2018 Mercedes-Benz GLB crossover

The Mercedes-Benz GLB is set to become the latest addition to the manufacturer’s SUV line-up after a test mule was spotted.

Mercedes is yet to officially confirm the model, but a production version is likely to sit above the GLA crossover and below the larger GLC SUV in terms of size.

The GLB, which is unlikely to launch before 2018, is a relation of the B-Class MPV, but is likely to sit on the same platform as the A-Class hatchback and GLA crossover.

This means front-wheel drive is likely to be standard on most models, with all-wheel drive an option on top-spec cars, while a similar engine line-up to the GLA is also expected.

The GLB would be a more spacious and practical SUV than the GLA, but would lie in quite a niche market with no direct premium rivals. Crossovers like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 are more natural rivals for the smaller, style-focused GLA, while the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 rival the GLC SUV.

Mercedes' SUV line-up already includes the G-Class, GLE and GLS alongside the GLA and GLC.

Source: autocar.co.uk

Read More

New Renault Megane; on sale now

Renault Megane 's all-new family hatch is available to order now with UK dealer deliveries this summer

Renault has finally revealed UK prices and specs of its new Megane five-door hatch. The Vauxhall Astra rival is available to order now from £16,600, with deliveries in July.

We drove the new Megane late last year, but Renault has waited until now to reveal market-specific pricing details. That £16,600 pricetag is slightly more than the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, but it nets you a more powerful 128bhp 1.2-litre TCe turbo petrol. That manages a 0-62mph time of 10.6 seconds and 52.3mpg combined.

Renault has also confirmed a 'Hybrid Assist' petrol-electric powertrain, as well as a more powerful 'dCi 165' diesel, will arrive in 2017. The Sport Tourer estate will go on sale later this year. 

Standard kit on base Expression models includes air-con, cruise control, Bluetooth, electric windows front and rear, LED daytime running lights, active city braking and alloy wheels. The 1.5 dCi 110 diesel costs £1,300 more than the petrol, but manages a a claimed 76.4mpg and emits 96g/km of CO2.

Step up to Dynamique Nav for an extra £1,500 (as most are expected to) and you get a seven-inch portrait touchscreen with sat-nav and an uprated sound system, rear parking sensors, climate control, auto lights and wipers, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.

Dynamique S Nav, starting from £19,100, adds 17-inch alloys and tinted glass, while Signature Nav brings 18-inch alloys, leather and full LED headlights. Both also receive a larger 8.7-inch touchscreen. GT-Line Nav builds on the same kit levels but adds styling details from GT spec.

The flagship GT Nav trim is £25,500, with a sportier exterior look and most of the options boxes ticked. Further engines include a 1.6-litre diesel engine with 128bhp (from £20,600) and a 1.6-litre THP turbo petrol with 202bhp. 

That's not set to be the fastest Megane for long, though - Renaultsport is reading a storming 300bhp, 4WD answer to the Honda Civic Type R for launch by 2018.

The curvy design of the Megane shares cues with the recently-revealed Talisman and Espace, but also falls in line with the latest Renault cars that are available in the UK like the new Kadjar crossover and popular Clio supermini. 

At the back, the rising waistline and slim rear windows meet the unusual rear lights that stretch across almost the full width of the rear of the car. Top-spec models will boast an LED light signature to top things off.

The new Megane is 25mm lower than the previous model, as well as being 47mm wider at the front and 39mm wider at the rear. It makes the car look much sportier and more purposeful than before, and should help it compete with design-focused competitors like the SEAT Leon and Audi A3. The wheelbase is 28mm longer, too, which will make the car more spacious for both front and rear passengers.

Lead designer Laurens Van Den Acker told Auto Express he wanted the new Megane to be “aspirational”, with the brand benchmarking its new family hatchback against high-quality rivals like the Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308.

“This is a serious segment”, Van Den Acker told us. “The new Megane should be seen as a D-segment sibling rather than the Clio’s brother.”

Renault has openly acknowledged that quality was one of the main criticisms of the current car, and will hope to build on the success of its Clio and Captur with its all-new family hatch.

Isabelle Marchand, director of perceived quality at Renault told us: “We wanted to place the new Megane at a very high level of quality. Quality starts at the beginning – it cannot be an afterthought.

“We started with the Clio and each model is a step-by-step progression. The Megane project has been on-going for more than three years.”

Source: autoexpress.co.uk

Read More

2016 Hyundai Genesis Sedan full details

In the early 1980s, the band Huyndai Genesis pulled off one of the most difficult feats in show business: turning a critically revered nerd-rock outfit with lukewarm U.S. sales into a multi-platinum-selling household name. By the end of the decade, the band’s place in pop culture was secured. In the automotive realm, Hyundai built its domestic following on the back of economical transportation devices—minus the critical acclaim—and is now hoping its excellent new Genesis sedan will find a ubiquitous place in the consciousness of luxury-sedan buyers.

Calibration Is Key

Introduced for the 2009 model year, the first-gen Genesis earned its share of fans, but its chassis lacked the chops to play with the best in the segment. And so, for the Genesis’s 2015 redesign, Hyundai brought in Lotus to put an invisible touch on a laundry list of bits that includes the anti-roll bars, dampers, springs, engine mounts, subframe bushings, and even the calibration of the electric power steering, which now utilizes a rack-mounted motor.

