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Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/16/2013-nissan-leaf-review-first-drive-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/16/2013-nissan-leaf-review-first-drive-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/16/2013-nissan-leaf-review-first-drive-video/#commentsFiled under: Hatchback, Nissan, First Drives, Electric

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Look at the 2013 Nissan Leaf - even one parked next to a 2012 model - and you'll be hard-pressed to spot the differences. Changes and updates have been made, but you have to know the details to tell. It's sort of like listening to a hipster tell you why Interpol and The National have completely different sounds.

Nissan says it didn't reinvent the Leaf because what the company has created is working. Over 25,000 Leafs have been sold in the US - 62,000 around the world - since the car went on sale in late 2010. That may not sound like a lot, but it's heads and shoulders above any other all-electric car available anywhere. The car has its detractors - boy, does it ever - but Nissan knows it's hard to argue with real-world success.

We recently spent a few hours driving the new Leaf - an SL-trim version, optioned out to $36,910 - around the hills of central Tennessee after a visit to Nissan's new 475,000 square-foot battery plant. What we learned there provided a lot of hints about the company's electric future. Nissan may be leading today, but company head Carlos Ghosn has made huge, multi-billion-dollar bets on zero-emission technology and the rest of the world has been very slow to prove him right.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video]

2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2013 leaf2013 nissan leaffeaturedfirst driveFirstDrivenissannissan leafThu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 EST

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Coming Soon To Our Shores With Two More Doors And A Trunk

The Audi S3 is not exactly a sales juggernaut, despite it being a bit of a legend for passionate fans of the small German premium genre. In most markets outside of Europe, people may consider such setups as the S3 three-door tested here, look at the price, and then think maybe they should just get a nice A4 sedan with greater practicality for similar cash. That certainly has been one reason Audi has never officially brought the S3 hatchback to the United States. And the 335-horsepower RS3 Sportback? Forget about it nearly everywhere but in Germanic regions, Switzerland and the UK.

All of which automatically turns the new S3 hatchback into an unattainable object of desire for many fans of the four-ringed brand. The good news, of course, for many markets not on the three-door S3's dance card is that most of us will get a shot at buying the new S3 sedan that will be powered by the same drivetrain tested here. We reported heavily on the sedan version from the recent New York Auto Show and are convinced that there is much for North American shoppers to like.

Continue reading 2013 Audi S3

2013 Audi S3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The First Maserati To Run Full-Time On All Fours

2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4

About six months ago we tested the all-new 2014 Maserati Quattroporte GTS and its 523-horsepower 3.8-liter bi-turbo V8 engine, the latter being built in Maranello, Italy, by Ferrari. There were comments on both sides, mostly positive though, and we came away impressed by the sixth-generation Maserati sedan. This despite the fact that both we and you couldn't seem to get past the questionable aesthetics of the 20-inch Crono alloy wheels slapped on all of the test cars. Awkward looking they are, or is "distinctive" the word we're seeking?

For both the crucial United States market and the rest of the world, the most important version of the latest Quattroporte is bound to be the less powerful (and less expensive) bi-turbo V6 model we have just driven here in northern Italy; both rear-wheel-drive and Q4 all-wheel-drive versions. We spent nearly all day in the 404-hp 2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4, and found a lot that we prefer in the six-cylinder powertrain versus the champing aggression and $140,000 price tag of the GTS bi-turbo V8 model. These long and lanky executive-style statements traditionally thrive on the V8 mantra, so it will be interesting to watch how Maserati's need to use stronger and more efficient V6 engines is received by its six-figure customers.

It's a cynical thing to discuss so matter of factly, but descending into five-figure pricing for these rides actually damages their sales potential. It's bizarre, but keeping every trim of the Maserati Quattroporte north of $100,000 was crucial. So, is the 2014 Maserati Quattrporte S Q4 at a projected $108,000 base price worth it? To this stratum of clientele, apparently it is. Even the rear-wheel-drive S with this bi-turbo V6 will come in around $102,000 when it arrives in North America in mid-2014. (Or mid-2015, as yet to be decided.)

