Japanese Cars

Cars are one of life’s most valuable possessions, if not for all then for most of us especially for those whose jobs require them to own and drive a car. Life can be pretty convenient when you have a car handy at your side. Car owners are lucky that they don’t have to go through the inconvenience of public transportation. But here’s something they have to keep in mind though, it is a must that they maintain their cars in good shape.

Modern cars have very complex drive trains, and the transmission being one of the most important elements of it, repairing it because of the in-proper use can be very costly. One thing you can do is to have your transmission checked on a regular basis and the recommended period to replace it is every 2 years or every 24,000 miles, which ever condition occurs first.

Maintain your car is worth it because it will not only offer you safety but you can also experience the performances it was designed for in the first place.

It wasn’t always a good season for cars, even for the ones from Japan. They started all covered with rust, and people’s first impressions of the automobiles were sadly correct. Their engine’s power seemed like they were of no power at all, and that evidently displeased the people.
But as Japanese people with great personalities and with their constant aim for excellence, they strived for excellence! Japanese cars got better, and you can see it by how people today would look at it, would describe it and would want it. Since the efficiency, the quality and the power already had its progress, they built and paid attention to more features now. Focusing also on safety, on the driver’s entertainment through radio and even putting a television inside, for comfortable elegant-colored seats, and a catchy outside look.
The development is huge that people wont even remember that Japanese cars had an awful start. Next thing you know, even your kids are already asking for a gorgeous Nissan 350Z for Christmas.

Additional attributes of a Nissan Murano, some of which can only be availed upon request includes the LE grade, include rain-sensing wipers, power rear lift gate, power fold-up rear seats, iPod integration, and a hard-drive based, touch screen navigation system. The S and SL featurea the aluminum interiors, while the LE sports wood-accent trim. Its much like the old model since it has no third row seat either.The 2009 Murano is offered in three levels: the base S, the mid-grade SL, and the top of the line LE. The performance-driven SE model is no longer on the market. The S and SL are offered with standard i-AWD (Intuitive All-Wheel Drive), with FWD as alternatives but the LE trim will be AWD only.

Gasoline prices never seem to have a downward trend. They are always on their highest states, so one may not be surprised if we say that Gasoline prices are on their highest this year. We need a car that can get me from point A to point B the cheapest possible way. Japanese cars offer various models such as the Honda Fit, the Toyota Vios, the Hybrid cars of Honda and the famous green car the Toyota Prius. Often there is a notion that style and comfort are often sacrificed for the sake of fuel efficiency. Honda and Toyota has come up with models that are efficient but stylish.

Image source: www.consumerreports.org

I usually get the notion that European cars are the best. But I believe that Japanese cars indeed have proven its worth to the consumers. Not only do they produce compact fuel efficient cars but they have a response to the luxurious and upscale markets with leading car brands such as Lexus, Infinity and the Acura. The comfort, safety and style of Japanese cars can definitely match up to the American and European cars. The continued domination in consumer reports show that Japanese cars are here to stay. I guess I’m turning Japanese on cars now.

Image source: www.consumerreports.org

Japanese auto giant Toyota has again come out with a new model for the highly successful Corolla series with the 2010 Toyota Corolla. Its a basically a no-nonsense and straightforward vehicle - not too much frills, adequate power and features. Economy is primary with the new Corolla, as usual standard features like power lock and power windows and remote keyless entry are not present with entry level models; what’s more, the Corolla series boasts of at least a 29 miles per gallon fuel consumption. The price range is also fairly decent, with prices ranging from $15,000 to $21,000 per unit. The Corolla is perfect for the kind of people who just drive to get from place to place - it gives ample performance for both highway driving and maneuvering through city streets. It’s not much of a family car though, as it can get cramped when too many people get in.

The recession hits and even the mighty Japanese auto industry reels from dismal sales and not so favorable forecasts. They are still the most selling brands according to motor trend which shows Japanese auto makers leading the pack in sales above all other brands. With many suffering losses in the billions, they still manage to get a huge percentage of the auto sales in the global market. Toyota Motors, the recently crowned world’s leading auto maker suffered billions of dollars in losses and so have Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and the many other brands but compared to the Europeans and Americans, they have it easy.
Most of these auto makers are fast-tracking the development of their own hybrids to complement their already swelling product lines to boost sales in the US as the economy recovers. Strict laws regarding pollution control and the development of better engines are driving them to do so at a rapid pace. Though they have decided to some trade-offs such as withdrawal from formula one racing and many other flamboyant excesses to turn their focus onto the support of hard hit manufacturing plants across the globe. They are managing to survive without much a talk of the foreclosures and dissolution in the other arenas of the auto industry that may see the end of many long standing brands and models as the economic downturn affects all.

The brand of cars under the Civic Badge has had a long history and today’s model would be the 8th. Generation and promises to continue its rule as one of the best compact/sub-compact Japanese cars. The first generation of the model came out in 1973 and was seen as a typical Japanese car that was very much underpowered for most Western drivers. Vtec was introduced in the fifth generation to cater to US drivers need for speed and has continued to grace most models of the brand as one of the most powerful engines in its class. Vtec technology or Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control is the first of its kind when it was introduced by Honda that uses an electronic sensor that detects a need for increased load that activates electronically a solenoid allowing an additional boost of power.
This first worked on the intake manifold for the first generations of DOHC engines but the later variants of the engine had the feature incorporated to both intake and exhaust manifolds. Similar systems have since been released by other manufacturers although using different names to differentiate, MIVEC for Mitsubishi, VVL from Nissan, VarioCam Plus from Porsche and VVTL-i from Toyota.

Image Source:edmunds.com

Nissan Z remains to be the lone model that reflects the soul of a whole automobile company. And it involves the full line of offerings the car company provides in important market segments. This is Nissan. Nissan Z has a special place in the hearts of millions of Z owners in the entire world from the time it was first released up to the present. The president of Nissan unveiled the newest 350Z. He recalls the time The Z was ever released, in the fall of 1969. It was a car with European style and American muscle and most especially, Japanese quality. Datsun 240Z was the brand that was used for the North America and Europe market. As we can recall, Nissan Motors was the pioneer Japanese company that released sports cars in the US.

There is no doubt that the 2 leading car manufacturers today are Toyota and Honda. If you are to buy a car what car make would you get? Both cars are well made and have there own technological advances. They also lead the race for the most fuel efficient cars. Between the two I would say that Honda cars are more durable. They will give you 5-10 trouble free years provided you comply with the manufacturers scheduled maintenance checks. I’m not saying that Toyota cars are not durable Honda cars are just made of sturdier stuff. On the down side, Honda’s design is redundant and parts are expensive. Toyota’s simpler designs make it easier and cheaper to maintain than Honda’s. This allows Toyota cars to be in top shape far longer than their competitors. Verdict: buy a Honda. If it reaches 10 years you really have to get a new car anyway.