Carguide Blog

What Car? magazine has awarded the Jaguar XF the title of Best Executive Car 2010. Who is “What Car?” magazine? Who knows, I’ve never heard of it. Well, actually, it is a British car magazine, and it claims itself to be the biggest and best car buyer’s guide. There goes those arrogant Brits, again. Anyway, it considers the Jaguar XF a grand accolade in itself, and giving  the Jaguar XF the award  three times in a row.

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Toyota introduced the boldly redesigned 2011 Avalon today at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, with a restyled interior rich with premium touch points and practical new technologies. And don’t worry, this 2011 model is not on the recall list (crossing fingers). The new Avalon has dynamic and expressive lines, and an infusion of comfort, safety and technology advancements for the daily drivers. In this new bold and aggressive look, a wider, more substantial grille ties into state-of-the-art projector headlamps with a broad, front hood to suggest a lowered center of gravity and emphasize the Avalon’s wide stance along with new 10-spoke 17-inch wheels.

New redesigned equipment and technology features, such as a touch-screen navigation system with real-time traffic, and Bluetooth hands-free phone capability with music streaming to the audio system are among the improvements that enhance the 2011 Avalon’s excellent blend of spaciousness, comfort and technology for your daily commute or just cruising to your vacation destination.

The 2011 Avalon will be available in two trims in the spring of 2010, Avalon and Limited.  Both trims will be equipped with standard equipment like eight-way leather-trimmed power driver’s seats, back-up camera, dual zone automatic climate control with air filtration, moonroof and 17-inch alloy wheels.  But the Limited trim will have an eight-way passenger’s seat with lumbar support, driver’s seat cushion extension, rain-sensing wipers, Smart Key and cooled leather seats.  Additional upgrade equipment such as a JBL Synthesis sound system and heated front seats are also available, while Navigation is optional for both trims.

In the powertrain department, the 2011 Avalon is powered by a 24-valve, dual-overhead cam 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 268 horsepower at 6,200 rpm.  The engine is also equipped with the latest dual VVT-i electronic valve-control mechanism to provide a broader powerband, while maintaining less fuel consumption and generating lesser emissions.  The engine is shifted through a multi-mode six-speed automatic transmission.

There are seven airbags in teh Toyota Avalon, including a front knee bag for the driver, and front side curtain airbags for both rows, are also standard. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, and TRAC traction control system are standard equipment as well.  TRAC and VSC functions can be disengaged if the driver needs to free the vehicle if stuck in mud or snow.

The redesigned 2011 Avalon will be arriving at a Toyota dealer near you by spring 2010. Pricing is not yet available but expected to be released a few months before its release date.

Mazda started sales of the new Mazda Altenza (aka Mazda 6) in the Japanese market. It is available in three body styles with the sedan, hatchback, and wagon. The new Mazda 6 got a facelift with new sportier and aggressive design. The front fascia features the five-point grille with strong lines that flow from the grille to the A-pillars, and contours that extend from the bottom of the lower grille horizontally along the foglight bezels.

The 2.0-liter engine will be available on Atenza models in both the Sedan and Sport Wagon body types, which has been updated with Mazda’s direct injection MZR 2.0L DISI gasoline engine.Improvements to driving performance include updated power steering and suspension settings that have resulted in better handling and straight-line stability at high speeds, with newly optimized front and rear suspension to give a premium quality ride and enhanced comfort.

Prices are ranging from $23,000 for the Sedan and up to $30,000 for the Sport Wagon models. See the review video below of the 2010 Mazda 6. What do you think?

Hyundai introduced the all-new 2011 Sonata at the Los Angeles Auto Show just a few days ago. This is the latest version of the popular midsize sedan for North American with Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language and an all four-cylinder engine lineup to the U.S. market.  Production begins at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in December with retail sales beginning in January.

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Ford has been coming out on top lately this year with a bunch of awards such as Popular Mechanics and Truck of Texas.  Now the Ford Fusion is taken first place in the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.  The Fusion bested out 23 contenders which included the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class to win this prestigious award.

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The hybrid trend is the car guide of the future for the Infinity M35 Hybrid.  Hopefully the hybrid trend will be the transitional period which will bring the electrical car era into a reality in this century.  The need for dinosaur fuel will be out; it is expected 50 years from now that the world will be depleted of fossil fuel.  Every company now has some type of a green car available for the market.  Lexus already has the LS 460 hybrid, now Infinity will have one also for the sedan category.

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