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Automobiles

BMW Prices 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon from $42,345

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By Kirk Seaman

2014 BMW 328i Sport Wagon

Next up to join the current-generation 3-series lineup is the Sports Wagon, and today BMW announced the starting price: $42,345 for a 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon. Yes, you read correctly: xDrive. This year, the Sports Wagon will be fitted with xDrive—BMW speak for all-wheel drive—as standard. Rear-drive doesn’t exist as far as the American market is concerned.

The 328i xDrive Sports Wagon is powered by BMW’s quickly proliferating 240-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Engine stop-start functionality—we’ve found it to be quite uncouth in our long-term 328i sedan— is also mandatory. Other standard features include eight-way power front seats, leatherette seating surfaces, Bluetooth connectivity, and iDrive infortainment. Cruise control and BMW’s chassis-adjusting Driving Dynamics Control also come along for the ride, the latter offering Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus settings. The 328i Sports Wagon rides on 17-inch aluminum wheels shod with run-flat tires.

As with the 3-series sedan, the Sports Wagon will offer BMW’s Design Line packages, each one tailored with specific interior and exterior design cues and features. They add anywhere from $2300 to $3950 to the bottom line.

• Luxury Line, $2300: On the exterior, the Luxury Line adds chrome kidney grille bars and a matching exhaust tip, as well as chromed side window trim and roof rails. Eighteen-inch multi-spoke aluminum wheels with all-season tires are part of the package, while the interior gets anthracite wood trim, leather seating, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Keyless entry, adjustable lumbar support, and satellite radio, which comprise of the Premium package, are also included.

• Modern Line, $2300: Similar to the Luxury Line, except the exterior features matte chrome for the grille bars and exhaust tips. The window trim and roof rails are painted in black. Eighteen-inch wheels with a turbine spoke pattern are standard. On the interior, the leather upholstery choices include black/oyster or oyster/dark oyster. The Premium package features are included as well.

• Sport Line, $2600: This one gets blacked-out kidney grilles and high-gloss black-painted roof rails, window trim, and sideview-mirror caps. The rollers are double-spoke eighteen-inchers. The interior trim can be spec’d in gloss black, pearl-gloss chrome, or garish matte coral-red. A leather-wrapped sports steering wheel and leather sports seats are tossed in, with a choice of black-on-black, black-on-red, red-on-black, or gray-on-black surfaces. The Premium package can be had as a $2200 option.

• M Sport Line, $3950: The enthusiast’s choice, the M Sport Line’s exterior features special “Shadowline” exterior trim and an M Sport body kit. Wheels are 18-inch star spokes with all-season tires. On the interior, trim choices are either aluminum or dark burr walnut. Accent color choices include Estoril blue, high-gloss black, or pearl-gloss chrome. Leather sports seats and an M steering wheel top it off. Premium pack is also a $2200 add-on here.

2014 BMW 328i Sport Wagon interior

Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

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By Michael Harley

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

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Make way for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, the most wonderfully preposterous car I have ever driven.

There is absolutely no reason why any two-seat roadster should be fitted with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 developing 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, but I sure am glad that Mercedes-Benz doesn’t see things that way.

Drop into the leather-lined cockpit of this $213,145 provocateur, floor the accelerator pedal as I did over and over again, and 60 miles per hour falls in a traction-limited 3.9 seconds. Top speed has been electronically held to 186 mph (this apparently saves Gulfstream jet owners from embarrassment). Forget the SL550 and SL63 AMG, the valets will trip over themselves attending to the tycoon driving this thoroughbred – it’s the real deal.

