Hyundai 45 Spied With Less Camo Than Ever

The Hyundai 45 finally hits the road without the fabric covering concealing the body. The exterior still wears a camouflage wrap, but now it’s possible to see more of the details of the vehicle’s lines.

With the fabric out of the way, we can spot that the front end styling matches the shape of the 45 concept. There’s a cutout area between the edge of the hood and bumper where the headlights are, and this section spans the entire width of the nose. Rather than the pixel-like lamps on the concept, the production version has more conventional, rectangular-shaped lights. As an EV, the vehicle doesn’t need large inlets for routing air to radiators, so the only openings here are relatively small. 

In profile, the road-going 45 has some similarities to the concept. Some of the photos show deep creases along the doors that make the vehicle look more visually interesting than just another crossover. The A-pillar and C-pillar have steep rakes that create a sporty silhouette. There’s also black trim around the windows, which should provide a color contrast from the rest of the body. 

At the back, there are fairly small taillights. Expect them to be larger when more of the camouflage comes off. The rest of the design appears to have a minimalist aesthetic with sharp lines.

These spy shots don’t offer a view of the cabin. Expect the interior to be far more conventional than the concept’s stylish, yet simple appearance.

The 45 rides on Hyundai’s Electric-Global Platform. Otherwise, powertrain details are a mystery, but the expectation is that it has all-wheel drive from an electric motor turning each axle.

Look for the 45 to debut in 2021. Although, the exact timing of the unveiling is still unknown.

Top 10 Volkswagen Rabbit Features

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The name Rabbit was the name given to first generation of Volkswagen Golfs sold in the US market. After that, VW returned to the European Golf namplate until it was briefly reinstated for the Mk5 Golf range fitted with the 2.5L five-cylinder engine. This car was also known as the Rabbit. However, the name wasn’t suited for the respective performance versions, that were simply known as the VW GTI. The Rabbit name has remained exclusive to the American market and we understand there are no plans to take it back any time soon.

Small displacement engines and an affordable price point makes the Rabbit desirable for both tuners and those requiring a reliable and fuel efficient daily driver. Starting inside the mid ’70’s to today Rabbits are already a popular option for many within the Euro tuner scene.

Although some go beyond and above standard aftermarket bolt-ons others stick with a tight budget of DIY additions – both varieties of tuner is available within the list below. Each, though, was built with passion and dedication. This list will be the culmination of the most popular eurotuner VW Rabbit features on the best 10 years based on page clicks on your part. Whatever your choice, let us know from the comments section below, which build you want best.

How To Get More Miles for Your Gas

Getting good fuel economy from your vehicle is a good idea in ways than a single. In the first instance, many people these days (well, certainly the people I know) ought to try and save money any manner they can. From clipping coupons to growing your own vegetables there are many approaches to save a bit of your money… and what better way than to ensure that you get more miles for each drop of gas you put to the tank?

The words Fuel Economy on a vehicle speedometer with a red needle racing past numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 MPG as the automobile achieves an improved efficiency rating as mandated by the government
The words Fuel Economy on a vehicle speedometer with a red needle racing past numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 MPG as the automobile achieves an improved efficiency rating as mandated by the government

Okay, I did so say that it’s a good idea in ways than a single . . . as well as saving the pennies in your pocket, maximizing the fuel economy of your own vehicle will help to reduce the harmful emissions released into the atmosphere which are devastating the planet, and help to preserve what precious reserves of fossil fuels the planet earth has left for just a short while longer.

So how can you practice it? Well, these tips will work for all types of car, from the largest, thirstiest trucks to the smallest of cars which are good for nipping around the town.

Here’s what you should do:

• Tire pressures – have a look from the manual for that recommended fuel pressures for your personal particular motor and make regular checks to ensure that your tires are at the recommended pressure. This can help to keep you safer, help your tires to last longer and make sure that your car is running at maximum fuel efficiency . . . just providing you do a few other things at the same time.