The results are tangible: Broken and pitted pavement that caused the previous car to go weak in the knees is handled adroitly, the independent front and rear suspension soaking up bumps and keeping even harsh impacts well isolated. The steering is nicely matched to this sedan’s luxury mission. Weighty, direct at 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, and devoid of twitchiness, it offers linear response and decent on-center feel. It does, however, lack the feedback we’d prefer in spirited maneuvering.

Fitted with 18-inch Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 245/45 all-season tires, our rear-wheel-drive test vehicle managed to pull 0.87 g on the skidpad, the same number achieved by the 2012 Genesis sedan R-Spec. Perhaps more telling are the comments of the test driver, who described the car’s behavior as “surprisingly neutral and composed.”

A large portion of Hyundai’s U.S.-market aspirations for the Genesis rest on the shoulders of the V-6 model. You can of course order the V-6 Genesis with all-wheel drive—and that’s what many Snow Belters will do—but the rear-drive car tested here is expected to deliver 55 to 60 percent of six-cylinder sales. Carried over from the 2014 Genesis, the V-6 loses 22 horsepower (now 311) and gains 2 lb-ft of torque (now 293 lb-ft) from last year, with Hyundai citing a greater focus on flat torque curves, improved low-end response, and overall drivability rather than spec-sheet racing. The company also is quick to point out that the car delivers its output with regular 87-octane fuel and that premium is not required.

We love the smooth, solid feel of the bottom-hinged accelerator; it’s hefty enough that you can tap out a tune on it while cruising without affecting vehicle speed, but the pedal is completely linear in operation when you apply real pressure. Speaking of matting it, our Genesis sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.4 at 100 mph—not too shabby for a 4230-pound sedan. (Those who need even more urgency can check out the rear-drive-only, 420-hp Genesis V-8.) The V-6 is a smooth operator and combines with the slick-shifting eight-speed automatic and quiet interior to make this Hyundai a great long-haul companion. EPA-rated at 18 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway, our combined mileage came in at 19 mpg, which isn’t surprising considering the amount of in-town action the Genesis saw while in our care.

Content Is King

Unusual for press vehicles, our Genesis V-6 arrived with no added-cost options, perhaps reflecting Hyundai’s confidence in its value proposition. The only line item on our $38,000 invoice was the $950 destination charge, so the as-tested MSRP was $38,950. But make no mistake, the Genesis isn’t a penalty box, as it includes a navigation system with an eight-inch screen, a backup camera, leather-trimmed seats (12-way power adjustable and heated in front), a leather-wrapped tilting and telescoping steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, proximity entry and start, auto headlamps, power outside mirrors with puddle lamps, Bluetooth connectivity, dual automatic climate control, and more.

The Genesis’s direct competition, such as it is, starts many thousands of dollars higher—before being fitted with much of the above equipment at extra cost. While value alone may not be enough to entice brand loyalists away from established cars like the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes-Benz E-class, Hyundai tellingly reports that the most in-demand model is the fully loaded V-6 Ultimate, which runs $49,950 and includes basically any luxury tchotchke you can think of. With the latest Genesis, mixing a tried-and-true value proposition with satisfying driving dynamics has paid off—no matter how you spec it.

Read More

Nissan preview

Nissan’s first Titan light-duty pickup was a solid truck when it debuted in 2003, with an annual sales peak of about 87,000 units and a respectable second-place finish in a five-truck comparison test in 2007. But it was left to languish relatively unchanged, and today it’s a dinosaur compared with the ever-evolving stalwarts of the segment, such as the new aluminum-bodied Ford F-150. That vast disparity shrinks considerably at this year’s Detroit auto show, though, with Nissan unveiling the first of its all-new 2016 Titan light-duty pickups.

Better Late Than Never

The second-gen Titan’s gestation has been lengthy. It was originally supposed to debut a few years ago as a rebadged Ram 1500 in a failed tie-up with pre-Fiat Chrysler, but the cancellation of that program sent Nissan back to the drawing board. It eventually engineered the new truck both in house and in the U.S., with the big draw being a deal with Cummins to utilize its new 5.0-liter V-8 turbo-diesel—an all-new configuration for the light-duty segment that Nissan will exploit in pitching its truck against the big sellers from the Detroit Three.

To that end, the 2016 Titan at first will be available only in extrastrength XD guise when it goes on sale later this year, with the Cummins V-8 diesel being the sole engine offering. Nissan will roll out additional gasoline V-8 and V-6 options soon after the XD’s late-summer launch, as well as a conventional, lighter-duty version, but details on those haven’t been released yet. The diesel will be paired with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission and will be exclusive to the XD model, which features a stronger, fully boxed frame and sturdier underpinnings than the lesser Titan. The XD will debut as a four-door crew cab with a 151.6-inch wheelbase, a 6.5-foot cargo bed, and either two- or four-wheel drive. All new Titans share some front-end componentry with Nissan’s NV-series of full-size vans.

With the XD, Nissan is targeting those in pickup limbo, which is to say those buyers for whom a monstrous heavy-duty rig is too much truck but a standard light-duty pickup is not quite enough. Nissan believes that up to 150,000 buyers per year find themselves in that position. Indeed, with a payload rating in excess of 2000 and max towing of 12,000 pounds, as well as a gross-vehicle-weight rating greater than 8500 pounds—which technically makes it a heavy-duty trucki—the Titan XD fits the bill as a tweener. Call it a light-duty-plus pickup.

