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2007 BMW M6 Convertible 2007-08-26 03:32:29 BY STEVE SILER
Too much equals not enough? The pricey, portly M6 ragtop trades speed for sex appeal.
BMW hasn’t had it too easy from us recently. The Bavarian masters of driving arts once had an easy ticket to a first-place finish in virtually every comparo they entered. But then came iDrive, then active steering, and then everyone’s favorite “whipping tech,” the sequential manual gearbox. You could argue that those technologies, in many cases, created as many problems as they solved, at least from the purist’s point of view.
A brighter spot came in the form of the 2006 BMW M6 coupe, a 6-series coupe made even more salivating with zoomier styling, a sexy carbon-fiber roof, and one of the most delicious engines on God’s green earth: a race-bred, heart-pounding, high-revving 5.0-liter V-10 producing an incredible 500 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 383 pound-feet of torque at 6100 rpm. So prolific is the engine that not even the entire alphabet’s worth of techno-acronyms co Read more:Convertible
2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: Official Photos & Info 2007-08-26 03:19:09 BY ERIK JOHNSON
The littlest U.S.-market Mercedes
becomes one big bad-ass.
That’s a fair point, but we’ll counter by simply pointing out that no previous C-class AMG, extra two cylinders or no, has had the dance moves to keep up with an M3 when the twisties get their twistiest. Until, perhaps, now.
The 2008 C63 AMG, which is based on the all-new 2008 C-class, is the latest rip-snorter to blast from Affalterbach with AMG’s in-house-designed 6.2-liter monster of a V-8 stuffed under its hood, and here it makes a staggering 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.
Pricing has not been announced, but we’ve been told the target is $63,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in April 2008. Price is a major point, as currently the least-expensive AMG with this engine is the $87,475 E63 AMG. Will buyers of a $125,000 S63 be slighted that this engine will be available in a car costing half as much?
The C63’s curb weight is about 3800 pounds, so the power-to-weight ratio stands at a Read more:Official
2009 Volkswagen Tiguan 2007-08-26 03:09:12 BY JARED GALL
Volkswagen
’s small crossover SUV will debut on home soil.
Volkswagen’s upcoming Tiguan soft-roader will debut at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. The company released the first official photos of the compact crossover in June.
Although the Tiguan will arrive packing an impressive list of off-road options, it enters into a small-SUV segment in which the average buyer shudders at the thought of a rutted dirt road. Thus, many customers will certainly appreciate interior space similar to that of Volkswagen’s own Rabbit and GTI, to which the Tiguan is closely related.
Buyers will also appreciate the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which will be the only engine available in the U.S. at launch—Europeans will have a choice of three gas and two diesel fours—with a 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel to follow shortly after.
Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept 2007-08-26 03:02:58 BY JARED GALL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE VALENTE
Honda
’s Geneva concept is part Insight, part CRX, part wind-cheating solar race car, and all foam and clay.
At the L.A. auto show, we showed you Honda’s Remix concept, a design study we hope spawns another CRX. In Geneva, Honda showed off another compact, sporty two-plus-two, this one with a fictional hybrid drivetrain and a straightforward name in the vein of Acura’s recent “Advanced” concepts. The CRX is again an obvious influence, this time seen most clearly in the SmallHybridSportsConcept
’s concave rear window.
With the low nose of a solar race car, a beetle-backed greenhouse à la Honda Insight, and flat flanks, the Small Hybrid Sports Concept employs all the aero tricks in order to extract the most from the four-cylinder hybrid powertrain it would have if Styrofoam had the structural integrity to support it. It doesn’t, though, so there’s an engine in this car only in sketches. The drawings of this vehicle also
2008 Pontiac G6 GXP 2007-08-26 02:50:46 BY HOWARD WALKER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY G. RUSSELL
More show, same go.
So how many ‘Gs’ can an auto maker have in one model line-up? The guys at Pontiac
already have a G6 GT and a G6 GTP in the stable. Now they’re adding a third, a G6 GXP which arrives in the fall. Don’t get too excited—it’s pretty much all window dressing.
