About Cars

"It would seem that the account of the driver is inconsistent with the technical investigation."

Thats Toyotas single-sentence sum-up of the teardown of Jim Sikes car. Want to see them say it...and what happens to a speeding Prius when you do one of the several things that will stop it?

Just click play.




And dont think Toyotas going to go quietly. They dropped the nugget that the evidence suggests Sikes was on and off the brakes and gas 250 times during his wild ride...in contrast to his statement to police that he was standing on the brake.

And the news release has this solid punch of a sentence:

These findings suggest that there should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8.

Read the complete news release from todays news conference here. 

Related link: The Prius chat board discusses the findings.

For some people luxury 4x4 SUV might as something redundant. Luxury SUV was taken off-road to the damaged roads that could contaminate the car. Maybe so their minds.

But after all the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz ignore it, through the Mercedes-Benz ML350, Mercedes offers a choice, unsparing 2 variants at the same time, the Grand Edition (variant with the most expensive prices) and Sport, which was launched some time ago.

Cars worth Rp 1.2 billion we had a chance to try their reliability. Starting from the streets of the capital of Jakarta outside the city until the tarnish and holes here and there.

How is Mercedes-Benz ML350 appearance?

In terms of looks, first saw it, the car is very solid Mercy, tall and large, the other car also was cute when compared with this SUV. Impression of sporty looks on the big grille and lower bumper chrome plated. 19 inch alloy rim also adds a robust Mercedes ML350.



From the back even more muscular appearance ML350 with dual mufflers are also additional chrome berlabur. While the above, there is roofrail which adds a sporty flavor.

Outside the sporty feel like upside down with cabin ambience. Initially we did not expected it, but after entering into it, really feels luxurious feel of wood with some additional material on the interior.

While high-quality leather-clad seat ready to accompany you. The roof also can you slide electrically so that it can enjoy the blue sky.

Besides luxury, the impression that emerges is an atmosphere of relief. Trunk also included a super large.

Immediately, 3500 cc V6 engine ignited. You will not find a stick transmission in the middle of the cabin. This stick shift to the right of the steering wheel. Unique enough to remind us of old car output.

But modern functions, to gear R, move to the top, while D move downward. While the P position, you must push the lever to the inside (towards the steering wheel).

Despite including a large car, acceleration is instantaneous, we note for accelerating from 0-100 km per hour the car is only need 8 seconds.

Unfortunately we do not have time to test topspeednya, but Mercedes claims this car can go up to 225 km per hour. Cruise control can be activated by pressing the lever to the left of the steering wheel.

Suspension is also quite soft for an SUV. Potholes on the road even though the car remains comfortable vehicles driven in high speed. Mercy seems to want to retain the image of the sedan in an SUV.

In urban traffic, because it has a large capacity engine, the car was quite voracious of fuel, the score 1:5. But if you bring the car in a constant speed on the highway, you can get consumption figures 1:10.

In short, this car is powerful, luxurious, comfortable, spacious, and wasteful. But the extravagant fuel course not a problem for those who dare to play offroad with billions of cars is not it?



Engine Specifications

• V6 Cylinder
• Displacement 3498 cc
• Power 272 hp at 6,000 rpm
• Torque 350 Nm at 2400-5000 rpm
• Compression 10,7:1
• Permanent 4wheeldrive
• 7G-Tronic transmission

Performance

• 0-100 km / h 8 seconds
• Maximum speed (claims of Mercy) 225 km per hour
• Fuel consumption in cities: 1:5
• Fuel consumption is out of town 1:10

Dimension

• The length of 4.781 meters
• Wheelbace 2.915 meters
• The width of 2.124 meters
• Height 1.815 meters
• Wheels 275/55 R 19

Plus points:

• Spontaneous acceleration
• Luxury and relieved

Minus points:

• Wasteful fuel

The 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv.

Five weeks ago, we gave you our first impressions based on a very short (fewer than 100 miles) time behind the wheel of the Mazda 3 Skyactiv. Bottom line for the link-averse, it was all good things we expect from Mazda in general and the Mazda 3 in particular, with some promising gas mileage figures (we averaged 29.5 miles per gallon, the EPA estimates are 28 city, 40 highway).

The first car was a bare-bones stock model...zero options, with a price tag of $19,300 plus delivery charges.

This time around, things were different. Mazda USAs press folks sent an i Grand Touring model with Skyactiv. Base price $4,000 higher at $22,300...and there were options.






The 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv Grand Touring interior.

As much as TireKicker preaches the virtues of base vehicles (if nothing else, a great way to get the flavor of the vehicle itself instead of the add-ons), we have to say that spending the extra money makes one of our favorite cars even more attractive. The tester added the Technology Package...blind spot monitoring system, Sirius satellite radio, perimeter alarm, rain-sensing front wipers, bi-xenon headlights with auto-leveling, pivoting adaptive front lighting system and auto on/off headlights. Price tag for that package? $1,400. So, with the $795 for delivery, the bottom line on this Mazda 3 Skyactiv wound up at $24,495. And although thats very nearly 5 grand or 20 percent more than the one we reviewed in early January, its exactly how wed order one if we were buying.

Stepping up to the i Grand Touring from the i Touring model gets you the same basic underpinnings (2.0 liter, 155 horsepower 4, 16-inch alloy wheels, four-wheel disc brakes) but brings a moonroof, center armrest, heated front seats, compact nav system with color display and color multi-information display to the party, along with an upgrade to a 265-watt Bose Centerpoint audio system. And, if you check "Dune" instead of "Black" on the interior color option box, the result is a pleasing two-tone that lightens and brightens the mood inside the car.

