Merk Car World

If it's a compact car you're looking for, the 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer will have your head spinning at nine enticing models. The Lancer is a clean and lovely car, even with its fish face. Some see a shark mouth, and say the Lancer is lovely because of it, not despite it. Its good looks give it distinction in its field. Its good engines give it value. All 2011 Mitsubishi Lancers have anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control standard, along with seven airbags, the latest being driver's knee.

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer lineup starts with the $14,995 Lancer DE, not quite bare bones because it's got power doors and windows, keyless entry and auto halogen headlamps, but lacks air conditioning, 60/40 folding rear seat, and cruise control. But it's got the same good 2.0- liter engine with variable valve timing making 148 horsepower. Driving gets more civilized with the Lancer ES with air conditioning and better seats, front and rear.

2011 Mitsubishi Lancers

New for 2011 is the Lancer ES Sportback, a smooth-looking 5-door that made its debut on the 2010 Lancer Ralliart. Fuel economy for the Lancer ES is an EPA-estimated 25/32 mpg City/Highway. We found the Mitsubishi Lancer ES offers decent steering response and tracks well through corners, with no excessive body lean.

The Mitsubishi Lancer GTS climbs the ladder with its 2.4-liter engine, a gem of a powerplant coupled with a sweet 5-speed gearbox or 6-step CVT with paddle shifters (23/30 mpg). We tested the Mitsubishi Lancer GTS Sportback version complete with front air dam and rear spoiler, our test car with a 5-speed, looking sleek in Graphite Gray Pearl and beautiful 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels. The Mitsubishi Lancer GTS is a compelling value for its good looks, enjoyable driving characteristics, affordable pricing, and fuel economy, with an EPA-estimated 24/31 mpg City/Highway. If you don't need all-wheel drive or turbocharged acceleration, the GTS is the one, especially in the new Sportback body style with a great cargo area.

2011 Mitsubishi Lancers

The all-wheel-drive Lancer Ralliart moves into high-performance land with an intercooled and turbocharged 2.0-liter engine making 237 horsepower, and showcasing Mitsubishi's racy 6-speed twin-clutch automated manual transmission. Sedan or Sportback, flared fenders, hood scoop, vents like shark gills, optional Recaro seats. The fishface gets a chrome ring, like silver lipstick on a largemouth bass. The Lancer Evolution, the Evo, pumps out 291 horsepower. Shapely sedan only, with 5-speed GSR model, or with 6-speed twin clutch MS, which adds Bilstein shocks and lighter brake rotors. Have fun at the track, your car is ready.

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer DE ($14,995) comes with cloth upholstery, AM/FM/CD/MP3 with four speakers, power doors and windows, halogen headlamps. Air conditioning is optional. (All New Car Test Drive prices are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices, which do not include destination charge and may change at any time without notice).

2011 Mitsubishi Lancers

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer ES ($16,395) and ES Sportback ($16,795) come with a 5-speed gearbox or 6-step CVT with paddle shifters ($900). Standard equipment includes premium fabric upholstery, air
conditioning, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, power door locks with keyless remote, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear stabilizer bar, six-way adjustable driver seat, 60/40-split folding rear seatback with folding center armrest, front map lights, floor mats, the auto-up driverside window, silver interior accents, body-color outside mirror housings and door handles, antitheft security alarm and pre-wired Bluetooth. ES options include a power sunroof and 710-watt, nine-speaker, Rockford-Fosgate premium audio system. The Sport Aero Package ($800) and Sport Accent ($295) give it an Evo look.

2011 Mitsubishi  Lancer GTS ($19,295) and GTS Sportback ($19,695) feature a 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 168 horsepower, rear disc brakes replacing the drums in the ES, a 5-speed manual gearbox or optional CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) using Sportronic manual shifting with steering-wheel paddles. A 140-watt 6-speaker sound system is standard, along with sport bucket seats. New for 2011 is a FUSE Handsfree Links system, which ties voice command into all your worldly desires in the car, starting with talking on the phone. The sport-tuned suspension is tied to lovely 18-inch alloy wheels.

