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I like the Land Rover LR4. A lot. My first experience with it was back in 2010, when I drove it on, over and around Colorado's San Juan mountain range. Since then, I've been hooked on the three-row British brute. I've always liked that, despite its leather lining, it has always come across as an honest vehicle. Purposeful, even. It offers no false pretenses as an off-roader, unlike any number of its competitors.

But despite my fondness for the Discovery 4, as it's known in other markets, even I couldn't deny that it had become woefully outclassed in a market of newer products, with Land Rover seemingly unwilling to give it the attention it deserved. Then, following years of packed product rollout schedules that saw the entire Range Rover line redesigned, Land Rover finally took the wraps off of a freshened LR4 at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Through a lucky coincidence, I recently found this gorgeous Fuji White LR4 HSE Lux sitting outside my home, waiting for a thorough going-over. Has Land Rover done enough to make the LR4 as significant to the CUV/SUV pack as the new, lighter Range Rover is to the top-shelf luxury segment?

Driving Notes

• The big news is a new powertrain. Now, strictly speaking, the 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 and ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic aren't new pieces themselves. You can read all about them in our review of the 2013 Jaguar XF. The LR4's setup nets an identical 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, a decrease of 35 horsepower and 43 pound-feet of torque over the discontinued 5.0-liter V8. The SC V6, though, nets torque over a wider range of engine speeds with peak twist available from 3,500 to 5,000 rpm, where the V8 topped out only at 3,500 rpm.
• Still, I wouldn't exactly call the SC V6 swap an improvement over the V8. The LR4 has never been a quick vehicle, and that descriptor isn't likely to change for 2014. Land Rover quotes the model's run to 60 at a relaxed 7.7 seconds, down 0.2 seconds from the V8 model. That's 1.5 seconds slower than a BMW X5 xDrive35i and 0.4 seconds slower than a 302-hp Mercedes-Benz ML350.
• On the road, the results are as expected. With 5,600 pounds of body fat to move about, perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised by the updated LR4's lack of pace. It feels especially slow pulling away from lights, before the engine hits its torque peak. At higher speeds, things do improve - mid-range punch is certainly adequate, and the LR4 feels decidedly better when accelerating on the highway.
• I'd be lying if I said my feelings on the LR4's engine change (and its lack of power) weren't at least partially linked to the lack of the 5.0-liter V8's sonorous engine note. The V6 just doesn't have the same brawny soundtrack at lower engine speeds, although there is some very noticeable supercharger whine at the higher end of the rev range.
• As I said above, the LR4 was fitted with ZF's eight-speed automatic for 2014, which is arguably the best non-dual-clutch modern transmission on the market. It scarcely bears mentioning, but as is the case in every other ZF-equipped vehicle I've driven, upshifts are quick and smooth, with predicable and aptly timed downshifts.
• As you can see from the photos, my LR4 was fitted with the distinctive Black Design Pack. Besides blacking out the grille, hood lettering, side vents, mirror caps and rear badges, it added a set of twin five-spoke, 20-inch wheels. Paired with the Fuji White paint of this tester, the overall look was rather intimidating. A friend remarked it looked like a Stormtrooper.
• I'd wholly recommend going for the Black Design Pack if you're in the market, but do yourself a favor and avoid the 20-inch wheel option. Besides trimming $1,900 from the price, the 19-inch option should be a bit kinder to the LR4's ride.
• There's a fair amount of vertical movement, but it's the way such imperfections feel that really dooms the 20s. The LR4 is crashy, with impacts having a way of reverberating throughout the cabin.
• Perhaps my biggest problem with the LR4 I tested was its price. A standard Disco starts at $49,700. My tester, meanwhile, topped out at $68,345. That price includes every option for the HSE Lux trim except for the $2,500 rear seat entertainment system. For reference, my tester was just $150 less than the volume HSE trim of the Range Rover Sport. Yes, you'd miss out on a two-speed transfer case and Terrain Response 2 Auto, along with a few other options if you went that route, but the interior, ride and overall driving experience are just better in the Sport. Of course, it's also possible to bloat the Sport's price tag with options on up to the level of the top-shelf Range Rover, so the lesson here is really to be mindful when checking option boxes.
• The LR4 is what I'd consider an irrational purchase. Considering how most of these vehicles are driven, there are better options out there for the money – some of which are within the Land Rover family. The LR4 remains slow, and if you get the 20-inch wheels, the ride isn't the greatest. It's also not particularly fuel efficient at 16 miles per gallon combined (I hit just below that). But it's a vehicle that doesn't feel like anything else, and it offers genuine off-road capability in a class where almost nothing else does. It's an unabashed SUV, and if you can live with that, it will happily work for you.

