Jalopnik lists the 25 most useful car technologies and I tend to agree with all of them, save one:

• Rain-X (there is Rain-X wiper fluid now, which refreshes the treatment when you use power washers)
• Airbags
• Anti-lock Brakes
• Traction and Stability Control
• Muffler Valves
• Clean Diesel
• SynchroRev Match (found on the Nissan 370z)
• iPod/iPhone integration
• Variable valve timing, event and lift systems
• Radar/Laser detectors (illegal in Ontario)
• Heated Seats (my last car didn’t have these)
• Lightweight materials (carbon fiber)
• Crumple zones
• Stop/Start Engines
• Satellite Weather and Traffic Reports (I don’t think any of these systems work in Canada)
• Pushbutton locking differentials
• Turbocharging (woohoo!)
• LED lights
• Torque vectoring differentials
• Direct Fuel Injection
• Real power outlets
• Folding hard tops
• Hood scoops (wtf?)
• Adaptive headlights
• Regenerative Braking

I’m not sure about hood scoops, but the rest of the list is pretty cool. Recently I bought a new car, and it was nice to have features that my old car didn’t have, like adaptive lights, turbocharged direct-injection engine, heated seats and iPhone integration. Technology is wonderful.

Halfway through the life of a specific car model, the manufacturers will perform a mid-cycle refresh. Often called a “facelift” by the press, the basic car including powertrain and engines stay generally the same, but subtle changes are added to freshen up the image of the car, introduce some new features that would draw in new buyers, or keep leasers that have their cars being turned in.

The Acura crossovers have been really popular in my circle – it’s by far the most popular car owned by my friends. If you are in the market for one, try to get a great deal on the existing 2009 model, or wait and benefit from the upgrades in the 2010s.

For 2010, both the Acura RDX and MDX are getting a refresh. For the RDX (pictured above), it’s primarily just a facelift, with the front and rear fascia’s changing, with new vents, new light housings and adopting the “shield” grill that started permeating the line with the Acura TL. There will be an addition of a front-wheel drive model in the USA, but it’s undetermined if it will make it into Canada. If it does, this will be a fuel-friendly car since the car will be lighter and already had a direct-injection turbocharged engine.

The MDX (pictured below) also gets new front and rear fascias. It also gets and updated rear-view camera and navigation system. Also included is a radar-based cruise control system and the addition of a six-speed automatic transmission. It is the same transmission coming on the new ZDX and adds a gear which will improve fuel economy on highway driving. The final major change is the addition of an active damping system for the suspension. Adopting the same magnetic-fluid system found on Corvettes and Ferraris, this system will instantaneously adapt to changing road conditions and allow the user to control how comfortable or sporty the ride will be.

Have you shopped around for car insurance the last time it was up for renewal? By shopping around, a lot of people can save some money. Recently my friend used the Kanetix site to look for the best insurance for a new driver. However, I’ve always noticed that insurance offered by that site were notoriously overpriced – even after “comparing” between multiple competitors. I sent him to a number of direct insurer sites and sure enough, he found a quote $155 dollars a month lower than the price offered by a Kanetix partner. I have never seen a quote by Kanetix offering competitive rates.

Try it yourself, compare Kanetix quotes with these insurers:

• CAA
• Belair Direct
• Meloche Monnex
• Cooperators
• Allstate

BMW hosted an event called BMW Comparison Drive. At the event, BMW allowed us to compare their 3 series (323i, 328i xDrive, 335i xDrive and 335d Diesel) against the all-wheel drive versions of the Audi A4, Lexus IS 250 and Mercedes-Benz C300. It was a  cloudy day, but the track was dry – it threatened to rain but never did.

The event started with a 30 minute presentation about BMW and the various technologies they use. Not much new information was conveyed but the information was very pro-BMW. However, they did a good job and all the information was based on facts. Since they were comparing all the all-wheel drive cars, it’s important to note that the BMW xDrive cars cannot be equipped with sport suspension. This is unlike cars like the Audi A4 which can be equipped with lowered sport suspension which improves it’s handling and dynamics.

The short track was designed to test dynamics and not powertrain performance. Noone needed to leave 2nd gear at any part of the circuit. The course had five sections, starting with a long sweeping turn with a decreasing radius near the end. Following was an emergency braking while turning exercise, an emergency lane change, and a slalom through the cones. The final leg was a full throttle then full braking exercise.

