The Subaru Legacy has gone from mid-size to full-size. It now competes squarely in the Camry/Teana/Accord class, in price as well as size. But while there’s never been a Subaru sedan as big as the new Legacy, there’s also arguably never been one that looks as uncomfortable in its own skin. It’s a slab-sided, upright shape with awkward proportions and bland details.
You can’t argue about the space on offer though. There’s acres of it inside, in all directions. That tall roofline and flat sides may do nothing for aesthetics, but they do provide for a wonderfully airy cabin. But the rear bench truly lives up to its name – it’s the flattest, least-contoured rear seat I have ever encountered. There’s a big boot too, as well as ample oddments space all over the cabin. +Continue Reading
The story of the Porsche Carrera Cup started some 20 years ago with the creation of the 911 Carrera 2 Cup 1989. This was a one-make race series intended for the so-called “gentleman racers”, but it has since grown to be a very professional series with a level of competition s0 close that even privateers can have a crack at the podium.
Ever since the first 996-based GT3 Cup Car, some 1,400 race cars have been built at the rate of 200 units a year. While motor racing tends to be a marketing-driven activity in car companies, Porsche’s Motorsport Division is fully integrated into the company’s research and development department. Since 2006, the motorsports cars are built alongside road cars, including the normal GT3 at Zuffenhausen. +Continue Reading
Japan’s executive triumvirate of Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Cefiro/Teana have been at loggerheads for the longest time. But each of them has followed its own development path, resulting in three very different cars today, even though they still target more or less the same customers. And how their evolutionary paths have diverged.
In its pursuit of maximum comfort and minimum effort, the Camry has dialled out any semblance of character, that intangible automotive asset which can spell the difference between an ordinary commute and a joyful journey. This Toyota is fuss-free and also fun free. The Teana, previously known as the Cefiro, has thankfully stopped copying the Camry and started innovating. The end result is a modern Japanese Lancia in all but name; a handsome saloon almost artistic in its design and quietly luxurious to boot. The Accord, meanwhile, has neither the elegance of the Teana nor the pillow-smooth ride of the Camry. Instead, the big Honda is big on handling and “feeling”. Yet it is also roomy and comfy, in line with Camry-class requirements. +Continue Reading
In case you haven’t noticed, a brand new lane just opened up on our roads. This is not the result of any road widening exercise, but due to a group of motorists who have vacated the lane in question.
What new lane, you wonder? Is it some elusive, secret lane that will magically materialise when you flash your high beam three times in quick succession? Not really. If you found yourself travelling on the innermost lane, yet moving ahead more speedily and smoothly than the traffic in the supposedly faster outer lanes, bingo. It’s almost as if you were driving in a left-hand drive country, where the left lane is for overtaking. +Continue Reading
Maintaining a car is as tough as parenting a child. Especially with mounting fuel prices and other maintenance costs, things are getting tougher day by day. If you are in search of auto insurance for your vehicle, you are bound to find many in the way, by are they really cheap? Do they really provide you with what they promise? The truth is many companies which claim to provide you with a good service for a very cheap price, do not actually do what you say and you are simply tricked into a worthless deal. This doesn’t mean that cheap auto insurance is not available at all. +Continue Reading
For those of you who didn’t know, 2010′s Formula One season will see the “return” of Lotus to the grid after a 15-year absence. In all likelihood, the Lotus of 2010 will be quite different from the feisty team that started life as a car maker in t1~ late 1950s, an English outfit led by its legendary founder, Colin Chapman. In all, Lotus chalked up seven championships, 79 race wins and 107 pole positions.
In true Chapman tradition, Lotus formula race cars always tended to be unconventional. The Type 25 entered for the 1962 race was the first F1 car to have a stressed monocoque chassis. The Type 49 was the first racer whose engine also served as a structural component to the chassis. +Continue Reading
