Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Arv’

“Kawasaki’s 2012 Ninja 650: Stellar and more rider friendly”

My very first experience aboard a Kawasaki Ninja 650 (it’s been so long ago, it could well have been a 600) at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA , which I still think of as Sears Point Raceway). It was during a Kawasaki track day that followed a weekend of riding Kawasaki iron, where I stuck primarily to cruisers, and of enjoying the Superbike road races also sponsored by Kawasaki. The track day was conducted by Keith Code’s Superbike School in Zen-like fashion. I tried the bike on for size and the fit wasn’t even close. My elbows and knees interfered with one another in disturbing fashion and I pointed out to the instructor that I didn’t feel at all comfortable on the bike and felt that I would not be in control. He insisted that I give it a try in the paddock anyway. I complied, and he agreed that it didn’t make for a pretty sight and rounded up a Z1000 for me to ride instead, which worked out much better.

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Dodge Fever returns with all-new 2013 Dodge Dart

It seems strange that most manufacturers develop a vehicle, invest in promoting it and building a strong brand equity, only to let it slip away into extinction, and then decide to bring it back in a renewed fashion and format. Cases in point: the Chevy Camaro, Ford Taurus, Dodge Charger and now, the 2013 Dodge Dart, which represents Dodge’s re-entry into the compact market segment.

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“Scion and Subaru join forces in developing FR-S and BRZ”

Affordable Sports Coupes to be reckoned with

Las Vegas, Nevada – What happens when two Japanese auto manufacturers join forces to develop a formidable, yet affordable sports coupe? You come up with a most capable yet affordable sports coupe that is extremely fun to drive under the guise of two distinctive marques. The vehicle or vehicles in question are the Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ, which are nearly identical in terms of design and mechanical composition. The two cars differ only in the front and rear fascia treatment, headlamp styling and of course badging.

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“All-New 2012 Kia Rio provides new fuel saving technology”

Kia has certainly come a long way since their vehicles were first marketed here on our shores. The Korean automaker is now definitely a force to be reckoned with on all levels of their existing stable. We’ll deal here with their latest Kia Rio lineup.

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“Kia introduces their first ever U.S. Hybrid vehicle – The 2012 Optima”

The Sonata Hybrid from Hyundai bowed first, claiming the best mid-size sedan highway fuel economy. Now Hyundai’s Korean sibling Kia has introduced their first ever Hybrid for the U.S. market – the Optima for 2012, boasting the same EPA mileage ratings from the same basic powertrain. In fact the Optima, which is not an exact clone of the Sonata, is pretty darned close, even within the same pricing range.

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“Mercedes-Benz SL 550 for 2013: A Grand Sport Tourer”

A legend celebrates 60 years

The iconic SL retractable hardtop from Mercedes-Benz for the 2013 model year is lighter, quicker and more agile than its predecessor as it enters its sixth generation. Badged as an SL550 here on our soil and as the SL500 in other markets, the alpha-numeric designation in either case bears no relativity to the actual displacement, which is really 4.6-liters.

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“All-New 2013 Ford Escape: A Smarter SUV”

Saves Fuel, Money while providing new technologies 

The Blue Oval team has come up with a better way to Escape – in the 2013 Escape. There will no longer be an Escape Hybrid, but the Escape stable will continue to offer three other fuel conscious models: an updated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, as well as a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder and finally, a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-banger.

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“Infiniti’s JX adds classy player to its utility team for 2013”

Infiniti just introduced the 2013 JX to their vehicle lineup. The JX is an all-new luxury crossover that was created to deliver inspired style, performance, roominess and innovative features, challenging the status quo in the segment. JX is a 7 passenger crossover with third row seating, an abundance of luxury, versatility and state-of-the-art advancements in technology.

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“Acura’s ILX Entry Sedan comes three ways”

Acura dealers felt the need for an entry level vehicle to be offered as part of their premium inventory. Honda’s luxury division Acura team has answered the call with the all-new 2013 ILX sedan lineup – or have they? Some members of the automotive press and consumers may not agree.

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“Mazda’s 2011 MX-5 Roadster: If it ain’t broke…”

The Mazda MX-5 Miata, after more than 20 years, continues to, provide sports car enthusiasts with a pure and simple, fun-focused roadster at an affordable price. The experts at the Guiness Book of World Records, proclaim the MX-5 to be the most popular two-seat convertible sports car in the world, with more than 900,000 produced. Is Miata by any other designation still a Miata? Definitely! The latest generation of the popular roadster now referred to as the MX-5, literally revived open-air motoring on our shores, and now happens to be better than ever. Did it make sense to drop the Miata name reference that has built such positive brand equity? Probably not, but in the final analysis, true aficionados will still revert to using the Miata name when talking about the MX-5 anyway.

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