Archive for September, 2009
2010 Bentley Mulsanne: First Look
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by admin.
The same 2010 Bentley Mulsanne that made its world debut at California’s Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance in August has begun a tour of major U.S. markets to stir up interest among Bentley loyalists. One such market is our hometown of Chicago, where we got our first in-person look (and photos, below) at the new “grand Bentley” flagship sedan (or saloon, if you must), which takes the place of the Arnage (1998-2009). This tan model and a blue one shown at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show are two of 20 prototypes around the world. The Mulsanne, which is pronounced mull-sahn, begins production next spring and will hit the U.S. in summer.
The imposing car is at once squared-off and curvy, with huge headlights flanking an enormous upper grille, which is shiny — but not too shiny. Unlike the Continental, which we've criticized for having a plastic grille, this one's real stainless steel. Anything on or in the Mulsanne that looks like metal is real metal, Bentley says. A lower grille spans the width of the front end, separated from the upper grate by a bumper that protrudes in the middle. It looks a bit odd, as if bumpers — which used to protect the car, before they elegantly disappeared into front and rear fascias over the years — are being forced to turn back into bumpers again. Atop the hood was an optional retractable Flying-B ornament.
The automaker calls the Mulsanne the first car made exclusively by Bentley in 70 years. Originally an independent company, Bentley was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931, which resulted in platform sharing. The Arnage had a Rolls-Royce sibling, the Silver Seraph, as recently as 2002.
Though Volkswagen technically bought both brands in 1998, BMW owned the rights to Rolls through a loophole, and the brand transferred over in 2003. Bentley says the Mulsanne's body is “bespoke,” which is fancy Brit-speak for custom-made. Much of the interior is also bespoke — and overwhelmingly handcrafted. Bentley may be free of BMW, but it's still owned by VW, some of whose parts have been visible in Bentleys in the form of electronic controls and displays. These items certainly don't qualify as bespoke, but the Mulsanne now represents the leading edge of its parent company's entertainment systems; someday a redesigned Audi or VW will be accused of having parts that aren't massgeschneiderte, which means bespoke to people who bespeak German. For what it's worth, the controls and menus I saw in the Mulsanne were appropriately elegant — and, really, all such components come from a handful of third-party suppliers anyway. The voice of reason has bespoken.
Our favorite aspect of the Mulsanne is the twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V-8. It's not because of its 505 horsepower and 752 pounds-feet of torque. It's not because it's a 50-year-old design that has been re-engineered bit by bit to keep it up to modern standards, most recently adding variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation. And it's not because it can run on E85 ethanol. It's because what you can see of it is stunning — a brushed-aluminum intake manifold and valve covers plus a plaque bearing the signature of the single technician who built it by hand.
Ian's photos do the engine and the rest of the car more justice than I ever could, so check them out. Pricing will be announced in November, but the 2009 Arnage's $224,990-$267,990 price range is a good clue.
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Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Honda Insight
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by admin.
“Asad” from Los Angeles was having trouble deciding between the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight; the two hybrids get the highest fuel economy ratings around. He finally ended up taking the Insight because it cost less, but he was pleasantly surprised to discover he was getting better-than-advertised mpgs. Read Asad’s full review of the 2010 Insight, and then post a review of your own vehicle here.
“I got this car mainly for the fuel mileage. I chose it over the Prius because of the lower cost, although I was tempted to get the Prius because of its significantly higher miles per gallon rating. However, after putting about 1,000 miles on the Insight, I have been surprised to find out that it actually gets about the same mpg as the Prius!
“I am getting 49.1 mpg, which is pretty close to what the Prius is advertised to get. I drive on freeways a lot, and on the freeway I am getting about 52 mpg; on city streets, about 43-44 mpg. If you can get it at a good price, it is worth it.”
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Mahindra Given Approval To Use TR20, TR40 Names
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by admin.
The United State Patent and Trademark Office has given India's Mahindra & Mahindra approval to use the TR20 and TR40 names in the U.S. for its upcoming diesel-powered regular and crew cab pickups, according to the USPTO's website.
The 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder diesel pickups are expected to go on sale in February. Mahindra's U.S. distributor says the small haulers will have fuel economy ratings as high as 30 mpg and 1.3-ton hauling capability. Across the country, 345 dealers have signed up to sell the trucks.
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Does Today’s Dad Need More Power?
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by admin.
Over the last few weeks, I was able to get into two crossovers with upgraded engines. While both offered more horsepower, I wasn’t completely floored by either, and it begs the question of whether they’re worth the additional cost compared to their basic offerings.
Ford Flex EcoBoost
The Flex has become one of my family’s favorite crossovers, winning our vacation challenge in summer 2008 for its combination of comfort, roominess and technological toys. Last week, I drove the 2010 Flex with the EcoBoost engine, a twin-turbo blast from Ford that’s supposed to offer V-8 performance with V-6 mpg. Well, Ford has it half right.
