Range Rover sport HSE.

THE Range Rover is one of the great British success stories.
As one of the great icons of modern times it’s a vehicle that is much feted - and much bought, writes Rob Auchterlonie..
And you don’t have to be an overpaid footballer or have blonde hair and a pair of Gucci sunglasses parked on the top of your head to own one.
You only have to glance at your average queue of traffic to see how popular the Range Rover Sport is. They’re everywhere, the discerning choice of motorists who want to buy British because in this instance British is tub-thumpingly best.
It’s been praised the world over and if you think you’re going to read anything other than that here then you’re mistaken.
Of course, it’s not faultless. You can look at any car and there will always be something that doesn’t quite ring true.
But the sum of the overall parts usually far outweighs any minus points. And that’s very definitely the case with Solihull’s finest.
For something capable of tackling terrain slightly more rugged than the A421 it’s a supremely comfortable vehicle. So much so that you could almost forgive George Michael dozing off behind the wheel. Actually, no you can’t. No one should be in charge of any form of motorised transport when they’re completely gazeboed on drugs or anything else. Not the sort of publicity Land Rover relish – they prefer the good stuff, like the announcement that the factories are safe, thousands of new jobs are to be created and that there’s widespread anticipation of the arrival of the baby Rangie, the new Evoque.
The Sport is the slightly stockier and snappier version of the full blown Range Rover, and while it might not quite appear to have the full blown ‘drive through the jungle’ credentials of its stablemates, there’s still a healthy 227mm of obstacle clearance and a 700mm wading depth when the river bank bursts. Or put another way, if you’re vertically challenged you’re going to need a hand up into the passenger seats.
From where you’ll be wafted to your destination amidst a classy mix of leather, wood, aluminium and a top notch sound system.
For the person in control (we won’t call him George in this instance) there are more buttons than on a big girl’s blouse when it comes to piloting the Sport, offering a setting for just about every conceivable road condition you might encounter.
Of course, a large number of owners will glance at them, panic and then reach forward to the touch screen to select their favourite music or the sat nav.
But it’s reassuring to know that there’s not a lot that can stop you reaching your destination in a Range Rover.
And when it comes to off road use, Land Rover sets the standard for others to follow, so on the latest models you get Hill Start Assist, which stops the car rolling backwards, and Gradient Acceleration Control.
There are two diesel engines to choose from, with either 211ps (520Nm) or 245ps (600Nm), both units being pretty refined and responsive when called upon. Throttle response is impressively quick and for a big vehicle the Sport still displays impressive on road poise.
This chunky car comes with an equally chunky key but you don’t need it – start up is via a push button on the dash. You just need to keep it in your pocket, or on the restaurant dining table for maximum impact.

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Review: 2011 Ford explorer.

The Ford Explorer helped to start the SUV trend way back in 1990, and along the way it has gone from sales leader, to public disgrace, to also-ran SUV. It has sold in the millions and has been exported to over 90 different countries in its lifetime. With 96 percent nameplate recognition, the only Ford products that are more well known are the Mustang and the F-150, both of which have been on sale continuously for 26 and 42 more years, respectively. To say the Explorer is important to Ford’s business plan is an understatement of mammoth proportions.

So when it came time to redesign it, Ford had clear goals in mind. Better fuel economy and better driving dynamics were two of the main reasons people were saying no to SUVs. It seemed the path was clear; make it more efficient, and better to drive. But the Blue Oval did a lot more than just that. With the switch from body-on-frame to unibody, the Explorer has transformed itself from old-school SUV to new-school CUV.

If you are walking up to the Explorer for the first time, you might be surprised at its size. The designers used some clever visual tricks to make this model look smaller than the 2010 edition, but don’t let that fool you. This model boasts the same eight inches of ground clearance as the previous generation, but is almost two inches shorter, thanks to its high beltline and narrow greenhouse. The 2011 is also some four inches longer with a one-inch shorter wheelbase. It sees a six-inch increase in width, with subsequent six-inch increases in the front and rear track. The increases in track and decreases in wheelbase might seem rather small, but both play a major role in how the vehicle drives. The wider the track, the more stable the vehicle will be, while a shorter wheelbase will make the vehicle willing to rotate and offer a more car-like experience. >>>>>>read more

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Update on the new electric cars.

The Nissan Leaf is one of the first electric cars on the market in the U.S. Some critics worry that if everyone drives an electric-powered vehicle here in California, it may cause a strain on the power grid. KMJ asked some experts, and they say, not so. Jim Boyd is a commissioner with the California Energy Commission. Their goal is to get 1,000,000 electric cars on the road by 2020.
"No, we won't be in trouble. The electric grid is more than capable of handling 1,000,000 vehicles." so he said.
Dr. Mark Duvall with the Electric Power Research Institute, a Palo Alto-based think tank agrees. He says the cars would only increase peak demand during the summer by 2%. When you charge also makes a difference.
"(There) is really cheap electricity at night. That places hardly any stress on the grid, because our load in California is really low at night relative to what it would be in a hot summer afternoon."
So the Idea is drive your car during the day and charge it at night, and make sure you don't run out of batteries while on a trip, that could cause you a great deal of trouble...Seems interesting.

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Honda Civic SiR 2-door Tops the list of most stolen vehicles in Canada.

A 10-year-old import sport compact is the most popular car among thieves across the country, according to a recent report by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
You may want to be wary if you’re the owner of a two-door 2000 Honda Civic SiR -- it’s the most stolen car in Ontario and Canada, the insurance bureau said Thursday.
The 1999 model of the same vehicle ranks second on the list both provincially and nationally.
The other vehicles on the list are high-end models, including Cadillac Escalades, Hummers, a Land Rover, an Audi S4 Quattro and various Acuras.
It’s believed organized crime groups are responsible for many thefts of high-end vehicles. The cars are stripped for parts which are then shipped overseas. Last month, the federal government passed Bill S-9, which gives Canadian Border Services the right to seize stolen vehicles intended for export.
In 2009, 108,172 vehicles were stolen across the country – 27,175 of them in Ontario – according to Statistics Canada.
Here’s a look at the top 10 stolen vehicles in Ontario:


1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
4. 2005 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
5. 2003 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
6. 2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
7. 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 4-door 4WD
8. 2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
9. 2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
10. 2003 Acura RSX Type S 2-door

The top 10 stolen vehicles in Canada:
1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
4. 2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
5. 2005 Acura RSX Type S 2-door
6. 1997 Acura Integra 2-door
7. 2000 Audi S4 Quattro 4-door AWD
8. 2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
9. 2006 Acura RSX Type S 2-door
10. 2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
Now i wonder what makes this car so popular among car thieves.

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