Volkwagen's Jetta Sportswagen

Much about the Jetta Sportwagen didn't surprise us: the fold-flat back seat, the nicely finished interior, the slightly sporty demeanor. But we did raise an eyebrow at the five-cylinder engine's newfound liveliness--now with 170 hp and 177 lb-ft, it's not the sulky lump we remembered. Still, the 200-hp, 2.0-liter turbo (with VW's DSG automatic) or the new 2.0-liter, fifty-state TDI (140 hp, 235 lb-ft) with DSG or a six-speed manual strike us as more tempting options. We were also surprised at the massive glass sunroof (it's an option on all trim levels); too bad the mesh shade doesn't actually create much shade. But we were most surprised by the Sportwagen's starting price--it's expected to be just under $20,000, which strikes us as good value in the small world of small station wagons.

Audi A6

The Audi A6 is a study in excellent design. It has the look of a four-door coupe, with clean, flowing lines. The overall look is upscale, masculine. A giant trapezoidal grille dominates the front of the car. Some like it, some don't. The car's completely modern shape has a slippery drag coefficient of 0.28. Aluminum was used for key body panels to save weight, though not to the extent of the expensive all-aluminum A8. The 2006 Avant is an especially sleek looking wagon, distinguished by a coupe-like roofline.

The arching shoulder line and relatively narrow glass create a dynamic profile that terminates in a gently sloped tail marked by distinctive two-piece LED taillights. Overall the design language says European elegance. Much of the beauty of the A6 is in the details: Body panels fit closely together around the doors, hood and trunk lid, as well as along places such as the bottom edge of the tail lamp. It's a result of close tolerances.

You won't even find a rubber strip at the top of windshield, nor strips on the sides of the roof. Door jams, the trunk flange and other areas normally hidden are Class A surfaces, smooth and painted as on the exterior body panels. Not everyone will notice this level of detail, but most will sense a general look of quality.

The new S6 is distinguished from its less-powerful stablemates by special exterior and interior elements. Audi's striking trapezoidal grille gets double vertical aluminum-look strips and an S6 badge, an air inlet beneath the grille to feed the big V10, and a spoiler lip to provide additional downforce. The front bumper's unique look comes from the strip of separate LED daytime running lights, and the front foglamps are incorporated into the main headlights, which feature gray-tinted covers. The rear tailights also feature distinctive LED brake lights.

An integrated spoiler juts from the trunk lid, bright aluminum trim around the side windows and top of door handles, body-color door handles, brushed aluminum rearview mirror housings, body-color outside lower door flares, black brake calipers, dual exhaust oval polished quad tailpipes and a chrome strip on the trunk lid are additional ways to identify the S6. The lever-style outside door handles are stylish, but aren't as easy to operate as the grab handles that don't require flipping your hand over. Overall, the A6 sets a benchmark in quality of materials and build quality.

Upgrading Car Sound System

When you’re looking to upgrade your factory sound, the best place to start is with the speakers. Unfortunately, one of the challenges is that better sounding speakers are typically less efficient. Fortunately, Focal has a solution. The Focal 165 A1 is one of the Access series of products that comprise Focal’s entry level into car audio. Unlike other company’s entry-level products, the Focal 165 A1 does offer high quality performance and high efficiency. Let’s see how it stacks up.

The Focal 165 A1 is a two-way component speaker system. The midrange 6.5-inch speaker uses a special braided woven glass fiber cone. Instead of a dust cap, the midrange relies on a specially profiled phase plug for optimal off-axis midrange response. A Butyl surround connects the cone to the basket. The tweeter uses a one-inch dome made from aluminum.Dividing the signal between the tweeter and midrange is a 12 dB-per-octave crossover set at 4.8 kHz. Included is a three-position tweeter level control to match the output level of the tweeter to the midrange in different installation situations.Both the tweeter and the woofer boast a high-grade black finish. The passive crossover has a clear plastic cover to showcase its internals. The Focal 165 A1 is designed to reproduce frequencies from 60 Hz to 20 kHz with RMS and Max power handling at 60 watts and 120 watts, respectively.

The first thing that struck me about the Focal 165 A1 was its efficiency. Using the same power, the 165 A1 played noticeably louder than my reference speakers. The sound quality is extremely good. From 50 Hz, the Focal 165 A1 almost fits with a plus or minus 5 dB window. Quite good. From 250 Hz to 12 kHz, the window tightens to plus or minus 3 dB. Midbass performance is outstanding, and the lower bass extension was good. Vocals sounded very good, although a bit forward and at times slightly edgy. The performance was very impressive given the price point.

The performance of the Focal 165 A1 is excellent. With the ability to fit into a wide array of factory locations and the high efficiency of the speakers, the Focal 165 A1 is a perfect choice for high-end sound into a factory system of a decent powered aftermarket radio. Either way, you will be treated to great sound.

Vios from Toyota

It was pretty easy to drive and maneuver in small roads and parking lots. Gas consumption is reasonable, 12-14 kms to a gallon. Plus the new Vios does really look like its bigger brother, the Altis but much economical to maintain. I've got the newer version right after it was launch that is why I'm really proud of having it. I'm pretty sure that this car would be with me for a long time.

