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The 2008 Mazda RX-8 is the perfect compromise between a pure sports car and a sports sedan. The high-revving rotary engine sounds like nothing else, and the free-flow door system allows four adults easy access to the front and rear seats. The rear seat features a handy fold-down center section that allows long items like skis to extend from the trunk into the cabin.
Mazda has done wonders with the..... |
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Toyota's Solara coupe models come with either an inline four-cylinder or V6 engine for 2008, while the convertible comes only with a V6. Both are offered in SE, Sport, or SLE variants. The four-cylinder engine is the familiar 2.4L that powers many other vehicles in the Toyota line; here it makes 155 horsepower and can be paired with either a five-speed manual gearbox or five-speed automatic transm..... |
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The stylish 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle is available in S and SE trims, while the coupe is now available in Triple White as well. All New Beetles have a 150-horsepower 2.5L inline five-cylinder engine that is hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic with Tiptronic. With the manual transmission, the Beetle is quite frugal, with an estimated 20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway.
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A 161-horsepower, 2.4L four-cylinder engine powers the front-wheel-drive Scion tC for 2008, with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The engine has variable valve timing with intelligence, for engine responsiveness throughout the rev range yet very fuel-efficient operation. With the five-speed manual transmission, the tC returns 20 mpg city, 27 highway in the EPA cycle..... |
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Honda's Accord gets a completely new, more sophisticated and detail-oriented look for 2008, along with a complete mechanical redesign. It's slightly larger overall, including almost three inches more length than the 2007 model, but more notably it's slightly wider, making the interior 1.5 inches wider as well. This wider stance allows the front seats to be set farther apart with a more expansive c..... |
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The new 2008 Volvo C30 brings a sporty edge to Volvo's lineup, and the hatchback has a unique interior treatment with four bucket seats; in back they fold flat to expand the cargo capacity from 12.9 cubic feet to 20.2 cu ft.
In the U.S., the new C30 comes only in powerful T5 guise, with a 227-horsepower, 2.5L turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine. It has front-wheel drive, and is available wit..... |
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Nissan's Altima is now available in two different body styles for 2008: a four-door sedan, or a new two-door coupe. The coupe models share mechanicals and much of their interior appointments with the sedan, but they're four inches shorter and 2.5 inches lower in profile than the sedan, with unique sheetmetal and sportier styling.
Both engines offered in the Altima are among the most powerful when ..... |
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VW's value-priced 2008 Rabbit, and the performance-oriented GTI are both available in three- or five-door hatchback body styles.
A 170-horsepower, 2.5L five-cylinder engine powers the Rabbit; it comes with either a five-speed manual or a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, which has a Sport mode.
The GTI features a 200-horsepower, 2.0L turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine..... |
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The 2008 Honda Civic comes as six distinct models: sedan, coupe, Si sedan, Si coupe, Hybrid sedan, and natural-gas GX sedan.
The sedan and coupe both have a 1.8L i-VTEC four-cylinder engine, making 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque and bringing a fuel economy figure of 25 city, 36 highway with the optional five-speed automatic transmission. A five-speed manual is standard. The sedan and coupe..... |
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