Subaru Impreza WRX

Subaru Impreza WRX enthusiasts are expected to turn out in force to be the first to drive the new performance model at a special Consumer Ride and Drive event on Saturday, August 11, 2007 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Attendees will have the chance to drive the legend themselves or ride shotgun with a professional driver on a closed course. In addition, there will be an Impreza WRX festival including a tuner car salon, live DJs, games, and much more.

The event will feature two driving courses; the first is a dynamic driving course that highlights the acceleration, handling, and braking capabilities of the all-new Impreza WRX; the other course promises the ultimate thrill ride as attendees co-pilot the car on a Rally Stage and experience the new Impreza WRX driven to its limits by a professional driver.

There will also be a complete Impreza WRX festival. Festival activities will include:

- Tuner Car Salon hosted by NASIOC
- Live Blender DJ’s
- A Video Gaming Lounge
- RC Car Track
- Subaru Rally Team USA Traveling Trailer
- SPT Performance Parts Display
- Product Walk Arounds
- Subaru Gear Merchandise
- 2008 Subaru Model Lineup

The new 2008 Impreza WRX comes with a 224-hp 2.5-liter boxer four and reaches 60 mph from rest in just 5.9 seconds. With new, more sophisticated styling and two new body styles, a 4-door sedan and a 5-door model, the Impreza 2.5i and Impreza WRX breathe new life into the compact performance market.

The new Impreza models deliver significant improvements in comfort and utility, while delivering the handling, performance and Subaru Symmetrical AWD that made the original Impreza such a success. Also new for 2008, is the availability of Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) on both the Impreza 2.5i and Impreza WRX.

In 2002, Subaru changed the face of the performance market with the introduction of the original WRX, a car that could deliver turbocharged, rally-bred performance in any driving condition.

The all-new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX follows that lead with an all-new breed of AWD performance car. Larger than its predecessor, the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX now rides on a 3.7 inch longer wheelbase (103.1 inches) that improves ride, interior space and utility.

New Ford Mondeo Named Car Of The Year

Troubled car giant Ford has been given a welcome boost by the news that the new Mondeo has been named Car of the Year.

The Mondeo was voted the best new car by experts at Auto Express, Britain’s biggest-selling weekly motoring magazine. And it was also named best in the family car class and best estate car too in the magazine’s annual New Car Honours.

“The new Mondeo is Ford’s finest ever car,” said Auto Express editor in chief, David Johns. “Each and every model, whether hatchback, saloon or estate, has been designed and engineered to the highest standards.

The car oozes quality, especially in the cabin which has levels of equipment and comfort which sets new standards for the class.”

Ford - which is struggling with huge debts and facing having to sell-off Land Rover and Jaguar from its empire - beat rivals including prestige German makes,Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi to the overall Car of the Year title.

Other major winners included:
- Vauxhall Corsa - Best Supermini
- Honda Civic - Best Compact Family Car, and Best Hot Hatch (for the Type R)
- Citroen C4 Picasso - Best MPV
- Kia - for its industry-leading seven-year warranty

The Auto Express New Car Honours are the result of the biggest new car assessment programme carried out by any UK motoring magazine - with over 1,100 new cars independently tested each year on a wide range of key buying criteria, including practicality, value for money, performance, handling and safety. Uniquely, Auto Express also gives every car tested a green rating for environmental impact.

This year’s winners were selected in 19 classes covering every size and class of car.

2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si Sedan Set for Fall Release

A factory-prepared 2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si Sedan will debut in mid-October, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. The Civic MUGEN Si Sedan is equipped with a high-performance suspension, forged aluminum wheels, aerodynamic body styling and a sport-tuned exhaust system.

“Honda enthusiasts have long been asking for factory-installed MUGEN performance products similar to what the company offers in Japan,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “We’re enthusiasts, too, and the ultra-premium Civic MUGEN Si Sedan offers exclusive style and elevated handling performance with legendary Honda refinement.”

The track-tuned suspension, tested at the Twin Ring Motegi racing circuit in Japan, lowers the vehicle by 0.6 inches with aggressive spring and damper tuning for enhanced handling performance while still maintaining a high level of ride comfort. Compared to the conventional Civic Si Sedan, front and rear damping force (both bump and rebound) was increased between 8- and 24-percent.

Lightweight 16.98-pound 18×7.5-inch forged aluminum wheels (27 percent lighter than the stock 17×7 alloy wheel) and high-grip BFGoodrich® g-Force KDW 215/40ZR18 summer tires help to create MUGEN’s unique, rewarding and well-balanced handling performance character. The full-vehicle aero-package adds a front spoiler with a sports grille, side spoilers, a rear bumper diffuser and a rear wing.

The sport exhaust system reduces back pressure from the catalytic converter back. The Civic MUGEN Si Sedan will be available exclusively in Fiji Blue Pearl and include front and rear MUGEN emblems. Inside, a MUGEN Limited Edition placard is located on the center console along with a spherical 50 mm MUGEN aluminum shift knob.

