General Motors [NYSE: GM] has revealed significantly revised versions of its full-size pickups, the 2014 GMC Sierra and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, and while they make major advances in cabin appointments, safety, connectivity, and even cargo-bed convenience, one of the biggest pieces of news is that with these trucks comes an all-new family of V-6…
Source: The Car Connection
Category Archives: Automobiles
2014 GMC Sierra
‘Professional Grade’ continues as the mantra for GMC Trucks—like the 2014 GMC Sierra. But over the past several years, the meaning of that has changed quite a bit. Those truck-using professionals—whether construction foremen, architects, or farmers—want more in-vehicle technology and refinement than they…
Source: The Car Connection
Mercedes-Benz Shows Us The 2014 E Class
2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class models – image: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz will show its facelifted E Class models at January’s Detroit Auto Show, but the three-pointed-star brand has released images of its updated models ahead of the show. As seen in the headlight-centric teaser video, the big news is a move from two-piece headlights (used on the current E Class) to a single-piece unit, with bold LED running lights, on the 2014 E Class.
2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class wagon – image: Mercedes-Benz
That’s not the only news, as both front and rear gets styling changes meant to make the car look sportier (likely attracting a younger demographic). From what we can see, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t really changed the size of the air intakes on the front fascia, but it has restyled them to look bolder and more pronounced. The chrome grille is a bit softer at its edges, too, perhaps to lend a more aerodynamic appearance.
2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class sedan – image: Mercedes-Benz
In the rear, the bumper and fascia have been (slightly) reshaped to lend a smaller, more streamlined look to the back of the car. The big news here, though, is the disappearance of the “pontoon” rear fenders used on current E Class models. For 2014, this styling trait has been replaced with a sharply-creased character line, and we have to admit it looks much better on the car.
2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class sedan – image: Mercedes-Benz
Like the current E Class, Mercedes-Benz will offer the 2014 models, in sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon form. Look for more details to come out of the Detroit Auto Show, and look for the new E Class models to begin hitting dealers in the first quarter of next year.
Source: Automotive Addicts
Changes (Already) Planned For Acura’s ILX
The 2013 Acura ILX – image: Honda
Here’s how things were supposed to go: by badge-engineering a luxury-infused Honda Civic, then backing it with an uban-hipster targeted marketing campaign that said “be thankful that dad had you before this car was around, or he’d still be out chasing tail,” Acura believed it could phase out the aging TSX and sell 30,000 ILX models per year on sizzle alone.
The public didn’t quite buy into that argument, and failed to see the appeal of a Honda Civic with slightly different body work and a price tag some $7,700 higher (when comparing base models of each). Modest power was acceptable in a Civic, but Acura buyers have different expectations, so the projected sales failed to materialize.
How bad is it? As Automotive News (subscription required) points out, the aging TSX has regularly outsold the ILX in 2012, as have products from the competition. In November, Acura sold 2,108 ILX models, compared to 2,197 Volkswagen CCs, 3,343 Audi A4s and 3,574 Buick Veranos. When your Millennial-targeted car is losing ground to Buick, desperate action is called for.
To correct that, look for Acura to launch an automatic transmission variant of the ILX, powered by the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder used in the TSX. That engine is currently used in ILX models, but only comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Opt for the 2.4 and the 6MT, and the Technology Package (which includes the upgraded audio system and a hard drive based navigation system) isn’t currently available. We expect Acura will correct this in the near future, too.
Will that get the ILX to the level of sales expected? The answer is “quite possibly,” since the model only needs another 6,000 – 8,000 unit sales annually to reach targeted goals, and the 2.4-liter engine with a six-speed automatic would be a unique product in the Honda Civic / Acura ILX family. Honda Civic Si models currently use the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but (also) come only with the six-speed manual.
Firing the agency that created the marketing campaign for the ILX would be a step in the right direction, too. At best, the ads were ineffective, but many took them as insulting. Alienating your buyers before they even set foot in a show room isn’t a good way to sell cars.
Source: Automotive Addicts
GM Reveals New Full-Size Trucks: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado & 2014 GMC Sierra Details
With most new automobiles going the way of ‘uber-efficency’, some may have thought full-size pickup trucks were doomed just like the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Here in America, that thought has been buried along with the notion of full-sized trucks become soft as GM introduces their new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and 2014 GMC Sierra.
The Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 have been boasting the same design since 2007 literally pulling the duty alongside of a short list of full-sized pickups from other automakers. For the 2014 model year, GM takes personalization to a new level considering how full-sized trucks are serving dual purposes being the family vehicle and work truck at the same time. New offerings such as the new MyLink in the Chevy and IntelliLink in the GMC combining Bluetooth connectivity, Pandora streaming audio and natural-language voice commands all fed through a color 8-inch LCD touch-screen.
When it comes to a truck, the cargo, including passengers of course, must not be left out of the comfort equation. With that said, the new line of trucks get new innovative features such as a new damping system for the tailgate, LED bed lighting, a rear-bumper cargo-step system for easy access and movable tie-downs. Crew-cab models will get wider door openings while extended cabs get front-hinged doors. The backseat space has also been increased.
When it comes to a full-size truck, you really cannot cut corners with power output and towing capacity. The good news is a new small-block EcoTec3 engine family do not slack on the job with some added fuel efficiency. The standard engine is a completely new 4.3-liter V6 based on GM’s latest V8s – not related to last generation V6 engines. 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8 engines are also available. All engines get direct injection, cylinder deactivation technology and continuously variable valve timing. Power ratings and EPA fuel consumption figures have yet to be released but we expect to see numbers slightly bettering all of the previous generation GM trucks.
Continuing to merge many innovative amenities and safety features found in cars into the new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, GM offers Forward Collision Alert and Land Departure Warning to options list.
Both the 2014 Chevy Silverado and 2014 GMC Sierra will be built at the current Fort Wayne, Indiana and Silao, Mexico plants. We expect to get additional details and specifications with a release date when the new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and 2014 GMC Sierra go on display at the Detroit Auto Show next month.
Source: Automotive Addicts
As Black Boxes Become Mandatory, AAA Raises Privacy Concerns
Whether you know it or not, chances are good that the car you drive is equipped with a “black box” recorder. In fact, nearly 92% of vehicles sold in the U.S. carry them, including all GM, Ford, and Toyota models. But 92% isn’t enough. As we’ve mentioned before, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to make event data recorders…
Source: The Car Connection
2014 GMC Sierra 1500 Revealed With Classy New Styling, Fresh Engines
This past year has seen Ford and Ram redesign or extensively update their full-size F-150 and 1500 pickup trucks, and now comes along an all-new iteration of the GMC Sierra for 2014 to take on the new domestic competition. The Sierra is one of two pickups in GM’s arsenal—the other is the Chevrolet Silverado, a truck with which GMC’s latest Sierra 1500 again shares nearly all of its DNA. Fittingly, the two GM rigs made their debuts alongside one another, but the Sierra now boasts the longest list of standard features ever for a full-size GMC truck, as well as the Chevy’s updated chassis, all-new engines, and freshened styling. READ MORE ››
Source: Car & Driver
2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class
Not quite all-new for the 2014 model year, but more than just a simple product refresh, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class arrives first as a sedan and a wagon, with a range of diesel, hybrid, and gasoline powertrains and a host of new electronic safety upgrades, as well as a new look. Competing with the likes of BMW‘s 5-Series, the…
Source: The Car Connection
2014 Mercedes-Benz E-class Photos and Info: Loads More Gadgets, Four-Cylinder Diesel, Cleaner Styling
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-class is the result of what we imagine is the most extensive face-lift in the history of the brand. This mid-term make over packs a considerable amount of new technology under significantly restyled sedan and wagon bodies. But a nip and tuck as extreme as anything seen in any plastic surgeon’s office wasn’t unwarranted given the number of redesigned competitors in the mid-size luxury-sedan segment. The Audi A6, the BMW 5-series, and the Lexus GS all are still quite fresh, and the next-gen Cadillac CTS—larger and more upscale than ever—will be here before you know it. READ MORE ››
Source: Car & Driver
Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 163
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Source: Car & Driver
Ford Flex
The Ford Flex is a uniquely styled, full-size crossover vehicle with seating for seven passengers. Effectively, it replaced the Freestyle crossover and the Freestar minivan, but it also may have been intended to relieve some of the sales pressure on Ford wrought by the collapse in Explorer sales in the past decade. Shown as the Ford Fairlane…
Source: The Car Connection
Scion FR-S
As Scion’s first foray into the world of legitimate, rear-wheel-drive sports coupes, the FR-S marks a significant step for the brand. Pairing a raked, modern exterior with a minimalist interior, and a Subaru-developed flat-four-cylinder engine, the FR-S promises to reinvigorate the youth-targeted brand and win new converts. There aren’t many true…
Source: The Car Connection
BMW and Boeing Announce Collaboration on Carbon-Fiber Manufacturing, Recycling Processes
Ford may have snagged Alan Mulally from Boeing—to fantastic effect, no less—but BMW is seeking something a bit more . . . woven from the Washington-based aerospace company. The German automaker and Boeing today announced that the two companies plan to collaborate on carbon-fiber recycling techniques, as well as manufacturing processes for the lightweight material.