Continue reading 2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 [w/video]

2014 Maserati Quattroporte S Q4 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20562509 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/2014-maserati-quattroporte-s-q4-fd_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/2014-maserati-quattroporte-s-q4-fd.jpg <![CDATA[2014 Chevrolet Silverado]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/09/2014-chevy-silverado-review-first-drive/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/09/2014-chevy-silverado-review-first-drive/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/09/2014-chevy-silverado-review-first-drive/#commentsFiled under: Truck, Work, Chevrolet, First Drives, Off-Road

The Fullsize Pickup, Refined

No one's underestimating the importance of the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. While General Motors continues to shovel the current generation off dealer lots at an impressive pace, it would be too kind to simply say the old mule has started to show its age. The GMT900 platform that's rolling along under the 2013 model has been underpinning fullsize GM trucks since 2007, and while the Silverado has stayed competitive through most of the intervening six years, the past two haven't been kind to the machine.

Ford just won't quit sharpening its F-150 in one way or another, throwing interior and driveline updates at the stalwart pickup with the fevered pace of a company possessed. Like the Silverado, the F-150 is no fresh piece of hardware, but fuel-efficient and powerful engine options and a well-sorted interior put the truck consistently ahead of the now aged Chevrolet. And then there's the Ram 1500. Chrysler let loose with both barrels with the 2013 update, tearing into the fullsize market with a beautiful cabin, excellent tech and plenty of clever engineering.

Chevy engineers stood back and watched this happen, biting their tongues and whittling away all the while on the next-generation 2014 Silverado. There are only a handful of carryover parts from old machine to new, and the result is a pickup that offers more power, efficiency and refinement than the previous generation while holding the pricing line. This is, without a doubt, the best Silverado ever built, but does that make it the best pickup?

Continue reading 2014 Chevrolet Silverado

2014 Chevrolet Silverado originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2014 chevrolet silverado2014 chevy silverado2014 silverado2014chevroletsilverado2014silveradochevychevy silveradofeaturedfirst driveFirstDrivesilverado picssilverado reviewThu, 09 May 2013 11:57:00 EST

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20563229 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/03-2014-chevrolet-silverado-fd-opt_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/03-2014-chevrolet-silverado-fd-opt.png <![CDATA[2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/08/2014-bmw-m6-gran-coupe-first-drive-review/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/08/2014-bmw-m6-gran-coupe-first-drive-review/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/08/2014-bmw-m6-gran-coupe-first-drive-review/#commentsFiled under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, BMW, First Drives

Is This A Great Idea For An M Model?

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is already an issue of large debate. The essential business case for the car is that it's more distinctive than a straight 5 or 6 Series, and has much of the sense of space and luxury of a 7 Series. It has the wheelbase of a 5 Series, the relative width of a 6 Series, and an exterior length close to the standard wheelbase 7 Series. And, as we reported in our drive of the 640i Gran Coupe in May 2012, the 6 Series Gran Coupe costs pretty much the same as the 7 Series, engine trim for engine trim. The sedan (coupe?) is therefore a proposal clearly meant for an extremely particular clientele. There's no news yet on how well exactly the 6 Series Gran Coupe is selling in its chief markets, but we are curious. The Germans frequently tend not to break out their sales figures that way, mixing sales of the Gran Coupe in with the two-door 6 Series.

And, so, we have now arrived at the inevitable point where the M version must be introduced. Say howdy to the $113,000 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe (actually $115,195 for starters with all of the taxes added). That's $4,650 more than the also highly priced M6 coupe. Let the vehement debates begin. The upcoming 2014 Audi RS7 should be priced right at this level as well, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG (perhaps with an S iteration in the next allotment we get Stateside) should go for roughly the same.

Continue reading 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scratching All The Right Itches

2013 Nissan Juke Nismo

Say what you will about the unconventional aesthetics that Nissan employed on the company's Juke. I love the thing. The universe has no shortage of ambiguously styled CUVs, and while I can't exactly say I would have turned to the amphibian world for design inspiration had it been me with the charcoal in my hand, I can certainly appreciate the fact that the Juke isn't just another box-on-box design.

And then there's that engine. The turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder under the hood is one of the best powerplants in the company's toy box, offering plenty of low-range torque and comical levels of thrust. Hell, it even makes the optional continuously variable transmission tolerable. Praise be to the deities of forced induction. But something has always been missing from the mix. From the first moment I got my hands on the Juke, I couldn't help but think how much better the machine would be if Nissan ditched an inch or two of ground clearance and sharpened up its suspension. Think more "hot hatch" and less "Kermit goes to Kroger."