All the BMW’s felt very good in the course, but the 323i was underpowered. It would be a great commuter car but anyone after some serious performance should pass this car over. The 328i performed great, but it was hard to notice the AWD in this course. A wet traction section would show it off some more, especially since BMW bragged that it was the only system that could put 100% of the power to either front or rear axles.

Some of my observations:

• The BMW’s interior is too stark, although the quality of materials is top notch, sitting in the Audi and Mercedes felt a lot better. It was about on par with the Lexus.
• The Lexus IS250 AWD is too burdened with the automatic transmission and AWD drivetrain to be a fun car. A manual IS250 without AWD would be more fun.
• The Mercedes has a great sounding exhaust, and it was only the C300. The C350 must sound fantastic.
• ABS braking is life-saving technology. And every car performed both braking maneuvers flawlessly and some had less aggressive touring tires.

I stopped by the one of the city’s Porsche dealers to look at the new 2009 Cayman S. This car has always fascinated me because it combines Porsche’s brilliant flat-six engines in a mid-engined layout. Taking the light, nimble chassis of the Boxster and making it lighter with a fixed roof and adding some nice curves.

Very few technologies offer both increased performance  and increased fuel economy, but the Cayman has two. The 2009 Cayman S comes with a new 3.4L engine with direct injection, raising maximum output to 320 horsepower – just 5 horsepower short of last years 911 Carrera. The second is the dual clutch gearbox – offering better fuel economy with it’s 7 speeds and more performance with it’s no-lift-off-the-throttle driving style.

The first thing I noticed about the car is how smooth the gearbox is. Having a twin-clutch setup means the other gear is always spun up and ready to be engaged. As you shift the cars, all you hear behind you is the engine powering up for seamless, fast shifts. There’s almost no feedback at all to the pedal and none on the shift lever. Shifting can improve in speed at the penalty of smoothness by using the “sport” and “sport plus” settings provided by the sport chrono computer.

There’s three ways to shift. The first is having the car do it for you. Boring but if I was stuck in traffic on the DVP, it’d be perfect. The second is in manual mode and using the gear lever. The third and final is using the buttons on the steering wheels. You might be wrong if you assumed they would be paddles, but no, they are buttons. Front buttons to shift up, back buttons to shift down. Honestly, paddle shifters would be a lot better. How a company like Porsche decided that this was a better way to go, I will never understand. This is a big minus for this transmission.

The car itself drives like few others. It has a masterful stance and so eager to turn and go in the direction you want. It’s hard to explain but coming from a 350z it corners a lot eagerly. You really notice less weight on the wheels and an ability to control the car with very few inputs. In the Z the steering is heavy, the clutch is heavier, and the car has to be manhandled into tight corners. The Cayman is the opposite – it’s like a slot car and can be put into the perfect apex every time. It’s hard to compare with a 911 Carrera since I haven’t driven them back-to-back.

A short drive is never very revealing, but it did give me some good insights. The default throttle mapping on the car is not very good. With the optional sport chrono computer, you can use the “sport” program to make the throttle more responsive. This is both immediate and noticeable. Frankly I can’t imagine having a Cayman S without this option. The default program has too much lag compared to my Z.

The next drive will be with the manual transmission and a better impression about the car’s handling.

CanadianDriver just posted an interview of Randy Rodriguez, the designer of the new Nissan 370z. Born in Surrey, BC, he now resides in California and works for Nissan Design America. He currently owns an original 1971 Datsun Z and based a few of the design elements on that car, and a shark. See the full interview for the details.

I’m pretty surprised by the way that Nissan has chosen to price the new Nissan 370z. Starting at only $39,998, it represents a much cheaper entry point than the previous 350z did when it debuted in it’s last model year.

The 2008 350z had the Grand Touring model as it’s lowest price point at $49,948. The 2009 370z Touring comes in at $39,948. Equipping the 370z with the Sport Pack includes better brakes, spoilers front and rear, and 19″ forged rims, bringing the final price to $43,948 before taxes – still $6,000 cheaper than the outgoing car!

The 370z car configurator is available on their website.

What is Honda Canada thinking? The 2009 Honda Fit is an excellent subcompact. It improves on the previous model by making it roomier and more fuel efficient. However in the weirdest country-oriented marketing move ever, they removed the paddle shitters from the automatic versions.

Here we have a car known for it’s sporty handling and performace and Honda Canada decides to remove one of it’s coveted features. To add insult to injury the feature remains in the US versions.