2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Special Edition

A few years ago if you lived in North America and wanted a midsize sedan, you would choose from one of the following: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and the Nissan Altima. Things have changed a little bit and now these cars are not only bigger in size but they also have to face up some serious competition from cars like the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu, Subaru Legacy and the Volkswagen Jetta. In the past, automakers would entice customers with features like cruise control, automatic door locks and power windows. Things have changed dramatically since then and it takes a lot more to convince a customer.

Nissan's bestselling vehicle, the Altima, falls behind the competitors as far as the standard features are concerned. Instead of featuring a long standard list to entice potential buyers, Nissan decided to offer many types of all-inclusive packages like alloy wheel, technology, premium + premium audio, 2.5 SL, convenience + convenience plus and sport. For the 2011 model, these packages include the new Special Edition that is available exclusively for the 2.5 S models.

2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Special Edition

Priced at $750, the Special Edition's contents are not new to us but the pricing and arrangement is. Besides the rear trunklid new badge, the Altima comes with a rear spoiler, leather-wrapped steering wheel + audio controls, auto/on headlights, foglights and 16-inch alloy rims. If these options are chosen separately, according to Nissan they would cost $1,250 which means that customers are able to save $500 if they choose this package.

Being a true Nissan, you get more features for every dollar you spend. However, if you visit for a few minutes the "build your own" websites of other cars belonging to the same segment, the above mentioned statement starts fading away. These special edition features of the Altima can be found as standard features on rival cars. For example, the Hyundai Sonata SE and the Fusion SEL come as standard with power seats, auto on/off headlamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio buttons and floormats. In addition, both cars pack Sync and Bluetooth connectivity and their starting prices are still a couple of hundreds under Nissan's price tag which is $23,735 (including the $175 floor and truck mats).

2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Special Edition

The new generation of the Altima was launched in 2010 and for this year it received a mild update. It still has the same one-piece front bumper while the headlights have been restyled along with a now bolder T-shaped grille. Inside, the Altima benefits from new revised materials and fabrics, offering a more comfortable ride. Customers have now the ability to choose from one of the new three colors available: Brilliant Silver, Saharan Stone and Metallic Slate.

The car is fitted with a 4-cylinder 2.5-liter engine that offers 175 hp and 180 pound-feet of torque. The power unit is linked to the Xtronic CVT gearbox that helps the car move its 3200 pounds while offering a decent fuel efficiency level. Speaking of, the car will do 23 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

Inside the car, passengers will glad to find out that the cabin is very quiet but the rear passengers will not like the limited leg room. The car's responsive suspension and chassis do a very good job at eliminating the effect of road imperfections which results in a very comfortable ride. The steering of the car is quite responsive, offering enough confidence to the driver.

All things considered, the Nissan Altima still remains a worthy competition in the midsize sedan segment and looking at the sales figures, this Special Edition will most likely attract new customers while at the same time satisfy brand loyalists.

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Review – 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Special Edition

2011 Jeep Liberty

When the resources of a certain car manufacturer are limited, common sense suggests that these funds are diverted to the model that will bring home the biggest part of the bacon. For this reason, it shouldn't come as a surprise for most of you that the Grand Cherokee got the biggest part of the pie and the large number of sales demonstrates that. For the other models down the food chain, like the 2011 Liberty, the changes are somewhat unnoticeable.

The Jeep Liberty was heavily updated in 2008 and the 2011 model is just a mid-cycle refresh although the car deserved something a little more consistent. As a matter of fact, Jeep says that only four changes have been brought and one of them is a new selection of paints. In our opinion, more important than these new three paint colors are the small interior changes of the Liberty. One of these updates is the new steering wheel which not only looks more attractive, but at the same time is more functional. The new design of the leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel comes with high quality materials and more optional controls.

2011 Jeep Liberty

Except for the new steering wheel, the 2011 Liberty can be purchased with a new optional touch screen infotainment system that has been reprogrammed. Besides the new minor significant changes, the system now sports Garmin-based navigation support which is way better than the previous model.