For the new G6 GXP street edition—say that after two tequilas—there’s a new front fascia with braided stainless steel grill inserts, scoops on the hood, rocker moldings down the side, and a deeper rear fascia with chrome exhaust tips. Go for the coupe and you’ll get a larger, more aggressive ‘hammerhead’ rear deck spoiler. Hey Pep Boys, Pontiac is stealing your business.
Under the hood, the GXP gets the same motor as the GTP—GM’s drop-it-in-everything 3.6-liter 252-hp V-6 coupled to a six-speed auto. GXP-specific sport-tuned suspension and standard stability control along with 18-inch rubber are also part of the package.
2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2007-08-26 02:45:36 BY STEVE SILER
2006 Los Angeles auto show: First-ever Altima two-door due by summer, 2007.
It’s no secret that the redesigned 2007 Altima sedan, in dealerships now, is better than ever. But one of the car business’ best-kept secrets was that the new four-door Altima will be joined next summer by a striking coupe version. The 2008 Altima Coupe
represents the first time that the Altima will be offered as anything but a four-door, and Nissan
deserves some credit for styling a car that doesn’t look like exactly like the sedan on which it’s based. The proportions are much different, thanks to a four-inch-shorter wheelbase and 7.1-inch shorter overall length compared to its more domestically inclined sibling. Its sloping roofline and tapering greenhouse also look terrific, though both exact a measurable penalty in terms of overall rear seat space.
The coupe’s driver-focused interior is a tighter fit for the driver and front passenger, too, as are the unique sport seats. It will o
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X - Official Photos & Info 2007-08-26 02:38:28 BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Waiting until early next year to buy one might kill us.
Teasin’ time is over. Here are the first official pictures of the 2008 Mitsubishi
Lancer Evolution
—or Evolution X as it is known back home in Japan.
Mitsubishi Motors mixed a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down in Tokyo, releasing first images of the production version of the high-performance sedan in conjunction with the automaker’s financial results, which actually reflected the first profit in four years.
The only figures we care about: an expected 300 or more horses from the new high-performance 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC engine. This lightweight mill has an aluminum cylinder block (the Lancer Evolution RS has an iron block and aluminum head). The new engine is part of the Global Engine Alliance, for which Mitsubishi jumped into bed with Hyundai Motor and DaimlerChrysler for four-cylinder offspring.
Power will be driven through a six-speed automated manual transmission. The sequential man Read more:Official
2008 Subaru Impreza and Impreza WRX - Official Photos & Info 2007-08-26 02:30:45 BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED HOLSTEIN
The all-new WRX is bigger and roomier—and lighter. (There’s a new base Impreza
, too.)
Six years ago, when we first looked deep into its big, round bug eyes, we fell hard for the WRX, the ’roided-up version of the basic-transportation Subaru
Impreza. Yes, we were smitten, and we emoted to the tune of two consecutive 10Best awards. But something’s gone sour. The WRX hasn’t aged well, particularly on the inside, and these days there’s a bunch of younger, hotter models we’d rather make a mixtape for, like the VW GTI and the Mazdaspeed 3. But the WRX has been calling us again—it’ll be different this time, I swear, it says—in hopes of rekindling the flame with an all-new 2008 version.
Holy bejeebus—what happened to its face?
The ’08 WRX will again be offered in two body styles, a sedan and a five-door. The five-door looks more like a traditional hatchback this time around, so fans of the old wagon might be disappointed Read more:Official
, Subaru Impreza
2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Roadster 2007-08-28 05:56:38 BY ROBIN WARNER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN J. SEGAL
More power, but at a price.
For the first time since it was introduced for 2003, BMW has updated its hard-edged two-seat roadster, the Z4. Among changes to the ’06 line are small suspension tweaks to improve ride and handling, a six-speed manual gearbox that is standard across the line (the old 2.5i model had five gears), and a six-speed automatic with a paddle-shift manumatic available as a $1275 option. Both models now have the 3.0-liter inline-six engine that powers 3-series sedans.
