Elite Auto Rental Blog

Conventional wisdom holds that the Chrysler 300 owes its success to its boisterous, larger-than-life styling, and a lot of owners will confess to being drawn to the big sedan’s standout sheetmetal. But the 300 also offers fine steering and an excellent blend of ride and handling, as you’d expect from a vehicle that employs major suspension components from the Mercedes E-class sedan of the mid-’90s.

Under its hood buyers can choose from mild and wild Hemi V-8s, with up to 425 horses coupled to a five-speed automatic with manual control. Also available are a pair of smooth V-6s for delivering a more sedate blend of mileage and performance.

The 300 has a huge back seat (even huger in the new-for-’07 long-wheelbase versions), a capacious trunk, and fold-down rear seats to provide cargo utility. The cabin is structurally rigid, free of road-induced vibrations, and impressively quiet.

Finally, this goodness comes at prices that make the 300 a standout in today’s crowded automotive landscape. Whether you judge a car by its looks, speed, practicality, quality, or value, the 300 remains the best big mainstream sedan on the market.

From Car and Driver

If you’ve got it, flaunt it,” is not the way the Lexus LS goes about its business.
This premium-class sedan speaks softly, but carries considerable timber in the form of state-of-the-art opulence plus enough effortless thrust to thrill its appreciative driver.

Parent Toyota first broke into the North American luxury-car segment back in 1990 using the LS as its primary weapon. Slavish attention to quality and a hefty load of standard features soon had other upscale competitors playing catchup.
With each successive updating, the LS continued to set the tone for technological leadership. As well, many of the features developed for the LS eventually trickled down to other models in the Lexus fleet.

The third-generation LS, now labeled the LS 460, continues this tradition by offering a lot more style along with plenty of blow-your-socks-off content.

Previous versions of the big sedan, although quick and comfortable, were hamstrung by a shape that was a bit too formal. If anonymity was your thing, the LS was your ticket to ride.

No more. The new LS takes a design lesson or two from the somewhat sportier GS series with a lower-profile front end, more slope in the windshield and a roofline that flows into the rear deck instead of appearing bolted to it. Welcome to the world of clean, contemporary styling.

All of this newly minted architecture is now available for the first time in two sizes. An extended-length LS 460L adds an extra 4.8-inches between the bumpers with rear-seat passengers becoming the beneficiaries.

No matter the length, the LS runs with a 380-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 that serves up a whopping 102 more ponies than last year’s 4.3-liter V8 in the LS 430.

Directing power to the rear wheels is the world’s first eight-speed automatic transmission (the previous record holder was Mercedes-Benz which currently offers a seven-speed unit in many of its vehicles).

Lexus claims its 4,240-pound flagship model will scoot to 60 m.p.h. in 5.4 seconds, about as quick as a V8-powered Ford Mustang GT.

For Lexus, treating drivers and passengers to an embarrassment of amenities is just as important as what’s under the hood. Every LS leaves the factory with the expected upscale content plus a few unexpected surprises. Among these are keyless push-button start, electronic parking brake, grain-matched wood trim, 16-way driver’s seat, 12-way front passenger seat, climate control with smog sensor and a body-heat sensor that automatically maintains the selected temperature for all occupants.
Move up to the LS 460L and the goody list grows to include power trunk and door closers, climate-controlled front seats and heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and a power rear-window sunshade, to name just a few features.

The longer Lexus also grants you access to the available Executive Class Seating Package with its reclining rear-seat chair, ottoman leg rest and multifunction massage. Other package features consist of separate front and rear climate controls, rear-door power sunshades and a rear console with fold-out table.

All LS models can be had with the Advance Parking Guidance System (APGS) that will automatically steer the vehicle into the desired spot and even tell drivers if the spot is too small. Once lined up, the driver need only control the gas and brake pedal and the APGS takes care of the rest. Interesting technology, even if it is a little slow to use (expect some honking from drivers behind you).