The EcoBoost Flex’s performance was beyond impressive. Driving the V-6 with all-wheel drive on vacation last year, I found the acceleration to be OK; it was more than enough to get on a freeway or to pass but nothing remarkable. The EcoBoost engine, though, was completely remarkable; my 12-year-old let out an audible gasp the first time I floored it with him in the front passenger seat. He asked repeatedly for me to show that power off anytime someone new got into the car with us.
The downside: I was impressed with the all-wheel-drive Flex’s fuel economy last summer when we averaged nearly 22 mpg in a car with five people and enough luggage for all of them over hundreds of miles. Unfortunately, in the EcoBoost I averaged only around 17 mpg, which is about 20 percent worse than the all-wheel-drive V-6, despite the identical EPA ratings for both engines.
Cost: The EcoBoost engine adds about $3,000 to the price of the Flex, and while the acceleration was exhilarating, it ain’t three-grand exhilarating.
V-6 Chevrolet Equinox
I was impressed by Chevy’s new Equinox, from the styling to the high-quality interior (especially its iPod integration) to the gas mileage. In the four-cylinder version, I averaged upwards of 30 mpg. It wasn’t going to win any drag races, but for my family purposes, it had what I needed: plenty of space and great mileage.
The V-6 is just a $1,500 upgrade, but I’d sooner stick with the four-cylinder version.
The steering in the V-6 is hydraulic, while in the four-cylinder it’s electronic. That made the steering wheel seem a lot heavier when teamed to the V-6. In addition, takeoffs were slow and rumbly because of the way the accelerator is tuned,. In a mix of city and suburban driving, I averaged only around 17 mpg. Once I was able to open it up on the highway, I managed to drive the mpgs all the way up to 25 mpg. That was pretty impressive, but all things considered, I’d pass on the extra power and pad my pocketbook instead.
2010|Ford|Flex
2010|Chevy|Equinox
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Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
I’m old enough to remember when Mercedes used the tagline “engineered like no other car in the world,” and no one questioned it. When the 1986 W124 E-Class was introduced, Car & Driver proclaimed it “the best car in the world.” In the quarter-century since, Mercedes’ position in the automotive pecking order has become less [...]
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2010 Nissan Versa, Buick LaCrosse Earn Top Safety Pick
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
The 2010 Nissan Versa and 2010 Buick LaCrosse have both been named 2009 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
To win the award, a vehicle must earn a “Good” rating, which is the highest, in all three of IIHS’ crash tests, which include frontal-offset, side-impact and rear crash tests. The vehicles also must have electronic stability control.
Stability control is optional in the Versa, so only models equipped with the option received the top rating. It’s standard on the LaCrosse.
2010|Nissan|Versa
2010|Buick|LaCrosse
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PickupTrucks.com at the 2009 State Fair of Texas
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
The team from PickupTrucks.com has landed in Dallas for the 2009 State Fair of Texas auto show. While taking in the heat, they’ll also check out all the latest pickups, including the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. Stayed tuned for more coverage, but for now check out that F-Series, a lineup with plenty of changes for the new model year as well as all-new features.
2009 State Fair of Texas Coverage Direct from Dallas (PickupTrucks.com)
First Look: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty (PickupTrucks.com)
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Honda Develops Bizarre ‘Personal Mobility Device’
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
Honda recently unveiled the U3-X, which looks like a high-tech unicycle. It’s an experimental personal mobility device that allows people the same free range of movement they would have while walking but places that ability on one wheel. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the U3-X, fits between a rider’s legs and can move forward, backward, side-to-side or diagonally.
It uses Honda’s balance control technology as well as the Honda Omni Drive System — HOT Drive, as they call it — to allow the rider to adjust speed and movement. The rider can stop and turn in any direction simply by shifting his or her body weight. It’s designed so the rider will be at the eye level of people who are walking.
There are no controls: no buttons, levers, wheels or handles. All the movement is based on perceptible shifts in the rider’s weight as picked up by an incline sensor first developed for robotics.
Unbelievably, Honda says the device is less than 10 kilograms, which for those of you who are metric deficient means it weighs less than 22 pounds.
Yes, this thing sounds strange, and yes, we want to try one.
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More on the 2011 Kia Sorento
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
We’ve seen the Sorento that Kia will sell in Europe and the rest of the world, and they’ve even released a diesel hybrid concept of the small crossover. Now, we have fresh pictures of the U.S. version as well as some details.
The 2011 Kia Sorento will be 184.2 inches long — 3 inches longer than a Toyota RAV4 — and will be able to seat seven. We assume two rows will be standard and a third row will be optional like in the Dodge Journey and RAV4. Kia also says the Sorento’s cargo capacity will increase by nearly 5 cubic feet. The current model has 31.7 cubic feet; the Journey and RAV4 have 39.6 and 36.4 cubic feet, respectively.
Two engine choices will be offered: a 172-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 273-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. Both will be teamed to a six-speed automatic transmission and can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive.
Standard equipment includes a stereo with USB input and Bluetooth. Push-button start, navigation and a backup camera will be options.
More photos below.
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First Look: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by admin.
We’re in Dallas for the live reveal of the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup at the 2009 State Fair of Texas. Trucks don’t get much bigger or important than these rigs. We’ve got Special Report coverage of all the new features and critical details that you need to know, starting below!
