Posts Tagged ‘Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands’
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
By Bill Roebuck
Surprisingly, Cadillac used the Toronto Autoshow to boast about a small engine. That’s right, Cadillac! In fact, this redesigned Caddy crossover offers the smallest engine the marque offers in any of its North American products.
The 2010 Cadillac SRX offers a choice of two high-tech six-cylinder engines that are new to the marque. A new, 3.0-L direct injected V6 is standard; optional is a new, 2.8-L turbocharged V6. Both engines employ technology that helps produce strong performance that is typical of larger-displacement engines. Direct injection enables a 25 per cent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions. Highway fuel consumption of about 8.5L/100 km is expected.
Cadillac SRX (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)
The optional all-wheel-drive system includes an advanced electronic limited-slip differential that distributes torque as needed from side-to-side along the rear axle, as well as from the front to rear axle.
The SRX seats five and can tow up to 1,588 kg.
Tags: Auto Show, Bill Roebuck, Cadillac, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, SRX, Toronto
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Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
By Bill Roebuck
The compact 2010 Kia Forte (pronounced for-tay) replaces the Spectra sedan. Redesigned inside and out, it boasts a new, sporty front end with a wide bumper. Slim four-bulb headlamps are covered with a clear lens with a black aluminum bezel for a high-tech look. Overall, the design is clean and sleek. Three trim levels are being offered: LX, EX and SX.
The Forte’s high-tech look continues on the interior, with a symmetrical, high-visibility display. A stylistically enhanced, three-spoke steering wheel features built-in multi device controllers on the spokes for ease of operation. There’s seating room for five passengers and 416 L of cargo space.
Kia Forte (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)
Power in the base LX model comes from a four-cylinder, 2.0-L DOHC engine producing 156 hp. It’s mated to a CVT (continuously variable transmission). The SX gets a 2.4-L inline-four delivering 173 hp, which can be selected with a six-speed manual transmission for extra sportiness.
The front-wheel-drive Forte has an independent front suspension with MacPherson struts and a stabilizer bar, and a torsion beam rear suspension with struts and coil springs.
Active front headrests are standard, as are dual front airbags, curtain airbags and side airbags, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.
Tags: Auto Show, Bill Roebuck, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Forte, kia, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
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Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
By Nauman Farooq
Ford of Canada has reasons to celebrate, as not only the Oakville, On. built Ford Flex won the ‘Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year’ award by AJAC (Automobile Journalist Association of Canada), but also that the new Lincoln MKT crossover is contracted to be built in Oakville too.
The MKT is heavily based on the Flex, and retains its seven-seater layout. However, while the Flex makes do with a 3.5-liter, V6, the MKT gets a 3.7-liter, V6 which produces 268hp. The 3.5-liter, EcoBoost, turbo-charged V6 with 355hp will also be available on this vehicle.
Lincoln MKT (Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)
The MKT also gets “Active Park Assist”, which parallel parks the car for you pretty much, plus other impressive features like adaptive cruise control, auto high beam headlights, rain sensing wipers and “EasyFuel” capless fuel-filler system, so you won’t ever struggle with a stubborn fuel cap on a cold winters morning.
The MKT certainly offers leading-edge technology and it will be in showrooms later this year.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Lincoln, MKT, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
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Monday, February 16th, 2009
By Marc Lachapelle
Korea’s number one carmaker is on a solid streak. Shortly after winning the overall Car of the Year award from AJAC with its Genesis luxury sedan, Hyundai unveiled the 2010 Genesis Coupe, its next contender, at the CIAS.
Built off the same rear-wheel drive platform as the Genesis sedan, the coupe will be available in two versions. The 2.0T Coupe is powered by a new, direct-injection, Theta II turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that develops 210 horsepower and has a starting price of $24,495.
Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)
The 3.8 Coupe gets an all-aluminum, DOHC V6 that produces 306 horsepower on regular gasoline and is priced at $32,995. Standard are a six-speed manual gearbox, 18-inch alloy wheels, six airbags, electronic stability control and ABS brakes. A premium package adds luxury and power accessories but performance enthusiasts will be more interested in the GT package that adds brakes from Italian master Brembo, a Torsen-type limited -slip differential, 19-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights and special black leather seats with red cloth inserts.
Hyundai is also going racing with the Genesis Coupe in the Canadian Touring Car Championship with a pair of Auto Trader-sponsored cars that will be built at the Sprongl brothers’ famed FourStar Motorsport shop.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Coupe, Genesis, Hyundai, Marc Lachapelle, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
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Sunday, February 15th, 2009
By Marc Lachapelle
They are set only a few metres apart, in the prime spots of Honda’s exhibit at the CIAS. Both vehicles tout their eco-friendliness and yet, a world separates them.
The blue 2010 Insight is a production model aimed at making gas-electric hybrids available to a wider range of buyers. It will be available to Canadian buyers next April.
Honda FC Sport Concept (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)
The FC Sport concept, on the other hand, is as pie-in-the-sky as they come in the realm of automotive prospective, or fantasy. It’s a low-slung and radically-styled ‘design study’ for a three-passenger sports-performance car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell closely related to what Honda is using in its FCH Clarity sedan now in real-world testing phase. The FC’s driver sits in middle and there are seats on each side, set back slightly.
