Luxury Cars
Finding Cheap Auto Insurance in North Carolina
If you were living in Tar Heel State and looking for cheap auto insurance, then this article would probably appeal to you. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, North Carolina is one of those states having the cheapest insurance premiums. On top of that, certain actions still could contribute to further minimize the insurance cost or keep the insurance premiums from rising.
Auto insurance is mandatory in North Carolina. In other words, millions of people are looking for car insurance each year; either they want to switch to a new insurer or first time buyers. Making such decisions should not worry anyone and for this reason, we will list some proven strategies that could help you find what you are looking for at the least possible time.
2002 Jaguar X-type – First Drive Review – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
The cynical among you will likely view the car on these pages as evidence that Ford has finally corrupted the Jaguar name—as you always feared it would. Yes, the Dearborn auto giant did oversee an artful rejuvenation of the stately XJ sedan. It did preside over the launching of the elegant XK8 and its sparkling new V-8 engine. And although Ford did pair the mechanical bits of the S-type sedan with the downmarket Lincoln LS, the parts were, at least, all-new and designed to a sophisticated standard.
But this X-type—it’s nothing more than a Ford Contour with a growling cat on its hood. If this isn’t quite trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, it’s no better than starting with a nylon wallet.
Now that we’ve spent a couple days in the cockpits of several X-types, however, we are in a position to assure you that these suspicions of Ford treachery are unfounded. For starters, this X-type is based more on the second-generation European Ford Mondeo—which has debuted to rave reviews on the Continent—than the original Mondeo, which spawned America’s failed Contour. Moreover, Jaguar engineers greatly upgraded the chassis to bring it into line with Jaguar’s traditions and expectations of superiority.
The most important of these changes was abandoning the Mondeo’s front-wheel-drive layout. Jaguars have always had their power applied to the rear wheels, and the adoption of a four-wheel-drive system ensured that the X-type would not completely depart from this tradition. In fact, the driveline incorporates a mechanical center differential that routes 60 percent of the powertrain’s output to the rear axle unless slippery conditions provoke wheelspin. In that case, a viscous coupling fitted to the center diff diverts power to the axle with the greater grip.
Not only does this driveline save the X-type from the ignominy of being Jaguar’s first front-driver, but it also enhances steering feel. That’s because with only 40 percent of the power directed to the front tires, there are minimal torque-steer effects to corrupt the purity of the steering.
Because Jaguar engineers feel strongly that accurate and intuitive steering has always been one of the hallmarks of the cars from Coventry, they have pursued several other measures to achieve this goal. For one thing, the steering ratio in the ZF Servotronic II rack-and-pinion mechanism is slightly slower than it is in the Mondeo to produce a more linear response. However, new front knuckles produce a higher roll center, which increases weight transfer in corners to produce more directional change for each increment of steering.
Finally, Jaguar engineers have fitted roller bearings between the tops of the front strut towers and the body. These bearings, which we can’t recall seeing on any other car, reduce steering friction by eliminating the need for the strut body to turn relative to the strut rod when the front tires steer.
The rear suspension is a multilink design that differs considerably from the Mondeo’s to accommodate the power delivery to the rear wheels. Both front and rear suspensions are mounted on rubber-isolated subframes to minimize the transmission of vibration and noise to the body.
Propelling this upgraded chassis are two versions of the all-aluminum Jaguar AJ-V6 engine, both derived from the Ford Duratec family. The 3.0-liter V-6 is much like the engine used in the S-type, developing 231 horsepower at a lofty 6800 rpm, as well as 209 pound-feet of torque. There’s also a 2.5-liter version of this V-6 with 194 horsepower. Both V-6s employ drive-by-wire throttles to better integrate with the cruise control and the optional stability-control systems.
Either engine is available with a choice of a manual or automatic five-speed transmission—the latter equipped with Jaguar’s infernal J-gate shifter. Although this design has evolved into a Jaguar tradition, the J-gate falls well short of newer manumatic layouts as an aid to manual shifting.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/01q2/2002_jaguar_x-type-first_drive_review
Lotus Sport Elise – Auto Shows – Car and Driver
One of the world’s most hard-core sports cars just got a little harder with the introduction of the Lotus Sport Elise. Lotus Sport has produced track-ready Elise and Exige variants for the European market in the past, but U.S. customers have had to make do without. Lotus announced in New York that Americans now will get the chance spec out their Elises with high performance parts from Lotus Sport. And for those who want the whole hog, a complete vehicle also will be available directly from the factory as the Lotus Sport Elise.
The Sport Elise takes the street-to-track theme of the standard Elise to a new level. The suspension — already intensely stiff — gets broomed in favor of race springs and dampers, lower ride height, and adjustable anti-roll bars. The Yokohama A048 track tires that are optional on other Elises are standard here. A high-performance clutch and stainless steel braided brake lines address potential weak points in the chassis. It’s everything you need to go fast around a road course, and Lotus Sport even has thrown in a roll hoop and harness bar in case your enthusiasm outpaces your skill.
