Audi’s rugged allroad wagon is back in America with some major changes, following a hiatus of the previous A6-based models. The new allroad is based on the latest A4, but shares a family appearance with the A6 allroad that will not be coming across the pond in its latest generation.
The realignment of the allroad brand also includes dropping the A4/A6 badges from the official lower-case names. It is a tedious distinction but one also shared by the deliberately-lower-case quattro GMBH tuning division of the luxury automaker. The latest allroad replaces the standard A4 Avant in U.S. price lists.
Naming tweaks aside, the new model is quite handsome and packs a torque-rich turbo four-pot engine in place of the previous model’s 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 option. The latest allroad also loses a few features from the original model, namely the adjustable-height suspension that really increased the older model’s versatility but easily adds $5,000 to the build cost.
When lowered, the old allroad had a more aggressive appearance than even the RS6 Avant due to its huge fender flares and flashy aluminum graphics front and rear. The only fly in the ointment was the two-tone bodywork that used unpainted grey plastic for the fenders and sills.
The new Audi allroad goes a long way toward refining the style of the allroad. It offers a large, luxurious interior and some of the most sought-after tech solutions of any car on the market.
The allroad was always a wagon for people who didn’t like following the normal SUV route. This continues with the latest model as it competes for consumer attention with Audi Q5 small SUV. Other thorns in its side include the GLK350 Mercedes-Benz and the BMW X3->BMW X3.
What the allroad delivers is a far more car-like experience paired with light off-road capability. Is this butch wagon enough to lure drivers away from boxy small SUVs?
Click past the jump for the full review of the 2013 Audi allroad including details on ordering a fully painted model with no grey plastic cladding.
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Fiat is further expanding the 500 lineup on the U.S. market with a new 500L version - more than one year after the car’s official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
With the new 500L, customers will enjoy the same performance figures offered by a 2013 500, but thanks to a total length increased by 27.7 inches, the 500L offers 42-percent more interior room.
The model adds two more doors and, thanks to its increased height and width, it will offer the best-in-class interior volume of 120.1 cubic-feet. Everything else remains pretty much identical to any other 500 model, but an extra segment-exclusive glass A- to D-pillars will provide nearly 360-degree panoramic views.
Fiat adds in the all-new Uconnect 5.0 and 6.5 touchscreen systems.
The 500L will be offered in four trim levels: Pop, Easy, Trekking and Lounge and will be priced from $19,100.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Fiat 500L.
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BMW has been twiddling around with the BMW X4 since 2008 when the idea of a sportier version of the X3 was looking like a profitable venture. Back then, the German automaker was calling it a Sport Activity Sedan (SAS) and had thought they might be able to crank it out in 2010. Obviously that didn’t pan out, but plans for the X6’s smaller brother are still in the works, with a possible debut in 2013.
As you can see from the leaked prototype image provided above, the BMW X4 will get many of its exterior components from the X3, including the use of the X3’s platform. Rumors suggest that the future vehicle will be produced at the company’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, which would be fitting considering the passion we, as Americans, have for SUVs.
Do we need another sporty off-roader to cram into our parking spaces and guzzle up more gas? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that the future BMW X4 won’t zoom right out of dealerships when it finally goes on sale.
UPDATE 04/05/2013: BMW has officially lifted the veil from the X4 Concept to confirm that the leaked concept images are, in fact, a reality. Also released were three videos of the new X4 concept (above). BMW went rather deep into the design of the X4 Concept, but left any details regarding the drivetrain out. See the details after the jump and you can find the images in the gallery.
UPDATE 04/17/2013: BMW has dropped a set of new images for the X4 Concept car. Find them in the picture gallery!
UPDATE 06/14/2013: The folks over at BMW Blog were at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany, and caught the real-life X4 concept sitting on the floor. So they did what any auto-loving bloggers would do: snap tons of images and put them online. The new images are after the jump and more in the Gallery.
Hit the jump to get details for the BMW X4.
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Remember when Porsche released the Cayenne? Remember all the people in their Porsche owners club shirts sitting around and telling you about how this new SUV was a disgrace to the Porsche logo and that all the company should design and produce are 911 variants?
While they might have had a point, the Cayenne sold like bottled water and like this water in plastic, it’s completely pointless. People don’t need this much power from something that will be used to haul around families. Yet, it became the automaker’s best-selling model, despite its looks.
Now, to put owner’s club folks in the mental home, Porsche has created a smaller SUV that it has dubbed the Macan, which was originally named “Cajun.” This puppy is intended for people who find the Cayenne to be a bit too large and fancy something a bit more crossover like.
Porsche officially confirmed the small SUV in a statement detailing its hopes for the vehicle: "Under the working name "Cajun," this efficient and sporty model will further expand the world’s most successful Porsche segment in the SUV sector. In addition to the new Cayenne, which has clearly consolidated its market position as the most successful sporty SUV in the premium segment, the "Cajun" will also have a very positive impact with its typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility. As an attractive entry model in the Porsche world, the "Cajun" will attract new and even younger customers to the premium brand along with the Boxster, the market leader in the segment of two-seater, mid-size sports cars."
Update 5/30/2013: Reports have revealed the unveil date and the rough release date of the 2015 Macan. See more after the jump.
More details on the Porsche Macan after the jump.
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Back in December of last year, Nissan unveiled a unique one-off Juke crossover, adorned in everything and anything Batman. Or in this particular case, the Dark Knight Rises.
