US News Ranks 2011 Subaru Outback #1
The 2011 Subaru Outback continues to offer value and versatility. Unlike previous generations, the latest Outback diverges further from its wagon roots and embraces the crossover trend.
With bulging fenders, 8.7 inches of ground clearance and a rather upright stance, reviewers have taken well to the looks of the Outback. Autoblog describes it as ?a properly designed vehicle with significantly contrasting planes, lines and details.? For 2011, Subaru has added to those lines with new folding exterior mirrors ? something drivers accustomed to parking in tight spaces will appreciate.
The Outback?s pleasant interior carries over for 2011. New for 2011, Premium and Limited trim models can be equipped with a Rear Vision Camera with a 3.3-inch display in the rear-view mirror.
The Outback still represents a terrific value. Reviewers say drivers accustomed to light off-roading or snow will greatly appreciate the Outback?s standard all-wheel drive system.
While both four and six-cylinder engines are offered with the Outback, reviewers contend that the standard 170 hp 2.5-liter flat-four provides enough power for most buyers. When equipped with the optional continuously-variable-transmission, the four-cylinder Outback is capable of an EPA rated 22 MPG city and 29 MPG highway.
Buyers interested in towing should check out the less fuel-efficient, but more powerful six-cylinder Outback, which has a towing capacity of 3,000 pounds ? enough to tow a small boat or trailer.
Although the crossover market is flooded with options, reviewers agree that the Outback?s generous cargo-space, standard AWD and sufficiently powerful four-cylinder engine make it one of the better choices in its class.
The 2011 Outback is available in the following trims: the base 2.5i, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 3.6R, 3.6R Premium and 3.6R Limited. All receive a $200 price bump for the 2011 model year.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
In September, MileOne ran a special social media campaign to help raise extra funds for The American Cancer Society. All month long, the Heritage, Herb Gordon-Tischer, Mercedes-Benz Annapolis and smart center Annapolis stores reached out to fans and customers through Facebook and email with the message that “Hope is One Click Away”. MileOne made the commitment to donate $1 for each new “like” that the company’s Maryland dealerships gained for the month.
The goal was to raise hundreds of additional dollars for
the ACS beyond the donations that MileOne makes, or that they help
raise throughout the year as a Flagship Sponsor for Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer in Baltimore.
As we move into October, the company will focus on preparing for the big Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
walk that will take place on October 24th in Baltimore. Our dealerships
form teams and raise money for the event. Customers can make donations
at any of our dealership locations in Maryland as well! Look for the
pink ribbons throughout the store and service centers. "The MileOne
family is committed to giving back to the community, and we are proud to
partner with the American Cancer Society to increase cancer awareness
and raise dollars for fighting the disease," said Jerry Fader, president
and chief operating officer of MileOne Automotive. "In Baltimore and
across Maryland, our employees participate in the Making Strides event
in order to educate others on the importance of early detection and
cancer prevention."
Earlier this year a vehicle was donated by MileOne to help the American
Cancer Society celebrate cancer survivorship and raise funds for the
nonprofit organization's cancer research and patient services. Each
year MileOne hopes to do a little more than the previous year to help
out. We are strongly committed to this cause, and encourage everyone to
help in any way that they can.
Car Colors: They?re More Than Skin Deep
What your car?s paintjob says about you?and can it get you ticketed?
By Nick Kurczewski
Henry Ford certainly made things easy when he stipulated that customers
for his rugged Model T could have any color they wanted, so long as it
was black. Today?s car buyer faces a vastly more complicated
decision-making process when choosing the paintjob for his or her new
vehicle.
2011 Ford Fiesta There?s no way of knowing whether Mr. Ford would have
approved of the eight colors currently available with the 2011 Fiesta
SE subcompact sedan. Our guess is ?Tuxedo Black? might have won his
approval?although ?Lime Squeeze Metallic? would probably have cost
someone his job.