Driving Notes

  • The handcrafted 36-valve V12 returns with a new internal designation of M279 (replacing the M275) and a matte carbon-fiber engine cover. Mercedes-Benz has updated the powerplant’s turbochargers and improved engine airflow for the 2013 model year. This explains the 17-horsepower improvement and efficiency gains over its predecessor. The venerable five-speed automatic was also replaced with AMG’s Speedshift seven-speed transmission (offering electronically controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport Plus and Manual modes), and the SL65 AMG now features an engine start-stop function.
  • Acceleration rates normally flatten as aerodynamic drag rises. The SL65 AMG seems to do just the opposite as it picks up speed like a rocket leaving the earth’s pull of gravity. Full throttle applications release a throaty growl from the quad exhaust, accompanied by spine-chilling burbles as the transmission catches each gear. Downshifts are equally as pleasing as the V12 cackles and pops as each gear falls. Yet, during steady cruising the exhaust note is perfectly tame and proper.
  • Despite is substantial physical size, the SL65 AMG is surprisingly agile. It tracks well and the new electrically boosted steering is precise and nicely weighed. Cornering is flat, thanks to Active Body Control (offering both Sport and Comfort settings). The 19-inch wheel and upgraded monobloc brake package (lifted right off the enthusiast-tuned SL63 AMG), does its job commendably.
  • The cabin is a smart mix of luxury and sport. What leather doesn’t cover is made of either woven carbon-fiber or brushed aluminum. The infinitely adjustable quilted seats are heated and equipped with the automaker’s neck-heating Airscarf. The meaty three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel is wrapped in smooth leather with grippy Alcantera sides and aluminum wheel-mounted paddle shifters are standard. The convertible hard top, with its lightweight magnesium frame encircling the automaker’s trick Magic Sky Control dimming feature, can be raised or lowered in about 20 seconds at the touch of a button.
  • Don’t confuse the SLS AMG GT Roadster with the SL65 AMG, as each has very different role. The SLS is a true sports car, with a mission-appropriate ride, gnarly exhaust snarl and a moderate level of amenities. The SL65, on the other hand, is a luxury grand tourer …read more
    Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog
Automobiles

Quick Spin: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe

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By Michael Harley

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz upgraded its SLS flagship Coupe and Roadster for the 2013 model year, and the changes are marked with them new “GT” nomenclature. Both SLS models arrive with a retuned naturally aspired 6.2-liter V8 delivering 583 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque (the horses are up from 563, but the torque remains the same) mated to a revised seven-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch gearbox. Rounding out the mechanical upgrades is a redeveloped AMG two-mode adaptive suspension. Physically, the revised models are differentiated by their new “GT” badging, darkened headlight/taillight buckets, red brake calipers, unique wheel colors and high gloss finish on the front grille, exterior mirrors and hood/fender fins. Inside the cabin are new red seatbelts, Alcantara upholstery and contrasting red stitching.

As it is nearly impossible to experience the aluminum gullwing beast on public roads, Mercedes invited out to Southern California’s Willow Springs to wring out the 2013 SLS GT Coupe on a racing circuit.

Driving Notes

  • It was impossible to feel the horsepower bump from the driver’s seat (the track’s 2,000-foot elevation negated the increase anyway), but the free-breathing V8 sounds even more spectacular each time I meet it. Gobs of low-end torque, a responsive throttle and a willingness to race to redline (7,200 rpm) make it a near-perfect driver’s companion. The automaker quotes a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds – traction at launch is a problem – with a top speed of 197 miles per hour. The SLS attacked the Streets of Willow with voraciousness. I’ve driven hundreds of laps on the circuit, but never in a vehicle so powerful that I needed to brake hard to make Turn One after rocketing down the straight (running clockwise).
  • After finding myself bumping off the limiter repeatedly while using the wheel-mounted paddles in manual mode (an LED shift light blinks red at the top of the cluster), I put the gearbox in Sport Plus and let computers do the thinking. Overall, I was pleased with its intuitiveness and I really enjoyed the throttle blips on the downshifts.
  • A near complete lack of body roll and very firm AMG Sport suspension (I chose the damper’s softest setting to combat the surface’s broken pavement) meant the rear end would break loose mid-corner if the power was applied abruptly. Smoothness and consistent throttle applications were imperative to keeping the rear end planted and exiting the corner with the nose pointed down the track. Overall balance was impressively neutral and weight distribution, fore and aft, was easily controlled with the accelerator pedal.
  • The 15.4-inch perforated front steel rotors could take plenty of abuse, but I preferred the optional carbon-ceramic brake setup as they felt unaffected by the heat generated on the tight track. As an added benefit, they weigh less and look even better through the forged spokes on the wheels.
  • Driven back-to-back on the track, the updated Coupe and Roadster were nearly identical dynamically (they both weigh 3,573 pounds). From a driver’s perspective, the exhaust note is more pronounced in the Roadster and there was more wiggle room for my helmeted head beneath its soft convertible top. Still, I wouldn’t want to give up those signature gullwing doors.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog