Car Tech Straightline Archives

At first blush, the idea of running a hybrid on a chassis dyno is silly. A dyno is all about power and performance, and a hybrid, well, isn't.

That is, unless the hybrid is the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, of which its creators reckon is the most powerful in the world. Have a look at its stats as claimed by BMW -- 480 horsepower and a staggering 575 lb-ft of torque.

This prodigious output comes by way of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and a two-mode hybrid system. The product of the now-defunct collaboration between GM, DaimlerChrysler and BMW, this hybrid system is fundamentally similar to that of the Chevy Silverado Hybrid and Tahoe Hybrid. Pairing these two power generators together is like dashing creatine powder onto a medium-rare strip steak.

This ActiveHybrid X6, then, is a hybrid with a chip on its shoulder, just begging to have its claims put to the test. And test it we did, strapping it down to a chassis dyno and making it sing. Er, whir and hum quietly.

Dyno charts and photos after the jump.

 

Continue reading Inside Line Dyno Tests the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6.

Categories: BMW,Car Tech,Crossovers,Green Tech,Hatchbacks,Hybrids,Luxury Cars

 

Earlier this month at 2010 CES, Audi and graphics chip maker NVIDIA announced the integration of NVDIA's graphical processor units (GPUs) into all Audi models with its 3rd-generation multi-media interface (MMI), including the 2011 A8.

This new MMI will also include '"MMI touch," which recognizes fingertip handwriting for entering letters and numbers for navigation destinations. The pad is backlit, and the navi entry function can be changed to a pointer for map functions or to scroll lists in the MMI, as well as a number pad for the radio.

However, Audi representatives in the video claim that the finger writing entry improves driving safety by allowing the driver to remain focused on the road. It's implied that safer operation is the primary justification for this touchpad system. 

But is it really? Pushing a touchpanel screen or turning the MMI would be easier for input entry -- yes?

Hit the jump to find the real motivation. 

 

        

Continue reading Audi MMI 3rd Generation+ with Fingertip Entry.

Categories: Audi,Car Tech

It turns out it's quite easy to tell which of the two possible throttle pedals your late-model Toyota was built with. Pedals made by CTS are subject to the recall, those made by Denso are not. We walked downstairs to our own parking garage yesterday to have a look at Toyotas owned by Edmunds employees. 

For many of the Toyota vehicles on the list, you don't even have to look: 100% of them were built in North America and therefore have the pedal in question. The status of the other cars on the list comes down to whether the car was built in Japan or North America. This is easily determined by looking at a single digit in the VIN.

It's all cut and dry by VIN until you come to the Camry. U.S.-built examples of those vehicles have been built with both pedals, so a simple visual inspection of the pedal itself as shown above is necessary to see whether owners should expect to see a recall notice in the mail in the coming weeks.

More details about VINs and larger photos of the two pedals can be found after the jump.

 

Continue reading Toyota Recall Update #3: How To Tell Which Pedal You Have.

Categories: Auto Industry,Car Tech,Toyota

 

You might be thinking, "2011 Kia Sorento? Did he just type 2011? I'm still trying to get used to writing 2010 on my checks."

Yes, it's true. Kia has decided to sell the all-new Kia Sorento as a 2011 model. They're allowed to do it, too, because the regulations say that anything produced after January 1st 2010 can wear the 2011 designation if the manufacturer so chooses.

Frankly, I think it's silly and confusing. Not to mention the fact that Kia will end up selling the 2010 car for some 20 months before the routine 2012 model change comes out a year after this coming September or October.

But Kia must have a very good reason. They have apparently chosen this path because the 2011 Kia Sorento is utterly different from the outgoing 2009 model. Perhaps the forward-looking number and the model-year gap it creates with the past (there is no 2010 Sorento) helps them make their point. "That's how all-new the 2011 Kia Sorento really is," they might say.

And they do have a point. Kia Sorentos of the "2009 and before" variety were body-on-frame SUVs with rear-drive architecture and optional 4WD systems that had a low-range transfer case. This made them fairly stout off-road performers, but a sold rear axle imbued them with a sometimes truckish ride. And they were built in Korea and sent here on huge Ro-Ro ships (roll on, roll off).

The 2011 Kia Sorento (available now) shares none of that. It's now a suburban crossover utility (CUV) that rides on front-drive unibody architecture loosely derived from the Kia Optima sedan (code-named MG). Its all-wheel drive system is more than suitable for snow and maintained dirt roads, but it's not designed to tackle rocky off-road trails. It now rides rather well on a compact multilink independent rear suspension that leaves sufficient interior room for a newly-available third-row seat. And last but certainly not least, the 2011 Kia Sorento is built in Kia's first U.S. plant, located in West Point, Georgia.

Enough, already. This one deserves a look.

The changes start up front, where the 2011 Kia Sorento rides on a MacPherson strut coilover (green) instead of 2009's double wishbone setup. The stabilizer bar is direct-acting, which means its link connects directly to the strut housing (yellow) for a motion ratio that's as close to 1-to1 as you can get with a strut.

 

Continue reading 2011 Kia Sorento: Suspension Walkaround.

