Auto Car Expert: March 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

2 fast 2 furious honda cars

furious honda cars

fast honda cars

2 fast 2 furious honda cars

honda cars

2 fast honda cars

2 furious honda cars

2 fast 2 furious honda cars

Sunday, March 28, 2010

gumpert apollo cars

gumpert apollo

We remember a time when people bought sports cars solely for their performance qualities, not for the luxury, attention, or status they brought. German boutique carmaker Gumpert, however, takes us back to those days with its 2008 Apollo Sport, a car with a single-minded purpose: to go very, very fast.

Scoring zero to little on the name-brand value scale (and with a name like Gumpert, it’s bound to stay that way), the Gumpert Apollo Sport offers pure speed in return. The Apollo Sport is the successor to the Gumpert Apollo, which debuted two years ago in much the same form, albeit without the Sport’s racing-style rear wing that appears to have been sourced from Boeing. Certainly exotic in proportions, but starkly unemotional in the details, the Apollo Sport looks less like the stuff of the Greek gods than something a teenager would have doodled during sixth-period civics class.

That having been said, few teenagers are capable of developing their dream cars into actual, drivable automobiles, let alone supercars with mind-blowing performance. Powered by a mid-mounted 800-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 that started life in the Audi parts bin before Gumpert added twin turbochargers, among numerous other mods, the 2650-pound Apollo Sport is said to hit 62 mph in a Murciélago-humbling three seconds flat. Gumpert claims that aerodynamic enhancements have raised the Apollo Sport’s top speed to 223 mph.

The Apollo Sport also boasts a more comfortable interior, finished in Alcantara and offering air conditioning, navigation, and a CD player. But make no mistake, this is a sports-car environ of the purest variety, making 599GTBs, SLRs, and 911 Turbos feel like Maybachs by comparison.

Like the Apollo, the Apollo Sport is built on a tubular-steel space frame wrapped around a carbon-fiber monocoque, thus yielding safety and weight savings in equal measure. However, don’t expect NHTSA to be running any Apollo Sports into walls on our shores to find out, since the Apollo Sport won’t be offered in the U.S., no matter how many gazillionaires here could afford its near-$400,000 price.

Audi A4

audi a4 review

audi a4 review

Audi A4 - What the Auto Press Says

The 2010 Audi A4 ranks 7 out of 15 Upscale Midsize Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 18 published reviews and test drives of the Audi A4, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

Redesigned just last year, the Audi A4 is a viable alternative to the BMW 3-Series. Buyers looking for a sporty entry-level luxury sedan should test drive an all-wheel-drive A4 before making their decision.

The Audi A4, redesigned from the wheels up for 2009, enters the 2010 model year with no significant changes. It remains a fun car to drive, with sharp handling and a firm stance courtesy of its Quattro all-wheel-drive system (optional, but Audi says more than 80 percent of buyers opt for it). Audi's adjustable suspension, which allows the driver to electronically change the car's tuning for aggressive cornering or quiet commuting, is particularly well-reviewed. The combination, Consumer Guide says, means the A4 "adeptly balances around-town maneuverability with sporty road manners."

Shoppers should note that the A4 is the largest sedan in the midsize class - which means it's an opportunity for some buyers of more expensive luxury sedans (like the Lexus GS) to downsize and save some money. However, the A4's price can climb north of $40K with all of the options -- and you'll want most of them.

Audi is known for some of the best interiors in the automotive businesses, and the A4 offers an excellent example of why.
Other Cars to Consider

Those looking for an athletic sport sedan would do well to compare the A4 to the BMW 3-Series, which some say out-hustles and out-handles Audi's car. Those for whom All-Wheel-Drive is essential might want to consider an AWD Infiniti G37, which offers an exceptional balance of luxury and performance. The Acura TL, in SH-AWD trim, is another excellent AWD option.
Audi A4: The Details

The 2010 A4 comes as a sedan, an Avant wagon, or the more off-road-oriented Allroad wagon, in 2.0 or 3.2 trim. We review the wagons separately. Buyers should note that the A4 Cabriolet convertible has been dropped from the lineup, with a sportier 2010 A5 Cabriolet taking its place.