ACURA

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively short. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show comprised of the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in terms of price.

ACURA

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV and its quality did not match customers' expectations.
For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.
By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover and the ZDX, a fastback styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their compelling prices and overall value.

ACURA

Beginning around the year 2000, Acura experienced a rebirth which was catalyzed by the introduction of several redesigned models. The first of these models was the 1999 Acura 3.2 TL, an upscale sedan competing with the likes of the Lexus ES, Infiniti I30, and BMW 3-series. Critics suggested that although 3.2 TL did not outdo its competition in any one area of luxury cars, it offered a well-rounded blend of sportiness and luxury. These characteristics, combined with the TL's competitive price, proved very popular with consumers. Subsequent Acura models have followed a similar philosophy of offering lots of standard equipment and very few options.Another refreshed Acura introduced in the early 2000s was the MDX, a popular three-row crossover SUV based on the Honda Odyssey minivan. The MDX replaced the slow-selling SLX, which was little more than a rebadged Isuzu Trooper. The MDX was a car-like crossover SUV with limited off-road capability that catered to the demands of the luxury SUV market. It was given top honors by Car and Driver in its first comparison test against seven other SUVs. Other cars in Acura's line-up during this time included the 3.2 TL, 3.2 CL, RSX (formerly the Integra hatchback), and the NSX. By the late 2000s, the brand had dropped the inclusion of engine displacement numbers in its vehicle designations, retaining a simpler, two- or three-letter designation instead (e.g. 3.5 RL became RL). The 2000s have been plagued by transmission and other problems.

SEAT

SEAT

SEAT today is the only major Spanish car manufacturer with the ability and the infrastructure to develop its own cars in-house.Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Martorell, an industrial town located some 30 kilometres northwest of Barcelona,with a production capacity of around 500,000 units per annum. The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain on February 22, 1993, and replaced SEAT's former assembly plant by the coast in Barcelona's freeport zone (Zona Franca). A rail connection between SEAT's Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites.

The industrial complex in Martorell also hosts the facilities of SEAT Sport, SEAT's Technical Center, Research and Development Center (R&D), Design Center,Prototypes Centre of Development, Service Center (also incorporating the After-Sales Service division, the Customer Services division and the Catalunya Motor dealership),as well as the Genuine Parts Centre for SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda brands.
The development and assembly facilities are some of the newest and most modern and efficient within the Volkswagen Group, giving the Martorell site the ability to produce high-quality cars^[20] not only for its own brand but also for other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Volkswagen and Audi.For example, the development and design of several Audi models (e.g. the Audi A1,the Audi A3 Sportback,the Audi Q5 etc.) and also several Audi development projects took place there,and from 2011 onwards the Martorell plant will manufacture the Audi Q3 small SUV.

SEAT

The Barcelona Zona Franca site includes the SEAT Training Centre, the Zona Franca Press Shop factory, producing stamped body parts, and the Barcelona Gearbox del Prat plant, producing gearboxes not only for SEAT but also for other Volkswagen Group marques (VW, Audi and Škoda);the latter plant was awarded the Volkswagen Excellence Award in 2009 by the Volkswagen Group for high-quality production process and product.
Another plant owned directly by SEAT from 1975 was the Landaben plant in Pamplona, but on December 1993 its ownership was transferred to the Volkswagen Group subsidiary "Volkswagen-Audi-Espana, S.A.", and the site today is producing Volkswagen cars in Spain.However, Martorell site still provides support to Volkswagen's operations in the Pamplona plant when necessary, as it did after a serious fire in the paint shop in the Landaben VW plant in April 2007.

SEAT

Factories of the Volkswagen Group currently producing SEAT models also include the Palmela AutoEuropa site in Portugal,^[4] while in the past other plants were involved too in producing SEAT models, such as the factories in Germany (Wolfsburg), Belgium (Brussels) and Slovakia (Bratislava).
Future plans include a new Research and development (R&D) centre in the city of Barcelona in the field of environmental and energy efficiency for the entire Volkswagen Group and also the launch of a project on the city's urban mobility,^[33] as well as a SEAT museum in the Zona Franca's 'Nave A122' site hosting all production and prototype models ever presented together with some special or limited edition vehicles with historical value for the brand and the automotive history of Spain.
Among SEAT's subsidiaries, the Deutschland GmbH subsidiary company is based in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany, and apart from its commercial activities has the further responsibility of operating SEAT's electronic platform, the IT Services Network^. In Wolfsburg, Germany, in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt, the Volkswagen Group's corporate theme park, is SEAT's thematic pavilion, one of the largest pavilions in the park.

