2015 Chevrolet Trax AWD Tested: A Tidy, No-Fuss Machine

In this episode of “Badge Engineering: GM,” the Chev­rolet Trax gets the greater of its Buick Encore cast-mate. Following the Encore’s lead, the Trax is Chevrolet’s entry into a new class of diminutive SUVs, one particular occupied by the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, and the Nissan Juke. But the Trax is a lot more exciting than its Buick twin for 2 motives. First, the Trax, with its flared fenders, does not appear like a chrome-laden potato. Second, Chevy charges roughly $ 4000 less than Buick.

The Trax is tiny on the outside—it’s less than one inch longer than an old air-cooled Porsche 911—but remarkably spacious within. A 6-foot passenger can fit comfortably behind a 6-foot driver. Huge doors make acquiring in and out simple, and the Encore’s strong structure and quiet demeanor remain. In reality, the Trax proved to be slightly quieter at 70 mph than the final Encore we tested. Chevy’s interior appointments and supplies aren’t very as expensive-looking as the Buick’s, but the cabin design and style is clean and contemporary. One particular low point is the audio system’s touch screen. Lifted from the Chevy Sonic, the screen is irritatingly slow to respond.

We’d also like a bit much more speed from the powertrain. As in the Encore, the Trax gets a 1.4-liter turbo 4 with 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque channeled by way of a 6-speed automatic. Acceleration is tepid, turning downright cold with passengers and cargo aboard. Equipped with 4-wheel drive, our LTZ-spec Trax hit 60 mph in 9.4 seconds. There’s no obtaining about it: The Trax is slow. Get utilized to flooring the pedal. A lot. We did, and traveled 23 miles on a gallon of normal. That’s shy of the 24-mpg city figure quoted by the EPA and effectively quick of the 31-mpg highway number. At least the small 4 requires its licks with out much audible protest.

And although it may possibly not be quick, the 3296-pound Trax has a tiny-vehicle tossability that we discover endearing. It’s never ever clumsy on the road, and the quick steering fosters a deft and lively feel. Lateral grip is ­lacking, but body roll is nicely controlled and secure. We did notice that the nose dives adequate to upset the Trax’s stability under challenging braking. A powerful leg is necessary to activate the ABS, but slam on the brakes with authority and the reward is a close to-sports-car-grade 166-foot quit from 70 mph.

Neither fast nor attractive, the Chevy Trax is nonetheless precisely what it appears to be: a pleasant, space-effective transportation pod.

Chevy’s Trax is a no-fuss machine. Little and refined, it is a handsome entry into the burgeoning infant-ute set. Our only advice to shoppers is to steer clear of the prime LTZ trim level. Our LTZ with 4-wheel drive arrived with a $ 27,405 cost tag, but you could save $ 2585 by opting for the mid-level LT version and forgoing the power driver’s seat, fog lights, Bose stereo, and 18-inch wheels. Now, if that $ 2585 bought an further 50 horsepower, we’d happily spend up, simply because there’s nothing incorrect here that an added 50 horses won’t fix.

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2015 Chevrolet Trax AWD Tested: A Tidy, No-Fuss Machine

CMH Green Machine the leader in waterless car washing

• South African innovation now being exported


• Saves up to 199 litres of water per car


• All products environmentally friendly

“I propose we wash all our cars – over 550 000 every year – with virtually no water. I further propose that we wash every car in less than 30 minutes. And I do not want to hear one complaint from a customer!”

Imagine the expression on the faces of the Combined Motor Holding (CMH) board when CEO Jebb McIntosh expressed his goal for the water and electricity depleting wash bays in their national ne2rk of vehicle dealers and First Car Rental.

McIntosh laid down the challenge after he personally studied the environmental impact of the many CMH wash bays. At 200 litres of water per car and many litres of washing detergents that had to be disposed of responsibly, it was a clear challenge for cost saving by the group.

The CMH team accepted the challenge and today the CMH Green Machine can be spotted in wash bays across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, the United Arab Emirates and even the United States. A CMH Green Machine uses only 750 ml of water per wash (and only to rinse the washcloths), which means the CMH saves over 199 litres per car or over 100 million litres of mostly drinking water per year.

CMH Green Machine is a compact all-in-one wash bay solution that dispenses an environmentally friendly wax through a pressurised system. The wax suspends dirt away from the vehicle’;s surface and is wiped away with a special microfiber cloth, which is regularly rinsed. The wax, cloths, environmentally friendly wheel, mag and window cleaner and an industrial vacuum cleaner are all contained in a compact push-trolley design that is small enough to fit between parked vehicles.

