NewCars100 » Car Reviews

All About The Porsche Cayman

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:52:11 +0000

In comparison of the engine, The Porsche Cayman is positioned between the Boxster and 911. Still, it has its own different personality. It is snappier, easier, and not burdened by heavy weight hanging out the back and the need to manage the effect of that weight.

Porsche Cayman

_The Cayman is strictly a two-seater because the engine sits where the rear seats would otherwise be. This means that the engine is not quite readily accessible, although there’s a way into the oil filler via the boot. Under that long tailgate, is revealed a generous luggage area to supplement the front 911/Boxster-sized boot. Like all other Porsche, the Cayman is not very big, which makes it very practical and usable. And for all its obvious Boxster genes, the Cayman is very much its own car with its curvaceous rear wings and neat fastback roof. As with other Porsches, there’s a movable rear spoiler, which deploys above 120km/h.

Going back to were we started, the engine, the Cayman has 3.4 litres, a mix of the cylinder barrels of a 911 with the crankshaft of a Boxster. A 911 engine is of 3.6 or 3.8 liters and a Boxster S has a 3.2-litre engine. It’s a strange thing, but even though today’s Porsche engines are water-cooled, they still overlay their intake and exhaust notes with a breathy whine like that of the giant air-cooling fans of old.

Basically, the Cayman is a mix and it doesn’t have a huge number of new and unique parts. In short, the Cayman is a structure two and a half times stiffer because it’s just a Boxster with a roof. In turn, that means that the driving experience becomes much more focused because its suspension can have tauter, sportier setting.

Porsche Cayman reaches a maximum speed of 275 km/h and gets from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, even if the fuel thirst is low for such pace. The Cayman is especially good with the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), but unlike a 911, it works well enough without it, thanks to a ride that’s firm but seldom turbulent. PASM makes the Cayman sit 10mm lower, and in its Sport mode it tautens the damping. And it feels absolutely fantastic when you have the Chrono option (complete with stopwatch for timing your hot laps).

Bottom line, Porsche Cayman is a remarkable illustration of a rigid, solid-roofed bodyshell’s advantages. The Cayman S has all the positive Porsche attributes you could want, and none of the snags. It’s not the fastest Porsche, not the fiercest, not the most breathtaking. It is a pooling of other Porsche parts, which means that the Cayman is not expensive to develop but it will generate big profits. The new car, by the way, takes its name not from a tax-haven archipelago, but from a type of crocodile.
Source: articlecircle.com

2010 Camaro - A Chevy Legend Reborn

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:26:26 +0000

The 2010 Chevy Camaro looks to be like a breath of fresh air in the US automobile industry. With a hurricane of publicity around this model, not the least of which was a staring role in the blockbuster movie “Transformers,” the excitement level is sky high.

2010 Chevy Camaro

Following the trend of car makers looking back to revive popular past models the 2010 Camaro could prove to be the very best of the “Reborn Muscle Car Movement.” Looking at the newest Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger we can see that the public’s appetite for nostalgia is strong. Take that nostalgia and mix in modern technology, higher horsepower, better suspension and vastly improved fuel economy and you’ve got a hit!

A quick look at the initial offering of the new 2010 Camaro model shows that along with the traditional look Chevy is following the classic offering model of a muscle car launch. The 2010 is available in several different variations that differ in appearance, power and price. Chevy has kept its word and kept the production 2010 Camaro very, very close to the concept car that caused such a stir at the 2006 Auto Show. This has kept the Camaro loving public quite happy.

Initially there will be three trim packages, SS, LT and LS, all in a hardtop coupe. Starting out at the base level the LS will be the most affordable version featuring a V-6 producing around 220 horsepower. The LT is the next step up the ladder and will have a beefier 3.5 literV-6 producing a bit more than 300 hp. The monster version is the SS model, with a 6.2 literV-8 pumping out over 400hp. Price ranges are from the low 20’s to the mid 30’s.

A convertible version of the new Fifth Generation Camaro is planned for the early 2010’s as well as a Z28 package. The gear heads out there are drooling on the Z28 as reports show it will have a super-charged 6.2 liter V-8 producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 500hp!

Chevy has packed a few more goodies in the new model as well. As for transmission choices you’ll have an option of a six speed manual or a six speed “TAPshift” automatic tranny. Underneath you’ll see a 4.5 link independent rear suspension to help get that power to the street. Four wheel disc brakes, a choice of 18, 19, or 20 inch wheels, a choice of ten different colors and a lot more.
Source: ezinearticles.com

2008 Traffic Deaths Hit Record Low

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:29:44 +0000

Here’s some good news from the auto world (a rare occurrence over the past few months), 2008 traffic fatalities are at record lows.

The National Safety Council annual report states that there were 39,800 deaths last year related to motor vehicles in 2008. That’s an 8% drop in the number of fatalities over the previous year. In case you’re wondering, it has nothing to do with people driving less due to increases in gas prices or some other, normal, outside factor. It turns out that the ratio of deaths per vehicle miles driven has also dropped.

According to the National Safety Council there are three factors that contributed to the record low levels. First off, cars and trucks are getting better and better in the safety department, as shown each year by the high safety numbers posted in NHTSA and IIHS crash testing. Also contributing to the record drop are public education and the visible enforcement of safety laws.

There are other upsides to this, in addition to a lower overall death toll. Fewer deaths mean fewer medical expenses and property damage as well as lower loss of wages.

So, good job everybody, and it’s not very frequently that I say that about my fellow drivers … because really, the stuff that I still see on the road makes me shake my head. Actually, I’m surprised the fatality rate hasn’t gone up.
Source: Autoblog

NewCars100 » Car Reviews

All About The Porsche Cayman

Related Articles

2010 Camaro - A Chevy Legend Reborn

Related Articles

2008 Traffic Deaths Hit Record Low

Related Articles