2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Vehicle

“Just look at the thing!” That’s about the only selling line the 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage will ever need. If you’ve seen a V8 Vantage on the road, you know what we’re talking about. Few other cars look this, well, sexy. Thankfully, this baby Aston has impressive talent lurking beneath its gorgeous face. The 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe and roadster are not just exceedingly pretty faces. Although it can’t quite keep pace with Porsche’s 911, this baby Aston has the performance and handling cojones to make it the envy of not only the neighbors, but driving aficionados as well.

New For 2008

The limited-production high-performance Vantage N400 debuts for 2008. It includes a more powerful V8 engine, firmer suspension tuning, lightweight wheels and exterior and interior trim changes. It is available in coupe and roadster body styles. The regular Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe and roadster gain a few standard features for 2008 such as steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, an auxiliary audio jack, cupholders and a windshield-embedded radio antenna (versus body-mounted). Satellite radio is now on the options list.

Ford Explorer 2008

Price Range: $26,490 - $36,195

The Ford Explorer 2008 ’s five-door SUV styling is clean and uncluttered, while the interior is one of the finest Ford’s put in a truck yet. Although engine performance is mediocre, the midsize 2008 Ford Explorer deserves consideration from anyone shopping for a traditional SUV with substantial towing and hauling capabilities. But for those who just need a family cruiser, newer seven-passenger crossovers provide more space, superior driving dynamics and slightly better gas mileage.

Performance

Two underhood options are available on the 2008 Ford Explorer: a “revised 4.0-liter V6 engine” that Kelley Blue Book says makes “210 horsepower” and “254 lb.-ft. of torque,” while those in need of more power can turn to a “4.6-liter V8 engine with 292 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque,” according to Edmunds. Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com show that neither engine is particularly impressive in terms of acceleration, with ForbesAutos describing the V-6 as “barely adequate.” Edmunds calls the engine performance on the Ford Explorer “mediocre” and says that the engines are “weak” when “compared to competing SUVs,” thanks in part to the fact that “a 4WD Explorer equipped with the V8 takes a mediocre 9 seconds to reach 60 mph.”

What’s New for 2008

Side curtain airbags are now standard on all Explorers, as is a capless fuel filling system (though availability is delayed until midyear on the latter). Also available on the Explorer for 2008 is Ford’s new Sync system, the hands-free electronics integration technology co-developed with Microsoft. The optional navigation system includes voice activation this year. Kings of bling will be pleased to hear that they can option the Explorer with 20-inch wheels later in the ‘08 model year.

Honda Accord 2008

The Honda Accord has moved up in the Top 10 ranks even though its sales are virtually flat compared with a year ago, because sales have fallen for the Dodge Ram pickup, which outranked the Accord last year. The Honda brand is advertising its gas mileage; the four-cylinder Accord gets an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city/31 highway. The V6 Accord, which shuts off two or three cylinders while cruising, gets 19 mpg city/29 mpg highway, which is respectable for a 268-hp engine. A redesigned Accord debuted in September, 2007.

The Accord for 2008 is available as a sedan, which has grown large enough to be classified a large car by the EPA, or a coupe. There are three basic engines available, including a 3.5L iVTEC V6 producing 273 horsepower and 250 ft-lbs. of torque. Do the math and you’ll realize the ‘08 Accord with this engine is the most powerful Honda ever produced. It also features a new Variable Cylinder Management system when ordered in the sedan that can power the vehicle on three, four or all six cylinders to achieve an excellent 19/29 mpg. The other two mills are a 2.4L inline-four producing 200 horsepower/170 ft-lbs., and another 2.4L producing 180 horsepower/166 ft-lbs. All models of the ‘08 Accord can be ordered with a five-speed automatic, while four-cylinder models can also be had with a 5-speed manual transmission, and the V6 Coupe can be optioned with a six-speed manual.

Chevrolette Corvette 2008

The Corvette team aren’t giving up. They relentlessly chipping away at every reasonable argument a rational buyer can articulate for choosing some big-name, bucks-up, blue-blooded bahn-stormer over the crossed-flag cruise missile that Zora launched. This C6-1/2-generation Vette boasts more refinements and detail enhancements than one expects from a mid-cycle refresh of a supercar, but are they enough to steer the Porsche/BMW/Benz/Jag buyers into a Chevy store? To find out, we spirited a manual coupe and an automatic convertible away from the General’s Milford Proving Ground for a romp across rural southeast Michigan.