The Guts

Despite its unusual positioning, the 2016 Titan XD otherwise is relatively conventional, with an all-steel body, a coil-sprung independent front suspension, and a solid rear axle supported by leaf springs. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 20 inches, the four-wheel disc brakes measure at least 14 inches across, and an optional electronic-locking rear differential will be available for off-road excursions. Surprisingly, however, there’s no automatic four-wheel-drive setting for the transfer case, a handy feature that many light-duty trucks have had for years.The Titan XD is as large as other pickups, measuring up to 78.7 inches tall, 80.6 inches wide, and 242.9 inches long. Eventually, there will be three bed lengths to go with the standard, extended, and crew cabs. Given the truck’s steel construction and heavy, diesel engine, curb weights should be about three tons for a crew-cab four-by-four.

While the Cummins diesel’s 310 horsepower at 3200 rpm is weak compared with a modern gas V-8’s output, its 555 lb-ft of torque at 1600 revs positively shames every other light-duty truck engine on the market. Along with the requisite direct fuel injection and urea-injection exhaust after-treatment, the diesel also features a compacted-graphite-iron block, aluminum heads, dual overhead camshafts, and Cummins’s new M2 two-stage turbocharger system for combating turbo lag. EPA ratings have yet to be determined, but expect relatively frugal fuel economy similar to the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s (22 to 23 mpg combined), as well as stout straight-line performance.

Read More

2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Coupe review

The weather gods of Northern California cooperated by hurling rain at our Porsche 911 Carrera 4S during a 250-mile drive through the Mendocino National Forest up to the region of misty mountains and storm-lashed shoals known tantalizingly as the Lost Coast. What better challenge could you wish for when first encountering the latest all-wheel-drive Porsche 911 than to soak down the few undulating asphalt lanes that crisscross this wooded, moss-draped landscape? (This is a rhetorical question; don’t answer.)

As has been well documented here, Porsche is rebooting the base 911 Carrera and Targa line with turbocharged engines for 10 models (for now). We’re told that when this news was announced last year, it sparked a run on the former, naturally aspirated 911s. Granted, the new engine has a plastic intake and oil sump, so all that is good and right in the world seems to be ending. But plastic is lighter than aluminum, and its durability was proven by getting a factory forklift driver to repeatedly drop the fully assembled and dressed engine onto concrete from a height of about seven feet. Really—we saw video of it.

Having driven many versions of the new turbo car, including now this C4S, we think the fever to grab a free-breather before they were gone, while understandable, was misplaced. The 991.2-generation, as Porsche is calling the repowered version, is definitely better, more usable and flexible in a bunch of small ways, and lacks none of the spirit of the 991.1.

A new 3.0-liter flat-six fitted with intercooled snails does the motivating, and the base Carrera’s output of 370 horsepower rises to 420 in the S models, or 20 more than in the previous S versions, despite losing 0.8 liter of displacement. The 4S with the PDK automatic transmission like the one we drove sees EPA fuel-economy ratings increase from 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway to 21/28 mpg. Which is a good thing for Porsche’s ability to meet regulatory standards, but it’s unlikely to matter to most customers who can afford a C4S.

Precious few 911s list for less than six-figure prices these days—in fact, just two, the base coupe at $90,450 and the base Carrera 4 coupe at $97,350—but we’re told that the typical 911 buyer spends between $15,000 and $19,000 on options. So be sure to leave room on your personal check for extra zeros.

To go from Carrera to Carrera S costs $14,000, and from Carrera S to 4S costs another $6900. This car is not a cheap pleasure but a handsome reward for a life lived rather profitably. A life which Porsche itself is definitely living, to the great envy of other carmakers, with line items such as this S trim in which the extra coin buys, basically, a larger turbo compressor, some software, and a few interior and exterior goodies. If it costs Porsche more than a grand to install the S option, we’ll eat our free Porsche hats. The all-wheel-drive system, at least, involves significant hardware and engineering relative to the more modest price increase.

But that’s between Porsche and its buyers. Our $138,560 Carrera 4S in Graphite Blue Metallic ($710), with a leather interior in Graphite Blue and Chalk ($4280), included a $6810 Sport package with the new rear-axle steering system, a more vocal exhaust, and the smaller GT steering wheel. It also had the PDK dual-clutch automatic ($3200) in place of the standard seven-speed manual, the hella-big Premium Plus package ($3970), and the front-axle lift system ($2590) among the 12 line-item options on its window sticker. You see how it goes with the extras, and this example likely is representative of how a customer would order a Carrera 4S.

Equipped for Year-Round Daily Duty

The maturing of the Carrera from ultimate 1960s compact sports machine into supreme luxury GT was already well underway before across-the-board turbos came along. But that said, the amazing thing about the 911 is how well it adapts to different roles, from the track-attacker GT3 RS (as yet, still non-turbo) to this Carrera 4S, which is about as luxurious as they come. The 4S is an all-weather torpedo for crossing borders and time zones in swift, sure-footed comfort. To Porsche’s credit, it has not sold its all-wheel-drive system as a performance upgrade but more as a capability enhancer. The engineers at Weissach are too honest to hide the fact that, unless the torque split is heavily rear biased, all-wheel drive—which increases curb weight—tends to heighten understeer at the limit. The sales pitch hasn’t changed except that, now, given launch control and the traction of all four wheels, Porsche modestly suggests that a 4S may be a tiny smidge quicker to 60 mph than an S. It quotes 4S acceleration figures ranging from 3.6 seconds for a PDK with launch control to 4.0 seconds for a manual.

