vLane Blog

Articles Matching “Technology”

• Toyota's floor mat fix

  Banovsky on October 8, 2009

  Yes, 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus products have been recalled because of floor mats that can catch under the gas pedal and result in a runaway vehicle. (Only if you're not paying attention – Ed.) We were holding off posting about it until we saw how Toyota would be fixing the affected cars.

  

  Photo: Jalopnik. We added Red Green.

  Yes. That's a zip tie. As we discussed on #carchat, a better situation is to not panic, put the vehicle into neutral, turn on the hazard lights, and use the handbrake to safely pull to the side of the road. Easy. You won't only look smarter, your floor mats won't look like they were attacked by Red Green.

  Jalopnik has a full run-down of the fix, including scans of the service document.

  Click through for a bonus Red Green clip where he makes two K-Cars into one all-wheel-drive one…

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under News, Video, WTF, Technology, Toyota, LOL, Jalopnik, Recall, Red Green

• 2011 Infiniti M

  Banovsky on August 15, 2009

  Breaking into the top-tier luxury car market is difficult. Just ask Acura. But cross-country rivals Infiniti may have leapfrogged their Japanese competition with this, the (very impressive-looking) 2011 M sport sedan.

  

  The 2011 Infiniti M sport sedan

  It's sinewy without looking like taffy stretched over some big rims. With cues from Infiniti's latest concepts, the M looks like a great place to start shopping for your next luxury car, especially if you think the BMW 5-Series and Audi A6 are just too boring.

  Here are some details:

  • Both V6 and V8 models, called M37 and M56, respectively
  • Over 400 horsepower for the M56 model
  • Reduced fuel consumption compared with the current model
  • Blind spot warning system will actually try and prevent you from changing lanes if another vehicle is detected

  Click through for more photos and the official release.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Luxury, Future, News, Sedan, Technology, Infiniti, 2011, M37, M56, M

• Future Buick CUV to be a plug-in hybrid

  Banovsky on August 6, 2009

  Remember our Future of GM series? The one where we talked about the upcoming Buick CUV? Turns out, our analysis was pretty much dead-on.

  

  The as-yet-unnamed (rebadged Saturn Vue) 2010 Buick crossover SUV

  The teaser shot GM released along with some details shows a clearly reworked front-end from the current Saturn Vue. GM CEO Fritz Henderson's assertion that he's not a fan of badge engineering is getting weaker by the second, as this new model is undeniably a re-badged Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid.

  With that model due out in the market next year before Saturn was sold means the development work on the Buick must nearly be completed.

  Look for this mystery Buick early next year in showrooms.

  Click through for the GM release.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under GM, General Motors, Saturn, Future, Green, SUV, Crossover, Technology, SUV, Detroit, 2010, 2011, Buick, Fritz Henderson

• The Wilcraft ice fishing car is awesome

  Banovsky on August 4, 2009

  Secret: I live in Canada. And I've been ice fishing. Well, once. It was awful. Dangerous, cold, and boring, ice fishing is for the truly dedicated. But what if you had a machine that made things more simple?

  

  The Wilcraft ice fishing vehicle and its inventor, Tom Roering. [Photo credit: David Friedman Photography]

  I spied this inventor and the Wilcraft as a profile piece on David Friedman Photography, and had to share. So how does this contraption work?

  
  

  Here are some stats:

  • Powder-coated aluminum construction
  • Approximately 500 lbs vehicle weight, 600 lbs capacity
  • 11" of ground clearance
  • Ground pressure approx. 2 lbs/in2
  • 305cc engine
  • Two-speed gearbox with reverse
  • Locking differential
  • Hydraulic disc brakes
  • Three 10" fishing holes
  • 20mph top speed
  • MSRP $10,495

  Still confused? Click through to view some videos!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Environment, Feature, WTF, Crossover, Misc, Technology, Design, LOL, ice fishing, Wilcraft

• 2010 all-electric Nissan Leaf

  Banovsky on August 4, 2009

  Welcome to the future. This is the first look at Nissan's world-leading all-electric car, on-sale here in America in late 2010.

  

  The 2010 Nissan Leaf

  
  

  Here are some stats:

  • Fully-electric powertrain
  • 107 horsepower, 206 lb-ft of torque
  • More than 100 mile (160 km) range
  • Priced close to $30,000
  • Slightly larger than a Volkswagen Rabbit
  • Top speed of over 90 mph (140 kph)
  • Equipped with an advanced IT system that provides driver support, range information, etc.

  Click through for more photos and the official release.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Environment, Future, Green, Mileage, News, WTF, Wagon, Technology, Nissan, 2010, US, Electric car

• Community review: 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

  Banovsky on July 27, 2009

  Especially with car buyers trying to save every last penny, our vehicle reviews are an invaluable resource. Every now and then, we'd like to highlight some of the great reviews our community members write at vLane.

  

  Toyota Highlander Hybrid

  Reviewer Herman says of the 2009 Toyota Highlander that:

  I was immediately impressed with how logical and intuitive the layout of the car was. There was no fumbling around to figure out how to adjust the seats, turn on the headlights, change radio stations, turn on the air conditioning, etc. Everything was where I had expect it to be.

