Monthly Archives July 2014

For the current MINI Cooper’s John Coooper Works (JCW) series vehicles, they are using a turbo-charged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine which outputs 208 hp, code name “Prince”, jointly developed by BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

The 2015 model year JCW models will see a completely new engine, which is based on the BMW B48 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder engine. The B48 series engine is not new for the MINI family – the current MINI Cooper S, has already used it for the 2014 model year, with output tuned to 189 hp with 207 lb-ft of torque.

On the 2015 JCW models, the B48 engine increased its boost and the final output is said to be around 227 hp (230 bhp), and the torque will be 258 lb-ft.

Bo...

Today we got the unofficial price for many trims of the redesigned 2015 C-Class (W205). Unfortunately it is for China market only, but we can still get a brief idea of how Mercedes-Benz is going to price their latest compact sports sedan. From the leaked pricing info, it is also the first time we get the more details and confirmation that the C450 will also be made, and long-wheel-base version will be offered on all trims.

Pricing info (in RMB. 1 USD = 6.21558122 RMB):

2015 Mercedes-Benz C Class (W205)
C180L:    313,000
C200L:    339,000
C260L:    372,000
C300L:    445,000
C400L:    528,000
C450L:    627,000

For your reference, below is the 2014 C-Class (...

According to a latest media interview with Kei-Ichi Nishiyama, the assistant chief engineer of the Lexus NX, Lexus is considering design the next-gen RX to be a three row CUV, which means the redesigned RX will grow in size.

The reason is quite obvious: with the Lexus NX introduced, it will fullfill the role of the current RX; and currently Lexus also lacking a 3-row CUV that can compete in the $35k – $45k price range, which is dominated by competitors such as the Acura MDX, Volvo XC90 etc.

The redesigned Lexus RX will be officially revealed in the second half of 2015, as a 2016 model. Below is image of the current RX.

Remember when Dodge officially announced the 2015 Challenger more than one month ago, it said the SRT model will come with “600-plus horsepower”.

Today it turns out the “600-plus” figure is way too conservative, because Dodge officailly released the final number: 707 hp, with 650 lb-ft of torque.

This is surprising, because 707 is excessively more than “600 plus”.

But this is not surprising too, because with the help of force induction you can achieve whatever level of output you want, theoretically speaking. Since Mercedes-Benz can pump out 360hp from the 2.0L displacement engine in the CLA45 AMG, why should not Dodge get 707hp from a displacement of 6...

In the previous sections, we examine one type of factor that determines the location of a car’s brake calipers.

We may have several questions:

1. Is the design of the suspension solely determines the location of the brake caliper?
2. Is one type of the brake layout better than another, from the performance aspect?

Before we diving into these questions, let me first introduce a key concept: the roll center. In this article series the term is for each wheel, it does not mean the roll center of the whole car. Below I am going to explain what the roll center of a car’s wheel is.

For each wheel of a car, it is linked to the car body by the suspension system...