With the new engine — its block is a composite of aluminum and magnesium — come new names. The base 2.5i is now the 3.0i and uses the 325i engine configuration, making 215 horsepower, 31 more than the outgoing 2.5i inline-six. The old 3.0i becomes the 3.0si. Its engine receives the same upgrades as the 330i’s to produce a stout 255 horses and 220 pound-feet of torque, improvements of 30 and 6, respectively, when compared with the previous 3.0i’s Read more:Roadster
2010 BMW Z2 2007-08-28 05:44:30 BY JUERGEN ZOELLTER
New BMW roadster to compete in less pricey MX-5 Miata segment. Z2 should sell for less than $30,000 when it appears, most likely in 2010.
According to sources inside BMW, the German automaker plans to launch a roadster priced well below the current Z4, which starts at $36,295. Although the price has not been set, the new two-seat droptop, dubbed the Z2, is expected to occupy the sub-$30,000 roadster segment that is currently dominated by the Pontiac Solstice and Mazda MX-5. The successor to today’s Z4 will remain near $40,000 and will continue to compete against the Audi TT, Porsche Boxster, Nissan 350Z, and Chevrolet Corvette.
The upcoming bargain-basement two-seater will reportedly be based on the chassis and components of the current Z4, but it will measure a mere 151 inches in length, making it about 10 inches shorter than today’s Z4. Styling for the Z2 is in the process of being finalized, but we expect the diminutive roadster to have short overhangs and 1
BMW Working on a Super-Z 2007-08-28 05:35:14 BY WALLACE WYSS, PHOTOGRAPHY RON WEICKART
Hopes its next super-expensive attempt won’t be met with zzzzzzzs.
Any BMW with the letter Z in its namesake has, until now, been a two-seater. But BMW wants to get a new Z back into the $140,000 to $200,000 luxury segment. Why? Because since BMW stopped building the Z8 roadster in 2003, the pricey niche has expanded. Strong sales of the extremely profitable $150,000 Bentley Continental GT are certainly envied by other automakers. In this age of overnight millionaires and astonishing prices, there are now about 20 glorious automobiles that sell for $150,000 and up, a fact that must be causing a horrendous amount of teeth grinding in Munich because BMW doesn’t have a two-seater in that price class.
Not that BMW hasn’t been trying. But the retro-inspired Z8 turned out to be a disappointment, selling fewer than 6000 copies from 1999 to 2003. Back then, $130,000 for a Bimmer seemed like a lot of money.
The Z8 was preceded by another beau Read more:Super
BMW M3 GTR 2007-08-28 05:29:43 BY LARRY WEBSTER
A V-8-equipped M3 race car enjoys a fantasy season, but it could be its last.
Few race cars enjoy the reversal of fortune that BMW’s M3 enjoyed over the past two seasons of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). In 2000, the M3 race car, which is known as the M3 GTR and races in the GT class, won only once and was trounced by its chief rival, the Porsche 911. But BMW roared back in 2001, winning six of the eight races and taking the manufacturers’ championship and the drivers’ crown for pilot Jörg Müller. It was an extraordinary feat considering Porsches outnumbered BMWs four to one at most races.
What BMW did was replace the M3 GTR’s six-cylinder engine with a V-8, which spelled more low-end grunt. A little history explains why the engine swap was beneficial. By the end of the 2000 season, the 3.2-liter six had reached a horsepower plateau after six years. The problem was the rule-mandated intake restrictor plate with its 1.7-inch-diameter hol
2007 Pontiac G5 GT 2007-08-28 05:22:08 BY DAVE VANDERWERP, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFERY G. RUSSELL
What happens when you go lobbying for a ‘value leader.’
When the Chevy Cavalier morphed into the Cobalt for 2005, Pontiac
said no thanks to a version with a twin-port grille for U.S. showrooms, but in Canada, Pontiac re-upped, calling it the Pursuit.
Pontiac dealers here were soon lobbying for a “value leader,” something under the $17,345 Vibe, and got the 2007 coupe-only G5, starting at $15,390, in June 2006.
Base G5s get a 148-hp, 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder, and $19,040 G5 GTs step up to a 173-hp, 2.4-liter four, along with four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a stiffer suspension.