For better or worse, the only color scheme offered on the Sport Elise is the one you see here: Saffron Yellow with Storm Titanium stripes. At least no one will mistake your Lotus Sport version for a more pedestrian Elise. Lotus will sell the new Sport Elise for $54,995, a premium of more than ten grand over the base Elise. For the extra cash, buyers don’t get any more power or any less weight. The Sport Elise uses the same 190-hp 1.8-liter Toyota four banger pushing the same bonded aluminum tub chassis. But this car isn’t made for straight-line speed. The Sport Elise promises to offer track-day thrills unparalleled by any other street-legal car.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/06q2/lotus_sport_elise-auto_shows
Dodge Shocker!…Circuit Concept @ 2009 NAIAS
2012 Ferrari FF – Feature – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
What it is: A redesigned and mechanically upgraded replacement for the four-seat Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
Why it matters: Overwrought and overlarge, the 612 was a major styling letdown after its predecessor, the 456, demonstrated that a Ferrari two-plus-two could be as beautiful as any two-seater. The next big Ferrari is a Pininfarina-designed “shooting brake,” and it’s the first Ferrari with four-wheel drive (FF stands for Ferrari Four).
Platform: The new car continues to be built on the current 612’s aluminum architecture; we expect it to weigh about 4200 pounds, or around 100 pounds more than the outgoing model.
Powertrain: The current 5.7-liter V-12 grows to 6.3 liters and receives direct injection. Engine output goes from 533 horsepower to 651 at 8000 rpm. Ferrari claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.7 seconds. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is new. Sadly, Ferrari will not offer a traditional manual transmission and, thus, no gated shifter.
Competition: ,
, Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG.
What might go wrong: Its roofline might sour some buyers.
Estimated arrival and price: Debuted at the Geneva auto show this spring. The price? Isn’t it unbecoming to discuss such things?
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11q1/2012_ferrari_ff-feature
Lexus IS300 – Road Test – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight. That’s the advice offered in the movie The Untouchables, and you have to wonder if the guys at Lexus missed that part. The weapon they could have brought to a showdown between their new IS300 and the quick-draw BMW 328i is a manual transmission.
Instead, the IS300 walks Main Street with just a five-shooter automatic in its holster. That’s because, in our power-hungry U.S. market, this model gets the brawny 3.0-liter straight-six engine from the GS300. That motor has too much torque for the six-speed stick shift used in the 2.0-liter IS200 model in other markets, so that manual obviously can’t be used.
Therefore, we get the GS300′s five-speed automatic, along with a similar steering-wheel-mounted pushbutton override system. A manual is on the way, says Lexus, but the immediate lack of a manual gearbox may not be a problem in a certain kind of shootout anyway. Such as in a battle for customers who like the idea of a 3-series-size sport-luxury sedan with an automatic, but who might be swayed by the likely Lexus virtues of slick build quality, certain durability, and low ownership costs.
Similar in size and mission to its German rival the IS300 may be, but it has its own distinctive look as well as a quite different personality. For one thing, Lexus has designed an interior with its own unique flavor.
Eschewing the somewhat stereotypical nature of typical sports sedans, it has adopted a quite quirky instrument panel modeled on the look of a contemporary chronograph wristwatch face.
And where one might expect a leather-wrapped gearshift knob, in the IS300 you find a chrome ball that could be at home in a PT Cruiser. Instead of a monochrome interior, you find titanium strips enclosing the instrument binnacle, surrounding the center console, and forming the surface of the stereo system.
Other design motifs consciously repeated around the car are ribbed indentations found above the dash and echoed in the door moldings and on the gear-selector housing, and oval forms repeated on the gear-selector housing and dashboard vent registers. Our car also wore the stylish optional perforated leather and Escaine (suede) upholstery on seat surfaces and door cappings, which is definitely recommended.
Whatever you think of the IS interior, it’s certainly not inspired by the typical Teutonic coal bin. And despite the seemingly eccentric design touches, it is still neutral enough in tone that you don’t feel as though you’re stuck in an art deco display.
Nonetheless, what you see when you look under the hood is a lot more classical in style. Tidily exhibited there is a sophisticated twin-cam straight-six. Its chief virtue is torque. Lots of it, supplied with an almost soft, creamy delivery that often understates its effect. Mysteriously, traffic always drops away faster than you expect it to.
A careless prod at the accelerator when leaving a stop sign quickly demonstrates how much torque is on tap, as well as how tight the torque-converter calibrations are. It’s easy to snap your head back, and you soon learn to toe gently into the throttle for smooth and gradual takeoffs.
