We all love to dress up our vehicles once the chance permits. There may be differences in priorities such as perhaps interiors or the usual other things like that of rims, wheels, and even the engine part. Whatever it may be, it all just boils down on how we want to enhance our vehicle these days.
Improving the standard steering wheel, shift knobs, pedals and applicable body kit improvements are normally something people would look for especially when they see the available ones viable for their car. Any regular car owner for that matter will have a heyday selecting the ideal look and design complement that these normal car accessories would fit in when it comes to car improvement from the inside.
Basically, car accessories were made to provide that added kick and having a uniform design theme in vehicles is the best way to make it extravagant for people who put premium in their cars. Professionals and advisers are always there to guide them but the best person to conduct the desired accessories will be no other than the vehicle owner himself. Suggestions will be in order but the final say will always be up them to decide.
Our professionals will always be around to make the necessary suggestions for the best accessories there is today. For sure car owners will have a problem deciding on what to put and install inside their cars. Wise selection needs wise people and veterans and that is precisely what our team can do for you.
Car improvement does not only mean that car owners should focus on improving what they see. What goes on under the hood is also another extension of what they can do to enhance car performance and adding some tweaks to the engine for added speed as well will surely be something that vehicle owners will surely consider as well.
With the large influence of movies and car racing, people will want to find out more about turbo enhanced engines that add the extra power to move faster than the standard vehicles. This is not to generalize and entice people to take up drag or street racing but just the same, many want to feel the power of speed as well.
We have the best car enthusiasts that can recommend engine improvement as well. Surely, there will be good advice to be expected from the professionals who know what tweaks and perks car engines may need for better car performance and speed.
So after the car look has been accomplished, car performance is a good part to consider for people who want to go a different route. All they need is good advice from professionals who know street smarts today.
Nothing beats enhancing your car with the best audio and video paraphernalia in the world today. Normally car owners would lean towards looking for and installing the best audio and video equipment for cars today.
There is more to installing car audio and enjoying music while riding your car today. Sound quality and setups are arts to which most car lovers will normally look for and it takes specialists to depict what good sound setups are advisable for wise investments in such. Video compatibility will surely be something that will complement the whole effort and this will surely need the expertise of veteran car enthusiasts as well.
There are wide varieties of brand preference in the world of car audio today. Leading brands such as Alpine, Pioneer and Blaupunkt are sure to be heard along the way. But with the proper guidance, this will surely extend more towards the area of amplifiers, LCD monitors and speakers all providing optimum quality for the best in-car entertainment as recommended by the professionals today.
Regardless, people on our end will be around to make sure you get the best advice on what audio and video stuff to use. It is best to get the most of your money through advisers who know the best setups done in cars today.
Finding The Right Stuff For Your Car
Jeep Commander – Take Charge of the Highways
If you're after sheer road presence the Jeep Commander has it in abundance, in fact short of driving a Challenger battle tank through the streets of some quaint British market town dragging various items of street furniture in your wake, the Commander looms on the horizon to show all the SUV pretenders that back in the day Jeep started the whole off-road thing.
However in terms of showroom success, the Commander is unlikely to cause much concern to its arch nemesis the Land Rover Discovery. Land Rover expects to sell around 12,000 Discos a year, while Jeep's modest plans involve shifting only 600 examples of its seven-seat Colossus. Put another way, Jeep's annual target is less than Land Rover expects to sell in around three weeks.
Oh well, never mind that because the Commander can play its trump card of wait for it, a 330bhp, 5.7-litre V8 engine which gives a 0-60mph sprint time of 7.5 seconds and maximum speed of 127mph which is highly respectable for a vehicle that weighs in at around 2,400kg.
Environmental concerns may deter a lot of buyers these days not to mention average fuel returns of 16mpg from Chrysler's renowned HEMI V8 power plant. This can also be found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and the awesome Chrysler 300C. The big Jeep's cunning solution is to use a Multi-Displacement System (MDS), which cuts off four of the eight cylinders at cruising speed, but in all honesty this does little to quench the Commander's insatiable thirst.
Because of this, Jeep estimates that the alternative 215bhp 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine will account for around 85 per cent of new sales. Owners of this model are likely to see their fuel consumption creep to as high as 25mpg on a motorway run. This may offer some comfort as diesel fuel prices seem to be heading down again
Ride quality at any speed is excellent; yet as a 4x4, the Commander feels neither quick nor comfortable being thrown around country lanes. Jeep says it will adjust the set-up for European roads, but the Commander has some way to go before matching the all-round ability of the all-conquering Land-Rover Disco.
