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Volvo C30 R-Design priced from $26,445 in 2008 New York Auto Show
2008-03-27 16:08:00
Following up on our story about the Volvo C30 R-Design at the New York Auto Show , Volvo announced pricing today for its sporty hatchback tunerish trim level. MSRP will be $25,700, plus destination charges of $745. Doing simple math, you can put one of these hot turbocharged Swedes in your garage at a base ...

Spy Video: Alfa Romeo 159 GTA mule spotted at the Nurburgring
2008-03-27 15:35:00
Alfa Romeo has been turning out some impossibly beautiful cars. Unfortunately, most of the line-up is lacking the grunt to back up its killer looks, with the 8C Competizione floating beyond reproach atop the range and a huge gap down to the standard production models. Alfa is apparently looking to bridge that gap, however, with ...
More About: Video , Alfa Romeo , Mule , Sedans , Saloons

First Drive: 2009 Acura TSX
2008-03-21 14:36:00
Surprise! Another familiar nameplate has gone under the knife for an extreme makeover and emerged having lost the battle of the bulge. Yes, the 2009 Acura TSX swells by a parking space filling three inches in width and 2.4 inches in length. It’s now wider, taller, heavier and way roomier than the original Acura ...
More About: Drive

New York Auto Show 2008 Preview: 2009 Nissan Maxima leaked on forum
2008-03-19 16:22:00
Forums are fast becoming the bane of automakers that’ve spent a lot of time, energy and money coordinating a new car’s debut. Nissan was hoping to debut the all-new 2009 Maxima tomorrow during the New York Auto Show , but forum Supernissans.net has burst this carmaker’s bubble a bit early. Six pics of the new ...
More About: Sports , Preview

Facelift for Mercedes M-Class
2008-03-17 12:41:00
A sharp new look is set to make the Mercedes ? M-Class a big crowd puller in the Big Apple.The majority of the changes made are to the German model?s styling. At the front, the SUV gets a redesigned bumper and new headlamps to give it a more distinctive shape. A new bumper has also ...
More About: Auto Show , Mercedes-Benz , Facelift

New York 2008 Preview: Suzuki Concept Kizashi 3 planned for debut
2008-03-17 12:30:00
At the Frankfurt Motor Show last year we met the first Suzuki Kizashi Concept, a large sport wagon proof of concept that looked like a Dodge Magnum had crashed into a box of Anime. Next we encountered the Kizashi Concept 2 at the Tokyo Motor Show, which carried forward the first concept’s design theme ...
More About: Sports , New York , Preview , Auto Show , York

New York 2008 Preview: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP packs 402 HP? and a third pedal!
2008-03-17 12:06:00
The Northeast is the Pontiac division’s largest market, and the brand — which has played the stepchild in recent years, banished to the outer limits of exhibition halls — is finally getting its own coming out party in New York next week. The resurgent Performance Division will flex its muscles at the Javits Center. Joining ...
More About: Sports , Preview

Rendered Ruminations: Porsche Traveller Concept slaps Stuttgart in the face
2008-03-16 17:57:00
There’s probably a few clunkers in DaVinci’s sketchbook, too. Looking more gnarled than Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters hand studies, Ivan Volkov’s Porsche Traveller concept picks up design ideas from the Matchbox Fandango, though it doesn’t look like the spare wheel on the Traveller incorporates Rolamatic action. Rather than heap massive derision on Volkov’s renderings, ...
More About: Face , Concept , Stuttgart , Crossovers

First Drive: the 2008 Lexus IS F
2008-03-16 17:47:00
I could start off with wheel sizes and the 8-speed transmission and all that, but this car is only marginally about the numbers. Still, let’s get the numbers out of the way: Lexus IS-F 8-speed auto, 5.0L V8, 416-HP, 371 lb.-ft. BMW M3 6-speed manual, 4.0L V8, 414-HP, 295 lb.-ft. Mercedes C 63 AMG 7-speed auto, 6.2L V8, 467-HP, 442 ...
More About: Sports , Drive , Sedans , Saloons

