Paintless Dent Removal Illinois

On Monday, we posted another mystery shifter photo for you to identify. We received plenty of correct answers—it is indeed a Toyota Tercel 4WD SR5—with the first two arriving at approximately the same time. In the spirit of the holiday season, we’ll be givinig both Tony Edwards and Mike Rice a Save the Manuals swag bundle. Enjoy, guys!

This photo, all of which is visible below, appeared in our March 1983 road test of the funky wagon. The car is notable as Toyota’s first all-wheel-drive effort, offering a part-time transfer case with front-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive, and four-wheel-drive low settings. Name That Shifter will return next year, so check back on Monday for another photo-identification challenge.

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1. Name That Shifter, No. 1: Lamborghini Diablo
2. Name That Shifter, No. 5: Peugeot 605
3. Name That Shifter, No. 2: 1992 Acura Vigor

For the fifth time, we shake down the year’s hottest metal at VIR.

In an ideal world, we’d love to drive these cars on a public road, but running machines such as these at their limit on the highway pre­sents practical problems—things like other drivers, speed limits, and roadside hazards.

Keep Reading: Lightning Lap 2011 – Feature

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FAW have managed to make a great, if different looking, car with the the Besturn B50 – what they have not managed to get just right yet is the branding, the Besturn name makes sense in Chinese (Ben Teng) but the English variant can be read as Best Urn or Bes Turn – neither of which are particularly good. FAW played around with the Hong Qi logo for the Besturn range for a while, but now it seems to be going back to the FAW eagle logo:

The 2011/12 B50 is expected to launch in early 2011, pricing will be from 80,000rmb and rising which is not bad for a Mazda6 based car.

JAC, Brilliance and BAIC are three of the main competitors from a group of ten international companies that are looking to take over Italian designing company, Pininfarina.

According to other media reports, it seems that BAIC and Pininfarina are working together on the next generation of Saab 93 based models that BAIC have plans to put into production under its own revived Beijing Auto brand. Beijing Auto has been working with another design studio, CH-Auto, which is also based in Beijing and was founded by a former Beijing Auto engineer, CH-Auto are rumored to be working on BAIC’s Chrysler based vehicles which will include the last generation Sebring and 300C platforms.

Pininfarina is one of the more successful design companies in the Chinese market, and by adding the Pininfarina name to any car you are guaranteed an almost instant sales success so there is no lack of competition to acquire the studio.

The rumor mill is in full swing again, and this time it is Chevrolet’s turn. The Epica is a rapidly aging sedan that Chevrolet have managed to successfully sell on as a bargain bin alternative to rival competitors models. Now the Epica is going to be replaced by the Chevrolet Malibu and will be based on the Epsilon II platform which is also shared with the Buick Regal, the Epsilon II based Malibu is not set to debut until early or mid 2011 and will be known as a 2012 model but it appears to have already been spotted out testing within China.

What is clear now is that the recently launched BaoJun brand will be the new economy model for the Chinese market from GM, and Chevrolet will be getting pushed up a notch in the GM family tree. Chevrolet was originally the economy brand from Chevrolet, but BaoJun will pick up the slack, Buick was the affordable premium brand but with Chevrolet moving on up, will Buick move on up as well? GM seems to be taking a leaf out of VW’s book and playing its brands in the right way.

Chevrolet will also be getting the new Chevrolet Aveo which was shown off in China for the first time last week at the Guangzhou Auto Show.

The Nissan Paladin has been in production with Zhengzhou Nissan for several years where it has gained popularity with SUV lovers all over China, it was first introduced in 2006 and has not been updated for the past four years. The Paladin has since been modified and sold under Zhengzhou’s own AoDing model – the only major revisions to the SUV being updated rear suspension and new rear light clusters.

The Paladin is sold as the Xterra in the US and comes with a larger range of engines where as the Chinese model is limited to four cylinder petrol and diesel models.

Ford today announced that all 2012 Ford Focus models will come with brake-based torque vectoring. What the Blue Oval is referring to is a system that selectively brakes the inside front wheel when cornering to keep that wheel from spinning.

