Chrysler Debuts 2009 PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 at Woodward Cruise
Not that we’re surprised or anything, but Chrysler’s “all-new limited production model” that we told you about yesterday is nothing more than a factory-customized PT Cruiser. Announced in conjunction with Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise, the PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 will be available this fall with prices starting from $22,700. Production will be limited to 1,750 units for the U.S. market.
So what’s so special about Chrysler’s 14th factory-customized limited-edition PT Cruiser? Well, aside from the contrasting two-tone theme with a Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl painted roof and hoop spoiler, the Dream Cruiser Series 5 also gets cross-hatched, solid billet aluminum grilles, 17-inch SRT alloys, chromed body-side trim moldings and new badges. The contrasting paint theme continues inside the vehicle’s Pastel Slate Gray interior while there’s also new seat fabrics, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with bright silver accents, satin-silver finished gauge cluster with chromed rings and premium floor mats and door-entry sill plates add a final touch to this special-edition Chrysler PT Cruiser.
The Dream Cruiser Series 5 is available with a choice of two powertrains, a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated engine producing 150 HP and a 180 HP turbo-charged 2.4-liter unit.
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2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summary
The 2009 Grand Cherokee is a 4-door, 5-passenger sport-utility, available in 7 trims, ranging from the Laredo 4X2 to the SRT-8.
Upon introduction, the Laredo 4X2 is equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 210-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. The SRT-8 is equipped with a standard 6.1-liter, V8, 420-horsepower engine that achieves 11-mpg in the city and 14-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.
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Top 11 Driver Distractions
Driven to Distraction
Driving a car is a complex physical and mental operation. Not only does it require coordination and reflexes, it also requires rapid assessment skills and good judgment. Automakers have spent decades making cars easier and safer to drive, installing everything from rearview mirrors to automatic transmissions to cruise control. Despite that, some drivers insist on creating distractions for themselves behind the wheel, most of which have nothing to do with driving, safe or otherwise.
Distraction Causes Crashes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have studied driver behavior, and have categorized some of the causes of accidents in these reports. Their conclusion: "Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes."
Just Drive
We've compiled a list of distracting activities that we've witnessed on the road. While we may have been guilty of engaging in a few of these non-driving-related distractions ourselves over the years, we have sworn off all extraneous activities behind the wheel. Our new motto: "Just drive."
Applying Makeup
Ladies, we know that it's impossible to get ready on time in the morning. But please, don't try to put on your mascara in traffic. Not only are you diverting your attention from the road, you’re also at risk of looking like a sad clown by the time your get to the office.
Shaving
Gentlemen, just because that razor is cordless doesn't mean that you should use it everywhere. While you concentrate on getting your sideburns even, traffic has bunched up behind you and you're driving on the shoulder. Shave at home, or wait until you get to work.
Eating
We’ve all done it on a busy day. A quick trip through the drive-through, and before you know it, you're eating a double cheeseburger with one hand, French fries with the other, balancing a soda with your elbow and steering with your knees. Beyond being a recipe for indigestion, eating behind the wheel is unsafe and distracting.
Reading
'Great Expectations' is a great book. It was a great book when Charles Dickens finished it in 1861. It will still be a great book after you reach your destination. Don't read behind the wheel. If you must be literary while driving, try audio books. Many of the classics are available for loan at your public library.
Talking on the Phone
"Research shows that driving while using a cell phone can pose a serious cognitive distraction and degrade driver performance," according to NHTSA, Using a hands-free device can reduce distraction, but not eliminate it. In other words, hang up and drive.
Texting
The driver in front of you on your morning commute weaves and swerves. You pull alongside, expecting to see an inebriated partier. Instead, a starched and pressed business person pilots the vehicle – while texting with both thumbs on a PDA which rests on the steering wheel. Texting is unsafe at any speed but zero.
Lounging
One of the first things we learn in driver's ed is proper driving position. So why do so many drivers insist on slouching, reclining, leaning against the door or putting their feet out of the window? Not only is visibility compromised, reaction time is delayed and control is also compromised, so much of the crash protection engineered into the car is defeated. Straighten up and drive right, for your own good.
Singing
A little bit of singing is a good thing, even while driving. But we've seen drivers engaging in full-out air guitar rockfests worthy of amphitheater stages, all while driving down a crowded highway. Save the theatrics for Karaoke night, and keep your mind on the road.
