Natural Disaster - Flood Hits South China. 19 Dead, 7 Missing And Hundreds Of Homes Gone

No less than 19 people have died and seven were reporting missing Sunday in widespread flooding that's hit hundreds of thousands of people in a swath of southern China, the country's state news agency reported.
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Why You May Not Want To Use An Electric Automobiles Just Yet

Electric automobiles may seem to be a paradise of modern automobile technology, but it comes with a flaw at list for now.

Electric automobiles suffer dramatic reductions in battery life when air temperatures are either cold or hot, the American Automobile Association reports. The findings are not new, but they are receiving more media attention after the prominent AAA released a report on it some weeks ago.
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Saab 9-3 2.0t Vector Review

Price as tested £23,205

The new 9-3 is Saab’s biggest-selling model and must compete in one of the toughest, fastest-growing market sectors.
Owner GM wants the car to be closer to the sports saloon norm without sacrificing too much of the individualism prized by loyal buyers and which gives new recruits a reason to pick it over a 3-series or a C-Class.
The new 9-3 must be both distinctive and conformist, and offer all the quality, dynamism and image buyers in this class expect.

The new Saab 9-3 shares much of its underpinnings with the new Vauxhall Vectra. Perhaps the biggest change made to the 9-3 is the switch from hatchback to saloon to match the market leaders.
The three petrol engine options are all based on the same all-alloy, four-cylinder L850 GM unit used in everything from Astra to Omega. Naturally Saab turbocharges it, and a choice of three different turbo pressures varies the output; the 2.0t tested here produces its 175bhp at 5500rpm and 195lb ft at 2500rpm.
Saab says that the front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link suspension is entirely its own work.
Most of the old Saab styling cues are retained; the wraparound screen, oval doorhandles, teardrop side glass and triangular-section rear lights.

We were slightly taken aback by the 7.7sec 0-60mph time we recorded in the 9-3, and the 22.2sec 0-100mph time. These are very impressive figures for a mid-range sports saloon, and immediately give you a clear reason to pick the Saab over the equivalent 8.9sec Audi or 9.6sec BMW.
It’s still more impressive when moving than away from the line though; witness a 30-70mph time of 7.1sec. Top speed is 136mph.
The ‘box action is reasonably short and light but notchy and no match for a BMW’s. The lack of vibration will impress all but the engine note, muted by the turbo, might divide; suitably silent for some, not sporty enough for others.
Around town the ride is quiet. The speed-sensitive power steering is very light at low speeds, and combined with the box and clutch actions makes for an undemanding drive.
Motorway refinement is good too, But drive quickly on more challenging roads and there’s a slight reminder of old 9-3 in the new car’s softness through corners and dips and loose damping over crests, effects which would be magnified in a car with standard suspension settings; ours came on sports springs.
You’re aware that you’re asking the car to play away from its town and motorway strengths, but others manage a broader spread of ability. The steering doesn’t weight up enough as the speed increases and remains frustratingly vague around the dead-ahead, but it is aided by that passive rear-steer which lends the car a keenness and security through bends.

The cabin looks and works like a Saab’s should. There’s a tall central dash section with all the major controls and displays mounted high to be closer to the driver’s line of sight.
There are firm, comfortable, high-backed seats with integrated head restraints, one-touch air vents, funky cupholders, folding rear seats and the ignition barrel down by the gear lever. Notable additions to the new car include an information display at the base of the windscreen which is particularly easy to read while driving.
The seats and driving position are excellent and the space in both rows and the boot puts the 9-3 near the top of its class. Only the quality of construction lets it down; some of the plastics have a sexy rubberised feel but others - the stalks and handbrake, for example - feel brittle and poorly finished. The standard kit level is generous and compares well with the rivals’.
Both the A4 2.0FSI and BMW 318i claim nearly 40mpg on the combined cycle; Saab claims just 33.2mpg, and we managed 30.1mpg on our touring route giving an acceptable 409 mile range. Buyers will have to balance the Saab’s extra poke against its extra thirst.

This is still a Saab, with enough of the marque’s hallmark features to keep diehards happy and interest new buyers. It has the pace and mechanical refinement of a premium sports saloon. But cornering aside, its dynamic abilities don’t get close enough to the 3, the C or even the A4 to cause them any anguish. It does enough to merit inclusion in a tough class, but not enough to lead it.

