Honda engineers studied at all aspects of the little engine and fought and scraped to make it lighter and more efficient in every way. Cooling pathways were redesigned, valve diameters were increased, intake manifold resonators were improved, and lightweight materials were used wherever possible. The result is 117 horsepower at 6600 rpm and 106 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm. Also, Honda has modified the manual and automatic transmissions. As mentioned earlier, our Sport model came with wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which made running up and down the gears a responsive thrill ride. Shifts are smooth and well-matched with the powertrain, but make sure you get the engine revving. On certain winding sections of our test drive, the engine needed to rev between 4500 and 5500 rpm to stay happy. It was during this enthusiastic section of road where the improvements seemed most impressive.

The Fit’s chassis has been redesigned and upgraded, too. First, the body structure is overhauled, incorporating Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering structure, which, with the aid of super-computers, identifies key stress- and load-bearing areas of the structure.The result is a stronger, lighter, and more rigid platform to tie the suspension pieces to. Of course, with the new subframe, the suspension is recalibrated as well. In fact, although the design of the front and rear suspension has not changed, Honda has redesigned every piece of the front steering and suspension to take advantage of the stiffer front end. As you might expect, the biggest place where that improvement shows up is on hard and fast cornering, on and off throttle. With the longer nose, newly designed lower control arms, and reprogrammed electric power steering (it’s faster now), the handling feels more precise and confident when pushed. Additionally, the rear torsion beam suspension has longer trailing arms and newly calibrated bushings, freeing up more interior space and reducing rear body roll. The new Fit will likely be a touch quicker to 60 mph (most likely in the low 9s) and considerably quicker around our figure-eight test. It’s also worth mentioning that the steering feels much more confident as a result of the new suspension mounting points and the electric power-steering recalibration. The helm remains quick and sporty (thank you, Honda, for not numbing the new system for the masses), preserving the agile feel of the Sport model.

The bottom line here is that this second-gen Fit gives more in every way for a small bump in price. Will this vehicle continue to play well with Gen-Yers, yet lure those looking for a better downsizing option? From what we’ve seen, both groups should get everything they need. This new Fit does it all in spades, which could translate to as many as 100,000 units next year. Honda says this segment is likely to keep growing in 10-percent leaps for the next several years. No doubt the Versa, Yaris, and Scion vehicles will need to respond. Let’s just hope their upgrade checklist is as long and as thorough as Honda’s was this time around.

Base-model 2009 Fits will start at $15,190 for the manual trans; the Sport automatic will start in the $17,550 neighborhood; and a fully loaded Fit Sport with Nav and VSA will play in the $19,400 ballpark. Certainly no longer cheap, but it’s still a big bang-for-the-buck player.

FIND THE PERFECT FIT

1. Basic Fit – (a)Manual $15,190 (b) Auto 15,990 (c) Features: 14- or 15-inch wheels, plain front bumper, black side mirrors, telescoping steering wheel, aux jack, MP3/WMA playback, visor vanity mirrors, passenger-seat back pocket, driver window auto up/down, auto door locks by speed.

Expected Sales Percentage: 20

2.  Sport Fit – (a)Manual $16,700 (b) Auto $17,550 (c) Features: 15- or 16-inch alloy wheels, sporty front bumpers, side sill garnish, rear wing spoiler, foglights, exhaust tips, body-color side mirrors, cruise control, keyless entry, security system, USB connect, leather-wrapped steering wheel, paddle shifters (auto only), sound-system tweeters, driver-side armrest, map lights.

Expected Sales Percentage: 70

3.  Sport Fit W/Nav – (a) Manual $18,550 (b) Auto $19,400 (c) Features: Same goodies as the Sport Fit, but with navigation system and Vehicle Stability Assist.

