Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Dodge Challenger SE and R/T.

A "top company executive" has supposedly leaked pricing of the base Dodge Challenger to the Freep and the 250 hp, V6-equipped model could set pony car fanatics back $23,995. Although official pricing hasn't been disclosed for the full Challenger range, the SRT8 model is already carrying a $37,320 price tag, so pricing the base model somewhere south of $25,000 was expected. However, that puts the entry-level Challenger $4,000 above the V6 Ford Mustang, priced at $19,650. While we were hoping that the low-end Challenger would be closer to the $20k mark, if the $23,995 base price is to be believed, there's no doubt that we'll be seeing plenty of Dodge's new hotness populating the streets when it goes on sale later this year.



[Source: Detroit Free Press]

We've heard this tune before. Automakers have pushed vehicles to the zenith of attainable on-road performance, with even family vehicles being outfitted with fire-breathing engines. Anything you buy today will run rings around the performance cars of yore. Boomers may get misty-eyed about how great the glory days of the 1960s were for hot cars, but that's just the filthy exhaust clouding their judgement. The golden age of performance is now. Just as it went down nigh on 38 years ago, big V8 thumpers are having their death knell sounded. Scott Burgess posits in the Detroit News that the muscle car formula could undergo some revision.

Burgess spoke with GM's Troy Clarke, who thinks that muscle cars will evolve into vehicles that sell more on the strength of their style and innovation, rather than live axles and cubic inches. We agree that there will be widespread evolution and experimentation when it comes to powertrains, but we thought muscle cars already sold largely on their stylishness. We went digging at Ford to take a look at Mustang sales to see if our suspicions could be confirmed.

Click the image above for more spy shots of the 2010 Ford Mustang

The idea of an EcoBoost V6 powering the next-generation Mustang has been kicked around the Autoblog offices ever since Ford announced the new twin-turbocharged, direct-inject V6 earlier this year. According to MotorTrend, FoMoCo is now seriously considering offering the new mill along with its standard 4.0-liter V6 and a set of new V8s. The Blue Oval is contemplating equipping the new 'Stang with an all new 5.0-liter V8 that would find its way under the hood of a limited edition Boss 302 or the 315-hp, 4.6-liter V8 found in the Bullitt. Either way, buyers can keep things traditional or go for the turbo V6 while still retaining the output characteristics of a big V8. The move comes as new CAFE regs are beginning to be taken seriously by all automakers, including GM, which recently canceled its DOHC V8 engine program.

Shelby versions of the Mustang will likely continue through the end of the year and maybe beyond, with a GT500 version being available soon after the redesign goes on sale late in 2009. It's still rumored that the new sheet metal adorning the 2010 Mustang will take some cues from the Giugiaro concept, including a set of wider haunches that are more reminiscent of the fastback's shoulders, along with a new rear bumper design, new front fascia and plenty of wheel and color choices. Inside, the instrument panel will get a facelift to allow more room for navigation and audio controls, while improvements will be made to create a more "driver-centric" environment.

Despite all the talk about a more fuel-efficient V6, Ford is reportedly also developing a supercharged version of its 5.0-liter V8 to be stuffed into a new flagship model that would compete with the Chevy Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper SRT10.

[Source: MotorTrend]

click above for more images of the 2008 Nissan Altima

The Nissan Altima narrowly beat out the Honda Accord for the coveted Consumer Reports Top-Ranked, Mid-priced Sedan, which is revealed in the February 2008 issue. The V6 Accord lost to the V6-powered Altima by a scant one-point, followed by the Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.

Consumer Reports tested a number of family sedans for its February issue, ranging from the base four-cylinder models and up to the range-topping V6s. The selected vehicles, which also included the Ford Taurus, Dodge Avenger, Kia Amanti and Subaru Legacy, were broken down into three categories: "Affordable," "Mid-priced" and "Large" family sedans.

The four-cylinder Altima took the top spot in the "Affordable" category, leading by six points over the Accord, with the Kia Optima EX and Passat 2.0T coming in third and fourth, respectively.

Consumer Reports is quick to point out that the Accord, which has won the publications Top Pick for five years, outperformed the majority of the players, but in the end, the Altima proved to be the best value overall.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Click the image above for a gallery of the Hyundai Genesis coupe concept.

2008 is shaping up to be a great year for enthusiasts, with the Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Evolution X and Subaru Impreza STI all coming to market. But drivers bent on rear-wheel drive performance on a budget have been left out in the cold, assuming that they're looking for something with an independent suspension and a small displacement, turbocharged motor.

In 2009, that's all going to change when Hyundai unleashes its RWD Genesis coupe to the masses. The new two-door model from Hyundai will feature a direct-injection 2.0-liter turbo'd motor (co-developed by Hyundai, Chrysler and Mitsubishi), sending power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual, supposedly with an optional LSD and the possibility of more factory-produced go-fast bits on the way.

In an interview with Automotive News, John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America's veep of product development said that the Genesis coupe won't be the only model sporting forced induction in the automaker's future. Plans to install turbos in other models are underway, as Hyundai has no intentions of offering a diesel or hybrid in the near future, and strapping a snail to a small motor can return benefits both in performance and fuel economy.

