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    <link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk</link>
    <language>uk</language>
    <description>Users helping other users to buy a car</description>
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<title>Toyota Prius Hybrid 2008 (84/100)</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/toyota-prius-nhw20/toyota-prius-hybrid-2008/3303</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-17 13:09:54</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>cars-3303</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Prius is an exceptional car. It's been around long enough for us to know that it is reliable, gets great gas mileage, and is supposedly mid-size.

Let me dispense that first myth. It is a small car. It is cramped in the rear and can sit only 2 adults comfortably, despite what you might hear. Much of the interior space is wasted. You have tons of room beyond the dash but no one uses that room. You have a hatchback which is big enough but not truly a mid-size.

Storage is poor. Side pockets are smallish, cup holder exist but are on the entry-level mode. The back seat is akin to a Sentra, Civic, or other small car.

However it is that this car qualifies as a mid-size is a mystery to me.

Size aside, the car is the best in class if you consider it a small car. It's pickup is fantastic. It drives and corners well, there are ample safety features, and it has a lot of "cool" features.

For example, the rearview camera is wonderful, if you opt for it. You can just look at the screen where nav is supposed to be and see what's behind. I loved that feature, but it is not standard.

Nav is pushed on you. In fact, you often don't get the rearview camera without nav, and that adds about $2K.

Leather is available but not standard.

On the low end, this expensive car ($22K), offers you few features other than exceptional gas mileage. No camera, cloth seats, a tinny interior, etc.

On the high end, it's much better. That camera is included, you'll get leather, the ride will be quieter, and you'll get some "luxury" features. Now we're talking $26K.

And it's still a little hatchback.

Driving it takes a bit of learning. It's not hard, but since it's an electric start, you push a button vs. turning a key. It's only available in automatic since it has a CVT (continuously variable transmission), meaning that it adjusts the number of cylinders you need based on your driving.

Shifting is new to learn. Essentially "tell" the car to reverse and it will do that.]]></description>
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<title>Jeep Wrangler Automatic 2008 (89/100)</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/jeep-wrangler-jk/jeep-wrangler-automatic-2008/3300</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-17 13:02:42</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>cars-3300</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Visibility is good, though it could possibly be better. The low, flat windshield makes seeing some traffic signals difficult, but the flat glass all around reduces distortion and minimizes blind spots since the roofs of all but the lowest sports cars are visible when driving in traffic. One exception to this visibility is in the very back, where the spare tire takes up the bottom half of the back glass right in the center. A car tailgating you is essentially invisible in that location. 

Ride is firm, definitely not luxury class, but not as rough as older models. The added length over the 2-door Wrangler aids in stability and makes the Wrangler Unlimited quieter and easy to drive. Add to this Jeep's famously tight turning radius and you have a car that can go almost everywhere. 

Again, for the type of vehicle, fuel economy is good, but not great. The Jeep is rated at 19 which should be poor, but on a long trip at motorway speeds I managed well over 24mpg, just shy of 25. This is easily equivalent to most full-sized pickup trucks and maybe better than some. The aerodynamics are poor, Jeep rightfully choosing to retain the boxy styling that made the Wrangler what it is. Still, to achieve nearly 25mpg is a significant improvement over the older models. Even the in-town mileage could be worse, the car rated at 15 and I regularly getting 17 or better depending on traffic. 

Finally, unlike the 2-door models, the 6-cylinder Jeep Wrangler Unlimited can tow up to a 3500 pound trailer (with towing option), a full 2000 pounds more than the 2-door Wrangler. This makes the Jeep an excellent tow vehicle for a small family with a lightweight trailer while giving you the ability to tow that trailer places most other SUVs can't go. 

In summary, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited does in an SUV the ability to do almost anything a full-sized pickup truck can do in a compact, 5-seater package. Add to this the fact that you have a choice of a removable hardtop or convertible top (or]]></description>
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<title>Ford Escape Automatic 2008 (82/100)</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/ford-escape/ford-escape-automatic-2008/3299</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-17 12:57:18</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>cars-3299</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I drove a Hertz fleet 2008 Ford Escape XLT 4 by 4 with a three-liter engine and four-speed automatic transmission. Pay attention to the size of the engine – bigger is better. The 3.0L 24 valve Duratec V6 makes for a adequate ride, serving up 200 horses and 193 pound-feet of torque. This engine, now underpowered in horses and technology compared to the competition, racks up a mediocre 9.6 seconds for 0-60mph. Pull away from lights is more than respectable and I had no problems merging onto high-speed interstates or overtaking slower-moving cars when needed. The engine, which previously used to get a bit noisy at around 80mph, has apparently been recalibrated, and seems to be quieter and more refined. The constant road noise that used to plague the early Escapes has definitely been diminished (score #1 for the Ford engineers). The absence of the roar initially made me think they’d compromised on power, but that doesn’t appear to be the case – although I kept feeling this 2008 model was slower than any other Escape I had driven back to 2001.

The Escape can tow up to 3500 pounds, although I have no direct experience of towing anything with either my own 2001 model or this 2008.

In previous years Ford offered the option for the lower-price models of getting a 2.0L manual engine. This magnificent animal used to offer 127 horsepower and was woefully underpowered for the vehicle. Can you say ‘acceleration of a dead sheep”? New for 2005 was the upgrade of the 2L to a 2.3L, 153 horsepower four cylinder that makes it marginally more competitive with vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4. Although I have no personal experience with the 2.3L model (which is available in manual or automatic) it was such a major improvement over the 2L model which was so truly awful that my local Ford dealers hardly ever stocked them.

