While Chevrolet is still setting the stage for the future of battery powered vehicles with the Volt, the Japanese automaker Nissan has been perfecting the art of the electric car for over 60 years now and their all new LEAF BEV is just about ready to roll off the assembly line in order to become the first mass market affordable electric car. As part of the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour, the hamburger brand brought their Aqua globe show car from Detroit all the way down to Orlando where we got a chance to get up close and personal with it and a ride behind the wheel of the user friendly test mule that features all of the parts that make it work. Nissan has been investing heavily in the advancement of lithium ion technology ever since they teamed up with NEC to produce revolutionary hybrid battery packs that produce nearly twice the energy density compared to traditional units which mean they will last longer with a much more potent charge that have powered everything from fictional animatronics dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to texting teenager’s cell phones in Japan’s Shibuya district.
The LEAF is about as green as a new car can get, not only does it lack a tailpipe to emit harmful emissions, but the seats were made from recycled plastic bottles and even the tire supplier was chosen because of their diminutive carbon footprint. Despite being an electric car with a compact electric motor in place of an internal combustion engine under the hood, Nissan has chosen to keep with the traditional two box layout, albeit quite curvaceous and a bit wide in the back. Nissan chosen to set the LEAF apart from the rest of the lineup with a variety of blue anodized emblems and Zero emissions logos. The LEAF offers room for five and lots of cargo thanks to the ultra low shelf in the trunk, and even fully loaded, the additional weight won’t compromise the LEAF’s range. Speaking of distances, Nissan expects that their new electric vehicle will be able to travel up to 100 miles between charges, more than enough for the average daily commute, and reach a 90 MPH top speed, making it more than adequate for highway use.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
The fifth generation Legacy has undergone a complete restyling for 2010 and our Azurite Blue Pearl 2.5 GT features a bold new design that features a larger one bar grill and a set of Subaru’s new hawk eye headlamps. On the outside, aside from the larger 18 inch wheels, the only thing that gives away the GT as a performance model is the functional hood scoop feeding fresh air across the turbocharged Legacy’s intercooler. The 2.5 GT wears the same bulging fenders as the rest of the lineup as well as their signature side skirts that jut out more than down, giving the Legacy a very wide and stable stance. The 2010 Legacy is a nod at the future of automobile design with its sweptback windshield and short trunk overhang that is more aerodynamic than the traditional three box shape.
Subaru considers their products to be premium automobiles, and it shows on the inside. Our Limited trim Legacy came with a very attractive leather wrapped steering wheel as well as supple seats and a dash adorned with sophisticated wood trim that carries over into the door cards. The 2010 Legacy has been completely redesigned in the interest of a roomier interior and the new car is the most spacious and luxurious Subaru sedan to date. Being the sportiest member of the Legacy lineup, the 2.5 GT is powered by a turbocharged version of Subaru’s 2.5 Liter flat four making 265 HP mated to a six speed manual gearbox and is good for a 0 to 60 MPH sprint of only 5.9 seconds.
Legacy fans will be glad to know that Subaru is taking the car road racing in the Japanese Super GT series as a GT300 race car competitor, and once you have a look at the flared four door, you will never look at the new Legacy the same way again. Starting a just under $30,000 our Limited model benefited from a $3,000 power moonroof and navigation system that brought our 2.5 GT’s asking price up to $34,146; not a bad price to pay for so much all wheel drive machine.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
Alfa Romeo – yeah, the same brand that’s celebrating its 100th year of existence – will be the “featured marquee” at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
And if the reports across the pond are indeed true, then Alfa Romeo will be using the Festival of Speed to highlight its new flagship sedan, the 2011 Giulietta.
It’s also worth noting that plans for the 2010 Festival of Speed will be preceded by an auto show type event where, in addition to Alfa Romeo, a host of other manufacturers are also scheduled to partake in.