Categories: Car Tech,Crossovers,Kia,SUVs,Suspension Walkarounds

If you can stand the promotional tone of the voiceover, this video offers the most detailed look yet at the MyLincoln Touch interface that will be standard in the 2011 Lincoln MKX. As we noted, the setup isn't operational in the 2011 MKXs Lincoln is showing in Detroit.

Categories: Car Tech,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,Ford,Lincoln,Luxury Cars

 

The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is predominantly about new products, of course, but it is also a conference, with some interesting panel discussions.

I attended the session, "GPS Navigation: What's Down the Road?" last Friday. Panelists were Kanwar Chadha, founder of SiRF Technologies; HP Jin, CEO of TeleNav; Roger Jollis, marketing director from Garmin; Pekka Pohjakallio, VP at Nokia; and Jocelyn Vigreux, President of TomTom. The session was moderated by Wilson Rothman of Gizmodo.

At first there was a recap of the map database business. There are three major database suppliers: Navteq, now owned by Nokia, and Tele Atlas, part of TomTom, are the big boys. And the third player, the new upstart bent on dominating every business sector it enters? Yup, that's Google.

The panel agreed that the Personal Navigation Device (PND) won't be going away soon, even in the face of the onslaught of mobile phone navi apps. The PND will complement your phone navi in the same way that you own a digital camera even if your phone has camera capability. That's because the do-it-all phone doesn't do anything exceptionally well, just acceptably well.

And penetration of PND in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) is low, so there's room for growth there. 

The best prognostications from the panel, including mobile phone navi, are after the jump. 

 

Continue reading 2010 CES: The Future of GPS Navigation.

Categories: Car Tech

Kia Motors announced at 2010 CES their new in-car communications and entertainment system, "UVO powered by Microsoft."  UVO is short for "Your Voice" and will be available on the new 2011 Kia Sorento in the second half of 2010.

UVO uses voice commands primarily and a touch panel to control your vehicle's mobile phone and media/music entertainment. A 4.3-inch touch panel screen, which doesn't require navi but always includes a back-up camera, is the visual-manual input solution.

Kia said it is differentiated from the Sync system (also powered by Microsoft) in that it has "flat grammar" capability, which allows simple, quick voice commands without having to go through several menus. UVO claims to understand complex grammar, and thus needs only short voice commands to initiate the function. But the new version of Sync also has flat grammar capability.

UVO uses a Microsoft voice engine and generator, while Sync uses the highly touted Nuance system. UVO's voice engine worked well during the demo and practical differences between the two couldn't be distinguished.

And although UVO performed well, it's not a game-changer like the original Sync, and it doesn't include mobile app capability like a number of new similar production and prototype competitor systems.

So the impression UVO made was completely underwhelming.

What is remarkable is that Kia, which barely has a navi program, let alone an abundance of advanced-tech devices and driver assist systems in its vehicles, becomes only the second carmaker to release a production version of a voice engine-controlled mobile phone/entertainment system -- beating out all the big boys from the U.S, Europe, and Japan.

Rest assured, other major carmakers will take notice and come out with similar systems in the near future.

Albert Austria, Senior Engineer, Edmunds, Inc. 

Categories: Car Tech,Kia

  

Ford President and CEO Alan Mullaly, one of the keynote speakers during 2010 CES (and somewhat perplexingly, wildly popular with the CES crowd), today introduced a team from Sync for the launch of Sync mobile apps. OpenBeak (formerly TwitterBerry), Pandora Internet music service, and Stitcher "smart radio" are the first SYNC-enabled mobile applications to use the new SYNC open platform application programming interface (API).

Many of the commands that are used during operation of these apps can be controlled by well-mapped vehicle controls or Sync voice commands. For example, when listening to Pandora, click on the "Thumbs Up" icon on your phone to indicate you like a song. But using Sync, say it instead and you'll get a confirmation of the vehicle's screen (bottom pic.)  This is quite a bit safer than pressing those tiny phone buttons while driving. 

Yes, this is yet another mobile app post, but that's the big story for 2010 CES in-vehicle technology.
Ford's research has shown that there are 17M Pandora users alone, with 55% of those listening in the car.

In addition to the recent posts on Continental and OnStar mobile apps, Pioneer and Alpine announced today their own Pandora apps. 

The motherlode of in-vehicle mobile apps is of course, Facebook, so expect to see that on Sync and other platforms in the near future.

Albert Austria, Senior Engineer, Edmunds, Inc.

 

   

Categories: Car Tech,Ford

MyFord Touch isn't easily explained in words. To get a feel for Ford's new vehicle control interface, introduced at the 2010 CES, you just have to see it. Here are two more videos from Ford.

No one at Ford wants to talk about how much it will cost yet, but we do know that MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch will show up in higher-trim versions of the updated 2011 Ford Edge and 2011 Lincoln MKX that go on sale this fall. The global rollout for this technology comes in 2011 with the launch of the 2012 Ford Focus.

Continue reading 2010 CES: 2 More MyFord Touch Videos.

