Car and Auto Reviews

2007 Lexus ES350

The new Lexus ES350 is powered by a V6 engine, dispatching 272 hp to the front wheels via a new six-speed manu-matic. The 0-to-60 mph time drops from a claimed 7.2 to 6.8 seconds yet torque steer remains effectively muffled. Building on another strength of the outgoing car, the ES now offers optional upgraded leather upholstery that is even softer than the standard stuff. Other new temptations include a glass roof that extends over the back seat as well as the front, and a reverse camera and sonar proximity sensors that take all the tiresome judgment out of parking. The standard equipment list now includes keyless ignition, seventeen-inch wheels, stability control, and eight air bags. Although the car casts the same shadow as before, there’s an additional 2.2 inches between the axles, which not only helps the looks but also opens up the interior space. Unlike those of many cars in this class, the ES350’s rear seats should elicit no complaints from passengers.

2007 Lexus GS450h

A brand new car model for 2007, the Lexus GS 450h is a hybrid powered luxury performance rear-drive hybrid sedan. The 2007 Lexus GS 450h isn’t just your average trumped up hybrid sedan. The 2007 Lexus GS 450h delivers the performance of a modern V8 engine and sips fuel like a four cylinder; Lexus GS 450h smog forming emissions are 80% cleaner than the average car; the level of quiet during the electric-mode is half of that during normal engine operation and 0-60 mph is as quick as a Porsche 911 with Tiptronic. Under the hood the Hybrid Synergy Drive consists of a 3.5-liter all-aluminum V-6 generating 292 hp and 267 lb-ft, and two electric motors generating a peak 197 hp. Combined rating is 339 horsepower. Lexus has refined this synergy drive to be quieter, cleaner and quicker than its cousins.

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Another 2007 release of Jeep is the Patriot, a midsize SUV. Unlike every other Jeep before it, the Patriot is not a hardcore off-road machine. Base Patriots are front wheel drive, have no low range gearing and are built for the street. Freedom Drive I, the all wheel drive, is optional, and works like most compact SUVs by engaging the rear wheels when the front tires slip. Powered by a 2.4 liter four cylinder engine, the Patriot has 172 horsepower and 165 pound feet of torque. You can opt for the standard five speed manual transmission or the Continuously Variable Transmission, CVT, which claims to get 6-8% better mileage than a traditional four speed automatic.

Of course, a Jeep is not complete without off-road capabilities. To match up to this prerequisite, the Patriot is also offered with the Freedom Drive II Off Road Package, for buyers who intend to do some serious off-roading. It includes the standard all wheel drive with a continuously variable transaxle that gives the Patriot on-demand low range gearing. The package also includes Hill Descent Control, 17 inch wheels and tires, skid plates, tow hooks and off-road antilock brakes. Patriots with the off road package also sit 1 inch higher than the standard model. The interior of the Patriot is loaded with practical gear. It has standard size airbags, a 60/40 split rear bench seat that folds flat and a vinyl floor in the cargo area.

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In October 1946, Soichiro Honda established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Hamamatsu, Japan, to develop and produce small 2-cycle motorbike engines. Two years later, Honda Motor Company, Ltd. was born, and in 1959 Honda opened its first storefront in Los Angeles with six industrious employees. This was the humble beginning of what is one of the leading automobile manufacturing companies in the world today.

Honda Motor Company, Ltd. in Japan and American Honda Motor Company, Inc. have succeeded in blending eastern and western attitudes and behavior to build a unique success story that began years ago in Japan and 11 years later in the United States. Honda was already the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer when it tackled the American market in 1959. Within five years, American Honda became the largest motorcycle distributor in the world.

Honda moved into truck and automobile sales in 1962. By then they controlled 65% of the Japanese motorcycle market. In 1963, Honda released its first car, the S500, in Japan, and in 1964, the company makes its debut in Formula One Auto racing. The automobile effort, spurred by the fuel crisis in the 1970s, found the American public willing to consider an economy car (the new Civic) that offered 40 mpg while drawing rave reviews from the magazines.

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In 1901, John Francis Dodge and Horace Elgin Dodge moved their Dodge Brothers Bicycle & Machine Factory to Detroit, Michigan. Their bearings and other parts were in demand with the early automobile industry, and they helped design motor parts for early Oldsmobiles. In 1902, the Dodge Brothers were approached by Henry Ford, who was looking for help in financing his own automobile company. Dodge Brothers helped finance the start of the Ford Motor Company as well as manufacturing parts for early Fords, to both Ford and the Dodge Brothers mutual financial benefit.