I wasn't the only one with that notion. The minds at Nismo were keen to turn their attentions to the Juke, and while the resulting 2013 Juke Nismo isn't the hardcore machine I'd seen in my dreams, it may very well be the best trim available for the runabout.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo

2013 Nissan Juke Nismo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canada's Prehistoric Predator Gets Longer Arms

2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S

Without a doubt, the three-wheel Campagna T-Rex 16S is one of the most fascinating vehicles I have ever driven.

"Drive it like a car, but act like you are on a motorcycle," were the words of wisdom bestowed upon me before the keys were handed over, and the advice couldn't have been more accurate. During the next four days, I zipped blissfully around town with the wind blowing through my hair as I watched the front wheels articulate over the pavement. I could smell the ocean as I drove down Pacific Coast Highway, and taste the dry brush of the Santa Monica Mountains as I toured the canyons.

I also took a bumble bee in the cheek, was nearly squashed by an inattentive driver in a Toyota Camry, cut off by a Ford F-150 and I was stared down by the law at every opportunity.

Apparently, that's the price of having the wind blow through your hair as you mount a low-slung, agile steed with a very unique three-wheel configuration.

Continue reading 2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S [w/video]

2013 Campagna T-Rex 16S [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20558346 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/2013-campagna-t-rex-16s_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/2013-campagna-t-rex-16s.jpg <![CDATA[Nissan Juke-R [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/nissan-juke-r-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/nissan-juke-r-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/nissan-juke-r-w-video/#commentsFiled under: Performance, Hatchback, Nissan, First Drives, MISC

The Other Brother

The handler strapped into the carbon fiber race bucket next to me is the only other person outside of yours truly who looks like he thinks this is a bad idea. I've just finished situating myself in the cabin of the very first Nissan Juke-R ever constructed. There are literally thousands of man hours in this single prototype and only four examples of the car total in the entire world. Each one carries a price tag of around $656,400 at current conversion rates, making this both the rarest and most expensive piece of machinery anyone has ever let me get close enough to sniff, let alone drive.

And that's exactly what I mean to do.

I'm not puttering around some parking lot, either. Nissan has seen fit to let me hammer this thing around a road course set up on the infield of the now defunct Nashville Superspeedway for as long as my passenger will let me, and I'm keen to oblige. I send out the familiar and threadbare "Please don't let me crash this car" one last time, and with the engine already running, I click the shifter into gear and let the Juke-R grumble its way to the pit exit.

Continue reading Nissan Juke-R [w/video]

Nissan Juke-R [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 May 2013 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20557371 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/nissan-juke-r-1-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/nissan-juke-r-1-opt.jpg <![CDATA[2014 Ducati 1199 Panigale R]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/2014-ducati-1199-panigale-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/2014-ducati-1199-panigale-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/2014-ducati-1199-panigale-r/#commentsFiled under: Performance, First Drives, Motorcycle

When 30 Grand For Two Wheels Isn't Too Much

Surviving long-term motorcycle riding requires a healthy dose of fear and the heightened awareness that accompanies it. Nothing suffers fools quite as ruthlessly as two-wheeled transport, an axiom that has been relentlessly reinforced by YouTube. The exposure of riding is bound to catch up with thrill-seekers hungry for speed, knee dragging, and all the potential disaster that comes with tapping into a sportbike's vast reserves of performance.

That said, few things trigger as many life-preserving neurochemicals for a red-blooded rider as a fleet of 2014 Ducati 1199 Panigale R motorcycles idling in pit lane at the newly minted Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, TX. Something about the blood-red bodywork, the guttural idle from two huge combustion chambers and electric tire-warmers (with their implicit suggestion to strike while the rubber is hot), warns the reptile brain to take it easy and not make today the day to chase imaginary trophies and champagne sprays.

Continue reading 2014 Ducati 1199 Panigale R

2014 Ducati 1199 Panigale R originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20556488 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/panigale-r-corner-basem-wasef-opt-car_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/panigale-r-corner-basem-wasef-opt-car.png <![CDATA[2015 Volkswagen GTI [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/26/2015-volkswagen-gti-first-drive-review-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/26/2015-volkswagen-gti-first-drive-review-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/26/2015-volkswagen-gti-first-drive-review-video/#commentsFiled under: Performance, Hatchback, Volkswagen, First Drives

The 911 Of Hot Hatches Takes The Compact Game To New Levels

2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI - front three-quarter view, in motion

North American car buyers get a bit of a slap in the face when it comes to delivery schedules for new the Volkswagen Golf and pumped-up GTI models. We'll just repeat the old chestnut: It's worth the wait... even though it still stinks. This time around, Western Europe is taking deliveries of the new Golf as we speak, and GTI deliveries start between May and July. North America doesn't get the Mk7 Golf or GTI until about July of 2014.