Petting the dog, cat, rabbit, bird or lizard
In swanky Beverly Hills, it's not uncommon to see a dog's face peeking out of the driver's window as a car whizzes by on Doheny Drive. The California state legislature even debated a law outlawing pets on drivers' laps. Confine your pet to the back seat or passenger seat. Pets are not immune to crashes, and can even cause them if they are unrestrained in the cabin.
Watching a Movie
In-car entertainment can really make a road trip pass by quickly for the passengers. But we've seen vehicles with LCD screens installed in the dash, in clear view of the driver, blaring video entertainment while the vehicle moves through traffic. Drive-in movies are one thing; a driving movie is something else entirely. Be sure to keep entertainment screens out of the driver’s line of sight.
Accessing the Internet
We haven’t seen this yet, but it’s coming. Chrysler LLC recently announced that it will launch an in-vehicle wireless internet system for its vehicles. According to Chrysler, "'uconnect web' transforms the vehicle into a mobile 'hot spot,' delivering unlimited, reliable and uninterrupted Internet connectivity." The system will be available as a dealer installed accessory for Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep vehicles beginning in August, 2008. Uh-oh!
100% Russian bling: Gold plated Porsche 911 turbo
by Shrawan Raja
If you wake up day after day only to find your bank balance replenished by a few million dollars, chances are at some point, you won’t know what to do with it. Take this Porsche 911 owner for example. He couldn’t find ways to get rid of the fast-accumulating green paper and did this to himself.- A 40- pound pure gold covered Porsche 911.
We find the idea annoying but appreciate the work that has gone into it. The carvings and designs on the surface are brilliant and would have taken weeks to complete by an extremely set of talented and skilled individuals. The polished surface looks nice and should have masked the rear-view mirrors entirely, eliminating the need for a reflective glass and related electronics for adjustments, but maybe next time?!
Driving a Porsche 911 on the streets would grab enough attention leave alone a gold-covered one. Is the Sultan of Brunei reading this?
Can you name the eight United States Presidents that were born in Virginia?
See answer under Car Doctor.
Ask the Car Doctor
Battle High Gas Prices: Tips to Boost Your Fuel Economy
How to save on gas without getting rid of your car.
By: Steve Siler and Colin Mathews
Thanks to the recent spike in fuel prices, high-mileage vehicles are among the most researched of all new-car purchases.
When it comes down to it, the most economical vehicle choice for your family is quite possibly the one that’s already sitting in your driveway. Unless you’re leasing a car that is due to be returned in the next couple of months, you might save as much or more money by simply keeping the car you own and driving it more economically.
But how, exactly? We’re not going to recommend any “hypermiling” nonsense, but we do know a few tricks—some you also might know, and others you might not. All, however, enable you to boost your personal fuel economy, squeezing more miles per gallon from whatever you drive, be it a Focus or a Phantom. Although gains from some of the tips below might seem minute, successfully enact all of them, and you’ll be nickel-and-diming Exxon for hundreds of bucks a year.
Tune Up Your Car
Okay, cars don’t really need “tune-ups” in the traditional mechanical sense any more. But if your “check engine” light is on, it could indicate a serious problem—say, a faulty oxygen sensor or worn spark plugs and wires—that, when fixed, could garner fuel-economy gains upwards of 30 percent, according to the EPA and Department of Energy’s shared Web site: www.fueleconomy.com. Be sure to follow your recommended service schedule to keep your car running optimally.
Also, if you’re the change-your-own-oil type, the EPA says to be sure you use the right stuff. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by one to two percent.
Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated
The Department of Energy estimates that 5 to 15 percent of light-duty fuel consumption is spent overcoming rolling resistance, i.e., the friction between the road and a car’s tires. Lowering your vehicle’s rolling resistance starts with simply ensuring that your tires have enough air pressure. Underinflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1-psi drop in pressure of all four tires.
A typical tire loses 1 psi per month and another with every 10-degree drop in temperature, so if you haven’t checked your tires in a few months, it’s time. Of course, pumping a few extra pounds of air pressure into the tires is one of the oldest fuel-economy tricks around, but going overboard will cost you some ride comfort and lateral grip, and—if taken to the extreme—could result in highly dangerous blowouts.
Make sure that your automobile is up to date on its service schedule.
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The eight United States Presidents that were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.
