Toyota NOAH

The Toyota Noah is an eight-seater MPV with two rear sliding doors built by Toyota Motor Company and sold only in Asia. A five-seater version without the third seat row is available (YY grade). Its predecessor was the Toyota Liteace Noah. The Noah has a twin version named Toyota Voxy, with lower ground clearance.


The Noah's 154 hp engine takes 9.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h (60 mph) up to a top speed of 175 km/h. The Noah was the first Toyota car to be equipped with its next generation technology called valvematic in 2007. Compared to Toyota’s previous topline 2-liter 4-cylinder, the 3ZR-FAE with Valvematic is more powerful by eleven horses.

While conventional engines control air intake using a throttle valve, Valvematic adjusts the volume of air taken in by continuously controlling the intake valve lift volume and timing of valve opening and closing. This ensures optimal performance based on the engine’s operational condition, thus helping vehicles achieve both high fuel efficiency and dynamic performance.



Toyota dubbed the technology a “further evolution of the gasoline engine”. Valvematic, it said, improves fuel efficiency by 5-10 percent, reduces CO2 emissions and boosts output by at least 10 percent.

Technically speaking, the official output numbers for the first Valvematic engine, the 3ZR-FAE 2.0 litre put out 158 PS at 6200rpm, 196Nm at 4,400rpm, and goes 14.2km per litre of fuel used. A non-Valvematic engine 3ZR-FE outputting 143 PS at 5,600rpm and 194Nm of torque at 3,900rpm and went 13.4km per litre of fuel.

The CO2 emissions for the Valvematic engine was also lower at 164k/gm compared to the 173g/km figure of the non-Valvematic engine.

The Noah is positioned as a C-segment MPV similar to the Toyota Wish, and has since 2001 been competing with the Honda StepWGN and the Nissan Serena in the family car category.

Some think it is nothing to look at beauty-wise. And for most city dwellers it’s a total nightmare when parking space is a premium. But ask any owner of the Toyota Noah and you will get an endless list of attributes that excite about this eight-seater Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)/ mini-van.

Most buyers love it for its spaciousness, easy handling, and cool interior, ample baggage and storage spaces. It can seat eight people comfortably even for long hauls. For most however, the appeal is in the power and fuel economy.

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Toyota AGYO

Toyota made its first venture into the UK car market back in the swinging sixties, with the launch of the Toyota Corona in 1965. A decade on from opening its two UK manufacturing bases, Toyota won European Car of the Year 1999 for the first time with the Toyota Yaris, and in March 2006 – just forty years on from its first foray into the UK market, Toyota achieved its two millionth UK new car sale.There are 20 variants of Toyota AYGO.

Rewarded with the 2006 Green Award from What Car? magazine for its pioneering work in developing environmentally friendly vehicle technologies, Toyota has shown an ongoing commitment to building cars that address the environmental needs and challenges faced in the 21st century, without compromising the standards of performance, safety and practicality expected by today's motorists.


The Toyota Aygo is a fun and funky city car that has a zippy 1.0-litre engine. It’s great about town, and the car’s compact dimensions are ideal for nipping into tight parking spaces. The engine can struggle once you hit the motorway, though.

The Aygo isn’t as agile as the best city cars because the initial steering response is sluggish and the small tyres quickly lose grip. The ride is also rather firm.

The no-frills cabin is starting to show its age, because it’s made from cheap-looking and flimsy-feeling materials. There is reasonable space for four adults, but the boot is too cramped to hold much luggage. That said, running costs are very low; with CO2 emissions at 99g/km and has average fuel economy of around 66mpg.

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HB20 Hyundai

HYUNDAI Motor Brazil has released the official name for its Brazil only compact, due for launch next month (September 2012). The teaser images from the company proves that the Fluidic Sculpture design language is alive and kicking.

The new car, the HB20, will be produced at Hyundai Brazil’s plant in Piracicaba, just outside Sao Paulo and will have a 1.0-liter and 1.6-liter  flex fuel engines. The latter gets an automatic gearbox option. Hyundai also revealed that HB20 will grow a sedan and an SUV variants in 2013.

The car is designed and built by Korean and Brazilian engineers. Hyundai Motor Brazil has more than 1,000 Brazilian employees, which will increase to 2,000 by 2013. The Hyundai plant also provides 3,000 job opportunities from its local suppliers, and that will further on create another 2,000 indirect jobs.


Outside, the Accent hatchback features Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language, with touches like an upswept beltline and a hexagonal grille giving the car a sporty look. The roomy cabin boasts a class leading 21.2 cubic feet of cargo room along with more passenger space than many competing models although priced like a subcompact, the Accent is classified as a compact by the EPA thanks to its interior volume.

