IIHS 2010 Top Safety Pick list
November 18, 2009
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has introduced its picks for the safest cars for 2010. This study is done every year to determine which vehicles are going to do the best job protecting you and your family. For the first time this year a roof test was added to the criteria since a significant number of deaths due to a car crash are the results of a rollover.
The safety institute employed front, side, rear and now rollover to their crash test for 2010. The IIHS selected 27 cars in five categories for the award, down from the 94 vehicles tested last year thanks to the heightened roof strength standards. Subaru stands out as the only manufacturer to receive a top rating for all four crash tests in every vehicle class it competes. Multiple awards also came from Ford owned, Volvo and German automaker, Volkswagen.
In the roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating for rollover protection, the roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle’s weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is rated poor.
Testers say not to worry if your vehicle has not made the list. Although it is clear, some automakers are doing a better job with safety, all vehicles on the road meet the minimum safety standards. The IIHS says that whenever a new test is introduced, it takes about one year for most to catch up. By 2011 most vehicles will have caught up to the new rollover standard.
It’s worth noting that some of last year’s winners have not been tested for the rollover standard. Most notably, the Acura RL, TL and TSX, Audi A4 and A6, BMW 3-Series, Cadillac CTS, Hyundai Genesis, Saab 9-3, Toyota Avalon and Prius, as well as a wide range of midsize SUVs and small sedans, have yet to be tested.
25 out of the 27 winners can be found at a MileOne dealer near you. Visit MileOne.com for more information. See below for all 27 winners.
Large cars
Buick LaCrosse*
Ford Taurus*
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80*
Midsize cars
Audi A3*
Chevrolet Malibu (built after October 2009)*
Chrysler Sebring sedan (with optional electronic stability control)*
Dodge Avenger (with optional electronic stability control)*
Mercedes C-Class*
Subaru Legacy*
Subaru Outback*
Volkswagen Jetta sedan*
Volkswagen Passat sedan*
Volvo C30*
Small cars
Honda Civic sedan (except Si) (with optional electronic stability control)*
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube*
Subaru Impreza (except WRX)*
Volkswagen Golf four-door*
Hall Dodge Joins Hall Chrysler Jeep on Virginia Beach Bvd
November 16, 2009
Hall Automotive has moved Hall Dodge into the Hall Chrysler Jeep building on Virginia Beach Boulevard to provide Dodge customers a more convenient location and the full line of Chrysler vehicles.
Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) November 2, 2009 — Hall Automotive announced today that Hall Dodge is now combined with Hall Chrysler Jeep located at 3152 Virginia Beach Blvd. Dodge customers will still have the same familiar faces from the former location, but with the new location, they will be able to access the dealership sales and service center more conveniently from both the westbound and eastbound lanes of Virginia Beach Boulevard.
“Not only does Chrysler want Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep under one roof as part of Project Genesis, but we wanted it as well,” said General Manager, Chris Colbert. “Now, our loyal Dodge customers will have the opportunity to shop and service all three Chrysler brands in a larger and more modern dealership.”
Dodge customers visiting the new Hall Chrysler Dodge Jeep will find the service lane holds up to 12 vehicles at a time and the service facility has 38 bays and 26 factory trained Chrysler technicians. The customer waiting area is more modern and spacious than the old Dodge dealership and coming soon will be a redesigned accessories center for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep parts and accessories.
Visit the dealership online at www.hallchryslerdodgejeep.com or stop by 3152 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 to browse the latest Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep cars, trucks, vans and sport utilities including the redesigned Dodge Challenger and the popular Dodge Ram.
Ford EcoBoost Vehicles at Virginia Dealer
November 12, 2009
Everyone is searching for the right technology that makes vehicles fuel efficient and decreases emissions while still meeting the performance, quality and price car-buyers expect. Ford is calling their EcoBoost engine a real project leader.
In car-talk, it’s known as direct-injection with turbo charging. Drivers get the thrust of a V8 with the thirst of a V6, while EcoBoost I-4 engines will perform like the larger V6s, but with the fuel economy of the smaller engine. In more straightforward terms, it’s getting more power with less gas.
Today, EcoBoost offers up to 20 percent better fuel-economy and up to 15 percent reduced greenhouse emissions versus larger displacement engines. But even with the numbers to back it up, people still question about the true performance of EcoBoost: Can a more fuel-efficient V6 engine really perform as well as a traditionally more-expensive and less fuel-efficient V8 engine?
That question was put to the test earlier this year when Automobile Magazine and Motor Trend pitted the Lincoln MKS with a V6 EcoBoost engine against a handful of popular European V8s in a head to head challenge nearly 12,000 feet above sea level at Colorado’s Loveland Pass. The Lincoln MKS completed the course with the highest top-speed among the group, but ultimately placed second behind the BMW 550i in the race up the hill. Although we hoped to end up at the very top of the pack, finishing so high in the group made it very clear that EcoBoost, our smaller, more fuel-efficient engine, has earned its place in the luxury, high-performance vehicle market.
Today, EcoBoost is offered in the Ford Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex. Next year it will be offered in a 2.0L I-4 version. In 2010, an EcoBoost V6 will be available in the crown-jewel of Ford’s truck lineup, the F-150. And by 2013, it will be offered in more than 90 percent of Ford’s entire North American lineup.
The 2010 Ford Flex is amongst those new vehicle that will have the EcoBoost engine. The 2010 model will differ from its forebearer with a 3.5 liter displacement and duo of turbochargers to produce V8 power with V6 fuel economy. The Flex stands up handsomely in the three-row crossover fight – well enough that if you’re considering such a beast, you’d be ill-advised to skip out on sampling this Blue Oval box – if only because of the vehicle’s rich features and options lists. Ford didn’t lie: the Flex EcoBoost is more than just an engine upgrade, and the suite of features it manifests makes it more than just another big box.
Visit Hall Ford for more information.
Chevy WaterCar Python
November 10, 2009
Cruise on the road or in the water with this new vehicle. A California company has combined a Corvette with a luxury speedboat and elements of a jet ski to create what it calls the WaterCar Python.
For around $170,000, you can pick up a Python rolling chassis and install a General Motors LS series engine of your choosing — from a used LS1 to the same mind-bendingly powerful LS9 found in the Corvette ZR1. Choose that level of power and WaterCar estimates the engine and transaxle installation should run an additional $30 to $50K.
Once installed, the Python will make short work of your trip to the boat launch with an average 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. Once you get to the yacht club, stun your friends by driving the Python straight into the water, pressing one button to retract the wheels and another to start the jet. You’ll be gliding on a bright blue highway in seconds. Far from a glorified Amphicar, this baby can do 60 mph on the water!
In addition to being one of the absolute coolest toys we’ve ever seen, we can imagine high-speed police chases in L.A. might get a bit more interesting if suspects choose a Python as their getaway car.
On land, the Python is a custom-built hot rod that looks like a cross between a Chevy Avalanche and a Corvette. It’s a 20 foot luxury boat appointed with a polished wood dashboard and a leather wraparound bench seat.
Especially amusing is the fact that you would need a dual set of safety and regulatory guidelines that apply to an amphibious motor vehicle. Headlamps and turn signals are to be used on land but green and red nautical lights are for use on the water. Not only do owners of the Python need to register their vehicle as both a car with license plates and a boat with marine stickers, but special amphibious vehicle insurance must be purchased unless owners want to buy both a car and boat policy.