Subaru may sell diesel WRX in UK, oil burners for U.S. likely
2008-03-13 15:51:00
We reported last month that a senior exec over at Subaru was “looking into” the possibility of offering a diesel variant of the WRX. Today, Autocar is reporting a similar story, and as the saying goes, where there’s smoke… there must be a diesel. Subaru has already unveiled the oil-burning version of its Legacy over ...
More About: Hybrids , Diesel , Alternative , Sell

Quick Test: 2008 BMW M3 Sedan
2008-03-13 15:02:00
BMW launched its M3 last fall in two-door form and unveiled the four-door variant shortly thereafter. It packs the same M-spec, 4.0-liter, 414-horsepower V-8 as the coupe. The 2008 M3 sedan is about three inches shorter overall than the coupe but weighs about the same. A six-speed manual is the only transmission offered so ...
More About: Sedan , Quick , Test

Geneva Motor Show 2008: Ferrari One-to-One personalization program
2008-03-10 13:47:00
Show-stopping new production cars and concepts were not lacking in Geneva this year. There were so many, in fact, that we struggled to take it all in. Yet while Ferrari didn’t have any new models to show us, somehow we couldn’t help but slow down in front of its booth as we rushed from ...
More About: Motor , Show , Program

2008 Geneva Motor Show:IED Maserati Chicane Concept
2008-03-07 17:15:00
The design students at Italy-based Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) are coming back to Geneva , with a Maserati -inspired concept. Dubbed the Maserati Chicane, the full-scale model represents a 2+2 rear-wheel drive coupe, with a front-mounted V-8 engine. The concept is said to be smaller than the current production Maserati Gran Turismo, and is designed ...
More About: Motor , Show , Concept

Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans Concept
2008-03-07 13:29:00
The Audi R8 V12 TDI concept made its debut in Detroit to extremely favorable reviews. With its mid-mounted 500 horse, 738 lb-ft twelve-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine based directly on the motor found in Audi’s Le Mans winning R10 race cars, the concept drew a straight line from the race track to the road and ...
More About: Concept

Geneva Motor Show 2008: Koenigsegg unleashes the Edition
2008-03-05 15:40:00
We were all set to go shoot the Koenigsegg CCX and CCXR Edition cars in their exotic black and red kit, but what we found instead was this carbon fiber goddess. There’s nothing quite like a raw carbon fiber finish to make the visceral reaction to driving a supercar more palpable. Still, we would ...
More About: Motor , Geneva , Show

Geneva Motor Show 2008: Volvo XC60 softroads in style
2008-03-05 15:39:00
Volvo’s entrance into the ever-expanding crossover segment was finally revealed here in Geneva when the wraps were pulled off the new XC60. The swoopy, Swedish cute ‘ute will make its way Stateside later this year powered by the turbocharged T6, producing 281 hp and coming standard with all-wheel-drive and Volvo’s extensive safety features. Aside ...
More About: Motor , Volvo , Show , Style

Geneva Leakage: Remaining 2009 VW Scirocco pics surface
2008-03-01 16:19:00
As we say in the biz, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, so you might as well squeeze out what’s left. After two official images of the yet-to-debut 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco hit the web the other day, a couple of sites have decided just to publish the whole lot of pre-release images. ...
More About: Geneva , Surface

Geneva Motor Show 2008 Preview: Mercedes Vision GLK BlueTec Diesel Hybrid c
2008-03-01 16:15:00
When Mercedes -Benz premiered the new GLK compact SUV at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the styling struck most people as at best awkward. With the outward appearance of the full-size GL shrunk down to an Escape-sized vehicle, it still looks like a reject for a Chrysler Sebring crossover. Regardless of what you think of ...
More About: Hybrid , Preview , Motor , Diesel

