When it comes to getting bang for your buck, the Ariel Atom probably ranks in the top spot among sports cars. But sometimes, a different type of bang occurs with sports cars; the type that sends you to the auto repair shop. Sometimes, you aren't talented enough to drive a sports car, or you aren't permitted to drive it faster than 65 mph. So, Ariel has teamed up with Motion Simulation to get you the best of both worlds; a racing simulator with a 180° view.
This new simulator uses 3 projector screens acting as one to offer you a 180° view, where you can't see the bezel. To make your ride even more realistic, the seat changes to resemble different types of cars or aircraft. And, if you really want to get immersed in your ride, you can choose to have the seat give you a jolt when you hit a bump in the road.
As far as compatibility goes, it's fine with your computer as long as it supports the extra-wide 5760x1200 resolution, and runs Windows XP, Vista, or 7. Unfortunately, it may not be compatible with your wallet right now, with a starting price of 11,500 Euros (that's $18,600). But nevertheless, I have a feeling that this is just the first step in a movement that will create more and more amazing simulators. And not just for racing.
Flying cars have long been an invention people dream about. Ever since the 60's, surveys showed that the top new invention people want to see in the future is a flying car. And, they're right; imagine how practical a flying car would be. Yet, most of these people don't realize how much the technology of a flying car would cost for it to be able to fly and drive well at the same time.
Well, engineers at Terrafugia have just taken a huge step in transforming this dream into reality with their new Terrafugia Transition (shown below), which will hit the market next year (they'll only produce 10). This beauty can seats two, is made of super-lightweight carbon fiber, and gets a fair 35 mpg. Oh, and it can fly.
First, Terrafugia has an important clarification that they want people to know. While many people are calling it a "flying car", Terrafugia wants it to be called a plane that you can drive. A flying car implies that you could soar above traffic, but that's not what the Transition is made for. The idea behind the transition is that when you're traveling, you can fly your Transition into a small airport (Terrafugia claims most people live within 30 minutes of a small airport), and then drive to your location of wish. This way, you'll save time and rental fees. It's even compact enough to park in your garage. And rest assured that you'll arrive in style.
As convenient as it may seem for frequent flyers, many people would assume there's a catch to the car. And surprisingly, they're wrong. First, it's efficient. It gets 20 mpg in the air, and 35 mpg on land. And it uses quite inexpensive fuel. Second, it's fast; it gets 100 mph in the air. Third, it's easy; it qualifies for FAA's Light Sport classification, meaning to be able to fly the Transition, you only need half as much training time as you would need for other planes.
Most surprisingly, it's relatively affordable at $279,000. While this may seem like a lot, it's actually quite cheap for a small aircraft, especially one that can drive. Hit the read more button for more pics:
Audi's always got good things in store for us, but it's been a long time since we've seen a beauty like this R18 hybrid. Rumors are it'll be driven at the next Le Mans race, but for the many people that don't have that kind of patience when it comes to Audis, a video showed up on the web where you can get a peek of the R18 if you'll look through hundreds of applauding people in suits. Check out the video above, or a photo gallery if you want more.
It's not very common, but we've heard a little about hydrogen fuel cells in technology. In fact, they were once used to power Honda cars. But Apple's latest patents show that they believe hydrogen fuel cells can be used for much more than that; one day, they could be used to power iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.
Your first reaction is probably to say that powering gadgets with hydrogen fuel cells would be quite hard. And you're right. Powering a device on just cells that can convert oxygen and hydrogen into heat, electricity, and water without taking a toll on its size and cost isn't a simple task. Here's how Apple puts it: "It is extremely challenging to design hydrogen fuel cell systems which are sufficiently portable and cost effective to be used with portable electronic devices."
But, one of Apple's patents shows that they could have found a solution to this problem. Here's what they say: "[We would use a] fuel cell system which is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device. This eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system, which can significantly reduce the size, weight, and cost of the fuel cell system."
If Apple's solution does in fact work and they are able to produce iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks that run on fuel cells, it will be paradise; Apple claims these devices would be able to last days or even weeks on a single refueling.
An estimated 1,000 drivers get their drivers license taken away every year because the facial recognition system that 68% of states use thinks the picture is of a different person that looks similar to them so they determine that this one must be a fake because the names do not match. The other 32% of states are smart enough not to use the high-tech machines. For example, California also uses fingerprint scanners. But in states that do not use this, I wonder what happens to identical twins...
Volkswagen has just released a 2011 VW XL1 Prototype. They claim this car gets 261 mpg. (no, that isn't a typo!) It is a plug-in hybrid, meaning its fuel use is supplemented by electricity. Even so, 261 mpg is just mind-blowing! The car has a 47-hp diesel engine, a 27-hp electric motor and a 507-lb carbon-fiber chassis. Not to say that this is some kind of sports car. Though it has very nimble handling due to a feather-light 1752-lb weight, its 0-60 time is a sluggish 12 seconds. Volkswagen is even considering selling this car in 2014! How's that to compensate for gas prices that are at $4 and still rising?