For quick sprints to 60 mph, smoothness isn’t necessary. With the traction control switched off, the transmission power-mode button depressed, and the car held on the brake briefly at full throttle, our car completed this little task in 7.6 seconds. Which, unfortunately, is 0.5 second slower than Lexus’s claim for the feat. Since the company is usually a bit conservative about these things, we’re wondering why our car ran slow.
Similarly, our quarter-mile time of 15.9 seconds took 0.6 second longer than what Lexus engineers expected. But less predictable was the fact that the IS300 ran just about exactly the maximum speed claimed for it: 144 mph.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/00q4/lexus_is300-road_test
MW 2001: Lexus IS300 Road Test
Getting Off On the Left Foot – Car News – Car and Driver
"Left! Left! Left!"
My co-driver was screaming at me as we came thundering toward a fork in the road. I went right. Then I drove another 50 feet before slamming on the brakes. I sat there dazed for a moment while J. Jon Wickens, a guy who’s sat in the right-hand seat with some of the best in the business, screamed some more — really colorful stuff, something about backing up and getting back on the route.
This was not some weird Simon-says game. Last August, I was driving in the Sports Car Club of America’s Ojibwe Forests ProRally in Bemidji, Minnesota, as part of the Hyundai factory team.
Rallies — particularly SCCA ProRallies such as this one — are intense multiday events held on unpaved forest roads. Drivers run one at a time through some 20 timed sections known as stages, often well into the night. The stages vary in length from one to 20 miles, and the driver with the lowest combined time for all the speed sections wins. There’s not much traction at the best of times, and the route is usually bordered with trees or big rocks or both. If you’re going fast, the car is going sideways most of the time.
To make it more interesting, every twist and turn of the course is a new experience. The teams aren’t allowed to practice on any of the stages, and the drivers rely on their co-drivers to call out hazards and turns — "Left! Left! Left!" for example — that are cataloged in course notes supplied by the event organizers. The notes are rarely comprehensive and may only mention 20 percent of the nasty surprises waiting down the road. For the rest, the driver relies on his or her experience and skills, balancing speed against risk.
Racing with the Hyundai folks was a good choice because Hyundai has a strong presence in rallying. Since 1995, Hyundai aces Paul Choiniere and Noel Lawler have won SCCA’s overall ProRally drivers’ championship five times, first driving modified Elantras in 1995 and 1996 and since then piloting a Tiburon. Choiniere races in the open class, where liberal modifications are allowed. His current Tiburon sports nonproduction equipment such as four-wheel drive and a 400-hp turbocharged version of the car’s 2.0-liter four.
My ride was a little less exotic. Hyundai supplied a production-class Tiburon that was stock except for required safety items — a roll cage, a fire extinguisher, and racing seatbelts — plus an aluminum belly pan, auxiliary lights, deeply treaded Michelin dirt tires, and stiffer springs and shocks.
The first day of racing started at 5:30 p.m. and didn’t end until well after midnight — seven stages covering nearly 50 miles on soft gravel roads. The starting order is based on previous race performance. Since I was the only rookie, I started dead last — 57th.
And although I was a rookie and this was my first experience with this kind of racing, I wasn’t totally green, thanks to a prerace day with Tim O’Neil, owner and operator of Team O’Neil Car Control Center (603-823-5558;
). O’Neil taught me one of the most powerful car-control techniques I’ve ever learned — left-foot braking, which allows a driver to predictably slide a car through slippery turns and is essential for making time on low-adhesion surfaces.
Even with a day’s practice, I was still feeling tentative, so I took it easy the first day, figuring the surest way to get the most seat time — and practice — would be to keep the car on the road. That strategy was working fine until the last stage of the day when, in the middle of the turn, I went for the brakes, and — oh my god I’m gonna die — the pedal went right to the floor. Luckily, I kept the car on the road and limped back to the pits. The problem was a frayed brake line that had probably been bumped and moved by a flying rock and then rubbed on the front strut. Despite a constant pounding from ruts, bumps, and flying stones, the failed brakes were the only mechanical problem I encountered.
For the second day — nine stages, 66 miles total — I steadily increased my pace as I became more comfortable with left-foot braking. I’d also learned to rely heavily on Mr. Wickens. A veteran co-driver, he called out every hazard in the route book flawlessly, occasionally egging me on when he thought I could go faster.
The rally ended with remarkable finishes for the Hyundai team. In the standings, Choiniere and Lawler finished first and second overall in Hyundai Tiburons, and John Buffum took third in an Elantra. As the team’s little brother, I was a bit embarrassed by my 25th-place finish, but it was good enough for a third place in the production class. Maybe I’ll do better next time. But I did learn a lot. Left-foot braking, for one. And that co-drivers are a special breed.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/01q1/getting_off_on_the_left_foot-car_news