Saturday, January 19, 2008
Range Rover
The third Range Rover model -- representing only the second major design update in 32 years -- was officially introduced to the world at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2002. The new model was developed during BMW's period of ownership of Land Rover from 1995 to 2001. The redesign was given a high priority by BMW, with a total "clean sheet" approach resulting in the claim of most expensive development program for any vehicle, ever. The challenge was to update the on-road car rental uk national car rentalperformance and handling from the pedestrian standards of past Range Rovers to levels more competitive with contemporary luxury sedans, while also improving on past Range Rovers' supreme off road abilities. guy salmon (For more information on the developent process, see the RR III Development Page in the Model Year Details section). The designers succeeded brilliantly in improving both on-road handling and off-road ride through the use of a highly innovative cross-coupled independent airbag suspension.car rental uk alamo car rental Acceleration was also improved, although still marginal compared to competing Jeep and Ford models. But the new Range Rover is bigger, better looking, has a fantastic interior, marginally faster, much more refined and of course even more luxurious than its predecessor. car rental uk national car rental
Reassuringly, full attention was paid to off-road capabilities to ensure it is still the "king off road" -- its main selling point in an increasingly crowded luxury SUV market. Following the tradition of all Range Rovers to date, further innovation in suspension design is largely responsible for these remarkable dual personality capabilities.car rental uk It is acknowledged that most buyers may never use its stupendous off road capabilities, but knowing the capability is there is the reason people will shell out $70,000 for a Range Rover when they could get an equally luxurious Cadillac Escalade or Lexus LS470 (or a faster BMW X5 or Mercedes ML500) for less. It's the same reason people will continue to buy Ferraris even though most never actually use their 170 mph capabilities. national car rental
Contrary to earlier rumors, the vehicle is manufactured on a new production line in Land Rover's home town of Solihull, England. Overall, the new Range Rover is a landmark engineering achievement, fully worthy of the Range Rover name. guy salmon
Return to topBody Shape
The redesign continued the recent trend in this market segment towards larger vehicles, expanding the Range Rover's length by another 9.5 inches to 195 inches, providing a body as cavernous as a Toyota Land Cruiser. guy salmonWheelbase is increased by five inches from 108 to 113 inches. The modern monocoque construction techniques did not prevent a 500 lb weight gain, but included retention of the trademark Land Rover aluminum for the hood, front fenders and door panels.
Reassuringly, full attention was paid to off-road capabilities to ensure it is still the "king off road" -- its main selling point in an increasingly crowded luxury SUV market. Following the tradition of all Range Rovers to date, further innovation in suspension design is largely responsible for these remarkable dual personality capabilities.car rental uk It is acknowledged that most buyers may never use its stupendous off road capabilities, but knowing the capability is there is the reason people will shell out $70,000 for a Range Rover when they could get an equally luxurious Cadillac Escalade or Lexus LS470 (or a faster BMW X5 or Mercedes ML500) for less. It's the same reason people will continue to buy Ferraris even though most never actually use their 170 mph capabilities. national car rental
Contrary to earlier rumors, the vehicle is manufactured on a new production line in Land Rover's home town of Solihull, England. Overall, the new Range Rover is a landmark engineering achievement, fully worthy of the Range Rover name. guy salmon
Return to topBody Shape
The redesign continued the recent trend in this market segment towards larger vehicles, expanding the Range Rover's length by another 9.5 inches to 195 inches, providing a body as cavernous as a Toyota Land Cruiser. guy salmonWheelbase is increased by five inches from 108 to 113 inches. The modern monocoque construction techniques did not prevent a 500 lb weight gain, but included retention of the trademark Land Rover aluminum for the hood, front fenders and door panels.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Audi R8
But it was nothing to the car that was waiting for me in London. The Audi R8.
I had seen pictures of this mid-engined supercar and they left me underwhelmed. I thought it looked a bit boring, like a slightly bigger version of the TT. And it wasn’t going to be a real supercar, was it? Not when you remember Audi owns Lamborghini. I mean, why make a car to compete with your own brand? That’d be stupid. car rental uk national car rental
This view is reinforced when you climb inside. There are very few supercar extravagances. There’s no panic handle. No stitching made from yellowhammer feathers. No titanium machinegun triggers. It’s very grey, very Audi, very normal. And that’s fine, actually, because there are very few traditional supercar drawbacks either. alamo car rental
You can see out, there’s room for your head, even if you have truly enormous hair, and there’s space for briefcases and whatnot on a shelf behind the seats. It’s big in there; much bigger than you’d believe.
