Archive for the ‘sedan’ Category
September 10th, 2010 | 
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The guys from AutoExpress were able to get behind the wheel of the new Audi A7 and have a little fun! Check out the video to see what the British press has to say about the model.
The 2011 Audi A7 Sportback will hit the streets with a 2.8 FSI engine producing 201hp and 280Nm, a 3.0 TFSI engine that produces 296hp and 440Nm, a 3.0 TDI producing 210hp and 400Nm, and a 3.0 TDI producing 242hp and 500Nm. These engines will be mated to a Multitronic CVT automatic for front-wheel-drive versions and a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission for quattro models. The 3.0 TDI multitronic will make the 0-62mph sprint in 8.1 seconds while top speed is limited to 145mph. Its fuel efficiency is rated at a combined 53.3mpg. The new A7 will compete with models like the Mercedes CLS.
Video: The Audi A7 is reviewed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 10 September 2010 19:00 EST.
Technically, we don’t know if this is the first Aston Martin Rapide that has been crashed since the car was unveiled almost a year ago, but we are absolutely hoping that it is, and that no other Rapides have been cracked and banged before this.
The incident happened in Netherlands, near a school in Eindhoven. Although we have no details as to what really happened, the pictures shown here lead us to believe that it wasn’t a horrific display since the Rapide isn’t that damaged. We are guessing that there was a sudden braking scenario and the car behind him just wasn’t fast enough – or was driving too close – to brake in time. Anyone with details on this accident, please drop us an email or comment below. We have no details on what really happened, but the Rapide in the pictures looks pretty less damaged, so we presume nothing bad happened. Most likely something involving a sudden brake and the car behind not reacting in time. If you have more details on this, please let us know!
First Aston Martin Rapide crashed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 10 September 2010 18:00 EST.
The Continental GT has only just been unveiled and already Bentley is giving potential owners the chance to customize their Continental GT. The online configurator is called the “Visualiser” and it allows you to see your Continental GT in one of 14 exterior colors, a range of wheel designs, and numerous interior choices. Not exactly the perfect configurator on the market, but at least everyone will be able to get an idea of what Bentley has to offer!
All you have to do is get online and start having some fun!
Refresher: The new Continental GT gets a more upright grille with new headlamp design, in traditional four-lamp format and LED daylight-running lamps, a bootlid inspired by the Bentley Mulsanne and flared elliptical exhaust tailpipes. Under the hood there is a 6.0 liter W12 powertrain that delivers a total of 567 HP and 700 NM of torque. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 198 mph.
Online configurator for the new Bentley Continental GT originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 10 September 2010 15:00 EST.
A number of days ago, we showed you a video of the making of Cadillac’s new commercial for the CTS-V sedan’s Nurburgring run, which, incidentally enough, occurred a little over two years ago.
Claiming to be the world’s fastest four-door sedan, Cadillac’s time of 7:59.32 may not be anywhere near the neighborhood of some of the world’s most exotic cars, but when it comes to four-doors, the CTS-V sedan is the standard bearer for running the legendary Nurburgring race track. And while the number is impressive given the circumstances, Cadillac doesn’t see it as a competitive time, but as a starting block to which the company aims to push faster and work harder to improve on their time.
Then again, two years is a long time for a record to stand, especially in the auto industry where a technological race to be faster and more powerful is an everyday occurrence. There was even talk that a Porsche Panamera Turbo – another four-door – eclipsed the CTS-V’s record by thee seconds with a time of 7:56. But despite not having the record anymore, Cadillac’s time is impressive nonetheless, especially given the fact that unlike Porsche, the American brand isn’t particularly known for its speed.
Video: The new Cadillac CTS-V "Competition" commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 8 September 2010 06:00 EST.
The new 2010 Lexus IS-F is the brand’s first attempt at creating a performance machine to rival the German juggernaut. The car started life as an IS350, so we didn’t have high hopes for it right off the bat. The normal IS is a reliable and capable sports sedan; boring and plain in mostly every way. Then, it found the steroid cabinet.
The IS-F is very interesting to say the least. It’s got bulging front fenders, a 416 horsepower mountain of power, an eight-speed transmission, and a hard ride that would scare away most Lexus owners.
A useful car to Lexus? No, not even close. As pointless things go, the IS-F is on top of the pile. But, it makes a little sense when you remember that the one major flaw with the company was that it could never rival the Germans and their high-performance sedans. The sort of cars that sell in small numbers, but help automakers land big spots on automotive magazines and websites, like this one for example.
Hit the jump to read on.
BMW M3, Meet The Lexus IS-F originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 7 September 2010 13:00 EST.