The list goes on, from power-adjustable rear seats with power headrests to a pre-collision system that can sense an impending impact and react by applying braking force and tightening the seat belts. And don’t forget the premium Mark Levinson audio package with its 19 speakers (likely another record) and 450 watts of surround-sound power.

Suffice to say the LS has, and can do, it all (did we mention up to 10 airbags?).
If you have the means, Lexus has the ways to royally treat you as a faithful and trusted servant with a near perfect balance of form and function.

Source: http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/WHEELS/70420003/1031/LIFESTYLE01

DFW Drive Your Dream
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Daimler Chrysler unveiled its premium Mercedes-Benz CL and S Class (S 320CDI L) vehicles here Friday afternoon showcasing its luxury cars at higher price range to connoisseurs of automobiles.

Priced between Rs.12 million and Rs.15 million, the CL Class vehicles were termed as ‘ultimate dream machines meant for discerning owners who like to go on long drives and don’t like to disembark from their cars in a hurry,’ by Wilfried Aulbur, managing director and CEO of Daimler Chrysler India.

Despite the price, by providing diesel-powered vehicles the company has concentrated on fuel efficiency and economic travel to those who choose its comfort, Aulbur said.

‘The brand showcase further enables us to share our enthusiasm about growth and direction of the company and to interact with our friends and customers. We are committed to offer our latest products in the least possible time.

‘The introduction of the luxury coupe in the CL Class is a very good example of this aspect of our doing business. The luxury coupe points the way into the future with its innovative technology. Its design is a protagonist for a new aesthetic appearance and style,’ said Aulbur.

‘The S 320 sets standards with its agile handling and offers an even more effortless driving experience thanks to a new, more powerful engine. Diesel as a fuel is characterised by optimum power at low rpm and is therefore perfect for city driving conditions. Our cars exemplify these attributes,’ Aulbur reflected.

Echoing these sentiments, the company’s marketing and sales director Sanjiv Sahajwala added that the vehicles are increasingly found attractive by young entrepreneurs, IT professionals and successful businessmen.

Source: http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20070420/48239.htm

It appears the “Blue Devil” Corvette already is so quick it has even outrun a freeze on large and powerful rear-drive cars at General Motors, and it’s not even finished yet.

“That one is too late to stop. That’s almost finished. It’s in the final stages of tuning,” Bob Lutz, vice chairman in charge of product development, told CARandDRIVER.com during a recent interview in which he outlined a series of rear-drive projects that have been put on hold until the auto maker knows how strict the proposed new corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) regulations will be.

Mounting casualties so far include migrating the next Chevy Impala to the Global RWD Architecture (formerly known as Zeta), an ultra Cadillac based on the 2003 Sixteen concept, potential plans for a rear-drive Cadillac DTS, and work on the smaller Global Small RWD Architecture to produce a baby Caddy.

But the Blue Devil is still on track, despite a gestation period that Lutz described as challenging, in acknowledging, for the first time, the car’s existence. “It’s a very difficult vehicle development. This thing has so much power that we have to explore a dynamic envelope that we’ve never explored before. We want the vehicle to be safe and we want it to be predictable, even at speeds that no mortal is ever going to attain in the United States. That’s our obligation. We’re really into a speed and power realm that General Motors has never been in before. We’re way up there with Porsche Carrera GTs and Ferraris.”

Do you think www.driveyourdream.com  will have one?  Check them out and see!!!

 Dodge Flexes its Muscle

Heart-pounding rock music, roaring engines, and plenty of automotive muscle?at the Dodge press event, there’s no mistaking the impressive showmanship of an all-American brand.

The 2008 Viper is a brawny evocation of Dodge “attitude.” “This is the most powerful, desirable, car on the road?it takes street legal performance to a new level and will outperform cars costing two times as much,” said Executive Vice President of Product Design Frank Klegon.

With its V10 engine upsized to 8.4 liters and able to pump out 600 horsepower (plus a mighty 560 lb-ft of torque), Viper can once again claim to have more muscle than its key rivals at Chevrolet and Ford: the Corvette Z06 and Ford Shelby GT500 both top out at around 500 horsepower.

