Ferrari V12 Engine

Ferrari V12 Engine Assembly. From start to finish, one technician is responsible forthe assembly. . . . . . . .

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/27/ferrari-v12-engine-3/

2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake Review – Cars.com

this is the 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake a wagon version of Jags midsize luxurysedan now other luxury brands like Audi andBMW have been running for the exits in this class in recent years as they’vedropped wagons from their lineups and that got us thinking what is this cardoing in America right now of all times does it offer something different thatthose now gone luxury models didn’t that might get shoppers to reconsider one ofthese over an SUV let’s find out if you hang around car enthusiasts long enoughyou soon learn that many have an affinity for wagons preferably with amanual transmission and a diesel engine or in other words the automotiveequivalent of a needle in a haystack the XF Sportbrake doesn’t offer a dieselengine but it does have something for the enthusiast driver with itssupercharged v6 engine which offers effortless acceleration unfortunatelythe engine works with an 8-speed automatic transmission that’suncooperative when you want to get the most from that v6 is power full throttlekick downs are a drawn-out affair as the transmission is in no hurry to downshift to a lower gear the XF Sportbrake stays flat and planted in corners butnumb steering feels a downer you can tell Jaguar wants this wagon toappeal to driving enthusiasts but all-in-all I don’t think there’s enoughhere for them the XF sedan starts at a little less than $50,000 but to get thesport brake body style you have to spend considerably more like around $22,000more add in optional features and it gets even more expensive the as-testedprice of this sport break s is around $85,000 that kind of pricing puts thesport brakes squarely in competition with luxury models from Audi BMW andmercedes-benz but compared with the German offerings the sport brakes cabinlooks decidedly mainstream both in its overall design and in the type ofmaterials used you only have to look as far as the delightfully luxurious cabinof the Mercedes e-class to see all that you’re missing here the XF Sportbrake ismore successful however when it comes to carrying passengers and cargo front seatcomfort is good and the side bolsters keep you firmly in place in fast cornersand the back seat is big enough to comfortably carry it out passengers -if you need more space than the 31 point 7 cubic foot cargo area offers the backseat folds flat with the cargo floor for a total of 69 point 7 cubic feet it’s auseful obstruction free space the only thing compromising its utility somewhatis the shorter opening because the cars raked roofline the SUV has replaced thewagon as America’s family vehicle but wagons still have that utilitarianfamily hauler image even though they’re now nothing like the ones of years pastthe XF Sportbrake drives the point home it’s stylish and sporty with the samelow slung stance as its sedan counterpart and has anintimidating-looking front end with gaping grilles finished in Firenze –redpaint piano black accents and black wheels it turns heads it wasn’t thatlong ago when Jaguar exclusively sold cars but the British brand has jumpedinto SUVs in recent years first with the mid-size F pace model and more recentlywith the compact e pace with the popularity of SUV soaring the move makesa lot of sense but we still don’t know what this thing is doing stateside eventhough its silhouette closely resembles the F pace it’s low ride height is thecritical difference in the thing that will prevent it from ever being morethan a niche model in the USyou

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/26/2018-jaguar-xf-sportbrake-review-cars-com-3/

2018 Volkswagen Golf Review – Cars.com

full disclosure I’ve been an auto journalist for 15 years and theVolkswagen Golf and GTI have consistently been favorites for theirblend of peppy road manners hatchback practicality and bottom lineaccessibility and it’s not just me the cars. com editors have given themplenty of awards through the years from the GTI’s 2015 cheep Speed Challengevictory to the 2018 models most fun to drive award while the Gulf hasn’tchanged much throughout the years I have I’m a mom now I have three kids and IDrive a minivan does it still hold a little piece of my heartabsolutely but more specifically is it practical enough in some way to fit intomy mom life the golf uses a turbocharged 1. 8 liter 4-cylinder that although notas spunky as the 2-liter in the GTI feels like more than enough instop-and-go driving it’s Sprint’s to life and the five-speed manual makes itextra lively the shifter has a smooth short action making it easy and fun toplow through the gears a 6-speed automatic is optional in terms of roadmanners the golf feels sporty and fun but in an accessible comfortable way itsride is firm but not harsh and it slices through city streets and highway rampswith a corner hugging agility that rivals the skateboard like moves of theMini Cooper hardtop the Gulf’s pepin agile handling combined with its directsharp steering makes it much more engaging to drive than your averagecompact economy hatchback the golf was refreshed for 2018 but it’s hard to tellthat from the outside where the changes are very subtle inside the changes aremore noticeable starting with this multimedia system the dashboard has beenrevised to make room for a new multimedia system with bigger screensbass models get this 6. 5 inch display and SC models get an 8 inch touchscreenthe 6. 5 inch screen is decent for a bass system it’s not too small and has clearbuttons and an easy menu structure on the plus side apple carplay and androidauto smartphone integration are standard on the negative side there’s nosatellite radio option in this version VW also said it upgraded the cabinmaterials this year but it feels pretty basic and in some places budget likeall this black plastic little extras like this sporty brushed chrome trim andthese comfortably bolstered seats make it stand out you do miss out on a fewthings with the base model however the higher term model gets leatherette andheated front seats in back room is decent for two passengers and when I hadtwo I was able to fit two of my three kids back here without a problem one ina booster one and a forward-facing convertible installing theforward-facing convertible was really easy thanks to these exposed latchanchors the 2018 Gulf starts at around $21,000 and the answer to my initialquestion about it fitting into my practical mom life is a big yes the Gulfdelivers the best of both worlds it’s fun to drive and engaging but it alsoeasily fits to car seats in its back seat while it wouldn’t work as my dailydriver as my second car I’d fight my husband for carp will drop off duty todrive ityou

