the fancy carbon-fiber roof. There are advantages, however, as the sedan lops nearly $3 grand off the coupe’s sticker with a base price of $54,575. This a pretty compelling incentive to consider an extra (and very convenient) set of doors for your M3. Once optioned with the Cold Weather package, Premium package, Technology package, 19-inch wheels, moonroof, iPod and USB adapter, Park Distance Control and HD radio, our M3 test car costs $65,850.
The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG stuffs a DOHC 6.2-liter V8 under the hood of the meek C-Class sedan, widens the front track and turns the aggression factor up to 11. For the C63, the corporate AMG V8 has been detuned by more than 65 hp compared to examples of this engine in other AMG models, and we suspect this has as much to do with the car’s pecking order in the AMG model lineup as it does with technical reasons (cooling has been mentioned), but, hey, we’re not complaining. Base price is $54,625, and for $65,785 you get a C63 equipped with the AMG Performance package, Multimedia package, Seating package, metallic paint and TeleAid.
With just $65 separating the as-tested prices of the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan and 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, these cars match up in price as well as market position. But as with muscle cars of the past, pure performance is the raison d’être of these sedans, so this is what this comparison is all about.
Read more at Edmunds Inside Line.
More than 20% of cars fail their first MOT test, giving the UK one of the worst records in Europe, figures showed.
In 2007, a total of 21.6% of three-year-old vehicles in the UK did not pass the MoT, figures obtained by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Trust revealed.
The trust said this compared unfavourably with many European countries - some of which test cars for the first time after four years rather than the UK minimum of three years.
Hybrid drives for automotive applications, combining the internal combustion engine with an electric motor, offer significant potential for reducing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Bosch is currently working on the development of a parallel hybrid system, with modular components which can be customized to meet individual OEM requirements and, due to the make-up of the system can also be combined with different transmission types. Bosch already has its first orders for both gasoline and diesel hybrids.
Diesel hybrids produce 20 percent less CO2 than conventional diesel engines, while the emissions for petrol hybrids are up to 25 percent less than their conventional counterparts. Coupled with technologies such as gasoline direct injection and optimised transmission systems, hybrid systems can offer further improvements to fuel consumption and emissions.
The electric drive of the Bosch parallel hybrid system generates enough power to allow a vehicle to cover short distances using solely electrical power, therefore reducing CO2 emissions completely. It also acts as a powerful boost for the internal combustion engine – a significant benefit for urban driving.
Alongside this parallel system, Bosch is also developing several further hybrid concepts as well as a number of simpler methods to allow notable CO2 reductions such as innovative start-stop techniques and the recovery of braking energy via the alternator.
Bosch predicts that by 2015, the hybrid market will be split 50:50 between parallel hybrid systems, the main focus of Bosch hybrid development, and distributed hybrids. The potential growth markets for hybrid drives include the NAFTA countries – Canada, the United States and Mexico – and Japan, as efforts are made by these countries to further reduce emission levels. Bosch believes that, by 2015, hybrid vehicles will account for nine per cent in Japan and four per cent of production in the NAFTA countries. Forecasts for Europe are comparatively low, with hybrid production accounting for only one per cent.
