CAR REPAIRE

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Late night embargo breach: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu

Don’t know what the hell’s going on today but here’s another broken embargo. We solemnly swear that we had nothing to do with the Chevrolet Malibu breach. Don’t believe us? Take a peek-a-boo at Edmunds Insideline, that’s where we got the pics.

Design-wise, apart from Avalanche, Tahoe etc. inspired front end, cant’ say that I ‘m in to it as Chevy designers seem to have borrowed (unsuccessfully if you ask me) styling cues from here and there –eg. the VW Jetta rear window line and the Infiniti G35 tail lamps. The interior on the other hand is simple but nicely conceived.

Based on GM’s Epsilon platform that's used among others, on the Saturn Aura, Opel Vectra and Saab 9-3, Chevy’s "wanna beat the damn Camry" mid-sized sedan will be offered initially with two engines, a base 2.4 litre 4cylinder Ecotec pumping out 164Hp and a 252Hp strong 3.6 V6. We'll have more on the Malibu when GM decides to dis-embargo it officially… Via: Edmunds Insideline

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Detroit Show: Chrysler Nassau Concept unofficially unleashed

Let’s get straight to the point on this one. Chrysler’s Detroit concept is a luxury sports sedan based on the 300 platform that could be described as 4door-shooting brake (or break if you preffer). Then again, if you’ve been to Europe you could say its an American version of the Opel Signum.

Anyway, although being nearly 5 metres (196,1”) long, the Nassau actually looks quite compact in the pics. In the interior, Chrysler’s new concept treats its passengers with anatomic bucket seats and as MOPAR boyz put it, “cell phone, computer, iPod and MP3 player” inspired designed elements.

Apart from sharing its platform with the Chrysler 300, the Nassau also gets the 300C SRT-8’s 6.1L HEMI V8 producing 425 Hp. Unfortunately, it also shares the same 5speed Auto transmission –how about a manual guys?. According to Chrysler, the Nassau can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5,0 seconds reaching a top speed of 165 mph.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Weight and Dimensions
Weight - 4500 lbs (est)
Length - 196.1" (4981 mm)
Wheelbase - 120" (3050 mm)
Front overhang - 37" (940mm)
Rear overhang - 39" (991 mm)
Width - 74.2" (1885 mm)
Height - 58.9" (1496 mm)
Track - front/rear 63.8"/65.5"
Turn circle - 38.7 ft (11.8m)
Couple - 35.5" (755 mm)

Powertrain and suspension
Engine 6.1L HEMI, 425 hp @ 6200 rpm,
420 ft. lb @ 4800 rpm
Drivetrain RWD, A580 5-speed automatic
Suspension Front/SLA, Rear/5-Link Independent

Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph - 5 seconds
Standing 1/4 Mile - 13.5 seconds
Top speed - 165 mph
Range - 380 miles

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Detroit Embargo Over: Jeep Trailhawk Concept out in the open

Nope, I’m not going to start all over again with this stupid “you broke it, so we break it” embargo game. Besides giving manufactures a well deserved lesson, I’m getting the feeling that a few professional sites/blogs are at it to promote themselves… We’ve already posted an article on the embargo game this morning, so if you feel the urge to see what happened, click here.

Now, about the Jeep Trailhawk Concept pics that “leaked” on the net. Following the quirky Compass, Jeep’s design team has came up with yet another scrambled-egg looking SUV, which we “secretly” hope won’t find its way into production. Underneath its weird body we find a Deutsch thoroughbred, the Mercedes 3.0L Bluetec diesel engine developing 215 hp and 376 ft-lbs. of torque.

Things to look out for? The three piece glass roof panel (two up front, one large at the rear) which give the four passengers an open top feeling and of course, the all American cupholders on the… trunk. Gee, I wonder where else they’re going of think of putting them. Maybe on the engine bay to keep a cup of coffee warm?

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Pic of the Day: Scaredy cat…

Ha, ha, ha! This must be one of the funniest and straight to the point ads I’ve ever seen! via: Motorpasion

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Official: 2008 Nissan Rogue – Could it be the new Nissan X-Trail?

Nissan’s brand new CUV/SUV/Crossover –yeah, its one of those cars that doesn’t know where it belongs, will make its world debut at the Detroit show in January with sales starting in the

shortly after. And yes, when we first saw it, we didn’t scream mini-Murano but Hyundai Santa-Fe…

The Nissan Wolverine –ehh sorry, I mean Rogue, will compete against the likes of Toyota’s RAV and Honda’s CR-V. It will be available in two versions, Rogue S and Rogue SL, each fitted with a standard 170Hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and Nissan's Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). An all-new all-wheel drive system with yaw moment control is also available on both S and SL models.

2008 X-Trail? Below, we added a small chart containing a width and wheelbase comparison between the new Rogue, the Jap/Euro X-Trail and the Qashqai. Comes out that the Rogue, which like the Qashqai is heavily based on Nissan-Renault’s new C-Segment platform (the Nissan Sentra uses it and so will the next Renault Megane) is quite larger than the X-Trail. I’d be more than willing to place a bet that the next generation X-Trail which will be presented at next years Geneva show, if not the same model, it will be heavily based on the Rogue.