Things only get more complex the higher up the automotive food chain you go. The $330,000 Bentley Mulsanne luxury sedan is available in more than 100 exterior shades. Customers can also order a customized color, should they so desire. During this year?s New York Auto Show, a Bentley representative described the company?s recent efforts to color-match everything from 1950s kitchenware to gowns worn by royalty.
We?re here to present today?s most popular car colors, some dos and don?ts when it comes to choosing a paintjob, and a peek at the hottest colors coming in the future. Along the way?aided by science and industry experts ? we?ll attempt to debunk a few common myths related to car color.
Can you be charged higher insurance rates for a car with a bright paintjob? Do police really prefer ticketing red cars? Keep reading to find out?
What are the most popular car colors?
?The most popular color in North America for the past three years is white,? says Nancy Lockhart, Color Marketing Manager for DuPont Vehicle Paints. ?We?ve also seen that, globally, black has gained in popularity.? Lockhart credits growing consumer interest in metallic and pearl-coat finishes with boosting the appeal of these two colors.
According to DuPont?s annual ?Color Popularity Report,? silver remains the most popular choice worldwide. However, more shocking colors are making inroads. ?We?re seeing a rise in purple globally,? says Lockhart. ?Orange has also been a color space that has really taken notice the last five years.?
2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia and Dodge Challenger
SRT8 Furious Fuchsia Emerging markets like China and India will soon
influence car color palettes here in North America. Michelle Killen,
Exterior Color Designer for General Motors, predicts a distinctly
rose-tinted future. ?A trend that is starting to make its way here from
China is the use of "pink" or "fuchsia," says Killen. ?You are going to
start seeing this used more in North American and European markets.?
Killen says she relies on ?everything? when studying the next must-have colors. ?I use fashion for the "what's hot right now" and for longer term or further into the future I like to use trend sites.? Furniture, product design and architecture all influence the colors GM offers, says Killen. ?We are still seeing orange as a "hot" color space. Orange has really become a staple in exterior paint design.?
Can color add or detract from a car?s value?
The simple answer is yes, especially if you plan on holding onto your car long enough for it to attain classic status. ?Everybody talks about Resale Red,? says Mike Fairbairn, a founding partner at RM Auctions Inc. Red is perennially popular with buyers but, according to Fairbairn, not all colors are so lucky. ?The other conventional wisdom is that you can?t sell green.?
2003 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph Fairbairn advises owners?specifically
those in the classic car world?to think carefully when choosing a color.
?Choose a period color that people would consider iconic for that
model.? A color should also apply to the type of car, with darker hues
working well with formal luxury vehicles like a vintage Rolls-Royce.
For some makes and models, color can add enormous value. When it comes to 1960s-era muscle cars, Fairbairn says the whole vehicle is valued according to what color it was when it left the factory. ?God help you if it was hideous green,? says Fairbairn with a chuckle. Whether the owner likes it or not, the car is more valuable in an unattractive but entirely original color scheme.
Fairbairn explains that buyers of certain classic Chrysler muscle cars, for example, will pay up to ?one third more? for cars finished in wacky period colors like ?Plum Crazy? purple. No wonder Chrysler brought back some of these lurid hues for its modern lineup of vehicles, including the Challenger coupe.
1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda 2D (Color: Plum Crazy) ?Chrysler understands
that there?s a strong emotional bond drivers can have with their cars,
and color takes that feeling and personalizes it,? says Jim Parker, Head
of Chrysler?s Exterior Color & Trim Studio. ?Think about it; the
color of a car can really make or break a great design.?
?When we developed the new Challenger tribute colors, we went back in our archives and found the original color standards that were developed in the late-60s for these wild colors,? says Parker. These Challenger tribute colors have included ?TorRed,? ?B5 Blue? and, of course, ?Plum Crazy.?
?We're topping off the 2010 model year now by introducing a limited run of new Furious Fuchsia, a tribute to the outrageous 70?s color Panther Pink,? says Parker.
Do certain colors attract police?
In today?s era of radar and laser detectors?not to mention soulless speed cameras?the easy answer is no. Most police officers will explain that if you?re speeding, you?re going to be pulled over no matter the color of your car. But could law enforcement subconsciously be focusing on brighter colors, and red in particular?
