Alphard 2009

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Ferrari 2009

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Sport Car Rental

If you've always wanted to drive an exotic car then have you ever considered sport car rental? This is a service that lets you take your pick of some of the hottest cars available, helping you to enjoy sitting at the wheel whether you're at home or on holiday.

The great news is that there are a number of rental companies across the country offering the very service you're after. If you don't have much money then you could choose a company that offers daily rental deals, allowing you to take an exciting trip in style. Or, you could use this kind of service for that extra special vacation. Just about everyone will notice your vehicle and you'll fell like king for a day!

The best place to find your rental car is the internet. Not all rental services will offer these vehicles, so search according to the specific sports vehicle you are after. If you take time to do this ahead of the time you'll need the car, then you could also be in for some great savings. And, since sports cars are inevitably more expensive than standard vehicles, this could be a welcome surprise. Choosing sport car rental means you'll be driving in luxury - but this luxury will come at a cost. Whilst this will cost a lot more than standard rental, it'll also give you a feeling that you'll just never forget. On top of that, choosing the right rental company means you'll get a service that goes out of their way to make sure you're happy.

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Best and Worst Car Models Of BMW For 2009

BMW vehicles are widely known for their resale value and performance but when it comes to the company's environmental commitment, offering one hybrid in the US and only recycling at their factories is not enough. They need to go a little further and start offering more hybrids in the US. The BMW website is also the most confusing of all vehicle manufacturer websites and we found it quite hard to even find out what their environmental commitment is. In any event, we looked at their SUV line-up for 2009 and picked the best and worst models.

2009 BMW X5 - The Best

With three models, two of which have a 3.0 liter, 6 cylinder engine and one with a 4.8 liter, 8 cylinder engine, this SUV boasts 16 to 21 miles per gallon fuel efficiency depending on model. With a hefty price tag at $47,500 to $56,200, it's what BMW people expect to pay for a quality BMW SUV.

In 2009 this model is also offered with a diesel engine. Customers say this vehicle is "rewarding to drive," and towing capacity is 6,000 pounds no matter what size engine option you choose. There is almost no wind noise and seat comfort is great, except the third seat, which customers say is basically useless. The limits of that third seat don't seem to bother BMW lovers and the interior is delicious and includes a back-up camera and rear-seat entertainment.

2009 BMW X3 - The Worst

This all-wheel drive SUV comes in one model, the xDrive30i and has a 3.0 liter, 6 cylinder engine and a 19 miles per gallon fuel efficiency. BMW fans say this vehicle falls short on the interior and is hardly more versatile than their 3 Series sedan, especially for carrying people and cargo. The ride of the BMW X3 is considered to be stiff and there are way too many buttons on the dash making the audio and HVAC systems a little confusing. For an SUV, it doesn't boast much capacity either.

Summing Up BMW

BMW is more interested in what their customers want than what the environment wants and only offer one hybrid, the BMW 5 Series sedan that if equipped with all you want is a hefty $60,000. But as we said, BMW is more of a status vehicle and if you want to own one, be prepared to pay for that status and luxury. They are well made vehicles, but when choosing the BMW that is right for you, don't forget to purchase a BMW extended warranty to help with resale and trade-in value as well as the expensive repairs needed once the manufacturer's warranty runs out.

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A True Sports Car For the Driving Purist Of Honda S2000

The best definition of a real sports car came from the late John Timanus, a successful racer in the '50s and '60s and long-time technical director of the Sports Car Club of America: "A sports car is a four-wheeled motorcycle." That's the Honda S2000.

As with a motorcycle, a real sports car makes the driver feel as if he is the car: Superman, cape flapping in the breeze. Like a motorcycle, a real sports car needs a skilled pilot for top performance. A real sports car is light: The S2000's curb weight is almost 900 pounds less than that of a Sprint Cup racer. A real sports car has a manual transmission. A convertible top, while not crucial, earns extra points. A real sports car doesn't necessarily have the most horsepower: A well-driven real sports car can be quicker up a mountain road than a pretender driven by one who believes bigger and more makes up for ineptness. The S2000 exceeds all the expectations of a real sports car. And one more: A real sports car allows you to imagine you're driving a real racecar.

