The 2009 Honda Accord Type S will have an 180hp 2.2-litre I - DTEC turbo diesel engine producing 280-lb ft of torque at 2000-rpm. The output gains are thanks to a revised turbocharger and cylinder head design, along with a larger intercooler.
The Accord Type S will be available in either sedan or station wagon body shapes with manual transmission. Honda said performance, fuel economy and emissions data will be available once homologation is completed, while pricing will be announced nearer the on-sale date later this year.
Complementing this suite of cosmetic changes will be clear indicator covers, newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels, plus two new paint colours - premium white pearl and Basque red.
The 2009 Toyota Yaris will get a bit more power for the 09 model year with the addition of a new 100hp 1.3-litre dual VVT-i engine with stop-start technology. The Yaris has returned a fuel econ of 55mpg. The engine is hooked up to a new 6sp manual.
The new 1.3-litre engine's stop-start function allows it to shut down rather than idling, to conserve fuel during city driving. The Yaris has more power and torque than the Ford Fiesta and the VW Polo. Yaris is available in Europe so I wonder what will T'Jam's Howard Foster do to stock the showroom of the dealership. Can the Prius beat this figure?
Automakers BMW, Honda, Nissan and Ford of Australia have donated money for the Victorian bush fire appeal fund. BMW has donated $100,000, Honda $200,000 and Nissan has contributed $100,000.
Ford has given a Mondeo XR5 turbo that will be auctioned as part of the company's efforts to support victims of recent bush fire in Victoria, proceeds of the auction will be donated to the Red Cross Bushfire Fund.
The auction will supplement the company's other bush fire relief efforts, including the donation of four new Ford Ranger 4x4 vehicles to the Country Fire Authority, for use in the areas that have been hardest hit by the devastation. I wonder if all those car dealerships on Spanish Town Road would have done the same to help the Jamaica Fire Brigade if Riverton City landfill were to fire up again!
The little sports roadster from Mazda, the Miata, has come of age now and has been in production for 20 years. The name has changed to the MX-5 2nd, 800,000 have been produced. The Miata has cemented itself atop the sports-car pantheon. For 2009 Mazda has added more horsepower, but not at the expense of fuel economy. The 2.0-litre engine gets a bump from 166 to 168 hp, with mileage that Mazda has promised will be higher than the 2008 model's 22/27.
The Hurricane RS modified version of the BMW M5 sedan clocked a speed of 228.29mph. The M5 super charged V10 twin puts out 750hp and can do 185mph in 26 second. The cost of this amount of German engineering and this much speed is a bank busting US$386,000. It is not likely that fans of BMW won't be seeing this bad Beemer at Stewarts anytime at all.
Hyundai has come out with a new sports coupé of the Genesis sedan. It can do 0-60mph in less than six seconds, and give a fuel econ of up to 30mpg in the 2.0T version. The cost of Hyundai's rear-drive coupé will start at USD$22,000 for the base 210-hp 2.0L turbo model, and the 306-hp 3.8L V6 will start at $25,000.
The car has a top speed of 137mph. Both versions will come with a 6sp transmission and a full complement of brake-related electronics (ABS, traction control, brake force distribution, and brake assist) and 18-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone Potenzas. Standard creature comforts include keyless entry, cruise control, air conditioning, leather wrapped wheel and shifter, a six-speaker AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 player with USB port and steering wheel audio controls, and Bluetooth.
An R Spec model is available but it's not a stripped-out version of the coupé it will get Hyundai's full complement of performance hardware, including uprated Brembo brakes, stiffened suspension, a Torsen limited-slip differential, and 19-inch gunmetal alloys.
Wonder whether if our local Hyundai dealer will get any of these coupés?
- Brian Carless