One of the most popular low cost sports cars is the Nissan Z. However, Nissan needs to stay on top of the game, so they're going to use different powertrains in the Z. Here they are:
The next Nissan Z might be a hybrid. If it did, it would most likely pair a 3.5 liter V6 with an electric motor. The car currently has a 3.7 liter V6. It would probably share its powertrain with the Infiniti M Hybrid, which seems correct as it currently shares components with the Infiniti G. Rumors tell us that Nissan has a test mule of a Nissan Z with an M Hybrid powertrain drving thorughout the United States. This change would probably boost fuel economy up to about 33 mpg. The car currently gets 22 mpg.
Nissan also might offer a turbodiesel version of the Nissan Z. They have recently announced a co-operation with Daimle, making it seem reasonable to place a 3.0 liter BlueTec diesel engine found in the Mercedes-Benz GL into the Nissan Z.
Nissan might let you choose between two or three powertrains. The next Nissan Z should hit dealerships in 2013.
If you're rich enough to buy a Ferrari, you're still going to be annoyed that it is not very practical. It can only seat two people and can barely carry anything in its tiny trunk. That means you'll have to buy another (not as sporty) car when you need to carry more people or cargo. Well, Ferrari has just released a car that you can consider somewhat practical! This car is called the Ferrari FF, a car that will replace the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. It will make its debut at the Geneva Auto Show. It features a hatch trunk that opens to reveal 15.9 cubic feet of truck space (that's more than a Camry!), and when the two rear seats are folded flat, you get a whopping 28.3 cubic feet of cargo space (that's as much as a Cadillac SRX SUV!) And, though obviously the rear seats will be rather tight, this car will seat four people! It's also the first Ferrari in 23 years to have all-wheel drive! This will help in bad weather. It uses 4RM, Ferrari's AWD technolology. The last Ferrari to have this feature was the Ferrari 408 (shown below). But it wasn't nearly as pretty as the FF (shown at top of post):
Despite its practicality, the FF doesn't fall short on performance. It has a 6.3 liter V12 direct-injected fuel engine that can achieve 650 bhp. In short, this is the world's first somewhat practical supercar.
You might've seen some ads asking "What is the plural of Prius?" like I did when surfing the web. This was because Toyota was collecting votes to decide on the official plural of Prius. After 1.8 million votes were received, either for Prius, Priuses, Prii, Prium, and Prien. And the winner was... (drum roll here...) Prii! Prii received a good 25% of the votes. The second place word was Prius, which 24% of voters decided on. Personally, it seems like people are making too big of a deal out of this. Jay Schwartz of Dictionary.com was at the winning word announcement to inform guests that Dictionary.com would update the plural of "Prius".
The most important factor to your car's price is not the upfront price; it is the fuel milage! A study by Consumer Reports concludes that for the average driver, buying a car with just 5 more miles per gallon than a less fuel effecient car will save you $590 a year! This also means that hybrids will save you a lot of money over time. For example, a hybrid Toyota Prius costs only $1,000 more than a gas-powered Toyota Camry, but will save you about $2,360 per year! The only problem is that hybrids are a lot less fun to drive. If you would like a hybrid but would like a car that is rather fun to drive, I recommend the Ford Fusion Hybrid. This $28,000 family sedan is a hybrid, but actually has a good ride and handling balance. It arguably is the only hybrid that is somewhat fun to drive. It gets 41 miles per gallon in the city, and will return you about 34 miles per gallon under normal driving circumstances. It can even drive up to 47 mph on electric power alone.
It happens to a shocking amount of people: they buy a car to realize, while driving out, that they are too tall and have to hunch over not to hit the roof of the car. Or, they realize that they are too short for the car and can't see through the windshield unless they boost their seat, which in turn makes it hard to grab the gearbox. Well, worry no longer. Using a 6'4" and a 5'1" car tester, Consumer Reports found the top 10 worst and best cars for short or tall drivers. Note that the Honda Accord, the Subaru Forester, the Lexus LS and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class are on both top ten lists, making them excellent for families with a big range of height in their drivers. Also note that the Jeep Liberty, Mitsubishi Lancer Evoloution, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan 370Z, and the Porsche Boxter are on both 10 worst lists, so do not buy those cars unless all of your family's drivers are not particularly tall nor particularly short. Here are the lists:
Best 10 cars for tall drivers:
1. Ford Flex
2. Ford Fusion
3. Honda Accord
4. Lexus LS
5. Mercedes-Benz M-Class
6. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
7. Nissan Murano
8. Subaru Forester
9. Volvo S80
10. Volvo XC70
Why do they call minivans "mini" when the new Siennas, Grand Caravans, and Odyssies are far from being mini? Good question. Well, for the more thrifty and less big-oriented people, Ford is going to come out with the Ford Grand C-Max. It is avaliable in Europe, and will be avaliable in the USA around mid-2011. This actual mini minivan will be 2 feet shorter than a Honda Odessy. The specs are still getting figured out by Ford, but it should have a 1.4 liter 4-cylinder engine, an automatic gearbox and front wheel drive. It still has the minivan in it: folding seats for a flexible interior and sliding rear doors for easy access. It also drives much better than a well, big minivan. It should be much more nimble. Considering that a reasonably-equipped Grand C-Max could have a price tag below $25,000 (compare to $33,000 for a well equipped Odyssey), this will really be a great minivan.