2011 Mitsubishi Lancers Interior

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart ($27,495) and Ralliart Sportback get a 237-hp 2.0-liter intercooled turbocharged engine, while its suspension and brakes are upgraded from the GTS. It uses a six-speed twinclutch automated manual called the TC-SST, with Normal and Sport modes. Automatic climate control is standard, along with sport bucket seats with unique fabric surfaces, and leatherwrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Also standard: six-speaker audio, aero package with front air dam, lower side air dams and rear spoiler, factory-installed fog lights, P215/45R18 tires on alloy wheels. Options include a Navigation & Technology package with GPS-based navigation system storing mapping data on a 40GB hard disk drive, with 10GB set aside for personally recorded audio files, to be played on the optional 710-watt 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system with Sirius satellite radio.

Lancer Evolution comes in two models, the GSR ($33,995) with 5-speed gearbox or the MR ($37,195) with 6-speed twin-clutch, plus BBS forged alloy wheels, Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs and big rear spoiler. Evo standard equipment includes automatic climate control, Recaro seats, 140-watt six-speaker audio system, power windows and locks and keyless entry, and Yokohama performance tires on 18-inch alloy wheels. Options include navigation, Bluetooth, 710-watt 9-speaker Rockford-Fosgate sound system, and HID headlamps.

Safety features for all Lancer models include front air bags, side airbags in front, side curtain air bags, a driver's knee air bag, and tire pressure monitor. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution is also standard, along with Active Stability Control. Front seatbelts have pretensioners and force limiters to help position users for maximum protection from airbags in crashes. Rear seats incorporate child safety seat anchors and tethers (LATCH). Available allwheel drive enhances safety in slippery conditions.

The Mitsubishi Lancer is a lovely car, even with its fish face. Mitsubishi calls it shark-like, but it's more like a largemouth bass. The nose seems to copy Audi's oversize grille, although the bodycolored front bumper perfectly splits it up and minimizes the gaping mouth. And if the angular headlights were human, they would be exotic eyes.

The GTS is cleaner than the Ralliart, which outlines that mouth with a chrome ring, like silver lipstick on a fish. But the Ralliart has a cool aluminum hood with an inset scoop for the turbocharger intercooler, and two functional vents that do resemble shark gills. The Ralliart also has flared fenders that house low profile tires. The beautiful 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10-spoke wagon-wheel design, standard on the GTS and Ralliart, add an extra touch of class.

The angular taillamps have that same exotic-eye look as the headlights. They wrap around the rear edges of the car. The rear deck is quite short, and both the GTS and Ralliart have a spoiler wing that's so big it nearly fills up the trunk lid. It's not unattractive, but it is overkill. The GTS has one chrome tailpipe, the Ralliart two.

The Sportback body style has a properly discreet spoiler over the liftgate. Of all the 5-doors, namely Mazda3 and Subaru Impreza, the Ralliart's main rivals, the Sportback has the bestlooking lines. The Sportback pulls off not looking boxy. Its silhouette is sharp and tidy, and the overall lines are really nice, unlike the more edgy Impreza. It's very handsome in Graphite Gray Pearl, and Octane Blue Pearl catches the eye. But Rotor Glow Metallic, a bright orangeish copper, is the prettiest color with the most creative name. Although we like Phantom Black too, even for $250 extra.

As for the Evo, the nose borders on brutish, with a deep spoiler that does double duty, shoving the onrushing air out of the way to keep the front tires firmly planted while forcing cooling air past a sporty looking mesh through the intercooler and radiator. Shark eye-like headlamps curl around the fenders in a stylistic optical illusion masking the longish front overhang. Functional, NACA-like ducts in the hood, like the chin spoiler, serve dual purposes, vacuuming hot air out of the engine compartment, both cooling the powerplant and reducing front end lift.

By Cathy Kelly

Capitola -- Old motorcycles found new appreciation Sunday at the Bikes on the Bay vintage show at the Capitola Mall.


The collection of old bikes drew hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts to the Capitola Mall parking lot Sunday. Orchestrated by the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce, the sixth annual event has been at the mall for four years and is growing, chamber Director Toni Castro said.



"It's seems to be going very well," Castro said, over sounds of laughter, music and motors. The event included vendors, too, along with an impressive array of vintage motorcycles and some scooters. Ringing the event were the motorcycles of those who rode in to see the officially displayed motorcycles... Read more

The original Lotus Exige (NA or naturally aspirated Exige) was launched in 2000 and had a 1.8 L Rover K Series engine in VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) tune. It produced 177 bhp (132 kW; 179 PS) in standard form and 192 bhp (143 kW; 195 PS) in the "track spec" version. The Lotus Exige is a two-door, two-seat sports car made by Lotus Cars. It is essentially a coupé version of the Lotus Elise, a mid-engined roadster in production since 1996.