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/26/2018-volkswagen-golf-review-cars-com-3/

2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom: First Impressions — Cars.com

whenever you see a Rolls Royce driving by even an old one it has a certainstately imposing allure to it well there’s nothing old about this theeighth generation redesign of Rolls Royces flagship sedan the Phantomrolls-royce says the eighth generation phantom rides a bespoke all-new platformthat doesn’t underpin anything else yet though it will underpin futurerolls-royce models to come now this is the regular wheelbase version of the carbelieve it or not it’s a little bit shorter than the prior generation of thePhantom but still a gigantic car as you can see there’s an extended wheelbaseversion that’s even longer lots of horizontal miss going on hereyou check out this character line he runs all the way past the fender goesstraight to the rear of the car doesn’t rise or fall really along the way as yougo there’s another line here that actually starts at the grille there’sthis sort of metal framework that kind of slinks up the side here and actuallyconnects here to the frame framework around the windshield just tons of verycool little detailing going on now as usual Rolls Royces logo here is in aweighted part of the center hub on the wheels so it actually always is uprightno matter the position of the wheel now inside the Rolls Royce has just as muchof an imposing layout as the exterior which you know figures if you’ve been inthe previous generation of the Phantom it kind of looked this way to a veryhigh shelf like dashboard routine of course tons of really really authenticexcellent materials here there’s actually hermetically sealed glass herebehind which you can have an artist customize some sort of artwork if youwant to kind of slink it around behind the clock here very cool stuffrolls-royce says everything from like feathers to porcelain has made its wayinto there in terms of what customers want to customize now birds weren’t theonly animals that gave something up for the interior of the Phantom there’ssheep’s wool carpets here the leather here comes actually from bulls at highaltitude in the Alps in the European Alps rolls-royce says that’s because upat higher altitudes there’s actually fewer pests and fewer insect bites andthat can create blemishes in the leather I’m just not surprised by any of this atall the back seat affords you a position to really see the headliner on theinside of the Phantom which rolls-royce says it has stitched LEDs into and youcan customize that to pretty much any constellation you want and they’llrecreate it into this headliner of the car anything fromBig Dipper to Cassiopeia it can be up there now we doubt you’ll win this caras part of an audience giveaway on a daytime talk show though that reallywould make it a phantom of the Oprah barring that the Phantom is going tocost you at least four hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the regularwheelbase version five hundred and thirty thousand dollars for the longwheelbase version so start saving up the Phantom is on sale nowyou

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/26/2018-rolls-royce-phantom-first-impressions-cars-com-3/