2010 Ferari 458 Italia (Photo by John Lamm) They might be, at least
based on research conducted by Dr. Mark Changizi, professor of Human
Cognition at 2AI Labs. An evolutionary neurobiologist, Changizi?s online
biography details his studies as a means to ?grasp the ultimate
foundations underlying why we think, feel and see as we do.?
According to his studies of primates, our eyes have evolved to detect subtle changes in blood oxygenation. In layman?s terms: we notice pigment changes when, for example, someone turns red with anger or pale with fright. ?It?s all about emotions,? says Changizi. ?Our eyes are designed to see these color changes.? Primates with less fur on their face and rump (such as baboons and chimps) can detect these pigment shifts.
Different emotional states depend on how oxygenated your blood is. ?Red is a symbol of strength physiologically,? says Changizi, while mentioning recent studies that have proven wearing red sportswear leads to a higher probability of winning. Changizi says cultural factors also play an important role. Think about a red car, and chances are good a low-slung Ferrari or Corvette springs to mind.
Millions of years of evolution, along with some clever marketing, means that brighter colors (especially reds) could simply be hard-wired in our minds as being powerful, fast and strong. Just don?t try to wiggle your way out of a speeding ticket by telling a cop he was genetically programmed to ticket your little red sports car.
Do insurance companies charge higher rates for bright colors?
It sounds silly, but the idea of paying higher insurance rates for a brightly colored car has been around for years. Let?s finally put it to rest. It?s not true and, according to insurance industry experts, it never has been.
?I?ve never heard of a company that does? charge more for a certain color, says Jeanne Salvatore, Senior Vice President Public Affairs at the Insurance Information Institute. ?They?re looking at theft records and safety records?make and model, and expense to repair.?
?It?s a myth,? says Luz Correa, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm Insurance in Metro New York. ?[Car color] is not something that goes into a rate.?
Is Deep Creek Lake Maryland's largest freshwater lake?
Yes
No
See answer under Car Doctor.
Air Pressure - Correct, Underinflated and Overinflated
Advantages of Correct Tire Inflation
Maintaining correct tire inflation pressure helps
optimize tire performance and fuel economy. Correct tire inflation
pressure allows drivers to experience tire comfort, durability and
performance designed to match the needs of their vehicles. Tire
deflection (the tread and sidewall flexing where the tread comes into
contact with the road) will remain as originally designed and excessive
sidewall flexing and tread squirm will be avoided. Heat buildup will be
managed and rolling resistance will be appropriate. Proper tire
inflation pressure also stabilizes the tire's structure, blending the
tire's responsiveness, traction and handling.
Can you easily identify which tire is 30% underinflated? Here is what
they would look like in the morning parked in your garage.
Tough to tell; isn't it? Tire pressure must be checked with a quality air gauge as the inflation pressure cannot be accurately estimated through visual inspection.
Disadvantages of Underinflation
An underinflated tire can't maintain its shape and becomes flatter than intended while in contact with the road. If a vehicle's tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could weaken the tire's internal structure and eventually lead to tire failure. Lower inflation pressures will allow more deflection as the tire rolls. This will build up more internal heat, increase rolling resistance (causing a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%) and reduce the tire's tread life by as much as 25% while increasing the probability of irregular treadwear. Drivers would also find a noteworthy loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn't seem excessively low, it typically represents about 20% of a passenger car tire's recommended pressure.
Disadvantages of Overinflation
An overinflated tire is stiff and unyielding and the size of its footprint in contact with the road is reduced. If a vehicle's tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when encountering potholes or debris in the road, as well as experience irregular tread wear. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities as well causing the vehicle to ride harsher and transmit more noise into its interior. However, higher inflation pressures reduce rolling resistance slightly and typically provide a slight improvement in steering response and cornering stability. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races run higher than normal inflation pressures.
Yes. It is located in Garrett Co., Maryland. The most western county in the state.