The last change of the model is the optional package, dubbed "Jet". This one is available for the Sport and Limited models and offers four additional color options, 20-inch chrome rims, blacked-out headlight surrounds and a chrome trim. Inside the cabin, the Liberty sports a 9-speaker premium audio system, one-touch windows, leather trim for the aforementioned steering wheel, heated seats and optional gray leather seating.

2011 Jeep Liberty

Except for these changes, the 2011 model is identical to the 2010 one, sporting the same 3.7-liter V6 power unit linked to the same 4-speed automatic gearbox. In addition, the car can be fitted with the same optional part- or full-time four-wheel drive systems. Probably for the next model, Jeep will introduce the all-new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine along with the new 8-speed automatic transmission. There is a chance that Jeep will wait until 2014 when Fiat will launch the Liberty-replacement, it is a very bad idea in our opinion but who are we to judge?

Without making any changes to the mechanical part, it means that the 2011 Liberty drives exactly like the old one – like a sport utility vehicle. It will lean a little bit in turns due to the off-road tuned suspension and for being a rather tall vehicle. The steering is not as communicative as you might have hoped but it will do the job quite nicely. While driving the car on speedways you will definitely hear the road and wind noise that can get a little bit annoying. The now archaic 3.7-liter power unit offers some torque at low speeds thanks to the off-road tweaked gearing; it will run out of power once you hit the gas pedal harder. The 4-speed automatic transmission tries to keep up and does a surprisingly good job.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Taking the Liberty off-road is where you will love it the most. With a 30.1-degree departure angle, a 28.7-degree approach angle and 9.5 inches of chassis ground clearance, the Liberty is fully capable of tackling anything you throw it. Either you select the Command-Trac II part-time four-wheel drive system or the Selec-Trac II full-time four-wheel drive system; you will definitely have a low-range transfer case that offers a 2.72:1 ratio for some of the most serious crawling capabilities.

Although Jeep didn't change many things about the Liberty, the good parts are still there. Despite the fact that it offers little comfort, the 2011 Liberty is still a worthy off-roader, capable of handling any type of road.

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Quick Look – 2011 Jeep Liberty

2011 BMW Alpina B7

Not many of you know that Alpina is not a tuning company, but an automobile manufacturer. Established in the 1970s, Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH ("Alpina") has become world-wide known for their suspension upgrades, factory-quality power units as well as cosmetic upgrades, turning BMW models into high-performance street cars, even before BMW's M Division got started.

The latest creation of the company is the F01 B7 BiTurbo, based on the 7-Series platform developed by BMW. The car is available with rear- or all-wheel drive as well as both in the standard and long wheelbase versions. Among the four configurations, the sportiest would have to be the rear-wheel drive short-wheelbase model, which is the Alpina Blue Metallic you see in these pictures.

All of the Alpina models come with a hand-crafted engine and this car is no exception to that rule. The 2011 BMW Alpina B7 features a heavily modified version of the N63 engine developed by BMW, which is the one that can be found in the 750i, a 4.4-liter V8 direct-injected unit that offers plenty of power, but not enough according to Alpina. While the normal N63 engine produces 400 hp and 450 pound-feet of torque, the one on the B7 churns 500 hp and offers a 516 pound-feet of torque. The engineers over at Alpina modified this engine by installing high-performance pistons as well as reinforcing the cylinder heads in order to withstand the additional effort due to the higher compression ratio. The car's intercooler is now 35% larger and has been configured for lower intake temperatures. The car's electric fan was also upgraded and now the airflow has increased through the freshly installed components.

In order to offer more airflow through the engine, Alpina installed larger turbochargers that have vanes measuring 44 mm in diameter. The engine management software has also been tweaked, the boost has been increased to 14.5 PSI and the traction and stability control have been configured for a more aggressive ride. The engine of the car is now linked to the Switch-Tronic transmission developed by Alpina, which is in fact a heavily modified ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox. The car now features small buttons covered in leather in the back of the steering wheel for manual selection of the gears.