If you’re curious as to how BMW and Boeing found each other, allow us to feed you, baby birds: BMW recently opened a carbon-fiber manufacturing facility in Washington state, where Boeing is headquartered, and the state’s governor advocated for the two to get together. The BMW plant is part of the company’s joint venture with SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, and the facility will churn out carbon fiber to be used in the upcoming BMW i3 and i8 electric cars. Boeing, of course, has been fiddling with carbon fiber for years, most recently using the stuff in roughly half of its new 787 Dreamliner commercial airliner. Both companies agree that as carbon fiber sees more widespread use, recycling and repurposing the stuff is going to become more important. The other facet to the two juggernauts’ collaboration is the exploration of “carbon-fiber manufacturing process simulations and ideas for manufacturing automation.”
Instrumented Test: 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5
Instrumented Test: 2013 BMW X1 xDrive28i
Comparison Test: 2012 Audi A7 3.0T Quattro vs. 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe
We know that statement is a mouthful, but long story short, there will be no flying electric BMWs. Or roadgoing, jet-propelled 787s. That’s okay by us. We generally like to see cross-industrial partnerships, but BMW and Boeing working together to bring better lightweight material to consumers—whether they be sitting on a plane or driving an efficient, featherweight sports car of the future—is especially exciting.
Source: Car & Driver
A Morgan Plus Eight, In Just Two Minutes: Video Link
It can be argued that modern automobiles, no matter how good they’ve become, lack a certain amount of personality, that spark of magic, or even the mechanical equivalent of a soul. We have, it would appear, tossed aside the elemental joys of motoring in search of ever-increasing horsepower and lateral acceleration.
One maker that’s stayed essentially true to its roots is Morgan, the British manufacturer of high-end retro roadsters. Founded in 1901, Morgan still produces cars using ash wood frames for lightness and strength, and craftsmen, not robots, still assemble its cars by hand.
Though Morgans have evolved with the times to meet modern safety and emission standards, they’re still a throwback to an earlier time when driving was considered a pleasure, not a mere chore. You can load up a new Morgan Plus 8 with an impressive array of bespoke options, but chances are its hand-fitted top will still leak in the rain.
On the other hand, its style is absolutely timeless, and a Morgan Plus 8 will look as good fifty years from now as it does today. It’s distinctive, and you’re likely to be the only one on your block (or even in your entire city) with a Morgan roadster parked in his garage.
It takes a team of artisans a full month to construct a Morgan Plus 8, but thanks to this video produced by Britain’s The Telegraph, you can watch the build in two minutes. Be forewarned, though; watching the video is likely to produce an irrational longing to park a Morgan Plus 8 in your driveway.
Since the video doesn’t embed, you’ll need to follow this external link to The Telegraph’s website to view it.
Source: Automotive Addicts
Jeep Patriot
Can a Jeep be a compact crossover? It certainly can if it has the lines of a Jeep, and the Jeep Patriot stands tall in a boxy, crisply folded set of sheetmetal that recalls the old Jeep Cherokee–now out of production a decade–and the more recently deceased large Commander sport-utility vehicle. Launched as a 2007 model, the Jeep Patriot is a…
Source: The Car Connection
2013 North American Car & Truck/Utility Of The Year Finalists Announced
The 2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards will reach their culmination at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show in just over a month’s time. In anticipation of the award’s announcement, the 49 jurors–among them our own editorial director Marty Padgett–have cut their list of nominees down to just three finalists in each category…
Source: The Car Connection
Second-World Supercars: Italian Sexpots Are So Played Out—How About Slovenian? Malaysian?