How much ?

• Price as tested £23,205
• Price as tested £25,870

How fast

• 0-30mph 2.9 sec
• 0-60mph no data
• 0-100mph 22.2 sec
• 0-150mph no data
• 0-200mph  no data
• 30-70mph  7.1 sec
• 0-400m  no data
• 0-1000m  no data
• 30-50mph in 3rd/4th  5.2 / 7.3
• 40-60mph in 4th/5th  6.8 / 12 sec
• 50-70mph in 5th  10.9 sec
• 60-0mph  2.8 sec
• Top speed  no data
• Noise at 70mph  72 dbA

How thirsty?

• Test average  26.4 mpg
• Test best/worst  30.1 / 12.8

Government figures

• Combined/urban  37.2 / 26.2 mpg
• CO₂ emissions  189 g/km

How big?

• Length  4635 mm
• Width  1762 mm
• Height  1466 mm
• Wheelbase  2675 mm
• Weight  1570 kg
• Fuel tank  58.0 litres

Engine

• Layout 4 cyls In Line , 1998 cc
• Max power 173 bhp at 5500 rpm
• Max torque 195 ft at 2500 rpm
• Specific output 86.6bhp per litre bhp per litre
• Power to weight no data
• Installation F
• Bore/stoke no data
• Compression ratio no data
• Valve gear 4 per cyl
• Ignition and fuel no data, Unleaded

Gearbox

• Type 5-speed Manual
• 1st 3.8 / 5.3
• 2nd 2.32 / 10.3
• 3rd 1.62 / 15.3
• 4th 1.27 / 20.2
• 5th 1 / 27.3
• 6th no data
• Final drive 3.51

Suspension

• Front MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
• Rear Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Steering

• Type Rack and pinion, speed-sensitive hydraulic power assistance
• Lock to lock 3.00

Brakes

• Front 300mm ventilated discs
• Rear 290mm discs

Wheel & tyres

• Size front 7.5Jx17in in
• Size rear 7.5Jx17in in
• Made of Alloy
• Tyres front 215/50 WR17
• Tyres rear 215/50 WR17

Seat Leon 1.8 20vT Cupra R Review

210bhp Leon outmuscles even the Civic Type-R

 Price as tested £17,000

A power struggle is being fought out on UK roads, a horsepower struggle to discover how much grunt you can put through the front wheels of a hot hatch. On the evidence here, the answer seems to be: quite a lot.
We gasped when Renault dropped a 172bhp motor into the tiny Clio and nearly fell over when Honda trumped that with the UK-built Civic Type-R, which packs 197bhp. But now Seat has upped the stakes again with a new 210bhp version of the Leon: the front-wheel-drive Cupra R.

The most significant change over the 180bhp Cupra is to the 1.8-litre turbo’d four which now gets a pair of intercoolers and inlet- and exhaust-manifold modifications. Power is boosted by 30bhp to 210bhp and torque by 26lb ft to a maximum of 199lb ft, all of it evenly spread from 2100-5000rpm.

Other changes include stiffer dampers which drop the car by 8mm at the rear, sturdier suspension mounts and relocation of the (thinner) front anti-roll bar mounts to improve the neutrality of the handling, as well as a quicker steering rack; 2.5 turns lock-to-lock compared to the 2.8 of the original.

These tweaks are backed up by huge 18in alloys through which you’ll see bigger Brembo discs all round. The R is also distinguished by its rear spoiler, side skirts and aggressive front bumper treatment.

Coming off the line gently to minimise speed-sapping wheelspin, the R scorched to 60mph in just 6.5sec, beating the Civic Type-R by 0.2sec and matching the time set by the Renault Clio Cup. From 30-70mph, where the disadvantages of front-drive no longer matter, the Seat takes just 6.0sec. But by 100mph, which the Leon reaches in 18.0sec dead, the tables have turned and the Civic and Renault have pulled out over a second lead, although only the Civic can top the 141mph the Leon managed around Millbrook’s banking.
The Leon also counters with the sort of in-gear muscle that helps make it a supreme overtaking tool. Aided by its flat, even torque curve, it simply strolls away from its rivals in any given gear: even in the tall 25mph per 1000rpm sixth it squirts from 50-70mph in just 7.5sec (Civic 8.9sec, Clio 7.9sec).