In GT form, the G5 has more horsepower than all six competitors in our last small-sedan roundup [“Sensible Shoes,” December 2006]. Performance from this GT, equipped with a quick-reacting four-speed automatic, was strong, getting it to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.9 at 86 mph. That’s q
2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LT - Short Take Road Tests 2007-09-01 12:16:18 BY LARRY WEBSTER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY G. RUSSELL
Versatility is the name of this game.
The Avalanche
would be just another four-door pickup if it weren’t for the folding partition that separates the passenger compartment from the cargo bed. So, although the news for 2007 is that it’s now underpinned by GM’s new GMT900 full-size-truck platform, the stuff that makes it an Avalanche remains. That center partition is called the Midgate, and it also has a removable rear window. Also returning is the three-panel, hard-plastic cover that turns the 63.3-by-50.0-inch truck bed into a lockable trunk. These pieces — the window, the Midgate, and the bed cover — can be removed or folded independently, which makes for several cargo-carrying possibilities. For example, when the rear seats are folded, the Midgate, which is hinged at the floor, can be opened onto the rear seats, thus extending the length of the pickup bed. Drop the Midgate, but leave the rear window and bed cover in place Read more:Chevrolet
, Short
2009 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid 2007-09-01 11:54:29 BY STEVE SILER
Porsche
’s upcoming hybrid ute will deliver more than 400 pound-feet of torque.
Two years ago at the Frankfurt auto show, Porsche announced it had begun work on a hybrid Cayenne program, but the company has remained quiet since then, except to tell us it has remained partnered with VW on the SUV’s development. However, Porsche recently broke its silence and gave us a few more details about what we can expect from its new hybrid SUV, which is on track for a 2009 launch.
What we know is that a compact, 34-kW electric motor in the Cayenne hybrid will slot between its 3.6-liter V-6 and the six-speed automatic transmission, a series configuration that Porsche claims is more compatible with the Cayenne’s platform. The company also says the setup is more fuel efficient and flexible in terms of the hybrid system management, which Porsche claims will allow the vehicle’s performance to remain, well, Porsche-like. By adding electric power to the 290-hp, direct-injection Read more:Hybrid
2007 Mazda RX-8 2007-08-31 07:37:53 BY MICHAEL AUSTIN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY
2007 Mazda
RX-8
Now in its fifth year of production, the Mazda RX-8 is getting gray at the temples. But the virtues that earned it a 10Best selection three times (the RX-8 fell off the list in 2007) are still there. That means a chassis that instantly reacts to driver inputs. At 3060 pounds, the RX-8 is 100 pounds heavier than the TT, but the weight is better balanced from front to rear and the diminutive rotary engine sits low and aft of the front axle. This allows the RX-8 to change direction more quickly, as shown by the lane-change speed, which was more than 4 mph faster than the second-place Audi. The Mazda is easy to drive fast; test drivers all praised the responsive steering and low cowl height, which make it easy to place the car on the track.
The RX-8 is great at speed, but getting up to speed is a challenge. With only 159 pound-feet, the RX-8 has less than half the torque of the Shelby GT. The six-speed gearbox and short gearin
2007 Nissan NISMO 350Z 2007-08-31 07:25:41 BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED HOLSTEIN
Macho NISMO
improves handling and, depending on your taste, styling—but adds no power.
Nissan
has added a new, fifth model to the 350Z coupe line with the NISMO 350Z. Featuring a host of unique equipment—including a wild body kit and stiffer suspension—the NISMO Z goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in July as a late-2007 model.
NISMO, Nissan’s in-house tuning and racing support subsidiary, has made body and handling kits not just for the 350Z but also for the Altima, Sentra, Maxima, Titan, Frontier, and Xterra for several years. However, the NISMO 350Z is just the second model (the Frontier was the first) to wear the NISMO badge (which, by the way, stands for Nissan Motorsports International) in the U.S.
It’s, um, rather easy to tell the NISMO Z from the stock model, thanks to a downright shocking aero package featuring an aggressive front fascia with a racing-style chin spoiler, smoothed front corners, skinny fender lips
2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe - Official Photos & Info 2007-08-31 07:16:11 BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED HOLSTEIN
The four-seat Z becomes “infinitely” better.