The name MUGEN symbolizes Honda performance throughout Asia and around the globe. MUGEN, under license by M-TEC Co., Ltd., of Japan, has been closely associated with Honda for more than three decades in the design and manufacture of racing and premium aftermarket performance products.

The limited-production vehicle (maximum of 1,000 units for the 2008 model year) will have a retail price of less than $30,000 when it goes on sale and include a full factory warranty. A prototype of the Honda Civic MUGEN Si was shown at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in fall 2006.

KIA cee’d Three Door Revealed

Kia Motors Corporation has released the first preview image of its exciting new Kia three-door hatchback model which will make its World Premiere at this year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September.

The new model will be named Pro-cee’d. Based closely on the earlier ‘pro_cee’d’ concept shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, the new production model has been developed by Kia’s design team in Europe under the direction of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.

“Longer, lower and lighter than its five-door sister car, the new Kia Pro-cee’d is going to be a great drive,” enthused Mr Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. “Combining real style and genuine practicality, our new three-door cee’d is sure to delight existing Kia customers and attract a new group of European consumers who have not yet considered our brand.”

Manufactured in Slovakia, Pro-cee’d will be the third member of the Kia cee’d family, joining the popular cee’d five-door and the soon to be released cee’d SW models to make Kia an especially strong challenger for C-segment sales in Europe.

Production of the Pro-cee’d model range is scheduled to begin in November with first customer sales during the early months of 2008.

Enhance Your Image With Vauxhall Styling Accessories

New styling accessories to help discerning Vauxhall drivers stand out from the crowd are now available from participating Vauxhall retailers throughout the country. Owners of Vectra and Signum models can make a strong visual impact with exclusive mesh grilles just launched by Irmscher, the Vauxhall styling experts.

Manufactured in stainless steel woven wire mesh, the upper and lower grilles are designed specifically for Vectra and Signum cars from the 2006 model year onwards. They can be dealer fitted in less than 20 minutes.

Substantial discounts are available until the end of September on selected alloy wheels from Irmscher for the new Corsa range. The special offer covers Softstar and Gamma 14 inch and Stila 15 inch wheel sets.

They are suitable for Expression, Life and Club models fitted with 14 and 15 inch steel wheels. The original tyres can be transferred directly to these alloys wheel sets, saving existing owners additional expense.

Details of all styling accessory offers are available from participating Vauxhall retailers.

Hyundai Introduces Santa Fe Limited

The highly acclaimed Hyundai Santa Fe range is joined in the showroom this August by a limited edition model, Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, offering £900-£1,100 worth of additional equipment over the usual CDX model.

Diesel powered, the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited is available as either a 5 seater for £23,795 or a 7 seater for £24,895; automatic versions are priced at £25,195 and £26,295 respectively. Metallic and Mica paint are an additional £375.00.

This strictly limited edition model includes integrated running boards and wheel arch trims, privacy glass, reversing sensors, sports mesh grille, limited badges and a choice of four colours – Ebony Black, Sleek Silver, Gun Metal and Black Pearl. The highly visual special equipment package would usually cost consumers £1200 for the 5 seater and £900 for the 7 seater.

The Santa Fe range is still receiving plaudits from the media. In July Santa Fe CRTD CDX won a group test in Auto Express beating the newly introducedChevrolet Captiva and the well established Honda CR-V. In addition What Car? placed the Santa Fe CRTD CDX ahead of the Chevrolet Captiva and Mitsubishi Outlander, praising its spacious cabin, practicality, refinement, comfort and warranty package.

Specification levels for the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited include high levels of safety equipment such as an Electronic Stability Program, ISOfix child seat fittings, side impact bars, traction control, active head restraints, multiple airbags and adjustable head restraints all round.

Inside the new highly specified Santa Fe Limited standard fittings include leather seats, seven speaker audio system with MP3 compatibility, air conditioning, electric driver’s seat and much more.

Fuel consumption is 38.7 mpg on the Combined Cycle, delivering a potential range of over 600 miles.

The new Santa Fe Limited comes with the famous Hyundai warranty package that includes 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, 6 year anti-perforation warranty as well as 3 year Hyundai RAC assistance.

Nissan Note Version Red

From 1 September 2007 NISSAN will introduce an alternative styling choice to the award winning NOTE range known as the ACENTA R with an on the road price starting from £11840.

Before you run home to dust off your racing boots the R stands for Red to acknowledge the unique black on red detailing in the upholstery for the seats and door pockets, plus an exterior colour designed to get your heart pounding called Emotion Red. If Red is not your favourite paint colour then it can also be selected in a pearl Black metallic.

The vehicle is priced with an additional premium of £500 over the standard ACENTA but comes with TEKNA styled 16” alloy wheels and rear privacy glass. Add in the unique trim and free metallic paint then the overall value of ACENTA R speaks for itself.