2011 BMW Alpina B7

The Alpina B7 comes with BMW's Dynamic Damping Control as well as Active Roll Stabilization, like the other models from the 7-Series but the engineers tweaked it a little bit and the spring rates have been increased by 20% while the ride is now half an inch lower. The driver has the ability to select from one of the following three suspension settings: normal, comfort and sport.

To stop the car, the engineers installed massive brakes which are sourced from the 7 Series "Protection" models (the heavier armored), measuring 14.72 inches in the front and 14.57 inches in the back. The car rolls on Alpina's 21-inch rims covered by 245/35ZR21 tires in the front and 285/30ZR21 in the back. According to the company, the weight of this model, the RWD SWB model is 4,564 pounds while the xDrive LWB has a curb weight of 4,861 pounds. Regardless of the variant, the weight distribution is 51.4:48.6.

Giving it an outside look, you will notice the twin double tailpipes along with the special front and rear lower spoilers. According to the company, the latter reduce lift by 30% at the front and 15% at the rear, improving stability during high speeds without affecting the drag coefficient.

2011 BMW Alpina B7

Moving inside the cabin, the 2011 BMW Alpina B7 is equipped with sports seats that are covered in Alcantara leather, "Myrtle" wood trim, new instrument faces that have red needles over a blue background, a hand-stitched proprietary steering wheel, branded illuminated door sills and Alpina floor mats.

If you start the engine you will be surprised due to the muted idle but once you step on the gas, the massive 4.4-liter power engine comes to life and will rock your world. Although the B7 is a pretty heavy car, it is able to reach 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, quite impressive in our opinion. The long and bountiful collaboration between Alpina and BMW is very noticeable in the B7 as the suspension tuning of the car is borderline perfect, the directional changes are very fast and fluid, basically the car is everything you have hoped for, except maybe for the shift buttons, located behind the steering wheel, which are quite uncomfortable.

The price tag of this 2011 BMW Alpina B7 is quite attractive, standing at $122,000 which is considerably lower than the 12-cylinder 760i model that starts from $137,000. Taking into consideration the fact that the E60 M5 has been discontinued and the F10 M5 is still a couple of months away, the B7 looks very interesting in our opinion. Of course, the car has a worthy rival – the Mercedes S63 AMG, priced from $138,000. The engineers at Mercedes decided to retire the naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that produced 507 hp and installed a 5.5-liter V8 twin-turbocharged  that packs 536 ponies and offers 590 pound-feet of torque. These numbers go up to 563 hp and 664 pound-feet if you choose the Performance Package which will set you back $7,300. Although the Mercedes might be just as good, I for one love how the 2011 BMW Alpina B7 looks, both inside and out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Alpina will be making approximately 1,000 units of their B7 model per year and less than half of them will be delivered to customers living in the United States.

Combining sporty performances with the most luxurious features you can find in a car nowadays, the 2011 BMW Alpina B7 offers the perfect blend between speed and comfort, a mix that not many cars are capable of. The car feels like it shaves off pounds once you start hitting that gas pedal, it is an amazing car to drive and although it is a sedan, it rides like a sports car, when you want it.

Source: AutoBlog.com

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In Depth – 2011 BMW Alpina B7

2011 Mercedes C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition

Instead of displaying it at the Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes decided to present the C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition at the Montreal International Auto Show. Only 30 units of this beauty will be ever made, each one priced at about $82,360. The car will be available exclusively for the Canadian market.

It is a very interesting car, mostly because it will come with some features that are not available for the standard C63 AMG model, like the rear lip spoiler, carbon-fiber mirror housings, 19-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels painted in black, AMG brakes with red-painted calipers and a special MAGNO Allanite Grey paint. In addition, it will pack 30 hp more thanks to the AMG Premium Package which will also remove the annoying speed limiter.

2011 Mercedes C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition

The car will come packed with other goodies, like the keyless-go system, Harman Kardon LOGIC7 surround sound system, rear window sunshade, multi-media interface, DVD changer, HDD navigation, parktronic and a rear view camera.

2011 Mercedes C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition

The impressive hand-built 6.2-liter V8 power unit develops 481 hp and a massive 443 lb.-ft of torque. The car is able to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.4 seconds.

