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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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The automobile industry has always been one reliant on technological innovation and ever-improving design, whether it was the invention of the car itself or exciting upgrades such as the disappearance of the crank shaft, four-wheel drive, electric windows, roof racks (for some people these can be pretty special) or whatever else floats your boat. Indeed the list could go on forever - seatbelts and airbags for example, though hardly thrilling in a conventional sense, are also rather a big deal…
Anyway, despite this i’ve always been someone who was previously never overly fascinated by the design and tech nuances differentiating between alternative models. Hence i am fairly surprised to find myself now getting quite interested in the current range of developments evident across the industry sector.
Maybe it’s a consequence of the intense need for some radically different technology these days, due to the whole CO2 and fuel consumption pickle that we’re in that explains why so many bold and different technologies are being unveiled at such a rapid pace - arousing our curiosity more than before. Whatever it is, it seems the case that many of these new developments have more in common with the stuff of sci-fi rather than what we were previously used to - which is making things quite fascinating.
Perhaps this is why the average driver (like me) is now a good deal more interested in the technology of driving than before - it’s that there’s so much more than just aesthetics at stake. When i first started driving i cared little whether a spoiler was spikey or curved or if rear lights had fat or thin rims. Now it’s impossible to escape the feeling that today’s tech choices have more significance - due to the now far better understood processes of pollution and the role of motoring in it.
Take the new Honda Prius for example; it features (amongst other updates) a solar panel on the roof which powers cooling fans inside thus removing the need for air conditioning. Even when the car is not in use the fans continue working so that you can always step into a fresh-feeling vehicle. Now i think that sounds more like what i’ve seen in sci-fi films rather than on the roads near to my house (granted i do drive a 1995 Ford Escort so i’m a little out of touch with what the cutting edge feels like).
Then there’s all the exciting things previewed at the recent Geneva Motor show - ranging from the electric Magna Steyr EV concept to Peugeot’s diesel hybrid, which are both pushing the boundaries in terms alternatively powered vehicles. In all cases, technologies that were not even conceived of as recently as a few years ago, are now on show in all their glory.
Of course, making cars look and feel more modern - and thus implicitly ‘better’ than older ones, is a huge part of selling them and we have been involved in such a marketplace process for some time. It’s no surprise for example that car manufacturers often compete for the privilege of designing models for sci-fi films thus achieving important and useful cutting edge brand status for their names. However, despite all this I still cannot escape the feeling that the current rate of tech innovation within the sector is genuinely far higher than it has been as long as i can remember (the cash incentives offered by gov’ts around the world is also a rather signicant carrot on the innovation stick).
For the first time ever i also feel that the innovation is about cleverly meeting the needs of drivers and consumers, while also negotiating the various environmental and economic challenges out there, rather than about boasting about a bigger engine, faster 0-60 stats or a bigger bumper. Whatever the reasons for this (and there are many - mainly economic from the industry perspective, as is to be expected) - i am regardless very glad that the general tone of innovation has this slightly more clever and sensible ethos about it these days. I might even start buying the odd car magazine next time i’m in a newsagent…
Dejan Levi
Mercedes has confirmed it will put a zero-emissions version of the ‘gullwing’ SLS supercar into production. The conventional SLS is set to become the most powerful production Mercedes ever when it hits the sales floor in Spring 2010, packing a 6.3-litre V8 engine generating 563bhp - and the German maker promises the all-electric version will be a match for it in every way.
The sensational newcomer will be powered by four electric motors - one for each wheel - with a combined output of 526bhp and 649lb.ft of pulling power. To put that last figure into perspective, it’s almost twice as much torque as a Ferrari F430 musters. Mercedes claims that the electric SLS will hit the 62mph mark in ‘around four seconds’.
Read the full article with photos at Yahoo motoring news
It’s a wonderful thing to have a family car company: lots of really big toys to play with, lots of social status, lots of money. It’s a “want it, get it” situation.
Prof Ferry Porsche always knew what he wanted – and invariably got it. Together with his father Ferdinand, he created a company in the family name that from its beginning was a byword for road and track performance and, in recent months, for a different sort of performance – precociously entertaining the financial world with its confident attempt to take over the giant Volkswagen Group. After all, in 1934 Ferdinand had designed the ubiquitous Beetle which laid the foundation for the company, so fair’s fair.