Its squared-off, no-nonsense styling may not be to everyone's liking, either. Inside, exposed metal Allen bolts will be too macho for some as will the visible bolts around the lights and wheel arches. I must confess I am rather curious as to why some manufacturers started this trend, I understand it is primarily to convey ruggedness but to me it just looks like some bloke has stuck them on in his garage. Also the interior plastics aren't what I would expect from a car in this price range. There are some neat touches, though, such as the roof-mounted drop-down DVD player, easy-to-use folding seats, twin sunroofs and carry hooks. But some other practical features let the Commander down a little. The middle row of seats is surprisingly tight on legroom and the third row is strictly for children or very short people only. The individual ventilation and temperature controls are a nice feature though and will stop the usual arguments between middle and back seat passengers about being too hot or too cold especially amongst kids.
While it is priced a little higher than Jeep's own Grand Cherokee, The Commander has a slightly higher level of standard kit, so the argument for the Commander comes down to whether you really need the two extra seats. If not, the Cherokee is clearly a more sensible buy. However if you wanted a V8 Discovery you would be paying a whole lot more so in that sense the Commander is a bargain by comparison.
Vauxhall Astra VXR
This week I test drove the Vauxhall Astra VXR and was asked whether I was the type of person who'd buy this type of car - a powerhouse of a hatchback. "Well am I?" I thought, so here's my CV. I don't profess to be many things but I like to think of myself as a nice guy, who's hard-working, law abiding, music loving, car worshipping and sport mad. I also like to advertise myself as somewhat of a film expert and enjoy dropping into conversation with like-minded people the Spanish language film I saw last night or what actually happened in The Matrix. Until this week however there was a gaping hole in my film repertoire that ensured that my cinematic ramblings were denounced quicker than Usain Bolt running the 100 metres - I had never seen The Usual Suspects.
Having been garnered with more stars in reviews than the night sky above me, it seemed odd that I'd never taken time out to watch it. The content seemed up my street too, with the film being billed at the time of release as 'the Reservoir Dogs of 1995', so plenty of guns, violence, swearing and death then - not Toy Story in other words. So I finally settled down 13 years later than intended and can report that if I had any clout as a film critic there would be another maximum five stars winging their way to Bryan Singer's masterpiece.
The premise is far from simple, but involves five criminals being brought together by the police in unusual circumstances and being blamed for a lorry hijack they (in all probability) didn't commit. Whilst biding their time before release, they decide to wreak revenge on the police and make a tidy profit whilst doing so. Throughout the film a mystical master criminal called Keyser Soze is mentioned and via a serious of flashbacks and narration from one of the five suspects the story unravels, culminating in a bloody finale aboard a container ship and a twist so implausible that it contorts your brain into believing it's possible - who is Keyser Soze? The beauty of the storytelling is that you know there will be a twist but cannot pinpoint how or who will be involved.
It was a similar scenario I found myself in whilst driving the Astra VXR. Obviously gunfire and hijacking aren't part of the Vauxhall lifestyle but in many ways, the Astra VXR is part of the automotive equivalent of The Usual Suspects. The world of the hot hatchback has always been comprised of familiar faces that have been slugging it out over many years. The current crop includes the main five suspects: Vauxhall Astra VXR, Honda Civic Type R, Ford Focus ST, Volkswagen Golf GTi and RenaultSport Megane.
It's a formidable line-up worthy of the silver screen but seeing as I had the keys to the Astra, let me throw some facts and figures at you - starting with the styling. Aggressive doesn't begin to do the Astra justice - even Vauxhall's advertising slogan of 'GTi - RIP' had an air of hooligan about it. Huge alloy wheels adorn the gaps in the wide and low-slung body kit, with a roof mounted spoiler and mesh front grill completing the look. It's a bold statement which gives the impression the car is travelling at serious speed even when parked at the kerb.
When the 2.0 litre turbo-charged engine is awoken it does happily propel you to speeds that befit its looks. Developing 240bhp, the Astra VXR covers the 0-60mph dash in a mere 6.2 seconds but more importantly for a front wheel drive car, develops no discernible torque steer thanks to more processing power than a string of computer shops. Vauxhall honed the Astra's chassis at the fabled Nurburgring racing circuit in Germany and it shows. Despite the twisty roads and sheep that kept darting out in front of me, the Astra avoided becoming an abattoir on wheels thanks to responsive handling and the aggressive front end scaring them off.