Moving inside the cabin, this special edition will offer the AMG carbon-fiber trim, the sports seats will be covered in black AMG Nappa leather, floor mats with red leather piping, the Affalterbach logo on the headrests and gearshift plus a cool badge that will identify every car with the unique "1 of 30" designation.

A very interesting car but due to the high price tag, not my cup of tea but I'm sure that all the 30 units will be sold in just a couple of days.

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2011 Mercedes C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition

2011 Pagani Huayra

We live in the world of supercars dominated by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and the rest of the crew. Ferraris are known for featuring the latest technological developments; Lamborghini is that school bully that with age developed a bit of common sense while the Aston Martin is the sophisticated gentlemen spy (007) that can charm everyone. The new kid on the block is Pagani with its cars that don't have any sophistication patterns or the old world charm. Even so, with their radical and bold design plus the breathtaking performance, they deserve their place in the supercar world. Their latest iteration is the C9 which will most likely be known as Huayra.

The Zonda was the car that put the Pagani brand on the map of supercars and the Huayra (C9) promises to be the ideal sequel to the Zonda success. The car will wear the "Huayra" name which is a translation from the ancient South American language of Quechua that means "wind".

The heart of the 2011 Pagani Huayra will be the new motor which has been developed exclusively by the AMG divison of Mercedes-Benz. The engine that powered the Zonda was naturally aspirated, but according to AutoCar the one in the Huayra will carry massive twin-turbochargers and will be able to churn 700 hp and 730 pound feet of torque. The engine will most likely be linked to the 7-speed X-trac sequential gearbox, reducing the CO2 emissions by 50%, thus making the car Euro 5 compliant.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The car should be able to do the 0-60 sprint in less than three seconds, onto a top speed of 220 mph. Although we are not certain about the aforementioned figures, the people over at Pagani said that the C9 car will not have the V12 power unit found in the Mercedes SL65 Black Series. In order to stop this uberfast car, the engineers will fit it with disc brakes made out of carbon-titanium.

Like the Cinque, the Huayra will come with a carbon-titanium chassis, a forged aluminum alloy suspension, Bosch electronics and specially developed tires coming from Pirelli. The weight of the car should be around 2700 pounds, thanks to its carbon-titanium parts. The car will borrow some of the styling of the Zonda and will have the spectacular SLS-inspired gullwing doors. The horizontal taillights of the Zonda will be replaced by three circular lights installed higher up.

We can't tell much about the inside of the Huayra, but it should be very similar to the one found in the Zonda. What we can tell you is that it will be a rare machine; only 40 units will be produced per year. Although this number isn't quite impressive, you need to know that Pagani had to construct a new factory in order to be able to output this number of units. The price for one of these babies will probably be around the $1.3 million mark. The car will be officially launched in a couple of months, but recent reports indicate that we will have to wait longer than that because the engineers have encountered some problems with the handling and the suspension of the Huayra.

Regardless of the time when it will be released, the Pagani Huayra will definitely be worthy of the supercar title, offering plenty of performance and a bold design. It will have to face some fierce cars, like the Aston Martin One-77, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 599 GTO and the stunning Lamborghini LP670-7 or maybe the upcoming 700-4 Aventador model.

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2011 Pagani Huayra (C9) Teased

2012 Mercedes SLK

After a couple of teases and preliminary info, the 2012 Mercedes SLK has been finally revealed. The third-generation of the gorgeous SLK has the same design language as the one found in the E-Class and the beautiful SLS AMG, with its upright nose that is the home of the company's three-pointed star logo. The very familiar short stubby tail and the long bonnet are still there and they look even better with the new model.

This new generation benefits from extra flare thanks to vents in the front wings that take us back to the roadsters made by Mercedes during the 50s, but the design is definitely up to date with the LED head- and taillights.  In order to shave off a couple of pounds, the wings and the bonnet are made out of aluminum.

2012 Mercedes SLK

Inside the cabin, you will find the SLS-inspired four air vents that dominate the entire interior. According to Mercedes, for the third generation of the SLK the quality of the materials is higher and the proprietary Airscarf which has the capability of blowing hot air around the neck from the vents located in the seats is complimented by the new Airgude draft stops that can be swung into place by the SLK's driver quickly to stop wind buffeting at speed.