Fuel economy is average at best. I experienced 16.3mpg and about 20mpg on the motorway. Which brings me to one of the largest drawbacks of the Ford Escape - THE ]]></description>
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<title>Mercedes C Class C350 2008 (82/100)</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/mercedes-c-class-w204/mercedes-c-class-c350-2008/3295</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-17 12:49:13</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>cars-3295</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Mercedes c350 sport has invariably drawn multiple comparisons to the 335i namely in Car and Driver magazine. The C350 "sport," however, is a dressed up Mercedes with a powerful engine, but don't try racing your neighbor at the stop light with an expensive 335i. I couldn't be happier. For a car that has been said to do a 0-60 in 5.5-6.0 seconds, it sure is an economical one. Combined, i've gotten 19.5 mpg with mainly city driving and a little highway, in just under 2000 miles. The engine is the same as all the MB 350's a 3.5 liter pushing out 268 hp and enough torque to scare yourself the first time you put the pedal to the metal. However, as sport as it has gotten, Mercedes has not gone away from their more luxurious side. The ride has considerable improvement over the 2007 model both interior and exterior. For starters, it looks much better than the old version.

The stiffer springs and much more aggressive looks haven't given way to a complete sports feel. The interior is still characterized by the MB touch, albeit very tough seats. The interior is much less crowded than the older version, with a much more functional navigation system than anything seen in previous MB's. MB took the BMW's iDrive system, but made considerable advances over their counterparts, creating a nearly perfect and seemless use for the average consumer. However, they could stand to make it a little less tough to move--you'll notice what i mean when you try to move the disk the first time. The back seat has considerable improvement and space. I could fit 3 medium size adults and myself in the car with relatively no problem. 

Long story short, the car is a fun drive but is still luxurious. For my personal in-town driving, it beat out the 335i because it saved my butt from a rough ride, and my pocket from OPEC. Beware to not be too stingy at the dealership--these cars were hard to find two months ago when i was in the market. Bottom line, if you're willing to pay the price, its worth e]]></description>
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<title>DRIVERS LOG: 2008 BMW 135i</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/news/drivers-log-2008-bmw-135i/5120</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-07 18:36:38</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>news-5120</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This latest version of BMW's "entry" model eschews some of the $9,000 worth of options that punched the price of our previously tested 135i to $45,000. This car proves that you could certainly live without the six-speed automatic transmission (a $1,275 option) and the M Sport steering wheel with paddle shifter ($1,100). The six-speed stick is the ticket for this car, allowing the driver to take full advantage of the engine's powerband, regardless of whether you're blasting off from a dead stop, ]]></description>
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<title>Mazda 2 1.4D TS2 3dr</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/news/mazda-2-1-4d-ts2-3dr/5117</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-07 18:32:58</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>news-5117</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Test date: Thursday, June 05, 2008
Sharp three-door looks and a new clean diesel engine bolster the 2's appeal]]></description>
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<title>Power to the puny</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/news/power-to-the-puny/5116</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-07 18:31:21</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>news-5116</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Suzuki seeks respect with turbocharged SX4t concept
By MARK VAUGHN. Turbocharging the Suzuki SX4 results in a tire-squealing 221 hp.
At 143 hp, the all-wheel-drive Suzuki SX4 crossover already had the most horsepower in its class. So the logical thing to do, of course, was to add more power.]]></description>
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<title>FIRST DRIVE: Better baby Aston</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/news/first-drive-better-baby-aston/5113</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-07 17:57:35</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>news-5113</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Engine, chassis and interior revisions freshen Vantage lineup. Three years after Aston Martin's V8 Vantage stormed onto the scene, the automaker is performing some updates to its Porsche 911 fighter.]]></description>
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<title>2009 Lincoln MKS</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/news/2009-lincoln-mks/5112</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-07 17:55:43</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>news-5112</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By Joe DeMatio
The 2009 MKS is Lincoln's new flagship, a car that Ford hopes will help put its luxury division back on the map after years of losing ground to Cadillac and both Asian and European luxury brands. It effectively slots between the MKZ sedan (which was briefly known as the Zephyr) and the ancient Town Car, and it is the first production realization of Lincoln's new design direction. That design direction was first seen at the Detroit auto show in January 2007 with the Lincoln MKR con]]></description>
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<title>Subaru Impreza 2.5i Manual 2007 (85/100)</title>
<link>http://www.ebuga.co.uk/subaru-impreza-ge-gh/subaru-impreza-2-5i-manual-2007/3076</link>
<pubDate>2008-06-04 19:32:12</pubDate>
<category>User actions</category>
<guid>cars-3076</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This is a drivers car. Don't buy it if you intend to drive like an old person, or are cheap and want the best fuel economy. This car is neither of those. If you want to drive a car that can out handle almost anything out there in the price range it's in, this is it. The is one thing you have to be careful of when you move to this car - the AWD is deceptively powerful and it can become easy to spin the car sideways in snowy conditions. It climbs hills that FWD and RWD cars would balk at. I've had to adjust my driving habits when I got this car, because it's really easy to speed and the handling is just tremendous.

If you ever get the chance to drive the legendary WRX STi, you should try it just once. That car is a super-car in my opinion and the speed of that car is incredible when compared to the base or WRX.

My only complaints about the car is as follows:

- Cheap radio

- Not much rear seat space

- Rear seats do not fold forward.

Other than that the car is perfect. People stop and stare when I drive by because there aren't many Subaru in my neck of the woods.

The car is a pignose style, and you either love it or hate it. Compared to the 2008 Model which is bland and boring, the 2007 has strong Rally roots.

Just look at the flared fenders and sweeping rear strokes down the back panels. You could just imagine the car doing the WRC circuit in Brazil. If you've never driven a Subaru you should really try it out - I love it!

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong with this car. The car's fit and finish is spot-on. The gaps in panels are perfect and I haven't had to do anything other than routine maintenance in the first year of ownership. ]]></description>
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