Toyota considering adding two more small vehicles to U.S. lineup
2008-02-25 17:01:00
The new CAFE standards are causing every automaker to rethink what vehicles will populate their lineups come 2020. Toyota ’s plan could include a production version of the A-BAT concept pickup that was shown in Detroit and possibly some version of the Urban Cruiser that’s about to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Both models have ...
More About: Vehicles , Small , Lineup

Land Rover LRX Sleek cross-coupe concept features sporty looks and promises
2008-02-15 17:26:00
Think Land Rover, and no doubt a chunky off-roader will spring to mind. For the past 60 years, the firm has produced some of the world?s finest mud-pluggers. From Defender to Disco­very, its 4×4s have majored on practicality and versatility, but have tended to relegate style to second place.Not this time! The LRX was ...
More About: Features , Cross , Promises , Concept

2008 Corvette 427 Limited Edition Z06: Big engine, big price, small run
2008-02-15 17:16:00
Beginning this spring, those of you with enough coin in your Corvette -shaped piggy bank can order the 2008 Corvette 427 Limited Edition Z06. The special edition C6 comes with with Crystal Red Tintcoat, new exclusive wheels, a titanium-colored leather interior, 427-embroidered seats and floor mats, and Z06 sill plates. Pedestrians will know how special ...
More About: Sports , Chevrolet , Small , Engine

Geneva Motor Show 2008 Preview: Bertone may or may not display Alfa Romeo B
2008-02-15 17:02:00
Bertone’s not about to let an uncertain future stop it from moving forward. Or is it? With its salvation plan rejected by the courts and its future left hanging in the balance, the famous Italian design house is suffering from an apparent crisis in leadership. Automotive News reports that the company’s vice-chairman Marie-Jeanne Bertone, daughter ...
More About: Preview , Motor , Geneva , Show , Alfa Romeo

BMW 3-Series Touring
2008-02-12 18:09:00
On a favourite road, the BMW is extremely satisfying and enjoyable to drive. It changes direction immaculately well and exhibits excellent body control. The penalty for this is a fidgety rode. It?s not hard, but fails to be relaxing and is a little loud at speed, too. Nor is it as great around town. ...
More About: Series , Touring

Geneva Auto Show 2008 Preview: Hyundai to debut HCD-5 concept
2008-02-11 18:54:00
Hyundai’s announced what it’s bringing to the party in Geneva , and it sounds like quite a bit. First up is the HCD-5 concept, a wedge-shaped doorjam of an MPV that apparently boasts good fuel economy, seats for six (from Recaro, based on how the announcement reads), and other features cooked up by some big ...
More About: Preview , Geneva Auto Show , Auto Show , Show

Mitsubishi ZT Concept could replace cancelled 380 in Australia
2008-02-11 17:50:00
It’s a foregone conclusion that the Concept ZT unveiled in Tokyo is the styling direction Mitsubishi will take when it unveils a reworked Galant in the next couple of years. So common sense says that the next iteration of the Mitsubishi 308 sold in Australia , which began life in 2005 as a rebadged Galant with ...
More About: Sedans , Saloons

Spy Shots: Production BMW 135tii
2008-01-27 08:38:00
Few models in the BMW lineup have as much tuning potential as the newly released 135i, and the Bavarian boys and girls are intent to capture as much of that market as possible. The BMW 1-series tii concept proved that BMW was serious about offering performance parts to boost (and possibly lighten) its new turbo’d coupe, and a member of 1addicts posted photos of what could be the first 135 to get the in-house tuner treatment. Most of the parts shown are carryovers from the tii concept, including the revised front fascia, side skirts, carbon fiber diffuser and matching rear wing. The C.F. hood may have been swapped out for a stock aluminum piece, but we’re guessing the weave has been covered in matching white paint. The upgraded brakes are one of the most obvious additions, while inside, there’s plenty of Alcantara covered kit, from the shift boot to the seats, which are also dead ringers for the thrones shown on the concept. The steering wheel is new however, sporti...
More About: Spy Shots , Shots , Production