By redesigning the business of cleaning cars, CMH Green Machine has seen greater saving than even they anticipated.

“We calculated the saving in water and electricity as well as in disposing of expensive high pressure pump systems and dirt traps. We even thought of the saving in detergent, but our clients surprised us with their innovative use of the Green Machine,” says Steve McCulloch, General Manager of CMH Green Machine.

In one example, McCulloch explains, the dealer converted the old wash bay into extra service bays, while the wash teams could clean vehicles where they were parked for service. In another, the dealer assigned a Green Machine to each department, to ensure that no “I was here first” fights broke out between representatives of the new car sales, used vehicles and servicing departments and hence cars could be cleaned much faster.

The CMH Green Machine is available for purchase or on a rental option that includes service and training. In one study Kempster Auto in the Bluff in KwaZulu-Natal realised a drop in their utilities bill of over R6 000, which more than paid for the use of their 2 CMH Green Machines.

“Ultimately our greatest achievement is not the cost saving. We realised that this new environmentally friendly car wash system created opportunities for entrepreneurs to start small businesses and wash cars at hotels, shopping malls and in corporate parks and we are very proud of that,” says McCulloch.

McCulloch and his team is currently expanding its ne2rk to other products, while the interest from countries such as Namibia and the United Arab Emirates have significantly expanded the reach of this local innovation.

“We have noticed a great need for our solution in other water-stressed countries and we see a great opportunity there. At the same time we are converting our national footprint in South Africa to also serve our clients with any other consumables, such as office supplies,” says McCulloch.

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Vehicle Maintenance and Road Safety

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CMH Green Machine the leader in waterless car washing

Honda Debuts Most current ASIMO Humanoid Robot, Machine Takeover Imminent

Everyone’s favorite soccer-playing, plastic-spaceman-wearing-a-backpack–style humanoid robot, ASIMO, is back and greater than ever! Honda’s bizarre robot adore child receives a rash of improvements this year, some of which are undoubtedly regarding for any tinfoil hat–wearing readers concerned about an eventual robot takeover of society. The Honda robot’s other new features, however, may just have a practical use in automobiles. That is a lot more than we can say for ASIMO’s potential to “leap” a whopping 1.97 inches. 

ASIMO has been about for nearly 14 years, and that followed a lot more than a decade of study Honda put into walking and humanoid robots. Over time, ASIMO—which stands for “Advanced Step (in) Revolutionary MObility”—has gained the capacity to walk semi-naturally, carry items in his arms, turn, move rapidly (by “leaping,” an action throughout which each feet leave the ground), answer queries, recognize postures and gestures, recognize faces, shake hands, and collaborate with a second ASIMO to achieve a objective. This year, ASIMO takes the next step, so to speak, toward being a completely autonomous becoming, rather than a semi-human-controlled machine.

Honda has imbued ASIMO with what it calls “autonomous behavior handle technologies,” which is an ominous way of saying that the robot has a rudimentary choice-producing engine. ASIMO can now greater comprehend and react to his environment, as nicely as predict the motions of others and formulate a decision to, say, move out of someone’s way and return to his intended path afterward. Element of this ability comes from Honda’s installation of a kind of intelligence, so that ASIMO now “evaluates inputs from several sensors that are equivalent to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses of a human becoming.”

Whilst it may well sound kind of eerie, ASIMO’s new capabilities bode well for the improvement of far more sophisticated autonomous-driving aids. Critically, ASIMO’s ability to take in and react to his surroundings to steer clear of collisions is a rudimentary step toward a automobile carrying out the identical thing. Fully autonomous automobiles are nonetheless a lengthy way away, even so, so ASIMO’s other new talent, the capability to home in on a single speaker in a group (even if they’re all speaking at once) could preview a much more imminent true-planet automotive function. In-car voice controls could, in essence, borrow the facial- and auditory-recognition tech behind ASIMO’s social capabilities to respond to numerous voice inputs, therefore bringing into the digital age the age-old fight more than which radio station is chosen.

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But that’s all in the future—for now, Honda’s friendly robot remains just that: A friendly companion . . . albeit 1 that can now also stroll on an uneven battlefield—er, uh, surface—perform surgical human experiments—we imply, “tasks with dexterity” making use of his fingered hands, and . . . Let’s just say that as soon as ASIMO is spotted behind the wheel (figure of speech, there is no wheel!) of one particular of Google’s autonomous vehicles, we’re running for the hills.

Honda Debuts Most current ASIMO Humanoid Robot, Machine Takeover Imminent