Infiniti knew it had something good in its first-generation G35. When it was launched for the 2003 model year, the unknown rear-wheel-drive G35 sedan was certainly good enough to take on the best in the hyper-competitive, sedan-dominated near-lux segment all by itself. However, Infiniti took advantage of the G35’s prolific FM-platform and designed the perfect complement to its volume sedan: the saucy G35 coupe. Wrapping the G35’s mechanical goodness and interior architecture in a striking body with sports-car proportions, the G35 coupe was delicious, even if never intended to sell in big numbers.
However, to Infiniti’s credit, the G35 coupe was endowed with a character all its own. Dignified yet edgy, the G35 coupe effectively split the difference between the G35 sedan and another famous FM platformmate, the Nissan 350Z sports car. Sending at least 280 horsepower from Nissan’s ubiqui Read more:Coupe
, Official
2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V 2007-08-31 07:06:08 BY PATRICK BEDARD, PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
2007 Nissan
Sentra SE-R Spec V
The Sentra starts off with one foot in a hole: None of us likes its looks. The lamentably shaped body gets an SE-R go-fast costume consisting of the shovel nose, spoilered tail, special headlights and taillights, and rocker-panel furbelows. There’s more sport in the cockpit: red belts pick up the red stitching of the steering wheel. Some of the racy details are first-rate — the metal-look pedals, the front calipers decked out with SE-R logos, the 17-inchers with five pairs of crisp spokes — but accessorizing never hides ugly.
The problem here, really, is not just looks. The SE-R Spec V lacks spirit. Competence, sure, it has plenty of that, but there’s no eagerness, no fire, no gotta-go. Power toys like to play around. The SE-R is well-behaved to the point of — yawn — let’s go home.
So it finishes in fourth place, just five points up on the veteran WRX.
The Sentra’s high-revving twin-cam engine
2008 Subaru Legacy 3.0 R 2007-08-31 06:55:13 BY MIKE AUSTIN
The Legacy
line gets a facelift and a new engine choice.
Subaru
’s debut of the freshened Legacy was capped with the announcement of the3.0 R, a 245-hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder Legacy sedan with a five-speed automatic transmission. The 3.0 R is similar to the Legacy 2.5GT spec.B, in that it comes with a stiffer suspension with Bilstein shocks, larger 18-inch wheels, and Subaru’s SI-Drive, which allows the driver to choose different electronic throttle settings to vary performance and efficiency. The 3.0 R will be positioned above spec.B, which has a lofty base price of $34,620. All 2008 Legacy and Outback models get a new, larger front grille with new headlamps and taillamps, but there is little visual difference from the previous model. The interior is slightly updated as well, and the remote entry key fob is now integrated into the key.
Lexus LF-A Concept - Auto Shows 2007-08-31 06:49:04 BY JARED GALL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY G. RUSSELL
Lexus
’s F performance brand flagship edges closer to production with a second take of the concept.
The Lexus LF-A is a look ahead for Lexus’s newly hatched F performance brand. When we first saw a concept of this car at the Detroit Auto Show just two years ago, we predicted that would not be the last we saw of this car. Since then, we’ve been following along as our Peeping Tom spy photographers captured the car in various levels of undress playing on the Nürburgring. Now Lexus shows us another LF-A concept still closely related to the original, but with an evolved look.
The original “L-Finesse” styling has grown more intricate, with the formerly smooth sides and sharp edges maturing into sculpted panels and organic curves. The yawning, square cooling vents that dominated the original show car’s hind end have shrunk and are integrated more gracefully into the tail, intertwining with the taillights; and we are pleased to see Read more:Concept
2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed 2007-09-23 09:55:05 BY ERIK JOHNSON
A Conti GT with 50 extra horsepower takes Bentley
to a place it’s never been.
How many times in your career as a Bentley salesperson have you found yourself in the embarrassing position of having nearly closed the sale on a Continental
GT only to be rebuffed when the customer finds out it isn’t capable of 200 mph?