Long ago, I tested Comptech Racing's Reynard 95I-Honda Indy car. Driving the 2009 S2000 put me back in that carbon-fiber tub. The S2000's digital dash is a near copy of that racer's. The driver's compartment of an S2000 is tight. You needn't be as short or trim as an Indy car driver, though the big of butt will find the S2000 cramped. Like an Indy car, an S2000 requires skilled foot coordination to get it in motion from rest. Stalls are inevitable.

On dry public roads, it's difficult to get the S2000's sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE050s anywhere close to their limit. But a light rain prompted me to relive my Indy car experience. Like a knucklehead, I switched off the S2000's stability control and launched from a stop at an assertive 4,000 rpm. There was only a hint of wheelspin as the digital lines of the tachometer raced across the top of the dash. As the tach line turned red I pulled back on the precise, short-throw shifter without lifting fully off the gas. The rear tires lit up exactly like those on the Reynard-Honda when I was rough on the throttle. Fortunately, the S2000's Torsen limited-slip differential helped prevent the rear from stepping out.

I repeated this on the two-three upshift and was rewarded with a bit more wheelspin. The S2000 then told me the same thing as the CART car: "Be more gentle or you're going to make a fool of yourself." Having matured slightly over 14 years, I figured I didn't need to run the S2000 to the redline in third. In the rain. On a public road. Instead, I entered the upcoming off-camber left-hander a hair faster than was prudent. Okay, fast enough to earn chrome wrist jewelry from the police, and was rewarded by a slight and easily catchable tail slide. When the rear settled down, it required every bit of my scarce willpower to keep from going back to wide-open throttle. Old habits die hard.

The first edition of the S2000 appeared in 1999 as a 2000 model. Its 2.0-liter engine suffered from an overly high torque peak. To get maximum drag-race-style acceleration required a drag-car style launch. The driver held the gas and clutch pedals to the floor and, with the engine bouncing against its 9,000-rpm rev limiter, sidestepped the clutch. That early S2000 would then spin its tires about a rotation and a half until the engine bogged below the torque peak. Then it came to life. It wasn't easy on the equipment, but to quote the philosopher Tina Turner, we never ever do nothing nice and easy...we always do it nice and rough. With the new 2.2-liter engine, a best-time launch is accomplished at a more reasonable 4,500 rpm or so.

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2009 Audi TT

Now, I absolutely love Audi, therefore being able to drive the TT is an absolute treat to me. First off, let's take a look as the design. Although it doesn't look terribly different as you can imagine, there are some slight changes, such as the bi-xenon headlights with Audi's trademark LED daytime running lights (which are useless, but looks awesome), and larger air intakes in the front. Wider door sills and an a aggressive rear bumper incorporates the two twin exhaust outlets in the back.

The interior is well, small. I mean Audi added two seats for the back but there's no way anyone can fit properly back there unless they didn't have legs. As for the front, there is plenty of room..... for your legs. As for the rest, it comes with a nice aluminum trim, sturdy but soft leather seats, and a overall modern looking design. All of the controls are within your reach and easy to operate, except the navigation system, which I had a bit of a problem with. However, it comes with Audi's Multi-Media Interface (MMI) which gives you in display audio controls, and adds several steps to simple tasks like changing the radio station. MMI might appeal to the geeks of the world, but using buttons works better in the long run.

Under the hood, the one I'm driving today comes with the 3.2-liter V6 engine that outputs 250hp and 236 ft.-lb. of torque. Fuel economy starts at 17-mpg city and 24-mpg, which isn't that bad actually. Other versions that are available is the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which outputs 200hp and 207 ft.-lb. of torque, and the top of the line TTS which has a slightly more tuned V6 engine which gives you 265hp. It also comes with Audi's variable adaptive suspension keeps the front-wheel-drive TT on the road.

Now, let's talk about how this handles when being drove. In the city is wonderful. The sport suspension is stiff, but not overdone to the point where your ass will feel like you went through a round of boxing with Danny Jacobs. It's also is very quiet surprisingly and able to accelerate well when needed. Onto the highway it takes off very nicely. Although not incredibly fast, it accelerates more than well enough to leave the people trying to follow you. Plus the sound from that 3.2-liter V6 engine is just fantastic. Now, the U.S. has a governor on these vehicles which limit them to 130mph. Although I didn't get that fast, I got close enough to start making people think I was being chased by the cops (about 120mph). Pulling off the highway and onto the country roads, it handles well under high speeds around corners. It must come with the fact when Audi designed this vehicle, they made it so it's very well balanced in the front and the rear. Along with Audi's adaptive suspension it just excellent anywhere you go.