Sergio Marchionne will be buying fewer of his iconic sweaters, as his 2013 pay from Fiat took a dip from $6.24 million to an even $5 million. Marchionne, who was also CEO of Chrysler, made $307,989 thanks to some stocks and benefits from the American company, although he didn't take a salary. Of that $5 million paid by Fiat, $3.19 million came from Marchionne's fixed salary while the remaining $1.8 million was paid for hitting unspecified performance targets.

The news comes from Fiat's compensation reports, which also showed that the 61-year-old, who already owned three million shares in Fiat at the end of 2013, was able to receive an additional 2.3 million shares through a stock incentive program. According to Automotive News Europe, the additional shares would be worth about $25 million at today's prices, although so far, Marchionne has declined to claim the extra shares.

According to ANE, Fiat reported a 2013 trading profit of $4.7 billion.

Hybrids have come quite a long way from their roots as dull, slow, boring ecomobiles. Today, Porsche sells three hybrid models, one of which is the amazing 918 Spyder. BMW will soon sell four, including a low-slung, two-seat sports car. Even Ferrari and McLaren, full-fledged hypercar manufacturers, are embracing the tech. And all of these cars are sold alongside the same sort of boring cars that popularized hybrids in the first place. According to Toyota Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, though, we should see an even bigger increase in the number of hybrid vehicles in the coming years.

"I foresee hybrid models pretty soon reaching 20 percent of global sales from about 13 percent to 14 percent now," Uchiyamada-san told Automotive News. Uchiyamada is the man behind the original Prius, which gives him some degree of authority on making predictions about hybrid adoption.

What's remarkable, though, is that the 20-percent figure doesn't include plug-in hybrids, just gas- and diesel-electric models. "Suppliers need higher volumes to slash costs of components specific to plug-in models, including batteries that should be bigger and more capable than the ones used in traditional hybrids," Uchiyamada told AN.

Those comments run counter to those of Volkswagen's CEO, Martin Winterkorn, who told AN's sister publication, Automobilwoche that "plug-in hybrid has the greatest potential." For what it's worth, Uchiyamada isn't discounting PHEVs, saying his company is "closely watching what our competitors are doing."

Still, it's telling that the man that can essentially be credited with creating the most influential hybrid of all time is still skeptical of plug-ins, especially considering Toyota's own Plug-In Prius. What's your view on this? Should Toytoa, which only builds one plug-in hybrid alongside 25 hybrids, be placing a bigger focus on the technology? Have your say in Comments.

Formula One tweaks its regulations from season to season, but every so many years (or decades), it revises them so thoroughly that it ushers in a new era of racing. That's just what we're looking at this season. We've seen countless explanations of the new regulations, but few of them manage to break it all down – and put it back together – as well as this computer-animated clip from Red Bull.

The team has released the video below just in time for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. But after languishing in pre-season testing, if Red Bull hopes to regain its form in time for the inaugural Austrian Grand Prix at its own Red Bull Ring in Spielberg – let alone defend its world championship – it's going to need more than some fancy animation.

The last round of testing in Bahrain saw Williams and Mercedes come out on top, followed by Ferrari and Force India, with Red Bull way down in 10th and 18th place. Of course it may be too early to tell anything from test session times, but there's already talk – from within the team, no less – of Sebastian Vettel jumping ship if his team can't get up to speed (both literally and figuratively) and give him a winning car.

For one reason or another, this is a car people stare at. They might be drawn to its curvaceous shape riding on immense wheels. They could be intrigued by its gaping, blacked-out grille which houses an equally outsized trident logo, or doing quick calculations about the last time they saw a car wearing the name Maserati. It may be its sports-car-like proportions mixed with achingly long, four-door bodywork that draws their eye.

Or, and I urge you to consider this theory carefully, the people taking notice of this Maserati Ghibli S Q4 might simply be newly alert after hearing the sound of its exhaust ricocheting off any solid thing nearby as I drive past grinning like a certified asshat. Did you hear an Italianate engine song careening through your Ann Arbor, MI neighborhood, in the black of the early morning, just a few weeks previous? Sorry, guy, that was probably me.

I spent a week hammering this all-wheel-drive Ghibli as hard as I dared in the last truly miserable stretch of the God Awful Winter of 2014. I can honestly say that I enjoyed myself, shocked at both the frank way this new challenger luxury car went down the road as well as the attention it garnered in the process.

Since the Ghibli left my charge, I've also spent a lot of time thinking about how significantly flawed the newest Maserati is, just how I'd explain that to all of you, and how I almost love it despite its failings. A story of desire and conflict – how Italian.

The new Jeep Cherokee has been quite a success for Chrysler, but its factory workers are getting tired. The automaker has agreed to hire up to 1,000 part-time, temporary employees at its Toledo Assembly Complex where the CUV and Wrangler are built. It will allow the company to keep Jeep production moving, while giving laborers a break.

According to plant manager Chuck Padden in the Toledo Blade, full-time workers are regularly taking on 60 hours a week, and it's beginning to wear on them. "To get them more time off is important to us, to make sure they're refreshed, and can work safely," said Padden.

Chrysler has already hired 380 temporary, part-time workers for the plant, and 50 have been converted to full-time employees. The company is in the process of interviewing the rest of the new hires now and plans to have all 1,000 in place by the summer. They will work between 10 and 30 hours a week mostly on weekends for $15.78 per hour with limited benefits. The temporary positions will last "as long as demand continues for the Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Cherokee," said Jodi Tinson, Chrysler spokesperson for manufacturing and labor communications, to Autoblog in an email.

The new workers will allow Wrangler production on Saturdays, and the Cherokee to continue ramping up production. Chrysler's goal is to build 2,000 vehicles at the Toledo plant a day, about 170 more than now. It eventually hopes to export about 15 percent of the new crossovers to overseas markets.

A tiny Florida town is in trouble with the state, after its police department wrote a whopping 12,698 speeding tickets despite holding jurisdiction over just 1,260 feet of road. Yes, feet, not yards, miles or kilometers.

The New York Times has the story of Hampton, FL, the town of 477 that's in the crosshairs of the state after taking in $419,624 in fines between 2011 and 2012, yet still ending each year with a big ole minus sign in the city ledger.

"This town has struggled financially for years and years," said Jim Mitzel, the 50-year-old former mayor of the town. "But once we got [Route] 301, our chief went crazy." The town annexed the heavily patrolled route in the 1990s, installing a speed trap that dropped suddenly from 65 to 55 miles per hour. Naturally, the town makes an appearance on AAA's list of speed traps.

There have been allegations of misappropriation of city funds, improper use of city credit cards and other forms of corruption. Of course, there are accusations of nepotism, as well, with one family that's employed by the city extorting others thanks to the city's control of water.

According to the Times, the town's police force increased from one to 17, with the county sheriff saying he was unsure if any of the new "officers" had training on radar guns. "The last couple of years were the worst," Mitzel said. "[The police] went after people like fresh meat. They pulled out in front of semis." A particularly popular target were fans of the Florida Gators, who traversed Route 301 through Hampton when traveling between Jacksonville and Gainesville for football games.

"I have said it before: It's something out of a Southern Gothic novel. You can't make this stuff up," State Senator Rob Bradley, who represents Hampton, told the Times. "This situation went on for so long and the mismanagement was so deep, we have to seriously consider abolishing the government."

