To repeat an icon is not easy. To reinvent an icon is even harder. Renault succeeds in doing so. Few small cars have so much visual appeal. The reborn Mini has it, so is Fiat 500. They are successful ...

Steering is very important to a car because it is the interface that the driver touches most. What makes a car's steering better than another? It is usually judged by several factors: directness, ...

First introduced by Mercedes 300SL in 1954, tuned intake manifold is not exactly a new technology. It is discussed here just because its principle is useful to our further study of variable intake ...

6 cylinder engines, no matter inline-6 or V6, are inherently smoother than 4-cylinder inline engines because all the first order and second order forces can be balanced. However, most small cars do ...

As shown in the picture, straight-6 engine is simply a pair of 3-cylinder engines mated together symmetrically, thus piston 1 is always in the same position as piston 6, piston 2 the same as piston 5.

All cars need energy for propulsion. When they decelerate and stop, the energy is wasted in braking. Why not recapture the braking energy, store it and use it for acceleration later on? That is ...

The first generation SH-AWD used in the 2005 Honda Legend (Acura RL) was a very clever invention. Not only its working principle is unique in the industry but it is highly capable to transform the ...

A refined engine should be smooth running, free of vibration and quiet. These qualities also help the engine to spin freer at high rpm, lifting red line hence power output. Engine smoothness depends ...

After multi-valve technology became standard in engine design, Variable Valve Timing becomes the next step to enhance engine output, no matter power or torque. As you know, valves activate the ...

Manual transmission might be almost dead in the USA – only 4 percent of all new cars sold there are equipped with stick-shift – but in the rest of the world it is still the choice of the majority. For ...

BMW CS series was one of the masterpieces of the 70s. Few cars in history could deliver a combination of style, driving enjoyment and motorsport success like this car. On the road, the CS was highly ...

Variable is good. From valve timing, valve lift, intake manifold, exhaust, ignition, fuel injection, turbocharging, cooling to lubrication, many things on today's engines can be variable. However, one ...