chevy volts
2006 Cadillac XLR-V – Road Test – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
July 9, 2011 | 
Author 
Cadillac’s V -series is to that nameplate what AMG is to Mercedes or M is to BMW. It’s the high-performance wing of the company, where the original product (and its price) gets kicked up some serious notches. It is also a pretty brave enterprise at Cadillac. Running up your colors in the company of cars that define the art of corporate hot rodding is an unmistakable signal of intent.
With its XLR- V , Cadillac puts a player in among the SL55 AMGs and Jaguar XKRs of the world — cars with performance and pedigree to spare. So how does the XLR-
V match up, this low-slung, high-end pretender to the thrones of Europe?
In some areas, very well indeed. The new 4.4-liter supercharged version of GM’s Northstar V-8 is an exceedingly sophisticated engine. Pressurized by a GM-designed and -patented Roots-type blower made by Eaton, the engine supplies prodigious torque throughout most of its operating range. Continuously variable valve timing at all four cams undoubtedly helps spread the available torque around so the car almost always responds to a jab at the pedal with a surge of acceleration.
The Northstar is also endowed with desirable versatility, able to purr around at lower engine speeds as befits a luxury marque, then snarl to the redline with almost shocking ferocity. Part of this Jekyll-and-Hyde act is due to a muffler that suppresses low-rev noise levels and then switches to a more free-flowing mode at higher speeds when a vacuum-operated valve opens, allowing the exhaust gases a more direct path to the atmosphere.
Also part of this suave schizophrenia is a host of detail work done on the Northstar to retain necessary levels of refinement along with elevated power output. The reduction in displacement (from 4.6 to 4.4 liters) was achieved by reducing the size of the cylinder bore — thus increasing the amount of metal between those cylinders — and was considered necessary in the interests of durability. That blower is housed in a casting that is integrated with the Laminova tube-type intercooler and the intake tract in one rigid unit, and it works extremely well at reducing unwanted supercharger whine.
The engine block is a unique casting that provides improved coolant flow and has a new oil gallery to supply under-piston cooling jets. Lower-compression cast-alloy pistons necessitated a rebalancing of the crankshaft, and the accessory drive required a redesign and a new, wider three-sheave pulley to power the blower. That’s no small issue, since the supercharger soaks up nearly 80 horsepower at maximum speed.
Still, the engine manages to keep some of that extra power to itself, punching out 443 horsepower at 6400 rpm, enough to propel this 3840-pound convertible to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13 seconds flat. More important to everyday users is the 414 pound-feet of torque, of which 90 percent is available between 2200 and 6000 rpm.
All that torque just about precludes the need for a downshift in most scenarios, but the intelligent 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission will probably hand you one (or two) anyway when you squeeze the throttle. This rear-mounted six-speed provides almost intuitive response to a driver’s inputs with Caddy’s performance shift algorithm, which refrains from shifting up on a trailing throttle when cornering. It can be operated in manumatic mode by tapping the lever into an adjacent selector slot. This action also informs the magnetorheological shocks to switch to sportier settings.
The XLR- V ‘s chassis is upgraded from the naturally aspirated base model’s by having a solid front anti-roll bar, a rear anti-roll bar (not present on the
V -less XLR), stiffer rear lower-control-arm bushings, and a recalibrated ride program. All of this results in a flat and well-controlled stance on the road, and the ride is still considerably better than that of the Corvette with which this car shares so much platform architecture. At least part of that arises from the more-modest tire sizes, increased though they are from those of the base XLR.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/06q1/2006_cadillac_xlr-v-road_test
2000 10Best Car Jokes – Feature – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Near the end of their racing careers, a Ford and a Chevrolet made a pact. The first one to reach racing heaven would let the other know if heaven even had car racing.
As luck would have it, the Chevrolet was demolished in a fiery wreck. A few days later, it revealed itself to the Ford in a vision. "I have some good news and some bad news," the Chevy told the Ford. "The good news is that heaven is crazy about auto racing. They have everything here–NASCAR, Indy cars, Formula 1, you name it."
"So what’s the bad news?" the Ford asked the deceased Chevrolet.
"The bad news is that you’ve won the pole position for next Saturday’s race."
William L. Eppley
Chicago, Illinois
A motorist runs a red light and is photographed by an automated police camera. In the mail a short time later, he receives a photo of his car committing the infraction and a citation for $60. Instead of paying the fine, the motorist mails the police department a photograph of three 20-dollar bills. Several days later, he gets a letter back from the police department. Inside is a photograph of a pair of handcuffs.
Bolton Landing, New York
A not-too-bright but beautiful blonde was driving home one night when she was caught in a terrible storm. The hailstones were as big as golf balls, and her car was dented badly.
Next day at the auto shop, a repairman decided to have a little fun at her expense. "To fix the dents in the body," he said, "drive home, park the car, and when the tailpipe is cool, get down on your knees and blow really hard into the tailpipe, and the dents will pop out.
Later, a girlfriend of the blonde is driving by and sees her friend on her knees, blowing hard into the tailpipe. She asks what’s going on and is told the story. The girlfriend laughs. "Well, duhhh! You need to roll up the windows first, silly!"
Grand Rapids, Michigan
A couple of young tourists are pulled over by a highway patrolman. The officer walks up, asks for the driver’s license and registration, and when he doesn’t get it quickly enough, whacks the driver in the head. "That’s for not having your driver’s license ready," he snaps. "I ain’t got all day." After he issues the driver a ticket, the patrolman walks around to the other side of the car and whacks the passenger in the head.
"Owwww!" hollers the passenger. "What’d you do that for?"
"That’s to make your dream come true," replied the cop. "I know that when you’d gotten a half-mile down the road, you were gonna say to your friend here, ‘Wish he’d tried that with me!’"
Portland, Oregon
A banker is proudly driving his brand-new Jaguar sedan around New York City. On reaching his destination, he parks the car at the curb and gets out on the traffic side. Just as he opens the door, a taxicab slams into it, ripping the door right off its hinges. The cabby drives off as if nothing extraordinary has occurred.
A policeman who witnesses the whole thing walks up to the banker, who is now wailing loudly, "Ohhh myyy gaaawdd! Look what that idiot did to my new Jaaaaggguuuaar!
The cop looks at the banker, shakes his head, and says, "You bankers are so damn materialistic! Here you are whining about your expensive car, and you don’t even realize the cab tore off your arm!"
The banker looks down at where his arm used to be and begins to wail loudly, "Ohhhh myyy gaawd, my Rolllllleeeexxx is gone!"
Houston, Texas
A Texas rancher was visiting a farmer in Israel. The proud Israeli showed him around. "Here is where I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. Over there I built a play set for my kids, next to the doghouse," the farmer said.
The land was tiny, and the Texan was surprised by its small size. "Is this all your land?" he asked.
"Yes," the Israeli said proudly. "This is all mine!"
"You mean this is it? This is all of it?" the Texan said incredulously.
"Yes, yes, this is really all mine!"
"Well, son," said the Texan, "back home I’d get in my car before the sun’d come up and I’d drive and drive and drive, and when the sun set, why, I’d only be halfway across my land!"
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/00q1/2000_10best_car_jokes-feature
Ontari (2008) w/ Eng Sub – Telugu Movie
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