In its first few months, the third generation will be offered with only three engine choices. The first two 1.8-liter configurations will offer 181 hp and 201 hp while the V6 3.5-liter will output 302 hp. All of the models will benefit from direct injection and the Stop/Start technology which will improve fuel efficiency by 25%.

2012 Mercedes SLK

The most affordable model, the SLK 250, will be offered as standard with a manual gearbox and will be able to do the 0-60 mph sprint in 7 seconds, onto a top speed of 150 mph. The SLK 250 will feature the company's 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox, allowing the car to reach 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and hitting a top speed of 150 mph. The SLK 350 will need only 5.6 seconds to reach 60 mph and has a top speed of 155 mph.

Later on, the 2012 Mercedes SLK will be available with a 2.4-liter CDI engine that will output 201 hp. In addition, it will be available in a powerful twin-turbo version (AMG) of the new petrol V6 that will most likely output more than 400 hp.

Besides the choice of engines, clients can also choose from one of the following suspension modes: normal, sports and Dynamic Handling, featuring torque vectoring rear brakes, variable ratio steering and adaptive suspension.

We mentioned the safety features in a previous entry, but here are some of the most important: pre-safe brake and attention assist, optional intelligent light system, speed limit assist and others as well.

The 2012 Mercedes SLK will begin shipping in June, and prices will be confirmed closer to that launch date.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Official – 2012 Mercedes SLK Revealed

This year Jeep turns 70^th and for this occasion they have decided to offer anniversary editions for all of their models. In our opinion, the Jeep is one of the trademarks of American automotive, starting with the World War II jeeps and ending with the road models like the legendary Grand Cherokee. The Jeep brand was born with the sole purpose of making military-spec vehicles and ended up in our suburban car lots after70 years of history and seven owners.

1941 Willys MA

The first important vehicle made by Jeep was the 1941 Willys MA. In July 1940, the United States military inquired 135 automakers to bid on a vehicle that would later on replace the very popular yet outdated Model T's and the motorcycles that made up the fleet of the army. According to the requirements, this vehicle had to have a weight of less than 1,300 pounds, four-wheel drive (with a 2-speed transfer case), and a wheelbase of max 75 inches and be able to carry 600 pounds. To this request, three automakers responded and these were Willys, American Bantam and Ford. The vast majority of the Bantams and Fords went to the British and the Soviets as part of the Lend-Lease program that was ongoing. From all of the three, the Willys was by far the most successful.

1943 Willys MB

Also during 1941, the United States Army decided that a standardized single vehicle would be more cost-effective. Although Willys won the contract, Ford was responsible for making the new requested vehicle, which was in fact an improved version of the aforementioned MA model with fewer weight restrictions, dubbed MB. The Ford engineers were the ones that pinched pennies by stamping out a slated grille although the Blue Oval's original design had nine slats. The popular 7-slat grille found on the civilian-spec post-war Jeeps was created so that the Willys could be able to copyright the design. Some say that the "Jeep" name also comes from Ford, whose first military-spec vehicle was dubbed GP – General Purpose. After World War II, the Blue Oval sued Willys for the name, but without any success.

1945 Jeep Willys CJ-2A

Although the war was over, Willys thought that there still was a viable market for the MB jeep, especially for rural farmers as well as mountain-dwellers that wanted a rugged vehicle that was capable of handling rough terrains. They took the MB and they added civilian-style lightning, a spare tire, a tailgate and a windshield – the Willys CJ – Civilian Jeep was born. For the first series of the product, the company used MB parts for the CJ. Between 1944 and 1986, more than 1.2 million units were sold, despite the fact that the ownership of the company changed for several times. The vehicle was replaced by the popular Wrangler model after 42 years of activity.