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• Get rid of unnecessary weight – the more stuff your poor engine needs to carry around everywhere the harder it must have to work and also the harder the system functions the more fuel it will drink… it really is a significant simple equation. According to experts your fuel economy is reduced by around 2% for every single 100 pounds in weight your car has got to carry around. That’s one other good reason good reasons to look out your old gym membership but leave your golf clubs at home until you are actually planning to need them.

You must drive carefully in order to get in terms of you can together with the fuel in your tank, though • Be a careful driver – it doesn’t necessarily mean driving slowly. Fast acceleration, hard braking and speeding will all increase your fuel consumption. The majority of cars drive at their most fuel efficient speed around 60 mph so for every mph you go faster than that you are currently burning up more fuel than you really need to.

• Become a car pooler – a great technique to use less fuel within your car is to use your car less. Why not car pool with people where you live who are driving in the same direction at the same time of day. This is ideal for everybody concerned and can help all to save money.

• Buy a bicycle… or walk… or take the bus – these might sound like rather drastic measures however some people do tend to hop into their cars these days after they really don’t need to. Just think, if twenty people hopped onto the bus to go to work instead of driving themselves it will save twenty journeys worth of fuel in each direction. That’s got to become a good idea don’t you think?

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At West Covina Nissan they’ve got some smashing motors for sale, a few of which are equipped with the newest fuel efficiency and energy savings to help your hard earned dollars and your gas go further. Check out the choices at www.downtownnissan.com.

2014 Jaguar XFR-S – First Drive

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With six new sports models in its line-up, Jaguar is set on making a big dent inside the high-performance niche for 2014. So just a few months after experiencing and enjoying the F-Type V8 S (EC 9/13), we’re back testing the XFR-S super-sedan within the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps less exotic than the F-Type, the XFR-S is all business, clawing at the heels of your BMW M5 and AMG E63, looking to attract younger, more enthusiastic buyers to the British brand.

Everbody knows, we’re fans of the “regular” XFR model and you can look at the third installment in our on-going XFR project build elsewhere in this issue. We got our 2012 XFR just as the XFR-S was announced, so were anxious to see how the factory approached a similar task of makingSeems like as if no stones were left unturned, with the Jaguar engineers attacking every aspect from engine power to chassis, cosmetics and interior trim, creating a desirable package that can start at $99000 when sales begin later this summer, with numbers limited by just 100 in its first year.

The familiar 5.0L V8 gets an additional 40hp and 41 lb-ft over the XFR, making the 550hp XFR-S one of the more powerful sedans money can buy.

The excess urge comes from new exhaust, software and intake, but we also suspect it has a smaller supercharger pulley to increase boost. The exhaust replaces the central muffler by having an X-pipe and straight-through rear pipes that create a wonderful engine note at full throttle, providing some pop and crackle if you lift off. This is matched to more induction sound when you get in the throttle on account of theAs a result, the supercharged 5.0L V8 doesn’t contain the flat torque curve synonymous with Root-type blowers. In our experience, it was a lot more like a medium-sized turbo, giving massive mid-range torque along with a peakier delivery than Jaguar’s numbers would suggest.

Press the throttle and the Jag lunges forward, climbing rapidly to its 502 lb-ft peak torque figure at 4000rpm, squeezing the air out of your lungs like an affectionate Boa Constrictor, even at our 5000ft altitude.

The ferocious engine was mated to the ZF eight-speed automatic with Quickshift technology to exploit the revised throttle mapping which enables the car so responsive. The transmission will discover your habits and keep the automobile in-gear whether it senses you’re mid-corner as a result of Jaguar’s Corner Intelligent and Recognition Torque Management.

The ZF probably isn’t as capable as BMW’s M-DCT transmission, but purists can make gears together with the large paddle shifters once they choose, enjoying throttle blips on downshifts, as a full auto.