FIRST DRIVE: 2018 Subaru XV Malaysian review – RM119k-RM126k

The first-generation Subaru XV was considerably successful in the regionand it was undoubtedly the most popular model for Subaru Malaysia. In continuingthe same success story we have before you the second-generation Subaru XVIt’s currently available in two variants starting with the base 2. 0i that’spriced at RM119,000, and the range-topper 2. 0i-P, this one in bright sunshine orangeIt’s priced at RM126,000, making it a full RM9kmore expensive than the top spec HR-V. But wait a minute, is the XVa direct competitor to the HR-V? Well more so in terms of pricing then segmentbecause this car actually rides on top of a C-segment platform, which it shareswith the Impreza. Well I’ll explain the benefits of this in a minute but first Iwant to talk about how it looks. The XV is basically a jacked up version of theImpreza hatchback, sharing the same overall shape, even down to the roofrails and shark fin antenna. Now although it doesn’t look all that differentcompared to its predecessor I actually find new look to be very well executedand the proportions are just spot-on. And between the two new XVs, this is theone you should be really looking at. It gets automatic LED headlights withcornering function, stylish C-shaped LED daytime running lights, headlight washersa bolder hexagonal grille and LED combination tail lamps. This 17-inch dualtone alloy wheels is standard on both variants, but here the tyres are actuallythicker than the ones fitted to the older model. In any case it gets thisrugged plastic cladding that goes around the car and to be honest I kind of fancy thisThere’s an even higher spec variant with Subarus EyeSight safety system, butthat’s only going to come next year. One of the many things I’ve grown fond ofthe XV is just how convenient and easy it is to get in and out of the carRide height is just niceand upon getting in, things just get a whole lot better. I honestly think it’sone of the best-looking and most well-built cabin in its class. The buildquality in this thing is leaps and bounds better than the older model and isconsiderably nicer than the HR-V as well the top portion of the cabin getssmothered in high-quality soft touch plastic and it’s used all the way downto the center tunnel, even to the rear doors. However I can’t help but thinkhaven’t I seen this dashboard before? Anyway I reckon the build quality of theXV is slightly better than the Mazda CX-3 and that really caught me bysurprise. I like the look of this 3 spoke steering wheel – it’s nicely contouredit’s leather wrapped, it has all the controls within reach and it also haspaddle shifters. There’s even contrast stitching to match the theme of theentire cabin. Speaking of theme, the seats which are wrapped in part leather andpart fabric get bright orange stitching as standard. The driver seat is the onlyone that’s electrically adjustable and this is the same for the cheaper variantas well. Unique to this variant though is the carbon-fibre trim that surrounds allfour of the door handles. Check out this super cool secondary multi-info displayInstead of cramming all the driving data into this small space right here, whatSubaru did was move everything, well almost everything, into this 6. 3 inchmultifunction display. Here it gives a multitude of information such as fuelconsumption, all-wheel drive status, pitch angle and even a more detailed trip meterreading, all of which are in real time. The head unit on the other hand leaves alot to be desired I think car manufacturers have to spenda little bit more time and effort to make the infotainment display systemfeel more cohesive, like it belongs with the car. Mazda is a perfect example of thisHere it just feels like they bought somethird-party open-source program and built their own user interface on top of itThe brightness it’s, it’s quite bad. Well it works and serves its purpose butthe compromise is that the whole thing looks very basic and underwhelmingI mean if the whole cabin is so impeccably made then something like this isdefinitely gonna stick out. Just sayingDown here you get the traditional button and dial controls for the air-conSome space to keep your mobile devices while it’s charging, cupholders and a nicecentre armrest with two USB charging ports built in. The old manual handbrakelever is now gone, replaced by this nifty electronic switch. What’s neat is thatyou can charge two devices at the same time and keep most of the cables hiddenwithin the armrest. There are two thoughtfully position openings at eachcorner that let the cables out without causing a mess. Now let’s check out the back seatsAs you can see it’s quite spacious back here and there’s even morelegroom compared to the first generation XV because the wheel base here is longerby 30 millimetres. Notice this hump over here, it’s pretty much the same size asbefore but I don’t mind it. The headroom as well, same as beforeOverall space back here is slightly smaller than the HR-V, butdefinitely way bigger than the CX-3. One downside back here is the lack ofair vents but this is a common problem shared by all the XV’s rivals. In termsof boot accessibility, the opening has been widened by 100 millimetres to makeloading and unloading easier and unfortunately boot space is only up by 5litres to 345 litres, which is not great for a car like this. Just look at howshallow it is with the tonneau cover on. The flipside is you get a spare tyre sothat’s a fair compromise if you ask me. Now let me show you the unique thingabout this handsome crossover. Unlike every other model in its class the XVgets a 2. 0 litre flat-four Boxer engine. The benefit of this is that it sits lowin the car compared to traditional inline-four or V6 engines, so the centre ofgravity is effectively lower. Just look at how low this thing sits. Subaru says thisdirect injection engine is almost entirely new and produces 156 PS and 196 Nmof torque. It’s paired to Subaru’s continuously variabletransmission, otherwise known as Lineartronic and features 7 virtual ratiosThis CVT is also nearly 8 kg lighter than the old unit withrevised gearing to improve fuel efficiency. Now with all that out of theway let’s find out how it drivesThe original Subaru XV was popular for manyreasons particularly because it gave people that rugged SUV look with acommanding driving position and it didn’t look too boring or dowdy as otherrun-of-the-mill SUVs that you could get. It also drove pretty well and had decentlevels of comfort. Well, this new one improves on all that thanks to a newSubaru Global Platform. Apparently body and chassis rigidity isup by 70% and you can really feel this in the corners. There’s less flexion in thechassis when you take corners at higher speeds and it’s inherentlya more stable car to drive. This car is also very beautifully sprung, possiblyexhibiting the best ride quality in its class, by far. Remember what I saidearlier about this being on top of a C-segment platform? One of the keybenefits is that you get a more sophisticated suspension especially inthe rear way it gets a double wishbone suspension instead of a cheaper torsionbeam set up found in the HR-V. This makes it a far better car to driveespecially for rear passengers. With the new engine and transmission Ifind the throttle response to be quicker and the engine is more eager to rev thanthe old one And if you must know this car sprintsfrom zero to 100 in 10. 4 seconds which on its own is 0. 3 secondsquicker than the old one but still slower than HR-Vs 10. 1 second markThe CVT has a step function to mimic a normal automatic gearbox andit’s still one of the better made CVTs out there. However as with allCVTs it lacks the pull factor at full throttleespecially at highway cruising speeds. Generally though performance iscomparable to the HR-V despite weighing over 300 kg more but this islargely due to the size and construction of the car. For city driving afront-wheel drive car is definitely going to make more sense and you savemore fuel in the process. But the XV is permanently driven on all four wheelsand it now features an X-Mode through a button right here for better off roadtraction. If you’re the adventurous type, consider this a bonus. On the subject offuel efficiency expect this car to perform slightly better than the old onealthough not by much. With a full tank of 63 liters I managed to squeeze about 600 kmof range in mixed driving conditions but this car is not properlyrun in, so it’s not a very good barometer. I’m pretty sure I can do moreif I only I have a little bit more determinationI’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again. I really honestly like this XV but like all cars it has to have someflaws – this gaudy head unit is one of them, it’s one of the biggest, and theother is noise. One part from that CVT which is a very common problem and thesecond is tyre roar. CVT noise is part and parcel and mostcars in this price bracket suffer from the same fate but the factory fittedContinental MC5 tires are just unacceptably noisy. And if you check theunderside of the wheel well there’s only a bit of sound deadening materials usedHonda knows this and has fixed the problemso Subaru if you’re watching this, please do something about itAll-in-all the XV has once again proven to be a worthy contender in the growing subcompactcrossover segment. It’s improved in just about every aspect and despite all thatit’s still competitively priced against its closest rivals. The icing on the cakeis the seven airbags that are standard across the range and there’s also ISOFIXchild anchors in the rear seat to go with the usual set of safety systemsFor those of you who are waiting for the full range of Subaru’s EyeSight safetysystem, well that’s only gonna come sometime next year. For now I’ll be happywith this, just maybe not in this colour, because I’m not flashy like thatThank you for watching. This is Matt, rain or shine, I will see you in the next one