The extra power comes from an all-round development of the motor. Along with the additional engine displacement, there are stronger engine components that allow it to run faster. Improved engine breathing also plays a part.

On the road, that extra power means 0-60 mph acceleration in less than five seconds.

http://autoshow.autos.msn.com/autoshow/detroit2007/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=1696167

Running in opposition to the logic that governs the rest of the automotive world, Porsche charges nearly $3500 more for a hardtop Cayman S than a ragtop Boxster S. Presumably‚ with its myriad electronic servos and labor-intensive clothtop, a convertible Boxster is more expensive to build than a fixed-roof Cayman. When the Cayman S launched last year, we weakly justified to ourselves that the price increase at least bought more power as the Cayman S’s 3.4-liter flat-six had 15 more horsepower and 15 more pound-feet of torque than the Boxster S’s 3.2-liter. But now we have no defense for the Cayman costing more, because for 2007 both Boxster models share their engines with their Cayman counterparts.

Hidden within the new Boxster S’s midsection is the same 295-hp, 3.4-liter flat-six that powered the Cayman S last year and the 911 series until 2002. Okay, it’s not exactly the same as the 911-spec engine‚ as the 911 had a higher compression ratio (11.3:1 versus the Boxster’s 11.0:1). That bump in compression is likely the reason the old 911 engine made 300 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque as opposed to the Boxster S’s 295 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. For most of you‚ we’re delving a bit too deeply into the esoteric world of Porsche minutiae (hey, were those pistons made by Mahle?), but that amendment likely saved us a bunch of angry e-mails from Porsche pundits.

With that out of the way‚ we can tell you the larger engine does indeed make a difference in the Boxster S, but the difference would probably be noticeable only to someone who owned the 280-hp Boxster S. We’d be willing to subject ourselves to driving blindfolded to see if we could really tell the difference, but Porsche’s loan agreement specifically forbids driving its cars while having impaired vision. In lieu of driving blind‚ we’ll have to fall back on the numbers provided by our test equipment.

Our 2007 Boxster S ran from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 107 mph. Not surprisingly, those numbers are right on top of a Cayman S’s as well as a 996-series 911’s. The best we’ve gotten from last year’s Boxster S is 5.1 seconds to 60 mph and 13.6 at 103 mph in the quarter-mile. No big deal? Maybe, but in the rolling-start 5-to-60-mph run, the superior midrange power of the larger-displacement engine makes itself known by knocking a half-second off the old Boxster S’s time (5.4 seconds versus 5.9 seconds). And we ran our 2007 Boxster S all the way up to a drag-limited 169 mph, 4 mph higher than the last Boxster S we tested. Pulling power from 2000 rpm upward subjectively feels stronger, and 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph times are slightly improved over those of the smaller six. Another subjective difference is a slightly more baritone exhaust note.

     With the Gallardo Superleggera (superlight) just out on the market, Lamborghini is developing a Superleggera version of the Murcielago as well. Racing its quick laps at the Nurburgring, the lovely sound of the V12 can be heard all over the village of Nurburg.The weight reduction comes from swapping out a number of components with carbon fiber bits, like the door panels, engine cover, wing, mirrors and the central tunnel covering. Lamborghini is expecting to loose about 100- 150 kg with this operation giving the Superleggera a weight of 1500- 1550 kg instead of the 1665 kg of the LP640.

Whether the gigantic wing in the back will be an option like on the Gallardo, or whether it will be standard is uncertain. But with power likely to be reaching 700 bhp and with the lighter body it can be expected that the Superleggera will reach a top speed of 350 km/h in which case it could use as much help as possible to keep it on the track.

We hope to see the Murcielago Superleggera on the motor show in Frankfurt this September.

Source: http://news.trendaz.com/cgi-bin/readnews2.pl?newsId=912087&lang=EN