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Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Honda CR-Z Hybrid Breaks New Ground

The Ground Breaking Honda CR-X Is Soon To Be Released In Australia

Honda in the late 1980′s created a hot little hatchback that was similar to a four wheeled motorcycle and they called it the CR-X. It was a very popular sporty car that had a 1600cc VTEC engine that began screaming at you around 9000 rpm. The only thing people had against this sporty 3 door hatch, that was loosely based on a Civic, was the fact that it was very expensive for that time.

A design sketch of the Honda CR-Z hybrid car

Honda CR-Z looks like a more expensive sports coupe

In 2007 Honda proudly showed a concept car at the Toyota Motor Show that stunned the industry and the motoring public. This concept car has been toned down slightly and is now being produced as the CR-Z. It is a sporty hybrid that resembles the CR-X body shape and styling but there the similarity ends.

The CR-Z has a 1500 cc single overhead cam petrol driven engine that is linked to a 10kW electric motor that has a combined power output of 91kW and 174Nm. The transmission is a six speed manual gearbox that propels this dart shaped pocket rocket to 100km/h in just 9.8 seconds. The constantly variable transmission in the Honda Insight may well be available in the CR-Z next year.

Honda cr-z hybrid interior

The sleek interior of the Honda CR-Z hybrid

This 1500 cc engine in the CR-Z achieves petrol savings by utilising a valve shut-down system at low revs and the six speed transmission, a first in hybrid vehicles, with the assistance of the electric motor during stop/start further assists the fuel savings. Honda are pushing the “green” envelope by creating an almost competitive, game like driver education system that rewards drivers for economical driving and penalises for wasting fuel.

This eco-assist function challenges the driver to use less fuel. A dashboard display resembling a tree will grow leaves and flourish with consistently good driving while poor driving habits will cause leaves to wither and fall from the tree. On my test drive I was able to achieve fuel consumption figures of 5.0 litres/100km but was told back at the dealership that I had a lead foot.

There are three driving modes available by selecting a push button on an instrument pod on the left hand side of the sporty steering wheel. You can choose economy, normal or sporty and while I did try the others I fould that sporty gave me everything that I required in this great little car.

Honda CR-Z latest dashboard layout

Honda CR-Z latest dashboard layout

I found it a lot of fun to drive particularly when I had the engine in the upper rev range with the aid of the manual gearbox. Some of the fun aspects may be removed when the constantly variable transmission is introduced. I particularly loved the exhaust note from this remarkable engine and I could easily imagine that I was driving a much more expensive and more powerful machine.

Many people compare this vehicle to the Mini Cooper or the Alfa Mito and the CR-Z chasis is similar to the rigid chassis of the Civic type R. The overall weight of the CR-Z is 1140kg and this light weight certainly helps the handling and performance. Inovative use of aluminium in the front suspension has helped in keeping the weight of this vehicle down.

The distinctive looks and the sporty tone of this vehicle turn heads. The rear has similar looks to the CR-X, like it was chopped off as an afterthought. The interior is crisp, modern but functional and while the CR-Z is promoted as a 2 + 2 I certainly would not be able to get in the back but the additional space was useful to me for storage and getting my golf clubs into as well as all the shopping that my wife insisted on collecting while we test drove this vehicle.

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Thursday, May 13th, 2010

What You Need To Know About Government Car Auctions

Motoring Tips Guide to Government Car Auctions

 

When people decide to purchase a new vehicle which is affordable, they might not think of government car auctions, and they are missing out on an opportunity. The fact is government auctions offer a whole variety of items for sale and these not include cars but trucks, SUVs’, boats and other items, the prices that these items sell for can be quite low.

Where Do Government Car Auctions Get Their Vehicles?

Each and every month, there are car owners who are unable to make their car payments on time and thus their vehicles are repossessed by various financial institutions and end up at government car auctions.  This would also include vehicles which are seized as part of a tax settlement.

Interested in recent model of any car? Well government car auctions can have cars that you can bid which are only a year or two old. These cars can be in excellent shape and doesn’t need any major repairs and you could end up getting the car without paying a hefty price for it.

Vehicles that end up in government car auctions can also be due to government contract to purchase the vehicles to be used for various events.  Some of the cars would eventually end up unused so old police cars and other types of government vehicles are often replaced from time to time so rather than let the surplus vehicles go to waste, it is shipped of to government car auctions.

How Do You Find Government Car Auctions?

There are a few different ways that you can find auctions that you can take part in. Government car auctions can be advertised in local media as well as online. There are websites that you can visit that allow you to research different government car auctions that are taking place in your area.

If you sign up for an online government car auction site, you can use its huge database of car auctions listings happening around the country to search for what you want. Some of the better sites let you search by the make and model of the car and even other conveniences at your fingertips. Keep in mind that the image that you see on the website might look a bit different when you actually attend the auction.
Who Is Qualified To Bid In Government Car Auctions?

The good thing about public government car auctions is anyone who has a driver’s license can bid. Just make sure you have enough cash to pay for the car after you’ve won the bid and all should go well. The only concern you need to have is if the particular car auction is in another country, then you may have some additional paperwork to fill in afterwards. Some of the bidders that usually attend the auctions are car dealers looking for good bargains to stock up their inventory.

Government car auctions can be a great new experience for you when you want to purchase a new car that is cheap. By knowing your budget and not overbidding more than you can afford, you can be glad and walk away with something that you’ll like for years to come.


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