The Accent GS comes standard with a six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with SiriusXM Satellite Radio and iPod/USB auxiliary input jacks, power and heated body colored side mirrors, remote keyless entry, cloth insert door trim, body colored door handles, a trip computer, 14 inch steel wheels and power locks and windows. The six speed manual transmission is standard, while the six speed automatic with Active ECO is an extra cost option.

The Accent SE builds on the GS’s features with steering wheel mounted audio controls, Bluetooth, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, premium cloth seats, piano black interior accents, a sliding center armrest, 16 inch alloy wheels, fog lamps and a rear spoiler.

The Accent is powered by a 1.6 liter direct injected four cylinder engine that puts out 138 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 123 lb-ft. of torque at 4,850 rpm. It is the first car in its class to feature direct injection technology, and one of the few to offer a six speed manual transmission (the automatic gearbox also has six cogs). Notably, the Accent’s impressive 30/40 mpg rating is the same for all models and transmissions, requiring no special package like some of the competition. The car rides on a fully independent suspension with a MacPherson strut setup in front and a torsion beam at the rear. The arrangement isn’t overtly sporty but does provide a comfortable freeway ride.


Specifications:

• 5-speed manual gearbox
• Precise and perfect shifting, providing comfort and a rapid response
• Flex-fuel engine
• The 1.0L model has three cylinders and gains in power due to reduced friction and better energy efficiency, leading to lower fuel consumption, a reduction in pollutant emissions and lower maintenance costs.
• 6% more powerful than the segment’s average.
• The 1.6L version has four cylinders and emits 23% more power than the segment’s average.
• The HB20 is equipped with a continuous variable valve timing (CVVT), which optimizes the air-fuel mixture both at low and high RPM, leading to improved performance and fuel consumption.

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Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 is the long-awaited and well-received revival of an Italian icon. What it lacks in terms of interior packaging it more than makes up with sheer style and driver involvement. What we’re all waiting for is the hot little Abarth version, due later this year.

The Fiat 500 is powered by a 101 horsepower 1.4 liter engine. Acceleration is zippy, thanks in large part to the 500's 2400 lb. curb weight (around 400 lbs. lighter than a MINI Cooper). The stick-shift is good fun, despite the fact that it highlights the engine's lack of muscle at low RPMs. The automatic does a better job of distributing the power, though it does a lot of shifting, up and down, to keep pace on the highway. Fuel economy estimates are 30 MPG city/38 MPG highway for the manual, but just 27/34 for the automatic, surprising, as nowadays many small cars get better fuel economy with an automatic transmission. That said, it averaged 32.1 in an automatic 500 in a mix of city and freeway driving.


The most surprising thing is that the Fiat 500 doesn't drive like a small car. It feels big, solid and secure, tracking straight down the highway and cruising happily at 75 MPH.

It's more of a lifestyle vehicle than a driver's car. But that's a personal preference, and the 500 has almost everything else going for it: Small size, low price, cheap running costs, and more character than a parking lot full of Toyotas. If the quality proves to be halfway decent

The Specification:
Turbocharged Abarth is the new bad-boy version of the Fiat 500
Price range: $22,700 - $26,380
Powertrain: 1.4 liter turbocharged inline-4/160 hp, 5-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
EPA fuel economy estimates: 28 MPG city/34 MPG highway
Best rivals: MINI Cooper S, Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen GTI

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Dodge Dart 2013

Dodge has re-entered the compact car segment with a vengeance, replacing the Dodge Caliber crossover with a fresh sedan design called the Dodge Dart


The All-New 2013 Dodge Dart expresses an impressive level of visual drama. Clean lines from nose to tail form its curvaceous silhouette. The unmistakable "split cross-hair" grille accentuates its low, wide stance. And the Dodge Charger-inspired, available full-width rear racetrack style LED taillamp makes an aggressive statement - something truly beautiful every driver behind you will be staring at.

The Dodge Dart's All-New, driver-centric interior boasts an intuitive, fluid layout designed to be both beautiful and ergonomic. It features ambient lighting that highlights interior craftsmanship and refinements. Like refined soft-touch surfaces. Accent stitching on the dash and seats. Tactile grains or available hand-wrapped protein vinyl surfacing. It's an interior so thoughtfully crafted and engineered, it offers interior space rivaling midsize sedans with class-exclusive in-seat storage

The Dodge Dart is the first Dodge vehicle to use an active grille shutter system. It reduces drag by redirecting airflow around the front and down the sides, rather than through the vehicle, enhancing aerodynamic performance.