Read More

2015 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost 4x4 review

We were skeptics of Ford’s aluminum-truck-bed-and-body gambit, but in a February-issue comparison test, a $60,000-plus Ford F-150 SuperCrew with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 dispatched the mostly steel four-door competition from Chevrolet, Ram, and Toyota. But there’s a new, even smaller engine on the F-150’s order sheet, a 2.7-liter V-6. How, we wondered, would it fare under the hood of the mostly nonferrous Ford?

Positioned in price between the base 282-hp V-6 and the 385-hp 5.0-liter V-8, the iron-and-aluminum-block 2.7 makes 325 horsepower with the help of two turbos. The $795 upcharge for it over the naturally aspirated base six costs less than the F-150’s optional sunroof ($995). A V-8 runs $1595, and the top-hole 3.5-liter turbo V-6 is $1995.

The 2.7 hustles this truck to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.3. That’s 0.1 second slower to 60 and 0.1 second quicker in the quarter than the 365-hp 3.5-liter turbo V-6 that won the comparo. Consider it money well spent if you’re into holeshots, in the SuperCab at least.

At 4874 pounds, this model is more than 700 pounds lighter than that crew cab we keep referring to. We haven’t tested an extended-cab half-ton truck in a while, but we have tested the sub-half-ton Chevrolet Colorado. In crew-cab form, the 305-hp Colo­rado is more than 300 pounds lighter and 1.2 seconds slower in the quarter-mile.

The lack of full rear doors reminded us why the larger trucks have become so popular: We had to move the passenger seat up to comfortably fit an adult in the back seat. It’s not as tight as we remember extended cabs to be, but still no comparison to the limolike splendor of having four real doors.

Taking mass out of any truck while maintaining its payload capacity poses a challenge for chassis engineers. This F-150 carries up to 1626 pounds of people and stuff, which represents a 36-percent increase in mass over its unladen self. The rated payload capacity is 1740 pounds, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6500 pounds. With such a large loaded-to-unloaded ratio, we expected the ride to be compromised, but it isn’t. Potholes and speed bumps induce no head toss, and the steering is uncharacteristically accurate for a truck. In fact, all of this F-150’s on-road behavior is carlike by truck standards.

Unfortunately, the 2.7 EcoBoost’s EPA fuel-economy ratings of 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway don’t translate to the real world. We averaged 16 mpg over more than 1000 miles of mixed winter driving, and we didn’t load the bed with car parts, tow a trailer, or disable the overly aggressive stop-start engine function.

We love this F-150’s carlike demeanor and performance. But despite being quick off the line, the V-6s don’t sound or feel like truck engines, and that’s something we miss. For about $43,000, or the cost of this F-150, one could get a similarly equipped V-8 from Chevy or Ram. Show us someone who isn’t a sucker for a V-8 and we’ll show you a very nontraditional truck buyer.

Source: caranddriver.com

Read More

2016 Triumph Bonneville T120 Black – Review

Use the torque, and settle your speed cravings for the maximum T120 Black experience.

In 1966, seven years after the Triumph Bonneville’s debut, a gleaming, purpose-built speed machine sat on the cover of Cycle World’s 4th-anniversary issue. At the time, the revised Triumph Bonneville T120/R was ready to continue its reign over British superbikes. Back then, the 120 stood for its top speed–a similar move in today’s world would send mothers into a conniption fit before they got their complaint tweets off to @TriumphAmerica. Nearly 50 years to the exact month, I’m staring at a 2016 Triumph T120 Black, but the 120 stands for something a little different. Namely, a change in displacement and demeanor.

Turn-in and mid-corner response are significantly crisper than the outgoing model.

Like in 1966, the Bonneville family is of great importance to the brand’s sales. Fifteen years after the Bonneville’s return in 2001, over 141,000 have been registered worldwide. Then as now, the United States has been a top market for Bonnies. And in 2016, looking down the barrel of new emission regulations and after getting a bit long in the tooth, the Bonneville must evolve once again. This time, it took significantly more effort than just putting the oil in the frame, like back in ’66.

Radiators–their aesthetic penalty confronts every bike that wants to continue living in “the glory days.” Like nicotine patches affixed to grumbling smokers on an airplane, in general, the evolution has not been kind to appearances or emotions. The Bonneville is only the latest to accept its water-jacketed fate with Euro 4 regulations on the way; Triumph has accepted the reality with aplomb.

Only in these types of shots do you see the radiator. In person, it’s easy to miss.

Extreme care has been taken to hide and minimize the visual impact of this march of technological necessity, especially on the T120R. Why? Because, it is the most obliquely retro of the Bonneville models. To have a cowcatcher radiator hanging off the front would spoil the show. Triumph aims to deliver unique experiences with each Bonneville variant, and for the T120, this means as “classic” looking as possible. Here, like the T100 that came before it, wire wheels, peashooter exhausts, and a comfortable seat take the experience way back to the 1960s.