So, overall I'll have to give this car a thumbs up in my book. However, if I were to say what my main disappointment is, it's the engine. I was expecting a little more from Audi's superior engines, especially from a V6. Why couldn't they turbocharged that decently and give it a good 300hp, along with the TTS having even more?

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2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8

I'll be honest with you, I'm not really a muscle car fan by any means. So, when I was asked to do a review on the Dodge Challenger SRT8, I wasn't terribly excited as a schoolboy seeing his first porn film. However, when I finally got this vehicle on the road I have to say I am impressed by the power this thing has under the hood.

Inside the Challenger has a very sporty and modern look compared to your 1970's editions. It has the gauges in a 4 pod setup and is very easy to read, even for the old geezers who want something to replace their old beat up car from way back when. The stitched leather bucket seats are very comfortable and look great as you can expect. There is even rear seats, but there isn't really a ton of room, and don't expect to be able to get back there from the drivers side because the seat doesn't move to do that. Under the hood is the 6.1L Hemi V8 that roars out a impressive 425hp and 420lb.ft. torque. It also has a six speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential. All that power, and it still gets 14 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. Very impressive for a muscle car.

Taking it on the road through the city, I have to admit it's quite comfortable. You barely feel any bumps in the road and the engine is not overly loud by any means. It also has driven in quite a lot of attention from a lot of people, which surprised me quite a bit. One guy even came up to me when I was getting off the cell phone in a parking lot and talked about his old 1974 Dodge Challenger that he still has in his garage at home and how the engine doesn't run in it anymore. I have to say, that is my only complaint. It's got a lot of over-steer going around corners that I thought the back-end would slide out and put me into a ditch. I know muscle cars do have this problem, but you'd think they would have fixed that with the SRT8 model.

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Taking on the BMW M5

In terms of the sports saloon market over the past few years you would have been quite silly to look any further than the German market, in particular the absolutely outstanding BMW M5 which has been trail-blazing a lead ahead of the likes of Audi and Mercedes-Benz for a great deal of time now. However, there is a rival to the M5's crown that certainly looks like slightly more than just a flash in the pan; the Jaguar XF.

OK, on paper the plucky German saloon seems to be winning without breaking a sweat; it has more BHP, better brakes, 1500 more revs, a higher speed gearbox and some of the most geeky gadgets that have ever been seen in a car outside of a James Bond film. However, the Jaguar XF as 80 more torques, which to the uninitiated means that the cornering and the first 6000 revs of acceleration can be done at pretty much warp speed.

It seems to me that the Jaguar XF is more of a driver's car than its BMW rival. It is incredibly comfortable in comparison to the BMW M5's rather boxy seats, which frankly leave my 6 foot frame feeling ever so slightly cramped. The XF seems to mould itself round you like a rather powerful, metallic duvet.

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The Elegant and Powerful Jaguar Car

A car which is a symbol of classic elegance and quality performance is the Jaguar. The name Jaguar made its debut in the United Kingdom and since then has been the icon for Britain's upper class society. Although recently, Jaguar has been acquired by the joint efforts of several automotive manufacturers, it still has the undeniable character of luxurious English tradition.

The Jaguar tradition began when William Walmsley and Bill Lyons started a company called Swallow Sidecar in 1922. It was based in England and was involved in the production of sidecars for motorcycles made of aluminum. In 1933, the name of the company changed to SS Cars Ltd when they decided to enter into the production of cars. The SS Jaguar 100 was officially the first Jaguar car.

SS Cars again changed its name to Jaguar after the Second World War to avoid any connection with the Nazi army which had the same letter initials. The Jaguar Mark V came out in 1948, which was the first post war production car to be produced by Jaguar. The Mark V was a sedan and was followed by the XK120 which gained its popularity due to its high speed performance. It was this car that catapulted the fame of Jaguar into the forefront of the automotive industry.

The Jaguar cars were introduced to the United States in the 1950s. The car model Mark VII Saloon was especially designed for the American consumer and proved to be an important product on the market. That same car won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1956. The Mark VIII and Mark IX soon followed their predecessor.

The E-type Coupe or XK-E was one of the most popular models of Jaguar launched in the 60s. It was a complete package of elegance, style, luxury and performance. The popular band groups then like the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, who used Jaguar cars, also contributed a great deal to the car's continued fame.

Vios 2009

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