The new car’s steering effort increases in a more natural way. It’s generally lighter but, at the same time, feels less artificial, like there’s less friction in the system. The Vette no longer has to be muscled through turns; it now glides along with far less drama.

Even so, we found ourselves driving through the turns 5 to 10 mph faster in the new car than in the old. Because both cars had the same unchanged-for-2008 Z51 suspension package that includes larger brakes, shorter gear ratios, and a stiffer suspension, we didn’t expect such a dramatic difference. We even rechecked the pressures in the Goodyear tires to make sure they hadn’t been overinflated, which would make the new Vette jumpy over the bumps, but they were all at the factory-recommended setting of 30 psi. Clearly, then, the changes have made a huge improvement in the Chevy’s handling.

Sticker price (base model): $46,100
Dealer cost: $41,355
New Car Blue Book Value: $45,188
Five-year service cost: $3,677
One-year insurance cost: $1,576
Resale value on 3 years: 62% — 5 years: 50%
City: 16 mpg — Highway: 26 mpg

* Car News Online * About Car News Online Get a Huge Yahoo Payday - hey - get your free software now! Miley Cyrus Got A Porsche Cayenne!

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus had receiver her learner’s permit last Wednesday and I think she’s going to enjoy it because her mother hand her down her old automobile, a Porsche Cayenne.

“Tish got a new car recently, so she’s giving Miley her old car,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She’s so excited. Her mom lets her drive to work when she’s with her.”

The Anatomy of A Porsche Cayenne 2008 model

The Porsche Cayenne ranks in the bottom half of this highly competitive group though it offers one of the nicest interiors in the classit has an underpowered base engine combined with a steep sticker price.

With a lineup that stretches from the low $40Ks to six-digit territory and engines that range from a V6 to a 500-horsepower twin-turbo V8, the Porsche Cayenne isn’t your typical midsize SUV. Nor is it the most practical or family-friendly. Indeed, the Cayenne’s relatively small cargo area, high load floor and lack of a third-row seat option limit its real-world functionality.

The Cayenne is available in four styles, each with its own engine. The base Cayenne is the most economical but also the weakest, with a 3.6-liter V6 producing 290 hp. Its standard equipment list offers little more than the luxury SUV staples, but interestingly, it’s the only Cayenne available with a manual transmission. All others feature a standard six-speed automatic with steering-wheel-mounted manual shift controls known as Tiptronic.

Packing 500 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque, this engine is a Teutonic tour de force with ample power to accelerate the 5,191-pound Cayenne to 60 mph in about five seconds and on to a factory-rated 171-mph top speed. Bragging rights to the world’s fastest SUV are part of the Cayenne Turbo’s portfolio of driving delights (although the Spyker D12 Peking to Paris could challenge that).

The Cayenne features a subframe-mounted double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension that reviewers find plenty adequate. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says even the base model’s suspension is “tuned like that of a sports car, allowing the vehicle to hug the pavement quite well on the curves. The Cayenne has the feel of a low-slung sports car, something you won’t find on other SUVs.” The Turbo model comes standard with an air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (optional on the other models), which raises the vehicle height for off-road driving.

Generally almost all car review sites agree that they are happy with the Cayenne’s driving characteristics while issuing mild criticisms for fussy ergonomics, weak acceleration with the V6, tight rear-seat legroom and limited cargo space. Additionally, in spite of its impressive list of off-road hardware, the Cayenne is not as capable a rock-crawler as many of its competitors. Most of the blame goes to its street-biased, low-profile tires.

Resources:

Edmunds.com Porsche Cayenne Review

US News Porsche Cayenne Review

I guess Miley Cyrus is lucky enough to get this amazing Porsche. Maybe this is an advance gift for being nominated for the first time on the Golden Globe Awards for her song “I Thought I Lost You”. Congratulations Miley! For more info on Miley Cyrus check out Miley Cyrus Links at Celebrity Spider.