Mad Mazda concept Race-inspired two-seater swoops in - we strap in for a wi
2008-01-27 08:08:00
Forget the Lexus LF-A Roadster, and turn your eyes away from the Audi R8 V12 TDI. The fastest, most extreme car to make its debut at this year’s Detroit Motor Show was produced by Mazda . And to prove it, the Japanese company invited Auto Express aboard for a very special ride.We didn’t need asking twice. The first pictures of the sensational Furai (Issue 994) revealed what an incredible piece of design the car is. But as we found out, the wild lines are really only half the story. Named after the Japanese phrase for “the sound of the wind�, the two-seat Furai was built by Mazda engineers from a list of dream parts. This included cutting-edge components and materials from the world of motor­sport, and one of the most famous engines in the company’s history. The team started with the chassis. Rather than adapting a road car platform, Mazda chose a carbon composite item built by French endurance racing firm Courage. This had previously been used to race in the Ameri­can Le ...
More About: Race , Concept , Strap , Inspired

Toyota releases prices on 2009 Corolla and Matrix
2008-01-27 07:36:00
Toyota has finally announced pricing for the 2009 Matrix and Corolla that made their unceremonious debut back in November at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Both models get a bump in their sticker, with the Corolla costing $845 more than the outgoing 2008 model, while the Matrix increases by $680. The base Corolla, whose nomenclature has been changed from CE to “Standard”, starts at $15,250 sporting a five-speed manual, while an automatic model will set you back another $800. The LE and XLE models start at $16,650 and $17,550, respectively, both equipped with an automatic tranny and the 132-hp, 1.8-liter four. Care to upgrade a bit? You can now get the new 2.4-liter four producing 158 hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque in the XRS version starting at $18,760 with a manual or $19,950 with an automatic that Toyota notes can be “shift sequentially.” The Matrix, which Toyota claims redesigned the crossover segment, but in reality is just a five-door Corolla, comes in three ...
More About: Toyota , Prices , Trix

BMW 6-Series 635d
2008-01-27 06:58:00
The 635d has a straight-six twin-turbo 3.0-litre turbodiesel that’s hard to fault. It offers even more torque than the V10 M6, and there’s no arguing with 0-60mph in a mighty 5.7 seconds. On the road, it feels extremely fast, especially in kickdown. However, it’s the effortless nature with which it gains speed that really impresses, while the engine remains unruffled even when pushed hard. Through corners, the BMW continues to impress. There’s lots of grip, the steering has good feedback and it remains composed. However, this involvement does lead to a firm ride and a surprising amount of road noise. It’s not comfortable enough to be a true GT. The diesel 6-Series is a take on the two-door, 2+2 luxury coupe that BMW expects to account for three-quarters of UK sales. It’s a significant car alright. It was launched in 2007, along with a facelift for the entire 6-Series range. Now the controversy over the car’s styling has worn off, it’s easy to appreciate what an aggre...

Subaru Legacy 2.0 TD Sport Tourer
2008-01-27 05:52:00
Welcome to the golden age of the diesel. Hot on the heels of the world’s first-ever oil-burning supercar – Audi’s R8 V12 TDI (Issue 995) – comes the first flat-four cylinder turbodiesel unit. And it will be no surprise to learn that it’s Subaru which is responsible for the design of this unique powerplant.The Japanese firm is famous for its petrol boxer units, but the new engine is its first homegrown oil-burner, and one that its range desperately needs. Available initially in the Legacy Sport Tourer and Outback, the 2.0-litre turbodiesel is expected to be a hugely popular choice, and will account for 85 per cent and 95 per cent of sales of the two cars respectively. It’s also set to be added to the new Impreza range from the beginning of 2009, where it’s tipped to claim at least 40 per cent of models sold. But why has it taken so long to develop? While Subaru has more than 40 years’ experience of flat-four cylinder petrol engines – and plenty of turbocharging know...