So we approached our first drive of the new GTI with this chip on our shoulder: "You're making us wait? Well, then at least give us the exact car we'll be able to buy. No compromises, mein freund." And so it was that we extracted nearly all of our drive impressions from behind the wheel of what, for the United States, will technically be a model year 2015 two-door Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance with the standard six-speed manual.

This time around, Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and in Herndon, VA, explain the wait in very practical terms. Whereas before it was just a long wait while Volkswagen slowly realized it needed to properly invest in North America, the wait this time is because VW needs to get its Puebla, Mexico, factory completely on-line to build all of North America's Golfs and GTIs. The deadline for this happening is... July 2014. We're still gonna whine about it though, because that's how we roll.

Continue reading 2015 Volkswagen GTI [w/video]

2015 Volkswagen GTI [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2015 volkswagen gtifeaturedfirst driveFirstDrivevolkswagenvolkswagen golfvolkswagen gtivwvw golfvw gtiFri, 26 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST

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20549296 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/2015-vw-gti-fd_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/2015-vw-gti-fd.jpg <![CDATA[2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/25/2013-bentley-continental-gt-speed-convertible-first-drive-review/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/25/2013-bentley-continental-gt-speed-convertible-first-drive-review/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/25/2013-bentley-continental-gt-speed-convertible-first-drive-review/#commentsFiled under: Convertible, Performance, Bentley, First Drives, Luxury

Loses its Head, Keeps its Bespoke Cool

2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible - front three-quarter view, top down

This is the 10th anniversary of the Bentley Continental GT, the 5,500-pound shim that pried open the market for bespoke luxury at $150K. We're into the second generation of the supercoupe that is still - and we think unfairly - derided as a grossly exaggerated Volkswagen, which to us is like saying the Hulk is just Bruce Banner in a tizzy. There are credible grounds for both statements, but in neither case do they accurately convey the chasm between the alpha and the omega.

Nevertheless, checking off the list of updated models brings us to the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible, the moderately augmented version of the non-Speed GTC. Back to the notion of unfairness, it's probably just that to say the GT Speed Convertible is only "moderately" changed. It did, after all, take Bentley three years to engineer the changes that separate your 'basic' Bentley from the Speed variant, and although they might be imperceptible, they are numerous.

We were invited to drive the world's latest and fastest four-seater convertible for two days from Las Vegas to San Francisco. In a twist we never would have expected, it turned into a desperate hunt for thrills.

Continue reading 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible

2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20548562 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/bentley-gtc-speed-conv-fd_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/bentley-gtc-speed-conv-fd.jpg <![CDATA[2013 Audi RS6 Avant [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/24/2013-audi-rs6-avant-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/24/2013-audi-rs6-avant-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/24/2013-audi-rs6-avant-w-video/#commentsFiled under: Performance, Wagon, Europe, Audi, First Drives

Latest, Greatest Autobahn Bomber Will Not Be Denied - Except To Us

2013 Audi RS6 Avant

Back in 2008, I was fortunate enough to test the second-generation Audi RS6 Avant in southern France on the supremely well-sorted circuit at Le Castellet, a.k.a. Paul Ricard. I was thrown out there with the 572-horsepower bi-turbo 5.0-liter V10-equipped behemoth behind one of Audi's DTM pros and was convinced in short order that the flaming hippo in my hands was going to get the better of me on one or another of the track's tight esses. I made it out alive and invigorated, of course, but knew that that RS6 Avant was the heaviest that these thunderwagons should ever be allowed to get. At around 4,650 pounds with driver aboard, it was just way more lateral momentum at speed than any pilot needs on a track - or for that matter, on a favorite hot curving road.

Now it's time for the 2013 Audi RS6 Avant to lay us out with a flying scissor kick from the corner ropes. This version of the highway and byway marauder from quattro GmbH is a decidedly greater piece of work than was the car I drove in 2008. This time, there will only be the Avant body configuration - no RS6 sedan - and, as with the previous generation, North America won't be at the receiving end when deliveries start at the end of July this year.

I can only whine loudly about what a pity that is; the new RS6 Avant with its 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8 is the absolute best Audi RS model I have tested in over a decade. It weighs in 220 pounds less than its predecessor, loses 20 horsepower, gains 37 pound-feet of torque, and torches the previous car's acceleration time to 60 miles per hour by seven-tenths of a second, or in other words, it needs only 3.8 seconds. That's seriously hair-brained action in a family-car wrapper. There are a few reasons as to why it's that much quicker, but one key is the greater 17.4 psi of boost pressure from each turbocharger versus the 10.2 psi per unit on the last generation's spec sheet. Then there are the tighter ratios of the eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox against the six-speed Tiptronic of 2008.

Continue reading 2013 Audi RS6 Avant [w/video]

2013 Audi RS6 Avant [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stepping Into The Lion's Den With A Big-Hearted Cat

2014 Jaguar F-Type - front three-quarter view, charcoal

If you're like me - and our demographics suggests you are - you've probably never seen a new Jaguar sportscar at your local showroom. I'm 36, and it hasn't happened in my lifetime... and not by a little bit. Oh, there have been a string of XK coupes and convertibles, and as of late, there have even been some genuine high-performance specials - namely the R, R-S and R-S GT models - but their basis has always been the 2+2 grand tourer shell, not a lighter and smaller footprint with more intrinsic sporting intent. The truth is that it's been a half-century since Jaguar introduced a proper new sportscar. Today, most people know the brand strictly as a purveyor of wood- and hide-lined luxury sedans.

In fact, if you're not an enthusiast with some appreciation for the marque's history, it's a bit odd to hear Jaguar executives proclaim that they are a sportscar company and always have been. By their reckoning, the 2014 F-Type seen here is in fact a return to form, a Rip Van Winkled brand pillar reanimated and reimagined to take center stage. It's a sentiment that must be particularly odd for car shoppers in developing markets like China, where Jaguar hasn't even been selling cars for very long. Yet because the original 1961 E-Type is perhaps the most gorgeous car ever to lay ply on the world's roads, we're prepared to cut them some slack.

Given a desire to project its lengthy and distinguished (if distant) sportscar history into the present, we couldn't really have blamed Jaguar if they decided to just update the E-Type's visuals and pull what's underneath into modernity, à la Ford GT. (In fact, there's already a well-respected British outfit, Eagle, commanding big dollars for doing largely the same thing). There's also a middle 'homage' path - think 1956 BMW 507 begets 2000 Z8 roadster. Yet Jaguar hasn't taken the easy way out and created a doppelganger or even a historical pastiche. Yes, if you look hard enough, you'll find subtle nods to the E-Type, but they aren't immediately obvious. In fact, Jaguar has embarked on nothing short of a radical design overhaul of its entire lineup over the last half-decade or so (beginning with 2008's XF sedan) in an effort to upend its image as traditional luxury transport for the world's elderly elite.

Continue reading 2014 Jaguar F-Type

2014 Jaguar F-Type originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinquecento's Electrifying One-Price Strategy Is A Gas

America's electric vehicle segment is getting crowded, but sales remain tiny compared to the overall market. Listening to EV pitchmen, a key phrase heard over and over is "no compromises." This particular EV, the seller says, offers all* the things you want in a car, without the gasoline and without compromises. That asterisk thing? Well, sure, the electric vehicle paradigm requires you rethink the "one car that does everything" mentality, but once that's out of the way, there are no compromises here. No siree.

Of course, all EVs require compromises - but the truth is that every car forces owners to make compromises. Big SUVs don't always fit into parking spaces and suck down fuel. Subcompacts can't hold a gaggle of children and dogs. High-performance sports cars compromise wallets. Once you wrap your head around the idea that choosing electric is an option just like vehicle size or color - where no one choice is right for everybody, even if it's perfect for some - the 2014 Fiat 500e, going on sale this summer, asks a simple question: when you're driving in a city, why would you drive anything except an EV?

