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American magazine U.S. News & World Report has released their 2008 rankings of the best cars and trucks in 11 different classes. Honda alone has five cars that won awards, and three more are Japanese made. There are three German cars, and two American vehicles on the list.

And the winners are...

• Best Economy Car: Honda Fit
• Best Midsize Car: Honda Accord
• Best Upscale Small Car: Volkswagen GTI
• Best Upscale Midsize Car: BMW 3-Series
• Best Luxury Car: BMW 5-Series
• Best Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
• Best Midsize SUV: Honda Pilot
• Best Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe
• Best Luxury Midsize SUV: Lexus RX 350
• Best Full Size Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• Best Affordable Sports Car: Honda S2000, Mazda MX-5, Mazda Speed3 (three-way tie)

Lists similar to this one are always open for debate; many seem to be created simply to spark arguments. Still, a list like this, assembled by a more respectable news source, seems a tad more reliable than an award from from J.D. Power and Associates. However, as this list is for 2008 it does seema bit romantic that the S2000 should make the grade in what is likely its last production year.

U.S. News & World Report does not use their own editorial board to determine best cars in class, but rather an aggregate model taking into account the opinions of many automotive experts. These experts thoughts on different vehicles, their safety, and reliability are all considered, and used to rank the vehicles.

Economy Cars: Honda Fit
Midsize Cars: Honda Accord
Upscale Small Cars: Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Midsize Cars: BMW 3-Series
Luxury Cars: BMW 5-Series
Compact SUVs: Honda CR-V
Midsize SUVs: Honda Pilot
Large SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe
Luxury Midsize SUVs: Lexus RX 350
Full Size Pickups: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Affordable Sports Cars: Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, Mazda Speed3 (tied)

Press Release

U.S. News & World Report Releases 2008 Car Rankings: Honda Still King, GM Rapidly Improving

Best & Worst New Cars, Best Green Cars, and Overall Winners

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report today
announced its 2008 Car Rankings, available online at
RankingsAndReviews.com. The 2008 rankings cover the best and worst cars,
trucks and SUVs based on an analysis of consensus opinions from America's
top automotive experts.

New Car Hits

GM shows the greatest improvement from the 2007 to 2008 car rankings
with several new or redesigned vehicles ranking near the top of their
classes. The redesigned Chevy Malibu, all-new Buick Enclave, and redesigned
Cadillac CTS (winner of Motor Trend Car of the Year) fare well in the
rankings.

Experts laud the Malibu (ranked #6 out of 25 midsize cars) for its
driving dynamics, exterior styling and affordability. The new CTS (ranked
#4 out of 14 upscale cars) is praised as an American car that can finally
compete with the BMW and Lexus nameplates. Finally, experts generally agree
that Buick hit a home-run with its all-new Enclave (ranked #3 out of 23
midsize SUVs) based on classy styling and a superb ride. Joining the highly
ranked Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Silverado 1500, these new
entrants help GM to achieve a good overall showing in the 2008 rankings.

The all-new Infiniti G37 and Mazda CX-9 also debut high in the
rankings, as do the newly remodeled Honda Accord, BMW 5-Series, and
Chrysler's minivan siblings the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand
Caravan.

New Car Misses

Some new cars miss the mark. In the same class as the Accord, the
all-new Dodge Avenger places last out of 25 cars. The all-new Nissan Rogue
is also a less-than-stellar performer, placing in the bottom half of the
compact SUV rankings. Surprisingly, the newly redesigned Toyota Highlander
is a merely decent performer among midsize SUVs. The 2007 Highlander was
ranked #1 in its class.

The 2008 Winners

A complete listing of all the car, truck and SUV rankings and
meta-reviews are available at: RankingsAndReviews.com. As of December 13,
2007, the #1 ranked automobiles in the most popular categories are:



Economy Cars: Honda Fit
Midsize Cars: Honda Accord
Upscale Small Cars: Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Midsize Cars: BMW 3-Series
Luxury Cars: BMW 5-Series
Compact SUVs: Honda CR-V
Midsize SUVs: Honda Pilot
Large SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe
Luxury Midsize SUVs: Lexus RX 350
Full Size Pickups: Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Affordable Sports Cars: Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, Mazda Speed3 (tied)
As with the 2007 rankings, Honda occupies more #1 ranking spots (7 in
total) than any other nameplate. Honda's Fit, Civic, and Civic Hybrid take
the top three spots on the Economy Cars list.

BMW retains the #1 ranking spot in the popular upscale and luxury car
categories. Among the very competitive upscale midsize cars, the BMW
3-Series remains the benchmark, but now has strong competition from the
Lexus ES and all-new Infiniti G37, each tied for the #2 ranking spot.