The engine itself is not tuneful or particularly charismatic, but it never becomes harsh, even at the red line. And that, together with the torque spread means the Leon is deceptively fast and relaxing to drive.

Putting over 200bhp through just the front wheels can so often end in tears, but Seat’s engineers have done a fine job of ironing out torque steer. At motorway speeds the ride though stiff is not uncomfortable, but tyre noise and bump-thump from the firmly damped suspension as it tries to soak up imperfections can make covering lumpy surfaces a chore. But the pay-off is superb body control over even the toughest roads, inspiring the driver with immense confidence.

So it’s a shame that the steering spoils the party. We’ve no qualms with the keener response of the quicker rack, but there’s less feel than there was and with no extra assistance on offer, the effort required to turn the wheel is now almost too great.

The Cupra R’s cabin is a black hole, broken only by the slightly cheap-looking white-faced dials, red stitching on the seats and smart leather-trimmed wheel and handbrake cover. The dash is showing its age, but the overall feeling of solidity is still impressive.

A huge range of steering and seat adjustment makes getting comfortable easy, even if they are set too high. And mention should be made of the superb £1200 Recaro seat option which includes special front chairs and individually sculpted rear seats and an emergency central perch in place of the ordinary bench.

The only other option is a full-screen sat-nav system; air-conditioning, a six-disc CD changer, front and side airbags and traction and stability control systems are all standard for the £16,999 price. That’s £1000 more than Honda charges for the Type-R, but the Seat counters with better equipment levels.

The R’s 211g/km CO2 figure is competitive considering the performance, as is the group 16 insurance rating. But our 23mpg average could dent a few wallets. Drive conservatively, though (and you will in this car, won’t you?) and you could easily top 30mpg.

It isn’t hard to make a case for the Cupra R despite its harsh ride and less than perfect steering. Stunningly rapid, able across country, and entirely practical as family transport, it’s absolutely one of the best hot-hatch packages on sale. That it costs only two grand more than the regular Cupra seals the deal.

How much ?

• Price as tested £17,000
• Price as tested £20,145

How fast

• 0-30mph no data
• 0-60mph no data
• 0-100mph no data
• 0-150mph no data
• 0-200mph  no data
• 30-70mph  no data
• 0-400m  no data
• 0-1000m  no data
• 30-50mph in 3rd/4th  no data
• 40-60mph in 4th/5th  no data / no data
• 50-70mph in 5th  no data
• 60-0mph  no data
• Top speed  no data
• Noise at 70mph  no data

How thirsty?

• Test average  no data
• Test best/worst  no data / no data

Government figures

• Combined/urban  32.1 / 22.6 mpg
• CO₂ emissions  211 g/km

How big?

• Length  4184 mm
• Width  1742 mm
• Height  1439 mm
• Wheelbase  2513 mm
• Weight  1376 kg
• Fuel tank  55.0 litres

Engine

• Layout 4 cyls , 1781 cc
• Max power 210 bhp at 5800 rpm
• Max torque 199 ft at 2100 rpm
• Specific output no data
• Power to weight no data
• Installation F
• Bore/stoke no data
• Compression ratio no data
• Valve gear no data
• Ignition and fuel no data, Unleaded

Gearbox

• Type U-speed Manual
• 1st no data
• 2nd no data
• 3rd no data
• 4th no data
• 5th no data
• 6th no data
• Final drive no data

Suspension

• Front MacPherson struts, wishbones, coils, anti-roll bar
• Rear Torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Steering

• Type Rack and pinion
• Lock to lock 2.50

Brakes

• Front 323mm ventilated discs
• Rear 256mm discs

Wheel & tyres

• Size front 7.5Jx18in in
• Size rear 7.5Jx18in in
• Made of Alloy
• Tyres front 225/40 ZR18
• Tyres rear 225/40 ZR18

Maserati 4200 GT Review

Best Maser in decades

The new £59,950 Msaerati Coupé GT has a much more focused ambition than the outgoing 3200 GT, which wasn’t an especially polished product.
It wants to be an honest continent crosser in the traditional Gran Turismo sense, without sacrificing too much of the excitement associated with the world’s best-sounding car name. It also needs to justify Ferrari’s substantial financial commitment in resurrecting the Maserati brand, and to prove, at last, that you can look further afield than Zuffenhausen if there’s a £70k coupé on your shopping list.

