Archive for September, 2014
Calm the Farm: Avoiding Road Rage
Road rage is hardly a new phenomenon. Losing one’s temper and exploding at some dimwit who has got in the way of your means of transport doesn’t just pre-date the horseless carriage – it predates the steam engine, sprung suspension and four-wheeled forms of transport. Yep, back when horse- and ox-drawn carts had only two wheels and rivers were the best form of rapid transport, they had road rage. Or, more accurately, river rage. There is an Egyptian tomb painting showing two boatmen having a scrap, presumably after one has cut the other off or rammed the other. Archaeologists translated the hieroglyphics in speech bubbles and found that one of the boatmen is yelling “Take that, you f***er!” at the other.
OK, so it’s human nature to get annoyed when somebody just about takes you out because they were not looking when they were going. However, the authorities these days take a stricter view of having a transport-related punch-up compared to the ancient Egyptians, so how do you avoid road rage?
- Get a decent night’s sleep. This way, you won’t be as irritable and you’re also less likely to make mistakes that annoy other people.
- Plan ahead and allow plenty of time. If you do everything in a rush at the last minute, little things that slow you down or cause delays are going to get on your wick even more. What’s more, being late and in a rush gets your adrenaline going – the “fight or flight” chemical. You’re practically priming yourself for aggro. So allow extra time for your journey and don’t stress yourself out.
- Everybody has the same road rights, whether they drive a big-engined HSV Senator or a frugal little Suzuki Swift. However, cars have different limitations. OK, so that old clunker hasn’t whipped into a gap in the traffic at the intersection that you would have taken. This is possibly because said old clunker doesn’t have the quick acceleration of your car and the driver knows it. So don’t honk your horn. If you were going up a flight of stairs somewhere public and you were held up by an elderly person going a bit slow, you probably wouldn’t yell at Grandpa/Grandma for not going any faster. Have the same sort of consideration behind the wheel.
- Remember that L-plates and even P-plates mean “young and inexperienced driver who is likely to stuff things up, take things slow or do something unexpected”. You’re the adult, so act like one.
- Be a courteous driver. If you avoid sudden lane changes, tailgating or cutting people off, you’re less likely to tick other drivers off and get yourself on the receiving end of road rage. Look both ways before turning out of an exit before you move not while you move. And, for goodness’ sake, don’t text and drive! It’s illegal for one thing and it does make you less aware of what other drivers are doing. Even if you do have blind spot sensors, crash avoidance systems and all the other safety features that you get on the latest models.
- If someone does come storming up to your car swearing blue streak and waving fists around, apologise and admit you were wrong if you were wrong. Female drivers have the non-PC but effective option of getting tearful when menaced by an angry male driver. Forgive me, women’s rights campaigners, but this one did work for me once. Stay in your car and don’t rise to any provocation.
- Give the other driver the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps that driver who seems to be up your exhaust pipe or who cut you off in a huge hurry is a doctor who’s had an emergency callout or is a parent who’s got a call from the school to say that their child is badly hurt. Perhaps the person who’s weaving all over the place has a wasp in the car. Perhaps the person who is going slower than the speed limit is from out of town and doesn’t have a navigation system, and is trying to read the road signs; or perhaps they’re taking something sloppy and sticky to a potluck dinner and don’t want to spill it by fast acceleration, cornering and braking.
Happy driving,
Megan
Lamborghini Huracán Ready To Storm Australian East Coast.
One of the world’s newest supercars is getting ready to storm into Australia’s east coast showrooms with the impending launch of the Lamborghini Huracán 610-4. Heading to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, potentially in September (exact dates unconfirmed at time of writing) the 448kW/560Nm 5.2L V10 engined brute features a seven speed transmission, a carbon fibre/aluminuim chassis and rolls on elegant 20 inch diameter, ten spoke, alloys, clad in 245/30 front and massive 305/30 rear Pirelli tyres, specifically and specially designed and engineered for the 325 km/h beast. The name comes from the horsepower figure, 610, and all four corners providing drive. Peak power is seen at a stratospheric 8250 revs and torque at 6500rpm.
Central to the Lamborghini Huracán’s imposing look is the wedge design, with the height almost exactly half of the car’s width. It’s 2236mm in overall width, stands just 1165mm tall and is a lithe 4459mm in length. It’s a compact wheelbase at 2620mm and has a broad track at the front, at 1668mm whilst the rear, thanks to the huge rubber, is just 1620mm. All up weight is a sneeze over 1420 kg, allowing a horsepower to weight ratio of just 2.33 kilos per pony. Sipping an average of just 12.5L of fuel per 100 kilometres from the 80 litre tank, the Huracán will power to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds on its way to 200 klicks in 9.9 seconds. It’s also Euro6 emissions compliant at 290 grams CO2 per km, with the engine breathing out through four catalytic converters and powers all four paws via a 7-speed LDF dual-clutch transmission, with a slightly uneven weight balance of 42% front to 58% rear. The electrically assisted steering (optionable for Lamborghini Dynamic Steering for a more racing like feel) helps the Huracán turn in 11.2 metres. The two seater interior has body snuggling seats, with the driver facing a digital dashboard and stitched leather console. Externally, the good looks continue with a clear panel showing off the powerplant nestled behind the passenger cell.