Founding a sports-car company is a surefire way to squander one’s fortune and reputation. Think of Bricklin, De Tomaso, and DeLorean. The risk might be monumental, but so is the appeal: Be the guy whose creation inspires the next generation of car fanatics. That’s a nice headstone inscription. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the concentration of wealth in many such nations, the Second World is emerging as fertile ground for industrialists hoping to be the next Enzo or Ferruccio. While there is no shortage of vaporware being peddled to potential investors worldwide, the following companies are notable for actually, you know, building cars. (Which isn’t to say that they, too, won’t go the way of Vector.)
marussia motors
Homeland: Russia
Annual Output: “Several hundred”
Chief Offering: B2
Price: $155,800
Engine: Turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, 350 hp
Weight: 2450 pounds
Performance Claims
Zero to 62 mph: 4.6 sec
Top Speed: 155 mph
Marussia has serious money—perhaps you recognize the name from its Formula 1 team. Founded in 2007, the Russian sports-car maker debuted the B1 supercar in 2008. Only 30 were built as test cars; now Marussia is introducing the far-wilder-looking B2 [shown top left]. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 (rumor is that it’s made by Nissan) mated to a six-speed automatic. With a carbon-fiber body and an aluminum structure, the B2 will be manufactured by Finnish coachbuilder Valmet Automotive. Fifty B2s have been built for evaluation purposes. Production is planned for late 2012 or 2013.
tushek supercars
Homeland: Slovenia
Annual Output: 10
Chief Offering: Renovatio T500
Price: $388,405
Engine: 4.2-liter V-8, 450 hp
Weight: 2500 pounds
Performance Claims
Zero to 62 mph: 3.7 sec
Top Speed: more than 193 mph
The vision of Slovenian race driver and businessman Aljoša Tushek, the Renovatio T500 [shown top middle] is a highly modified version of the Slovakian K-1 Attack kit car that we tested five years ago [“Just Do It! (Yourself),” September 2007]. Instead of the K-1′s Honda powertrain, though, the Renovatio uses a high-revving 4.2-liter Audi V-8. Two prototypes have been built and sold, reviews have been positive, and the company has orders for two cars. Predictably, Tushek has even more ambitious goals: Next year, he says he plans to launch the Forego T700, which will be bigger, faster, and more expensive.
bufori
Homeland: Malaysia
Annual Output: 30–50
Chief Offering: La Joya
Price: $150,000
Engine: 2.7-liter V-6, 172 hp; supercharged 2.7-liter V-6, 238 hp
Weight: 3300 pounds
Performance Claims
Zero to 62 mph: 6.7–7.8 sec
Top Speed: 124–137 mph
Founded in Australia some 20 years ago, Bufori relocated to Kuala Lumpur in 1994. The company’s vehicles look like they’ve been around much longer than that: Its core model is the 1930s-themed La Joya [shown top right], and it unveiled the Geneva luxury sedan two years ago. On account of the latter’s $350,000 price tag, most of the 30 to 50 cars Bufori builds each year are La Joyas. In spite of the long hood, the La Joya carries its Hyundai V-6 behind the seats; the Geneva is powered by a 6.4-liter Chrysler Hemi V-8.
Comparison Test: 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia vs. 2011 McLaren MP4-12C, 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Road Test: 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
Feature: Speed Sells: Charting Global Supercar Sales—with Charts!
Source: Car & Driver
Maserati Quattroporte
The Maserati Quattroporte is a large sedan that blends the exclusive, lavish feel of a low-volume luxury car with some of the look, feel, sound, and driving character of an Italian sports car. Top rivals include the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera, but on the luxury side the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is another alternative, as is…
Source: The Car Connection
First Photos of Mini Paceman John Cooper Works Ooze onto the Internet [2013 Detroit Auto Show]
While it’s unclear who posted them first—De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, perhaps—photos of Mini’s Paceman John Cooper Works have spread across the internet this morning like a nasty, 208-hp rash.
No official info exists yet for the JCW Paceman, but being a Mini, many of the particulars are easy to predict. Based, of course, on the three-door Paceman—the three-door version of the Countryman, which is the five-door crossover version of the three-door Mini Cooper—this vehicle will pack the same recently updated turbocharged 1.6-liter four as the rest of its JCW brethren. That means the aforementioned 208 hp as well as 207 lb-ft of torque, all fed through either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic.
First Drive: 2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP
Comparison Test: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth vs. Mini John Cooper Works
Long-Term Wrap: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4
The Paceman will join the Countryman as the only JCW models to offer all-wheel drive, and it will be standard. Pricing will probably start somewhere around $36K. The Paceman is expected to debut in a few weeks at the 2013 Detroit auto show. Which should please the nine people clamoring for a three-door hot cross-hatch that looks like a shoe.
Source: Car & Driver
2014 Mercedes E Class, Coda In Trouble, 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe: Car News Headlines
Today at The Car Connection, BMW revealed the 2014 M6 Gran Coupe, and photos of the refreshed 2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class leaked onto the Internet. Coda Automotive laid off some of its workforce and Honda teased a new concept vehicle. All this and more in today’s car news, right here on The Car Connection. Lexus announced it will replace the…
Source: The Car Connection