Apart from the slightly raised bonnet line, the sad demise of the narrow LED rear-light strip, and a heavenly set of new 18in alloys, the new car looks little different.
Out goes the turbocharged V8 to be replaced with a unit of identical configuration but larger capacity and natural aspiration. Closely related to the V8 that powers the 360 Modena, the new 4244cc unit produces a sizeable 385bhp at 7000rpm and 333lb ft of torque at just 3300rpm.
Space constraints and the quest for perfect weight distribution have pushed the gearbox to the rear. The transmission itself is an all-new six-speeder offering the choice of manual or hydraulically actuated Cambiocorsa operation. Given the longer and less frenetic set of legs Maserati has given this car, it seems odd that a conventional automatic ’box isn’t also available.
Comprehensive modifications to the chassis include new spring and damper rates and the steering rack, arguably the 3200 GT’s weakest ingredient, has also been thoroughly revised to ensure a more linear response across the locks.

You can forget the numbers, ignore the technical data and just drink in what must be one of the finest engines currently in production.
This is a staggeringly fast car, one that will blast to 60mph in 4.9sec and 100mph in a scant 11.3sec. It needs every last ounce of that straight-line speed because the competition at this level is startlingly brisk: today’s basic Carrera will now hit the magic ton in just 10.1sec.
And it’s flexible; so happy is it to chug along at crank speeds barely above idle that you always find yourself running in one, even two gears higher than you might in a 911. But the shift is too obstructive and the clutch action too abrupt. There’s plenty of driveline shunt, too.
On its stiffest setting, the Skyhook adaptive damping reawakens all that was wrong with Maseratis of yesteryear, but to switch it off is to be released from poor-ride purgatory. Suddenly wheel travel seems to increase and rather than skip over bumps the car soaks them up and makes a pretty good fist of isolating the cabin.
There’s a price to pay in roll stiffness and outright body control, but the sacrifice is minute in real terms because the Coupé feels so much better planted that it actually gives you the confidence to carry much more speed. The steering is a happy compromise between feedback, clipping-point accuracy and motorway sneeze-factor imperviousness.
It’s a car of singular character, the Coupé. Not quite the precise B-road tool a 911 is, but still capable of raising pulses in all the right ways. But the real result is its cruising ability.

Even after allowing for its fantastic new engine, perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this car is, and always has been, it’s ability to carry four adults in reasonable comfort. If only the boot was capable of swallowing four people’s luggage.
The best news is that the driving position has been improved by dropping the seat 25mm, but the posture remains old-school Italian with the wheel set too far away, Poorly placed pedals don’t help, either: learn to heel ’n’ toe in this car and you’ll manage it in anything.
Maserati isn’t especially generous on the standard equipment front. Our car came with superb xenon lights, but then so they should be for £920 and seeing both cruise control (£325) and sat-nav (£1640) on the options list is rather too Scrooge-like for our taste. But interior build quality is out of the top drawer, so at least the money is being spent where it matters.
Likes a drink does the Maser: we struggled to coax much more than 300 miles at a time from the 88-litre tank.


There are, as there always will be with cars of irrepressible character, any number of objective reasons to strike the Coupé off your shopping list. The first, and most damning, is the spiteful manual gearchange, which doesn’t sit harmoniously in such an otherwise improved car. And it is a dramatic improvement over the outgoing model, a package with real cohesion that offers something currently missing in the market: a genuine alternative to the perennial Porsche. It has the pace, ride comfort and cabin space to slip into the GT role perfectly, and do so with all the charisma you’d expect of a Maserati.

How much ?

• Price as tested £56,650
• Price as tested £65,045

How fast

• 0-30mph no data
• 0-60mph no data
• 0-100mph no data
• 0-150mph no data
• 0-200mph  no data
• 30-70mph  no data
• 0-400m  no data
• 0-1000m  no data
• 30-50mph in 3rd/4th  no data
• 40-60mph in 4th/5th  no data / no data
• 50-70mph in 5th  no data
• 60-0mph  no data
• Top speed  no data
• Noise at 70mph  no data

How thirsty?