Expected Sales Percentage: 10

2009 HONDA FIT

VEHICLE LAYOUT                    Front engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback

ENGINE                                        1.5/117-hp/106-lb-ft SOHC 16-valve 1-4

TRANSMISSIONS                       5-speed manual; 5-speed automatic

CURB WEIGHT                           2500-2600 lb (mfr)

WHEELBASE                               98.4 in

LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT        161.6 x 66.7 x 60.0 in

0-60 MPH                                     9.5 – 11.5 sec (MT est)

EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON          27-28/33-35 mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS                         0.63-0.66 lb/mile (est)

ON SALE IN U.S.                         Currently

Winnipeg Wedding Catering 

Coqutilam BC Maple Ridge Surrey Dodge Grand Caravan

Vancouver BC Car Info

If there’s a company that sweats the details, it’s Honda. When times are good, Honda is up two or three percent. Right now, times are good for Honda. It’s the only major player in the U.S. to show a profit this year, and for good reason.

Take the Fit. Honda brought it into the U.S. in 2006, reluctantly and with low expectations, hinting it would be happy to sell 50,000 units. Fuel prices jumped and now Honda’s looking to sell a tick over 90,000 units by the end of this year. Which is perhaps why Honda is introducing an all-new Fit for 2009.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Fit is its more stylish and aerodynamic look. It’s as if the nose and tail have been pulled from one another to give it a more forward-leaning, angular stance. Honda says its biggest challenge was to keep the Fit looking like a minicar but make it bigger in every dimension. The overall shape of the vehicle is longer by 4.2 inches, wider by 0.5 inch, longer in wheelbase by 1.9 inches, with more shoulder and headroom as well. Other key exterior changes include larger front quarter windows; larger, shapelier headlights, and sportier body-kit-like moldings.

The interior also gets a host of upgrades. Seats on all trim levels are new, with the Sport-model cloth seats a huge improvement over those of the previous generation, providing gobs more lateral and vertical support. The rear seats, in particular, take advantage of a lower floor and offer a one-touch pivot-down fold-forward control (called Magic Seat) that turns the rear area into a cavernous storage bin with almost 60 cubic feet for cargo space.

Honda has still managed to include 10 cupholders, eight storage slots, and even two hidden compartments for maps and iPods or to keep contraband from prying eyes. The gauge cluster and HVAC configuration are completely new and have a more refined, most-definitely non-entry-level fees to them now. In fact, the Fit will offer a full nav system and vehicle stability-control system (packaged together) on the highest trim level. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make a loaded Fit a cheap date anymore, listing for a smidge over $19,000 (fully loaded Sport).

We got behind the wheel of a Sport model with the automatic transmission, which includes paddle shifters. For something this small and inexpensive, it’s one of the most fun cars we’ve driven in a long time. Honda still offers the 1.5-liter I-4, but due in large part to several key improvements to the engine – most notably the use of a new i-VTEC system – it offers better performance and better breathing efficiency, both of which add to improvements in horsepower and torque. Honda has accomplished this while making a one-mpg improvement to the car’s overall fuel economy (27-28 mpg in the city, 33-35 on he highway)

Winnipeg Wedding Catering

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Vancouver BC Car Info

We both remarked, that in our lifetime, we could remember when cars came with painted metal dashboards and an airbag was someone who didn’t stop talking.

The 2.0-litre with automatic works really well partly due the amount of horsepower Kia can extract from such a relatively small engine but mainly due to the ability of the six-speed automatic to make the most of what it has to work with.

Michigan is beautiful in the fall made more so by the crimson and gold leaves lining wonderful back roads with a smattering of traffic.

People there tend to keep to the speed limit, making passing a non-issue outside of town, the same being said about merging from the on-ramp onto four-lane highways.

The controls were logically placed and easily marked which Kia has become good at doing. All in all, the Kia Forte 5 makes the same favourable impression as the Sedan and Koup and helps live up to the Kia motto of “the power to surprise.”

SPECS

front-engine, front-wheel-drive

2.0-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder

(156 hp, 144 lb-ft); 2.4-litre DOHC inline

four-cylinder (173 hp and 16 lb-ft of torque

Fuel: Manual 2.0-litre 8.1/5.7L/100 km city/highway; Auto 8.0/5.5L/100 km;

Manual 2.4-litre, 9.2/6.2L/100 km,

Auto 9.0/6.2L/100 km

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Cancun Puerto Morelos  Chichen Itza Tours Mexico

Vancouver BC Car Info

Stuttgart, Germany – The only way to stop the racket is to fully depress the surprisingly stiff clutch. Then, and only then, does all the ruckus from the engine compartment – the rattling clutch release bearing, the gears slapping at one another in rhythm to the engine’s power strokes and God knows what else going on back there – subside.

