2008 Honda Accord Review

What's New for 2008
Honda Accord has been fully redesigned for 2008. It's bigger and roomier. New four- and six-cylinder engines are not only more powerful, they either match or surpass their predecessors in terms of fuel economy.

2008 Honda Accord Vehicle Overview
Introduction
Still available in sedan and coupe body styles, the all-new 2008 Honda Accord is most obviously highlighted by its slick new styling. The two-door is particularly striking, as it's mostly unchanged from the Accord concept car that debuted at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The sedan, meanwhile, has an eye-catching elegance that sets it apart from past Accords, which were mostly understated to the point of anonymity. Although, once the first 100,000 2008 Accords hit the streets, the sedan may start to seem pretty anonymous, too.

The biggest news lies under the hood, where Honda has devoted its considerable engine expertise to perfecting three power plants that deliver both performance and fuel efficiency. Available on EX sedans and all coupes, the midlevel inline-four-cylinder produces a best-in-class 190 horsepower -- by comparison, the 1998 all-new Accord featured an optional V6 that produced 200 hp. All that power comes at no fuel economy expense, as it matches the fuel economy estimates of the previous model's four-cylinder.

A new 3.5-liter V6 debuts as well. This engine equals the hefty horsepower and torque ratings of the Toyota Camry's V6, but falls a wee bit short of the Altima 3.5. New to this segment is Honda's cylinder-deactivation technology, which allows the engine to run on six, four or three cylinders depending on driving conditions for maximum fuel economy. The result is an improvement of 3 highway mpg over the last V6, despite 24 more horses. As a matter of fact, all 2008 Accord engines get better highway fuel economy than the 125-hp 1990 Accord and even come close to the tiny 68-hp 1977 edition. Now that's progress.

© Source: edmunds
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2007 Tokyo Motor Show: Live shots of the Nissan GT-R!

A press event has never been so well attended, or dangerously overcrowded. But we got to the front in time to watch in car footage of a GT-R lapping the Nurburgring in 7:38.5, then out came Carlos to claim that his new baby is the best that Nissan has ever produced – and we're inclined to agree. Unsurprisingly the show car is silver, and, well looks pretty much like it did in the spy shots, but the shock was that Mr. Ghosn committed to Nissan fielding GT-Rs in next year's Super GT Championship. Could this be the start of another R32-like Godzilla race track domination?
Deliveries start in next month, and to the rest of the world by the end of 2008. Check out the gallery, we'll have tech specs up soon.




More about 2007 Tokyo Motor Show:
+ Tokyo Motor Show 2007: Nissan GT-R to Debut in Gran Turismo 5 - Jalopnik
+ New Mazda Taiki Concept will debut in the Tokyo Motor Show 2007
+ Mugen-tuned Honda Fit To Hit Tokyo
+ Tokyo Motor Show: Practical performance with BMW's M3 Sedan
+ Tokyo Motor Show 2007: Subaru WRX STI debut
+ 2007 Tokyo Motor Show: Live shots of the Nissan GT-R!

Porsche cleared for Volkswagen takeover

Will Porsche buy out Volkswagen? A Teutonic takeover looks on the cards after Europe's highest court (most powerful, that is, not one at especially lofty altitude) ruled a law protecting VW from foreign takeovers is illegal.

The so-called 'VW Law' had prevented Porsche from exercising more than 20 per cent of its voting rights over Volkswagen, despite owning a 31 per cent stake.

But the European Court of Justice ruled that the law - which was originally drawn up back in 1960 to prevent VW being taken over by hostile foreign investors - contravened the principles of the European Single Market.

That means that Porsche will soon be free to take its stake in VW to 50 per cent, giving it overall control. Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking said today, "We obviously have a high interest in exercising our voting rights in full." Watch out, VW.

So does this mean we'll see a VW 911 Turbo or, worse, a Porsche Polo? Unlikely, but the two companies have already collaborated on the Touareg/Cayenne project, so don't rule out the possibility of more production crossover.

In any case, insiders say that Porsche is unlikely to raise its stake in VW until next year? Пiving all you Mk II Golf owners time to remove that 'My Other Car's A Porsche' sticker from the rear window.

© Source: topgear

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Peugeot winner scores the try of her life