1948 Jeepster

Introduced in 1948, the Jeepster is probably the omen of today's SUVs – sport utility vehicles. Designed by Brooks Stevens, the vehicle was quite a looker in our opinion. Compared to the CJ series, the Jeepster was not a true off-roader, mostly because the first models were only rear-wheel drive. Although the figure sales were rather disappointing, there are many crossovers and SUVs nowadays that borrowed a couple of things from the Jeepster (made between 1948 and 1951).

1957 Jeep FC-170

In 1957 Jeep introduced the FC-170, a truck from the FC Series – Forward Control. Although it had the traditional Jeep grille, the truck looked more like a life-size Tonka toy, not very appealing to the eye. It was available in many body styles: from fire trucks and tow trucks to delivery vans.

1984 Jeep Cherokee

In 1984 Jeep rolled out the iconic Cherokee, designed by Renault and AMC. This vehicle is fully responsible for the SUV hysteria. Although there were other SUVs back in the early 80s, the Cherokee was the first one that was appealing thanks to its Quadra-Link suspension and the unibody frame. In addition, it had a curb weight lower than other cars belonging to this segment. To understand how popular the car was, it remained in production until 2001 with few changes in between. Initially, it was supposed to be discontinued after the launch of the Grand Cherokee, but due to its success, there was a period when both models were available.

1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Another popular model was the Grand Wagoneer. Introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 1991, everyone had one during the 80s. During its 28-year production run, there were only a few changes brought to it, making it the longest-produced vehicle in North America. Even the 1991 model still had an AMC-designed V8 carbureted engine.

1994 Jeep Wrangler

Launched in 1994, the Jeep Wrangler is the perfect vehicle for driving in the sun. It became popular thanks to its comfortable ride and its great looks. It was good both on- and off-road.

2009 Jeep Compass

The spiritual successor of the above mentioned Jeepster is the Compass model. This vehicle is quite different from other models launched by Jeep, featuring a front-wheel drive for the base model and sharing its platform with the Dodge Avenger & Caliber, Peugeot 4007 and the Chrysler Sebring. Some consider it to be one of the worst Jeeps ever made, truly not worthy of the badge name.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

We saved the best for last, the Grand Cherokee is probably the finest SUV money can buy nowadays and the new one is like the phoenix bird, rising from the ashes of a failed Chrysler. Despite the fact that the company was very much in trouble, Jeep managed to create one hell of a SUV. Although during the last of the Daimler Chrysler years the Grand Cherokee shared a few parts with the Mercedes ML SUV, it was and still is a great SUV. The newest model is offered with an optional hi-tech air suspension along with a selector knob that will adjust the vehicle's dynamics for various types of terrain.

All things considered, Jeep is one of the important brands of the automotive industry, offering some of the best jeeps and SUVs on the market, for decades and decades.

Source: Wired.com

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Jeep Celebrates Its 70th Birthday

2011 Toyota Highlander

The last decade was probably the best in Toyota's history but last year was a total disaster for the company because of the embarrassing recalls and hundreds of lawsuits. Things start to look better for the company but Toyota is still facing an aging product lineup which needs to be updated as soon as possible. Although the Corolla and the Camry are still a hit in sales, updated versions are long overdue. The first one did receive a very mild update for the 2011 version but the competition is breathing down its neck. The same situation is available for Toyota's SUV and truck portfolio where the Tundra, RAV4, FJ Cruiser and the Tacoma are quite outdated models.

The Highlander has always been a successful model from Toyota and the question is will it remain to be successful in the future with this new version. Last year, Toyota managed to sell 92,000 units of the Highlander, making it the third most successful CUV, behind the Chevrolet Traverse (107,000 units) and the Honda Pilot (102,000 units). To keep these numbers or even improve them, the Japanese automaker offers the new version as standard with three-row seating and bolder projector-style headlamps.

The limited-spec models start at $36,575 for the front-wheel drive configuration and $37,375 for the all-wheel drive models. All the trim levels pack USB, Bluetooth, satellite radio and power liftgate. The Limited models also feature as standard a no-charge power moonroof and heated front seats. For $4,630, clients can get the infotainment package that includes a 9-inch navigation screen, premium JBL sound system and rear-seat DVD entertainment system. Tri-zone climate control, 10-way power driver's seat and 19-inch wheels are standard on the Limited models.