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/26/first-drive-2018-subaru-xv-malaysian-review-rm119k-rm126k-3/

STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI – NISSAN TITAN AT-M6 – CARS.COM

what could be more appropriate in LA Auto Show than a movie tie-in and that’sexactly what we see here at the Nissan booth were they’ve shown us this newNissan Titan with a last Jedi Star Wars movie tie-in now we don’t have a lot ofspecs and data on this vehicle but there is a lot to take in visually here sowe’re going to give you a chance to take a closer lookso before you ask no this is not going to be a special edition model from whatwe hear right now this is a very expensive one-off vehicle you want toknow more information go to pickup trucks calmyou

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/26/star-wars-the-last-jedi-nissan-titan-at-m6-cars-com-3/

2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a Mixed Bag – Cars.com

back in the 90s you might have been cool if you showed up in a Mitsubishi Eclipsesports car you know blaring the Duncan shiek and Backstreet Boysnow Mitsubishi hopes that you might be cool again in a Mitsubishi Eclipse crossthis is an SUV that sort of tries to take some of that glory from thenameplate and paste it on an SUV that’s a smallish model in the automaker’slineup kind of sliding between the OutlanderSport and the Outlander a lot going on in terms of styling seems likeMitsubishi sort of threw the whole kitchen sink here in terms of justangles and materials all kind of intersecting with each other that’sespecially true up front continues in the rear here where you have these sortof boomerang shaped taillights that kind of snake up the vehicles see pillars youeven have this reflector that bisects the rear window itself that does createa little bit of a visibility issue looking straight back where the twowindows don’t really give you as much of a full view as you’d like fortunatelythose rear head restraints they tuck nicely into the seats so they don’tencroach on anything back there in terms of just interior styling again lots ofdifferent layers lots of different things going on mixing some old and somenew there’s a new display here it’s a 7-inch display it doesn’t actuallyfunction as a touchscreen though you have to use this controller down herethat seems like a little bit of a setback especially since Mitsubishioffers apple carplay and android auto which were made for touchscreens you dohave to touch some of the capacitive buttons alongside to change things likevolume that also seems like a step back and Mitsubishi really needs to get withthe program with heated seats here those do seem like they were from the 90s nowa lot more to come we’ll have driving impressions and a lotmore when this car goes on sale in 2018 but to me she already has pricing itstarts in the low twenty four thousand dollar range tops out right around$31,000 so should be fairly affordable as small SUVs goyou

source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/09/25/2018-mitsubishi-eclipse-cross-is-a-mixed-bag-cars-com-3/