• Test average  no data
• Test best/worst  no data / no data

Government figures

• Combined/urban  16.1 / 10.8 mpg
• CO₂ emissions  400 g/km

How big?

• Length  4523 mm
• Width  1822 mm
• Height  1305 mm
• Wheelbase  2660 mm
• Weight  1680 kg
• Fuel tank  88.0 litres

Engine

• Layout V8 cyls , 4244 cc
• Max power 390 bhp at 7000 rpm
• Max torque 330 ft at 4500 rpm
• Specific output no data
• Power to weight no data
• Installation F
• Bore/stoke no data
• Compression ratio no data
• Valve gear no data
• Ignition and fuel no data, Unleaded

Gearbox

• Type 6-speed Manual
• 1st no data
• 2nd no data
• 3rd no data
• 4th no data
• 5th no data
• 6th no data
• Final drive no data

Suspension

• Front Double wishbones, coil springs,anti-roll bar, adaptive dampers
• Rear Double wishbones, coil springs, antil-roll bar, adaptive dampers

Steering

• Type Rack and pinion, power assisted
• Lock to lock 3.00

Brakes

• Front 330mm ventilated drilled discs
• Rear 310mm ventilated drilled discs

Wheel & tyres

• Size front 8Jx18in in
• Size rear 9.5Jx18in in
• Made of Alloy
• Tyres front 235/40 Z18
• Tyres rear 265/35 Z18

Honda Fit Electric Launches in Los Angeles

In the event the Los Angeles Auto Show ( LAAS ) lasting 18 to 27 Nov 2011, Honda, in addition to featuring all-new CR - V Fit also displaying an electric version of mass production.

Fit is equipped with electric -powered electric motor 92 is equivalent to 125.7 kW or PS. Intake of energy sources, obtained from the battery 20 kWh lithium ion battery power - the same as that used in the FCX Clarity. According to Honda, by plugging the cable in the socket voltage 240 volts, the battery can be fully charged in three hours. With this provision, the driver can tour the city as far as 198 km and 122 km out of town.


This car has three driving style options, Econ, Normal and Sport. By choosing Econ, then the driver can save power up to 17 percent of the Normal model. While the Sport,

Honda planning, marketing, electric Fit in the U.S. starting next year with a retail price of the proposed manufacturing ( manufacturer 's suggested retail price / MSRP ) 36 625 dollars by unit. As an initial marketing, Fit electric multiple units will be leased to utilities in California, Oregon, the summer of next year followed by the six other major cities early 2013. The cost of rent per month priced 399 U.S. dollars



Honda Fit targeting electricity production could reach 1,100 units in the next three years. However, this amount is still tentative can rise or fall according to demand in the market.

How to Detect Shockbreker Conditions For Car

Many contributing factors driving comfort, one good suspension performance. When these components are less good condition or damaged, would obviously interfere with driving, such as stability. Talk of stability, it affects the safety of driving 

Damage to the shockbreker can produce symptoms rolls down the road, because unsteady and maneuvering is not perfect. Control symptoms that are not controlled, such as oversteer. 

Detecting shockbreker declining performance can be from three sectors, namely visual, sound, and feeling. Here's an explanation that can be used to find out if your car shockbreker still functioning well.

Visual way 

The weaken performance of Shockbreker  can be due to the leak and we can see by the seepage of oil that sticks to the outside Shockbreker. Seepage could also have been covered by dust or dirt. So, to be sure, the dirt in Shockbreker must be held, whether there is the oil or not.

Oil seepage on Shockbreaker

The Voice

Shockbreaker strange noises, when the pass road is damaged or perforated. The sound is annoying and feels a little vibration on the steering wheel or deck near the pedals.

Filling and control 

For this condition, good sensitivity is required of the driver, because it involves the feeling. Another situation that can help is, the emergence of symptoms of excessive wobbling when driving, with a high speed. It could also arise from excessive swing, when passing through the road bumps or holes.

If one of the three conditions above happen to your vehicle, whenever possible, consult and do repairs in the workshop of your subscription. to maintain stability and comfort of the car while driving. Be sure to use the original components are still covered with the seal manufacturer to obtain maximum results.