Automobile News

It’s the second time when the Audi has received an award for its exceptional performance. Recently it has got the Automobile Magazine’s 2009 Design of the Year Award from one of North America’s leading automotive publications for the Audi A5. This is the second consecutive event for the company. Before this it has already received the magazine’s Design of the Year and Car of the Year awards 2008 for its Audi R8 sports car. According to Automobile Magazine Design Editor Robert Cumberford, “The first point of appreciation comes upon approaching the car. The second comes when the door is opened to one of the best interiors offered today, in any car at any price. The A5’s elegance, stability, and sheer visual presence make it a clear winner.”

The Audi A5 offers all of its elements with seamless proportions. Its details are exceptionally fine and that’s the niche which has earned the car this award. Consumers too are delighted with this car as it offers them a powerful and highly efficient 3.2-liter FSI engine, 265 hp and awesome acceleration of 0-60 mph time in 6.1 seconds, in addition of course to state of the art peripherals, such as car radio navigation systems. Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president, Audi commented, “The graceful, yet precisely drawn, lines of the A5 epitomize the way a progressive coupe should look. All of its elements - powerful surfaces, a front end that speaks to pure performance, lighting that blends style with function among many other features - unite Audi style and dynamic performance.”

The most common issue with all the car owners is that they have to work hard when it comes to changing their car tyres, repairing the vehicle after lifting it or doing any other task which involves messing up with the car jack. The jack is normally made of hard heavy metal and is very cumbersome to use. Even the slightest task becomes a huge headache especially when one has to deal with old rusted jacks. These jacks are not only heavy but also demands lots of energy and hard work on the user’s part. Thus, sometimes it is nearly impossible for the disabled and elder car owners to use the jack.

But now anyone can lift his vehicle within seconds without putting any effort. The Titan Exhaust Air Jack enables the car owners to lift the car by using the car’s own exhaust gas. It’s like a gas bag which uses inflation to lift the vehicle quickly. This Air jack is inflated via a 15-ft. hose that connects to tailpipe. Using this offers many advantages over the traditional mechanical jacks. You can place it anywhere you want and inflate. It provides an easy assistance while changing tyres, recovering from mud/ sand/snow, installing tyre chains and much more. The Air Jack has got a one-way back valve that keeps it inflated for 45 minutes and gets deflated in less than 5 seconds. It is available in three different sizes which can be used to lift different vehicles weighing up to 1,800kg, 2,700kg and 3,600kg.

Tags for this article: car, tyre

The XAV-W1 is a dash-in audiovisual media player by Sony. It is one of the top in-car visual entertainment systems available in the UK and abroad. The XAV-W1 features a simple faceplate design and has 5 control buttons in all that makes it an easy to use device. XAV-W1 offers great functionality to its users. It hosts variety of audio customisations. You can easily do some tweaking on the acoustics emerging from different audio sources. You can make use of the seven preset EQ configurations and even customise the EQ as per your needs. Apart from this a Listening Position Select feature is also provided to assist the driver to tune the acoustic sweet spot via graphical interface.

The XAV-W1 is compatible with most popular audio/video formats. You can play CD, DVD, SACD, Windows Media Audio, mp3 and JPEG on it. It also supports Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS Digital Surround Processing playback and ensures an unprecedented audio listening experience. Moreover, the Sony XAV-W1 is Apple iPod ready. You can plug in your iPod whenever to want to enjoy your personal collection on the road. For rendering high quality video the XAV-W1 has a 6.95 inch TFT Active Matrix LCD display. With lots of customizable display and sounds settings you can always configure the Sony XAV-W1 the way you like. It also assists in parking by displaying the image on the player’s screen via rear monitor camera. XAV-W1 comes with a remote. So you can always configure it while sitting on the backseat.

Tags for this article: dvd, entertainment, in car, lcd, monitor, sony

Mercedes-Benz has decided to give a definitive thrust to their insatiable experimentation on different models with their decision to unleash the company’s first hybrid version, the S-Class flagship sedan early next year.

The model, identified by the name S400 BlueHYBRID, will be powered by a modified version of the 3.5-liter V6 that has been in vogue in the standard S350 European-market sedan. The modified version, according to company sources, has proved to be a great asset in the final analysis as it has remarkably improved the engine’s efficiency. Moreover, it has been connected with an electric motor, the necessary control equipment, in addition to a compact lithium ion battery. All of the above is more than sufficient for powering any onboard gps navigation, in car entertainment, or car speaker stereo systems as well.  The arrangement thus more or less resembles a conventional S-class as seating and cargo capacity are left untouched.