The coupe will also have a V6 option (a 3.8-liter making upwards of 300 hp), but for the enthusiast set, the blown four will be more desirable since the plumbing necessary for upgrades is already in place. Despite this, Hyundai plans on taking the V6 Mustang to task on the tarmac, and with rumors swirling (Automotive News - Sub. Req.) that FoMoCo will drop the 4.0-liter V6 in favor of either the new 3.5- or 3.7-liter V6s in 2009, things are looking good for budget racers in North America.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Like a family of cockroaches living behind your kitchen cabinets, some rumors just won't die. No matter how ridiculous, they just won't go away. And so we waste our cyber-space reassuring our loyal readership of that they're nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

Here we're talking about the prospect of a sport-utility vehicle from Ferrari. We've seen different renderings and projections, and although we're not sold, apparently some people still think it could happen. Leave it to the Dutch, then, to get it right from the source. Holland's automotive magazine AutoWeek spoke with Ferrari's general manager Amadeo Felisa, who firmly denied that the company is developing – or even considering – an SUV. And we'll take him at his word, even if we have our doubts when they continue to refute the development of an entry-level model.

On that front, in lieu of the usual mantra that the company is not building a successor to the Dino, Felisa specified that Ferrari was not developing a six-cylinder model, which doesn't rule out the possibility of a new model to slot in below the F430 with any other type of powertrain configuration... say, a V8 for example.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl via Motor Authority]

There is awesomeness to the prefix "twin-turbo." It could be a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine (awesome in its own right) that you're talking about, but prepending any engine designation with the modifier "twin-turbo" can suck all of the air out of a room. Owners of lesser cars just nod in acknowledgment of their inferiority. Audi fans have lamented the evolution of the S4 from a twin-turbocharged V6 in the B5 version to V8 power for the two most recent iterations. Many feel that the V8 powerplant doesn't have the addictive frenetic nature of the old S4. For the next generation, Audi is returning the S4 to its roots as a more refined version of what you'll find in the Evo or the STi. The B8 S4 has reportedly been lapping the Nurburgring with a force-fed six-shooter underhood.

With the A5/S5 joining the lineup, the S4 doesn't have to worry as much about serving customers who'd rather have a GT than something more serious. Thus, an artificially-aspirated V6 displacing three liters and employing VW/Audi Group's FSI direct-injection technology and Audi's Valvelift actuation system can be parked in the S4 without fears that the hardcore nature of such a powerplant would be off-putting. Whether the external compressors are turbos or a supercharger is the subject of rumor. Also open to speculation is the horsepower output, but it'd be safe to bet that something slightly higher than the 300 HP packed into the BMW 335 can be expected. Also expect the S4 to employ Audi's Sport Differential to offer tweakable chassis attitude, as well as the obligatory styling tweaks and sumptuous cabin, too. Click the Read link below to view a couple renderings of what the next S4 might look like courtesy of Fourtitude.

[Source: Fourtitude, Rendering: Fourtitude]

During an interview with BusinessCar, Hyundai UK's head Tony Whitehorn finally confirmed what's been rumored for going on a year: the automaker's new RWD coupe will replace the Tiburon. The coupe will take about 50- to 60-percent of the styling cues originally debuted on the Veloster concept and is set to make its world debut at the London Motor Show in July of 2008.

When the as-of-yet unnamed coupe goes on sale, expect power to be provided by the automaker's 260 HP 3.8-liter V6, with the possibility of a two-liter turbocharged mill finding its way underhood. Whitehorn goes on to eschew rumors of a V8 powerplant, as well as hybrid and diesel options. Doh!

[Source: BusinessCar via Motor Authority]

Here's another example of liking the individual hardware pieces, but being repulsed by the idea of the ultimate combination. RX7s are cool. Grand Nationals are cool. But a vehicular mash-up of a 1993 RX-7 powered by a Buick GN's V6 seems a little weird. Weird to think that it even gets past regulatory agencies, as it's an older, totally alien engine in a newer car, which might make it interesting to register in a state with California emissions. The swap is well done, though, even if we'd question the handling a heavier and much more powerful engine in the snout brings with it. It's fast, but does it understeer like a pig and snap the tail out? The seller seems to have focused on posting low elapsed times in the quarter mile, so think about that when you conjure what the dynamics may be. Follow the jump for more.

[Source: eBay via Carscoop]

Our friends over at the GT Channel are in the midst of Infiniti's G37 press event, and between shrimp cocktails and the malaise of pandering PR-types, Mark Igo, the general manager and veep of Nissan's luxury arm made the announcement that a new FX is due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next year.

It's a foregone conclusion that the new 3.7-liter VQ-series V6 will be making its way under the hood of many new Infiniti models, including the new G37, M37 and now, the FX37. But aside from powertrain speculation, Igo remained mum on any styling revisions that the long-in-the-tooth FX will undergo. We'll be on the floor in Geneva in March, so for now, the waiting game begins.

[Source: GT Channel]