“What a pile! Only 198 mph!” he says, as he whirls on the heels of his Ermenegildo Zegna loafers and stalks through the solid mahogany dealership doors on his way to the Lamborghini store down the street.
Well, Bentley has rectified that situation by creating the 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed
, a special variant meant to recall Bentley Speed models of yore and one that has been engineered to achieve 203 mph.
More power spews from the Speed’s twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine than that of any other Bentley ever made, and its 602 horsepower at 6000 rpm represents an eye-meltingly large increase of 50 horsepower over the base Conti GT. You can credit i
2009 Artega GT by Fisker 2007-09-23 09:35:41 BY STEVEN COLE SMITH
Fisker ditches luxury and heads toward sportiness with its latest car, shown in Geneva.
Yes, there’s a little Porsche Cayman there, and the Artega GT does have a 3.6-liter Volkswagen-sourced V-6 engine, so there is sort of a link to the family. But the styling, penned by Henrik Fisker, is cleaner than a Cayman. Fisker is, after all, the man responsible for much of the current look of the Aston Martin portfolio. Hardy Essig, a former Porsche engineer, helped develop the drivetrain.
Performance, though, should not be that far removed from the Cayman S, if indeed the Artega GT comes in with the rumored 300 horsepower and a top speed in excess of 160 mph. Price is expected to be just under $100,000. Production, limited to 500 a year, is supposed to begin late in 2007, with sales starting in mid-2008. No word on whether there’s a U.S. importer waiting in the wings. The Artega GT is smaller and less luxury oriented than past Fisker designs, such as the Tramonto and
2008 Aston Martin DBS 2007-09-23 09:16:44 BY STEVE SILER
You think Bond would approve? Actually, he already did.
To most James Bond movie hounds, Daniel Craig was the star of the most recent James Bond film, Casino Royale. But we speculate that most Car and Driver readers were more interested in seeing his new ride, the AstonMartin
DBS, than the hunky new Bond boy. Unfortunately, Bond rendered the slinky supercoupe’s appearance to more of a cameo than a starring role, choosing to roll it several times in a ditch to save his damsel in distress within just minutes of hitting the “engine start” button for the first time (indeed, some of us might have chosen to save the car).
The next public viewing of the DBS is its official reveal at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, where Aston Martin
is the featured marque. Sitting still, in the flesh (as opposed to screaming down the road in shuddering camera frames), the DBS’s slick design details—a vacuous front air dam, fender vents, subtle fender flares, deep sill
2008 Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion 2007-09-23 08:49:44 BY ALISA PRIDDLE
This clean-diesel model, shown in Frankfurt, is for Europe only.
Volkswagen
is using September’s Frankfurt auto show to reassert its stature as a maker of efficient diesels in Europe. The new Golf BlueMotion
will be one of six models with the environmentally friendly powerplant (the other five have not been disclosed).
The Golf BlueMotion will get 52 mpg, VW claims, an improvement on the already enviable 46 mpg of the outgoing model. The automaker says the compact car can go almost 750 miles on a 14.5-gallon tank of gas. Those wanting to do their part to save the planet can also feel good about the reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions.
The Golf BlueMotion is slated to go on sale at the end of the year in Germany, joining the Polo, Passat, and Passat Variant wagon with the clean-diesel technology. The BlueMotion label means it is the most efficient model in the series.
VW of America officials tell us BlueMotion is a European thing and is not legal here in the States Read more:Volkswagen Golf
BMW Made Concept X6 and X6 ActiveHybrid For 2009-2010 2007-09-23 08:24:46 BY JARED GALL
Behold the new BMW ‘coupe’ SUV crossover that will go on sale in the U.S. next year.
Although few would debate the beauty of Mercedes-Benz’s CLS-class, the company’s classification of the car as a “four-door coupe” has drawn snickers and rolling eyes from many in the industry. If you thought the four-door coupe was a laughable idea, then prepare for a debilitating hernia. BMW is calling the X6 concept it unveiled in Frankfurt “the world’s first sports activity coupe.” Let the debate begin here.