Fiat has been making the 500e at its Toluca, Mexico plant since early December, but it isn't busy building a million so that just anyone can own one. In fact, the automaker is going out of its way to make sure you don't buy a 500e if it's not right for you. The official website will soon have a "compatibility matching service" that will use information you feed it to determine if you're an EV candidate (we're guessing a short commute, an understanding of new technology and a place to charge at home will be the key factors). If the system doesn't think you're EV-ready, it'll propose a different 500 for you. Nice, huh?

So, does the 500e actually offer pure electric mobility without compromises? Yes and no. Mostly yes, and it's a fun yes.

Continue reading 2013 Fiat 500e

2013 Fiat 500e originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Premium Van For The Modern-Day Milkman

2014 Mini Cooper Clubvan - front three-quarter dynamic view

We first saw the Mini Clubvan at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012, then in December again at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Based on a stock Mini Clubman, the Clubvan's dimensions are identical, while all side windows aft of the middle pillar are blocked out from the inside with handy polycarbonate liners (read: fancy plastic) and have body color skin on the outside, while the rear windows are tinted to boot. It looks like a van and works like a van, so it must be a van. A Mini-van, though.

Where is Mini going with this relatively low-cost (to the company) product line extension? The chief market for this nimble little hauler is cities in Great Britain where they were frequently in bygone days identified as milk delivery vans. These days, though, there are - even in the US now - lower cost smaller urban delivery vans from Ford, Ram and Nissan. Therefore, the spin is that the Mini Clubvan is designed to cater to smaller boutique firms in need of making a fashionable impression while delivering the goods to people living in penthouses and such. Think: Florists, caterers, and so on.

Continue reading 2014 Mini Cooper Clubvan

2014 Mini Cooper Clubvan originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Practicality From The Italian Ministry of Cute

2014 Fiat 500L

As seen in the correct Italian/European light, Fiat is rightly dubbed a small car kingdom. This is not the marque's whole story, though, and it's certainly not a way Fiat appreciates being pigeonholed. But even the brand itself sort of has to admit that, in the end, without clever and right-priced smaller cars in its lineup, it might not even exist today.

Between the early 1980s and the dawn of the 21st century, however, the Fiat brand seemingly did everything it could to wreck itself and its core compact-car reputation by producing a series of certifiably unamazing cars that mostly looked drab and behaved below average. Just go have a gander at the Ritmo, the Duna, the 1992-98 Cinquecento, 2004-07 Seicento/600, and the most recent European mega-flop (though actually a pretty good car), the Stilo, discontinued in 2008. Thankfully, almost right out of the gates since the mid-aughts, however, that has no longer been the case.

Jammed in this self-inflicted Catch-22 of small-car dependence, Fiat finally started capitalizing on the millstone hanging around its neck and turned it into a positive with the introduction of the new 500 back in 2007. The 500 and its wildly popular Abarth interpretations have allowed Fiat to at last create good premium-subcompact profits because these cars have become personalized trend and fashion statements worldwide.

Now I've driven this cheeky 2014 Fiat 500L mini-MPV, which should arrive in the US by the end of June. It's the next chapter in the Fiat brand's rise from the ashes and re-entry in America. The latter has been perhaps a much slower rise than desired due to the Great Recession and a European car market that continues to collapse in on itself in pretty scary fashion, but there is now light at the end of the Fiat tunnel. After a whole week of normal day-to-day with child and friends and stuff and many miles traveled, I was genuinely convinced by the 500L after not really knowing at all what to expect.

Continue reading 2014 Fiat 500L [w/video]

2014 Fiat 500L [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concentrated ST Formula Proves Just As Potent

2014 Ford Fiesta ST - front three-quarter view

I'm not the jealous type... usually. But I will fully admit to being somewhat of a Pouty Polly when I read executive editor Chris Paukert's report after driving the then-new 2013 Ford Focus ST through the impossibly pretty southern French Alps region last June. I feel like a broken record saying this yet again, but hot hatchbacks hold a special place in my heart. And while I'm always giddy to drive any sort of small, turbocharged three- or five-door at home in Detroit, my jealousy was indeed piqued after hearing Paukert tell about the challenging yet breathtaking roads he encountered while driving the flamin' yellow Focus. You know, the sort of roads that, from above, look like carelessly drizzled lines of icing on the frosted Alpen caps.

Several months later, I found myself piloting a Focus ST just west of metro Detroit, pitting it head-to-head against one of Autoblog's perennial favorite cars, the Volkswagen GTI. It was fantastic - enough so that I fully stand behind my statement that in terms of balls-out performance, the Focus ST cannot be beat as far as today's front-wheel-drive hatches are concerned.