Categories: Car Tech,Ford

What comes after Ford's Sync voice control technology? It's called MyFord Touch, and soon MyLincoln Touch (and if you're really optimistic, MyMercury Touch) and it debuted at this week's 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It's basically a new control interface that gives you dominion over nearly feature in your Ford. MyFord Touch doesn't replace Sync; rather, it integrates with Sync. Ford has recently announced new features for Sync, including in-car WiFi capability, smart phone apps and iTunes tagging when you're listening. More crucially, Ford has made a round of improvements to Sync's often fallible voice recognition and command capabilities.

Edmunds.com tech guru Doug Newcomb walks you through the major features of MyFord Touch in this video.

For a more detailed look at MyFord Touch and the new Sync features, check the Edmunds CarPool blog.

Categories: Car Tech,Ford,Lincoln,Mercury,Trends

Of course you know that Continental doesn't just make tires, they make many components of the vehicle including sensors and actuators, brake systems, driver assist systems, and interiors.

They also make radio head units and have broadened this area with their Autolinq connected services platform. With Autolinq, Continental has jumped on the Android mobile app bandwagon with a system which allows its customers to check status and send commands to the vehicle.

In the movie example above, the vehicle senses a low fuel level, then prompts you with an app that you purchase. The navi then routes you to the nearest, cheapest fuel station.

Continental said that they already have a couple of carmaker partners signed up to use the system as a factory install, but production won't start until at least 2012.

Hit the jump for another movie showing how you'll never miss another football game.

 

Continue reading 2010 CES: Continental AutoLinQ.

Categories: Car Tech

 

Want to know the top speed of your friend's new Ducati 1198S? Need to verify the trap speed of that Top Fuel dragster at the Winternationals? Pocket Radar may be for you.

Operating on K band (24GHz) and weighing just 4.5 ounces with its AAA batteries, Pocket Radar claims to be the world's only pocket-sized speed radar.

Pocket Radar says it's accurate to within 1 mph, with a range for a car of about 1/2 mile.

Pocket Radar will be available this Spring at an MSRP of $249.

There's no warnings in the press materials regarding microwave exposure and your health, but we wouldn't operate this or any radar too close to our baby-making parts.

Pocket Radar may just your perfect companion when you attend your next illegal drag race in that abandoned industrial park.

www.pocketradar.com

Albert Austria, Senior Engineer, Edmunds, Inc. 

Categories: Car Tech

 

GM's OnStar joins the growing number of smartphone applications that can control your car. 

OnStar President Walter Dorfstatter introduced this new evolution of OnStar at a news conference last night at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show. But these apps will only be available on the hybrid Chevy Volt, which is supposed to be in production by the end of this year. No other vehicle applications were announced as of yet.

Through your iphone, Droid, or Blackberry storm, you can view or initiate remotely the following:

Mobile App Info:

• State of Charge (percent)
• Plugged-in (or not)
• Voltage at Plug (120v or 240v)
• EVMiles
• ODOMiles
• EV-range
• Total range
• Time to Charge  

Mobile App Control:

• Door Unlock/Lock
• Honk Horn / Flash Lights
• Remote Start
• Charge Now

Notifications:

• Start Charge
• End Charge
• Interrupted Charge

The charging functions are the most interesting of course. If you forgot to charge, don't remember if your charged, or if something goes wrong with the charging, you can check the status or initiate the charge. Assuming of course that you remembered to connect the charge plug -- OnStar can't do that for you.

Hit the jump for more screen shots and the link to OnStar's demo on your own phone. 

 

Continue reading 2010 CES: OnStar Through Your Mobile Phone.

Categories: Auto Industry,Car Tech,General Motors

Although we have our eyes on the Detroit show, the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is next week in Vegas, and one of the big announcements there will be Kia's UVO voice control system -- the first serious challenge to Ford's Sync technology.

Very likely, the UVO user experience will be similar to Sync. Both systems were developed with Microsoft. Hyundai-Kia formed its partnership with Microsoft in May 2008, and at the end of that year, Ford's exclusive development contract with Gates and Co. expired.

Kia hasn't announced which model in its current lineup will get UVO first, but we'd be very surprised if it wasn't a Forte.

Automotive News (sub.req), Autoblog

Categories: Car Tech,Ford,Hyundai,Kia

When their Toyota Sequoia's navigation system advised them to turn on a remote forest road, a Nevada couple listened. John Rhoads and Starry Bush-Rhoads proceeded to drive down Forest Service Road 28 for 35 miles on Christmas Day before their four-wheel-drive Sequoia got stuck in 18 inches on snow. There they would remain for 2 1/2 days until their GPS-enabled cell phone got enough of a signal to relay coordinates to a dispatcher. 

The couple was driving from Portland, Oregon, back to their home in Reno, Nevada. The nav system was apparently trying to find the shortest path to U.S. 395. Fortunately, Rhoads and Bush-Rhoads had plenty of food, water and warm clothing, so they were never in grave danger.

In the future, we'd probably also suggest they pack a shovel and some kitty litter. Another thought: Read a little more about your nav system and its route options and rerouting features.

AP via AOL

Note: Obviously, this is not a screen shot from the Sequoia's navigation system; rather, it's a picture we took in our long-term 2009 Mazda 6.

Categories: Car Tech,SUVs,Trends