211-2012 Lotus Exige

The Series 2 Lotus Exige was introduced. It features a 1.8 L 16-valve DOHC Toyota/Yamaha engine that produces 190 bhp (142 kW; 193 PS) with the Toyota engine designation of 2ZZ-GE. Compared to the Series 2 Elise, it has a front splitter, fibreglass hardtop roof with roof scoop, rear engine cover, and rear spoiler. The sole purpose of these aerodynamic additions to the base Elise is to create more downforce (almost 100 lb (45 kg) of downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Exige versus 13 lb (5.9 kg) at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Elise).

211-2012 Lotus Exige

The Lotus Exige S Type 72 comes standard with a Sport Pack that consists of black micro fiber ProBax sports seats with gold stitching and a special build plate commemorating one of the F1 car’s 20 Grand Prix victories. At the exterior, the Lotus Exige S type 72 features black and gold Lotus Type 72 color scheme, unique black and gold light weight wheels and is finished with hand-painted gold Type 72 and Exige S logos.

211 Lotus Exige

The new 2011 Lotus Exige gains a composite rear wing, first seen on the Exige GT3 road car concept. This new wing is 7.1 inches wider, is mounted 1.8 inches higher and 2.4 inches further back compared to the previous model year.Not only is the wing's size and location different, but it is also mounted to the body via end plates which increases stiffness and increases airflow over the wing - all told, it maintains an impressive 93 pounds of downforce at 100 mph.

Powering the 2011 Lotus Exige S is a supercharged and air-to-air intercooled version of the same Toyota-sourced 1.8 liter inline-four used in the Elise. As the name suggests, the Exige S240 version produces 240 horsepower at 8,000 rpm along with 170 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. It features Toyota's variable valve timing and lift system. The only transmission is a six-speed close-ratio manual, sending power to the nearby rear wheels. The Exige S240 weighs in at just under 2,100 lbs, and returns 20 mpg in the EPA's city cycle and 26 mpg on the highway. The Exige S240 sprints from zero-to-60 in just 4.1 seconds, and finishes the race to 100 in just ten seconds.

The new Nissan commercial vehicles lineup comes in basically two models: standard roof, and high roof. Both models offer engines of 4.0 L V6 and 5.6 L V8. The V8 has 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft and the V6 has 261 horsepower and 281 lb-ft. Since I drove mostly the standard roof 1500 S with a V6, I will focus primarily on that vehicle.

The standard model comes with a five-speed automatic transmission. The engine-speed-sensitive power-assisted steering amalgamates easily with heavy-duty fourwheel disc brakes resting on 17- inch steel wheels.
Standard power mirrors with convex spotter mirror and an easy see-through broad front windshield
makes front and back as well as peripheral views better, allowing the driver an additional comfort to the
driving experience.

2012 Nissan NV

The seating is for two passengers, offering four-way adjustable front seats with a premium clothseat trim with waterproofing feature and wear-resistant patches. Upfitter and telematics prewiring, and AM/FM/CD audio system w/aux-in, provide helpful entertainment while six cargo Dring mounting points and multiple integrated reinforced mounting points provide cargo security.

2011 marks Nissan’s 75th year in the commercial industry, which was a surprise to me. Nissan CVs are currently sold in over 75 percent of world markets including Japan, China, Mexico, Russia, Europe, and the Middle East. In 2010 sales exceeded 700K units. In fact commercial vehicles represent 20 percent of Nissan’s global volume.

2012 Nissan NV

The 2012 Nissan NV will initially be found in 247 active dealers out of 1,058 Nissan dealers. Target is to have 300 by the end of 2012. The Nissan NV is built on a solid foundation for a real work truck experience. It has a rugged bodyon- frame construction with a durable, all-new fully boxed frame with rear wheel drive that has up to 9,500 pounds towing capacity (V8 engine-equipped). The 2012 Nissan NV standard roof measures 83.9” in height while the high roof NV measures 105.0”. The length is 240.6” and the wheelbase is 146.1”. The width is 79.9”, and it is 102.8” wide with mirrors.