  From there, Herman enjoyed an often overlooked feature in more luxurious vehicles, the "smart key":

  I'm always fumbling around to find my keys, but with the smart key system, I was able to leave the keys in my pocket and when opening the door, making contact with the touch sensor in the door handle automatically unlocked the door for me. Once I was in the car, I just needed to depress the brake and push the power button and was ready to get rolling. It's a small convenience, but one that I got accustomed to having very quickly.

  Click over to read the whole review, and don't forget to submit your own!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Green, SUV, Crossover, Technology, Toyota, Advice , Review, Discussion, Hybrid, SUV, 2009, US, vLane, Community review, Highlander

• 2010 Acura RDX

  Banovsky on July 24, 2009

  Yes, the Acura shield grill has made it to the oh-so-sweet RDX and…uh…buy a 2009 before the new ones come in: the new one looks like a rejected Transformer.

  

  The 2010 Acura RDX

  That is, unless you want a front-drive RDX. Yes, there's a new entry-level RDX joining the lineup next year, ringing in at just over $32,000. All-wheel-drive is about $2000 more. With front-drive, the fuel economy is up to 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway. The SH-AWD version does 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.

  Apparently, you may be able to stream Bluetooth audio from your phone through the stereo. And a backup camera is standard. Pending a full press release, that's all we can tell you for now.

  Click through for more photos.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Future, News, Acura, WTF, Crossover, Misc, Technology, 2010

• Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid Experimental Safety Vehicle

  Banovsky on July 13, 2009

  Readers: take a long, hard look at this car, because it's the future of motoring. With a hybrid powertrain and safety gizmos like — get this — airbags in the seatbelts (!), Mercedes-Benz has pulled out all the stops for this experimental safety concept.

  

  Pay no attention to all the decals and rice-boy rims…

  Because the release is incredibly long and dry, here are the main features of this concept:

  • PRE-SAFE Structure: Inflatable metal structures save weight and increase the stability of structural components. When at rest, the metal section is in a folded state to save space. If its protective effect is required, a gas generator builds up an internal pressure of 10 to 20 bar within fractions of a second, causing the sec-tion to unfold for significantly more stability.
  • Braking Bag: This auxiliary brake accommodated in the vehicle floor is a new type of PRE-SAFE® component. If the sensor system concludes that an impact is unavoidable, the Braking Bag is deployed shortly before the crash and stabilises the car on the road surface by means of a friction coating. The vehicle's vertical acceleration increases the friction, and helps to decelerate the vehicle before the impact occurs.
  • Interactive Vehicle Communication: The ESF 2009 is able to communicate di-rectly with other vehicles, or via relay stations. Using "ad hoc" networks and WLAN radio technology, it is e.g. able to receive and transmit warnings of bad weather or obstacles in the road.
  • PRE-SAFE Pulse: This further development of PRE-SAFE® is able to reduce the forces acting on the torsos of the occupants during a lateral collision by around one third. It does this by moving them towards the centre of the vehicle by up to 50 millimetres as a precautionary measure. As an active re-straint system, it uses the air chambers in the side bolsters of the seat backrests.
  • Spotlight lighting function: This partial LED main beam specifically illuminates potential hazards. If the infrared camera of Night View Assist PLUS e.g. detects deer at the roadside or pedestrians on the road, these can be briefly il-luminated beyond the normal area covered by the main beams, as if by a spot-light.

  Read on for photos and videos of this very safe Merc in action

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Future, Green, Mileage, News, WTF, Europe, Sedan, Concept, Misc, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Safety, Hybrid, Car seat, 2009

• The 2010 Jaguar XJ

  Banovsky on July 10, 2009

  Whoa, right? Just look at that rear end. Jaguar just lifted the wraps from its 2010 XJ luxury sedan, and it seems the retro skin has finally been shed for a modern look.

  

  A Bentley-inspired behind…

  With a base price of just over $72,000, the all-new Jaguar XJ may have the panache to fight off luxury stalwarts like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Lexus LS, and Audi A8 — not to mention the sportier Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera, and upcoming Aston Martin Rapide.

  How will Jaguar do this? For a ton of info and many more photos, Click through for much, much more.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Future, News, Europe, Sedan, Technology, 2010, England, Jaguar

• News: Right to repair bill could become law in Canada

  AshleyW on July 2, 2009

  Bill C-273 may force car manufacturers to share information regarding repairs for vehicles.

  The bill is named C-273 or "the right to repair bill", and it is in the process of debate among government officials in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as to whether or not manufacturers must share information regarding repairs of vehicles with computer software. Repair shops for some time haven't been able to access the necessary computer codes for certain repairs as manufacturers have kept these codes to themselves.

  This proposed bill would actually save consumers money by allowing them to go to any repair shop to have their car serviced as opposed to the dealership where they purchased the car in the first place.

  The bill has been opposed by manufacturers and car dealers but has been endorsed by CAA, Pollution Probe, Automotive Industries Association, Canadian Association of Retired Persons, and The Retail Council. It may take another nine to twelve months before it becomes law as it will be going through a third reading in parliament.

  Read More:

  • Cash for Clunkers Questions Answered
  • vLane Car Care Workshop Series
  • Mandatory Tire Pressure Testing in California from 2010

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under drivers, News, Technology, Safety, Maintenance, Autoshop, drivers, law, law, repair, government, right to repair, manufacturers, repair, Canada