Rear view of the 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv.

Skyactiv, as we described before, is Mazdas solution to better gas mileage without the complexity of a hybrid system and with the payoff of improved performance thanks to lower weight, and a more efficient engine/transmission combo.

This time, we put a near-TireKicker record 840 miles on the Mazda 3 in our week at the wheel...and unlike our usual 60/40 mix of city streets and urban freeways, it was more like 80/20...and the 20 was in the worst stop-and-go freeway driving youre likely to encounter this side of Manhattan.

Our average? 33 miles per gallon. Thats impressive when you figure that the EPA estimate is 28 city, 40 highway. Even our freeway miles werent at highway speeds...or not many of them and not for long. So our entire 840 miles was the equivalent of what the EPA considers city....and we beat the estimate by 5 MPG...and equalled the EPAs combined fuel economy estimate.

It, like virtually everything Mazda builds, then, is an overperforming, underappreciated gem. The only fault we can find? The lack of a USB connection. Yes, it has Bluetooth and an auxilary jack, but those wont charge your iPod or iPhone, and in an 840-mile driving week, that comes in really handy. But neither you nor we drive 840 miles every week. And if we did, the Mazda 3 i Grand Touring with Skyactiv would be a terrific choice.

The 2013 Cadillac XTS.

Cadillac made its name with big cars. Coupes and Sedan DeVilles...but to read the majority of motoring press this year, youd think the only thing they had to talk about was the new, small ATS.

Dont get me wrong, the ATS is a remarkable car (weve just driven it and a review is coming very soon), but there are two stories to be told...and the XTS is the other.

If you believe most of whats out there to read, the XTS falls short somehow, because its not able to directly challenge BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class the way the ATS is breathing right down the neck of the revered 3-series.

But thats not failure. Thats leaving room for one more Cadillac at the top of the range. Something priced north of $75,000. The XTS mission is to significantly advance Cadillacs position in large American luxury cars. Dont forget, it replaces the late, (largely) unlamented DTS, a car that was hard to find outside of rental fleets and retirement communities.

To say that the XTS is better than the DTS is an understatement. For a front-wheel drive car based on a Buick platform, its frankly amazing. We had the all-wheel drive Premium model for a week...which included magnetic ride control, 19-inch wheels, four wheel anti-lock disc brakes (Brembos up front) and a HiPer Strut front suspension...all standard. At 202 inches, its absolutely a big car...but it moves with a silken grace that would have been unthinkable in a big Cadillac until now.

The base price of $55,810 (base front-wheel drives start at $44,075 ...$2,605 less than the old DTS) gets you a 304-horsepower V6 with a six-speed automatic transmission, an efficient powertrain that delivers an EPA estimated 17 city/26 highway.




The 2013 Cadillac XTS interior.

Inside, as you can see above, the bad old days of GM plastics has vanished. Youre surrounded by soft-touch leather, real wood and piano black. Here, the standard equipment list brings a full complement of airbags, a heads-up display, a reconfigurable gauge cluster (you pick which information goes where on either side of the speedometer), three-zone climate control, ambient lighting, heated rear seats and heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Bose audio system controlled the CUE (Cadillac User Experience)...the big screen in the middle of the dash.

And thats the only problem. Regular TireKicker readers know Im not a technophobe (in fact, Im an early adopter)...but they also know that our position here is that too much tech can get in the way of the experience at best and be a distraction at worst. And CUE is just a bit too hip for the room. You control nav, climate and audio functions on what essentially amounts to a sideways iPad...your finger activating icons under a glass screen. To help you keep your eyes on the road, Cadillac engineers put haptic feedback into CUE...theres a pulse or vibration under your finger to acknowledge that you made a selection. Trouble is, you dont know what selection of the 8 icons on the screen unless youre looking at it. Itll vibrate the same no matter what icon youve mistakenly hit. And we ended up triggering events without actually touching the screen...when our hands were as much as four or five inches away.

It didnt fail...never seized up the way most of the MyFordTouch systems weve experienced have...it just required more attention away from the business of driving than a simple set of buttons and knobs would. And CUE is standard. You cant simply opt for the basic system. This is it. Were told by other automotive journalists that judicious use of CUEs voice-activated features solves a lot of those issues. Well try that next time around.

Back to our tester...only one option on this already-loaded car...a $1,450 Ultraview sunroof. With $920 destination charge, the bottom line came to $58,160.

In black, its a stunner. We had more compliments on the looks of this car than any weve had in a long time. It looks like a big Cadillac. It feels like a modern interpretation of what the Sedan DeVille might have been if it had stayed in tune with the times until now. Ignore the lukewarm press and drive one. Its one of the best American cars available today.

Slow sales are normally a carmakers nightmare. But not at Chrysler. Peter Brown, publisher of Automotive News (free registration required), tells why Fiat/Chryslers CEO is happy to watch the cars trickle out of inventory.

More details can be read here. Note the correction in the article that the California Highway Patrol now says their patrol car was not used as a brake...but that it was tapped by the Prius only as it rolled to a stop, after the driver was able to shut the car down.

San Diego County is where an off-duty CHP officer and three members of his family were killed last summer in one of the first highly-publicized incidents linked to claims of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

The driver in this case says he took his Prius with a recall notice to his local dealer, where he was told his car wasnt part of the gas pedal recall and repair.