Then you set off and there are no histrionics. The exhaust makes a deep, meaningful rumble, but as is the way in Jaguar’s XK you can’t really hear it when you’re inside .car rental uk guy salmon
So it’s spookily quiet, and that’s just the start of it. Because it is also spectacularly comfortable. I don’t mean comfortable . . . for a sports car. I mean it’s so comfortable you can run over anything up to a medium-sized fox and not even notice. Couple this to the usual array of Audi in-car entertainment – sat nav, a hi-fi from Bang & Olufsen no less – and you have a car that, like the Porsche 911, you really could live with every day.
You needn’t even worry about the engine.car rental uk national car rental It’s not a W16 with eight turbos and plugs that foul themselves at every set of lights. It doesn’t run on fertiliser and grated tiger chippings. Instead, it’s the 414bhp 4.2 V8 from the RS 4. I’ve described this as one of the best engines made today and a drive in the R8 has not changed my mind. It does everything, brilliantly. car rental uk guy salmon
Of course, you cannot really expect a quiet, comfortable car with the engine from a saloon to perform well on a track. The suspension would be too soft. The power not quite grunty enough. The track is Lambo land. The Audi belongs in a city, soothing the fevered brow of the man with the midlife crisis, while massaging his ego, all at the same time. Wrong. Very, very wrong. In fact the Audi is outstanding when there’s nothing coming the other way. It’s not blisteringly fast. From rest to 120, it goes at almost exactly the same rate as the Porsche 911 Carrera S. And flat out it’ll be out of steam before it gets to 190. But to dismiss it for this is to miss the point.alamo car rental
I had seen pictures of this mid-engined supercar and they left me underwhelmed. I thought it looked a bit boring, like a slightly bigger version of the TT. And it wasn’t going to be a real supercar, was it? Not when you remember Audi owns Lamborghini. I mean, why make a car to compete with your own brand? That’d be stupid. car rental uk national car rental
This view is reinforced when you climb inside. There are very few supercar extravagances. There’s no panic handle. No stitching made from yellowhammer feathers. No titanium machinegun triggers. It’s very grey, very Audi, very normal. And that’s fine, actually, because there are very few traditional supercar drawbacks either. alamo car rental
You can see out, there’s room for your head, even if you have truly enormous hair, and there’s space for briefcases and whatnot on a shelf behind the seats. It’s big in there; much bigger than you’d believe.
Then you set off and there are no histrionics. The exhaust makes a deep, meaningful rumble, but as is the way in Jaguar’s XK you can’t really hear it when you’re inside .car rental uk guy salmon
So it’s spookily quiet, and that’s just the start of it. Because it is also spectacularly comfortable. I don’t mean comfortable . . . for a sports car. I mean it’s so comfortable you can run over anything up to a medium-sized fox and not even notice. Couple this to the usual array of Audi in-car entertainment – sat nav, a hi-fi from Bang & Olufsen no less – and you have a car that, like the Porsche 911, you really could live with every day.
