Mazda's New i-Stop Here
Coming to that dreaded stop at the red traffic lights can be a flustering experience for most. If the truth be told, and you’re anything like me, then you’ll never enjoy the red light experience, which is an invisible hand that reaches out and says, “No, no further,” for what seems like an indefinite time period. It’s worst when you have to come to a halt in the night when there are few cars on the road and you end up waiting for at least a minute as you count zero cars crossing the T-intersection in front of you. Just as well, then, that in the bid for making cars ever-more fuel efficient, there are systems like start/stop in a number of new cars which cut out the engine while you sit fuming at the time it takes you to wait for the red light to turn green again. You personally are fuming – your car isn’t. Mazda has a new type of system that fires the engine back up again a lot quicker and smoother than the conventional start/stop systems found in other autos.
It seems that car manufacturers are turning the heat back on fuel efficiency for being the main priority for selling cars. It’s little wonder, as we see fuel prices continue to increase. Stop/start or idle stop systems are becoming more common in cars. They activate when a car comes to a halt, shutting down the engine and quickly restarting the engine again when the brake is released. This saves the driver on fuel and is better on the environment… two great reasons why we should want something like this type of technology in our cars.
Baby Cayenne to launch at LA Autoshow
Spy shots of Porsche’s latest model, the Macan have hit the Internet, wetting the appetite of those in the market for a Mid-sized luxury SUV.
The baby brother of the ever popular Cayenne is set to take on the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Range Rover’s Evoque.
Your new car is a better driver than you
Sit back and think, the average person owns a car for 5 years (give or take), now think of what technology you used 5 years ago.
iPhone? it was emerging as the must have gadget.
However If you went to a electronics store and asked for a tablet the sales person would speak slowly to you while ushering you towards the nearest chemist.
Back in 2009 , if some one told you they had an Android you’d look at them like they were some kind of crazy person who had watched too many sci-fi movies.
As with phones and mobile devices, user integration is an inevitable evolution of the motor car, in addition to having information at our disposal at all times. The downside is (if you can call it a downside), information is ever changing not just the content itself but its format too. 5 years ago upgrading the tech in your car meant replacing the radio, in the future it may just mean connecting your car to the Internet and downloading the latest upgrade.
How To Really Piss Off Other Drivers
I recently read a post on Facebook that read “Pleasing everybody is impossible but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake.” Now, most of us try to be good drivers and to keep everybody else on the road happy – especially that white Holden with a few extra antennae and lights that you strongly suspect to be an unmarked cop car. Plenty has been written about good driving etiquette and how to be a nice courteous driver. But instead of inflicting yet another one of these on you, let’s work out how to really annoy other drivers.
When deciding on the best methods to induce road rage in others, remember the old safety first rule. You don’t want to drive on the wrong side of the road or play chicken with a B-train. Randomly rear-ending people in traffic is also out – no point denting the emblem sitting proudly on the nose of your new Audi, after all. And remember to keep your door closed when some red-faced person with swinging fists comes up to your car.
Level 2, 9 Help Street