The drivetrain gets uprated half shafts along with a new torque converter in addition tois defined to the ground through 295/30 R20 Pirelli rear tires, which offer copious numbers of grip, allowing the XFR-S to sprint to 60mph in a claimed 4.4sec. In fact, the 20 Varuna wheels are wider by .5 front and 1 rear in comparison to the regular XFR to increase mechanical track and grip width. Having said that, we struggled to get the power down in first gear, yet wouldn’t be surprised to view over 120mph trap speed in the quarter-mile at sea level once it hooks up.

Our drive included a five-hour trek around Mount Rainier. During that time it became apparent that the XFR-S makes a few compromises to reach its stellar performance. The first was that although the steering feels precise and alive, the XFR-sized brakes were somewhat touchy out and about.

The car also exhibited a chassis stiffness we weren’t prepared for within a Jag. Though it has 13 separate inputs to ensure the reprogrammed adaptive dampers can be adjusted up to 500 times per second for optimal ride handling and quality, it may still be best known asabout the Nürburgring (among other places), it’s very composed on smooth surfaces but on the firm side everywhere else. It’s a trade-off we’d be ready to take, considering its performance ability, but traditional Jaguar owners could need time to acclimate.

Jaguar claims the suspension is 30% stiffer in comparison to the XFR, and over 100 percent stiffer than a base-model XF 3.. And sitting on its low profile 20 Pirellis, the XFR-S definitely feels more purposeful and communicative.

Should a smooth road make you forget what you’re driving, the big rear wing in the rearview mirror will quickly remind you. The deeper front bumper looked tremendous, especially trimmed in carbon fiber around its central intake, though fortunately, it’s optional equipment then one we might forego.

The rear wing is similarly carbon in its center, together with the material finding its way onto the rear diffuser, engine cover and there’s carbon-effect leather trim inside. All remaining brightwork is finished in gloss black.

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2014 jaguar XFR S rear fascia

2014 jaguar XFR S front fascia

The car also gets new side skirts and a deeper rear bumper, with everything contributing to a reduction in aerodynamic lift of 68% – a tremendous improvement.

We’d personally select the smaller rear wing and steer clear of the French Racing Blue in support of either Stratus Gray or Polaris White. The car is additionally available in Ultimate Black and Italian Racing Red, while the wheels might be ordered with grey detailing rather than black.

In addition to the leather trim, the seats get contrast stitching and piping that can be specified to match the paint. The seats are embossed with all the R-S logo, while the dash receives Dark Mesh aluminum trim.

Using its popping exhaust, extrovert exterior and dynamic performance, the XFR-S is without a doubt designed to appeal to a different owner than the normal XF. It is a sedan with balls and it’s fun to drive. On the racetrack, by way of example, the extra stability, firmer suspension, sharp brakes and wide 265/35 front tires allowed great turn-in, good cornering grip and impressive braking. In short, the XFR-S is a bit of a hooligan and, while it would be an enjoyable commuter, it will also make a great weekend toy.

We’d happily take into account the Jaguar XFR-S as a daily driver in the event it goes on sale this summer, before we’d have the final decision, we’d want to first check out the new XJR. Excuse us while we switch cars… (Turn the pages to find our XJR review.)

2014 BMW M6 Competition Package – First Drive

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During our visit to Portugal to drive the BMW 435i last month, we had been also invited to take a number of laps of your Estoril circuit in the M5 and M6 with Competition Package. And although we’re not likely to pass up such an opportunity, we weren’t expecting much from the minimal upgrades. All things considered, when a car boasts 560hp, adding an added 2.5% didn’t seem like anything to write home about.

Oncehowever and again, BMW’s engineers proved us wrong by turning out a car that’s dynamically preferable over the stock version in just about every way. Whilst the individual parts might not soon add up to much, the combined total was dazzling on the famous racetrack.

It’s usually numerous suspension changes to make the auto more track focused if you’re not really acquainted with the M division’s Competition Packages. In this situation, they also added a 15hp increase to make the price more palatable.

Costing an additional $6000 in addition to a BMW M6 Gran Coupe (starting at $113000) or $7300 over the M5 ($90900), M6 ($109200) or M6 Convertible ($115500), it comes down to extra bragging rights for many owners. A number of drivers will do what BMW Motorsport imagined and track these cars, which can be when the ZHP Competition Package comes into its very own.