Never mind that coupes used to have two doors or used to be cars. Coupes are now all about the roofline. If the roof slopes, it must be a coupe. If a tree falls in the woods and lands on the back of a school bus, is the resulting wreckage a coupe?
Although the front end bears a strong resemblance to the X5 with which it shares a platform, closer examination reveals a more tightly puckered kidney-bean grille, squintier headlights, and larger air intakes carved int Read more:Concept
Volkswagen Up! Concept 2007-09-23 08:06:46 BY NICK KURCZEWSKI
This people’s car is targeted more at emerging markets.
Volkswagen
has chosen the Frankfurt show to unveil the small Up! concept, the first VW since the original Beetle to have a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. This bargain-basement Vee-Dub won’t run on flower power, but the Up!’s fuel-sipping range of engines could at least help to save a fair number of flora and fauna.
VW has managed to keep a pretty tight lid on the specs, although a few details have emerged. One thing the Up! definitely won’t inherit from the original Beetle is the classic model’s air-cooled engine. The Up! will be water-cooled only.
The Up! is primarily targeted at emerging markets such as those of China and India. But VW does not want to turn off Western car buyers by serving up a gulag-style city car. Therefore, a wide range of engines and body styles will be offered, so as to appeal to each region’s tastes and bank accounts.
VW calls the Up! part of the NSF (new smal Read more:Concept
Citroën C-Cactus Concept 2007-09-23 07:52:04 BY NICK KURCZEWSKI
You’ve gotta love a car that cuts back on materials by eliminating the dashboard.
Citroën always finds a way to push the envelope when it comes to concept cars. The C-Cactus
is no exception, stressing environmental friendliness by doing away with such frivolities as, say, a dashboard!
But before we focus on the interior (or lack thereof), let’s take a moment to let Citroën’s traditionally wacky PR spin work its wonderful magic. The C-Cactus is so named since “it shares its namesake’s reputation for low consumption.” Trust us—we couldn’t make this up if we tried.
Aside from the prickly name, the C-Cactus packs some truly interesting technology under its lumpy lines. A four-cylinder HDi (high-pressure direction injection) diesel-hybrid engine produces 70 horsepower and is linked to a 30-hp electric motor. Citroën says that around town, the C-Cactus can function in full-electric mode with zero exhaust emissions. On the highway, a diesel particula Read more:Concept
2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 2007-09-22 02:03:14 BY BARRY WINFIELD
Toyota
’s latest land basher is sophisticated on and off the trail.
Do you remember how it felt the very first time you engaged cruise control? That momentary sense of no longer being in control, that the car had assumed command? That’s how Toyota’s new crawl mode in the 2008 Land Cruiser feels at first. You select the function, take your foot off the brake, and the car proceeds under its own management.
Of course, in crawl mode (which functions only in low range) the new Cruiser moves forward very slowly—there are three speed choices on a rotary switch in the dash, and none of them is faster than a walking pace. The cool trick is that the vehicle will maintain that pace through thick and thin, adding power to get the truck over big moguls and using the traction control and downhill assist to negotiate holes and grades. All you need to do is steer.
See, there is still a job for the driver in this vehicle. The job is mainly to enjoy the huge ability this truck
2008 Ford Kuga 2007-09-22 01:39:44 BY STEVE SILER
What’s the Mercury version gonna be called?
Perhaps it’s a sign that Ford plans to throw Mercury off a cliff. We’re talking about the Ford brand’s having usurped one of Mercury’s most storied monikers—albeit slightly altered with a British accent—for its upcoming mini-ute, the Kuga. Yup, Kuga. Koo-gah. Seriously, say it aloud. Someone at Mercury has to be pissed.
Regardless of any internal naming squabbles that might be raging, the Kuga, which appears at the Frankfurt auto show in September in near-production form, could be a hit. It’s the right size and has the right looks, being the latest Ford vehicle to don the handsome “kinetic design” language adopted by certain recent European Ford products, including the new Mondeo mid-size sedan and C-MAX crossover. Hallmarks of kinetic design include a gaping trapezoidal grille; wide-eyed headlamps; fender bulges; and scalloped body sides—all elements that lend themselves perhaps even better to an SUV tha
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