Don’t let the name fool you. This is really just an extension of stability control that works when the driver is on the power, as opposed to a differential-based system like those used by Acura, Audi, BMW, Nissan, and others. In that sense, Ford’s system is more like an electronic limited-slip differential, but since torque vectoring sounds cooler, that’s where the marketing machine headed. Ford’s claim that the system is a “class-exclusive feature” is only somewhat true and depends on how you define the class; the Volkswagen GTI (among other VW models) includes what the company calls its XDS, or Cross Differential System, while the now-defunct Dodge Caliber SRT4 included a brake-based “limited-slip.”

Not all “torque-vectoring” performance vehicles use differential-based systems, however. The most notable rear-wheel-drivers to use a brake-based system are the Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S. Porsche chooses to use a brake-based system for weight savings. Again, these are real sports cars, and the benefits are easily felt.

Should you care about the Focus’s fancy stability control? If you’re an enthusiast, then sure. But most Focus drivers likely will seldom put the system’s lines of code into action, and few will notice when it’s working. This is more of a safety feature than anything else (in the same vein as the Curve Control System that Ford debuted on the new Explorer) and will likely be marketed as such. The only place where this system will really be necessary is in the Focus ST, which will have sufficient power to tame and will be bought and driven by real car people. But it should be noted that the brake-reliant nature of the system could mean degraded braking performance in a track environment.

A real positive for this electron-based technology is that it doesn’t add weight—it’s a smart use of components the car already carries. But we aren’t going to call it torque vectoring.

Related posts:

1. 2012 Ford Focus – Official Photos and Info
2. 2012 Ford Focus ST Officially Revealed at Paris Auto Show
3. 2012 Ford Focus Global Performance Version Confirmed – Car News

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer!

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Update One: The big Subaru sedan quietly marches toward 40,000 miles.

Date: December 2010
Months in Fleet: 23,212 miles
Current Mileage: 9 months
Average Fuel Economy: 22 mpg
Average Range: 407 miles
Service: $285
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $68

Over the last 23,000 miles and change, the overwhelming impression we’ve formed of our long-term 2010 Subaru Legacy is one of quiet competence. It does everything unobtrusively, its logbook filling with meandering praises for the spacious interior—five adults will fit fairly comfortably—and smooth ride. Those who try the Subaru’s hand at enthusiastic driving come away sated, but not hooked. The quick, talkative steering and balanced chassis encourage a bit of playfulness, but the loose suspenders and a mushy brake pedal prevent anyone from confusing this with a real sports sedan.

Keep Reading: 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited – Long-Term Road Test Update

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Technology that shuts down a vehicle’s engine at stoplights is nothing new to anyone that’s driven or ridden in a hybrid. If you’ve missed that particular slice of automotive pie, the effect is the same as when your weird, 60-year-old hippie uncle insists on shutting off his car’s engine at every opportunity to save gas. In conventional cars, automatic stop/start tech has heretofore been limited in the U.S. to high-end stuff like the Porsche Panamera, but Ford will begin offering such setups on its vehicles in 2012.

The function of a stop/start system is simple. When the car is stationary, it shuts the engine off. When you lift off the brake pedal (or shift into gear with a manual transmission), the engine starts again and you’re on your way—at least in theory. Most systems we’ve experienced so far can be less than smooth if you’re in a rush.

The hardware changes involved in Ford’s system are minor, just an upgraded starter motor and an enhanced battery, the latter of which is needed to handle the extra load of running the accessories for longer periods of time. It also uses an electric pump to keep coolant flowing through the HVAC heat exchanger to provide uninterrupted cabin warming while the engine is off.

Ford won’t say what models will come with the new stop/start function, but since the new European C-Max has it, it’s a pretty good assumption that we’ll see the system on our version of the C-Max as well. From there, availability should expand to other models with four-cylinder engines, like the Focus and Fiesta.

Although stop/start is widely available on European-market cars and its fuel-economy benefit is not insignificant—particularly considering the minor upgrades necessary for operation—manufacturers have dragged their feet bringing these systems to the U.S. Due to the construction of the EPA tests, the impact of stop/start systems on U.S. mileage ratings is minimal. But with stricter standards imminent, carmakers will take any boost they can get. Ford claims its stop/start system can improve city fuel economy by up to 10 percent, and should increase the EPA city-mileage estimate by 1 to 2 mpg.

Related posts:

1. Mazda’s Efficiency Strategy to Include Stop/Start, Energy Regeneration, Diesel, and More – Car News
2. Ford Start Concept – Auto Shows
3. Ford Rides In To Rescue Vintage Racers, Will Restart Production of Formula Ford Kent Engine