Though this car is generally ok as what it was intended to be, an economy sedan, people who are used to high-end shouldn't expect BMW or Mercedes quality in such a car. The Vios serves its purpose well. There maybe a few bugs such as grating transmission, the big blind spots in the A pillars, the bumpy ride and the overeacting rev limiter but it is economical getting me a max of 18 km/liter of gas and is fast and nimble on the road. I would consider buying another one or maybe its mechanical twin, the 2007 Yaris sedan

Most of the problems of the Vios seem to be the electrical components which were supplied locally in Thailand.... Go figure....

2008 VOLVO XC70

The Volvo XC70 is all-new for 2008. One of the first of that new breed of vehicles called crossovers, the new model is easily the best XC70 yet. It's a great alternative to conventional sport-utility vehicles, and a more practical, rational choice than a truck-based SUV for most buyers.
Volvo has been almost synonymous with wagon since the company began selling cars in the United States in the 1950s. In many respects the XC70 is a conventional station wagon, and closely related to the Volvo V70 (also all-new for the 2008 model year). Yet the XC70 is different. It comes standard with fulltime all-wheel-drive, and its suspension is raised to increase both movement range and ground clearance. The XC70 also features dent-resistant lower body cladding and protective skid plates underneath, as well as an electronic system called Hill Descent Control, which makes driving down steep trails easier and safer.
We found the XC70 offers as much off-road capability as most sport-utility buyers will ever need. It can handle some fairly rugged backcountry trails, and it's rated to tow up to 3300 pounds, which is enough for a small boat. Its maximum cargo capacity of 72.1 cubic feet is on par with some mid-size, truck-based sport-utilities.
Yet the XC70 doesn't extract a significant toll for its off-road or cargo-hauling potential. It's maneuverable and quite comfortable on paved roads, where most of us drive most of the time. It isn't the most exciting vehicle to drive, and probably not as sporty as Volvo's V70 wagon, but it makes a good grand tourer and great daily transportation. It rides smoothly and doesn't float or lean excessively through the curves, and it should deliver better real-world gas mileage than most mid- and full-size truck-based SUVs. On gravel roads and rough, unpaved roads, it handles well and is fun to drive, making it an enjoyable companion in the backcountry.
Those familiar with previous XC70s will have a good handle on the new one's basic potential. Still, the 2008 model is new from the wheels up, and better than its predecessors in just about every way. It's the first XC70 with a six-cylinder engine, rather than a five-cylinder. Volvo's new 3.2-liter inline-6 generates 235 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, which is on par with most engines of similar displacement.
We prefer its styling. The new design is tighter and probably not as odd, though it still has the rugged, outdoorsy look many buyers embrace.
Inside, the XC70 has one of Volvo's best interiors ever: very Scandinavian, and elegantly understated. More important, it's easy to master its multitude of controls, and it's simpler and more efficient than many of its European luxury competitors. The 2008 XC70 has more room inside than the 2007 model, and it comes well-equipped compared to some other vehicles in its price range. The seating arrangement is flexible and the cargo compartment has tie-downs and other useful accessories. With the rear seats folded, the XC70's flat floor and low lift-over height make loading bulky cargo easier than with many SUVs.
Finally, the 2008 Volvo XC70 continues the brand's longstanding emphasis on safety. And it has more standard safety features than the previous-generation model. The essentials come standard, including advanced multi-stage, multi-compartment airbags, seats designed to limit whiplash injuries, electronic stability control and the latest anti-lock brake (ABS) technology. New safety options include a blind spot warning system, and radar-managed accident avoidance package and built-in child safety seats that adjust as children grow to optimize crash protection.

Nice NISSAN GT-R 08

As more and more info/testing pop up, this car keeps looking better and better. Not only is it the most powerful GT-R by about 200hp, it's the fastest car to ever come out of Japan (473 hp, 434 lb-ft). It will do the quarter in 11 and change, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, and we all know the infamous 7:38 at the Ring.

Not only does it go like hell, every review so far claims that the GT-R sports THE best brakes of any production car ever. With 15in two piece rotors, forged monoblock six-piston in front, four-piston rear, this thing should stop as fast as it goes.

A true manual will always be my first choice, but I can safely say, this is the only car in existence that I will settle for a dual-clutch paddle shifting unit (probably because there is no other choice). Carbon fiber driveshaft, rear mounted transmission, 0.2 second upshifts, rev-matched downshifts, this thing is just packed with cool stuff.

All of this should be old news by now, but the car is just so badass, I feel the need to reiterate simply because I want one... badly. For the money, it just does not get any better, even though there is no way I can afford one. Sure the C6 Z06 might be better bang for the buck (just ran 10s on stock tires) and houses arguably the best V-8 ever produced, but its still a GM and its best time at the Ring is 7:42. In the end, can you live with the cheap-ass interior, flimsy body panels, and poor build quality? I'll take the GT-R over a Chevy any day. There is just so much more technology packed into the new GT-R.