Japanese Hybrids Outrank New American Hybrids

For 2008 there are several new entries from GM and Ford in the rapidly
expanding Hybrid segment. The challengers (the new Saturn Aura and VUE
hybrids, Chevy Tahoe hybrid, and siblings Ford Escape / Mercury Mariner
hybrids) underperform the more established Toyota and Honda models. Experts
agree that these newcomers do not yet offer the combination of fuel economy
and driving performance exhibited by the likes of Toyota's Prius and Camry
hybrids.

About The 2008 Car Rankings Methodology

The 2008 rankings of cars, trucks, and SUVs were determined through
U.S. News & World Reports' consensus-based rankings methodology. The top
vehicles are those receiving the highest accolades determined by an
analysis of automotive experts' opinions, safety ratings, and reliability
statistics.

A complete listing of 2008 car, truck and SUV rankings and reviews is
available at: http://www.RankingsAndReviews.com.

About RankingsAndReviews.com

RankingsAndReviews.com is a division of PrimeAxis Media, LLC, a company
jointly owned and operated by U.S.News & World Report and Bulletin News.
The website uses proprietary technology and U.S.News editors to analyze
thousands of published vehicle reviews from hundreds of experts and road
testers, government safety ratings, and reliability statistics. The
rankings methodology relies on the highly successful and trusted U.S.News &
World Report system that is currently used to assess the nation's best
hospitals and colleges. Given that the consumers typically spend more than
four hours online researching each automotive purchase,
RankingsAndReviews.com provides consumers with better, more complete
information in a fraction of the time.

About U.S. News & World Report

Founded in 1933, the weekly national news magazine U.S.News & World
Report is devoted to reporting and to analyzing national and international
affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology and social trends.
Through its annual editions of America's Best Colleges, America's Best
Graduate Schools, America's Best Hospitals, America's Best Health Plans and
America's Best Leaders, as well as its News You Can Use(R) brand, U.S. News
has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and
information that improves the quality of life of its readers.



SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

Certainly, intelligent radar-based cruise control systems that maintain distances from vehicles ahead aren't anything new. But Nissan has developed one that integrates with the on-board navigation system which utilizes route information. As a result, the Intelligent Cruise Control system can adjust vehicle speed in anticipation of an approaching curve. Then, as it clears the curve onto a straight road, the system gradually resumes to its original speed.

Also, a new feature of the Distance Control Assist alerts the driver to slow down, despite the accelerator being engaged, and allows the accelerator pedal to push back against the foot suggesting to the driver to release the accelerator. And in more serious situations, the system will also alert the driver through message and audio warnings, assisting the driver to engage the brakes.

The Intelligent Cruise Control system plus Distance Control Assist can be controlled separately via steering wheel controls and the system also has the ability to operate in full speed range starting at zero. Earlier intelligent radar based systems have speed limitations in the range of 5 to 100 km/h.

NISSAN DEBUTS WORLD'S FIRST DISTANCE CONTROL ASSIST AND
NAVIGATION-ENABLED INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL
- New Technologies Available on Fuga in December -

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will introduce two pioneering technologies with its new Fuga, set for release in Japan this month - the world's first Distance Control Assist and navigation-enabled Intelligent Cruise Control systems.

Nissan's pioneering Distance Control Assist system helps control the distance between two vehicles under various traffic conditions, from congested urban roads to high-speed expressways. The improved Intelligent Cruise Control system integrates route-information via the on-board navigation system to monitor the vehicle's cruising speed to match actual road conditions i.e. the sharpness of the next curve on the road.

1. World's First Distance Control Assist
The Distance Control Assist system determines the following distance of the driver's vehicle, as well as the relative speed of both vehicles, using a radar sensor installed in the front bumper.

When a vehicle approaches close to the vehicle ahead and the accelerator is not engaged, the system activates the brakes to decelerate smoothly. Alternately, if the accelerator is engaged, the acceleration actuator is activated through a "push back" mechanism to help the driver to release the pedal.

In a situation where the vehicle ahead slows down or brakes, requiring the driver to respond by braking, the system instantly alerts the driver through message and audio warnings. Simultaneously, the system pushes back the accelerator to assist the driver to switch to the brakes.

2.Enhanced Intelligent Cruise Control
The Intelligent Cruise Control system operates using information from a radar sensor installed in the front bumper. When following a vehicle ahead, the system controls following distance appropriately, using the driver's preset speed is the maximum limit. With no vehicle ahead, the vehicle cruises at the constant driver preset speed.

