Best Cars: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

2011 Audi Q5 Review and Features

2011 Audi Q5

Audi Q5

The 2011 Audi Q5 ranks 1 out of 8 Luxury Compact SUVs. This ranking is based on our analysis of 29 published reviews and test drives of the Audi Q5, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The 2011 Audi Q5 offers a complete package: refined and sporty performance, a luxurious interior and stunning exterior styling. The Q5’s main drawback? It’s nearly $35,000.

Among luxury compact SUVs, the Audi Q5 is almost as good as it gets. It comes standard with leather seats and wood trim, has good fuel economy, a respectable amount of cargo space and a lot of classy features -- like a leather wrapped steering wheel -- that make driving this car incredibly luxurious.

On top of that, the automotive press says that the Audi Q5 is a great driver. It’s one of the sportiest SUVs in the class, has spot-on handling and a suspension that absorbs road bumps well. The Q5 provides a smooth and comfortable ride for front and backseat passengers. Popular Mechanics says, "The Q5 does an incredible job balancing luxury with a genuinely sporting character.”

What’s the Q5’s biggest downfall? Its price. Starting at $35,200, the Q5 is one of the most expensive cars in the class and easily pushes $40,000 when you add optional features. You get a lot for the money, but there are other cars -- like the Volvo XC60, Cadillac SRX and the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class -- that are a few thousand less but still offer good performance and fine interiors.

BMW X3 Review and features

BMW X3

The good

The updated 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i shows off new connected-car features with integrated Google search and reading of e-mails from paired BlackBerry devices. The turbocharged six-cylinder engine churns out ready power, and the transmission's eight gears help optimize efficiency.

The bad

Active suspension technologies do not completely counteract the car's high center of gravity in turns. The interface for searching for points of interest or music is needlessly complicated.

The bottom line

The 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i shows off the automaker's innovative performance and cabin technology in a luxury SUV, lacking only some advanced driver assistance features.

Chevrolet Traverse Review 2011

Chevrolet Traverse

The Chevrolet Traverse offers distinctive styling and a purportedly sportier driving experience than its GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave siblings. Competitors include the Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Veracruz.

Under the Traverse's hood is a 3.6-liter V-6 with direct fuel injection. Three-row curtain airbags and an electronic stability system are standard, and all-wheel drive is optional.

The Traverse comes in LS, LT and LTZ trim levels.

New for 2011
There are no significant changes.

Exterior

The Traverse sports the same stacked grille as the redesigned Chevy Malibu. The high belt line and tall roof are typical of most large crossovers, while the taillights recall Chevy's Camaro. Exterior features include:

Standard 17-inch wheels, with 18- or 20-inch wheels for uplevel models
Four-wheel-independent suspension
Optional panoramic moonroof

Interior

Like its siblings, the Traverse's interior has bright gauges and plenty of beveled plastics. The door handles reside on their own raised cutouts, and the dashboard stacks contrasting materials atop one another. Parking assistance comes in the form of rear proximity sensors or a backup camera. Interior features include:

Seats seven or eight
Optional captain's chairs or three-seat bench in the second row
Standard cloth seats with optional leather
Optional heated and cooled seats
Optional navigation system

Under the Hood

GM's 3.6-liter V-6 has direct injection and makes 281 horsepower. An optional dual exhaust system boosts horsepower to 288. Mechanical features include:

281-hp, 3.6-liter V-6
Six-speed automatic transmission
Standard front-wheel drive, optional all-wheel drive

Safety

Safety features include:

Standard front and side-impact airbags, plus side curtain airbags for all three rows
Standard all-disc antilock brakes
Standard electronic stability system

Acura MDX Features and Review

Acura MDX

Here are information about 2011 Acura MDX, include review, specifications, features and price. Acura has been release new Luxury Midsize SUVs, 2011 Acura MDX. The new Acura MDX features a new 3.7-liter SOHC VTEC V6 with 300 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, which Acura says now features more heavy-duty parts for extra longevity. The MDX is offered in five trim levels starting with the base model and moving up through the Technology, Technology and Entertainment, Advance and Advance and Entertainment groupings. The Entertainment package, which is offered with either the Technology or Advance groups, includes a rear seat monitor, DVD player, wireless headphones and heated rear seats.

nside, the MDX provides a welcoming cabin. Build quality and the standard of materials are absolutely what one would expect from Acura, but after a week with the MDX, it felt more like an extraordinarily equipped Honda than a bona-fide luxury SUV. What I wanted from being inside the MDX was to feel…special, and I simply did not get that sense. The lack of “oohs and aahs” from occupants seemed to confirm this. The Acura was flawless on an out of state weekend trip with my family, and seat comfort cannot be faulted. The high number of buttons on the center stack may be off-putting at first, but at no time was I unable to quickly adjust climate, nav, or stereo settings when needed.

