Garrett Turbo

Lauren Woods asked:


German carmaker Volkswagen is known for its precision engineered cars and the performance that they bring to the table. One of the cars in Volkswagen’s lineup which gives any driver a thrilling ride is the Fahrenheit. For the 2008 model year, Volkswagen has made the Fahrenheit even more appealing and more powerful.

The 2008 Fahrenheit will be equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This same engine is also being used by other vehicles from Volkswagen and Audi. The turbocharged engine provides power when needed without the lag that is commonly encountered on turbocharged engine.

The lag happens because turbochargers are powered by exhaust gases. When a turbocharged engine is of course just starting up, the amount of exhaust gases is not enough to power the turbine of the turbocharger. But with the engine on the Fahrenheit, the design has been carefully adjusted to make sure that lag is minimal.

The said engine can produce as much as 200 horsepower and 207 pound foot of torque. The combination of the horsepower and the twisting force gives the Fahrenheit a good acceleration.

In terms of stability, the suspension setting of the Fahrenheit is designed for sports cars. With that suspension, although the ride is stiff, the car can navigate sharp corners on high speeds. With aftermarket parts such as Volkswagen cold air intake, the power can be increased and the increased power will go well with the sports-tuned suspension.

The engine is paired with a six-speed transmission which has close gear ratios which provides smooth transfer of power from the engine to the drive wheels. The precision engineered transmission works well with the engine that clashing gears inside the gearbox does not send vibrations to the body of the car.

Stopping power is provided by disc brakes for the front and the rear. For the front wheels, the Fahrenheit is equipped with 12.3-inch discs while for the rear; it is equipped with 11.3-inch disc brakes. Stopping power though is not as responsive as the engine. According to some auto journalists, the brakes only activated when the brake pedal is pushed almost to the floor.

The Fahrenheit is a limited edition vehicle which means that one would not be able to see it on a regular basis cruising around city streets. The theme used by Volkswagen on the limited edition Fahrenheit is yellow. Exterior color is yellow which makes it call for attention. The interior of the Fahrenheit is also accented with the color yellow. Although the color and its use inside and out of the Fahrenheit maybe attractive, it will not be for everyone.

According to the German car manufacturer, the limited edition Fahrenheit will have a starting price of $27,880 for the model with the six-speed manual transmission. This is aimed at performance enthusiasts who are more favorable with manual shifting than automatic ones.

The addition of the yellow Fahrenheit in Volkswagen’s lineup for the 2008 model year is expected to turn heads. Performance enthusiasts are expected to take notice, but with the color yellow plastered all over the vehicle, it is guaranteed to attract attention of the general public.



Nash

Lauren Woods asked:


In the world of the auto industry, car manufacturers have been coming up with improvements for their current models. Some of these changes include tuning existing models for a sportier application. One concrete example of this is the 2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed Mazda3.

The popular hatchback is made even sportier by the Asian car company in response to the growing number of tuned hatchbacks in the market. Basically, Mazda improved the car’s suspension by tuning it for a better performance on cornering. To do that, the company installed a turbocharger to increase the car’s engine’s power, and that also gives the Mazda vehicle with a limited slip differential.

To start with, the Mazda3 is already a nimble compact car which has already gain popularity among American car buyers. It is no surprise though that the Mazdaspeed is made even more powerful and better performing than the Mazda3.

One of the problems found in the Mazdaspeed though is turbo lag. This is the effect of using a turbocharger to provide more power to the engine. Since turbochargers uses a car’s exhaust gases to propel its turbine, the device would not readily start unlike when a car uses a supercharger. Turbo lag management is one of the focuses of car manufacturers when installing a turbocharger on their cars.

Unfortunately, the Mazdaspeed or all of Mazda’s efforts suffers from turbo lag. Other aftermarket parts can be added to the Mazdaspeed to give it better fuel economy like Mazda cold air intake systems.

The Mazdaspeed’s power comes from a 2.3-liter direct injected and turbocharged engine that is capable of producing 263 horsepower. The drivetrain that the Mazdaspeed uses is the same as that used by the Mazda CX-7.

What makes up for the turbo lag is the Mazdaspeed’s limited slip differential feature. This allows the car’s tires to grip the road completely enabling the power produced by the engine to be utilized without a substantial amount of waste. The limited slip differential is complemented by the suspension system of the tuned-up hatchback. Together with the steering system, the suspension gives the hatchback a good handling which is of course the main reason for tuning the car for sportier performance. Unluckily though, giving the car a sportier suspension setting decreases the ride comfort that it offers to passengers. This harsher suspension setting is a threat to everyday commuters. But with the overall performance that the Mazdaspeed brings to the table, consumers who are in need of high performance vehicles will surely like the hatchback.

While performance enthusiasts are guaranteed to like this car, music lovers would think twice before buying the Mazdaspeed. While the car is equipped with a six-disc in-dash CD player with seven Bose speakers, its user interface is a bit confusing according to auto journalists who has taken the Mazdaspeed for a test drive. The lack of user-friendliness is somehow contradicted by the Sirius satellite radio that the Mazdaspeed is equipped with.