Available since July 2013, the extra 15hp comes from software enhancements and doesn’t involve any mechanical changes. However, the cars get a new sports exhaust with black chrome tailpipes to identify it. The system is fitted with a flap that’s connected to thego for new suspension, with 20% stiffer spring and damper rates, 15% stiffer sway bars and 10% quicker steering via the Servotronic assistance. There are stiffer front bushings but the rear subframe is already bolted to the car and didn’t need further attention.

It’s worth noting that just the M5 is physically lowered 10mm during these upgrades, lowering the center of gravity.

In addition to the faster steering, software tuning is used to the Active M diff and the M Dynamic Mode application of the steadiness control.

Competition Package cars can be further identified by 20 601M wheels. The M6 Gran Coupe is fitted with standard 20 wheels so doesn’t get an upgrade, which explains the cheaper Package price.

So after understanding what ZHP entailed, we drove onto the Estoril racetrack to discover its ability. And to be honest, it wason what was an admittedly smooth track, the suspension gave incredible control. There was almost no trace of body roll in the tight turns yet it didn’t seem jarringly stiff either.

Inevitably, this kind of heavy car would understeer but it was easily controlled with the (optional) carbon-ceramic brakes that are amazingly efficient, encouraging a slow-in, fast-out approach. The alternative was to simply enter fast, lift off and power steer out. The revised traction control allowed some lurid oversteer angles without letting you spin into the scenery. This was aided by the quicker steering that allowed you to catch the slide quicker.

Driving more sensibly, you can jump on the strength incredibly early out of a turn, propelling you forward with great stability. Power modulation seemed better than the stock car and, naturally, it sounded good also. The cars are also claimed to be .1sec faster to 60mph if that’s essential to you.

Its great combination of power, stability and entertainment take the M5 and M6 to another one level, creating better track cars during this process, although many individuals will opt for the new Competition Package simply because they want the best of everything.

Four Things That Will Make You the Envy of Your Friends

There is no problem with showing off from time to time. When you are one of those people who needs the latest gadgets or even the hottest car, you know that you might be turning some heads. Here are a few great things that will be fun for you whilst showing off to individuals closest to you.

1. A Sports Car

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Nothing turns heads like a sports vehicle, except maybe a convertible sports car. With the Nissan 370Z roadster from Nissan Ontario is without a doubt the best way to make those close to you jealous. This car has great luxury and sporty features while still costing less than those luxury cars you normally think of when you hear the phrase “”sports car””. Discover how to schedule your test drive today by using metronissanredlands.com.

2. A Fashionable Pad

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Whether you like industrial style lofts or want an upgraded older home, one of the best actions to take to turn some heads is to buy a home which matches your personality. Don’t get one of those cookie cutter condos, try something different instead. Look around for real estate deals and don’t be afraid so it will be your own.

3. Season Tickets

No matter what sport it is basically that you follow, nothing will make your friends more envious of you than having season tickets. Not only will you be able to see every game, but with another set of tickets, you can make sure your friends share by bringing them to games all season long. While season tickets could possibly be pricy, you won’t regret this investment when it comes to your entertainment budget.

4. An Enormous TV

Televisions have gotten much cheaper over the last decade or more, meaning that you can get a top of the line TV greater than you might have been able to afford before. You can probably find the best fit for you whether it be a smart TV, Ultra HD or perhaps something that is incredibly large, if you look around for sales.

