Dear Signor Agnelli,We have just compared two machines we now believe to be the first genuine small supercars, and we must say, immediately, that the Fiat Uno Turbo lost decisively to the Peugeot 205 GTi; not because the Uno is a bad car, but because the 205 GTi is so good. In fact, after the Peugeot, we rate the Fiat as easily the most exhilarating machine in its class: sharp in its handling and very responsive. The decision can be blamed, partly, on our prejudice against turbocharged systems. We dislike the two-stage power application, but even discounting this prejudice, the Peugeot would still have won. Its handling is in a different class. Dear M Boillot, Having just completed a comparison test on your 205 GTi and the Fiat Uno Turbo, let us say that the Peugeot is, quite simply, the finest-handling front-drive sports hatchback we have ever driven. It has exceptional manoeuvrability and response, a lovely steering and chassis sharpness, and, now that the dampers have been … [Read more...] about The Entertainers – Peugeot 205 GTI vs Fiat Uno Turbo: CAR+ archive, December 1985
Entertainment
#LookBack2014: ‘Smart Cars’- Major In-car Entertainment Systems Introduced in 2014
Three big techies on-board -- Apple’s CarPlay, Google’s Android Auto & Microsoft’s Connect Car. It's not just when you are driving, you’ll be always connected to your car!A ‘Smart’ tag in this era is the biggest USP for any product on sale in any part of the world. We have smart TVs and host of other electronics and indeed ‘Smart Phones’ from where the term came into existence! 2014 was the year that made all the big techies - Apple, Google, Microsoft -- to dive into the world of automobiles and brought them more closer to your world than they were ever! 2015 will be the year when most of the new vehicles will be seamlessly integrated with the smart phones running three leading OS - Android, iOS and Windows!All the three offer third party app integration, just like your mobile phones there’s a huge scope for the in-car infotainment you can ever imagine!Apple made the maiden shot with the CarPlay at the 2014 Geneva Motor … [Read more...] about #LookBack2014: ‘Smart Cars’- Major In-car Entertainment Systems Introduced in 2014
Infosys, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Yes Bank, Zee Entertainment hit 52-week high
Infosys, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Zee Entertainment Enterprises are eight stocks from the Nifty 50 index touching their respective 52-week highs on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in intra-day trade today.ANANT RAJ 53.4 54.3 47.9 11-Aug-15 ASIAN PAINTS 1023.35 1032.1 1029 02-Jun-16 BAJAJ AUTO 2641.1 2659.15 2656 23-Jul-15 BAJAJ FIN. 8058.65 8084.85 8000 02-Jun-16 CAPITAL FIRST 567.35 577.5 570 02-Jun-16 DCM SHRIRAM 201.5 205.35 203.35 30-May-16 GODREJ CONSUMER 1562.8 … [Read more...] about Infosys, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Yes Bank, Zee Entertainment hit 52-week high
Volvo Debuts Touch-Screen Rear-Seat Entertainment with Wi-Fi, 500-GB Hard Drive
Volvo has chosen the Chicago auto show and the Volvo XC70 to debut its next generation of rear-seat entertainment. This isn’t just a fancy DVD player for the kiddies: it’s a full-fledged, factory touch-screen computer for rear-seat passengers. The system, dubbed RSEi-500, is an industry first, according to Volvo.The RSEi-500 system is Windows XP–based—no crashing jokes, please—and has a 500-GB hard drive; Wi-Fi and Sprint 3G/4G cellular connectivity; an auxiliary A/V input for iPods, gaming systems, and other media players; a USB port for flash drives; and, of course, the requisite DVD player. The system doesn’t have torrenting capabilities as far as we can tell, but you will be able to connect to your home network to download music and videos from your computer. So you’ll be able to transfer over all your favorite illegally downloaded movies, TV shows, and music. Not that we’d condone that sort of thing.Volvo says users will be able to … [Read more...] about Volvo Debuts Touch-Screen Rear-Seat Entertainment with Wi-Fi, 500-GB Hard Drive
Porsche Is Working on the Most Entertaining Cruise Control Ever—It Can Corner up to 0.70 g
Today’s active cruise-control systems can read the road, spot impending collisions, and automatically apply the car’s brakes. A few even steer to some degree. Seemingly every new luxury car boasts an incremental upgrade—now with gopher detection!—but by decade’s end, Porsche will debut an active cruise with one feature that no one else has mentioned: excitement. Its InnoDrive system will allow for cornering at up to 0.70 g. That’s more sustained lateral acceleration than most casual drivers have ever experienced and the kind of g-force that has even seasoned lappers reaching for the oh-crap handles.Currently under development by Porsche on winding two-lane roads outside Weissach, Germany, InnoDrive enlists all the usual suspects of semi-autonomous driving plus two extra pieces of data: the grade of the pavement and the radius of the turn, both of which are stored in the navigation system’s database. This helps the car paint … [Read more...] about Porsche Is Working on the Most Entertaining Cruise Control Ever—It Can Corner up to 0.70 g
The Internet Will Propel In-Car Entertainment FAR into the Future