At that time, nobody had any idea what Nissan had planned for the one-off Juke, only saying that it would be a prize in some competition "down the road.”
Well, that "down the road" has come and passed, and the one-off Batman-inspired Juke Nismo has found a lucky new owner. His name is Adam Williams, a self-confessed action film fan and local baker from Wales.
After winning Nissan’s Thrill Test, Williams’ prize was unlike any other: this one-off Juke that features a host of Batman-inspired details making it the envy of every movie fan and car buff.
Williams took delivery of the one-off Batman Juke in front of Carmarthen Castle and to no one’s surprise, the man was thrilled to be the proud owner of a truly unique showpiece vehicle.
"I can’t believe I’ve won this fantastic car - it was the biggest surprise of my life and I was so excited to take delivery of it," Williams said. "I’ll certainly turn a few heads driving around Carmarthen - it’s great to think I’m the only person in the world with my very own version of the Batmobile!"
Click past the jump to read about the Nissan Juke Nismo Dark Knight Rises
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If you believed the 2011 Etherea concept unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show was just a design exercise, you are about to be proven wrong. It looks like the concept was just a preview for a new crossover set to be launched in the next two years.
Talking about the future model, Infiniti boss Andy Palmer said it will be placed between "the Audi A3 and Audi Q3" and that this will be made possible by a new three-way adjustable ride height system.
The new crossover will follow Infiniti’s new naming strategy and it is believed to be called Q30. The model will follow in the footsteps of the Qashqai and Juke crossovers in terms of entering into established segments with new models. Palmer made it quite clear that despite the similarities, the Q30 won’t be "a copy of the Nissan Qashqai, but a car that can span established brackets within the market."
The model will differentiate itself with a unique styling and, of course, a more luxurious styling.
Updated 05/16/2013: Today we have created a rendering for the upcoming Infinti Q30. Click past the jump to see how it differs from the Etherea concept.
Click past the jump to read more about the Infiniti Etherea concept.
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The Qoros 3 made its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show. The sedan is a Chinese car that looks to crack the western market.
The new Qoros automotive brand is looking to go International with their cars. Chinese cars do not have a great sales history in Europe or the United States, but the new brand is trying to change all of that.
The first car that will be available for sale is the Qoros 3 Sedan. The compact sedan was designed with marketing to China and Europe in mind. Unlike other cars to have come out of China that have a reputation of being knockoffs, the new car has styling all its own. Beyond what looks like good styling, the company is promising to build a quality car. If the quality can match the styling of the car then Qoros could do for the Chinese car market what Honda did for the Japanese market.
Beyond the compact sedan that is close to production, a 3 hybrid hatchback concept was also presented in Shanghai. A 3 Estate concept was also unveiled at the show, which showed the direction that the young company wants to take their cars.
Hit the jump to read more details about the Qoros 3.
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Sister companies Honda and Acura promised to present to distinctly different concept vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show.
For its part, Honda delivered on that promise with the angry-looking 2013 Concept M MPV. Meanwhile, Acura unveiled its own concept, the SUV-X, and just like Honda’s Concept M, this one should have a future production model.
And by future, we mean “right now.”
The concept itself was designed to highlight the Japanese automaker’s emotional and sharp styling with driving performance, all while adhering to an environmental approach. The result is the SUV-X Concept, which combines all of that and wraps them all up in a body that looks downright stunning.
Acura has never had a reputation for building cars with cutting edge designs. But its recent offerings like the new 2013 NSX Concept and this one does paint a clear picture that the Japanese automaker is entering a new phase in its design philosophy.
Hopefully, the SUV-X Concept is one of the first in a long line of future models that adheres to this new edginess.
Click past the jump to read more about the Acura SUV-X Concept
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German automaker, Volkswagen, is pretty serious about rolling out its CrossBlue lineup. Before it does so with production models, though, the automaker is testing waters with concept versions.
We saw the CrossBlue Concept earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, and now, Volkswagen is taking to the Shanghai Auto Show to present its latest concept, the CrossBlue Coupe Concept.
This new concept is certainly just as stunning as the first CrossBlue Concept. And the release of a second variant of the CrossBlue model really shows just how serious VW is about offering green options that are still fun to drive. But its production outlook seems bleak, for now.
Volkswagen impressed us with the CrossBlue Concept back in January. We’re hitching our wagons in believing that the German automaker can do it again in Shanghai.
Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe Concept
UPDATE: This review has been updated with official images and details on the CrossBlue Coupe Concept.
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BMW recently revealed subtle updates to keep the BMW X6 M competitive in the face of stiff competition across the super performance SUV segment. Since the X6 M’s 2010 launch, the competing Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG are either all new or significantly enhanced to better neutralize the BMW threat.
The X6 M follows the successful mechanical template from the X5 M but enhances its appearance with a fastback coupe profile and a trimmed window line. The stylish X6 M stands out in the BMW showroom when compared with the bread-and-butter models like the 3 Series and 1 Series.
The appeal for these buyers comes from the inherent impracticality of the design’s chopped roof versus the practical X5. It separates the X6 M as a car bought by people for who all-weather performance is king of kings. The X6 M has been a runaway sales success for BMW among these niche audiences – to the point where non-M X6s are the rarity.
Can the X6 M cut with the best competitors four years after its launch? Please follow the jump for details on the 2013 facelift, the mechanical and performance specs, and an image gallery of the new X6 M in action.
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