You needn’t even worry about the engine.car rental uk national car rental It’s not a W16 with eight turbos and plugs that foul themselves at every set of lights. It doesn’t run on fertiliser and grated tiger chippings. Instead, it’s the 414bhp 4.2 V8 from the RS 4. I’ve described this as one of the best engines made today and a drive in the R8 has not changed my mind. It does everything, brilliantly. car rental uk guy salmon
Of course, you cannot really expect a quiet, comfortable car with the engine from a saloon to perform well on a track. The suspension would be too soft. The power not quite grunty enough. The track is Lambo land. The Audi belongs in a city, soothing the fevered brow of the man with the midlife crisis, while massaging his ego, all at the same time. Wrong. Very, very wrong. In fact the Audi is outstanding when there’s nothing coming the other way. It’s not blisteringly fast. From rest to 120, it goes at almost exactly the same rate as the Porsche 911 Carrera S. And flat out it’ll be out of steam before it gets to 190. But to dismiss it for this is to miss the point.alamo car rental
Monday, January 14, 2008
Volvo V70
The new V70 is much more refined that the outgoing model and will, I hope, manage another 145,000 miles without any repairs being needed! Car rental uk national car rental alamo car rental.It is quick off the mark and powers away effortlessly via its amazing D5 engine. europcar car rental uk. The interior is greatly improved and very modern looking but very functional. car rental uk The computer controls for all major functions such as security, radio, lights etc is easy to use and programme. The electronic brake takes a bit of getting used to. Comfort is without doubt greatly improved and the seats, as ever, are the most comfortable of any car in its class. car retnal uk national car rental Highly recommended. alamo car rental
Friday, January 11, 2008
Vauxhall Vectra
Latest addition to our long-term test fleet is a Vauxhall Vectra SRi, powered by a 150bhp, 1.9-litre diesel engine. It is with us for a year, which provides the opportunity to look in a bit more detail than usual at some of the technology in the car, the most impressive of which is undoubtedly Adaptive Forward Lighting or AFL for short. For those who bunked off physics at school, light does not bend - no matter who you are. However, by developing a system that combines swivelling lights with an additional bulb, Vauxhall has indeed made it possible to see round corners. Car Rental Uk National car rental
The aim of AFL is to make driving in the dark and in bad weather conditions easier and above all safer. According to the latest figures from Germany's Federal Statistics Bureau, more than 40 per cent of all automobile accidents resulting in death occur at night, despite the fact that there is up to 80 per cent less traffic on the road than during the day. Car rental uk. Car rental uk national car rental. It does this in three ways. In bends, the headlight swivel by up to +/- 15 degrees, depending on steering wheel input. At junctions and narrow bends, a turning light provides wide-angle lighting. The illumination is nearly 90 degrees to the direction of travel over a distance of around 100 ft from the car.car rental uk national car rental. This turning-light is designed to function only at speeds up to 30 mph so that it does not activate in situations like lane changes on the motorway. Key benefit is that dark junctions become significantly safer. Finally, at motorway speeds the light angle on dipped beam rises slightly, illuminating the road ahead for a greater distance.
Before I tried the system I was naturally sceptical and while it is an expensive £850 optional extra, it comes into the 'wouldn't be without it' category as of now. Car rental uk national car rental. Source ROSS DURKIN
The aim of AFL is to make driving in the dark and in bad weather conditions easier and above all safer. According to the latest figures from Germany's Federal Statistics Bureau, more than 40 per cent of all automobile accidents resulting in death occur at night, despite the fact that there is up to 80 per cent less traffic on the road than during the day. Car rental uk. Car rental uk national car rental. It does this in three ways. In bends, the headlight swivel by up to +/- 15 degrees, depending on steering wheel input. At junctions and narrow bends, a turning light provides wide-angle lighting. The illumination is nearly 90 degrees to the direction of travel over a distance of around 100 ft from the car.car rental uk national car rental. This turning-light is designed to function only at speeds up to 30 mph so that it does not activate in situations like lane changes on the motorway. Key benefit is that dark junctions become significantly safer. Finally, at motorway speeds the light angle on dipped beam rises slightly, illuminating the road ahead for a greater distance.