The new system features several pioneering technologies:

Full-speed range following function
Previous systems functioned only within the range of approximately 5-100 kilometers per hour, whereas the new system functions across the full-speed range, starting from zero. The system is capable of activating the brakes in order to stop the vehicle under the certain traffic conditions.

World's first use of navigation map data
Utilizing route-information fed through the on-board navigation system, the Intelligent Cruise Control system can modulate the vehicle-speed in anticipation of the next curve on the road. When approaching a curve, the system gradually decelerates, and as it clears the turn onto a straight road, the system seamlessly resumes to its original speed.

When both the Distance Control Assist and Intelligent Cruise Control are installed, the driver can select either function setting, using a wheel-mounted switch according to different driving conditions.

Criminal and civic actions continue

The McLaren v Ferrari spy case is finally coming to a close with McLaren publicly apologizing to the FIA and Ferrari. FIA had given McLaren a 'way out' by offering a deal where McLaren would apologise and FIA would drop the investigation into the 2008 car, which was supposed to be met over on February 14.

In their statement from yesteday. 'McLaren wish to make a public apology to the FIA, Ferrari, the Formula 1 community and to Formula 1 fans throughout the world and offer their assurance that changes are now being made which will ensure that nothing comparable to what has taken place will ever happen again.'

Turns out that McLaren's internal investigation did not go deep enough and resulted in the FIA instead investigating and finding the actual 'leaked' information. McLaren also recognises the fact that they should have contacted the FIA and Ferrari when Nigel Stepney first came forth with the stolen data, much like Renault's actions in their spying case versus McLaren.

Ferrari reacted today. 'In the light of McLaren's apology and the guarantees it has presented, Ferrari respects the proposal of the FIA President to cancel the extraordinary general meeting of the WSMC scheduled for 14th February coming, thus bringing this incident to a close from a sporting point of view. However, it is confirmed that criminal actions underway in Italy and civil ones in England are still continuing.'

Related entries:

Renault F1 Team Guilty but Not Fined
Finnish F1 Driver Kovalainen Lands Ride with McLaren Mercedes
McLaren Sets New Car Official Launch
Mercedes Set to Take Over McLaren F1 Team?

Available at dealerships in Germany spring 2008, the all-new mini monocab Opel Agila gets in underneath the 10,000 barrier at 9,990 Euros. With a touch of eccentric style, the new Agila spices up the super mini segment to slot in underneath its older and bigger monocab siblings, the Meriva and Zafira.

The new Agila is vailable with a 1.0-liter with 48 kW/65 hp averages five liters of gasoline per 100 km, while the 1.3 CDTI with 55 kW/75 hp and diesel particulate filter as standard consumes just 4.5 liters of diesel per 100 km. Both variants produce just 120 g CO2/km.

As a special incentive, orders placed before the official market launch in early April 2008 will receive a free Styling package as a bons with their new Agila.

Press Release

New Opel Agila: Mini Monocab Starts from 9,990 Euros

Featuring high practicality at an affordable price, the new Agila can now be ordered from 9,990 euros and will be available at dealerships from spring 2008. The new Opel mini monocab offers plenty of feel-good space for family and friends, as well as up to 1050 liters of cargo capacity despite the car’s compact exterior length of 3.74 meters.

The new Agila is the youngest member of the highly successful Opel monocab family. A monocab is distinguishable by its hood line that flows without a visible break into the combined passenger and luggage compartment. Thanks to this design and clever innovative details, the fully fledged five-door, five-seat mini monocab can set standards in space economy and variability – just like the small Meriva and compact Zafira monocab have already done. The Meriva has been the top-selling small monocab in Europe since its launch in 2003, and leads the overall monocab segment together with the Zafira.

The new Agila is not only very affordable, but also boasts low fuel consumption and emissions: the Agila 1.0 with 48 kW/65 hp requires an average of five liters of gasoline per 100 km, while the 1.3 CDTI with 55 kW/75 hp and diesel particulate filter as standard consumes just 4.5 liters of diesel per 100 km. Both variants produce just 120 g CO2/km.

The entry-level Agila comes with a wide range of standard safety equipment. For less than 10,000 euros, customers get ABS, front and side airbags for both front passengers and ISOFIX child seat mountings. Also on board ex works is speed-dependant power steering, height-adjustable front seats, rear window wiper with interval control and power tailgate with touchpad. Customers who order the new Agila ahead of its official market launch in early April 2008 will receive a Styling package from Opel as a bonus with their new car.

Common rail direct injection

This month signifies the ten year anniversary of the market launch of the Mercedes CDI, clean burning diesel technology. Before 1997 Mercedes did have turbodiesel cars in its line-up but the CDI common rail direct injection technology is fundamentally different.