The advent of eight-track tape in the 1960s, followed by cassettes and later compact discs and even hard drives, brought the era of locally stored media to the car. But even as each new medium replaced the previous generation, radio frequency transmission has remained a constant and is likely to for many decades to come. Through the 20th and now into the 21st century, AM has been augmented by FM and, more recently, satellite radio.The common thread among all those radio technologies was that they only went in one direction: from a tower or satellite to your car. Now, thanks to wireless broadband technologies, our mobility platforms can send as well as receive radio signals. Outside the car, we increasingly get audio and video content streamed through our smartphones wherever we happen to be. We can use those mobile devices to select our content, set up playlists, or just consume content curated by someone else.“The digital revolution and content will change the car more in the … [Read more...] about The Internet Will Propel In-Car Entertainment FAR into the Future
Ford Patents Windshield Entertainment System, Brings New Meaning to “Drive-In Movie”
Call it jumping the gun or simply thinking long-term about the realities of living with self-driving cars, but automakers are exploring the topic of entertaining vehicle occupants in autonomous cars. This, before a single wholly autonomous car has been sold to a customer, a milestone not expected to pass for years—if not decades—to come. A Ford patent, recently published by the U.S. Patent Office, offers a clue to the automaker’s thinking when it comes to occupying future car occupants: a giant drop-down projection screen.Based on the illustrations in Ford’s patent for an “Autonomous Vehicle Entertainment System,” the concept is not at all unlike that of a drive-in movie theater, only zoomed in somewhat for in-car viewers. It’s more of a drive-ing theater, with a roll-down screen that deploys from the top of the windshield and displays images from a ceiling-mounted projector. Ford acknowledges that the entertainment system could take the … [Read more...] about Ford Patents Windshield Entertainment System, Brings New Meaning to “Drive-In Movie”
Subaru Makes BRZ More Entertaining, More Blue
Three years have passed since Subaru broke its own all-wheel-drive mold and gave us the visceral, rear-drive delight that is the BRZ sports car. For 2016, the sport coupe is getting an interior technology upgrade, but zero styling and powertrain updates. Sorry but this year’s entertainment enhancement is really just infotainment enhancement.Front and center (literally) on the interior upgrade list for the BRZ is the availability of Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system with a 6.2-inch display, HD radio, satellite radio, a single-disc CD player (yes, they still make those), and the usual Bluetooth/iPod/USB/aux input action. Also new for 2016 is a standard rear-view camera.Subaru also announced that it will once again introduce a blue-themed limited edition (as it did with the 2015 BRZ). It’s building 500 2016 BRZs Series.Hyperblue models, featuring black 17-inch wheels, gloss black on the badges and exterior mirrors, and a coat of retina-scorching Hyper Blue paint. The … [Read more...] about Subaru Makes BRZ More Entertaining, More Blue
2018 Honda Odyssey: Rear Seat Erotic Entertainment at Your Fingertips
Who knew the well-equipped 2018 Honda Odyssey was so… titillating? An unsuspecting journalist over at Forbes saw a few more — let’s call them entertainment options — than she expected while browsing through the video selection offered via her Odyssey tester’s rear media screen.At that point, things became a little hot under the collar at Honda.Before discussing that special kind of alone-time entertainment, let’s talk about the car that provided it: the Honda Odyssey. For 2018, the Odyssey received a full redesign and, as expected, the changes included a number of tech and entertainment upgrades. Namely, the van is now available with a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing music and video streaming while on the go.The second relevant feature here is the inclusion of an EPIX entertainment app, part of a subscription service for the rear entertainment screen (which now measures over 10 inches). Here’s where things got sticky.Reviewer Joann … [Read more...] about 2018 Honda Odyssey: Rear Seat Erotic Entertainment at Your Fingertips
Vellum Venom Vignette: Less Is More with In Car Entertainment
I’ve been accused of Automotive Hipsterism for bragging about my bare bones Ford truck instead of aspiring to expensive vehicles. It used to be different, back when top-drawer dashboards were more Malevich and less Pollock in design. Because good design embraces Less is More, while poor design over thinks the solution.Speaking of hipster, witness the design backlash on Gillette’s Facebook page, especially the red box.While automakers shall never receive such a public drubbing, In Car Entertainment (ICE) scope creep is an ergonomic nightmare. I reckon rising purchasing prices encourage a blank check for ICE overreach. People gladly buy the stuff, the technology is readily available, so why not include everything but the kitchen sink?Because the added value is an ergonomic liability: we got problems when Audi’s handwriting recognition is an ICE-reality.The folks at Car Design Research highlight In Car Entertainment’s problem and offer a solution: via … [Read more...] about Vellum Venom Vignette: Less Is More with In Car Entertainment