2015 Nismo Nissan GT-R Leaked

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2015 Nismo GT-R Details:

Nismo GT-R to use turbos from Nismo GT3 GT-R racecar

591 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque

Price likely to be under $200,000

Obtainable in Japan, United states, and Europe in 2014

It’s been five years since Nissan’s legendary GT-R supercar made its way stateside and now Nissan’s performance division has unveiled the 2015 Nismo Nissan GT-R. Nissan is calling it the top-of your-line GT-R – the ultimate iteration of the supercar. But is itwhen compared to the 463 lb-ft of torque available on the base model. Redline is already at 6,800 RPM instead of the 6,400 RPM. It’s expected that the Nismo GT-R will probably be under $200,000, as far as price.The interior will also be getting a makeover. To the ultimate driving experience, Recaro seats having a carbon fiber skeleton are being used. Drivers get to wrap their hands around a special controls designed with three spokes, a red center mark, and red stitching. The most powerful GT-R will be unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Show this Wednesday the 20th and will be available in the U.SEurope, . and Japan the new year. We can’t wait to discover the new Godzilla running the streets. What do you think?

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X – Lambo Hunter

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“It’s just a dyno queen.”. We’re talking head-to-head high-speed highway pulls in monster horsepowerLambos and Supras, and GT-Rs, like the ones you’ve probably seen doing battle on YouTube on the TX2K annual gathering for horsepower addicts. If you’re a road racer or autocrosser or even a drifter, chances are you’ve made a snide comment much like this about some insanely high horsepower project that wasn’t built for motor-sports, but rather to post an enormous number in the dyno and dominate around the street.

Iowa native Chase Lautenbach developed his need for extreme speed at a young age, thanks in large part towards the influence in the Fast & Furious films. He’s still just a “dumb 22-year-old kid who enjoys to have fun and go fast,” but that doesn’t change the fact that Chase with his fantastic Hawkeye State partners from 3D DKT and Motorsports Performance have built the most powerful and fastest street-going Mitsubishi Evolution X in the world.

Chase originally bought this Evo like a fun daily driver which he could take to the track for a few hot laps. After my first time at the track using the car [the second weekend he owned it], I knew I was completely hooked on it, though “Honestly, all I wanted to do was an intake, exhaust, and some suspension stuff. Still, my plans were not to do anything major, maybe just a little bit bigger turbo and e85 so I could keep up with the Corvettes better down thethe guy who got me to jump ship upon an all-out track build and instead create a monster street Evo X. I focus on the side to get a street race video company called 1320video, and we were out filming Lance’s Evo 8 at TX2K12. His car made almost 900 whp. As he got on it plus it literally walked sideways on the interstate at 3 a.m. at 120 mph, I knew I had to have a fast Evo in my life,” Chase said.

It wasn’t a long time after that he teamed up with Chad Vincent at 3D Motor-sports, who’s done all the wrenching on this Evo, and Devin Torgerson from DKT Performance, who’s been the main source for all the go-fast goodies. “The turning point during the build was when Devin and I decided we wanted to go crazy and shoot on an Evo X horsepower record just as Chad from 3D Motorsports was sending me pictures of my freshly rebuilt short-block, as Chase explained. Chad, being the awesome builder he is, loved the new plan, so we sent the complete block back to Dave’s Crankshaft Service for sleeving and porting.”

From that point on, the goal ended up being to build the highest horsepower Evo X in the world and have it be an all-around street car. That meant keeping the air conditioning, power steering, and stereo, while making enough all-wheel-drive jam to overcome the 816-whp record. By having an ERL sleeved 2L block stuff with CP pistons, Manley rods, and held together with ARP his, Chad and fasteners team at 3D Motorsports then bolted up the Extreme Turbo Systems twin-scroll turbo system built around a Precision 6466 snail effective at supporting as much asincluding a Buschur Racing double pumper kit with modified Walbro 255-lph fuel pumps and FIC 2150cc fuel injectors, Chase handed the secrets to Justin “Hollywood” Garrett at Precision Violence, who tuned the factory ECU using EvoScan. The end result was certainly worthy of a nickname like Hollywood, because Chase’s Evo X didn’t just break the horsepower record, it smashed it to pieces with an astounding Dynojet-spec 908.7 awhp at a mind-blowing 42 psi of boost.