Only when that unholy din is subdued does the GT3 RS sound anything like the smooth, sophisticated Porsche 911 we’ve all come to know and love.

But sitting in neutral, ticking away at its sub-1,000- r.p.m. idle with not even a hint of the orchestral exhaust music that awaits, the GT3 has already announced it is a race car. Although the ruckus is admittedly slightly attenuated from that of a track-only IMSA car or purebred Le Mans racer, there’s no mistaking all those mechanical grumblings for anything other than a highly tuned machine scrubbed of all unnecessary amenities (the carpeting is shaved to save weight, for gosh sakes), sound-deadening material and anything else not specifically dedicated to wringing every last ounce of speed out of its 4.0-litre highly tuned boxer six-cylinder.

Squint hard enough and the RS’s impatient idle is so authentic the Porsche factory’s parking lot is really Circuit Paul Ricard’s pit lane, the security guard is your pit crew and that uniform he’s wearing is really a Nomex fire retardant suit.

But there’s a third act, one that involves the twin conical aftermarket air filter kits feeding the larger 53-millimetre intake tubes. As the revs stretch for that last 2,000 r.p.m. to the RS’s 8,500-r.p.m. redline, those great honking intakes start making a sucking sound so convincing you start worrying for the poor birds flying overhead lest they get caught in the vacuum and are barbecued atop some high-compression Mahle pistons.

Naturally, all this assumes you have time to pay attention to this aural delight. All the internal-combustion music is the direct result of one seriously breathed-on boxer motor, one Porsche claims is churning out 493 horsepower. That’s the most ever from a normally aspirated 911 motor and within spitting distance of the immortal, twin-turbo-charged Turbo S.

Indeed, Porsche says the GT3 accelerates to 100 kilometers an hour in just 3.9 seconds, a time rendered even more impressive when you consider the RS is only available with a retro-tech six-speed manual gearbox that lacks the launch-control trickery of the Turbo’s PDK tranny.

But, in truth, neither the symphonic engine note nor the acceleration is the big surprise – the former because Porsche’s engines always sound sporty; the latter because even I can read press kits and 493 h.p. driving only 1,360 kilograms of car is always a recipe for ungodly acceleration.

Rather, it’s the amazing tractability of this motor that continued to astound long after I got used to just how quickly it could make the telephone poles fly past. This engine is tuned within an inch of its life.

Porsche didn’t start with its latest high-tech direct-injection boxer six when it created the new GT3 RS, but something called the Mezger engine – posed by the old block design – but to lengthen the stroke rather than bore the cylinders. That means those poor 102.7-mm pistons are traveling an almost Formula One-like 22.8 metres per second when the GT3 spins all the way to 8,500 r.p.m.

Engines like these are supposed to be highly strung beasts, temperamental in their comportment and ready to grenade at the slightest provocation. Instead, the GT3 is a model of civility (apart from the aural cacophony of meshing gears and booming exhaust, is easy. Street-legal it may be, but a daily driver it is not. Besides that stiff clutch, slightly reluctant gearshift lever and all that noise, there’s a suspension as stiff as Mike Huckabee’s speech delivery (the adjustable suspension offers two settings – immovable and intractable), tight-fitting, non-adjustable Recaro sports seats (conventional seats are available as a no-cost option) and brakes more sensitive than a Greek civil servant asked to give up his pension benefits.

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Cancun Puerto Morelos  Chichen Itza Tours Mexico

Vancouver BC Car Info

Kia is opening its doors to Canadian consumers with the addition of a hatchback to its Forte Sedan and Forte Koup compact lineup.

It is called the Kia Forte 5, and as the name implies, it’s a five-door compact hatchback. But with up to 550 litres of cargo volume, it is a station wagon both in capacity, utility and appearance.