Same Old Song and Dance, but Different

Wobbling out onto the cobblestones on a crisp Portuguese morning, head full of jet lag and eyes full of fog, you must look twice to recognize the T120 as a new model.

The plump, round tank is right where it should be, and the headlight is just as round as it was before (but now sports LED daytime running lights). Yup, it’s a Bonneville–although looking a bit more swollen than before. A bit of botox on an older face, but the T120 looks as stately and elegant as ever.

Retro down to the very last detail.

In fact, there’s even more emphasis placed on taking cues from the 1959 T120/R to make the 2017 model look exquisitely quaint. The regular T120 features all the classic Triumph signatures such as chrome peashooters, rich and deep color hues, rubber tank pads whose shapes have been lifted from the old model. But on the T120 Black we sampled, the chrome parts are slathered in black.

Fit and finish is superb, even the gauges have a nicer look.

There is also significantly more detailing and finishing work. Subtle things like the recessed gauges, the finishing on the engine, the more “authentic” fake carbs that house the dual injectors, make for a higher-caliber, higher-quality look and feel. It’s a more elegant machine than the T100 it replaces, thoroughly mixing old and new into a package that feels fresh instead of staid.

And it took an engineering army to get the styling this way. The catalytic converter is hidden under the bike, the evaporative emission catch can is cleverly tucked away, and the radiator is one of the tiniest we’ve ever seen. Nestled between the frame rails, it is sprayed the darkest black in Satan’s closet to keep it hidden from view. Even the hoses are minimized and placed closer to the backbone frame instead of hanging out in the open.

New watercooled unit is in its "High Torque" guise in the T120/T120 Black.

More Motor, More Shove

So its appearance ticks all the right boxes, but the star of the show is Triumph’s all-new engine. Displacement is now up to 1200cc (from 865). Triumph is adamant, though, that the cooling fins on the engine are actually functional. Usable torque, not top speed, is the focus, a flip flop from its 1966 predecessor. Triumph calls it the, er, “High-Torque” version, and it produces 77 pound-feet of peak twist, 54-percent more than the T100. Peak horsepower is up to 79, 18-percent more than the outgoing model, but more power is available across the entire rev range. Fuel economy has also been massively improved to a claimed 49.5 mpg average.

Additionally, Triumph engineered solutions to make the engine the same physical size of the old unit. One step was the torque assist clutch, which not only makes pull easier, but means the flywheel can be smaller, slimming the transmission significantly, even with the extra sixth gear. A lot of work was done to keep proportions and appearance in check, but the T120’s dry weight has increased by around 23 pounds to 494.

So it’s heavier and has more tech, but how does it ride?

Wafting comes to mind. This is a more subdued, more elegant riding demeanor than the old T100. The chassis is significantly stiffer, the rake is steepened by 2.5 degrees to 25.5, but it is not a motorcycle that likes to be hurried or shunted. It likes to glide, and feels more surefooted than ever before.

Source: cycleworld.com

Read More

Ferrari 488GTB review

With its twin-turbo 3.9-liter V-8 located behind you, you’ll enjoy its sonorous wail, and ferocious acceleration, all the way to 8000 rpm, where it makes 661 hp. A dual-clutch seven-speed is the sole transmission; we estimate a 0–60 time of 3.0 seconds. Ferrari’s revised adaptive suspension provides a relatively compliant ride without sacrificing handling. For those who really want to hear that V-8 sing, the Spider offers a retractable hardtop that raises or lowers at speeds up to 25 mph.

It’s hard to maintain journalistic perspective on the launch of any new Ferrari, especially one that’s held at a luxury wine resort on the side of a mountain in Emilia Romagna, surrounded by the sort of scenery that causes the Italians to put “issimo” at the end of superlatives. Hell, we can even forgive the company’s controversial decision not to serve cocktails until after the press conference, meaning we had to listen to the rundown while entirely sober. It’s a tough job, but we bet you’re glad we’re here to do it.

Having our full attention provided Ferrari the chance to tell us plenty about the new 488 Spider and its turbocharged engine. The presentation covered pretty much everything, being detailed enough to include a slide entitled “How the Ediff3 with SSC and F-trac deals with the demands of power-on torque distribution.” If we tried to summarize the whole thing, we would probably bust our monthly allocation of pixels. But we don’t really need to, as pretty much everything bar the Spider’s roof is identical to the 488GTB we drove back in June.

It was fascinating nonetheless, especially when the talk turned to the strange business of marketing open-topped Ferraris. Maranello is on first-name terms with pretty much its entire customer base, and officials told us, with commendable exactness, that we can expect just over half of U.S.-bound 488s to be Spiders (the number for the 458 was 53 percent). While you’ll be unsurprised to learn that 60 percent of buyers have already owned at least one Ferrari, the revelation is that 90 percent of them will be what Ferrari terms “Spider-only” customers, unwilling to even consider a supercar with a fixed roof. There are, it transpires, two very different tribes of 488 owners. GTB buyers want to drive their car solo and are far more likely to take them on track, while Spider purchasers usually drive with the roof down and a partner in the passenger seat. They are, we were told, “open-car hedonists looking for driving emotions.” We’ll leave the mental image of that one up to you, but we’d be surprised if it didn’t include gold jewelry.