Chase and his team knew a gearbox competent at holding 608 lb-ft of torque would be a necessity, therefore the 5-speed manual was shipped to Jacks Transmissions in Colorado for a complete overhaul that fixed the center diff pin issue and the 3-4 fork wear issue, as well as synchro blueprinting to eliminate the annoying third gear crunch that plagues these gearboxes.

Like most street dominator builds, Chase has kept the exterior of his Evo X looking pretty subtle, simply adding a Rexspeed carbon-fiber front lip, fog light deletes, and a duckbill spoiler to go along with the lowered and widened stance, thanks to AMR coilovers and 18×10.5-inch Enkei NT03 M wheels and 275/35R18 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tires.

His crew rolled out for TX2K13 with the aim of shocking several of the big boys in the high-speed street scene, including Underground Racing and its world-famous Lamborghinis. There’s a great deal of video proof of Chase’s TX2K adventure on 1320video’s YouTube channel, including some seriously epic highway pulls and several equally impressive parking lot trash talk with the Underground Racing crew (who wouldn’t give Chase a fair run, unfortunately). Clearly, our boy Chase doesn’t mind a bit of drama, since because he put it, “I’d like to give you a shout-out to the UR guys for making me famous, though they wouldn’t race me.”

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Specs & Details

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Engine 4B11T 2L turbocharged inline-four

Engine Modifications ERL sleeved 2L block, Dave’s Crankshaft Service ported cylinder head and engine assembly; CP pistons, Manley turbo tuff I-beam rods, ARP rod bolts and 625 head studs; Cometic head gasket, Kelford Stage 2 camshafts, Supertech springs, retainers and valves; ETS twin-scroll turbo kit (Precision 6466), 4-incj. intercooler, chargepipes, dump-tube, 3-inch downpipe and intake; TiAL 38mm wastegates, FIC 2150cc injectors, AMS fuel rail, AEM fpr, Buschur double pumper kit with Walbro 255-lph fuel pumps, Synapse diverter valve, custom oil catch can with Boomba Racing check valve, MAperformance heat shields, Invidia B2B 3-inch race exhaust

Engine Management EvoScan tune by Precision Violence, Grimspeed 3-port EBC

Drivetrain Jacks Transmissions-built 5-center and speed diff pin upgrade; ACT HD twin disc clutch kit

Wheels, Tires & Brakes Enkei NT03 M 18×10.5-inch 15 offset wheels, Hankook Ventus 275/35R18 V12 Evo tires, Hawk HPS brake pads

Suspension AMR Engineering coilovers with custom spring rates, Whiteline sway bar (r)

Exterior Rexpeed R-style carbon-fiber front lip, carbon-fiber fog light deletes, and carbon-fiber duckbill spoiler

Interior Defi gauges with the playback system, Innovate wideband o2 gauge

Numbers 908.7 608 and awhp.7 awtq at 42 psi

Special Thanks Chad Vincent at 3D Motorsports and hisMandy and wife, because of not killing us for all the nights we kept him at the shop, Devin Torgerson at DKT Performance for helping me map out the getting and build me all my parts to make it happen, Kyle Loftis at 1320video for all of the video coverage of the car that truly made this thing famous, Andrew Humphrey for being a tremendous help along with the brain behind the build, Garrett Mitchell for spending countless hours in a car with me while tuning the ECU, and all my boys at 1320video to have my back throughout the build and while running my mouth at TX2K-haha-love you guys!

Fiats for Everyone

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So, many American car buyers are new to the Fiat family of vehicles. When we start car shopping we think of Chevrolets and Fords, maybe even Hyundai or Kia. But Fiat is rarely a name that comes to mind immediately. In reality, Fiat offers an array of types of cars to American consumers, a nearly unimaginable number. One has only to reference the fiat long beach dealership or their website, www.ocfiat.com, to see the staggering quantity of cars available. On anyone day there could be over 200 options, once you take into consideration all of the colors along with other variable options on vehicles. With your a wide variety, there’s bound to be something for anyone at their local Fiat dealership.