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze won’t turn heads as a road-burning machine, but when it comes to a car that comes with a fuel-economy calling card, you can’t do any better than this compact sedan.
And if you’ve got a taste for online configurators, you’re in luck because Chevrolet recently released the configurator for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze for you to go crazy on. You can opt for the basic LS model that comes with a price tag of just a nickel under $17,000 – $16,995, to be exactly. But if you’re willing to splurge on the car, you can click a myriad of features to put on the Cruze, including an RS appearance package, a sunroof, navigation system, and a spare tire to boot. All these add-ons could spike up the price of the car to $26,800, an increase of 10 grand over the basic model but still cheap enough to make it a little worth it.
Then again, all of this is subject to your imaginations so you might as well go the whole nine yards in configurating your virtual Cruze.
Chevrolet releases online configurator for the Cruze originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 6 September 2010 20:00 EST.
Remember a while ago Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said in an interview: “As Enzo (Ferrari) would say, we will never do four doors. And we will keep this tradition.” But today rumors suggest that Ferrari has plans to expand its line-up with a new model that will take on models like Aston Martin Rapide and the future Lamborghini Estoque. Apparently Pininfarina has already imagined a future four-door coupe and Ferrari will make a final decision soon. Until then, the Italian company will unveil a surprise at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.
If built, the future four-door coupe will be based on the replacement of the 612 Scaglietti, scheduled for 2012. It seems that the 612 is offering enough interior room for a second row of doors. Same rumors suggest that the future model will be built in limited numbers and will offer wealthy customers an alternative for the other four-door coupe models on the market.
Ferrari works on four-door coupe? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 6 September 2010 19:00 EST.
“Everyone wants to be Mercedes-Benz,” said Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. Either Mercedes is getting a little cocky or they are just that confident about their plans for the future. They have already announced plans to build a new generation B-Class for the 2012 model year and now they have confirmed that not only will the hatchback version come to the U.S. market, but so will a coupe, a crossover, and a sedan version. These will be the first FWD models Mercedes will sell on the US market.
The next B-class will also be seeing some changes under the hood. Mercedes has taken advantage of the Renault-Nissan partnership and has had them develop new three- and four-cylinder engines with turbos and gasoline direct injection. The four-cylinder engines will be the first to see U.S. soil in a Mercedes product since no other four-cylinder Mercedes has been offered in the States.
In a previous interview, Dr. Joachim Schmidt, head of sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz, commented on the upcoming A- and B-Class models, noting that, “In the next couple of years, we will launch additional cars where we don’t currently have predecessors. Our current A-Class and B-Class will be replaced by a new platform for four totally different cars defining new segments for Mercedes.” He added, “If you want young customers, you need to have a brand that is sexy and sporty. The reason we didn’t get this customer before was, in my opinion, not a brand issue, but a product issue.” We can only guess that they are just that confident in their future products.
Mercedes works on new B-class coupe, crossover, and sedan originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 5 September 2010 07:30 EST.
Posted in Mercedes, Mercedes B-Class, USA, coupe, crossover, future cars, hatchback, sedan | 
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The Toyota/Subaru collaboration has all of us car enthusiasts talking, but with the Subaru FT-86 getting ready to blow Toyota’s version out of the water, the Japanese company is already thinking of a backup plan. According to some insiders at Toyota, a sedan version of the FT-86 has been given the green light and is considered a “plan B that will be introduced to cover the FT-86 investment in case the coupe doesn’t become a commercial success.” The new sedan will cost somewhere in the area of $30K.
The sedan version will be built on the same Subaru Liberty platform that the coupe version is built on with the same Subaru 204 HP boxer engine under the hood. This engine will be mated to a six speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). There are also rumors of a top version model that will use the Subaru 3.6-liter H6 powerplant delivering 256 HP.
So, if built, the sedan version will be the third model in the FT-86 sedan, next to the coupe and the “baby” version.
Toyota works on FT-86 sedan? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 18:00 EST.
Take a visual trip with us down to Florida. Ignore the hot sun, sticky humidity, alligators, hurricanes, and all the other stuff that makes the state terrible, and focus on the retirees. What sort of car are they driving at 10 miles per hour below the speed limit? If you guessed a Buick, you would be right. We would have also accepted Cadillac and Toyota.
That’s the image that most people get when they think of the Buick brand. Grandparents above the age of 65 driving around in boats dressed up in the shape of a car with a suspension so soft and leather so plush that you could mistake it for a yacht. That is the exact reason why General Motors nearly went belly up.
The message coming from automotive enthusiasts finally sunk in to GM’s thick skulls and they presented us with the new Buick Regal, basically an Opel Insignia with a new badge. So, does this new sedan shake off the old image, or should we leave it at the retirement home when the test is complete?
