BY CSABA CSERE
Traction that finally matches the power and balanced handling.
As engine outputs have risen over the past 25 years, front-drive cars have migrated towards four-wheel-drive to give their over-burdened front tires a break. Even Saab has finally capitulated with this 9-3 Turbo X.
A Haldex 4.0 center coupling shifts as much as 90 percent of the engine’s 280-hp output to the rear wheels via electronically controlled wet clutches. Its little digital brain anticipates when power is needed in back even before the tires slip. An electronically controlled clutch pack in the rear diff prevents side-to-side slip, while the traction control takes care of the front wheels. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Pacifica output takes a mini break to meet dealer demand for minivans, while Chrysler also prepares to build VW minivans next year.
Consumers waiting for the launch of the new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan take heart. Chrysler this week marked the production launch of the new minivans with the segment’s most innovative seating, at its Windsor, Ontario, Canada, plant. The people movers should be arriving in showrooms in October.
To ensure enough to meet high dealer demand, Chrysler is temporarily halting production of its Pacifica crossover in Windsor to dedicate the entire plant to minivan output for a couple months. The Pacifica will be reintroduced in late September or early October. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
BY RAY HUTTON
The emperor’s new clothes.
This isn’t the first time Volvo has produced an all-new car that looks just like its predecessor. Clearly, the Swedish purveyor of sensible sedans and wagons is afraid of alienating its clientele. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
BY STEVE SILER
The most-powerful, best-handling Saab car ever?
We recently reported that Saab has given a midcycle nip-and-tuck to its bread-and-butter 9-3 lineup for 2008. The update includes a relatively thorough”if not extreme”exterior styling makeover, as well as the availability of all-wheel drive on the 9-3 Aero XWD, the latter being music to the ears of anyone who has ever tried to wrestle a front-wheel-drive turbo Saab into obedience under full throttle. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
Dodge’s entry-level vehicle offers all-wheel drive, but the Caliber isn’t all that good.
Forget about any Dr. Evil“esque puns. For starters, the Dodge Caliber isn’t nearly as pretty as a fembot. The look, echoed by Dodge’s anything but cute advertising tagline, is a purposeful departure from the Caliber’s predecessor, the bug-eyed Neon. Moreover, the last Caliber we tested finished sixth out of seven in our May 2006 comparison test of $15,000 entry-level cars. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
BY JARED GALL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED HOLSTEIN
Not many automakers dare sell wagons. How can the word ’sport’ change everything?
VW’s GTI and its budget-minded stall mate, the Rabbit have been on a tear lately in Car and Driver’s pages, snatching up comparo crowns like Homer Simpson grabbing gummies at a candy convention, and plopping down in one of our 10Best spots at that shebang’s 2007 go-round. (more…)
Posted by admin |
No Comments »
