www.pgcitizen.ca | Thursday, February 19, 2009

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Chrysler Aspen has plenty of brawn. / 31

Full Throttle with Rhonda Wheeler /33

driver's seat
Hundai Elantra:
Lots of car
WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS

for little cost
 Have your features and save the planet, too: Toyota's Lexus brand put forth two new hybrid-only models at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., which wrapped up Jan. 25: the sedan-like HS 250h and a yet-to-be-named model based on the Toyota Prius. The HS 250h is closely linked to Toyota's upcoming "SAI" model that The compact HS 250h is Lexus's first dedicated hybrid will likely be the model. There is no gasolinefirst vehicle that only counterpart. will expand the Prius brand, slotting between the current Prius and the Camry Hybrid. To differentiate itself from the lesser Toyota model, the HS 250h will feature an onboard control system similar to BMW's iDrive, LED lights and plenty of luxury amenities. The HS 250h is expected to begin production in Japan in July 2009, with the Toyota model following in November.
 Finally, an electric sports car: Fisker Automotive, the fledgling Southern California plug-in-hybrid manufacturer, introduced a new concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit., Mich., along with the production version of the four-door Fisker Karma. The Karma S (Sunset) will use the same plug-in series hybrid powertrain as the original Karma, which debuted a year ago at the 2008 Detroit show. The automaker claims it can deliver up to 80 kilometres of range on a single charge of its lithiumion battery pack before an internal combustion engine-generator takes over to continue producing the juice to drive a pair of electric motors delivering up to 408 horsepower. With all that power, the best zero-to-100-km-h time is a just-ok six seconds. Fisker says the plan is to have it on the street sometime in 2011.  Pay-as-you-drive tax proposed: Oregon State Governor Ted Kulongoski is pushing to do away with gas taxes in favour of a distance tax. Under the proposed system, drivers would pay about 1.2 cents a mile (1.6 kilomtres) and receive a state credit of 24 cents per gallon (3.8 litres) of gasoline, according to the Oregon newspaper the Democrat-Herald. Mileage would be monitored via satellite tracking with fuel stations equipped to read the system and charge drivers accordingly. Oregon's Department of Transportation (ODOT) completed a study on mileage taxes and Kulongoski thinks it proves the concept's viability, especially in a more fuel-efficient world. However, the proposal still faces plenty of public opposition. Many citizens are concerned the system would be used to track driving habits by the government, although ODOT contests "there can be no `tracking' of vehicle movements" with the system. Of course, there's already a pay-as-you-drive system in place: the farther you drive, the more gas you have to pay for.  Electrifying BMW models: The company's 2009 product plan contains a pair of electric vehicles, the first of which will be introduced in March at the Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland, as the eDrive concept that uses an electric drive system installed in either a BMW 1- or 3-Series car. The second vehicle is an electrified version of the Z roadster, to be dubbed the Z Vision Concept and due at either the Frankfurt, Germany, show in September, or the Tokyo, Japan, show in October.  Michelin "green" rally pushed into 2010: Tire company Michelin said it is canceling the planned 2009 Challenge Bibendum, a rally that acts as a test bed for alternative fuels and powertrain technologies. The event, which is held every two years and was to have taken place in Rio de Janeiro, With the current focus on Brazil, in April, will be held over until 2010, the French electric small cars, look for tire giant said. The decision the technology to branch out into larger vehicles as well as "takes into account the sports cars such as the BMW increasing financial conZ4. straints of several of Challenge Bibendum's traditional partners. Many will be unable to participate." The last edition was held in Shanghai, China, in 2007 where a wide array of technologies were showcased including electric, hybrid, diesel and hydrogen.  Efficiency driving Web searches: The Ford F-150 pickup might have taken home the title of best-selling vehicle in the United States for 2008, but the list of most researched new cars was dominated by fuel-efficient Hondas and Toyotas. A new report by Kelly Blue Book, which monitors resale values of vehicles, shows the It should probably come as no Honda Civic took home top surprise that fuel-efficient cars honours of most researched such as the Honda Civic are new car of 2008, reflecting the most searched on the the high gas prices seen Internet. during the middle of the year. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry rounded out the top three, marking the fifth consecutive year the trio has filled the top spots. Ford's Escape small sport-utility vehicle was the highestranked North American vehicle, taking the Number 12 spot.