Engine coolant temperature and vehicle speed determine whether the shutters are open or closed. For example, the shutters will automatically close at highway speeds, when less engine cooling is needed and open during hot city driving, traveling up a hill or pulling a trailer.

Like many cars with six-speed transmissions, the Dart is tuned to keep the engine running below 2,000 rpm under steady load, for best fuel economy. The 1.4-liter gives you power, but not until it revs past 3,000 rpm--which may mean not one but two downshifts. We weren't able to drive the 2.4-liter R/T version of the Dart in our early road tests, so we can't comment on how that engine does in real-world use.

The 2013 Dodge Dart starts at $15,995 for the base-level SE model, with the highest-priced Dart R/T performance model (coming a few months after the rest of the range) at $22,495. On top of that you'll have to add the mandatory $795 delivery fee, plus options from a lengthy list of ways to accessorize and personalize the Dart--which can be ordered in more than 100,000 different combinations, Dodge says.

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2013 Honda Accord

The Accord lineup again comprises sedan and coupe models. At first glance, the 2013 Honda Accord doesn’t look much different than the current edition. Significant highlights are a fresh powertrain lineup developed under the company's Earth Dreams banner that includes a new direct-injection four-cylinder, updated V6; revised transmission portfolio, including a continuously variable transmission; and a couple of hybrid offerings.


So here’s generation number nine, and this Honda is all-new. The question is how well the Accord’s all-newness will stand out in a mid-size sedan arena crowded with other all-new offerings.

The exterior package is trimmer, Honda says the Accord’s interior room is class-leading, especially in the rear seat where legroom has been improved noticeably. Trunk space, too, has increased 50 litres to 447.

The electric power steering is light and has a dead spot on center, but once more angle is dialed in it gets weightier and more responsive. On curvy roads outside of Santa Barbara, Calif., the new Accord feels confidently planted, with some roll tuned into the suspension that takes the edge off of all but the nastiest of bumps. Brakes easily slow the Accord down with firm pedal feedback.


Reducing noise and vibration was another priority, with numerous steps taken to achieve that goal, including the addition of sound-blocking material to minimize the intrusion of road and engine noise and the use of a one-piece instrument panel that reduces rattles and squeaks. A sophisticated active sound and noise-cancelling system is standard on all models, helping to further improve quietness in the cabin.

Many people will want the 2013 Honda Accord, and the good news is there are many reasons for them to want it. Unlike with the Civic, Honda didn't disappoint with the new Accord and has delivered a fuel-efficient vehicle lineup that caters to a wide audience without compromising in key areas such as interior quality. The new direct-injected four-cylinder is powerful enough and when paired with the new CVT should please the heart of the market, while the potent V6 remains at the top of the range for sedan shoppers willing to give up a bit of fuel economy for more power.


Type  : I-4 2.4 litres
Power  : 177 hp @ 6,500 rpm (132 kW)
Torque  : 161 lb·ft @ 4,300 rpm (218 N·m)
Induction : Atmospheric


This will be heading to dealerships in America starting on September 19th, and those interested will be excited to hear that the starting MSRP will be $21,680 for the well-equipped Accord LX model.

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Audi R8

The Audi R8 (Typ 42) is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car,which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.It was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006.

The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform.


As with most vehicles that have the engine mounted behind the driver, the R8 possesses an abbreviated nose that is adorned with the current corporate Audi grille and bi-xenon headlamps. The exotic look of the R8 is further enhanced by a series of 12 LED lights that underscores the headlamp housings and act as daytime running lights. The styling of the aluminum body consists of chiseled flanks that lead your eye to the "sideblades" that highlight the mid-mounted engine. The rear styling is accented by a glass engine cover and additional use of LED lighting.

The 4.2-litre V8 in the R8 (and lifted from the RS4) is simply a beaut. Dry-sumped to sit low, the 414bhp motor kicks the R8 to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and whips up to 187mph. Best of all? These figures feel achievable in the real world.


The Specification:

• Engine Oil 15 qt. [14.2 liter]
• Fuel Tank 23.8 gal. [90 liter]
• Fuel Requirement Premium unleaded
• Compression Ratio 12.5:1
• Horsepower 430 hp @ 7900 RPM
• Torque 316 lb-ft. @ 4500 RPM
• 0-60 MPH 4.4 sec.
• Top Speed 187 MPH

The Audi R8 has everything you would expect from a supercar – staggering performance and brilliant handling, for a start – plus some things you might not, like refinement and everyday usability.

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