Hit the jump to find out.
A New Sort Of Thing: The Buick Regal CXL originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 17:00 EST.
Take a visual trip with us down to Florida. Ignore the hot sun, sticky humidity, alligators, hurricanes, and all the other stuff that makes the state terrible, and focus on the retirees. What sort of car are they driving at 10 miles per hour below the speed limit? If you guessed a Buick, you would be right. We would have also accepted Cadillac and Toyota.
That’s the image that most people get when they think of the Buick brand. Grandparents above the age of 65 driving around in boats dressed up in the shape of a car with a suspension so soft and leather so plush that you could mistake it for a yacht. That is the exact reason why General Motors nearly went belly up.
The message coming from automotive enthusiasts finally sunk in to GM’s thick skulls and they presented us with the new Buick Regal, basically an Opel Insignia with a new badge. So, does this new sedan shake off the old image, or should we leave it at the retirement home when the test is complete?
Hit the jump to find out.
A New Sort Of Thing: The Buick Regal CXL originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 17:00 EST.
An Aston Martin SUV? That seemed to be the plan back in 2009 when the company brought back the Lagonda brand with an SUV concept. In 2010, however, the company has decided that the Rapide is the only non-sports car version they will ever develop. It’s probably a good decision considering the Lagonda SUV wasn’t very well-received by the automotive industry when it debuted.
So, instead of wasting money on something no one will buy, Aston Martin is going to bring a Lagonda version of the Rapide sedan. It will grow in length in order to offer enough interior space for the rear passenger, and will most likely be more luxury oriented.
If we remember correctly, at the concept launch Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez said that the future sedan would be “the luxury car of the future, a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials.” Sounds promising, but we’ll have to wait about four years to see if they’re right since that is how long it will take Aston Martin to produce the Lagonda Rapide.
Aston Martin drops Lagonda SUV; plans sedan instead originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 12:00 EST.
The Maserati Biturbo was a two-door, four-seater sports car introduced by Maserati in 1981. However, it was listed in the 50 worst cars of all times. Now, Maserati has decided to give the flop another chance. The car is already known as the “baby Quattroporte” or “Maseratina”, but the production version will use a different name.
The “baby Quattroporte” will be positioned under the next generation Quattroporte which will be increasing its size prior to its debut in 2012. Not only will the mini sports car have its own place in the lineup, but it will also be designed as a replacement for the Alfa Romeo 166 in the Italian car representation.
The new Biturbo will be developed on the new Chrysler 300C platform and will be powered by a Pentastar 3.6 liter V6 twin turbo engine producing a total of 400 hp.
Expect the official debut to be at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with about 10,000 units set for production every year thereafter.
Maserati Biturbo making a comeback in 2014 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 2 September 2010 21:00 EST.
Posted in Maserati, Maserati Quattroporte, future cars, luxury cars, new cars, sedan |
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Jaguar has already confirmed three new models for the next four years, and a new generation X-Type is one of them. The X-type will be offered in both sedan and station wagon versions, and will attempt to take on models like the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Okay, so that’s all old news, but we do have some new details to report. The latest reports surrounding the sedan suggest that the next X-Type will be built on the next-generation XK platform. The decision for the use of this platform comes down to money – as these things usually do. Jaguar’s goal is to keep the price of the X-type in the $40K area.
The exterior design will follow the same language as the new XJ sedan, but the interior will most likely offer lower quality materials and less technology. Under the hood, the future RWD sedan will offer small-displacement turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines to continue Jaguar’s focus on improving fuel economy, especially in the European market.
Expect the new X-Type to go on sale in 2014.
Next Jaguar X-Type to be built on XK platform originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 2 September 2010 18:00 EST.
Usually when someone buys a new car, they follow a very specific procedure. They start things off by going to their local dealer and arguing numbers for awhile – sometimes a long while. After the little “chat” with the annoying salesman, the customer usually gets to drive home with their brand new car. Of course, when you’re Jay Leno, things are a bit different.
During a very grand event, Jay Leno received his brand new Jaguar XJ. And just to conceptualize just how big this event was, two of Mr. Leno’s special guests were Claudia Schiffer and David Hasselhoff.
Check out the video so you can see both the presentation of the Jaguar XJ and the creation of the luxury sedan as well.
As a reminder, US customers will only get the 5.0 liter V8 engine, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged versions. Output will range from 385 hp to 510 hp. The European customers, however, will also get a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine.
Video: Jay Leno receives his Jaguar XJ originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 19:00 EST.
