AUTOMOTIVE THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN THE NEW YEAR

As 2015 comes to a close and is replaced with 2016, now is the time to spend time with your family, make some unreasonable resolutions, and eat a TON of good food. If either one of these three makes you upset, fret no more! Here are some automotive news about this upcoming year that will turn that frown upside down.

1. Increased Carbon Fiber Usage In Cars

This year, cars with carbon-fiber chassis and body panels will be introduced than ever before. We've already seen vehicles such as the new Ford F-150 use aluminum frames, which saved around 700 lbs of weight. Just imagine the amount of saved weight when carbon-fiber is used! 

2. Introduction of the 2017 Ford Focus RS

After some delays of the actual production date of the upcoming Ford Focus RS, it seems like this hot hatch will finally arrive in the dealerships during this year. But in case you forgot what this car was about, here is a brief summary. 

"The Focus RS is an upgraded version of the ST, with an entirely-new torque-vectoring all wheel drive system, a six-speed manual gearbox, and a twin-scroll turbocharged 2.3 Liter Four-Cylinder Engine capable of more than 315 hp (same engine as Ford Mustang). Not a whole lot is known about this vehicle, but Ford says that the Focus RS will be build in limited quantities, and will be sold in the 'States unlike its predecessor."

Certainly, this car is worth all of the attention it seems to be receiving by other automotive news sources. The Focus RS will be the third hot hatch to enter the US market along with the introduction of the new Volkswagen Golf R and Honda Civic Type-R.

3. Conclusion of Volkswagen's Dieselgate 

Long story short, VW used software to prevent their cars from emitting an immensely large amount of NOx when being tested for emissions. NOx contributes to Nitrogen Dioxide, or ground-level ozone. This increases the chance of asthma attacks, respiratory illnesses, and can have detrimental cardiovascular effects as well. It will be interesting to observe VW's actions towards redeeming their reputation and regaining the public's trust of diesels. 

HYPERCARS YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED

Many know about the amazing vehicles that automotive companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche produce. Posters of vehicles such as the Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Aventador, and Porsche 911 GT3 are on every kid's wall. Thus, it makes them easily recognizable by the general public.

As impressive as those cars may be, there are equally as extraordinary and even statistically superior hypercars from lesser-known companies. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

1. Lykan Hypersport
This car was featured on the emotional and action-packed film, Furious 7. The scene in which the hypercar jumped from one skyscraper to another turned a lot of eyes to the newly-founded company, and rightfully so. 

As the first car to be designed and produced in Arab World, the Hypersport includes some expensive touches, such as gold stitching on the seats, a holographic display system, and titanium LED headlights with 420 15-carat diamonds. This vehicle is powered by a 3.7L twin-turbocharged flat-six motor (from RUF) making 740 bhp and 708 lb/ft of torque, and allowing it to have an insane top speed of 239 mph, while simultaneously sending 0 to 60's house in just 2.8 seconds. 





2. Zenvo ST1
Fans of the BBC's former show, Top Gear, will recognize this vehicle due to its tendency to catch on fire. Still, the unfortunate events that occurred on the show overlooks the absurd attention to detail required for completing each car. 

Manufactured by a Danish automotive company named Zenvo Automotive, the ST1 is made completely by hand. This car is powered by a turbocharged AND supercharged (don't ask me how that works) 6.8L V8 making 1,104 hp and 1,050 lb/ft of torque. This propells it up until 233, and allows 0 to meet 60 in merely 3 seconds. The designers of the ST1 deserve a lot more credit. There is no bad angle of this car!




3. Rimac Concept One 
Unlike the past two hypercars, the Concept One has an all-electric powertrain instead of the standard gasoline motor. This car is significant because it is the world's first electric supercar due to its crazy amount of power and relatively-small amount of weight. 

Similar to Zenvo Automotive, the Croatia-based Rimac Automobili was recently established in 2009. The company's goal was to produce a sportscar by "starting with a blank sheet of paper". The product was an all-electric vehicle powered by a 82kWh battery and four high-speed magnet-oil cooled permanent motors. This gives the car a gasoline-equivalent 1,088 hp and 1,200 lb/ft of torque, accelerates the car until 190 mph, and sticks 0 with 60 in 2.8 seconds. 

Feel free to suggest other cars that should be on this list!

INSIDE THE EJ253

Recently, I have had the chance to help out in a local automotive repair shop near Lynnwood. Some of my favorite memories while helping at the shop was tearing apart the Subaru Forester's EJ253 in order to fix the infamous head gasket failure. 

Head gaskets are uniquely-shaped pieces of aluminum that fit between the cylinder head and engine block. These crucial elements of the engine are designed to prevent leaks from the two surfaces of the engine. However, the second-gen Subaru Foresters contain engines with somewhat weak gaskets that ultimately lead to the mixing of the coolant and combustion gas. As you might guess, this is no-bueno for the engine.

In order to fix this issue, the flat-4 has to be taken out from the engine bay and dissembled. This is a tedious process, but the correct tools and knowledge, it can be fixed. Here are some photos of the assembly of the EJ253 after the engine oil was drained, and the gasket/engine bolts were replaced.

