Monday, January 5, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Smart Car
If youre in the market for a new car and dont fancy a road-hogging 4x4, then perhaps the Smart Car is the one for you. Part of the Daimler AG brand, the Smart Car is a form of microcar created in Hambach in France and Bobligen in Germany. You might not know this about the logo, but it shows a grey c and a yellow arrow, this is to represent compact and the arrow is to symbolise forward thinking. Designs for the run-around car began in the 1980s when Nicholas Hayek of SMH began to explore ideas for a smaller form of car, as the CEO of Swatch he felt that the industry hadnt catered for a small and funky car, much like his companys approach to watch-making.
It was in 1991 that Hayek shared his ideas with Volkswagen and the Smart Car began the idea of concept stage development. The first idea was to create a car that ran on a three-litre fuel tank, consuming three litres per 100km driven. Hayek decided to seek support from other companies and offered his Swatchmobile project to other Car manufacturers. A number of car companies rejected his designs, but Daimler-Benz AG (a subsidiary of Mercedez-Benz) decided to take it on in 1994. They began to develop concept cars that would become the first real designs for the Smart Car.
The assembly plant was opened in 1997 by the French President Jacques Chirac and the unveiling of the Smart city-Coupe was set for March 1998. Daimler-Benz bought out SMHs share and went into production as smart GmbH. Models such as the Smart Fortwo and the Roadster soon hit the market and customers were buying and leasing a Smart Car as quick and agile city run-arounds. In more recent years their electric version has been on limited release in the UK with plans to create serial production of battery-powered models over this year. One of its main selling points is its low CO2 emission figures and compact size.
2008 Dodge Durango Owners Manual
2008 Dodge Durango Owners Manual - Welcome back to Owners Manual PDF blog. This is an online PDF site which provides free link download manual book for 2008 Dodge Durango. But before you download it, much better if you know little the review of this car. Here is a few general features and review according to cars.com.
2008 Dodge Durango
Kelley Blue Book Retail $15,500–$20,200
MPG City: 13 – 14 Highway: 17 – 19
Available Engines
210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 (regular gas)
303-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 (flexible; E85)
335-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 (regular gas)
Transmissions
4-speed automatic w/OD
5-speed multi-speed automatic w/OD
Download 2008 Dodge Durango Owners Manual
Saturday, January 3, 2015
2014 BMW 535d Diesel
2014 BMW 535d Diesel
A fine ambassador for diesel power.
When we pull into our driveways with various test cars every few days, our friends—the ones who know us well, not the acquaintances who assume we’re a lieutenant in a drug cartel—often pop over to ask about the latest. “What are we driving today?” asked one friend recently, pacing us into our parking spot. When the answer was a BMW 5-series, she followed us toward the Glacier Silver Metallic car.
“This one’s a diesel, and—” Before we’d said another word, the conversation was over.
“Oh, I don’t like diesel,” she said, before she turned and walked away. Just like that. As if the word “diesel” meant it was carrying the contagion that would zombify her family.
Had our pal hung around, she might have been in danger of catching a fever all right, but the one we have for the advantages of diesel engines. The challenges to her prejudice would have started with hearing—or rather, not hearing—the nearly racket-free startup of the new 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel in this 2014 BMW 535d. Admittedly, you can detect mild clatter if you stick your ear or a microphone under the hood or close to the tailpipe. If she did the latter, our dismissive friend might have noticed that the exhaust didn’t declare its dieselness, either, and we could have assured her that Dr. Rudolf’s compression-ignition device has advanced into the 21st century with variable-vane turbocharging, common-rail direct injection, and urea-based exhaust scrubbing. (Of course, when proselytizing, we don’t delve too deeply into the ickier connotations of urea, and besides, the BMW dealer handles refills during oil changes, which are included free for four years or 50,000 miles.)
The 535d operates as smoothly and as cleanly as does any 5er, different only in that it doesn’t need many revs to generate thrust, delivering a big fat 413 lb-ft of torque from 1500 to 3000 rpm with a 255-hp peak at 4000 rpm. It’s even quiet at wide-open throttle (we measured 72 decibels, quieter than some cars at a steady 70-mph cruise). At the track, the diesel hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a tick quicker than the gas-fueled 535i we had for a long-term test and as fleet as the gas-electric ActiveHybrid 5model. You won’t want to run for ecofriendly pinks, though: The diesel did the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 97 mph, 0.3 second and 5 mph behind its 335-hp, electric-assisted doppelgänger. Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $66,425 (base price: $57,525)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 cu in, 2993 cc
Power: 255 hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 413 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm
Power: 255 hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 413 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 116.9 in
Length: 193.4 in
Width: 73.2 in Height: 57.6 in
Curb weight: 4127 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.2 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 30.5 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.3 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 147 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 154 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
Zero to 60 mph: 5.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.2 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 30.5 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.3 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 147 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 154 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 26/38 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg
EPA city/highway driving: 26/38 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg
Friday, January 2, 2015
BMW M�s art work video what an idea
I don’t know how this idea got to BMW. The pressurized ink system was fitted near the tires which continuously sprayed ink to the tires. It was controlled through one switch fitted in the cabin of the turbocharged BMW coupe. I was surprised when I saw the video. Matt, BMW performance driving school chief instructor had done this work perfectly. Matt control that ink system control and sprayed the ink over the paper, but this work is really challenging. Watch the fantastic video.
After this fantastic job, the tire print was cut up in one nice postcard which is sent out to all BMW M fans across the country.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
BMW i3 Visualizer Goes Live
Thanks to follower CDspeed for posting the link to the new BMW i3 vehicle configurer or Visualizer as they call it for the US market. Here you can check out the different interior and exterior options, wheel choices and colors Pricing isnt available yet as it is on the German BMW i3 site, but it is nice to see the car in various colors and wheel combinations so you can decide which one you need to start saving for!
Heres the link to the site: BMW i3 Visualizer
For those interested in pricing options for the German market you can download the list here