A Dichotomous Customer Base

This brings the paradox. Because while the 488’s customer base is seemingly split between these hard-driving Alpha males and leathery debauchees, there’s only really a single car, one that now has the option of a neat folding hardtop. It’s not long since buying an open-topped Ferrari meant making significant sacrifices beyond merely the increased risks of acquiring skin cancer and a much younger wife. Spiders were the dynamic inferiors to their metal-roofed sisters, trading the opportunity to work on your tan and to better appreciate their wailing soundtracks for less performance, less precision, and a noticeable reduction in structural rigidity.

Read More

2017 Porsche 960: A 600-plus-hp, Mid-Engined Bridge

WHAT IT IS: A mid-engined supercar positioned between the 911 Turbo megacar and the 918 hybrid hypercar. The Porsche 960 conceptually and stylistically resembles a slightly bigger and far more powerful Cayman, but with an extra zero added to the price. 

WHY IT MATTERS: Porsche is weak in the world of supercars. The 911 Turbo and GT3, while extremely capable, are limited by their theoretically inferior rear-engine design (hey, don't shoot the messenger). And the 918, which fixes that problem, may put off purists—at least, those not scared off by an expected price tag close to $850,000—with its Mr. Fusion hybrid powertrain. 

PLATFORM: The aluminum-and-composite-intensive 960 will be based on Porsche's new, modular sport architecture (Modularer Sportbaukasten), which can be tailored for mid- or rear-engine applications. 

POWERTRAIN: The hamster running in the wheel will most likely be a horizontally opposed eight-cylinder engine, although an aggressively boosted flat-six is not out of the question. Power will be well north of 600 horses, and all-wheel drive should be standard. 

COMPETITION: Mid-engined supercars such as the Audi R8, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, and McLaren 12C. 

WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG: A Porsche is tagged, perhaps unfairly, as a lawyer's car—very sporty but also somewhat sensible everyday wheels. Can the brand still breathe the thin air where exotics live? This car could be an expensive way to learn that it can't, and it also may diminish the 918's appeal. 

Read More

2016 Mazda CX-3 AWD review

The CX-3 is a fun and feisty runabout with a can-do attitude, offering taut handling paired with edgy styling. A 146-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic with front-wheel drive provide the zoom-zoom; all-wheel drive is optional. The CX-3 relies on its sport-tuned suspension and creative weight-saving measures to maintain Mazda’s unique brand of driving pleasure. The cabin is equally well designed, featuring high-quality materials and modern driving aids.

Deputy editor Dan Pund gazed out from his cubicle into the Car and Driver parking lot, considered the 2016 Mazda CX-3 for a moment, and declared, “It’s just a Pontiac Vibe.”

He was making an observation, not hurling an insult. If we weren’t living in the age of the crossover, we—you, me, and the entire driving public—would call the CX-3 a car. The most striking difference between this so-called crossover and the Mazda 3 hatchback is the gray plastic cladding that traces the body’s bottom edge.

Pund’s remark points out a larger truth, as well: As crossovers shrink to these subcompact proportions, they become less SUV-like and more closely resemble cars. From our perspective—where we appreciate a low center of gravity and the commensurate benefit to handling—that isn’t a bad thing.

In fact, the CX-3 is a very, very good thing. Mazda’s mini-ute drives like a Pontiac Vibe in the same way that a Ferrari drives like a Fiat. The CX-3 steers with precision, corners with aplomb, and scoots down the road with a verve that is almost universally absent among crossovers. Toggle the Sport mode and the quick-shifting automatic transmission takes on Porsche-esque logic, downshifting as you brake for an upcoming corner. Without question, Mazda has built the driver’s car—er, crossover—in this burgeoning segment.

The CX-3’s 8.1-second amble to 60 mph qualifies as quick, but only because vehicles in this class often run in the nines and occasionally flirt with the 10-second mark. Credit for its fleetness goes to the svelte 2932-pound curb weight as much as the 146-hp engine. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder needs revs to make its power, but it grinds toward its 6800-rpm redline with noisy protest.

The humble 16-inch wheels and pedestrian tires on our mid-level Touring model produced modest performance figures at the track. The CX-3 circled the skidpad at 0.81 g with the undefeatable stability control nipping at the brakes, then posted a ho-hum 70-to-zero-mph stopping distance of 181 feet. In typical Mazda tradition, though, what the CX-3 sacrifices in cold, hard numbers it more than makes up for in driving character.

Read More

2015 Kia K900 OVERVIEW

Modern and Elegant, the K900 Signals a New Era for Kia and Advances the Brand to New Levels of Sophistication

Highly intuitive and advanced technology combine with superb craftsmanship and materials to boldly announce Kia’s presence in the rear-drive premium-luxury sedan segment

V8 flagship features 420 horsepower1

New Premium trim further extends appeal of K900 with unsurpassed levels of standard equipment

IRVINE, Calif., January 7, 2015 – The 2015 K900 challenges the rear-drive luxury sedan segment with an extensive list of standard equipment, world-class accommodations, premium driving dynamics and stunning design that redefines consumer perception and expectations of the Kia brand.