Sharing the same architecture as the Hyundai Elantra Touring, the taut lines at the front penned by Kia chief  designer, Peter Schreyer, must by necessity give way to the more rounded lines at the rear to accommodate all kinds of cargo space.

It still is a very handsome design and a world away from the drab looks of the pre-Shreyer era. The Forte 5 will be available with a choice of two, inline four-cylinder engines starting with a 2.0-litre producing 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque found in the entry-level LX and the mid-level EX.

The other is the trusty 2.4-litre “world engine” used by a number of manufacturers besides Kia. It produces 137 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque and is used in the top trim SX.

A six-speed manual is standard for all three models with a six-speed automatic optional. Fuel consumption starts at 8.1/5.7L/100 km city/highway for the 2.0-litre manual to 8.0/5.5L/100 km for the automatic. With the 2.4-litre, the manual returns 9.2/6.2L/100 km while the automatic gets 9.0/6.2L/100 km while the automatic gets 9.0/6.2L/100 km.

Notice how advances in transmission engineering are starting to make the automatics more fuel efficient than manuals which has been historically the opposite for decades.

Six airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes, brake assist and electronic brake force distribution are all standard and this is in a car. I drove both the LX and EX models starting with the LX with automatic.

Besides all the safety stuff the LX is surprisingly well equipped for the price with standard power windows/locks/power and heated mirrors; Bluetooth connectivity, 60/20 split rear seat and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

One thing you can’t get on the base LX is air-conditioning. Rolling around outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, usual co-driver and I discussed how far and how fast Kia has developed in such a short time.

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Cancun Puerto Morelos  Chichen Itza Tours Mexico

Vancouver BC Car Info

The Si version of the Civic Coupe looks fast even when it’s standing still. The engine is a 2.0-litre twin-cam four cylinder with a full 197 hp thanks to variable valve timing. The overall shape is a tidy package, part of Civic’s “one motion” styling philosophy. The Civic has been Canada’s top selling compact for more than a decade and part of that is due to the Si. Honda knows a thing or two about high performance racing engines and much of what has been learned has found its way into the Si Coupe. This engine loves to be revved and sings out a soprano note with each up or downshift of the lightning six-speed gear change – another reason why the Si is such a joy to drive. $25,880.

Cancun Puerto Morelos  Chichen Itza Tours Mexico

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Vancouver BC Car Info

Canadians will get their A7 with a full-load AWD quattro with a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 producing 300 hp and a seven-speed dual clutch S-tronic transmission. In this form it has a 0-100 km sprint time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h. The rear view of the Audi A7 Sport-back shows off the elegant lines of this premium long-distance tourer with high attention paid to aerodynamics. At almost five meters long and close to two meters wide, the A7 states its place on the road. The Audi A7 is a triumph of technology and design in every respect. The supercharged V6 has zero lag while the dual clutch transmission shifts in less time that it takes to blink an eye. However, it is the interior with the eye-grabbing layered oak trim that makes this a must have for the discerning motorist. $70,000.

Chichen Itza Tours Mexico

Winnipeg Auto Dealers

Vancouver BC Car Info

Lexus has a grip on what consumers want with the IS 350 AWD. Canadians are increasingly opting for AWD for the security of knowing there are four tires with traction. Visual changes include a revised grille and HID headlights. A 3.5-litre DOHC V6 produces 306 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission. The IS350 AWD is one of the best-kept secrets in the entry level luxury car class. It has more than enough power and the quality of the materials use in the cabin are noteworthy for their look and feel. But it is with the all-wheel-drive that this car really comes into its own with precise grip that improves handling resulting in a true sports sedan but without all the hype. $44,950

