When you’re looking for a compact car that has the ability to give you more for the driving experience you have on the road, the Hyundai Elantra can be the perfect choice for you. This car has a roomy cabin that makes it easy for five people to be comfortable while making certain you can enjoy the efficiency you need in a compact car. There’s a full menu of excellent technology items offered to make sure you can drive the way you want and have the connectivity you’ve been looking for in the car you love.
If it feels like every commercial vehicle you see has loud brakes and a noisy system under the cab that can be a bit annoying, that’s probably the case. While we seem to accept listening to a bus or a truck stopping with a set of brakes that squeal and make a lot of noise, we don’t expect to have this be the case when we drive our own vehicle on the road. In fact, the expectation is that we won’t hear any noises coming from the brakes when we drive.
Why is it that we’re ok with squealing brakes on our school buses, public transportation vehicles, commercial vehicles, and work vehicles but not on our own personal vehicles that we drive? Whether there’s actually brake squealing coming from the vehicle we drive that’s been dispelled because of the noise canceling technology aboard the models we drive, or this part of the vehicle is silent, you can bet we seem to feel there is trouble when our brakes begin to make noise when we drive. With that in mind, we need to discuss why we hear brakes that squeal and make noise when we drive and what it means for you.
Why do brakes make noise?
Do you know what your brakes are made of? Most brakes are made of some form of a composite of ceramic and metal that’s made to grip the rotor and bring the vehicle to a stop when you drive. The rotor is the metal part of your wheel that rotates in the wheel area and is used for the control that you need. because there are two metal/ hard objects rubbing together when you apply the brakes, there is a vibration that takes place, which will cause some noise.
What you need to know about your brakes is the difference between when the brakes are working for you and bringing you to a stop and when the pads need to be replaced. There is a distinct difference in the sound you’ll hear when the indicator bar, which is made of hard metal, is rubbing on the rotor and needs to be replaced. Even though automakers work to reduce the amount of vibration and noise you’ll hear from your rotors, it’s impossible to have brakes without some noise coming from them when you drive and difficult to make it so you won’t hear anything at all.
Porsche created the video below to educate you regarding the brakes in your vehicle and explain the fact they use the best materials in order to provide brakes that work perfectly for every vehicle. Although technology is in place to reduce brake squeal, environmental conditions, and driving habits can cause you to hear your brakes making noise when you drive. Know the difference between your brakes doing their job and the pads needing to be replaced and you’ll be able to enjoy the drive without being concerned that your brakes are letting out a little squeal when you drive.
The last thing Volkswagen needs is another scandal on their hands. They are barely done with the diesel scandal that occurred near the end of 2015 and have had to cut back on the development of some ofthe vehicles the group felt wasn’t absolutely necessary only to find they are in the middle of another bizarre scandal due to funding for research. Does this mean that Volkswagen will once again be mired with the involvement of a scandal that is nearly impossible for them to handle and understand the public view of this brand will change once again?
When we first saw an automaker put a lid on the bed of a truck and add more seats in the back the vehicle was called and SUV. This term is still used today, but we have moved away from a market that’s filled with massive body on frame vehicles to have an amazing number of SUVs that are built on the same platform as the cars we see on the roads. These are called crossover SUVs, but there seems to be some confusion about what the differences are between an SUV and a Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV).
Why would we be interested in a car company that is based in China? Mostly because this company has created something interesting, brought about a different thought about EV driving, and will eventually have the vehicles sold in the US. NIO is ready to bring their first vehicle to market with the new ES8 which is a full-size SUV that is offered with the seating you need for seven people and the qualities you’re looking for when you want an EV model to drive and experience on the road, which could make it one of the most impressive EV SUVs built so far.
The expectations we had for what the new Ford Ranger would offer as it arrived at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show may have been left a little short. The thought that Ford would bring a midsize truck back to the market that has all the same features and qualities as what it offered prior to its departure from the market is one that leaves little for the Ford team to be able to grow and develop this truck as a true competitor in the midsize truck market. With that in mind, we can take a step back and see exactly why this truck is one that offers us exactly what we want for the drive that we have. There is a lot to build on with the new Ranger as we can see in the video below.
When it comes to the movement toward more electric vehicles on the roads around the country, the state of California leads the way with more electric zero-emissions vehicles on the road than in any other state. Even though they lead the way, Governor Jerry Brown announced a plan to bring more EV models to the roads whit the goal of having five million EVs registered in California by 2030 so that we can have a cleaner environment and reduce the number of pollutants that are expelled into the environment on the way to a cleaner California.
The most popular EV model in the history of the automotive industry is entering its second generation in existence and the Nissan brand has announced the numbers we expect to see for this new vehicle. The new 2018 Nissan Leaf will show up in the early part of next year and will become the third in a trio of affordable EV models to make it to the market. This new generation puts the Leaf in competition with the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the Tesla Model 3 that have both been able to capture our attention and offer us long range affordable models.
The Real Challenge
In reality, until Tesla is able to fill the orders they currently have, the new Leaf will only have to compete with the Chevy Bolt. The price of the new Leaf comes in at $29,990 which is much less than that Bolt before the tax credit that’s offered. While much less expensive, the Leaf does offer a 150 mile range on a single full charge. This range could be enough for most owners to decide the Leaf is the right car for them to have the ride desired on a regular day.
The charging of the new Leaf will take around eight hours with a normal charger but could be completed in a much shorter amount of time with fast charging. The updated Level 2 charger is offered in the S and SV trims as an option and is standard on the SL trim to make sure you can charge this car quickly. The Leaf will have the ability to reach a top speed of 87 mph which makes it a car you can take on the highway, but its more at home in the city. In the 2019 model year Nissan has promised a larger battery pack with more power to make sure the range can be extended.
Tech Galore
Yes, the Chevy Bolt offers you 88 more miles of driving range than the new Leaf, and that might be a good reason to choose the Blot, but the Nissan Leaf has a lot of tech to offer you. This new EV offers the benefit of the Nissan ProPilot Assist which is a semi-autonomous technology. This tech is made to control the acceleration, braking and steering inputs to aid in your driving enjoyment. You will also have the benefit of the ProPilot Park which is a self-parking system using an e-Pedal to make it possible to accelerate and decelerate while braking by simply releasing the pedal.
Inside the cabin is an upgraded model brings you a new TFT instrument display with a high definition seven-inch infotainment system that brings you the benefits of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even at the lower trims you’re going to find a six-inch display in the center stack. The new Leaf is an amazing step forward for the EV model that we’ve admired for the past few years. This car will show up soon and be ready for you to choose this as the car you want to enjoy out on the road.
What do you want to have waiting for you in the driveway when you need to get to work on a daily basis? Would you like to have a car that sits at the top of the range for the vehicle and for the brand? Do you want to have more comfort qualities and driving dynamics that make the car feel like a serious luxury model for you to drive? If these are things that are important to you, the Buick brand may be where you want to shop in order to find what you’re looking for.
You might not notice it much because you drive your vehicle every day, but the road noise that surrounds your daily commute can become annoying and weigh on your senses as you drive. One way to avoid handling the outside noise is to find a vehicle that offers you the quiet cabin you want so the only noise you hear when you drive is the music and talk radio you want to listen to when you’re on the road. One vehicle that can make this possible for you is the Buick Enclave.
First and foremost, we are journalists. We are not attached to any automakers nor do we belong to any consumer watchdogs. We're here to share the news and opinions that drive the car business.