2012 Nissan NV

The standard platform has 234.1 cu. ft. cargo volume and 76.9” max cargo height. There is 120.0” cargo length at floor, 118.8” length at beltline, and 54.3” cargo width between wheelhouses. Nissan wanted to build a commercial vehicle to meet the needs of the working public, offering some features that make the job easier.
The cab of the 2012 Nissan NV is more like an office than an ordinary truck cab. You have a class-exclusive available center console which provides lockable integrated storage featuring the ability to fit letter-size files
and a laptop.

2012 Nissan NV Series

You can get two 120 V power outlets, one in the center console and one near the rear door on the D-pillar. On the high roof model there is even an additional overhead storage compartment. Available technology packages can be added with Bluetooth handsfree phone system, XM satellite radio, iPod connectivity, navigation system, and rear-view monitor. The base price for the standard model is $24,590. The E-Series, which has a few more features, is $26,055. The high model has a base price of $27,990.

Forget every notion you ever had about  Lexus and the 2012 Lexus LFA is the result, a street-able race car with seatbelt airbags rather than a roll cage and a 552-hp V10 wailing to 9000 rpm. The relentless pursuit of perfection has given way to the relentless pursuit of speed and the price is up by a factor of three. Lexus will build 500 LFA sports cars at the rate of 20 per month, available to vetted drivers.

2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring

While many cars offer carbon fiber interior trim or add-on spoilers, the LFA's chassis and body are made of the stuff, like a racecar, and unfinished inside the hood and trunk to show it off. The expensive material allows for precise lines and edges, providing low drag (Cd 0.31) and highspeed stability in the same package. Weight is centered and low as possible, including the fuel tank, battery and windshield washer tank.

2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring a compact 4.8-liter V10 engine in front, developed in conjunction with Yamaha and full of titanium and magnesium bits, is cast in the same foundry used by Toyota's Formula One team. An automated sequential six-speed gearbox in the back helps perfect weight distribution. Weight control, power and gear changes in a fraction of a second propel it the 2012 Lexus LFA from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.7 seconds and to a top speed of 202 mph. Racing-grade components don't stop in the engine bay, with aluminum suspension bits, hollow antiroll bars, carbon ceramic brake rotors, forged aluminum BBS wheels, fat Bridgestones, and an active rear wing. Even the flat-bottom steering wheel uses carbon fiber to aid weight and balance.

2012 Lexus LFA

The 2011 Lexus LFA cabin offers reasonable room and there's a smidgeon of luggage space. An LCD dash conveys engine and car data, offers various configurations and changes color as you pass redline to encourage an upshift (which it does automatically 200 rpm later). Pedals are floorhinged aluminum; reverse is a button on the dash. It's not about Lexus silent luxury here, but there is a touch-controller much like that in the RX crossover.

2012 Lexus LFA

2011 Lexus LFA will be built to order, with thousands of permutations among paint, leather, brake caliper and wheel colors; navigation, Mark Levinson sound system and Enform/Safety Connect telematics are by choice. If that isn't enough, Lexus announced a Nurburgring package. The LFA was developed there. Each of the 50 cars with the Nurburgring package will have an additional 10 horsepower, a faster-shifting gearbox, a firmer suspension, exclusive black mesh wheels fitted with stickier tires, a larger front spoiler and a fixed rear wing. Changes like this typically equate to lower lap times, not straight-line speed.

2012 Lexus LFA  Interior

The Nurburgring LFA will come in just four colors, including $20,000 matte black that looks as dull as a stealth fighter, with carbon fiber console and door panels. It adds special privileges such as lodging, driving instruction, and an annual pass at the Nurburgring itself. Finally, it comes with a jacket to ensure you aren't mistaken for Ferrari tifosi since the Ferrari 599 is the LFA's logical competitor.

The name 2011 Lotus Evora has long been synonymous with innovation and speed, both on the world’s race tracks and also on public roads. Founded by legendary engineer Colin Chapman in the 1950s, the marque enjoyed great track success in the 1960s and 1970s when drivers such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti all took the Formula OneWorld Championship behind the wheel of a Lotus.

2011 Lotus Evora

Lotus is still at the forefront of car design and performance and helping it remain there is NGK Spark Plugs which is aiding the vehicle manufacturer to achieve leadership on the road by supplying spark plugs for the head-turning new 2011 Lotus Evora S supercar. NGK is an original equipment supplier to the vehicle manufacturer with its unique ILFR7B-8 Iridium platinum tipped long-reach spark plugs. 2011 Lotus Evora S is powered by a 3.5-litre DOHC V6 VVT-I supercharged Toyota engine which delivers 345bhp at 7000rpm (350PS). It has a breath-taking 0-60mph figure of just 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 172mph.