The hybrid version has some innate advantages over its contemporaries as for instance, in the case of say the big Benz, it captures braking energy and provides additional boost, apart from providing a substantial amount of instantly available torque. The car lacks on an electric-only mode, but nevertheless has a stop/start system which by default will kill the petrol engine when the car is rolling to a stop, and not turn it on again until it gets back underway.

Performance wise the model has managed many a rave reviews, especially for its environment friendly traits. Statistically, it emits CO2 at a rate of 190 g/km which is a significant drop of 20% from the standard, petrol-only S350. It also gives you the benefit of better mileage, as it consumes gas at a rate of 7.9 litres per 100 kilometers.

An in-car audio systems happens to be an indispensable part of your car and play an essential role in ensuring that you get your fill of entertainment while on the move. It is, however, imperative to note that in-car audio systems are engineered in a different manner from traditional audio systems and consequently you must be careful enough to know the details so as to ensure yourself a free ride. One in-car audio system that is beautifully designed and has a plethora of quality features is the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44.

Prominent among them are an in-dash DVD/DivX playback, Bluetooth connectivity, and a USB digital audio playback, which gives you the luxury to indulge in the system in an inhibited manner. The Bluetooth feature, which acts as a wireless transmitter, couples with a microphone and allows you to coordinate the system with a Bluetooth enabled phone for hands-free calling. You can get all relevant information about the caller via an onscreen display, while the music/movie that you may be going through would be automatically paused for the duration of the call.

To make life easy for the discerning user, the manufacturers have also included the option of uploading the phonebook entry. However, a drawback of this feature is that it is excruciatingly slow and also permits only solitary entries at a time. Call quality is reasonably good, which again depends on the quality of service and phone itself. You will be taken aback to discover that the JVC KD-AVX44 also supports the sophisticated A2DP-audio streaming from Bluetooth devices. Moreover, the ease with which you control play back of music stored on Windows Mobile phone deserves praise.

One company that has really come of age and redefined itself is Blaupunkt, who not very long ago many of us used to ridicule as a prototype stereo manufacturer. It is therefore heart rendering when you find the company has not only taken the biased and sometimes prejudicial attitude of the public in stride, but has come up triumphant what with its own series of high-quality digital media receivers. In fact, in recent times it is going toe to toe with all the biggies and thereby making a strong statement of intent. Its latest offer to the customers is none other than another one of its innovative and high on demand unit, the Blaupunkt Brisbane SD48.

The unit has a misleading design and replicates a traditional DIN head unit, but is more close to the Alpine iDA-X001 as far as specifications are concerned. The most intriguing and important feature of the unit is its SD card playback capability. You will feel at home with the Blaupunkt Brisbane SD48 as you can get things moving by simply selecting a “SD Card” from the source menu, and the tracks start playing automatically! Then, the Brisbane is also have an amazing storage capability and accommodates up to 127 music directories, apart from displaying ID3 tag information up to 30 characters in length.

One complaint however, against the unit is that apart from navigating folders and files by using the up/down and left/right arrows, there are no other ways of easily browsing for tracks by name. The connotation that emanates is that you have to endure the misfortune of skipping through long lists before you finally get to listen to your favorite track.

Tags for this article: car, entertainment, radio, stereo

Satellite navigation systems are a dime a dozen these days, but if you look at them more closely you will find that most of them are pretenders and just making up the numbers. You should do well to go through the specifications and other product details before deciding to take the plunge. Moreover, it is sometimes helpful if you have a portable unit to guide you through the complicated locations, as they entrust you with a great deal of flexibility and convenience. One such portable unit that you should do well to take note of is the PMD-B200 Blackbird II from Alpine, a reliable name in this field.

The sleek looking gadget is a rare delight because its portability notwithstanding it comes with an amazing array of features. The gadget is also a technological marvel and has been inscribe with a cute 4 inch wide touch screen for display, like the one found on the Alpine VPA-B222R entertainment system, and which offers sharp view of maps and clear images. That is not all as the Blackbird II comes with an amazing 4GB flash memory that, hold your breath, holds the entire map of the US and Canada, apart from an additional 6 million selectable points of interest! The implication- now you have information about important destinations like gas station, hotel, restaurant, ATM, et al at your finger tips.