AMG

AMG

AMG was founded as a racing engine forge in 1967 under the name AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (AMG Engine Production and Development, Ltd.), by former Mercedes engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher in Burgstall an der Murr, near Stuttgart. The letters "AMG" stand for Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach, Aufrecht's birthplace .

In 1976 most of Mercedes moved to Affalterbach, with the racing engine development remaining at the old location in Burgstall. At this time Erhard Melcher ceased to be a partner, but continued to be an employee at the Burgstall location.
In 1990, with Mercedes having become a high-profile purveyor of modified Mercedes cars, Daimler-Benz AG and AMG signed a contract of cooperation, allowing Mercedes to leverage Daimler-Benz's extensive dealer network and leading to commonly developed vehicles. On 1 January 1999 DaimlerChrysler, as it was called between 1998 and 2007, acquired 51 percent of AMG shares, and Mercedes was renamed to Mercedes-AMG GmbH.^[2] Racing engine development was divested and continues to exist in Burgstall under the name HWA (Aufrecht's initials). On 1 January 2005 Aufrecht sold his remaining shares to DaimlerChrysler, and since then it has been a wholly owned subsidiary.

AMG

Five Spoke Road Wheel 8JX16 Version 1 AMG started off by designing and testing racing engines. It expanded its business into building custom road cars based upon standard Mercedes cars.

Mercedes initially produced a range of unofficial upgrade and accessories packages mainly for the Mercedes-Benz R/C107,^[3] Mercedes-Benz W116, Mercedes-Benz W123, Mercedes-Benz W124, Mercedes-Benz W126 Mercedes-Benz R129 and Mercedes-Benz W201 models.
During the early 80's and up until 1985,Mercedes offered a variety of engine performance packages, alloy wheels and styling products.
Typical AMG performance enhancements, which could all be custom ordered by the buyer, included increased engine displacements (5.2 liter, 5.4 liter), performance top ends which included port and polished heads/intake, lightened valvetrain and more aggressive cams. The DOHC 32V engine had also just been developed and was the pinnacle of Mercedes performance. Even a very rare Getrag 5-speed manual transmission could be ordered from AMG which Mercedes had not offered a manual transmission V8 since the early 70's.

AMG

The performance wheels offered during the same period were 15" or 16" ATS Mercedes Five Spoke Road Wheels, commonly referred to as Pentas. Penta was actually a UK based company that supplemented the high demand for this wheel at the time with only a very slight styling difference. The AMG wheels were often coupled with an AMG performance suspension package which included uprated/lowered springs and revalved shock absorbers.
Another popular cosmetic upgrade was the Mercedes body kits. These ranged from subtle front spoilers, to an aggressive Wide Body kits for the W126 coupes. Other options included Recaro seats, smaller diameter steering wheels, instrument clusters, chrome delete option (all brightworks color coded or painted satin black), refrigerators, shift knobs, hi-fi stereo systems, custom upholstery and enhanced interior wood packages

Vauxhall VXR8

Yes, it’s badged a Vauxhall VXR8 but, like the Monaro before it, the only part of this Vauxhall VXR8 to come from Luton is the Griffin badge. What you’re looking at is a Holden, which will be shipped to our shores from one of the sunnier parts of GM’s global empire on the other side of the world.