“Kia celebrated its 20th anniversary in the U.S. market last year, and the K900 is a symbol of how far the brand has come and a bold example of the challenger spirit that has benefitted Kia over two decades of growth and maturation,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing, KMA.  “Kia’s rise, especially our massive growth over the last six years, has been fueled by a willingness to challenge the status quo with vehicles such as the Optima SXL, Sorento SXL and Cadenza premium sedan.  As the K900 enters its second year in-market, it will continue to offer a unique alternative to the full-size rear-drive luxury sedan segment.”

Offered in two variations, Premium and Luxury, the K900’s list of standard equipment features first-class accommodations and advanced technology.  The range-topping VIP+ package adds luxury amenities including quilted Nappa leather trim seats available in two new colors: Indigo Blue and Tuscan Brown.  For 2015, the K900 Premium features an optional interior Highline Package that includes beige or black Nappa leather and wood-trimmed heated steering wheel.

The K900 comes with a three-year, 37,500-mile complimentary scheduled maintenance program at participating Kia dealerships. Covering the first five service visits, the complimentary scheduled maintenance program is available to customers who either purchase or lease a new K900 and complete the maintenance work for their vehicle at exclusive K900 retailers. As an added benefit, K900 customers may enjoy the use of a Cadenza or K900 loan vehicle during their service visit2.  The no-cost scheduled maintenance program, which excludes wear-and-tear items such as tires and brakes, complements Kia’s industry leading 10-year/100,000 mile new-car warranty and Roadside Assistance program3.

Elegant Exterior Design

The first glance of the Kia K900 is designed to leave an indelible impression.  The long 119.9-inch wheelbase and wide 63.8-inch front and 64.1-inch rear track of the K900 translate to considerable road presence.  In profile, the swept rake of the greenhouse, subdued cut lines along the doors and high rear deck lid lend a muscular tension to the sheet metal.  The K900 standard 19-inch multi-spoke wheels are shod with 245/45R-19 tires up front and 275/40R-19 tires at the rear.  Kia’s signature grille is nearly vertical within the smoothly contoured front fascia.  A chrome halo surrounds the dark chrome inner elements, which hint at the power and potential lurking behind.  Airflow-smoothing underbody panels mounted beneath the nose, engine bay and cabin help reduce drag, improving efficiency and minimizing wind noise.

HID headlights are standard on the Premium K900, while advanced LED headlights are featured on the Luxury and VIP+.  Both lighting technologies are further enhanced with Dynamic Bending Lights, which adjust the headlights to follow the bends in the road, providing additional driver confidence. The cutting-edge LED headlights feature 16 individual bulbs emitting powerful, natural light for greater visibility.  The beams shimmer beneath crystal clear lenses that pull back deeply into the front fenders. Soft-glow LEDs frame the multi-faceted headlights.  Mounted low and at the far corners of the nose are sleek LED daytime running lamps and LED fog lights.  Similar use of LED technology can be found at the rear of the K900.  The trapezoid taillights offer diffused LEDs for the brakes and bright LEDs for the turn signals.  A tasteful chrome bezel cuts high across the K900’s standard powered rear deck lid, adding elegance and lending visual width.  The standard power and heated side-view mirrors integrate auto dimming technology with LED turn signal indicators and available Blind Spot Detection System (BSD)[iv] in a smooth, aerodynamic form that helps reduce wind noise.  The rear bumper is accented with fully integrated dual chrome-tipped exhaust ports that mimic the shape of the taillights.

Opulence Within

Open the door to the K900 and the same sense of elegant sophistication can be found within the luxuriously appointed cabin.  The three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel is substantial and features controls for audio, cruise control, and vehicle information.  A heated steering wheel is standard as is Nappa leather trim seating on the Luxury and VIP+.  Soft-hue LED interior illumination is standard across the K900 line.  Standard on the Premium trim with Interior Highline package, Luxury and VIP+ is genuine walnut or poplar wood trim that sweeps across the dash and door panels, beautifully complementing the richness of the interior.  A 12-way adjustable driver’s seat, including power lumbar support, is standard while the VIP+ package includes a 16-way power adjustable driver’s seat featuring power headrests and cushion extension for added thigh support.  The front seats feature standard multi-stage heating and ventilation for individualized comfort in all climates.

The K900’s executive-class accommodations continue at the rear of the cabin. Standard features include multi-stage heating for the outboard seats.  Accessing a panel within the center armrest, rear-seat passengers also have the ability to tailor the climate control system to their desired temperature, as well as operate the standard power rear window sunshade. For additional comfort, retractable rear side window sunshades are standard across all models.  A full-length panoramic sunroof with power retractable sunshade is also included on all K900s. 

Opting for the VIP+ package takes rear seat comfort to another level.  Both seats offer multi-stage heating and cooling, have the ability to independently recline and incorporate power lumbar support and lateral headrest adjustability.  The VIP+ package offers refined luxury with quilted Nappa leather seat trim, four-way front passenger power lumbar support and exclusive interior colors of Indigo Blue and Tuscan Brown.  A chauffeur seat switch allows the driver to maximize rear passenger room instantly by sliding the passenger seat forward at the touch of a button.

Read More

2017 Hyundai Elantra - PReview

A 2011 redesign changed all that, and today the Elantra is one of our top-rated economy sedans, in the same league as the Focus, Mazda 3, and the brilliant new Honda Civic. The 2011 Elantra scored heavily with its edgy styling, and backed up that promising shape with a spacious cabin and a strong set of standard features.

