BMW i8 Research

 

The BMW i8 is a highly unique two-door sports coupe or roadster.

With the i8, BMW looks at the future of the supercar and recasts it for an energy-conscious age. The i8 sports a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine shared with the Mini lineup, and combines it with batteries and electric motors for a total output of 357 horsepower.

Its lightweight construction and all-wheel-drive system serves two masters: near-sportscar performance with relatively low energy consumption. It does either task in equal turns, if that’s what you’re into.

The 2019 model year brings a new Spyder model to the lineup and a slightly larger battery with a small boost to overall power. The convertible model sports a small retractable-hardtop panel for open-air driving.

 

 

More: New and Used BMW i8: Prices, Photos, Reviews, Specs

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2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB250

 

About a third of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold aren’t cars at all. They’re crossover SUVs, and it’s hard to imagine that Mercedes could have expected it when its M-Class hit the road about two decades ago.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB250 that bowed Monday expands the automaker’s current crossover SUV lineup to six models, and yet it has plenty in common with the original M-Class that arrived in 1997. The new GLB stretches about 182 inches from bumper to bumper and measures about 72 inches wide, figures nearly identical to the M-Class (and considerably smaller than the GLE that traces its lineage back to the ML320).

 

 

MORE: Read our 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class preview

Web: thecarconnection.com

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The 2019 Hyundai Veloster

 

The 2019 Hyundai Veloster coupe has been recalled to fix door latches that could open in the event of a crash. The fault was discovered during crash testing. 

Hyundai said Thursday that 12,438 Velosters are part of the recall, which will begin June 14. At fault are bad door latch housings and locking cables that could cause the driver’s door to swing open during a side-impact crash. With the door open, the driver could be ejected from the vehicle in the event of a crash, which subsequently increases the risk of serious injury.

READ THIS: 2013 Hyundai Veloster recalled over engine stall, fire risk

Hyundai will instruct its dealers to install new door latch assemblies, locking cables, and lower channel components. The new latch assembly and locking cable have been redesigned and the lower channel has been designed to prevent interference.

The Veloster features a conventional door on the driver’s side and a front-hinged passenger-side door paired with a rear-hinged door for access to the rear seat. The recall affects only the driver’s door. 

The automaker said the insurance industry-funded IIHS actually discovered the issue its barrage of crash tests. The IIHS notified Hyundai, which began its own investigation. Hyundai said in government filings that it is not aware of any injuries related to the faulty door latches. The IIHS has not released its crash-test ratings for the 2019 Veloster. 

 

Source: thecarconnection.com

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2020 Acura TLX Review

The 2020 Acura TLX is a mid-size luxury sedan with sporty aspirations that delivers spirited performance and impressive value. It grabs a 6.5 on our scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

The 2020 TLX hasn’t changed much aside from a new, limited-edition trim built on the same Ohio assembly line as the NSX sports car.

With the TLX, Acura sketches a subdued design that may be too conservative for some, while others will appreciate its simplicity and understated character. LED headlights, LED taillights and dual exhaust tips keep the TLX from being too staid. Inside, the sedan’s interior appointments are rich and its fit and finish are impressive. Its ambient lighting is a nice touch and its wide seats are extremely comfortable.

 

More: 2020 Acura TLX Review – The Car Connection

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2020 Hyundai Venue crossover revealed: Stage is set and the crowd is only getting bigger

 

Small crossovers like the 2020 Hyundai Venue are cheap cars for a new generation.

The tiny Hyundai hatchback that made its debut Wednesday at the 2019 New York International Auto Show has a smaller footprint than the Accent sedan and slots below the compact Kona in the automaker’s menu of crossovers.

Offered in SE and SEL trims, the Venue goes long on features that likely will appeal to younger buyers, even though the space doesn’t go long itself. Every Venue is equipped with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, 15-inch wheels, automatic emergency braking, a split-folding rear seat, active lane control, and a USB port. Two USB chargers, 17-inch wheels, heated seats, navigation, and automatic climate control are on the options list.

 

 

Hyundai didn’t say how much the Venue would cost when it goes on sale later this year, but it’s a safe bet to cost around $18,000 to start like the Nissan Kicks, Hyundai’s chief competitor.

DON’T MISS: Read our 2020 Hyundai Venue preview

Like the Kicks, the Venue doesn’t offer all-wheel drive on any model and relies on a 121-horsepower, 1.6-liter inline-4 solely for motivation. The Venue is equipped with a 6-speed manual as standard equipment, but more versions are likely to mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) when they leave the factory in Ulsan, South Korea.