With the attendances for auto shows declining faster than sales of the new Backstreet Boys album – in addition to the seemingly increasing number of these shows propping in the calendar - we can’t help but question the timing of the folks from Goodwood in bringing their own auto circus in town. But then again, we’re not the ones making the decisions so whatever they decide on is their prerogative.
Either way, what seems pretty certain is that the new Alfa Romeo Giullietta, a car that we’ve been waiting quite a while to debut, will indeed be in attendance at the Festival of Speed. If for nothing else, that reason alone should be enough for us to keep a close eye on new developments as to whether or not it will be joined by other car brands for what could be the Festival of Speed’s very first car show.
We already knew that the Volkswagen Eos was going to be getting GTI power, but now it looks like the people’s automaker could be upgrading the bubbly hard top convertible’s looks along the lines of the New Compact Coupe.
When VW introduced the Eos, named after the mythological Greek goddess of dawn and wind, back in 2006 the German design team was looking for a replacement for the fun loving Golf based drop top Cabrio. So when the new Eos first debuted as the Concept C it was given a friendly face filled with warm round features to continue what the former cabriolet had started. This rendering takes the unique retractable hard top Volkswagen in an all new aggressive direction inspired by the Compact Coupe and the sixth generation GTI.
When VW introduces a new convertible, it traditionally consists of a new front clip, from the front fenders forward, being grafted onto the existing model featuring updated lighting and a few new design cues. While this rendering follows the cost effective production convertible trend, it also adds a few touches from its luxury car cousins at Audi. So aside from the sleek LED headlamps framed by a pair of sharp points that continued the edges of the hood extending down on either side of the grill, larger openings in the front bumper and pronounced lip spoiler; this updated Eos incorporates the four ring automaker’s tornado line running along the car’s belt line as well as a set of slick triple spoke rollers.
Official details after the jump.
Full story
The Mercedes Benz GLK is the German automaker’s entry into the compact crossover segment and with its swept back two box body, the new CUV is clearly derived from the rugged G Wagen, offering the same bold features that made the mighty Geländewagen so popular, except in a much smaller package. We joked about how our Mars Red GLK 350 looks like a red hot roller skate with its optional oversized 20 inch alloys pushed to the far corners of its chassis, but the GLK is certainly nothing to laugh about. The GLK offers new car shoppers a luxurious option when looking to buy into this new segment. Despite its compact nature, our out of this world GLK has styling to spare and is a welcome addition to the Mercedes Benzlineup. The GLK’s size not only makes it easy to park, but also quite maneuverable in traffic and combined with the safety of 6 airbags, makes it a great choice for new car buyers.
The inside of our GLK 350 features an Almond/Black Leather interior along with the Full Leather Seating Package that, as the name suggests, includes cow hide derived upholstery and a leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel as well as elegant Burl Walnut trim to go along with the standard brushed aluminum pieces. The infotainment system is made up of a Harman/Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system that will play everything from MP3s being stored on an iPod to Sirius Satellite radio as well as a hard drive based navigation system and a 7 inch LCD screen to let the driver in on all that is going on.
The GLK 350 is powered by a 3.5 Liter V6 sending 268 HP straight to the rear wheels through a seven speed automatic transmission allows the GLK to accelerate smoothly and get an estimated 16 MPG in the city and as much as 22 MPG on the highway. This sporty red GLK is a more affordable alternative than the last one we saw, especially when you consider the $3,150 Premium Package that includes just about power everything at a savings of over $1,200 if purchased separately. Tack on a very reasonable $970 for the brushed roof rails and plus sized wheel and tires amongst a few other items, this $34,600 GLK added up to a nicely equipped $45,645 premium CUV.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
The American automaker Chrylser is accredited with the invention of the minivan back in the 1980s, however in an ever changing world of economy conscious consumers they are blazing a new trail with the more compact crossover utility vehicle offering the practicality of a wagon with the looks of an SUV and the ride of a car thanks to the crossover’s unibody underpinnings. The Dodge Journey is Chrysler’s latest addition to the CUV segment and our Deep Water Blue Pearl people mover came with all of the familiar features that define the crossover as well as a few unique touches that we think no soccer mom should go without.