First model in line was the Mercedes C 220 CDI, producing 125 hp (92 kW) with 300 Nm of torque available at only 1800 rpm! Making the engine the highest torque-engine in its displacement class while setting new standards in fuel economy.

2006 also marked an important milestone for the CDI when the Mercedes E 300 BLUETEC was voted “World Green Car of the Year”. The new Mercedes E 300 BlueTec for Europe already meets Euro V emissions standards, which won't come into force until September 2009.

Press Release

Ten years of CDI: Clean-burning, powerful and refined compression-ignition engines

• December 1997: CDI technology debut in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Independent: Pressure generation and injection
• Common rail: One pressure reservoir for all cylinders
• CDI: An integral part of BLUETEC

Ten years ago, Mercedes-Benz ushered in a new era of diesel engines in passenger cars, with "common rail direct injection" technology, first used in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (202 series). CDI engines have a fuel line in the form of a central pressure reservoir (common rail), from which fuel is released into the cylinders via solenoid valves as required. Common rail technology made it possible to design smooth-running engines with low emissions and high torque, and quickly became established as the new standard for passenger car diesel engines.

The latest Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC engines for passenger cars are also based on CDI technology. The outstandingly clean-burning and efficient BLUETEC engine made its passenger car debut in North America in 2006, proving so successful that the Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC was elected "World Green Car of the Year". The first passenger car model using this technology for the European market, the E 300 BLUETEC, will be launched at the end of 2007. In the E 300, Mercedes-Benz has managed to bring emission levels down even further, without any sacrifices in fuel economy. BLUETEC technology makes the diesel engine one of the cleanest and most efficient forms of propulsion the world has ever seen. The E 300 BLUETEC already meets the EURO V standard which does not come into force until September 2009.

IAA 1997: Debut of CDI technology

At the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in September 1997, Mercedes-Benz launched the station wagon version of its new C 220 Turbodiesel. While previous Mercedes-Benz cars had also been described as turbodiesel models, this time the familiar name concealed a vehicle that was fundamentally different from its predecessors, and it duly became known as the Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI. The new station wagon – along with the corresponding sedan – was the world’s first production car to be fitted with a diesel engine with direct injection based on the common rail principle. Its 92-kW (125-hp) four-cylinder OM 611 engine developed an impressive 300 Newton meters from just 1800 rpm. The C 220 CDI was thus the highest-torque engine in its displacement category and also set new standards in fuel economy and emissions.

The outstandingly refined characteristics and sprightly performance of this diesel engine were mainly attributable to the new common rail technology, developed jointly with Bosch. The common rail system differs in several important respects from the traditional design of prechamber diesel engines, and also from other direct diesel injection methods. Whereas previous conventional systems had to generate the pressure required for each injection separately, CDI engines have a common fuel line (or common rail) in which pressure is maintained at a high level by a separate high-pressure pump. This forms a pressure reservoir from which the fuel is distributed to the injection nozzles via solenoid valves. The vastly improved mixture formation process in comparison with older diesel engines is the result of high injection pressure ratings of up to 1350 bar – available even at low engine speeds – and variable injection control. The electronic engine management calculates the fuel requirements separately for each cylinder, according to the driving situation. CDI results in lower fuel consumption and exhaust emissions in comparison with other engine technologies, along with higher performance values.

CDI engines also run very smoothly, mainly because of so-called pilot injection. This refers to the preheating of the combustion chambers through the ignition of a small quantity of diesel fuel injected into the cylinder a few milliseconds before the actual fuel injection. This results in a less abrupt increase in pressure and temperature during main injection, and the engine runs more quietly. Along with the common rail technology as such, the Mercedes-Benz engine developers also incorporated some other advanced design features in the new CDI engines, e.g. the use of four-valve technology in the four-cylinder engine of the C 220 CDI.

December 1997: Market launch of the Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI

In December 1997, Mercedes-Benz launched the new C 220 CDI on the market, in sedan and station wagon variants. Comparisons with the predecessor model speak volumes: 30 percent more power, twice the torque, and ten percent lower fuel consumption. As well as creating an incredibly economical compression ignition engine, CDI technology also produced an agile and powerful car with sports performance characteristics. The second CDI model – the C 200 CDI – followed six months later, replacing both the sedan and station wagon variants of the C 220 Diesel with naturally aspirated prechamber engines. This second CDI C-Class model was powered by a derated version of the engine used in the C 220 CDI, with the same displacement. The most dramatic improvement over the previous prechamber engine lay in the high torque developed at low engine speeds. The CDI engine also offered substantially better performance as well as lower fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

Previously only available as separate components, Carlsson has merged two existing products to produce the CD 32 for the ML 320 CDI. First launched two years ago, Carlsson's body styling kit for the ML-Class remains the same, and so does the C-Tronic control unit upgrade for the 3.2-liter V6 diesel engine across the Mercedes model range.