Although these features are a nice addition to the Highlander, the visual upgrades can really make the difference. On that note, the car now features a lower air dam, along with cool fog lamps, an updated stamped hood and convex headlamps covers, similar to the ones that you saw on the 2010 4Runner, but this time they look better. In the back, nothing has really changed, except for the headlamps which have been slightly reworked.

2011 Toyota Highlander

Moving inside the vehicle, besides the aforementioned standard features, the car's cabin is largely carryover. The good part is that the front seats are still reasonably bolstered and quite comfortable. The ergonomics and controls are still well thought-out and the leather-wrapped steering wheel is still quite nice to grip. The down side is that the soft-touch materials are quite rare in the cabin and the center armrest of the Highlander it is not the plus cowhide you will find in other similar-priced crossovers (the Ford Flex Limited comes to our mind).

Both the second and third row accommodations of the 2011 Highlander are a little bit impressive. If you decide to fold both of them completely, you will obtain 95 cubic feet of cargo space which is a solid 30 more in comparison to the Dodge Journey which is a similar-sized crossover and much more in comparison with the above mentioned Flex model from Ford. The engineers over at Toyota came up with an interesting removable middle seat that can be stored into the storage bin located below the center armrest. If you decide to use the third row, you will have only 10 cubic feet to storage some of your personal belongings. 10 cubic feet means that you will have enough space to store four small bags of groceries which should be enough, but if you decide to go on a trip, the car's passengers will have to get used to having luggage at their feet. The Honda Pilot offers 18 cubic feet while the similarly-priced Chevrolet Traverse offers 24 cubic feet of storage, but the car is significantly larger than the Highlander.

Tech-wise, the rear entertainment system is quite cool and the optional yet expensive JBL sound system will rock the cabin. As far as the navigation system is concerned, it is quite impressive visually speaking, but it can be a little bit tricky to go through the menus as you must apply a firm pressure on the screen in order to get a response.

2011 Toyota Highlander

The 2011 Toyota Highlander is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 power unit that is able to output 270 hp @ 6,200 rpm and 248 pound-feet of torque @ 4,700 rpm. The engine is linked to a 5-speed automatic transmission and if you want the 6-speed automatic, you need downgrade to the 2.7-liter engine. Although the standard transmission is not something revolutionary, it will do the job quite nicely as the gear shifts are very smooth. In addition, the suspension and the chassis will do a very good job, offering proper handling that will soak up most of the bumps we come across to in our roads. For those of you that want a more athletic driving feel, choose the Sport model.

The 4WD model is pretty good but if you want something better, get the full-time AWD version which although will cost you a little bit more, it is worth every extra penny. The Limited 4WD model will do 17 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, according to EPA ratings. If this isn't enough for you, there is always the Hybrid version that will do 28 mpg combined, at a starting price of $37,490.

The biggest disadvantages of the car can be found inside the cabin where things haven't changed that much in comparison to the previous generation. The car is not truly capable of offering enough space for seven passengers and the disappearing second row seat is simply too small to be somewhat comfortable on longer trips. The similar thing can be said about the third row and if both are in use, the available cargo space is not that generous as you might have expected from a vehicle of this size. Despite its flaws, the Highlander still is a very interesting crossover with plenty to offer.

Source: AutoBlog.com

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In Depth – 2011 Toyota Highlander

Here we are at the final part of our extensive article where we will conclude the top 50 of the worst cars in all history. If you aren't up to date with the first 40, you will find the others parts here: 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the first parts we have seen them all: some big cars, some small cars, others were very beautiful, others not so much. Keep reading to find the other ten left; there are a couple of surprises.

Ford Explorer

Speaking of, you never thought that the Ford Explorer was eligible for this top. Most of you will disagree with the reason why we included it here. First of all, remember that the Explorer is the best-selling passenger vehicle in North America for over 14 years. It is a car very beloved especially by moms who enjoy picking up their kids with this popular SUV. The reason for including it is not because of the Firestone tire controversy as some of you might expect. The reason is because the Ford Explorer is responsible for setting United States on the spiral of automotive obesity that we are very much still contending it today. After the Explorer, cars got bigger and bigger as most of us believe that a big bad car is safer (which is not entirely true). We now have cars that haven't heard about the term fuel-efficiency and some of them are just too big, like the Hummer, both the H2 and the H3.