After all that is what the Journey is all about, to provide consumers with practical transportation that can carry an entire extended family and all their stuff with a smaller footprint than the now frowned upon sport utility vehicle. For most CUV shoppers, third row seating is a must, and the Journey certainly delivers. Offering room for up to seven our bright blue crossover came complete with a host of high tech creature comforts like an infotainment system that brings everything from a large LCD navigation display to an in dash DVD player with SIRIUS Backseat TV, flip down 8 inch monitor and wireless headphones to ensure that mommy and daddy can enjoy the drive undisturbed as well as quite a few clever chilled storage compartments including a pair of in floor coolers.
The Dodge Journey clearly shares a resemblance to its minivan predecessors continuing the classic two box shape and crossbar grill but adds a bit of flair with a pair of headlamps that sweep back into the front fenders and a set of bulging arches at all four corners. Our Journey’s chrome clad wheels, measuring a rather large 19 inches in diameter, made the blue pear paint pop while the roof line tapered back creating a sort of tear drop effect making it look like a much more dynamic vehicle. Our car came with the optional 3.5 Liter V6 that pumps out 235 HP and gets and estimated 16 MPG around town and as much as 23 MPG on the highway. Starting off at $23,925 and our extremely well equipped Journey SXT is optioned all the way up to $33,375 and the fact that it has been awarded consecutive Top Safety Pick honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety makes the Journey an excellent choice for the family on the go.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
The Dodge Avenger is certainly a vehicle that makes you reevaluate the entry level car market. Starting out at $21,500 the four door mini Charger may seem like a good deal, however after checking enough option boxes to make it a V6 powered Official Passenger Car of NASCAR complete with navigation and a set of stylish 18 inch wheels just like our fully loaded 2009 Avenger SXT, the price creeps up pretty close to the $30,000 mark. The Dodge Avenger is the smallest sedan in the Chrysler lineup and because of that it carries a few styling cues from its larger four door brother, the bold faced Charger, with touches like a squared off front end and bulging fender flares and a solid looking rear end.
Covered in a beautiful coat of Deep Water Blue Pearl paint our Avenger SXT came equipped with stain resistant cloth seats and a 2.7 Liter six cylinder engine mated to a four speed automatic transmission that made 187 HP while returning an estimated 19 MPG around town and as much as 27 MPG on the highway. Heavily optioned with features like a power everything including a sunroof, Chrysler’s Uconnect GPS with Sirius satellite radio, remote start and a cup holder that can either cool or warm its contents depending on what you wish, not to mention the $740 destination charge; a well equipped Avenger like this one will set you back a total of $27,955. Quite a bit more then you would expect to pay for Dodge’s smallest offering.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
There is always one version of the factory built Porsche 911 that stands head and shoulders above the rest of its backwards engineered brethren. There are some fans of the Stuttgart based sports car manufacturer that prefer the acceleration and grip of a Porsche 911 Turbo which can make any driver look like Sir Walter Rohl; or the wild power of the rear wheel drive only GT2. However you will see seasoned racers behind the wheel of a high revving naturally aspirated Carrera wearing a very racy GT3 badge. This last version of the 911 offers true racetrack performance in a street car and it just got a much beefier RS iteration. In fact the new GT3 RS will take over homologation duties from the slightly lesser car. That is because Porsche has bumped up the displacement resulting in an extra 15 HP, the flat six now makes a Honda poking 118 HP per liter. If there is a reason why you don’t see turbo 911s in competition, this is it, and it can be yours starting at $133,750. That is before you look at the extensive list of options.
Porsche engineers have also adapted the Porsche Active Stability Management to work with the track day special RS and widened the car’s track underneath both in front and in back. The GT3 RS wears a set of 245 tires up front and 325 series (12 inches) tires in the back to get the 450 HP to the pavement, both are wrapped around a set of color matching 19 inch wheels. The RS is exclusively shifted via a six speed manual, in this case the gears have been shortened to work with the broader power curve to produce incredible acceleration.