TOP FIVE VEHICLES THAT DEPRECIATE THE SLOWEST

Buying a brand-new car is a tangible representation of the hard-work necessary for such an achievement. However, it also means that the car loses value as soon as soon as the buyer drives away from the dealer. Below are several vehicles that are in high-demand in the used-car market, and therefore have a lower depreciation rate.

Price Difference Over First Year: 3.3%

 Land Rover Range Rover 
This uber-luxury SUV is one of the few vehicles that have a positive rate, and so increases its net value in the first year. Very impressive indeed.

    

Price Difference Over First Year: -3%

 Subaru Impreza 

The all-wheel drive compact segment has mainly been dominated by the Subaru Legacy lineup ever since its launch. There's no surprise that the Impreza is in high-demand by the consumers.

Price Difference Over First Year: -6.9%

 Toyota Tacoma

The Tacoma has been the dominant compact pickup in the US market. This truck is very capable on and off-road, and its attractive build quality, price, and utility make it even more appealing.

Price Difference Over First Year: -7.1%

 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

In addition to being the cheapest to insure, the Wrangler has a low depreciation rate when compared to other vehicles in its class. The low price, capability off-road, and distinctive design makes this vehicle in high-demand.

Price Difference Over First Year: -7.9%

 Nissan Frontier

The Frontier is another compact pickup that has been outsold by the Tacoma in the past couple of years. Still, this a very capable pickup offroad, which most likely makes this truck a good choice for some consumers.

FACT OF THE DAY: THE LEAST EXPENSIVE CAR TO INSURE

The Jeep Wrangler is the least expensive car to insure as of March 18th, 2015. The average insurance rate for 12 months is just $1,134 dollars, giving it an economical monthly fee of $94.5. In comparison, a 2015 Toyota Camry LE costs about $2,080 to insure for the entire first year. In the Wrangler model lineup, the Wrangler Sport is the cheapest to insure, but the Sahara and Rubicon versions can be considered the latter as well.

TOP ANTICIPATED VEHICLES OF 2015

2015 is an exciting year for American car enthusiasts. Vehicles of all sizes and purposes will implement the latest, cutting-edge, innovative technology to make themselves more efficient, faster, stronger, and more reliable than ever before. Here are just a couple of vehicles to look forward to for this year. 

1. 2017 Ford Focus RS

The Ford Focus ST was released in the summer of 2012 to join the hot hatch segment. Consumers praised the rawness and the adrenaline rush it gave to its drivers thanks to its turbocharged 2.0 Liter Four-Cylinder Engine, which gave it 247 bhp to the front wheels, and its tendency to oversteer. 

The Focus RS is an upgraded version of the ST, with an entirely-new torque-vectoring all wheel drive system, a six-speed manual gearbox, and a twin-scroll turbocharged 2.3 Liter Four-Cylinder Engine capable of more than 315 hp (same engine as Ford Mustang). Not a whole lot is known about this vehicle, but Ford says that the Focus RS will be build in limited quantities, and will be sold in the 'States unlike its predecessor. The hype about this car is due to all of the appealing characteristics mentioned above, as well as the additional physical touches around the car.

2. 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4

Similar to the Focus, the current-gen Cayman was first released long before the GT4, back in the spring of 2013. The well-engineered components, balanced suspension tuning, stiff chassis, and placement of the engine soon made this car a wide favorite among automotive enthusiasts, and became the modern benchmark of automotive engineering. One of the complaints, however, was the lack of power of the flat-six 2.7 Liter / 3.4 Liter engine.

Fast forward to 2015, Porsche has responded to the complaints of Cayman fans and released the Cayman GT4. The Cayman GT4 is powered by a 3.8 Liter flat-six from the 911 (991) Carrera S. Furthermore, this car weighs just 3000 lbs, has a lovely 6-speed manual transmission, adjustable suspension (mostly from the 911 GT3), upgraded brakes, a limited-slip differential, and so much more. This car is the answer that Cayman fans have called for since day one, and Porsche should be recognized for doing so.

3. 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

2016 MX-5 Miata is on the left, with the first-gen on the right.

The MX-5 Miata is the world's best-selling convertible sports car. It's really difficult to top that, but Mazda has once again, managed to do so. The 2016 Miata has a shorter wheelbase, is lighter (just 2200 lbs!), and sits lower to the ground compared to its predecessor. The car will come with the 2.0 Liter four-cylinder found in the Mazda CX-5, despite the smaller engine choices. With modern safety regulations and development in techonology, most cars have become larger, heavier, and more powerful. The MX-5 Miata, however, has retained its roots and still comes in a lightweight yet balanced package. Mazda really deserves credit for going against the crowd.

UNVEILED: REAR VISION VIDEO

Traditional rear-view mirrors have been around for a long time now. The very first ones were clunky and heavy to move around, but were then replaced with a plastic outer-body, which had the day/night function with a flick of a switch. Currently, they have auto-dimming functions through a light sensor. Cadillac wants to take another step towards advancing the rear-view mirror. Instead of a mirror, Cadillac uses a rear-mounted camera to display objects behind a car on a wide 1280 x 240 screen. This increases the rear vision by 300 percent, and could decrease the blind-spot zone for drivers. For those who prefer a more vintage rear-view mirror, Cadillac also allows drivers to switch back to a regular mirror.