Unless the citizens can come up with a solution to the town's deep-seated problems with 30 days, dissolution looks to be the Hampton's final fate. Regardless of what's chosen, you'd probably be best to avoid this rural Florida town for the time being.

There existed an era in German touring car racing between when the DTM series was revived in 2000 and when BMW rejoined in 2012. During that twelve-season span, the wins were pretty evenly divided between Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the only two manufacturers who took part. Audi won six drivers' titles in that time and Mercedes won six (although Benz won considerably more constructors' titles).

Now that BMW is back in the race, though, it's an entirely different game. BMW has won the lion's share of the races in the past two seasons, taking both titles in 2012 and the constructors' title last season. The winning driver last season, though, was driving the RS5, making Audi the only one that really stands a chance of putting up a fight against BMW. It undoubtedly hopes to extend that challenge in the coming season, and this is the car with which it aims to do so.

Taking on the Mercedes-AMG C-Class Coupe DTM and the new BMW M4 DTM will be the revised RS5 DTM you see here. Bearing a stronger resemblance to the road-going RS5 you can buy, Audi's new DTM challenger benefits from a revised aero package with more streamlined side mirrors, closed rear wheel arches and reprofiled side sills. The V8 engine carries over (much as it did from the previous A4 DTM and A5 DTM) with 456 horsepower driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.

It's been a work in progress since last May, and will make its race debut at Hockenheim on May 4 when returning champions Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Mattias Ekstrom will use it in their campaign to add another title to their names.

Open-source software isn't a new thing, even in the world of racing. Just take a look at the gorgeous Project Cars video game to see what we mean. What is, unusual, though, is an open-source car. And we aren't just talking about any car - we're talking about an open-source Le Mans prototype. Oh yes.

The brainchild of the UK's Nicolas Perrin, the open-source project, called Perrin MyTeam, allows just about anyone to contribute to an attempt to bring a hybrid-powered Le Mans prototype to the 24-hour race in 2015. Participants will have access to everything from CAD information on the car Perrin - an engineer and designer who previously worked in Formula One and sports car racing - designed to budgets, drawings, liveries and even team outfits. According to Perrin, there will be so much data available on the car itself that those with the means would actually be able to produce a miniature 3D print.

"From my extensive time in F1 and even when I was designing sports cars for others, I saw how secretive motorsport really is, preventing fans, enthusiastic students and engineers from getting involved and learning," Perrin said in a statement. "It doesn't have to be like that. We can create a true 'people's team' and by opening everything up, we aim to not only build up a fan base that gets involved to improve the car but also attract backers who share our values."

We'll admit, it's all a very, very intriguing idea. Whether it will ultimately be successful, though, is tougher to figure out. Take a look below for the official press release from Perrin MyTeam, and if you're interested in contributing your time and experience, head over to the team's website.

The Ford GT40 owns a firm spot on the list of the greatest American racecars ever made, being the first car from the United States to take an overall win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And now Mecum will auction what it claims is second-oldest GT40 still in existence at its Houston sale on April 12.

The story of the GT40 is fascinating. Henry Ford II attempted to buy Ferrari in the early '60s, but Enzo refused. Ford decided if he couldn't have them, then he would beat the Prancing Horse on the track. Ford went to Carroll Shelby and asked him to spearhead the program. The early cars combined a steel monocoque chassis with Ford's 4.2-liter V8 engine pumping out around 350 horsepower. The first prototype made its public debuted on April 1, 1964, at the New York Auto Show.

Shelby kept building prototypes, including GT/104, which is for sale here. This version featured a lighter steel chassis and was raced at Le Mans in 1964. However, a fire forced it to retire. It was then repainted and had a 4.7-liter (289-cubic-inch) engine fitted. The chassis had its best finish at the 1965 Daytona Continental 2,000 Kilometers where it finished third with Bob Bondurant and Ritchie Ginther behind the wheel. Later that season, it was shipped back to Ford where it was restored and displayed at auto shows until 1971 when the automaker sold it. Since then, it has had many private owners.

Mecum believes that the car currently has the same 4.7-liter V8 that was used in the 1965 season and rare Colotti four-speed gearbox. If the car is everything that it says it is, it combines fantastic looks and a storied racing history. It will be interesting to see how it sells. Scroll down for the full release about its history.