The RS also features a set of high tech dynamic engine mounts that depending on driving conditions, change their stiffness enhancing the link between the engine and chassis under extreme circumstances. Even the battery has become a 21st century item. Replacing the standard unit with a lightweight lithium ion unit that sheds around 22 lbs from the 911’s curb weight. Speaking of lightweight materials, no high performance machine would be complete without a little of the black wavy stuff and the RS is no different. The rather large rear wing is made of carbon fiber while the uprights are made out of strengthened aluminum and the exhaust is made from exotic titanium.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
This metallic Palladium Silver 2010 E350 is the perfect example of what Mercedes Benz has to offer for their entry level mid size customer who doesn’t want to trade in all the fun stuff that comes with a luxury limousine for the shorter wheelbase. Starting at around $48,000 our E350 came equipped with a sensible power package along with every creature comfort and electronic safety amenity that the German engineers could pack in, this all new redesigned Mercedes E-Class features almost every luxury that Mercedes can offer for around $60,000. With options like KEYLESS GO and DISTRONIC PLUS with PRE-SAFE, Mercedes Benz is sure that new car owners will have more gadgets then they know what to do with and enough to never get bored.
The German automaker Mercedes Benz has given their full size luxury offering a complete makeover for the 2010 model year. Gone are the old E-Class’s round headlamps and oversized wraparound taillights, in their place the Mercedes Benz design team has come up with a set of stretched out illuminated elements both front and back that completely changes the visual appeal of the new car while remaining unmistakably an E-Class. At the same time Mercedes Benz’s marketing department has managed to slash almost $5,000 from the new car’s price tag compared to last year’s model.
Even though the E Class lineup has grown to include everything from coupes and convertibles all the way up to an AMG tuned powerhouse, this 2010 E350 with its 3.5 Liter V6 making 268 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque under the hood; all new light clusters, LED driving lights and stylish 17 inch split five spoke wheels on the outside as well as the supple Ash Leather wrapped massaging driver’s seat and Burl Walnut trim on the inside is the most well rounded of the bunch. Offering a practical four door five passenger layout with plenty of storage space in the trunk, our test car also benefits from being one of the most economical of the group consuming an estimated 18 MPG around town and as much as 26 MPG on the highway. While we might have asked Santa for an E63, this is the 2010 E Class that your mother will most likely be seen in.
Continued after the jump.
Full story
.
Given the modest price tag – only about $37,100 - and the diesel engine variant that the Euro only 118d coupe comes in, the competition of this car is slim pickings, to say the least. Other than Volkswagen’s very own 2.0 TDI Scirocco, you won’t find any other car out on the market that can combine the power, value, and prestige of a BMW 118d Coupe. The most important question to ask when you’re in the market for a car in the range of a BMW 1-Series is exactly how much value are you going to get for your buck?
First of all, you can’t disillusion yourself into thinking that the
118d packs the same power and speed as most of its higher-echelon
brethren. But that’s not to say that the car doesn’t come with the same high-level performance that is standard with BMW. For starters, the car’s 141hp rear wheel 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine played a key part in the 118d winning the World Green Car of the Year 2008 Award. There’s also a useful amount of torque to go around and while its 0-60mph time of 9 seconds is uncharacteristic of BMW, the car’s U.S.-converted 57.8 mpg, which Autocar measured in its test run, is right on the same plane as that of the Toyota Prius, which comes in at 60.3 mpg.
Although it may sound as nitpicking, one thing that we noticed
about the 118d’s engine was that it was louder than usual – a mild irritant that we’re sure will pass as soon as you get used to it. After all, for
this price tag, you’ll take all of the whips and whistles that come
along with it.
Full review after the jump.
Full story
.
Pages: 
Picture Gallery
Post a comment
RSS -
Webmaster free news |