GM EV1

The EV1 was introduced by General Motors back in 1997 and it was without exaggerating, a marvel of engineering. It was by far the best electric car of those times and it promised that pretty soon, electric cars will going to replace our piston-powered engine vehicles. First of all, the reason why it is worthy of a place here is because it didn't live up to that promise as it was very expensive to make, the battery technology in the late 90s was nowhere near ready to replace our conventional cars. In addition, the EV1 was an uberlight 2-seater, not to the liking of the Americans.

Plymouth Prowler

While some of you make like the design, we hate it – the Plymouth Prowler was the project of mid 90s new powerful computer tools that were capable of high-zoot projects that in the past wouldn't have recovered the development costs. The design of the Plymouth was inspired (or even stolen) by a retro-roadster design by Chip Foose and made this car look like a dry-lake speedster from the 22^nd century. We mentioned hotrod, well it wasn't. Packing a run-of-the-mill 3.5-liter V6 engine that churned 250 hp, it wasn't fast at all. In addition, this power unit was linked to an automatic transmission, which means that it wasn't able to lay down the requisite stripes of hot rubber.

Fiat Multipla

Here is in my opinion one of the ugliest cars in the world – the Fiat Multipla. The name was used by the Italian company for the first time in the 1950s and 1960s for a microvan which was based on the lovely 600 model. The one that was launched in 1998 was nothing like its predecessors. With its very strange front appearance that looks like it had several sets of eyes, the Multipla also had a very bulky cabin.

Ford Excursion

General Motors had the Hummer H2 while Ford had the Excursion, which was (and still is in production), a gigantic sport utility vehicle that is based on the firm's Super Duty truck platform. It has a weight of 7,000 lbs and measures almost 19 ft. long and 6.5 ft. tall! Enough said.

Jaguar X-Type

Jaguar needed a car to compete against the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3-Series. Based on the Ford Mondeo platform, the company launched an entry-level model – the X-Type. In their struggle to turn a FWD compact car into an AWD sports sedan, the British ran smack into the limits of platform engineering. The car that resulted after this project is the British version of the Cadillac Cimarron, a financial disaster for Jaguar. The car wasn't that bad but ruined the Jaguar name.

Pontiac Aztek

Here is another ugly car, the Pontiac Aztek. In the concept version, the car looked very cool but the production model was reduced to a bulky, plastic-clad automotive mess. The car was a pretty good crossover but judging by its appearance, you had to be pretty insane to buy one.

BMW 7-Series

Here is another one that most of you will not agree with us, the BMW 7-Series. Why? Because of that annoying iDrive rotary dial/joystick controller located on the center console that made BMW owners pull out their hair. This thing was very hard to work with and sometimes, borderline impossible. Its second flaw was that awful-looking bubble butt. Other than that, the car was astonishing! Good thing that with the new generation they have redesigned the back of the car which looks great and they also updated the iDrive system.

Hummer H2

We mentioned the Hummer before; it had to make it into our list. The H2 deserves a spot in our top because of its awful looks and the fact that it does about 10 miles per gallon. If you are looking for a road-eligible tank, the Hummer H2 is the solution.

Chevy SSR

The last car from our article is the Chevy SSR. Although Chrysler and General Motors are in the same town, the latter didn't learn from the Prowler disaster. GM decided to make the Chevy SSR, which was an awesome-looking hotrod slash pickup that had a composite body as well as a cool convertible top. Due to the fact that the car borrowed the mechanicals and the chassis from GM's corporate midsize sport utility vehicle program, the car was very heavy and underpowered, making it very lazy on the road. Although Chevrolet upgraded the SSR in the years to come, it was too late.

This concludes our extensive article about 50 of the worst cars ever made. We hope that you liked it.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Top 50 Worst Cars In All History PART 5