cars

Volvo’s Re-Birth Continues with All-New S90 Sedan

This entry was posted in active safety Carmakers cars Hybrid luxury technology Volvo and tagged 2017 volvo S90 car phev plug-in hybrid reveal semi-autonomous volvo on by (updated 3270 days ago)
Half profile Volvo S90 Mussel Blue

Half profile Volvo S90 Mussel Blue

The new era of Volvo picked up some steam today with the reveal of the all-new S90 sedan which finally replaces the long-in-the-tooth S80. Based on the same scalable platform architecture as the big XC90 crossover that debuted earlier this year, the S90 adopts a similar design language with a broad-shouldered look and the “Thor’s Hammer” signature lighting in the headlamp clusters.

Of course the S90 wouldn’t be a real Volvo without lots of safety technology and the sedan builds on what already debuted in the XC90 including Pilot Assist. The first version of the semi-autonomous Pilot Assist combined lane centering functionality with automatic speed control for driving in stop and go traffic at speeds up to 30 mph.  The XC90 would automatically track the vehicle ahead using the same radar sensor used for adaptive cruise control while a camera monitored the lane markings.

Pilot Assist

Pilot Assist

For the second-generation Pilot Assist, the maximum speed has been increased to about 80 mph and there no longer needs to be another vehicle to follow. That means the S90 can more or less drive itself on the highway although the driver must keep a hand on the wheel or the system will disengage. Hopefully, the camera system for detecting lane markings is more robust now, because it definitely had a hard time with detection on the XC90.

Another new feature to the S90 is large animal detection which uses the combination of radar and camera to detect creatures like moose and deer crossing in front of the car. If an animal is detected, the driver is alerted and brake pressure is boosted when the driver applies the pedal.

Interior Large Animal Detection 2

Interior Large Animal Detection 2

Under the hood, the S90 will offer three powertrain options all based around the company’s new 2.0-liter four cylinder engine that debuted in the XC90. The base T5 engine gets a turbocharger while the T6 uses an exhaust-driven turbo plus a mechanically driven supercharger to generate 316-horsepower. The top-end T8 Twin Engine adds electric drive and a lithium ion battery for a plug-in hybrid powertrain with more than 400 hp.

The new Volvo S90 will get its first public showing next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

 

2016 Scion FR-S – Driving a Slow Car Fast

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars reviews scion Toyota and tagged 2016 2016 Scion FR-S car review car reviews coupe reviews scion sports car subaru on by (updated 3142 days ago)

2016 Scion FR-S - 1 of 39

Driving a slow car fast is better than driving a fast car slow.

Don’t get me wrong, the Scion FR-S is by no means slow, but in comparison to a Mustang GT, Camaro SS, Challenger Hellcat or Tesla Model S, it has no hope of keeping up. But I have absolutely no issue with that. In fact, that is precisely what makes this car so damn appealing. At 200 hp, the FR-S has more than enough grunt to get around and have tons of fun without resorting to the type of antisocial behavior that’s likely to get you thrown behind behind bars or worse.

Cars hold a strange place in our lives. For most people, they are the second most expensive purchase they will make after a house. Many of us depend on them for personal mobility in modern life. But in many ways, cars are frequently the least rational big-ticket purchase we’ll make. If we were at all rational in choosing cars, we’d all be driving either a Prius or a minivan. There would be no SUVs or sports cars and only contractors would drive pickup trucks. But we are irrational creatures that buy cars for emotional reasons; the way they appeal to our eyes when we see them, the thrill we get from the roar of the engine, the rush we get from the acceleration.

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I’d Like to See Pioneer Offer This Radio With Android Auto

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars infotainment scion technology Toyota and tagged android auto apple carplay car audio infotainment pioneer scion fr-s on by (updated 3288 days ago)
The Pioneer radio in the Scion FR-S

The Pioneer radio in the Scion FR-S

In my recent review of the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX car audio receiver with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, I lamented the fact that Pioneer was only offer the smartphone interfaces in its more high-end receivers. At $700, the 4100NEX is the most affordable receiver with this capability and includes a DVD drive and motorized face plate. It also has a tiny  row of controls along the bottom edge for volume and mode selection.

I suggested that for people that want to use a smartphone interface, they are less likely to actually use disks or other media and Pioneer should offer a more basic unit with a fixed screen (not to mention a better display than the 4100NEX) and no disk drive.

It turns out they make just such a receiver. It even has a rotary volume knob! The problem is that consumers can’t actually buy this receiver. It’s found in the Scion FR-S that I’m driving this week.  Of course Toyota isn’t yet supporting Android or Carplay so this unit doesn’t have that capability. However, if Pioneer would sell this head unit as a standalone with Android and Carplay for $200-250 I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and I’d even buy one myself.

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First Drive: 2016 Nissan Altima

This entry was posted in active safety Carmakers cars Nissan reviews and tagged 2016 car car review car reviews first drive midsize sedan nissan nissan altima reviews on by (updated 3142 days ago)

2016 Nissan Altima first drive - 2 of 28

While auto industry observers seem to be fixated on the idea that crossover utility vehicles are taking over the entire market, the reality is that in America, the midsize sedan segment is still huge and vitally important to mainstream brands. For Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Kia and Hyundai, midsize sedans are their top sellers and even at Ford and Fiat Chrysler, they trail only full-size pickup trucks. With so many sales on the line, no one can afford to stand still and Nissan is launching a major refresh of the Altima for 2016 that brings new style, technology and efficiency.