Citizen photos by David Mah

Gurp Sidhu, a salesman at Northland Hyundai, stands with the new Elantra. It's European roots are easy on the pocketbook.
by MICK KEARNS Citizen staff

"You are about to meet NBE1."

spec sheet
Hundai Elantra
Vehicle type: 5-door Transmission: 4-speed automatic Engine: 2.0-litre, 4 cylinder Horsepower: 141 @ 6,000 Torque: 136 @ 4,600 Mileage: 8.7 L/100 km, city ­ 6.5 L/100 km, hwy. Price as tested: $23,890

"What?" "NBE1, non-biological extraterrestrial. Get with the acronyms." A line or two from the mega-movie Transformers, where the guy from sector 7 is talking about, what Samuel Witwicky corrects him as being Megatron, the leader of the Deceptacons. Whether you like NBE1 or Megatron (Personally I like Megatron) can depend on many things. But why does he have two names, anyway? Well, maybe because the movie would have a few different viewing audiences, and one might prefer one name over another, or maybe it was something the writers put into the script to fill a dull moment. The same question may be asked of auto manufacturers who give the same vehicle different names on different continents. However, the bigger question is usually, why didn't we get the cool name? Sometimes the cool name is just an acronym, like GTO. But maybe some people are the pretentious types who like the full name of Grand Turismo Omologato, because they think saying it, or putting it in print like me, will impress people. Anyway, I want to know why we, in Canada, got the uncool name for Hyundai's new five door ­ the Elantra Sport Touring ­ and people in Europe got the much cooler namethe i30. For me, i30 just sounds better all over than Elantra Sport Touring five-door hatch, doesn't it. It sounds richer, posher, sportier, and it's easier to say. I just got a new i30. I just had my i30 pimped. My other car is an i30. Hi, I drive an i30, would you like to go back to my place? Anyway, the i30 is definitely a more fitting name because this little Hyundai is way more than the name Elantra Sport Touring five door hatch suggests.

Designed for the European market, it has a slightly stiffer suspension than other North Americanized vehicles of its size would have. It also has precise, responsive steering with a think wheel, upon which Hyundai has been nice enough to place stereo and cruise controls. I can see my friend Pat driving the i30 through Spain into France, then onto a ferry bound for England, across England and onto another ferry for Ireland, as he has done many times in his own little European hatch. It revs easy, it has no problem cruising at highway speeds, and I have no problem saying it would drive at 100 miles per hour (as Pat drives his car on the motorways in Europe) for hours and hours at a time. The ride is very comfortable, and for a smaller vehicle there is a lot of interior room. Second-seat passengers get good knee room, and there is plenty of storage room in the cargo area. Under the floor in the back there are several other storage spaces and a tonneau cover to hide the valuables when you are not in the vehicle. Fitted with 215/45/17 series tires, the handling at speed was very good for a small hatch. Some bigger vehicles I have driven have not felt as planted. But the big thing here is not the handling, although it is a good part of it. The big thing here is what you get for the money. The tires and rims alone, if you bought them after market, may cost you $3,500 or so. You are getting a lot of vehicle for the price -- $23,890. Never mind the tires and rims. There are two heated seats, four power windows, power heated mirrors, a power moonroof, the controls on the wheel I mentioned earlier, a USB and AUX input jack in the glove box, side and side curtain airbags, a front windshield defroster, MP3/ CD player, three adjustable head rests in the back, three 12-volt outlets (one in the rear storage space), keyless entry, alarm, ABS, EBD, and an air conditioned glove box. The only thing missing is the name. But that's an easy remedy.

Shift points
 Stick to the main roads when it snows: Since they're cleared first when it snows, main roads are usually safer and also have less rolling resistance than snow-covered secondary roads. Dial in spinning tires and the possibility of getting stuck and the shortest route might not be the best when it comes to economy.  Crude reminder: Bloomberg news agency predicts oil will return to US $60 a barrel next year thanks to "record production cuts" that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will make next year. Bloomberg surveyed 33 analysts to come up with that number.