The Venue’s wheelbase measures shorter than 100 inches, about 3 inches shorter than the Kona. Behind the second row, the Venue offers 18.7 cubic feet of cargo room that expands to 31.9 cubic feet with the seats folded forward.

 

 

Black or gray cloth upholstery is standard although, when paired with denim blue paint outside, denim upholstery with synthetic leather is optional.

Hyundai hasn’t yet said how efficient the Venue will be but a similar engine found in the Accent returns up to 32 mpg combined, according to the EPA. Low power and high efficiency are par for the course: None of the crossovers in the Venue’s class—Ford EcoSport, Toyota C-HR, Chevy Trax, and Kicks—are screamers.

Geared toward city-dwellers and first-time buyers, the Venue’s affordability and unique looks will be its tune. And budget shoppers will be listening.

For more from the 2019 New York auto show, head over to our dedicated hub.

 

 

Source: thecarconnection.com

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Scientists Reveal the First Picture of a Black Hole

The Event Horizon Telescope has captured a photo of a supermassive black hole at the center of M87, a galaxy 54 million light years away.

Event Horizon Telescope collaboration et al.

 

In the century since Einstein predicted the existence of black holes in his theory of gravity, astrophysicists have turned up overwhelming evidence for the things. They’ve observed the push and pull of black holes on the orbits of nearby stars and planets. They’ve heard the vibrations, or gravitational waves, resonating from black holes colliding. But they’d never glimpsed a black hole face to face—until now. On Wednesday, astrophysicists announced they had captured the first-ever image of a black hole.

The picture, taken over five days of observations in April 2017 using eight telescopes around the world by a collaboration known as the Event Horizon Telescope, depicts luminous gas swirling around a supermassive black hole at the center of M87, a galaxy 54 million light-years away. Past the bright lights, though, is the black hole’s telltale feature: its event horizon. The event horizon is the edge of the spacetime abyss, where gravity is so strong that no light can escape from it. “It’s the point of no return,” says Feryal Özel of the University of Arizona, who is a member of the EHT collaboration. In the image, it manifests itself as the “sudden absence of light,” she says.

Previously, researchers had captured a blobby jet of light emerging from where the M87 black hole was predicted to be—but they couldn’t definitively see the black hole because their instruments were nowhere near as sharp as EHT’s. “It’s like going from a cheap smartphone camera to a high definition IMAX cinema,” says astrophysicist Andrew Strominger of Harvard University, who was not involved in the work.

 

The South Pole Telescope, one of eight telescopes used to capture the first black hole image. Dan Marrone/

This black hole is about 6.5 billion times the mass of the sun. Still, it’s tiny from a vantage point on Earth, just 50 microarcseconds wide in the sky, which makes it about as hard to see as a donut placed on the moon. It took eight different telescopes to image it. The telescopes collected observational data that was synced with the precision of a billionth of a second.

To see the black hole’s boundary between light and dark, the astrophysicists captured radio waves—light 1.3 millimeters in wavelength, invisible to the human eye—emitted by the gas swirling around the black hole. The gas emits light of all different wavelengths, including visible light, but the researchers chose this particular wavelength because it can sail through entire galaxies and even Earth’s own atmosphere without being absorbed. But they still needed good weather at all eight of their telescope sites to see the black hole. Before switching on their telescopes, they had to monitor the moisture in the air, says Özel—too much humidity would ruin their images. To minimize the chance of rain, they built the telescopes in dry regions, including the South Pole and the Atacama Desert in Chile.

M87’s black hole is relatively close to Earth, as the light coming from it was only emitted 54 million years ago—so we’re seeing it at a more mature moment in its existence. “At this point in the age of the universe, black holes have calmed down,” says Özel. “They’re basically eating gas trickling in from nearby stars.” M87’s black hole does emit bright jets of gas, but it’s still pretty dim compared to younger black holes that are further away. These younger black holes accumulate larger amounts of matter, so their swirls of luminous gas shine brighter.

 

Source: wired.com

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2019 Smart Fortwo

The 2019 Smart Fortwo delivers on its promises: two people, electric powertrain, and a city car. It doesn’t promise much else, though.

 

 

Car research isn’t as easy as it should be. Reading reviews, sorting through them, and deciding on the best vehicle to buy can be complex, frustrating and time consuming.

Our goal is to make your car research experience easier. The Car Connection provides car ratings, reviews, and shopping tools that simplify the car buying process. We empower you to make car buying decisions more quickly and with more confidence—from any device.

For 2019, we’ve changed how we rate new models here at The Car Connection. We constantly update our methodology to better equip readers and buyers with information about more than 300 new cars and SUVs. This year, it means an even stronger emphasis on fuel economy and safety.

 

Source: thecarconnection.com

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