Monthly Archives September 2014

Review Index

2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 1 (Exterior)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 2 (Interior)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 3 (Interior – Electronic Features)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 4 (Powertrain)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 5 Chassis and Suspension)

For customers who are buying cars like the Corolla, interior feature plays a more important role in their decision making process.

The first impression when you get into the Corolla cabin is its spacious interior volume. When you are sitting inside it, you will feel it is more roomy than many mid-size luxury sedan such as the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class etc...

Last week Mazda released the official images of the fully redesigned 2016 MX-5 Miata, but it kept the engine specification as secret.

Today a Mazda insider broke the secret and let out some information about the MX-5’s engine, here are the details:

– Base model will come with a 1.5L SKYACTIV 4-cylinder petrol engine
– Engine output: 129hp (96kW)
– Compression ratio: 13.0:1
– Curb weight: 2,249 lb (1,020 kg) – for manual transmission version

Compared to the current generation (2015 MX-5 Miata), the 2016 model reduces the weight by at least 231 lb (compared to the Sport 5MT trim). However, the engine output also drop by 38hp (down from 167hp).

Test Car Information:

2014 Toyota Corolla LE
1.8L naturally aspirated I4, 132 hp @ 6,000 RPM, 128 lb-ft @ 4,400 RPM
Continuously variable transmission, front-wheel-drive
MSRP as tested: $18,300 (not including $825 S&H charge)

Review Index

2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 1 (Exterior)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 2 (Interior)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 3 (Interior – Electronic Features)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 4 (Powertrain)
2014 Toyota Corolla LE – Part 5 Chassis and Suspension)

For most of car enthusiasts (or, auto junkie, which my wife calls me), if he is given a budge of around $19,000 to shop for a new car, I believe the Toytoa Corolla will not be in ...

One month ago we reported some information leaked out regarding the next generation of the Chevrolet Corvette (the C8 Corvette).

The most exciting, and the most puzzled conjecture is the mid-engine layout of the future Corvette. In our previous analysis, we are almost sure to rule out the possibility that the “normal version” of the C8 Corvette to be mid-engined, due to the targeting price range and the cost concern.

Today Car and Driver magazine provided some more rumor about this topic, it claims Chevrolet is working at a mid-engine layout, but it is not for all C8 Corvette, instead it is just for the C8 Corvette ZR1, dubbed as the “Zora ZR1”.

The rumor claims the Zora ...

We all know the redesigned 2015 Volvo XC90 will be in dealership’s showroom very soon. It is natural for us to think the current generation of XC90 will be discontinued.

Well, this is true for most of the markets in the world, but not the case for China market. Just like VW is still selling the B5, B6 together with the B7 Passat in China at this moment, Volvo is going for the same route for the retired XC90.

According to Volvo, it has planned to keep the current XC90 in China market for the next couple years. To distinguish the old XC90 from the new generation, it will be renamed to “XC Classic”.

The “new” XC Classic will be made in Volvo’s China factory, located in Daq...