The Insight, on the other hand, has five seats, four doors and a hatch in the rear. It is powered by the latest version of Honda’s gas-electric, series-type hybrid powertrain that makes a 1.3-litre all-aluminum gasoline engine with variable valve timing and a 10-kilowatt (or 13 horsepower) electric motor work together, through a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) with estimated city/highway fuel economy numbers of 4.8 and 4.5 L/100km.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, FC Sport Concept, Honda, Insight, Marc Lachapelle, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
By Marc Lachapelle
Mitsubishi is not letting the electric-propulsion movement pass it by. The iMiev microcar presented at the CIAS: “Is not a concept car or wishful thinking; it is a very real, practical battery-electric vehicle that has been tested for the past two years in Japan” says David Patterson, leader of the iMiev joint project on this continent. iMiev, by the way, stands for: ‘i’ platform, Mitsubishi, innovative, electric vehicle. Patterson mentions that the car will go on sale in Japan next summer and that it is currently being tested in California, possibly soon in Canada. And he insists that he’s working hard to get it sold here. Its heart is a 63-horsepower electric motor mounted in a mid-ship rear position and driving the rear wheels. Its 330-volt lithium-ion battery pack can be fully recharged in 12 hours on 110 volts and half of this with a 220-volt outlet. It can also be quick-charged in only 35 minutes with a proper recharging station.
Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
And in the present tense, Mitsubishi is reviving the Sportback name for the Lancer family, this time for a ‘five-door’ hatchback model rather than a wagon. The GTS version gets a naturally-aspirated, 2.4-litre, 168-hp engine and a base price of $23,498 with the standard 5-speed manual and $24,798 with the optional CVT transmission. The Sportback Ralliart model is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-litre, 237-horsepower engine coupled exclusively to a dual automated clutch sequential gearbox and it starts at $33,498.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Marc Lachapelle, Mitsubishi, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
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Friday, February 13th, 2009
By Bill Roebuck
The G4e nameplate means ‘Green for the Earth’. Also, the ‘e’ in this Subaru concept’s name could be a code that it’s electric. It could also stand for electrifying styling, as the G4e four-door sedan certainly has a distinctive look.
Most impressively, the compact features a newly developed lithium ion battery that will allow it to go up to 200 km on a charge. The Subaru-designed batteries use high-capacity vanadium technology that enables them to store two to three times more lithium ions than conventional models.
Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
A full recharge takes eight hours from a home electric outlet, however — and this is most impressive and practical — a fast-charge to 80 per cent capacity can be done in about 15 minutes. The batteries are located under the passenger compartment, which has room for five passengers.
Rear-view cameras integrated into the A-pillars eliminate the need for side mirrors and help to improve the coefficient of drag (Cd) value to just 0.276. Will we see this concept in Subaru’s Canadian dealerships? We hope so, and soon, as this is one electric vehicle that makes sense.
Tags: Bill Roebuck, Canadian International Auto Show, CIAS, G4e Concept, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Subaru, Toronto
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Thursday, February 12th, 2009
By Nauman Farooq
According to a survey by Toyota Canada, 6 out of 10 Canadians want a small, luxury hybrid car. To answer to those needs, Lexus showed its latest hybrid model, the HS250h at the 2009 Toronto International Auto Show.
This four-door sedan is powered by a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, which when combined with the power from its electric motors, produces an impressive 187hp.
Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
Only transmission available is a continuously variable automatic.
The HS250h also boasts one of the best drag coefficients of any car on the market, just 0.27, which makes it slipperier than a Lamborghini Murcielago.
However, while its main focus might be fuel-economy, this is a true Lexus, which means it has all the usual Lexus luxury and safety features that customers have come to expect from this brand. New features include a radar-based collision mitigation system and a ʽlane-assistʼ system which keeps a watchful eye on your driving and prevents you from carelessly drifting into the next lane.
The HS250h will go on sale later this year.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Nauman Farooq, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
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Thursday, February 12th, 2009
By Mike Goetz
The Rabbit is roadkill. Run over, so to speak, by the introduction of the sixth-generation Golf, which had its North American debut here at the Toronto show. When it arrives this fall, as a 2010 model, it will go back to being called Golf, and not Rabbit.
Golf VI appears to be a mid-cycle refreshening (new front and rear grilles, new interior), although a very heavy one. The front and rear fascia are characterized by more horizontal lines, like the original Golf. The interior and switchgear borrows much from the cabin of the new Passat CC, and a big effort was made to make Golf one quiet ride; witness new sound damping film in the windshield, thicker side glass, and more aerodynamic side windows.
Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
Three-door models are matched with the 170-hp five-cylinder 2.5-litre engine and will be available in Trend Line and Sport Line trim levels. The latter throws on sports seats and suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels. Five door models have three trim lines: Trend Line; Comfort; and High Line, which features leather and satellite radio. The pocket rocket icon, GTi, will also join the family, packing the 2.0-litre turbo. Also coming will be a Golf Wagon (eventually replacing the Jetta wagon), and both wagon and hatch models will eventually be available with the 2.0-litre TDI diesel.
The 2010 model year will be the last for the City Golf and City Jetta models, perhaps to be replaced by the smaller Polo line. VW Canada chief, John White, remarked that with the new Golf models, VW Canada aligns itself more with Europe than it does with the U.S. He also noted that the U.S operation is still deciding on whether to go with or Golf, or stick with Rabbit.
Tags: Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, Mike Goetz, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
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Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
By Mike Goetz
When introduced to the press-day crowd at the Toronto auto show, the new Audi R8 5.2 at centre stage had its throttle blipped several times — and it was good.
The 5.2-litre V10 not only sounds good, it should go “real good” too, owing to the 525 horses on tap. Audi estimates the car will sprint to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, and top out at 316 km/h.
Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands
The 5.2 further distinguishes itself from its R8 sibling with bigger air intakes up front, wider side-pods, and a special rear end design. The R8 V10 was developed from Audi’s experience at Le Mans; it embodies racing technology, such as dry sump lubrication and FSI gasoline direct injection.
Audi is using this new engine in a new R8 racing car, which the automaker intends to sell to racing teams, for competition in the GT3 category of the American and European Le Mans racing series.
Tags: Audi, Auto Show, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, Mike Goetz, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, R8 V10, Toronto
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