Other features of the ML package include electronically controlled hight adjustable suspension, custom alcantara/leather interior and stainless stell sports rear silencers with four tailpipes. Further details below.

Press Release

Carlsson CD32 - a mass of class (Basis ML 320 CDI)

For all off-road enthusiasts the famous Mercedes-Benz tuner Carlsson is offering a complete tuning package, which clearly, if tastefully, underlines the modern features of the M-Class. Big, voluminous yet still sporty, with its performance tweaked to 269 bhp and a potent torque, and combining this with a touch of luxury, the CD 32 based on the ML 320 CDI always cuts a fine figure both in the countryside and in the metropolitan jungle.

Carlsson performance Kit C-Tronic® Diesel POWER
It is easy to be seen that this SUV needs plenty of power. In other words, there is a lot of weight that has to be moved. Hence, drivers of the ML 320 CDI will certainly appreciate the power of 269 bhp/198 kW. According to Carlsson, a maximum torque of 612 Nm is generated at 1800 rpm.
Carlsson attaches great importance to safety and reliability: correction maps ensure that reserves of the engine are only used when the temperature is in the safe operating zone. The straight-forward installation of the supplementary control unit, which is possible through Carlsson's adapter system, is also interesting for the customer to avoid long waiting times. Thanks to the plug-and-play capability, it can be installed quite quickly and, if required, can also be rebuilt.

Stainless steel silencers with twin oval tailpipes each
The rear view of the CD32 is dominated by the four tailpipes of the Carlsson sports rear silencers, which not only give out an impressive, sonorous, sporty sound, but are also optimised, in comparison with the standard version, in terms of exhaust back pressure and gas conduction, and thus contribute to the achievement of greater torque and improved performance. The design of the tailpipes offers a significant practical advantage: they are double-walled, i.e. thermally insulated and, in addition, optimised in terms of air flow, thus guaranteeing less external dirt.

Electronic suspension lowering C-Tronic® SUSPENSION
Greater ride comfort in all situations
By means of the electronic lowering system C-Tronic® SUSPENSION, the centre of gravity of the vehicle is lowered by up to 40 mm. This results in a sporty look and better handling of the vehicle because of the limitation of roll. A further advantage of the improved aerodynamics, which are achieved by the lowering of the suspension, is the reduction in the front profile of the vehicle. This results in a higher top speed and better fuel consumption, particularly in the case of off-road vehicles. Whilst usual lowering systems for vehicles with electronic suspension confine themselves to lowering the centre of gravity of the vehicle, the innovative technology of the C-Tronic® SUSPENSION allows for automatic intelligent interaction with road conditions. On poor road surfaces and in response to the persistent spring deflection, which they cause, the lowering effect is automatically attenuated in order to ensure the appropriate spring travel required for the most comfortable ride.

Elegance for the adventurous
Even in its unmodified form, the ML 320 CDI is visually impressive with its interplay of strongly contoured panels and taut lines. The Carlsson design of the aerodynamic components lends support to the sovereign character of the new M-Class but at the same time gives it a sportier feel. The front spoiler and the lip on the rear skirt appear with the characteristic Carlsson 'diffuser look'.

Wheel 1/11 Evo Brilliant Edition
The design of the Carlsson 1/11 Evo BE is a further development of the tried, tested and popular 1/11 BE wheel. With the new wheel, Carlsson has once again confirmed that the company's claim that a wheel should not only have a visual impact but also offer technical benefits, e.g., that it is as light as possible.

For the ML-Class, Carlsson offers its 11-spoke wheel 1/11 Evo BE in the dimensions 11x22" with Dunlop SP Sport 9000 285/30 R22 tyres.

Luxurious interior ambience
The interior design also fulfils the expectations aroused by the CD32 when approaching the car. Only the very best materials have been used for the interior appointments of the CD32. A combination of Alcantara and leather make the passenger compartment an inviting and pleasant place to be, even on very long journeys. With the ergonomic Carlsson sports steering wheel in leather / Alcantara or leather / wood, the driver can be sure of always having the car under control in a particularly pleasant way. Pedals made from aluminium add a sporty touch. Illuminated door exit lights show the way into a world of luxury and genuine atmosphere.

Naturally, there are no limits on customer wishes when it comes to individual fittings and appointments for the car.