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Living With Aftermarket Android Auto and Apple Carplay Pt.2

This entry was posted in cars infotainment reviews technology and tagged android auto apple carplay car audio car reviews pioneer avh-4100nex pioneer car audio review on by (updated 3142 days ago)
Apple Carplay running on the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX

Apple Carplay running on the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX

There are more than two billion smartphones in active use globally now with the vast majority of them running either Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS. People have access to all of the world’s information and entertainment almost anywhere they go and they’ve come to expect to be able to use it anytime they want, including in the car. Thus, 2014 brought the announcements of Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

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Living With Aftermarket Android Auto and Apple Carplay Pt.1

This entry was posted in cars infotainment reviews technology and tagged android auto apple carplay car reviews pioneer avh-4100nex pioneer car audio on by (updated 3142 days ago)

4100nex - 1 of 68When you stop to consider how complex the task of driving a vehicle actually is, it’s rather surprising that there aren’t a lot more accidents and fatalities than we already have. Despite this, we keep adding more things for the driver to do on the road and designers have struggled to find a way to integrate everything into the human machine interface (HMI). Having watched the struggles of automotive designers to develop a usable in-vehicle HMI, technology giants Apple and Google have now stepped into the breach with their own solutions to the problem in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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2016 Volvo XC90 – Thankfully, It’s Enjoyable to Drive

This entry was posted in active safety Carmakers cars crossover reviews technology Volvo and tagged 2016 volvo xc90 adas advanced driver assist system autonomous vehicles car review car reviews crossover volvo on by (updated 3142 days ago)

2016 Volvo XC90 T6 - 6 of 24When Alan Mulally took the reins as CEO of Ford Motor Company in 2006, a key element of his strategy to revive the struggling century-old automaker was to dispense with any brands under the corporate umbrella that didn’t carry the founder’s name. During his tenure he found buyers for all of the European luxury brands that his predecessors had acquired including Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. Volvo was the last to go, with China’s Geely Group finally closing the deal in August 2010. While production was never interrupted, the brand’s rebirth really only began this year with the launch of its first all-new product, the second-generation XC90.

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Review: MyFord Touch is Dead, Long Live SYNC 3!

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford infotainment technology and tagged car review car reviews ford ford escape infotainment lincoln sync sync 3 on by (updated 3308 days ago)

2016 Ford Escape SE - 27 of 40The week of January 7, 2007 was a hugely important preview of the future of cars and how we would interact them. In the span of three days, there were three major product announcements in three cities that all seemed distinct at the time but the convergence is now becoming clearer every day. The week kicked off with General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz revealing the original Chevrolet Volt concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Later that same day, then future Ford CEO Mark Fields joined Microsoft CEO Bill Gates on stage at CES in Las Vegas to announce the SYNC connectivity system. Finally, two days later Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed the world the iPhone at Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Each of those three products has evolved significantly in the last eight years and with each passing day we get closer to the fusion of them all, potentially in an Apple car. While that latter product is still likely years away from being announced, touchscreen smartphones are now ubiquitous with more than two billion in use around the world. They are so prevalent that we now expect to be able to use them anywhere and everywhere including behind the wheel. While plug-in vehicles currently represent only a tiny fraction of the world’s vehicle parc, they too will likely one day dominate and with the addition of autonomous capability our vehicles may well become nothing more than a place to consume content while being moved around.

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2016 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible – Plastic is Still Fantastic

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Chevrolet reviews and tagged 2016 2016 chevrolet corvette convertible car reviews chevrolet convertible corvette stingray on by (updated 3142 days ago)

2016 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - 3 of 41

For more than 30 years, ever since the launch of the C4 Corvette, I’ve been hearing Chevrolet talk about America’s longest running sports car being ready to take on the best in the world. Unfortunately, while each subsequent edition was a significant advancement on what came before, Corvette never quite hit the mark. While the 2005-2013 C6 came tantalizingly close to fulfilling that promise, especially from a performance perspective, the interior continued to be a let down. Two years ago, Chevrolet brought us an all-new seventh-generation model and I just got to spend a week with a ragtop variant.

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2015 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec 4Matic –

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Diesel Mercedes-Benz reviews and tagged car review car reviews diesel mercedes-benz mercedes-benz e-class mercedes-benze e250 bluetec mercedesbenz on by (updated 3142 days ago)

2015 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec AWD - 2 of 28

Mercedes-Benz is a brand that has been associated with firsts throughout its long history which of course began with the very first car, Karl Benz’s 1886 Patent Motorwagen. Along the way, Mercedes has launched gasoline direct-fuel injection, anti-lock brakes and many other technologies including the compression ignition cycle developed by Dr. Rudolph Diesel. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the 1936 260D, Mercedes-Benz currently offers diesel engines in several of its current U.S.-market models including the midsize E-class sedan. I recently spent a week with the diesel-powered E250 BlueTec AWD just before the news broke about the big Volkswagen diesel emissions cheating scandal.

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