Jeremy Clarkson has become the star of Top Gear with his mix of hyperbole, funny faces and penchant for sometimes putting his foot in his month, and the auto writer's childhood home is now for sale in the UK for a cool 595,000 pounds ($988,848). In addition to the automotive connection, Clarkson's mother created the Paddington Bear stuffed toys there in the '70s.

The farmhouse was built in the 16th century and includes two reception rooms and two bathrooms. However, it's pretty obvious why Clarkson wouldn't want to buy the house himself. According to UK site Zoopla, the garage measures 21 feet long by 12.1 feet wide. That's hardly enough for his supercars.

The four-bedroom house is in the village of Burghwallis in the county of South Yorkshire, England. According to the listing, Shirley Clarkson invented the toys when she made two bears named Paddington as Christmas presents for her children. While she didn't write the original story, the stuffed bears became hugely popular. Click through the gallery for a glimpse into how Clarkson grew up.

When we think of comfy, long-distance road cars, there are a few obvious choices. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Bentley Continental GT or, assuming fuel efficiency isn't paramount, a Range Rover are all good options for a road trip. But what if that road trip was 37,000 miles? Maybe something more reliable but still comfortable, then, like a Honda Accord. What about a 1967 Datsun Roadster?

As insane as it sounds, Scott Fisher is doing just that, running a Datsun 1600 Roadster across North America and racking up 13,500 miles in his first three months on the road. His total journey will see him pile over 37,000 miles on his red convertible. The car is lightly modified, but most of the work is for the sake of reliability and comfort, with a five-speed manual 'box, an upgraded radiator and electronic ignition.

Fisher's trip hasn't been all smooth, with a few typical bits of trouble. He also ran into some deer in Utah, quite literally, clipping one of the animals, which delivered quite a bit of damage to the passenger's front fender (hence the rear three-quarter view in our lead shot). Still, the car seems to be holding up well, as shown in this latest video from Petrolicious.

Scroll down for the full video on Fisher and his Datsun.

The passing of William Clay Ford has been a big event for the company he spent most of his life helping run. Ford spent 57 years working for his family's company. Considering the Blue Oval has been around for over 100 years, WCF's passing is the end of an era for the Dearborn-based manufacturer.

Ford's YouTube channel has issued a short memorial video highlighting the life of the longest-lived grandson of company founder Henry Ford. It follows William Clay from his time as a boy, showing him alongside his grandfather, through his younger years, and into his twilight, as the patriarch of the Ford family.

Take a look below for this touching memorial video on William Clay Ford.

The Nürburgring has been officially sold, and it wasn't to HIG Capital and its group of investors as we had previously expected. Instead, Düsseldorf-based Capricorn Development put in a last-minute bid to buy the track for 77 million euros ($106.8 million), and it's promising to invest a further 25 million euros ($34.7 million) into the historic racecourse. The company will take full ownership of the 'Ring on January 1, 2015.

Capricorn is saying all of the right things about its plans for the Green Hell. During the press conference that announced the sale, it said that motorsport will be the focal point of its ownership, and the track will remain open to the public. It wants to work with companies to create a technology center there and bring more industry to the Nürburgring region. The company already has an office at the 'Ring that supplies lightweight components to automakers and racing teams, according to RP Online.

According to Piston Heads, which attended the press conference, Capricorn's bid arrived with minutes to spare. It beat HIG Capital, which reportedly offered between 60 million and 70 million euros ($83.2 million to $97 million), because of the promise to bring new business to the area.

The major lingering question about the track's future is whether Formula 1 can remain at the grand prix course. Bernie Ecclestone previously threatened to hold future German Grands Prix only at Hockenheim. While it's too early to say for sure, Capricorn says that F1 is the pinnacle of the Nürburgring, according to Rhein Zeitung. At least we know it's valued.

After a year of questions, one of world's greatest racetracks will remain in German hands. If Capricorn stays true to its word, then it looks like the tracks legacy is only going to get better. The 'Ring lives!