The BMW M5 is a very normal car; a car for everyday use and one of the best performance sedans on the market. However, with a push of a button – the M button to be precise – the M5 turns into an animal. A finely tuned sports machine that can rival Corvettes and perhaps even some Ferrari models.
The largest community of M5 owners, M5Board, had a chance to talk with Dr. Kay Segler, the managing director of the new M5. In the interview, he confirmed that an M5 is on the way, but not for another one to one and a half years. We should get most of the information next year in Geneva.
The car will put out 25% less C02 than the current model and will feature a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that will put out around 555 horsepower. That will make it more powerful than the old version.
“It will be a brilliant car,” said Dr. Segler.
M5Board Talks With Managing Director Of New F10 M5 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 16:00 EST.
We can’t recall a vehicle that has generated more news and feature stories than the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. One of the biggest questions that many have had about it revolves around its gas mileage once the batteries run out and need refueling. General Motors has been extremely tight lipped about these figures.
Many have driven the Volt, including us, but the models that were used were prototypes and weren’t able to show us mileage figures. Thankfully, a team at Translogic was able to test the new Volt at GM’s Milford Proving Ground. The team ran the battery all the way and recorded their results. Needless to say, they’re a bit shocking.
The car drove on for 16.1 miles and it used 0.59 gallons of fuel. Do the math and that’s an average of 27.3 miles per gallon. That figure is not even close to the number that GM claimed the Volt would achieve. That being said, the testers did drive the Volt quite hard.
There are other gray areas with these figures as well. The crew only went 16.1 miles, that’s well short of the 59.7-mile total range. On top of that, the energy meter was not reset before the test, so old figures factored in. It’s sort of like the trip computer on a normal car. In order to get an accurate reading, you must reset it every time you fill up.
Translogic Tests Chevrolet Volt originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 12:00 EST.
After only two years after the unveiling of the facelift version, Audi is bringing the next generation A6. Of course, if we take a closer look at the automotive industry, this decision should come as no surprise. Expect the new Audi A6 to make its world debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. Sales in the USA will begin in late 2011.
The new A6 sedan will adopt a design that has yet to be seen on the A6 model. The design choice is that of the new A7 Sportback. Not only will the A6 be receiving the A7’s design, but it will also be built on a conventional steel chassis that uses numerous aluminum parts to keep the overall weight down. The standard suspension will use traditional steel coil springs, while an optional air suspension will also be available.
Under the hood, Audi will place a fully revamped powertrain lineup that could consist of all forced-induction engines. There will be a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder as the base engine, while the top version will get a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8.
The list of standard options will include a touchpad-entry navigation system, live Google, lane-keeping assist, active cruise control with follow-to-stop, and autonomous emergency braking.
More details on the 2012 Audi A6 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 August 2010 15:00 EST.
Next to the standard IS, Lexus will also unveil a facelift version for the top of the line IS-F at the Paris Auto Show. For 2011, the sports sedan will get an updated interior, an updated exterior, and a revised engine.
On the exterior, the sedan gets HID headlamps with integral, arrowhead, LED Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) and a new a new Starlight Black GF finish. In the interior, it gets new dark sliver fiber inserts, and a change of contrasting stitching for the leather upholstery from white to blue. A revised front seat design offers improved driver support, and a new steering wheel improves grip and feel.
The 5.0 liter V8 engine delivers a total of 402 HP at 7000rpm and 500Nm.ft of torque at 5200rpm and is mated to an 8-speed Sports Direct Shift (SPDS) automatic transmission with manual, paddle shift override. The IS-F makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 167 mph.
Press release after the jump.
More details on the 2011 Lexus IS-F originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 August 2010 11:00 EST.
Lexus unveiled the current generation IS back in 2005 and, in its 5 years of history, this is the first time the model gets a real facelift. The official debut will be made at the Paris Auto Show and sales are to begin in early 2011.
For 2011, all IS models come equipped with high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, gain LED daytime running lights, receive new wheels and rear light designs, and a revised choice of exterior colors.
The IS 200d comes to replace the 220d and is powered by a new 2.2-liter diesel with an output of 148 HP. Also for 2011, the IS 250C will only be offered as an automatic model. Under the hood there will be the same 205 HP V6 engine, but with improved fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
And finally, the top version, the IS F-Sport, is heavily inspired by the ultra-high-performance IS F. It gets a new deep front spoiler with faired-in fog lights, new grille design, and a rear spoiler with integrated stop light. On the interior Lexus will offer F-Sport steering wheel, gear lever and sports pedals, and front seats finished in leather and Alcantara.
Press release after the jump.
More details on the 2011 Lexus IS originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 August 2010 09:00 EST.
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