2011 Lotus Evora

Winning the contract for the lightweight £60,000-plus car, which has an aluminium chassis, represents a major achievement for NGK, which has a long track record of supplying OE parts to the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers. Brian Childs, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd’s Deputy Managing Director, said: “The fact that we were chosen to supply these unique spark plugs by Lotus for the supercharged Toyota engine above other spark plug manufacturers represents a major success for ourselves.

“In 1976, we had our first OE contract for the Lotus Esprit and so this contract continues this long relationship between the two companies. Lotus is respected for its engineering skills and this is another example of the OE successes we have enjoyed over the years with the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers.”

2011 Lotus Evora

Lotus started with an all-new extruded aluminum chassis for the Evora that is bonded, rather than welded or bolted together. The result (like the Elise/Exige) is an exceptionally light and rigid chassis. But according to Lotus, the 2011 Lotus Evora structure is 60 percent more rigid than the Elise. This improved chassis stiffness allowed engineers to bolt on a more compliant suspension without compromising cornering prowess. The seat-of-the-pants feel of the Elise has been dialed back considerably, but the vehicle still communicates better than almost any non-Lotus sports car.

2011 Lotus Evora Hybrid

Mounted just behind the rear bulkhead is a transversely mounted 3.5-liter V6 engine that is based on the Toyota Camry power plant. In order to squeeze this engine into such a small space, Lotus engineers rotated the V6 almost 30 degrees rearward. With some components developed by Lotus (ECU, intake, exhaust), output is increased slightly to 276 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual is currently the only transmission available, but a paddle-shift automatic is expected by the next model year. Lotus claims a 4.9-second 0-60-mph time, a top speed of 162 mph and a skid-pad number approaching 1.0g. We were unable to run this Evora through our usual instrumented test regimen, but we're inclined to believe the company's numbers from our seat-of-the-pants impressions. Fuel economy is also impressive, estimated at more than 30 mpg on the highway a figure unheard of for an exotic car with such performance.


Daytime Running Lights Dual front seat adjustment -inc: recline, Magnesium flat-bottomed leatherwrapped
steering wheel, Instrumentation -inc: high definition LCD message panel, Illuminated knobs & switches
w/aluminum trim, Remote release glovebox, Integrated cup holders, Door storage bins, 12V pwr outlets -inc:  interior, Leather-trimmed shift knob & handbrake sleeve, 18" front wheels, 19" rear wheels, P225/40ZR18 front performance tires, P225/35ZR19 rear performance tires, Side scoops, Sculpted roof, Front air dam, Aerodynamic rear diffuser, Aerodynamic rear spoiler, Bi-xenon headlights w/headlight washing system, LED taillights, Solar glass windows, Intermittent windshield wiper, Lotus Evora chrome ornamentation, Chrome-colored door handles, Bosch electronic differential lock, Forged aluminum double wishbone suspension w/integral joint, Front & rear stabilizer bars, Front & rear Eibach coaxial coil springs, Hydraulic-assist pwr steering, 4-wheel vented disc brakes, AP racing 4-piston calipers, Dual polished exhaust, Side impact safety structure, Front outboard 3-point seat belts, Front & rear seat belt harness anti-roll bars.

Rear central high-mount stop light12V pwr outlets -inc:  interior  trunk-mounted, Door storage bins, Illuminated knobs & switches w/aluminum trim,Integrated cup holders, Leather-trimmed shift knob & handbrake sleeve, Magnesium flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel, Remote release glovebox,18" front wheels,19" rear wheels, Aerodynamic rear diffuser, Aerodynamic rear spoiler, Bi-xenon headlights w/headlight washing system, Chrome-colored door handles,Front air dam,Intermittent windshield wiper,LED taillights, Lotus Evora chrome ornamentation, P225/35ZR19 rear performance tires, P225/40ZR18 front performance tires, Sculpted roof,Side scoops, Solar glass windows, Front & rear seat belt harness anti-roll bars, Front outboard 3-point seat belts, Rear central high-mount stop light, Side impact safety structure.

Interesting article about Kazutaka Miyatake. Line work master!




















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