By Cor Steenstra, with photographs by Christopher Jones and model Ada Yan.
With 6′4″ it is quite rare that I feel dwarfed in a car. It happens, mostly when I drive the big SUV s and Pick-Up Truck. To my big surprise, the Nissan Cube also managed to dwarf me!
A design that is clearly targeted at the home Japanese market with its severe tax laws and parking space limits, this Nissan, like th Scion xB, makes ultimate use of its small exterior dimensions with a very rectangular chape, thjus creating as much interior space as possible. A relatively tall height allows for upright roomy seating positions, and when I adjust the drivers seat to my comfort, I have about 10″ of headroom still available. Amazing.
Porsche proudly introduced its 918 Spyder concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The car promisses super car performance at 3 liters per 100 kms. Here is their press release:
Stuttgart. Presenting a high-performance mid-engined concept sports car with ultra-efficient, low-emission drive technology, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is further increasing the Company’s competence in hybrid technology. The 918 Spyder prototype combines high-tech racing features and electro-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities: An emission level of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometres (equal to 94 mpg imp) truly outstanding even for an ultra-compact city car, on the one hand, combined with the performance of a super sports car and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) plus, and a lap time on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in less than 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT, on the other. Continue Reading…
The Mazda CX9 together with its little sibling CX7, has been a big move for Mazda into a new segment. With many common Ford underpinnings, the CX9 thankfully remains unique, retaining its Mazda DNA instead of being forced to be a re-badged Ford Derivative much in line with CM philosophies for its Suzuki brand at the time.
Of course the Mazda design language has evolved since the CX9 first came out, but we were nicely surprised how well this design still maintains its modernity. Largely due to lack of gimmicky design elements, but rather relying on a very dynamic shape, executed well and with much care for longevity, the CX9 remains a modern car. Continue Reading…
Infiniti has been chasing down its Lexus competitor for many years now with a product palette that closely resembles the latter. When Lexus brought out its IS Convertible in the course of 2009, it was therefore inevitable that Infiniti would soon follow suit.
We have driven this Infiniti G37 Convertible, which features, like its Lexus counterpart, the much used retractable hardtop principle first shown on the Mercedes SLK in the early 1990’s. The Infiniti version of this hardtop does indeed perform really well in its closed version. We were unfortunate in our planning that we had the Infiniti right at the time Southern California went through its most severe downpoor season in memory, which meant we were driving the car in closed version quite a lot. Continue Reading…
The Suzuki Kizashi represents a big turnaround for Suzuki. After having been forced to use the great big GM parts bin from both the US and Korea, resulting in mere re-badged version of GM and Deawoos, the Kizashi is a totally own development, and it shows. The Kizashi struck us with its clear perception of quality and fit and finish, a big more forward from the GM days.
By Cor Steenstra, with photographs by Christopher Jones and model Ada Yan.