My only concern is that to develop 43bhp more than the Volkswagen Golf GTi and Honda Civic Type R, Vauxhall have bolted on a turbo that with all the will in the world means one thing - lag. Often I found myself in the overtaking position only for all that power to have a sit down, make a cup of tea and then decide to get to work. There were also occasions when having zoomed past the car on my inside that the engine wanted to have another brew before stopping the flow of power. That said 43bhp is one heck of an advantage over the rivals so it's worth waiting for.
The Astra VXR is also priced to be cheaper than the Golf, Megane and Focus ST and comparable with the Civic Type R despite this extra grunt and sublime handling. So am I the type of person to buy a Vauxhall Astra VXR? Well unless there's a massive twist in this tale then the answer would be "Yes please".
Vauxhall are on a roll. Not content with giving speed freaks the fastest Astra ever, they've only gone and given the same VXR treatment to the baby of the range - the Corsa. It's not hard to spot in a crowd either, with the Corsa VXR styling being bolder than a streaker at the Superbowl.
In a world where any fast hatchback is coveted by the Max Power generation, Vauxhall have saved everyone the trouble of pimping their ride with enormous aftermarket alloy wheels and air vents by putting all this on the standard car. The rear diffuser gives the car real racing looks and isn't just for show, as it ensures the car remains stable at high speeds. In fact the whole design has been born out of many hours in the wind tunnel as Vauxhall shaped and sculpted the VXR design - something clearly seen with the roof level spoiler.
Neat features abound from every angle. The aforementioned rear diffuser is striking, but the inverted triangular exhaust that is embedded within is a masterstroke. As are the wing mirrors which continue the triangle theme with a large chunk cut out from each. The front end manages to combine aggressive looks with the cheeky charm of the standard Corsa range by subtly altering the front bumper to house a sportier front grill and fog lights.
17 inch alloy wheels are standard although a wise investment of £400 on the options list will see them grow to 18 inch monsters. The interior takes delivery of the latest Recaro racing seats that aren't just immensely comfortable, but are designed to allow for side airbags to remain and the chunky steering wheel acts as a timely reminder that you're driving a serious performance car.
So to the performance. A throaty engine note greets you as you turn the key, the Corsa VXR housing a 1.6 litre turbocharged unit that develops 189bhp. 0 - 60mph is achieved in a mere 6.8 seconds with the turbo kicking in from the low revs to minimise the dreaded turbo lag. Overboost ensures the power keeps coming once your foot is welded to the floor meaning that the VXR never feels slow or is scrabbling around for power.
Despite all this oomph, the Corsa VXR remains refined and less frenetic than some of its rivals. Motorway driving is a doddle, but it's the twisty stuff the car longs for and it doesn't disappoint when it gets out into the countryside. The car clearly shows that it's been part of Vauxhall's latest design and development plan from the start. The car rides lower than the standard models and has a 25% stiffer rear axle which combines to make the car really fun to drive. The chassis is fully involved throughout as is the stability control which ensures all the power goes onto the tarmac. If you want to be brave and turn it off you can, however not only will you go everywhere slower, you'll be best mates with the local tyre fitter as you'll constantly send the wheels spinning uselessly with all the power going up in tyre smoke.
Variable power assisted steering may not be to the keenest drivers' taste as you don't quite feel every nuance of the road surface but you really would have to be wearing a fetching anorak to let this spoil your fun. One aspect that was a tad annoying was the clunky gearbox, not particularly helped by the oversized gear stick but this makes as much difference to my liking of the Corsa VXR as a broken cup holder on a Boeing 747.
Now to the very best bit. With the price of fuel being hiked every time I blink, cars like this are in danger of being priced out of the market. Yet despite the 189bhp, the turbo, the polished pedals that scream "stamp on me!" and the stability control working overtime, the car returns...wait for it...35.8mpg! Not only are running costs going to be low then, but buying the car in the first place won't require you to sell your arms to medical science. The UK price is £15,595 which undercuts its rivals, most notably the Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio 197 and Honda Civic Type R.
A trawl through the options list (including those must have alloy wheels) can hike the price up, but with so much kit as standard, you'll be hard pressed to find anything that is a must have once you've ticked for the new wheels. If you were to sell the car in the future, expect good residuals too as limited numbers will be available each year - only 2,500 in the UK for example.
Right I'm off for my daily stare at that exhaust.
