Stereotypes: The Boy Racer Car
Usually Seen: Late on Friday and Saturday nights, either on long straight stretches near urban areas but not quite in them or near traffic lights. They tend to vanish when cops are spotted on the horizon, leaving unpleasant oil slicks and tyre tracks.
Typical Examples: Mazda RX-something, Toyota Levin, Nissan Skyline, Subaru WRX .
Private Fleet Car Review and Driver Education: 2016 Hyundai Sonata at Drive To Survive
Turbo technology has come a long way for passenger cars since SAAB popularised them back in the 1970s. Once fraught with danger, either by revving too high or having fragile components explode, they’re now safe, reliable, more fuel efficient and make driving safer and easier.
However, there’s still a stigma attached to turbo charged engined cars, to the point that governments in Australia ban drivers of certain ages from driving them. Ian Luff, owner of Sydney based Drive To Survive, appears to not entirely agree. Drive To Survive promotes driver training and promotes safety but not merely through buckling up.
A Wheel Thing undertook a day’s further education in Drive to Survive’s Performance Driving course and took Hyundai’s new Sonata Premium (with a turbo engine) along for the ride.
Private Fleet Car Review: Audi S1 Quattro Sportback.
Sports cars are, generally, thought of as having a front mounted engine, driving the rear wheels and no roof. That’s certainly not untrue, however, there’s plenty that offer the same ability and experience with different drivetrains and a different look.
A Wheel Thing looks at an all wheel drive sports car with a roof, the Audi S1 Quattro Sportback.
Powersource.
It’s a lusty 2.0L turbo, pumping out 170 kW and an impressive 370 Newton metres of torque. Combined with a six speed manual and pushing power to all four corners and a selectable drive system which adjusts engine tuning and suspension, it’ll sprint to 100 kmh in a tick under six seconds and top out at an electronically limited 250 kmh.
Power comes in at a peaky 6000 rpm but the engine’s party piece is the linear delivery of that monstrous torque: it’s mesa flat from 1600 to 3000 revs, allowing scintillating acceleration under way and back bending launches off the line, with a short throw gear selector providing rapid punching through the six forward ratios.
Wheels For The Disabled: Automobility.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning. No, it’s not open your eyes, fart, or have a scratch. You got out of bed. Unassisted. Unaided. Unsupported.
Give that some thought for a moment….sure, there may be some aches, some pains, some popping of joints, but you got out of bed all by yourself. Imagine, then, how that simple and unconscious movement for us must be for those that have no leg movement, no body movement or no control over their limbs. Effectively, the only mode of transport is a wheelchair. But what happens when you need or want to go further? That’s where Automobility steps up.
Level 2, 9 Help Street