Before I tried the system I was naturally sceptical and while it is an expensive £850 optional extra, it comes into the 'wouldn't be without it' category as of now. Car rental uk national car rental. Source ROSS DURKIN
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Mercedes R Class
Mercedes-Benz R-class
YOU may have drivers on your fleet who, buried within them, have a deep-seated subconscious desire to drive around in a grand sports tourer. They will not know it yet, but the appearance of the Mercedes-Benz R-class could trigger this dormant urge and send them to your door. car rental uk That's because the R-class is the answer to a question not yet posed. It is an estate/MPV/saloon/hearse hybrid, with six seats, four-wheel drive, big engines and lots of space. Mercedes-Benz calls it a Grand Sports Tourer, or GST. We were here with the Renault Vel Satis and Avantime a few years back - minus one seat - and nobody could work them out then. car rental ukBut Mercedes-Benz has ploughed on with its own crossover vehicle and there is enough early evidence to suggest that, on a global basis at least, it will be a success. That's because the R-class is designed with the US in mind. Its size, six chairs, huge cupholders, blacked-out windows and drivetrain configuration suggest it is pitched at Americans tiring of SUVs. It is even built in the US, at the Tuscaloosa plant, home of the M-class. Apparently, US buyers want four-wheel drive for the extra safety it brings and that is why this odd choice is the only option, rather than Mercedes-Benz's more traditional rear-wheel drive set-up. car rental uk. National Car Rental
The fact is that the heavier, thirstier four-wheel drive system makes no sense at all, until you consider that the US market will take most of the volume, and it is a lot cheaper to build it on the M-class platform in the States rather than ship S- or E-class modules over from Europe. Mercedes-Benz reckons on selling 1,800 in a full year in the UK with half of these being the diesel version, but by the very nature of the car this has to have been somewhat plucked out of thin air. True, there is nothing like it on the market but, after spending some time with the R, the multitude of abilities it has slowly dawn on you. car rental uk For a start, anything of this vastness is going to find some friends looking for ultimate carrying ability. At more than five metres long and nearly two metres wide for the long wheelbase version, the R-class is a big hulking piece of metal and head-turning elegance is certainly not a strength. car rental uk. National Car Rental
YOU may have drivers on your fleet who, buried within them, have a deep-seated subconscious desire to drive around in a grand sports tourer. They will not know it yet, but the appearance of the Mercedes-Benz R-class could trigger this dormant urge and send them to your door. car rental uk That's because the R-class is the answer to a question not yet posed. It is an estate/MPV/saloon/hearse hybrid, with six seats, four-wheel drive, big engines and lots of space. Mercedes-Benz calls it a Grand Sports Tourer, or GST. We were here with the Renault Vel Satis and Avantime a few years back - minus one seat - and nobody could work them out then. car rental ukBut Mercedes-Benz has ploughed on with its own crossover vehicle and there is enough early evidence to suggest that, on a global basis at least, it will be a success. That's because the R-class is designed with the US in mind. Its size, six chairs, huge cupholders, blacked-out windows and drivetrain configuration suggest it is pitched at Americans tiring of SUVs. It is even built in the US, at the Tuscaloosa plant, home of the M-class. Apparently, US buyers want four-wheel drive for the extra safety it brings and that is why this odd choice is the only option, rather than Mercedes-Benz's more traditional rear-wheel drive set-up. car rental uk. National Car Rental
The fact is that the heavier, thirstier four-wheel drive system makes no sense at all, until you consider that the US market will take most of the volume, and it is a lot cheaper to build it on the M-class platform in the States rather than ship S- or E-class modules over from Europe. Mercedes-Benz reckons on selling 1,800 in a full year in the UK with half of these being the diesel version, but by the very nature of the car this has to have been somewhat plucked out of thin air. True, there is nothing like it on the market but, after spending some time with the R, the multitude of abilities it has slowly dawn on you. car rental uk For a start, anything of this vastness is going to find some friends looking for ultimate carrying ability. At more than five metres long and nearly two metres wide for the long wheelbase version, the R-class is a big hulking piece of metal and head-turning elegance is certainly not a strength. car rental uk. National Car Rental
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its second new model series in a month with the new R-Class six-seater, which made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show this week. Car Rental uk
The R-Class takes the different parts of existing vehicle categories, such as a potential for car rental in the UK sporty saloon, estate, MPV and SUV, which Mercedes says, "is all about the three Ds: Dimensions, Design and Dynamism". The new model will be available with two engine variants. The V8 powerplant under the bonnet of the R 500 propels it from 0-62.5 mph in 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 149mph. Also in the engine line-up is a new six-cylinder power unit with third-generation common-rail, direct-injection technology. Car Rental uk
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its second new model series in a month with the new R-Class six-seater, which made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show this week. Car Rental uk
The R-Class takes the different parts of existing vehicle categories, such as a potential for car rental in the UK sporty saloon, estate, MPV and SUV, which Mercedes says, "is all about the three Ds: Dimensions, Design and Dynamism". The new model will be available with two engine variants. The V8 powerplant under the bonnet of the R 500 propels it from 0-62.5 mph in 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 149mph. Also in the engine line-up is a new six-cylinder power unit with third-generation common-rail, direct-injection technology. Car Rental uk
