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Source: http://www.eurocarblog.com/tag/audi+a3
The has many of the good characteristics that the “good ol’” fuel driven vehicle has – it’s sporty but sophisticated, and impressed our guys at the Challenge Bibendum as one of the best vehicles they had access to; and the guys from Autoblog.com in the English commentary in the video, said it was easily the most refined car at the show. It’s an Audi after all.
It’s still hard to get over just how quiet these vehicles are, and an amusing episode at the end of the take shows how sound producing technology needs to be developed for pedestrian safety. Read the rest of this entry »
GM presented its interim revitalization plan to Washington on February 17. In it the company proposed sweeping cuts. GM’s presentation to the Treasury department included a photo of the 2011 Cadillac CTS coupe, which is on for a ’10 start of production in Lansing, Michigan.
GM presented its interim revitalization plan to Washington on February 17. In it the company proposed sweeping cuts. GM’s presentation to the Treasury department included a photo of the 2011 Cadillac CTS coupe, which is on for a ’10 start of production in Lansing, Michigan. Hummer is done by next year if GM hasn’t signed a deal to sell it. Saab will be cut loose by January 1, 2010, and so the Swedish brand has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And unless its 400 dealers come forth with a plan for Saturn, that brand will join Oldsmobile in GM’s Graveyard of Divisions. GM will cut its North American nameplate lineup from 48 down to 36 by 2012. Hummer (H2, H3), Saab (9-3, 9-5, 9-7x), and Saturn (Astra, Aura, Vue, Outlook, Sky) account for 10 of those 12 cuts. The 2011 Chevy Volt is an added model, offsetting elimination of the TrailBlazer. Cruze for Cobalt is a wash. The lame-duck GMC Envoy makes 11, and the Pontiac G5 probably makes 12. The G6 sedan is likely dead, though the coupe and convertible versions do qualify as niche vehicles. The Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and STS all are likely to go away for a couple years until they’re replaced with a new full-size Buick and a converged DTS/STS. GM also plans to:
Reduce workforce by 47,000 globally, including 10,000 white collar (3,400 U.S. white collar)
Close 14 North American factories by 2012, five more than in the December 2 plan
Reduce U.S. dealers from 6,200 currently to 4,700 in 2012 and 4,100 in 2014
Seek to convert bondholder debt and funding to autoworkers’ retirement health care funds into GM stock
Seek up to $30 billion in federal loan guarantees, including funding already received, with repayment expected from 2012 to 2017
Saab is looking for funding, and plans to reemerge as an independent, Trollhattan-based automaker by the end of May. Saturn dealers were looking to find a buyer of their own, but the lesson we’ve learned in the last year is that we need less automotive capacity and fewer brands. Someone has got to go.
GM has forecast break-even based on 11.5- to 12-million U.S. sales per year, revised downward from 12.5- to 13-million in the December 2 plan. But even those lower sales numbers look optimistic in a year when most analysts predict the U.S. market will struggle to top 10 million units.
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by Jason Drohn Creating a strong internal linking structure is important for your blog if you want to see a rise in your search engine rankings and at the same time give your visitors an easy way to navigate your blog. The following article talks about how you can apply simple steps to boost the internal links on your blog without making things difficult.
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Date: Months in Fleet: Current Mileage: Average Fuel Economy: Average Range: Service: Normal Wear: Repair: Although the Mini family has grown quite a bit since the brand’s resurrection, the drivetrain portfolio had remained a one-man band. The hardtop, the convertible, the elongated Clubman, and the upcoming
are limited to front-wheel drive. Introduced for 2011, the Countryman finally changed that, offering all-wheel drive for the first time in the reborn brand’s history.
Our with the four-door Countryman left us feeling lukewarm, our chief complaints being a somewhat flimsy body structure and a distinct tippiness. As this is the first Mini that is a fully functioning real car (think of the amazement you feel witnessing a family of four emerge from any other Mini), we thought we needed to give it another chance. That, and our
was getting lonely in the funny-looking-hatchbacks-with-turbo-1.6-liter-fours area of the parking lot.