The fundamentals of the Vauxhall VXR8 are based on the all-new ‘VE’ Commodore, a car designed from scratch inside Holden HQ at Fisherman’s Bend just outside Melbourne. The Commodore was launched last year and has subsequently been draped with laurels by the local titles: it was Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year and Motor magazine’s ‘Bang for your Buck’ champion. But the Commodore is merely the foundation for the Vauxhall VXR8 – your basic 5-series or E-class underpinnings, if you like.
The final car is the product of HSV, Holden Special Vehicles, the Aussie firm’s M Division, its AMG. The Vauxhall VXR8 (badged as a Clubsport R8 in the land of Madge Bishop) has a huge, 126mm longer wheelbase within the same overall body length, while the track has been widened by 33mm at the front and 41mm at the rear. Visually, the front end gets flared wheelarches with distinctive ‘E’ vents tucked on their trailing edges. At the back there Vauxhall VXR8 are totally new light-clusters complete with ultra- bright LED rings for the brake lights. Vauxhall VXR8 also a rear diffuser and a big rear wing, although they’re more style statements than wind tunnel-honed necessities.
It’s a clever design though, because the stubby overhangs shrink what is actually a very large car. The Vauxhall VXR8 looks narrow too, Vauxhall VXR8 get inside and you’ve got as much elbow- and leg-room as in a 7-series or S-class. Vauxhall VXR8 interior has clearly taken ‘inspiration’ from Audi in the design of its switchgear. Even the key is very flattering to the designers in Ingolstadt. And yet despite this it still doesn’t ooze the tactile quality of its German competitors, although the flat-bottomed steering wheel is very nice to hold and feels just the right size.

Vauxhall VXR8

The one morsel the new Vauxhall VXR8 carries over from the old Monaro is the 6-litre LS2 V8. And that’s a very good thing. Now Vauxhall VXR8 It’s a splendidly bullish engine, big and powerful by nature and utterly different to the lean, toned European V8s.As you begin to attack a road rather than just cruise, the Vauxhall VXR8 instantly does a very impressive trick; it seems to shed half its bulk and shrink around you. Vauxhall VXR8 steering is key to this. It’s wonderfully precise and accurate, giving you real confidence in the front end, which tacks into corners with remarkably little inertia given that there’s a whacking great bent-eight in front of you. The steering is a touch light once on lock but there’s plenty of feel for what the Bridgestones RE050s are coping with.
Those familiar with the Monaro’s gearshift will recognise the same DNA in the Vauxhall VXR8’s. The Tremec M10 remains a chunky gearbox but the throw between ratios is now considerably shorter and less ponderous. Find yourself heading into a corner in a gear higher than you want and there is now the option for a swift last-minute change – in the old coupe you’d just have to hope that the Vauxhall VXR8’s torque would cover your mistake. The only slight complaint is that second gear feels just a little too short.
Vauxhall VXR8 six-speed auto is also available, which Vauxhall VXR8 hopes will further broaden the appeal of its new flagship over the Monaro. It’s smooth-acting and only dents the 0-60 time by a tenth.
Cliffs are a constant presence on the Great Ocean Road, either providing a huge unyielding red barrier to wipe out on or a huge precipice to drop off. Confidence-inspiring brakes are a must.Vauxhall VXR8 Happily, at 365mm front and 360mm rear, the Vauxhall VXR8’s vented discs are the biggest ever fitted to a production Vauxhall VXR8. Produced by AP Racing, the pads of the four-piston callipers have the same swept area as the optional six-piston items on the Monaro. They need a little heat in them but never once grumbled in 20 minutes of wiping chunks of speed from 1800kg of hard-charging Vauxhall VXR8. They look good too, amply filling the 19in alloys.
Given the somewhat narrow parameters of the road, it’s also amazing how friendly the Vauxhall VXR8 is. It eats straights alarmingly quickly, but when you arrive at the corners you never worry about the fact you’re hustling and sliding nearly two tons of car.
The only time the Vauxhall VXR8 starts to struggle is when you really load up its suspension. On some wickedly compressing cambered corners, the progressive-rate springs can start to feel overwhelmed as travel is used up. Also, although individual corners of the car soak up big bumps well, small imperfections draw out some resilience, leading to more of a party going on in the arches than there should be.

Vauxhall VXR8

Several warranty-approved options will be offered by Vauxhall VXR8 from the outset, however, and since 75 per cent of Monaros in the UK have been modified in some way, it seems likely they will be popular.Vauxhall VXR8 current list is as follows: sports exhaust, air filter and ECU upgrade giving 25-30bhp (£1800), 20in wheels (£2500), six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers (£2079), and, for £6000, a supercharger boosting power to over 530bhp. The only option we had a chance to try in Australia was the exhaust, which is very desirable, adding to the V8 score without any undesirable boom.
So who is the Vauxhall VXR8 going to appeal to? Well, those Vauxhall VXR8 Monaro owners that aren’t hell-bent on having a coupe will love the new car and Vauxhall VXR8 is also hoping to tempt Impreza and Evo owners into something a little different. With the option of an automatic it may even lure the odd AMG owner.