The Huracán takes over from the mega successful Gallardo, with 14022 units produced over a decade and covers half of all Lamborghinis sold since the company was founded in 1963. In keeping with the famous tradition, the Huracán draws upon bullfighting, in this instance, going back to 1879 and a bull of the Spanish Conte de la Patilla breeding.
Sebastien Henry, head of Lamborghini Automobilia for the South East Asian and Pacific regions, said ahead of the Australian launch: “”We are very proud to officially launch the new Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 here in Australia. Automobili Lamborghini continues to set new benchmarks in the luxury super sports car industry with its pure and cutting edge technology, and we expect the Huracán to be well received in this country.” Perth, in Western Australia, already has a showroom. Australians, being a tech savvy lot, will appreciate the all LED lighting externally, a first for a supercar and the design feature of a single line, in silhouette, from the windscreen over the passenger cell to the rear, passing the side mounted engine air intakes. Apart from hi-tech chassis, buyers will also get a bonded aluminuim and composite structure, carbon ceramic brakes discs with a pizza platter sized 380mm disc at the front and 356mm at the rear.
Pricewise, Lamborghini offers to lighten your wallet to the tune of $428,000 plus on roads and government charges, with three years warranty and unlimited kilometres attached to a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty. Orders are and will be taken via all four showrooms when they open on the east coast. For more information head across to www.lamborghini.com.
This Is Not A Dinky Toy
There’s been a bit of trend towards downsizing for a lot of folks, especially given petrol prices, concerns about peak oil and attempts to reduce carbon footprints. Small cars are no longer the preserve of little old ladies but are often the choice of the smart commuter, with hatchbacks being seen as fun, zippy and classy. However, how small is too small?
It’s not a stupid question, as an American designer has come up with an extremely small commuter vehicle known as the Elio. It’s an attempt to keep the prices down, both of buying a car and of running a car. And, given the diminutive size of the vehicle, it’s probably going to keep the cost of parking down, too.
So what has the Elio got to offer (or, more correctly, what will it have to offer)? For a start off, it’s got a price tag to match its size, with the estimated starting price of US$6,800 for a new car. Not bad value, really, but what do you get for the money? It has a teeny weeny engine (0.9 L) with single overhead cams and three cylinders. Presumably that is one cylinder for each wheel, as this is going to be a three-wheeled vehicle. The maximum power is 55 kW so it’s not exactly going to be a heavy-duty workhorse, but that’s not what the designers had in mind. It’s supposed to be thrifty and thrifty it is: it has a fuel economy figure of 84 mpg (about 3 L/100 km) on the open road and 49 mpg (4.8 L/100 km) around town.
The Elio is going to be a three-wheeled vehicle and although it can seat two passengers, they’re sitting one behind the other, if the pics of the vehicle are anything to go by. Each of them will have an airbag, and the body style does have a reinforced roll cage for protection. Good to know, as this vehicle is knee-high to most other vehicles. Because of its three wheel designs, it’s also technically a motorbike, according to US law, which probably affects the licence you need to drive one.
Yes, you can fit something into the boot.
The Elio isn’t in production quite yet. Right now, orders are being taken and the maker is proposing to manufacture the Elio in an ex-MG plant in Louisiana.
Call me cynical, but I won’t be signing up for my Elio just yet, even if I was interested in importing one Down Under (which I’m not, as I’ve got teenagers to cart about the place). You see, this isn’t the first time that a three-wheeled car with amazing fuel economy has been trumpeted around and orders taken ahead of actual production. It happened about 40 years ago with the Dale (see my earlier post on the Dale Debacle). Now, it could well be that the makers of the Elio are above board and are genuinely trying to come up with a solution to the issues of congestion and pollution. The Elio could be something along the same lines as the Smart or, looking further back in history, the Ford Model T in the US or the VW Beetle in Germany. And good on them if this is the case. But personally, I’d like to see a bit more of the Elio in action, and not just on the manufacturer’s website. (OK, OK, I am cynical!)
However, you never know. It could prove to be a big hit and it might even make it over here. Maybe. Have a look at the official Elio website and see what you think.
This should give you an idea of the size of the Elio.
Level 2, 9 Help Street