What happens when Hyundai tinkers with that winning formula? With the 2017 Elantra, Hyundai trades off brash looks for a more refined ride, and it pays off handsomely.

Hyundai Elantra styling and comfort

The previous Elantra was one of the cars that announced a new generation of stylish Hyundais. The new Elantra—the sixth by Hyundai's reckoning—represents a step away from the extravagantly curved and detailed design of that fifth-generation car. Like the Sonata, the lines have been dialed down considerably, smoothed out, becalmed.

At the front, it's a success, with a wider, deeper grille giving the Elantra more presence. Boomerang-shaped LED running lights brighten the front-end treatment. With less sculpting down the body sides, the Elantra is simpler, and less distinctive. The C-shaped lines that pulled the rear of the car forward are gone, replaced by more vertical door cuts and a more carefully draped rear roofline, capped by LED taillights.

The Elantra's interior is a dead ringer for the one in the latest Sonata. It's built along horizontal themes, with a large space reserved under a simple dash hood for a touchscreen, canted slightly toward the driver. The gauges incorporate a separate 4.2-inch LCD display on some models for ancillary functions like audio and navigation. Secondary functions such as climate control and audio are controlled with knobs and keys, thank goodness, and the cockpit wears a mix of soft-touch plastics and metallic finishes just as in the Sonata, offset by a fair amount of hard black plastic.

With about an inch more in overall length and in width, the new Elantra improves slightly on the current model's already generous interior space. It's been an edge case, on the border between compact and mid-size, but now the Elantra is a little more firmly in the mid-size category, along with cars like the new Civic.

Front-seat space is very good, with seats more firmly shaped and bolstered than in the past. There's plenty of small-item storage in the doors, console, and in a covered bin that sits ahead of the shift lever.

The back seats are less grippy and sit slightly higher, but head room and knee room are still good for adult passengers, even under the optional sunroof.

With more insulation between the engine and cabin, thicker glass, and more sound-deadening material surrounding the cockpit, the Elantra Limited is about as quiet as the Sonata. Not all models get the same cabin-quieting touches, though.

Hyundai Elantra performance

Driving the Elantra is the Sonata story all over again. What it gives up in slick styling hooks, the Elantra gains in smoothness and comfort.

With a pair of new powertrains, the Elantra's fuel economy is a bigger story than its straight-line performance. On standard Elantras, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder provides 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, running on a lean Atkinson cycle for better fuel efficiency. It's EPA-rated at 29 miles per gallon city, 38 highway, and 33 mpg combined in base form, slightly lower in the heavier Elantra Limited. A six-speed automatic is an option; there's a base model with a six-speed manual but it's destined to be a rarity.

Performance by usual yardsticks is just average, but the 2017 Hyundai Elantra's one of the most composed small cars we've driven. Acceleration is tempered and even, though the standard four-cylinder is happy to wind to its rev limits without too much complaint. The six-speed shifts are staged for economy, not speed, and no paddle shift controls are fitted. An optional set of driving modes can put the drivetrain into a Sport mode with crisper, quicker shifts.

A new Elantra Eco sports a turbocharged 1.4-liter four with 128 hp and 156 lb-ft, teamed to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission for an estimated 35 mpg on the EPA combined cycle—which would match the new Honda Civic and its four-cylinder/continuously variable transmission combo for efficiency. We haven't had much experience in this model, and will report back once we've had more seat time.

Sporty road manners aren't a priority here, not like they are in the Focus or even the new Civic Touring. A basic strut front and twist-beam rear suspension have been tuned to deliver a remarkably supple, composed ride—as much due to their optimized design as to the Elantra's very stiff body. It's made up of lots of high-strength steel and industrial adhesives. The stiff body has helped steering some; it wanders less than in the previous car, but still feels best in Sport driving mode, where lower electric steering assist helps it track more cleanly.

In all, the Elantra has a more substantial feel now. It doesn't punish drivers for taking a side road instead of a highway, nor does it ask to be thrashed like a Focus or Mazda 3.

Hyundai Elantra safety and features

Hyundai is aiming for top-drawer safety with the new 2017 Elantra. It's predicting a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS as well as a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Seven airbags are standard and a rearview camera is available.

So is a bundle of advanced safety technology that uses cameras and radar to provide forward-collision warnings with automatic braking; adaptive cruise control; lane-departure warnings and lane keep assist; and blind-spot monitors with cross-traffic alerts. But the bundle is only offered on the most expensive Limited model.

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE carries a base price of just under $18,000. It has standard power windows, locks, and mirrors; cruise control; air conditioning; cloth upholstery; tilt and telescoping steering; 15-inch wheels; a six-way adjustable driver seat; and an AM/FM/XM/CD audio system with six speakers. The automatic transmission is a $1,000 option.

On the features list, the new Elantra offers available heated and ventilated front seats; memory seats; a split/fold rear seat; automatic climate control; a handsfree, gesture-enabled trunk release; USB ports and Bluetooth; Android Auto; and a new navigation system.

A premium audio system, satellite radio, and smartphone connectivity are also available, along with Hyundai's Blue Link telematics package that enables features like remote door unlock and remote start by smartphone. All told, the Elantra can cost up to $27,500 when loaded with all available features.

Source: thecarconnection.com

Read More