Safety Is Not Only Key, But Kia

            One of the most affordable cars, yet one of the safest mid-sized sedan is the Kia Optima.  The base price is around $19,000.

            The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Optima a 5 star crash safety rating after rigorous tests.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the Kia Optima top picked in safety.

The new Optima is now about the same size as all the best-selling mid-size sedans, including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Chevrolet Malibu. However, visually it's way more exciting.  Inside, the Optima has more of a sport-sedan look, with the instrument panel angled toward the driver. An aggressive stance, chrome tipped dual exhausts and, on top trims, and flashy chrome wheels complete the look.

Performance-wise, the new Optima is pretty good, with a sweet, powerful-yet-economical engine, great steering, and a quick, nimble feel overall. The 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine makes 200 hp and comes with amazing EPA ratings of up to 24 mpg city, 35 highway.  Ride quality is firm but comfortable, and the Optima's cabin is a quiet, refined place to be.

However, seating in the Optima is one weak spot. Front seats in particular feel quite short and very flat, lacking padding and contouring compared to other vehicles in this class. There's decent space though—just enough headroom in front, but reasonably good accommodations in back for adults. The highlight is the heated-and-cooled front seats as well as heated back seats.

2011 Kia Optima

$2.4 Million Laying Around?

            For about $2.4 million, you can own the fastest, most expensive street-legal supercar in the world.  The 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (made by Volkswagen) shells out 1200 hp and a top speed of 268 mph.  It is a true breakthrough in technology and modern art.

            The Veyron holds an 8.0 litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine, equivalent to two V8 engines.  Each cylinder has four valves for a total of sixty-four.  The configuration of the narrow staggered V8 allows for two overhead camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders, so only four camshafts are needed. The engine is fed by four turbochargers and displaces 7,993 cubic centimeters (cc). The Bugatti Veyron has a total of ten radiators to keep the engine cool and guarantee top performance.           

The transmission is a dual-clutch, direct-shift gearbox, which is a computer-controlled automatic with seven gear ratios.  The car features magnesium paddles behind the steering wheel and a shift time of less than 150 milliseconds. The Veyron can be driven in either semi- or fully automatic mode. A replacement transmission for the Veyron costs just over $120,000.

It also has a permanent four wheel-drive using the Haldex Traction system. It uses special Michelin PAX run-flat tires, designed specifically to accommodate the Veyron's top speed, which cost $25,000 per set. The tires can be removed from the rims only in France, a service that costs $70,000.

Curb weight is 4,162 lbs, heavier than most cars but the engine makes up for it. This gives the car a power-to-weight ratio, according to Volkswagen Group's figures, of 446.3 metric horsepower per ton

The car's wheelbase is 106.7 in. Overall length is 175.7 in, width is 78.7 in and height is 47.4 in. 

W16 engine

2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

http://www.thesupercars.org/fastest-cars/fastest-cars-in-the-world-top-10-list/

Safety Is the Road To Take

            Driving a car in the US has become one of the most dangerous things to do, and we do it daily!  The latest studies (from 2008-2009) are showing that there are more fatalities from car accidents then any other activity, and teenagers are the majority of fatalities.  Crashes account for every one in three deaths among teens, which puts them above suicide and disease.  Eight teens, between the ages of 16 and 19, die everyday just from car accidents.

            The teens that are most at risk are male drivers, drivers with passengers, and newly licensed teens.  Male drivers have a tendency to be more aggressive on the road and tend to travel at higher speeds than females, putting them at higher risks of a fatal crash.  In 2009 there were twice as many male deaths than female deaths. Driving with passengers, majority of whom are teens, causes some teens to become unfocused on the road or to do stupid stunts due to peer pressure or simply trying to impress a passenger.  Studies show that the more passengers there are, the higher the risk of a fatal accident is.  Newly licensed drivers also put themselves at more of a risk since it’s their first time driving unsupervised.

            A study from 2008 shows that the most dangerous time to drive is on a weekend between midnight and 3 am.  Between 1,000 and 2,500 fatal crashes occur during this time period out of 34,172 that occur annually.  25,473 fatal crashes happen on two-lane roads.

           

A 2008 Study

http://drivesteady.com/the-most-dangerous-driving-days-of-the-year

Miss USA

Detroit- On January 9, Hyundai Motor Co.’s Elantra was named 2012 North American Car of the Year and Jaguar Range Rover Plc’s Evoque won truck of the year, at the North American International Auto Show.

The Automotive Press Association announced that the Elantra beat Ford Motor Co.’s Focus and Volkswagen AG’s Passat, at the largest U.S. auto show. The Elantra, which starts at $16,445, gets an estimated 33 mpg.

Beating out some tough competition from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s (BMW) X3 and Honda Motor Co.’s CR-V, the Evoque drove away with truck of the year.  The Evoque, which starts at $43,995, gets an estimated 18 miles per gallon in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway.

The Hyundai Elantra was completely redesigned for the 2011 model year and hasn’t changed that much in appearance since.  Hyundai improved horn sound, calibrated the steering, added fog lights to the GLS Preferred Package and is offering more color options and an optional roadside assistance kit. The most significant update is the addition of Hyundai’s Active Eco System that comes on all Elantra models with an automatic transmission. Hyundai says this system improves fuel economy by 7 percent, but that claim hasn’t been independently tested.           
            The Evoque is said to be the most stylish of Range Rovers yet, but style is not all you get. Another aspect of the Evoque’s appeals is fuel economy. That results partly from extensive use of lightweight materials, such as an aluminum hood and roof panels and composite and polymer front fenders and tailgate. At 3,902 pounds, the Evoque is the lightest Range Rover yet. Under the hood is a highly efficient turbocharged 2.0-liter, 240-horsepower, four-cylinder engine coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission.

2012 Hyundai Elantra

                                 

2012 Range Rover Evoque

Powerhorse

A common theme now is for car companies to improve fuel-efficiency in their latest models. Ford, while also using new technology to make fuel-efficient cars, has simultaneously created a car just for pure power.  650 hp sounds incredible, doesn’t it? With a sleeker look, the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500’s appearance is not the only aspect that is redesigned. The supercharged Ford GT engine used in the current GT500, with all of its high-tech metallurgy, is bumped from 5.4 liters to 5.8 liters of displacement producing about 650 hp.  It's the most powerful Mustang ever, and it almost certainly will be the least expensive 650-hp new car money can buy.

A year after the debut of the 2012 Boss 302, the lineup remains the same, with a V6, a GT 5.0, a Boss and a GT500. Yet all get a mild facelift for 2013, with improvements across the board. There's a more aggressive shark snout in front, standard HID projector-beam headlights trimmed with LED strips, and three-bar LED taillight/turn signals that flash sequentially.

There will be new performance packages, upgraded audio systems and a new option called Track Apps, with an on-board accelerometer. Track Apps can save and display lap times, quarter-mile times and g-loads on the new 4.2-inch LCD in the center stack, not to mention a range of engine telemetry options, right down to cylinder-head temperatures.
             Ford promises 650 hp, up 100 from the current GT500, and a top speed of more than 200 mph. That kind of speed required a thorough overhaul of the suspension, cooling system and aero package, according to engineers.  It also means a substantial price increase. Yet even with a bump of 25 percent from the 2012 GT500 base price of $49,605, we still haven't hit $65,000 and you simply can't touch 650 hp or 200 mph from any other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for that kind of cash.

2013 Mustang GT500

5.8 liter supercharged V8

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1111_2013_ford_shelby_gt500_and_2013_mustang_lineup/viewall.html