It has not been an easy couple of years for the third member of America’s big three. Their products were lame and their profits were even worse, not to mention public perception after the bailout wasn’t that good. While General Motors and Ford have been dominating with new vehicles, Chrysler has been laying low with the same old stuff. Needless to say, this machine has been a long time coming.
With 2010 comes a whole new machine, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a stable in the Chrysler lineup for years, redone and ready to dominate the competition. Not that there is much competition for a full size off-road SUV.
Taking cues from the new Dodge Ram, the 2011 Grand Cherokee takes them in a whole new direction that results in one of the best interiors money can buy. Not to mention a vehicle that is quiet and refined on the road, but hard and aggressive in the rough stuff, not that we were able to go in any.
Hit the jump to continue reading.
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Canary Wharf in London is a modern business center, similar to La Defense in Paris. It was built up out of nothing and, as the buildings grew, the people flocked in. This was modern London and everybody wanted a taste. The area around the wharf has everything from expensive shops and restaurants to high-rise apartments. It has everything that anybody could possibly want except a history.
The normal Lexus convertible would fit well in this area. It’s not really a performance hardtop like its rival, the Infiniti G37 Convertible. The convertible Lexus is more at home cruising the avenues around the boutiques and making its way to party after high profile party, all while making the driver and passenger look good.
Thankfully, Toyota managed to inject a little life - which they don’t do often - into the convertible Lexus, as the SC430 was awful. It’s still no performance machine, but the IS250C is sure trying hard.
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When you first look at the new 2010 Audi S4, it might appear that Audi has taken a step backwards with a less-powerful, less-expensive S4, but you’d be wrong. The “third” German car company is finally an individual, no longer shadowing behind the Mercedes AMG or BMW M.
Today, visit an Audi dealership and you will find a completely revamped S4 with more power than the base A4 2.0T and better handling than the Mercedes C63 AMG.
This newest S4 pushes aside the old V8 for a far more efficient supercharged V6 with more torque. Some purists might whine about this change, but the fact of the matter is that the car is now $3,000 cheaper and just as fast.
With the new A4 range, Audi is hoping that its cheaper models will lure people into buying the more expensive high performance sedan. Unlike the old S4, which was pitted against the Mercedes AMG C-Class and the BMW M3, the new $40,000 range S4 is more suited to battle the 335i or C350.
Full review after the jump.
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BMW America announced that the North American market will get, next to the 535i and 550i, a new addition to the 5-Series line-up. The new 528i Sedan is priced at $45,425 and will go on sale this July. As we mentioned before, we believe that BMW will eventually bring out new models of every car in their current line-up and juice them up with their EfficientDynamics technologies. The BMW 528i brings us closer to being correct. We can’t blame them, they have come up with a remarkable technology that should be taken advantage of.
The 528i is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-6 engine that delivers 240 HP and 230 lb-ft of torque. The sprint from 0 to 60mph is made in 6.6 seconds when the engine is mated to a 8-speed automatic transmission.
The options list includes: new 17-inch light alloy wheels, the optional Sport Package that includes 18-inch light alloy wheels, a standard lumbar support, and a larger standard moonroof. The new sedan will be offered with rake energy regeneration, valvetronic, electric power steering, and an on-demand operation of engine accessory drives.
Consumers will now be able to get the always beautful BMW with more advanced features and technological breakthroughs. Sign us up!
Press release after the jump.
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Japanese sports cars have always been a favorite of mine; they have great lines and styling, are easy on the wallet when it comes to the gas pump, and when tuned properly can move very fast with great maneuverability. Recently we reviewed the
2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster with the optional touring package and, in all honesty, the car was a blast to drive. It handled well and had a great power plant with great looks to match, but now I am delighted to be in the presence of a different version of the 370Z. This version, one that is more aggressive and powerful, can only be found in the 2010 370Z Nismo edition. This car reminds me that the era of the Japanese sports cars that I favored did not go away with the
Supra,
RX7, and the rest of the big Japanese cars, but is alive and well. The best part is that Nissan is still true to the original Z car introduced to the market almost 40 years ago while providing a plethora of Z cars to match the needs, budgets, and stylings of most drivers.
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