All MDX’s share one powertrain, a 3.7L V-6 rated at 300hp-Acura’s most powerful engine ever (the same powerplant is used in the RL sedan), teamed to a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. All MDX’s use Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, which can adjust power delivery from the front to rear, and between the rear wheels for better handling. The new for 2010 V-6 is, as one would expect from Acura, silky smooth. Acceleration is about what you would expect from a high-end V-6 SUV, but the turbocharged Cadillac SRX we tested felt more explosive in passing situations. With fuel economy ratings of 16/21mpg city/highway, the MDX is in line with the competition. As for handling, the MDX was excellent, feeling smaller than it was. From the driver’s seat, you would never guess you were driving a vehicle with three rows of seating.

The 2011 Acura MDX starts at $42,580, and comes standard with XM Radio, power heated front seats, power tailgate and power moonroof. Our test MDX also included the Tech Package, which adds navigation, voice recognition, multi-view rear camera, surround sound stereo and three-zone climate control. Also added was the Advance Package, giving you the Active Damper System, Collision Mitigation Braking System, ventilated leather sport seats, adaptive cruise control, the 19″ alloys we adored, and auto-leveling xenon HID headlights. Finally, for the kiddies the MDX has the Entertainment Package, featuring DVD rear entertainment with 9″ screens, wireless headphones, and heated rear seats. Final tally of our fully loaded MDX was $54,965USD, including delivery.

Kia Sportage 2011 Review

Kia Sportage

At first glance the new Sportage is not what you might expect from a KIA. In fact it’s not even remotely an Asian-looking car. It’s very much sporting a European look both front and rear.
The design elements come from former-Audi designer Peter Schreyer‘s KIA revolution which has already taken form on the Cerato and Sportage (and soon on the RIO and Optima). Despite Schreye’s influence, the Sportage was designed by one of KIA’s chief designers, Massimo Frascella who works at the KIA design centre in California.

When you have the likes of Schreyer and Frascella (who has previously worked for Jaguar and Aston Martin) you begin to see why the Sportage looks so good. Frankly, it’s amazing how much looks can persuade opinion. It’s hard not to admire the Sportage for its clean, crisp modern design. The package could be perfect under the skin but if doesn’t appeal to the visual senses, it simply wont work.

The KIA Sportage is based on the same platform as the Hyundai ix35. That means it shares the same overall dimensions as well as all engine and transmission systems. However it does use a completely different AWD system developed jointly between Magna and KIA (more on that later).

The new Sportage marks the third generation of the SUV. Having originally launched in 1993, so far over 1.5 million buyers worldwide have taken one home. KIA expects the new model will find an additional 1.4 million buyers during its life cycle and given the overall package appears to be a certain winner on paper, it probably will.

To celebrate the launch of the new KIA Sportage, the Korean company took the automotive media to Queenstown, New Zealand. From here the program was destined to head to the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds but the weather Gods didn’t permit such a journey.

Chevrolet Camaro 2011

Chevrolet Camaro

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro lineup gets more V6 power and a new convertible body style. General Motors' iconic pony car is available as a 2-door coupe and a 2-door convertible. Camaro wears body styling inspired by the 1969 model. LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, and 2SS trim levels return, though the convertible is not offered as an LS. Two engines are available--a V6 and a V8. The V6 is a 3.6-liter unit that produces 312 horsepower, an increase of eight over the 2010 model. It's available on LS and LT. The SS uses the V8, which sees no major changes for 2011. SS versions with a manual transmission get a 426-horsepower 6.2-liter V8. Automatic-equipped SS models also get a 6.2-liter V8, but it makes 400 horsepower and features GM's Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation. V6 versions also offer a manual or automatic transmission. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, front-side airbags, and curtain-side airbags. An RS Package for LT and SS models includes bi-xenon headlights, specific trim, and on LT versions, 20-inch wheels. All Camaros are available with 21-inch wheels. Rear-obstacle detection, standard on all convertibles, is also standard on 2LT and 2SS coupes and optional on the 1LT coupe. Other available features include a wireless cell-phone link, USB port, satellite radio, and remote engine start. A head-up display is newly standard on the 2LT and 2SS.