Saturday wasn’t England’s night; however, for one person in the packed Stade de France Stadium the celebratory mood could not be dampened. Jessica Wright won tickets to the final, along with a brand new Peugeot 207 CC as part of the manufacturer’s sponsorship of the 2007 iRB Rugby World Cup.Jessica, from Brixton, entered the prize draw, whilst taking a test drive of a Peugeot 207 CC with her aunt at Robins and Day Peugeot, Clapham in July. As a part of the Peugeot 207 Rugby World Cup prize draw, she won a brand new Peugeot 207 CC and a pair of tickets to see England and South Africa battling it out to win the Webb Ellis Trophy. “I really didn’t expect to win,” said an excited Jessica. “I thought the car was fantastic after test driving it in July, and was very jealous when my aunt purchased one. I can’t wait to get out and about in mine; I just hope the nice weather continues so I can get the top down!” Jessica was presented with her Flamenco Red 207 CC 1.6-litre HDi 110 Sport, in time to see England’s heroic performance against South Africa. “I was so excited about going to the final, and completely gutted for the England boys, they fought so hard against South Africa.” Peugeot kicked-off its 207 Test Drive competition nationally in July and August, anyone who test drove a 207 was entered into the prize draw, 39 runners up received pairs of tickets to fixtures throughout the 2007 World cup campaign. The Peugeot 207 CC is the UK’s leading small Coupe-Cabriolet and is available in showrooms now with a 1.6-litre petrol or HDi diesel engines with emissions from 136g/km CO2 (1.6-litre HDi 110 with DPFS model).

Luxury Lexus offers an eco-friendly choice for business high-flyers

No car maker has embraced hybrid technology quite like Lexus. While rivals moan about high development costs and technical inefficiencies, the Japanese manufacturer is committed to combining petrol and electric power – and the next vehicle in its highly charged line-up is the LS600h.

We have already tried the techno­logy in a left-hand drive version of the new car (Issue 958). But how does it work here on the UK’s roads? The first impression with any LS is its vast scale – especially in this long-wheelbase guise. Apart from its subtle badging, the hybrid shares the sombre styling of other variants. Even the twin chrome exhausts remain, hinting at its performance potential.

Under the bonnet is a 389bhp 5.0-litre V8. Add to that the thrust of an electric motor, and output is boosted to 439bhp. The final technical flourish is to feed power to all four wheels.

The cabin features the familiar LS dashboard with its huge array of buttons. While German rivals have opted for a central control system, there seems to be a switch for everything here – including EV (Electric Vehicle). Press it, pull away and the LS wafts in near silence through slow traffic. Refinement is astonishing as the batteries power the vehicle. Only when the charge runs out or you press hard on the acceler­ator does the petrol V8 kick in.

Lexus claims a 0-62mph time of 6.3 seconds, although real-world perfor­mance doesn’t feel so sprightly. With the CVT gearbox offering change-free acceleration, the luxury saloon isn’t slow, but it seems no quicker than a diesel-powered Mercedes S-Class.

We also struggled to match the maker’s claimed economy. Driving mostly in town, the Lexus returned little better than 24mpg, according to its trip computer – a long way short of the official 30.4mpg combined fig­ure. Official CO2 emissions are low, though; the 219g/km output is on a par with cars from the class below.

Away from traffic, the driving experience is similar to that of other LS models. While the motorway ride is smooth, it struggles to cope with sharp jolts and bumps. Tackling corners at speed leaves the Lexus floundering compared with Audi’s A8.

The new hybrid LS is a technological tour de force. Its superb refinement and peerless build quality are likely to be enough to tempt some buyers – although the compromised economy will be a turn-off for others.

New Ford Mondeo has smarter, safer lighting

The all-new Ford Mondeo is showing drivers more of the road thanks to the car's adaptive front lighting system (AFS) which beams light round corners. AFS incorporates halogen lamps linked to sensors which detect steering input and can swivel up to 15 degrees. This system improves visibility when negotiating tight bends, particularly on roads where the only light source is the car's headlamps. In comparative tests between conventional halogen reflector lamps and AFS, the AFS lamps cast light an additional 10 metres into the bend. Allied to static corner lighting, AFS greatly improves visibility.Static, low level cornering lights are another feature of AFS. They are automatically turned on when the car is travelling below 37mph, and the steering wheel turns at an angle of at least 30 degrees. This helps to avoid accidents in reduced visibility and is particularly useful during tight manoeuvres such as turning into driveways. New Mondeo can also be specified with Bi-Xenon lamps which include static cornering lights, plus automatic headlamp levelling and washer jets. Bi-Xenons offer twice the light density on the road at one-third of the energy input of conventional lights.
Test show that while AFS headlamps have a range of 155m, Bi-Xenons illuminate up to 245m of the road ahead. Karsten Foese, Ford adaptive lighting programme leader, said: “The safety advantage is clear: pedestrians, animals or objects on the road can all be seen earlier when entering a bend or manoeuvring. Adaptive lighting offers greatly increased visibility for the driver, and reduced glare for oncoming drivers.”

BMW 1 Series Coupe (video)

The new BMW 1 Series Coupé features rear-wheel-drive dynamics and seating for four (2+2). The BMW 135i is powered by BMW’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, which produces 300 horsepower and direct piezo gasoline injectors, twin low-mass turbochargers and air-to-air intercooling. The car accelerates from 0-62 mph in 5.3 seconds. The engine features on-demand engine coolant pumps that improve fuel economy. Starting in the spring of 2008 in the U.S., the 1 Series Coupe will be available in two versions; the 128i and the 135i, with an M Aerodynamic Kit.