In 1914, the Dodge Brothers started their own auto company, which they named the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle Company, choosing 50 dealers initially from hundreds of applications, some of which remain successful today. In 1917, Dodge Brothers began building motor trucks as well, at first for use by the United States Army during World War I, then commercially after the war’s end.

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In 1909, William Durant, a successful buggy manufacturer from Flint, Michigan, asked Louis Chevrolet, a well known race car driver, to help design a car for introduction to the public. In 1911, Durant establishes his company. The Chevrolet Motor Car Company enters the turbulent automobile market on November 3. Durant chose to name the company after its designer, Louis Chevrolet, because he liked the sound of the name and because Chevrolet was a prominent name in motor sports.

The bowtie logo of Chevrolet was introduced in 1914. It is said that the logo was inspired by a pattern of wallpaper in a Paris hotel. Reportedly, in 1908, Will Durant detached a small piece and kept it in his wallet, waiting for the day he’d put it to use. The Bowtie became an advertising icon, and is still the marquee of today’s Chevrolet. The year after the logo was finalized, Chevy released its challenge to the Ford Model T, the “490”. The year 1918 was a milestone in the history of Chevy – this is the year when Chevrolet joined General Motors. In 1927, Chevrolet outsold Ford by topping 1 million units for the first time. In all but four of the next 55 years, Chevrolet remained the top-selling American nameplate.

The first Corvette appeared at the 1953 Motorama, and Chevrolet was besieged with requests for a production version. Many skeptics did not believe Chevrolet could offer such a radical design for mass production. Corvette became the first series-production car with a fiberglass body. In 1955, the legendary small-block Chevy V8 was introduced. This innovative engine became one of the most famous Chevy engines ever. The Impala nameplate arrived in 1958, designed to provide a Cadillac “big-car’ look at a Chevrolet price. Impala became an instant hit with the American public.

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Buick Motor Division, which claims one of the most dramatic and important chapters in the history of the American automobile, celebrated its 103rd anniversary in 2006.

The founder of the company, David Dunbar Buick, was building gasoline engines by 1899, and Walter L. Marr, his engineer, built the first automobile to be called a Buick between 1899 and 1900. But officially, Buick dates its beginning in the year 1903. That was the year the company was incorporated and moved from Detroit to Flint.

The company’s history has been exciting from the beginning. Buick recovered from near bankruptcy in 1904 to become the number one manufacturer of automobiles in 1908 - exceeding the combined production of Ford and Cadillac, its closest competitors.

Buick was the financial pillar on which General Motors, today the world’s largest automaker, was created.

From the beginning, “motor” has been a key word in Buick’s name. Their original patented overhead valve single cylinder was unbelievably powerful for its time. And today’s 3.8-liter 3800 V6, widely described as world class in smoothness, performance and reliability, is a result of the Buick V-6 used in the 1962 Buick Special– the first V-6 ever offered in a mass produced U.S. car. Today, Buick offers V-6 engines in most of its models, including a supercharged 3800 in its flagship Park Avenue Ultra.

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The 2007 Volkswagen Concept R Compact Convertible is a midengine roadster, expected to be a comparatively cheaper alternative to the Porsche Boxster, with suspension alike to that in the Polo or the Golf. The engine options include a 2 liter giving 48 horsepower, a 197 hp turbocharged four cylinder or a 3.6 liter V6. These engines will probably be paired with either a six-speed manual or a direct shift gearbox that features paddles fixed to the steering wheel.

The BMW X3 Midsize SUV isn’t scheduled for a full redesign until mid 2009, but the compact crossover will get a mid cycle freshening for the 2007 model year. A significant change is the new engine, a DOHC 3 liter inline six cylinder that gives 260 hp and 225 lb ft of torque. In the 2007 X3 3.0si, the engine is connected to a standard six speed manual gearbox, with a new six speed Steptronic automatic offered as a no cost option instead of the current five speed automatic. The exterior makeover has restyled front and rear bumpers, grille, head and tail lamps and wheels. The cabin is also upgraded with new materials and wood trim. Options include adaptive head lamps, adaptive break lights, 18 and 19 inch alloy wheels and heated rear seats.

Now you can dream about owning a luxury car. Or at least rent one for your wedding night or the prom.

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