Next time you're on the road this week, notice the ridiculous amount of cars driving with snow on their roofs. And if you're one of those people too lazy to get the snow of your car's roof, get it off. Why? The other day I witnessed an accident. A car was driving with snow on its roof, and hit the brakes suddenly. Because of the momentum, the snow on the car's roof fell forward and piled on top of the car's windshield. This car, unable to see where it was going through a snow-covered windshield, crashed into another car. That's what you get for being lazy. Keeping snow on your car's roof also reduces fuel mileage by almost a mile per gallon. So, go ahead and keep the snow on the roof of your car, but hey, you get what you deserve!
Recently, a university in Austalia named Monash University conducted a research study about the safety of black cars. After analyzing police data of more that 850,000 accidents over 20 years, they concluded that if you drive a black car, you're 47% more likely to get into an accident at night than if you drive a white, gold, or yellow car, which are the safest colors. This is because black cars are harder to see at night. Other unsafe care colors include gray, silver, blue, and red. Black cars are still unsafe in the daytime: they are 12% more likely to get into an accident than white, gold, or yellow cars. That info really shocks me. Luckily, I have a white car.
Everytime a hybrid car brakes, energy is stored into power sources next to its tires. This means that when it accelerates, it will have a much quicker acceleration. That's why hybrids might be the next racecars. In fact, a Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid racecar raced at the Petit Le Mans 10-hour race at Road Atlanta! Whether hybrid cars have the capability of outperforming gas-powered cars hasn't been answered yet. There is a plug-in hybrid racecar, however, going on sale around 2012. Its name: Porsche 918 Spyder. It is a plug-in hybrid, meaning it runs on electricity, and you can give it electricity in two ways: giving it gas which it turns into electricity and gets about twice the mpg on, or you can plug it in to a 110-volt or 220-volt electrical plug. It is a 2-seat convertible, that accelerates from 0 to 62 miles an hour in under 3.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 198 mph! It has an estimated price of $640,000.
Honda recently introduced its Honda CR-Z Sports Hybrid, another hybrid sports car. It has a 1.5 liter engine with 122 horsepower, it boasts 39 mpg in the city, and takes only 9 seconds to go from 0-60 mph. Pricing starts at only $19,200.
The other day I was trying to persuade my mom into buying a minivan when our old Camry dies, and she said something very interesting: "We only have five people in the family! Why do we need seven seats?" That's called consumerism. Buying what you don't need. Which everyone does, with the exception of my mom. She certainly had a point. We don't need 7 seats. Obviously though, it is much more fun to ride in a minivan than a little sedan. Minivans are also typically fancier than sedans. So this type of consumerism would be understandable. But I have more to say. The other day I noticed that my music teacher, who has had an iPhone 3GS for almost a year now has no apps. Zero. That just blew me away. What's the point of an iPhone if you don't have any apps? That's an even better example of consumerism. He could've bought a phone with half the price, and half the monthly fees that does all that he needs his iPhone for almost as well as his iPhone- probably with even faster typing. So why did he get the iPhone? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was brand name. Maybe he didn't know about other phones. Maybe he thought he would use the apps. If you could tell me why you think he bought the iPhone, do tell me in the comments!
If you've lived long enough to see the days back when the streets were crowded with wagons, you're probably thinking the same thing as I am: what happened? If you keep your eye out nowadays, you'll see barely any wagons. Well, here are my theories on what happened.
1. Pickup Trucks hit the market
Back when all of the wagons were there, the only pickups you saw around were for contractors. But now, pickups for everyday use all over the place. Also, they're a lot cheaper and give much more trunk space than a wagon. Wagons cost just a couple thousand dollars under the amount of a five-seat pickup... that has much more trunk space.
2. People don't really need trunk space anymore
Personally, I rarely have problems with not enough trunk space... I have a sedan. But next time you're on the road, notice how barely anybody puts anything in their trunk.
Some people think that wagons cost a lot for what they are. Not really! Take a look at the prices of some best-selling wagons:
Not too bad, is it? Personally, I like wagons. Though pickup trucks have wiped them out pretty well, pickups don't appeal to everyone. And, a lot of people think like this: "If I don't need extra trunk space, why pay for a wagon?" Good question.
