BMW e60 part 02

What looks like a four door sedan, but drives like a sports car? Well... the first car that comes to mind is the BMW M5. The M5 has always been a favorite of mine because it's an excellent mix of luxury and solid performance. This vehicle can transport you and three of your friends comfortably from point A to point B. However, the beauty of the M5 is that you can always choose to throw comfort out the window and give your friends a scare of a lifetime!

In a nutshell, the M5 is one of the most practical race cars ever made, if not the most. It has four doors, all the creature comforts of a BMW, seating for five, a huge engine and handles like a dream. In our video review, we drive two of the more recent generations, the 2003 E39 M5 and the 2010 E60 M5. Both are very fast cars, but the way they carry themselves is very different.

The 2003 E39 M5 is the last year BMW built that generation of the M5 and is the best year for that model. Earlier E39 models had problems with the Vanos timing systems (which were expensive to repair), issues with carbon buildup and a couple of other minor things. However, in 2003 all the wrinkles have been ironed out and the car was near perfection.

The E39 M5 has a 4.9 liter V8 that produces approximately 400 hp at 6,600 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm and redlines at 7,000 rpm. Despite a curb weight of 4,000 lbs, the E39 M5 can hit 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds according to official performance specs, but some have claimed they could consistently hit 0-60 mph times of 4.5 seconds. Additionally, the car is very well balanced and handles like a dream and gives the driver good feedback. I used to take mine out to the mountains and I was not afraid to push it on the curvy mountain roads following a group of M3s, which is not an easy feat.

The 2010 E60 M5 is also the last year BMW built that generation of the M5 and is likely the best year. Earlier E60 models had issues with the iDrive system and the 7-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) III, but after a series of upgrades, these issues seem to have gone away.

The E60 M5 has a 5.0 liter V10 that produces approximately 500 hp at 7,750 rpm and 383 lb-ft of torque at 6,100 rpm and redlines at 8,250 rpm. Although the E60 M5 also has a curb weight of approximately 4,000 lbs, the massive power upgrade propels it from 0-60 mph in only 4.8 seconds. What's interesting about the two is that, up until 60 mph, both M5s are nearly neck and neck. However, the E60 M5 starts to pull away quickly after the 60 mph mark, and it keeps going and going. What's more interesting is that the E39 M5 feels faster as the car's peak torque is achieved at a much lower rpm (3,800 rpm versus 6,100 rpm for the E60 M5) and hits the driver instantly, whereas with the E60 the driver has to be a little more patient.

 

 

 

 

Carros Rebaixados part 04

Carros Rebaixados part 03

Carros Rebaixados part 07

Ford Escape 2013 part 05

The Ford Motor Company is a leading producer of sport utility vehicles, offering no less than five vehicle lines for the 2013 model year. Its Expedition is the only model that features a traditional body on frame arrangement, with Ford's four other SUVs assuming a car or crossover unibody construction. Each SUV has something to offer with prices starting around $22,000 for the Escape and topping $50,000 for a fully-equipped Expedition King Ranch EL.

All-new for 2013, the Ford Escape can be powered by one of three engine choices. Its standard 2.5-liter four is the largest engine, making 168 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 170 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm. This 16-valve engine is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Two EcoBoost engines are available, technologies that bring in turbocharging and direct injection. The smaller 1.6-liter 16-valve four is rated at 178 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and makes 184 foot-pounds of torque at 2,500 rpm. The larger 2.0-liter engine makes 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm. Both EcoBoost engines are paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Escape has a towing capacity ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 pounds.

Like the Escape, the Ford Edge seats five people, but offers a larger footprint for improved room. The standard engine is a 3.5-liter 24-valve V-6 engine that makes 285 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 253 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. Optionally, a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine is available on the front-wheel-drive model only. This EcoBoost engine makes 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm. The largest and most powerful Ford Edge engine is a 3.7-liter V-6 engine that makes 305 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 280 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. Like the base engine this one is available with FWD and AWD models. All Edge engines are paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission, the latter with paddle activation. Select Edge models can provide towing of up to 3,500 pounds.

The oldest continuous SUV name in the Ford fleet is the Explorer, a model that lost its body on frame design in 2011 to assume a unibody layout. Introduced in 1991, the Explorer is one of the best-selling SUVs ever produced. The current model is also popular and seats up to seven people. It is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 290 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 255 foot-pounds of torque at 4,100 rpm. Also available are two EcoBoost engines including a 2.0-liter four that makes 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 foot-pounds of torque at 1,750 to 4,000 rpm. An EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 will debut later this year. Ford uses 6-speed automatic transmissions across the model line. This model offers a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds.

 

 

 

 

 

Ford Escape 2013 part 04

Beginning in 2011, the Ford Motor Company started to showcase its Ford Vertrek concept, a vehicle offering a glimpse of the design direction Ford will be taking with several of its upcoming models. The Vertrek made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, critically acclaimed for its fresh style, roomy interior and advanced engine.

The Ford Vertrek is a concept in that it likely won't be built exactly as shown, but it will lend many of its ideas to future models. Some auto show concepts represent the vivid and sometimes unrealistic dreams of an automaker's design team. Other concepts are the real deal and are soon green-lighted for production. Auto shows allow car manufacturers to gauge customer opinion on a large scale and make adjustments to a project based partially on that feedback.

In the Vertrek, Ford is showing the world the design direction of its small SUV line. That line is called the Ford Escape in North America and the Ford Kuga in Europe. Both models are approximately one to two years from being replaced, perhaps sharing the same body style and incorporating many of the features found in the Vertrek.

Those features include a grille not unlike the one found in the 2012 Ford Focus, a compact car scheduled for North American release in spring 2011. Already on sale in Europe and most other Ford markets, the all new Focus is recognizable for its pronounced, sporty grille, an attribute of the Vertrek.

But, the Vertrek isn't a car and it certainly is tasked with doing many different things than the Ford Focus. The vehicle stands tall, riding on 20-inch wheels flanked by flared wheelwells. The most pronounced styling attribute, however, is the roofline which curves downward from the A-pillar to the D-pillar. The Vertrek resembles a sports model placed on top of a compact car chassis.

Inside, the Vertrek is all about room, offering 66 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second seat. That's important because the current Ford Escape has a roomy interior too, prized for maximizing its cargo space. Ford's designers made sure that one of the Escape's chief attributes was adapted for the Vertrek, doing that with great success.