Archive for October, 2009

Recently, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a study, finding that now that the EPA has changed how it tests cars, motorists are finding that they get better mileage out of their cars than what was advertised. Before the EPA decided to update its methods to reflect a more accurate view of modern driving conditions, motorists […]

Microsoft’s latest attempt at vehicle technology appears to be promising.  Vi-Fi, or vehicle Wi-Fi, is Wi-Fi connections in vehicles.  Microsoft has partnered up with the University of Washington and the University of Massachusetts in order to make Wi-Fi connections a reliable and steady experience, which hasn’t happened with offerings by cell phone makers and their […]

Mercedes-Benz is known for offering consumers comfort at any price, and its new SplitView is a perfect example.  This is an 8-inch GPS display screen, which is programmed for transmitting two images that are different- one for the passenger and one for the driver, at the same time. The system is pretty technical, but basically […]

BMW already uses a start-stop engine for their non-hybrid European 1 and 3 Series, but Mazda is in the process of developing a version that is more efficient.  Mazda’s system that has been independently developed is called Smart Idle Stop System.  According to the company, this system will improve fuel-efficiency by around 10%. The unique […]

The thermostat in your car serves the purpose of regulating the temperature so it stays at a desired level.  To achieve this, it controls the cooling and heating mechanisms that control the heat flow throughout the system.  The thermostat manages the amount of coolant in the internal combustion engine.  A thermostat is necessary in all […]

Although cars of today don’t require maintenance as regularly as the cars of the past, they still need a maintenance schedule.  This will ensure that your car has a long, healthy life span.  Consulting your owner’s manual for the service schedule that your car requires can save you from having to call your road service […]

Terms like geometric morphometrics and pareidolia aren’t generally important to people designing or buying cars, however they were significant in a recent study that found that people see faces when looking at vehicles, and typically they prefer ones that look powerful. Pareidolia is an occurrence in which people actually see faces in various things from […]

Many drivers don’t know if they should be using regular or synthetic oil in their vehicles.  To determine the answer you need to consider the age of your car, it’s mileage, and what is recommended by the carmaker. Cars that have high mileage and are older usually have engine wear that is excessive, which allows […]

You would never think that a car being too quiet would be a concern, yet that is the case with hybrids.  Vehicles like the Toyota Prius are environmentally friendly, but not pedestrian friendly.  At a low speed, these cars are only as loud as a golf cart. There is a silent zone in hybrids that […]

With everyone worried about the economy, there are numerous tips circulating about how to save money on fuel.  A lot of this advice, however, isn’t worth the time of the average driver.  So, which strategies are worth the time and which aren’t? There are several things that you can do to significantly improve your fuel […]