Cosmetic Dentistry

Puerto Morelos Dental Clinic

Vancouver BC Car Info

The Sonata has a coupe-like profile, elegant chrome grille and swept-back headlights. But it’s not all about upscale looks, with its available 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder, it packs a punch with 274 hp. The interior is handsome with luxurious fit and finish, well-placed controls and easy-to-read instruments. Twenty-five years ago when Hyundai opened its doors in Canada, they brought us cars like the Stellar that wasn’t, and the Excel that didn’t. That was then and this is now and the current generation Sonata proves beyond doubt that the Koreans get it. From cheap and cheerful, the entire Hyundai range, the Sonata in particular, has gained the trust of Canadian consumers who are proud to say they just bought a Hyundai. $28,999

Park Mazda

Puerto Morelos Dental Clinic

Vancouver BC Car Info

Honda’s Civic has been available as a hybrid model for nearly a decade in North America and, although the basic premise of utilizing an electric motor to assist the gasoline engine (Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist) has been consistent, improvements in design and operation have been continuous.

For the 2012 Civic Hybrid, these improvements are numerous and include a new lithium-ion battery. Let’s look at what’s new with this hybrid system.

First, the Civic Hybrid’s performance has improved from the previous fifth-generation model significantly. Peak power numbers remain the same, but it comes in 500 r.p.m. sooner. Torque is up four foot pounds from 1,000 to 3,500 r.p.m.,which is a broader range that the torque band of previous models.

The result is quicker acceleration and better fuel economy, which is now estimated at 4.4 L/100km city and 4.2L/100 km highway.

The lithium-ion battery pack is one of the changes that contribute to these improvements. Located behind the rear seat back on the driver’s side of the car, the battery has a 35 percent increase in efficiency over the nickel metal-hydride battery previously used. The battery is also smaller and lighter, which helps improve both trunk space and vehicle performance.

There are well over a hundred different types of lithium-ion batteries. Each has its own unique chemistry and some are more efficient than others. In discussion with the Honda engineers, they chose their battery design based on performance and safety with an emphasis on safety.

There have been examples of lithium-ion batteries in consumer products such as laptops causing fires because of internal shorts developing, but the engineers tell me this happened because of that battery’s specific composition. The materials and design of the Honda battery are such that even if by chance an internal fault did develop or it was damaged in a collision, the battery would remain stable and safe.

A larger 1.5-litre gasoline engine is now used in the Civic Hybrid and it is combined with a more powerful electric motor. The control module optimizes the combination of gasoline and electric power to maximize the vehicle’s efficiency.

One of the major changes has been the ability of the car to operate in electric vehicle (EV) mode for a greater distance than in the past. The original IMA systems always started driving with the gasoline engine and used the electric motor to assist acceleration and provide regenerative power to charge the battery during braking.

The 2012 Civic Hybrid will pull away quietly under electric power only. To do this, the controller closes the engine valves and turns off the fuel injectors. The crankshaft is still coupled to the electric motor and still turning, but internal engine changes to reduce friction mean there is very little parasitic loss because of the turning crankshaft.

Friction-reducing strategies include plateau honing, which uses a two-stage grinding process instead of the more conventional single-honing process. Combined with a molybdenum coating applied in a unique dot-pattern on the piston skirts, low-tension piston rings and offset cylinder bores to reduce piston skirt loading, the pistons move with much lower friction in the cylinders and long-term wear is minimized, meaning longer engine life.

Other fuel-saving features include a two-stage variable valve control with variable cylinder management cylinder deactivation, low-friction valve train with roller rocker tips and a compact roller chain drive system for the valve train.

Achieving fuel economy is done in small steps rather than with one magic feature. The Idle Stop feature saves fuel in city stop-and-go driving, as does the combination belt/electric drive air conditioning compressor. A cooling-control spacer in the engine water jackets maintains a slightly higher cylinder temperature that increases piston-to-cylinder clearances for reduced friction. This feature alone increases fuel efficiency about one percent.

Finally, feedback to the driver is provided by the colour of the dash display, with green showing when driving the most efficiently. Honda’s new MID display monitors driving style and provides feedback on fuel economy, driving efficiency and hybrid power-flow patterns.

Modified driving style can have a huge impact on fuel economy, so this combined with all the other new technology on the 2012 Civic Hybrid brings it to a new level of efficiency.

Park Mazda

Puerto Morelos Dental Clinic

Vancouver BC Car Info