A Mini Someone Might Actually Buy Also, since this is the first Mini that works as a real car, we decided to option ours as real people might—as opposed to the fantasy-world, mega-bucks creation that was our
. The cheapest Countryman starts at $22,350, but we had to try out the all-wheel-driver that, thankfully, isn’t available with the naturally aspirated base engine. So we started with a $27,650 Cooper S ALL4. Our initial reaction to the look of the Countryman was a frown similar to that worn by the car, so we thought $500 for premium paint was worth whatever aesthetic benefit it might impart. Similarly, the interior of the first big Mini we encountered felt a little cheap, so we livened it up with $1000 worth of brown paneling in the doors and black trim pieces elsewhere.
Appearance addressed—as best it could be—we moved to the functional upgrades. Splitting the center accessory rail into two pieces to allow those in the back seat to kick each other in the calves is a no-cost option. Heated cloth seats offer a soft warmth like that of a mother’s bosom, but whereas mothers are priceless (don’t forget Mother’s Day is coming up), these cost $750 as part of the Cold Weather package, or $500 on their own. To make it slightly less easy for spouses to spy on our speed, we filled most of Mini’s humongous center-mounted speedometer with a nav system, which includes Mini Connected, the company’s new smartphone integration system. This shrinks the lancelike needle of the regular Mini speedo to a nubbin that floats around the gauge’s perimeter. At $1750, it was our single most-expensive add-on. Seeking a firm ride but no blood in our urine, we added the $500 sport suspension to our options list—it yields thicker anti-roll bars front and rear, plus stiffer springs and shocks—but left the standard 17-inch wheels in place. Because we hate key fobs, we opted for the $500 Comfort Access keyless entry. Another $500 for automatic climate control and $250 for a center armrest put us at $33,400. Still pretty pricey, but within reason if you accept the idea of Mini as a premium brand, and a far cry from the $40,000-plus required for an example with all the trimmings.
A Second Chance at a First Impression Perhaps because of our mixed reception of our initial test car—or perhaps because our long-termer arrived in March, when the gray Michigan weather had us alternately sighing while peering through our curtains and staring at the TV without bothering to turn it on—the Countryman was slow to accumulate break-in miles, taking almost a month to log the first 1200 turns of the odometer. With the take-it-easy period past, our long-termer just managed to beat the straight-line test results of that other Countryman. The 0-to-60-mph sprint passed in 6.9 seconds, and the quarter-mile took 15.5 at 90 mph—improvements of 0.1 and 0.2 second on the previous results. With 17-inch tires instead of the 18s found on that previous Countryman, this car squealed around the skidpad for 0.85 g, down 0.04, but converted 70 mph to scorching-hot brake discs in nine fewer feet, or just 155.
Knowing from our first encounter that the Countryman’s lofty center of gravity dulls its responses compared with the rest of the Mini lineup, we set our expectations lower and have been enjoying this car. We’re pleased with our combination of sport suspension and 17-inch wheels, although the ride is still stiff enough that more-relaxed buyers will probably want to save $500 and stick with the standard setup. The Countryman shares its fantastic shifter and clutch with its less-lofty siblings, and those passengers we’ve stuck in the two reclining, sliding back seats have found them pleasantly spacious and livable—an assessment that, in previous Minis, only would have been voiced by kittens and small rodents.
Beauty Is in Someone Else’s Eye It does, however, seem doubtful that we’ll ever warm up to the look of this car, and logbook commentary on the styling is scathing. One staffer noted, “I’m not a Mini loyalist, so I don’t really consider it an abomination [in terms of size, door count, all-wheel drive], except for the exterior design.” Another wrote, “I’m glad we went with a subdued color scheme for the exterior, to spare everybody the pain of having his eyes drawn to the styling.”
Then again, those who buy Minis for their looks already have plenty of choices. This Mini is about practicality. We’ll see if the Countryman’s performance as an everyday car over the next 36,000 miles can’t soften those jabs at the looks.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/11q2/2011_mini_cooper_s_countryman_all4-long-term_road_test_intro