Nissan Steps It Up With the Infinity G35 Hybrid

The days of hybrid adolescence are far behind us….now every automaker has hybrid offerings that range from daily commuters to trucks and SUV’s. Hybrids were once the prized possession of mundane everyday commuters. Now that GREEN is the new cool….yuppies have jumped at any Hybrid Luxury offering available!

Those offerings are few and far between though! Lexus has had the Hybrid Luxury market cornered for a while now. The Lexus RX 400h starts at $42k and averages 25.5 MPG! The Lexus GS 450h costs a pretty hefty $55k and averages 23 MPG….yuck! And then there is the Lexus 600hL…but for $101k we won’t even go there.

So how come it has taken so long for other companies to branch out into the Luxury hybrid market? Who knows…seems like common sense to me! But now Infinity has stepped up to the plate with a G35 hybrid. The G35 is an enormously popular car in the past…and now with the hybrid available…..it should plant itself as the definition of affordable hybrid luxury!

This Infinity/Nissan will be faster, cleaner, and net better gas mileage than the current G35. Of course it will cost a couple of thousand more but the plus side is this hybrid will net 40% better MPG than the current all-gas powered car…..34 MPG! Take that Lexus….of course we will have to wait for real world testing to authenticate that number! Oh and this car is slated for release in the year 2010. Come on Nissan and get with it….we want this car now!

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/firstdrive/2008/infiniti.g35.

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Volkswagen Polo Sips Its Way To 60 MPG – In Your Face Hybrids!

The Polo may be a step down from the already lowly Rabbit; but it is a giant step forward in terms of Gasoline powered Efficiency. It has 4-doors, a reasonable price tag, and last but not least: a sweet little engine. Europeans have always known what we Americans have been missing: Turbo-diesel power is the way to go! Not only can you get the best MPG from a diesel car, the fuel burns more cleanly, and adding a turbo increases power by using wasted exhaust gasses.

The little engine that could is a 1.4L, 3-cylinder, direct injected, turbo-diesel. This bad boy pumps out a staggering 79-hp. But when combined with a LRR tires, special aerodynamics, and a manual transmission; the Polo can easily obtain the 60 MPG advertised, eat that hybrids. And the little 12-gallon tank will take you well over 700 miles. Sounds good to me!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116314
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4262351.html
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Better MPG thru AERODYNAMICS….all the COOL kids are doing it!!!!

Everyone with a pick-up truck knows that the way to get better gas mileage is to drop the tail gate while driving…right? Well not really…..it turns out that the biggest improvement you can do for your pick-up is to get a tonneau bed cover. But trucks were built to haul stuff, and MPG is not high on the list of a truck owner. So what about the regular commuter?

Here’s an important lesson in physics: the faster you go the more wind resistance your car will encounter. When driving around town at low speed; drag does not play a significant role in gas mileage. But once you reach freeway speeds, the wind resistance has a major effect on your cars performance. “At 70 mph, you've got four times the force working against your vehicle that you have at 35 mph.” (edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106954/article.html) It takes much more energy for a car to overcome drag at 75 mph that at 35 mph. Therefore the faster you go the worse your MPG will be.

As gas gets more expensive, auto makers are reducing a cars drag coefficient (cd) by leaps and bounds, and they are spending billions in the process. In the past any car with a cd lower than .30 was considered sports car territory, but now Toyota has a couple of models out there that break this barrier. (edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106954/article.html) This is done in a couple of ways. Managing the way air flows around a car is a big deal. The more streamlined the better. Wind Tunnel testing has become an important feature in the development of a car. Under car body panels help move any air out from under the car that would usually become trapped. And things like rounded edges, smaller mirrors, and redesigned front grills and spoilers also help.

There are a couple of things we as commuters can do to increase our MPG by decreasing our cars drag coefficient. Roof racks, ugly wings, and huge body kits; really hinder the movement of air around your car….so get rid of those things. Closing your windows and sunroof at higher speeds will also have a positive effect on your MPG. Some people out there go as far as totally blocking out the front air dam, grill, and fog lights.

Some changes to your auto can really hurt the way your car slides through the air. Raising your truck will have a drastically negative effect on cd. So will putting on big wheels and tires that stick out. Bug guards also slow the airflow over your automobile.

I know the Lakers are in the Finals and as a fan you want to fly that flag on your car…..but remember, most extra things added to the exterior of your auto decrease you fuel economy. Remember less drag means better MPG.

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What Do Roof Racks, Ugly Body Kits, and Dragster Style Aluminum Wings….all have in common with your WIFE????

I’ll tell you what they have in common…..at the end of this blog of course!

It is a good idea to remove pieces that effect aerodynamic performance. Or in laymen’s terms: Get the huge roof rack off your car! Items such as bug deflectors, running boards, extended mirrors, and roof racks all affect the aerodynamics of your car and decrease gas mileage.

Ok a Ford F-150 is not as aerodynamic as a Ferrari we know….but Ford put Millions and Millions into Research and Development; and you can be guaranteed that the body design they came up with has the best drag coefficient possible for a truck. But when you attach a bug deflector here, a roll bar there, a huge roof rack up there…..these parts all add up and it does affect your MPG.

All those little Honda Civics running around with ugly unpainted body kits and huge dragster style aluminum wings….are killing the great gas mileage those little cars were born to get! And Please I Beg You!!!!……just save up your money for an extra week so you can paint these items before they go onto your car…..nothing looks uglier than a green car with white bumpers, side skirts, and a wing! As for the dragster wings that can add 2000 lbs. of down force at 300 mph…..please….your Honda wanda will never need that…it’s like bringing a shotgun to a knife fight….can you say OVERKILL!!!!

Heck it is even better for you to use your Air Conditioning at highway speeds rather than opening your sunroof and rolling down your windows. Reason being that open windows cause enormous amounts of aerodynamic drag, thus reducing fuel efficiency! (wanderings.net/notebook/Main/SurprisingWaysGetBetterGasMileage)

So remember that if you are going on vacation...…..then a roof rack is ok. Or if you plan to go off-roading then please add a roll bar and be safe. So what do these things have in common with your wife? You’re POCKETBOOK! Because adding these items will cost you mucho dinero in the long run.

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