If you are not impressed already don’t worry, as there are many more high-end features to keep you glued. As expected it is equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology that makes for a safe and convenient hands-free calling with your compatible mobile phone. You can even subscribe to Navteq’s Traffic FM-RDS service, and the gadget will keep with updated with traffic congestion in many major metropolitan areas. Then, to keep you in high spirits it has also got a built-in MP3 player that can be accessed via the SD memory card slot.

Tags for this article: alpine, bluetooth, gps, navigation, navteq

Porsche is on the threshold of unleashing the company’s first four-door sports car, the Porsche Panamera, which incidentally will be the fourth vehicle in the German luxury carmaker’s lineup. The details of this new development were released by Porsche SE on the 24th November, 2008. Company sources also added that the teardrop shaped Panamera sports has front air intakes instead of the traditional radiator grille model.

The model measures 76 inches in width and 55.8 inches in height which is comparatively wider and lower compared to similar other models by the other companies.

The production of this new model will be carried out at the company’s plant in Leipzig, Germany, with a slated world wise release in the spring of 2009. The first models of the car will however be released in the US in the fall of next year.

The car is actually based on the V-engine model and will be available in either a V-6 or V-8 configuration, and will have an output range of between 300 and 500 horsepower. We can also expect the car model to include numerous luxuries, such as a voice guided sat nav, handsfree kit, quality seats, and more. On the sidelines of the release of this model, the company also hinted that it will very soon come up with a more fuel-efficient version replete with a hybrid powertrain.

The Panamera, in addition, will feature all-wheel or rear-wheel drive models the detail of which, including pricing and other vehicle specification will be available in spring.
It is important to note that Porsche has seen a sharp decline in fortune in recent times, with unit sales tumbling by a precarious 23% in the current year. Nevertheless, the company has managed to withstand the disaster all thanks to its stake in Volkswagen AG, where it earned a reported profit of 52%.

The latest offer from Nokian Tyres, the Hakka Z SUV is fashioned to provide you the best of power, and comfort. The tyres are specially designed with the rigorous demands of large and powerful 4×4s in mind and are expected to provide the necessary durability and faultless performance you so dearly yearn for. Moreover, the company has taken firm note of a recent survey that indicated that the three main perquisites of a 4×4’s summer tyres are grip in wet conditions, durability and driving comfort.

The tyres are not only a great asset when you are exploring some part of the demanding Northern conditions, but they are also adorable in the sense that they come with a specific warranty period that comes a great relief for the customer. Another interesting point is that Hakka summer tyres are not only compatible with cool climates, but also can withstand a good deal of heat too, just like the Michelin Energy E3A model. The Nokian Hakka tyres are also durable enough to endure tough road conditions such as holes and uneven surface. In fact, the tyres seem to thrive on these challenging conditions!

Designed for the high speed categories, the tyres are available in different models to cover different speeds, for e.g. - the V- (210 km/h), W- (270 km/h) and Y-(300 km/h) speed categories with alternatives from 17 inches to 22 inches. The tyres bear all the trademark of the company and are stylishly crafted with an asymmetrical design. meanwhile, the bead region of the tyre has also undergone wholesale changes so as to accommodate fast driving and endure the demands of SUVs.

Tags for this article: summer, suv, tyre

Snooper is back to what is does best, i.e. develop quality satellite navigation systems. No where is this more apparent that with the company’s new Snooper Indago Euro Plus Satellite Navigation System. It is strikingly different from the pack, in the sense that it offers you smooth access to its various features and consequently makes for easy and improved navigation.

The unit’s stand out feature unarguably is the incorporation of the ESP or rather Enigma Speeding Prevention database feature. Therefore, the Snooper Indago will give you the most viable solution to determine the exact location of the camera, apart from giving an accurate speed limit of the area. You should also love the fact that it has been inscribed with an anti-reflective LCD touch screen standing at 3.5 inch which makes for comfortable viewing. Moreover, the system takes account of your flexibility and consequently allows you the option of both 2D and 3D views of the route. The system, in addition, has the capacity to automatically recognise a speed limit and concurrently notifies you of the same with a visual alert.

With the Snooper navigation system in tow you should have little difficulty in selecting your routes and can also easily determine the fastest, shortest, congestion charge area and even the tool roads. Moreover, it from time to time will keep you informed on a range of items including advanced personal warnings about the SPECs Cameras, Watchman, DS2 Speedmaster, Mobile Gatso & Truvelo cameras, High risk zones, et al.

A good news for customers in the UK is that it includes a complete map of the country, and should therefore come in real handy for someone who is on the threshold of exploring the country for the first time. It is also great that the system is rather small and is smartly dressed making it the perfect proponent to accompany you in you endeavour.