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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM, Design/Style

We already told you all about the Corvette Stingray in our Deep Dive feature last night, but now we’ve had a chance to part the massive crowds surrounding it and get up close and personal at the Chevrolet stand here on the Detroit Auto Show floor. What do we think?

Not surprisingly, the C7 has real presence. And at least without a proper street backdrop and other vehicles for scale, this new Corvette looks smaller – likely because of the more defined surfacing along the side and less-rounded appearance overall, it has a shrink-wrapped appearance (this, despite a longer wheelbase). In our book, that’s a very good thing.

We expected to have some trouble wrapping our heads around the Stingray’s rear end treatment, and we have – but not for the reason you might think. The taillamp array is a bold departure from tradition, but the indirect lighting and deep-mounted fixtures are compelling, and the functional vents that surround them are unique. It’s the prominent center-mount exhaust outlets that we’re having a bit of trouble wrapping our head around. We’d like to see what the rear end looks like with squared-off outlets that mimic the taillamps, as right now, the exhausts are the only circular element on the entire back graphic of the car, and that strikes us a bit odd. Maybe for the eventual Z06 or ZR1?

Back to the vents for a moment – there are a whole lot of them, especially on this Z51-spec model. Thankfully, they’re all functional, and they add a sense of genuine purpose and menace to the design. That said, we’d like to see how the car looks in a bright paint hue like red with the vents finished in body color, as going color-keyed should smooth out the design somewhat, which some of us found a bit fussy. Perhaps it’s just going to take some time to get used to versus the C6 and C5 generations, which were much simpler designs overall.

Even at a glance, the interior is leagues ahead of the outgoing model, which is no surprise. We like the new smaller-diameter wheel, the driver-oriented center stack and the passenger-side climate controls underneath the air vent is a nice touch. The fit-and-finish evident is significantly better than what we’ve seen in the past, but at first blush, it doesn’t appear to set new standards for the class.

The most important thing about the C7 Corvette will be its performance, of course, and the new LT1 small block and the preliminary performance metrics released look spectacular, from the 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque to the promised 0-60 mph of under four seconds.

The C6 was already a bargain, and if Chevrolet manages to keep the C7’s pricing more or less in check, this new model figures to be a smash hit.

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2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray is worth another (and another) look [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

Detroit: MKC Concept is the real fresh start for Lincoln [w/poll]

January 14, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Continue reading MKC Concept is the real fresh start for Lincoln [w/poll]

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Lincoln, Luxury

We were admittedly bullish about the Lincoln MKC Concept when we introduced it to you yesterday, as we were taken aback by how cohesive the C-platform crossover is in the metal. As it turns out, so were you, dear reader. With hundreds of comments booked on our original Deep Dive story, the overwhelming temperature of the Autoblog Commenteriat is one of surprise and delight – quite an accomplishment for a marque that many had written off for dead. The reception here under the bright lights of the Detroit Auto Show appears to be no less positive, but we thought you might want a second, closer look afforded by these live photos.

Lincoln remains mum on production MKC drivetrain specifics (we’re thinking it will start with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder out of its similarly sized Ford Escape relative, or maybe the midlevel 1.6-liter), but we shouldn’t have to wait too long. The showcar is expected to closely mirror the production model (due as early as later this year), so much so that Ford global marketing boss Jim Farley explicitly told the press conference masses, “When you see the MKC, do not think concept.” That’s good news, as the MKC is pivotal to Lincoln’s effort to rebuild awareness and consideration on the back of its MKZ sedan, a model just now going on sale. In fact, with the small crossover segment exploding, the MKC could very well turn out to be more important to the brand than the MKZ.

After seeing these new photos, are you more or less enamored with Lincoln’s new concept? Leave a comment after voting in our poll below.

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MKC Concept is the real fresh start for Lincoln [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

Deep Dive: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets surprisingly comprehensive update, new diesel power

January 14, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Continue reading 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets surprisingly comprehensive update, new diesel power

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Performance, SUV, Jeep, Diesel, Luxury

Traditionally, automotive journalists can be heard muttering something to the effect of “Geeze, it’s about time!” whenever a vehicle’s midcycle refresh is revealed. As we routinely see and drive new models many months before the public even claps eyes on them in showrooms – and then go on to tweeze apart their minutia in our daily writings – perhaps some impatience is to be expected. With so much exposure to a given vehicle, it’s fair to say we tire of most cars and trucks far more quickly than the average consumer.

The alterations are handsome, if not subtle touches from the “If It Ain’t Broke” school of design.

Which is why we’re pleased to say “Oh, is it time for that already?” when it comes to the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The current WK2 Grand Cherokee hit the market in 2011 and climbed its way into our hearts with its rugged good looks, go-anywhere capability and surprising refinement. We’re not yet tired of its appearance or performance, but even so, we’re very glad to see Chrysler giving its flagship Jeep some attention, including a much-anticipated diesel powertrain option and some other economy-minded measures.

The changes for 2014 start with a fresh look, including one of two different slimmer headlamp treatments (upper-rung models are treated to bi-xenon units with LED daytime running lamps, and Summit models feature dynamic corner lighting), along with reworked grilles and repositioned foglamps in new lower fascias. Redesigned taillamps incorporating yet more LEDs take up residence out back and the rear liftgate has received a once-over, too. We’ve seen the vehicles in the metal already, and the alterations are handsome, if not subtle touches from the “If It Ain’t Broke” school of design.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets surprisingly comprehensive update, new diesel power originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automobiles

Deep Dive: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Everything there is to know

January 13, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Continue reading 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Everything there is to know

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM, Design/Style, Deep Dive

2013 is shaping up to be a frantic year for Chevrolet, with over a dozen reveals and launches on its calendar. New iterations of the most financially and emotionally important vehicles to the brand are launching little more than a few weeks apart – the 2014 Silverado (financially) and the 2014 Corvette (emotionally). Better than any other models, these two lines form the bedrock for the Bowtie’s identity and bookend its portfolio. The pickup is the backbone of the brand’s profits (and indeed, those of General Motors) and the Corvette is its spiritual core and flagship.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray will slay a few sacred cows.

It’s fair to say that upon first impression, the new Silverado didn’t exactly bowl over the assembled media – or the Autoblog commenteriat – with what many see as largely incremental improvements. (This, at a time when rivals are rewriting the book on what it means to be a full-size pickup). By contrast, the 2014 Corvette Stingray will slay a few sacred cows along the way to what is its arguably its biggest model-over-model change in decades. And at least at first glance, the Vette appears all the better for it.

We’ll get to the specifics of its genetic makeup and appearance in a minute, but for now, you’ll want to focus on these key bits: The all-new LT1 small-block V8 holds on to the same 6.2-liter displacement as the C6, here producing 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque backed by either a seven-speed manual or a six-speed paddleshift automatic. And although GM has yet to release the car’s weight (we only know it won’t be under 3,000 pounds as previously rumored), it’s promising a better power-to-weight ratio than the Porsche 911 Carrera and Audi R8. In fact, Chevy pledges the C7 will run from 0-60 in less than four seconds and Z51 Performance Package examples will achieve cornering grip of over one g right out of the box. Further, 60-0 braking distances are said to be consistent with that of the outgoing Grand Sport and so are its lap times – impressive for a standard model.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Everything there is to know originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.