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In the tiny, adorable hatchbacks that Fiat is most likely best known for to convertibles, there are all types of Fiats. You’ll find small cars with racing stripes, bright yellow SUVs that seem to be more American than anything you’d imagine would come a firm with such old world style, and electric battery cars, too. From people who are looking to minimize their carbon footprint to those seeking a car they can pack the youngsters, the dog, and kayak in, for weekend trips, there exists something to match absolutely every taste at Fiat, and at a very reasonable price point. So as opposed to jumping to conclusions in regards to a brand you might not know well yet, take a risk to stop by the local Fiat dealer and find out what they have available. You may be surprised to find out how the company which makes those ‘little European cars’ also makes cars you’ll love and that will be agreat and affordable, choice for your growing family. Check out the website for hours and location, plus more details.

2015 Subaru WRX First Drive

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2015 Subaru WRX Drive Details:

Subaru won’t offer 5-door hatchback this time around around, just 4-door sedan

New, more robust 2.0T engine is much smoother & responsive than outgoing 2.5T engine

CVT is surprisingly aggressive for an automatic transmission

Stiffer chassis and new Electronic Power Steering do much to improve handling

We’ve covered specs and features, and also brought the world premiere of the next generation Subaru WRX. The rally-inspired, high-performance 2015 model is all new basically through the ground up, together with aEverything is fine and dandy, but what we should really want to know is: how can it drive? To which Subaru responded, appear to Northern California during early December and we’ll allow you to take it for anyFirst, because those have changed somewhat in the outgoing WRX, let’s talk options and packages. While an STI version is incorporated in the cards, you will find no five-door hatchback or wagon this period around, Subaru deciding to focus all of its resources in the sedan making italready mentioned, the 2015 Rex is going to be available in either six-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and the CVT has three different modes: Intelligent, a six-speed Sport mode and an eight-speed Sport Sharp mode. Paddle shifters are available for the autoThis is probably an excellent place to start with the hands-on evaluation, because we had been a bit astonished at how sorted out the WRX’s CVT is – good and aggressive when it must be. Forget the notion that a CVT is a slouch, because this one proves otherwise (we guess not too surprising when you stop and think how far similarly high-tech semi-auto gearboxes have come, a trend started by Euro automakers and carried on in models just like thea brand new 2.-liter direct injection turbocharged mill, a lump that replaces the outgoing 2.5L EJ engine and makes three more ponies (for 268 total) and 14 more pound feet of torque (for 258) with 500cc less displacement. From behind the steering wheel it is overall a much smoother and responsiveThis new car isn’t simply more powerful, though; indeed it might handle such as the dickens. A physically more rigid chassis structure helps the newest WRX be agile and precise – tighter, if you will – ultimately making the sedan more toss-able and fun to get. Paired with the platform’s new Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system, plus the specially tuned suspension, therefore we swore we were driving the lighter, rear drive BRZ, it was so much fun. The newest WRX is without a doubt one of the better EPS cars out that you can buy.

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2015 Subaru WRX gauges

2015 Subaru WRX digital instrument

From the driver’s seat it seemed like the cabin was hugely improved over the old Rex, feeling a lot more premium. Greater bolstering on the seats and the D shaped controls appealed to our own inner pilot, but we geeked the most on the dual gauge instrument layout. It features a 3.5-inch LCD central screen to display various functions including oil level, remaining washer fluid and selected gear ratio, plus a new multi-information central display with 4.3-inch LCD screen to supply a multitude of vehicle system functions, including a rear camera display, a boost gauge Bluetooth, audio, climate and displayperiod in the new WRX wasn’t all goodness and lightweight. We weren’t particularly big fans of the soft brake pedal, which is useful enough, but it would be nicer to have a pedal with some backbone to it for that added modicum of confidence when you wring the car out.

In spite of this, we can’t hate in the 2015 WRX. It’s a huge step higher than the third-gen. Rex, now feeling more like a refined automobile. Purists will miss the raw nature of past generation WRX’s, but the fun factor and soul remain there.

www.subaru.com