But I can't be jealous of Paukert any longer. I've just returned from driving the new Ford Fiesta ST - in European-spec three-door guise - along many of those same roads in southern France. And while I really do love the larger Focus ST, my experience in the Fiesta has led me to believe that I, perhaps, had the better time.

Continue reading 2014 Ford Fiesta ST

2014 Ford Fiesta ST originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is A New Kind Of Lexus Hiding Under That Radical Skin?

2014 Lexus IS350 F-Sport - front three-quarter view with trees

When the now-outgoing Lexus IS generation was launched back in 2006, the company would not have been wise to bring the compact luxury sedan to be driven by journalists to a track like Driveway Austin Motorsports. Taking along a BMW 335i for comparison loops would have proved an ill choice as well.

Our own Jonathon Ramsey found the current-generation Lexus IS250 to be fairly nimble over a tightly wound autocross course, when he drove it back-to-back with the prototype version of this 2014 IS a few months ago. Our track for testing the fully realized version of the IS350 F-Sport meanwhile - again with the 2013 version along for competitive driving - was on a circuit designed to string together recreations of some of the best tracks in the world. Laguna Seca, bits of the Nürburgring and sections inspired by Imola and Ferrari's Fiorano test track all make for a far more enticing road course than you'd expect to find plunked down in a nondescript area a few miles east of downtown Austin. Critically, this environment highlighted what strides Lexus has made in the sport sedan race with its new IS.

As a general statement, the new IS350 acquitted itself well when driven with pace on the aggressive track. The performance, and much higher level of driver satisfaction when compared with the old car, is down to a few significant revisions: a new eight-speed transmission, a stiffer body structure and a greatly revised power steering system.

Continue reading 2014 Lexus IS350 F-Sport [UPDATE]

2014 Lexus IS350 F-Sport [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW Gets Much Closer To The GT Look And Feel It Seeks

2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo

The 2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is being launched to a pretty cynical automotive press brigade. You know it. We know it. Heck, even BMW knows it. We've just returned from driving it on the rather unforgiving and sometimes nasty roads of Sicily, and even before we got behind the wheel, many of our media colleagues were busying themselves doubting the 3 GT's very raison d'être. So, despite the always excellent Sicilian hospitality, the day's atmosphere was kind of fragile.

While the press in attendance seemed determined to nail every product expert to the wall for having been even tangentially associated with the larger 5 Series Gran Turismo, it seemed that BMW decided ahead of time to not introduce such a sensitive discussion topic. That strategy would do little to smooth things over as everyone started digging for dirt on BMW's so far clumsy Gran Turismo franchise.

As it turns out, we like the 3 GT despite so many packaging and design cards being stacked against it just by association with the 5 GT precedent. Automotive journalists are sometimes wrong en masse and this case of prejudice toward the 3 GT is one of those times.

And besides, much in the way the entire Buick brand still exists because China fell in love with it (entirely to General Motors' dumb-luck surprise), the 5 GT has somewhat thrived due to similar circumstances. The odd-duck 5 Series version - arguably the least appealing design ever to roll out of the halls of BMW - has found its savior almost exclusively in the Land of Confucius. After driving this new 3 GT, we have no reason to doubt it will find far more favor not just in China, but in all of BMW's major markets.

Continue reading 2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo [w/video]

2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fresh Styling, More Power And New Confidence

2014 Aston Martin Rapide S

Three years ago, almost to the day, we slid behind the wheel of the all-new Aston Martin Rapide for the very first time.

After unabashedly calling it "the world's best-looking four-door sedan" - a statement that is as accurate today as it was in 2010 - we piloted the Aston Martin on a meandering route from Miami to our final destination in Palm Beach.

Our conclusion, at the end of a very long day, was that British automaker had built a peerless sedan cleverly disguised as a coupe, and it offered more accommodation and utility than anything else in the automaker's two-door lineup. With that as its primary mission objective, it excelled. However, in terms of overall performance, our realization was that it fell short.

Enter the Aston Martin Rapide S, a thoroughly refreshed sedan that appears, at first glance, to have addressed our very frustrated concern.

Continue reading 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S [w/video]

2014 Aston Martin Rapide S [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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