But despite all their decisiveness and achievement, for decades there was a niggling matter that the Porsches never seemed quite able to resolve. It concerned seating plans. Not of family members at the table, but the number of seats their sports cars should have – and the number of doors.
Article continues over at Telegraph motoring news
Expert Rating: 3 out of 5
What is it?
The S 63 AMG is one of the flagship models in the recently revised S-Class line-up. It’s one of two AMG models available, the S 63 AMG playing a supporting role to the bonkers 604bhp S 65 AMG. That ’supporting’ is relative of course, as the S 63’s 6.2-litre V8 engine is good for 518bhp and barely slower than its V12 relative. It’s also £40,000 cheaper, which salves the 0.2 seconds more the S 63 takes to reach 62mph over the S 65. Four-point-six seconds isn’t exactly slow either, the S 63’s V8 turning the S-Class into a rocket-ship performer for executives in a serious hurry.
Article continues at Yahoo news
Interesting to see that councils up and down the country are increasingly looking like following the lead of Portsmouth, where a blanket 20mph speed limit has been introduced for all roads in residential areas. With Edinburgh already some way to implementing a similar system - and London having it in some parts already, the trend is unmistakable. Within another year it seems 20mph will be standard speed limit for such roads. As always the big question with such audacious steps is - can it work?
Of course there are few who would argue against such a move - the statistics for 20mph zones and road safety are pretty indisputable. The survival rate for pedestrians hit at 20mph is 97% - compare that with just 10% survival at 40mph, and 80% at 30mph. In essence we are looking at saving hundreds of lives each year if such a move can be succesfully implemented (i.e. respected by drivers).
Even if average speeds drop from 32mph to 24mph in such zones it will no doubt be a very positive step in the right direction. However as a driver i know how insignificant the difference between 20 and 30 often feels (believe it or not it actually still takes quite a lot of concentration to drive at very low speeds, and it’s often easier to switch mechanically up to fourth gear and cruise along at 30).
For this reason it seems essential that the awareness campaign for these proposed moves is both prolonged and effective. Make no mistake - driving at 20mph feels extremely slow when one is not used to it (it’s only twice the speed of a bike) and unless drivers are fully behind the sensible reasoning of such new limits i fear they will simply ignore them. I for one am hoping that the message gets through, and am personally totally supportive of the move as both a driver, a pedestrian and a resident of the UK.
Dejan Levi
The world’s first four-door Coupe, the Mercedes Benz CLS Class, is now even more distinguished and powerful with the introduction of the new Mercedes Benz CLS Grand Edition. Only 560 units will be coming to the UK, with deliveries starting in July 2009.
There is a choice of five colours, including, for the first time on the Mercedes Benz CLS, Palladium Silver. For those customers who want an even more exclusive look there is also the option of the unique designo Palladium Silver Matt Paint, which is not only eye catching, but also highly scratch and dirt-resistant.
Since the Mercedes Benz CLS launched in 2005 over 14,500 units have been sold and the success story will gain a boost with the introduction of the Mercedes Benz CLS Grand Edition. Features include stunning 18″ AMG 5 spoke alloy wheels with a Titanium Grey finish, front grille louvers and headlamp housings in a Palladium silver matt finish and floor mats with Grand Edition Badging.
Read more at Carpages
BMW created a new vehicle segment a decade ago when it launched the X5. That vehicle received critical acclaim at its launch and continues to this day as a market leader with 1.5million sold worldwide. The popular X3 followed in 2004 and the X6 spawned a new niche in 2008. Now BMW is poised to introduce the next derivative of the X model line-up with the X1.
The new BMW X1 takes its key styling cues and practicality from the X5 but shrinks it into a more compact and affordable package. The vehicle’s elegant lines and command driving position echo its larger stablemate, while the five-seat configuration and 1,350- litre boot space provide outstanding load-lugging capability.
Photos and more info over at BMW.com
Porsche today released additional pictures of the Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder in preparation for its German debut on April 4th at the 18th Auto Mobil International in Leipzig (full press release follows my post).
Think about this. This special edition Boxster is designed as a tribute to the Porsche 718 RS 60 Spyder that won Sebring 48 years ago (that’s a picture of it racing below). Is a Boxster, regardless of the styling changes, really a fitting tribute to this car?
See photos and read more over at 993c4s.com
