Sexy Station Wagons 2013

BMW 328i Sports Wagon

It may not be as slick as the other ones, but if you can wait until May of next year the BMW 328i Sports Wagon will be in U.S. showrooms with the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the 328i Sedan, which delivers enough power to make it deserving of the "sport" part of its name.

Mercedes-Benz CLS

Mercedes pioneered the "four-door coupe" segment with its CLS sedan, so that must make this a five-door coupe? Either way, the company calls it a Shooting Brake, which is a fancy way to say station wagon. There are currently no plans for U.S. sale, to which we say "shoot, give us a break!"

Ford Mondeo Wagon

It's called the Fusion here, where sedan versions on on their way to showrooms, but in Europe it goes by the name Mondeo and will available with a three-cylinder engine that Ford says is good for 50-55 mpg.

Mazda6 Wagon

Mazda once sold a version of its midsize sedan in the U.S., but the very stylish new model won't be coming this way. Good thing the four-door looks almost as good.

America's love affair with the station wagon ended long ago, as it fell for the varying charms of minivans, crossovers and SUVs. The last one left from Detroit is the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, and even it is primarily targeted at Europeans. But wagons are big business there and elsewhere, and the latest batch of sleek sleds may have you rethink that gas guzzler in your driveway - if only you could buy one here.

Mitsubishi Eclipse or Lamborghini Reventon ??

Mitsubishi Eclipse into a Lamborghini Reventon

Alexander Stupkin, a 30-year-old car enthusiast from Odessa, Ukraine, has spent the last two years turning his old Mitsubishi Eclipse into a gorgeous Lamborghini Reventon replica.
It’s barely been two weeks since we posted an article about Wang Jian, the 28-year-old Chinese farmer who built his own Lamborghini Reventon from scrap, and now we have another Lambo fan who decided to built his own dream car. His name is Alexander Stupkin, a young Ukrainian jeweler from Odessa. Apparently he has always been a fan of beautiful sports cars, and since he was already working in a field that requires patience and accuracy, he decided to try his luck with tunning. Although he had no experience with tunning cars, with the help of family and friends, Alexander managed to transform an old 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse he bought in 2008 into a stunning replica of his Italian dream car, the Lamborghini Reventon. It’s true the build process took over two years, but the end-result is really impressive, if you ask me.

Although not entirely accurate, Alexander Stupkin’s home-made Lamborghini attracted the admiration of web surfers from both the Ukraine and Russia, and has also won some prizes in national tunning competitions. For those of you curious about details from the two-year build, Alexander has posted a series of notes and photos on his Drive2 page. It’s in Russian, but Google Translate can help.

jeep lexus LX 570 2013

Jeep...Maybe 2013 Jeep Commando

Jeep...May be commando

2013 Jeep Commando

While bouncing around on a few different automotive websites I bumped into this. The speculated 2013 Jeep Commando. I kinda doubt it will be built since Jeep seems to be considering a Grand Wagoneer based on the Grand Cherokee chassis and fuel prices are on the rise. But crazier things have happened, and who wouldn't want a cool Jeep tow rig?
This is what allpar.com had to say about the 2013 Jeep Commando:
Based on the Iveco Massif, with a modified version of the old Jeep Commando grille, comes a limited edition truck engineered as Jeeps used to be engineered, for serious off-road tasks. The Commando sells for more than the Grand Cherokee, but has much less in the way of interior amenities; VM diesel-powered, it's designed more for the international market than for American buyers, but fills in a gap left by the Hummer H1.

الأحد، 9 سبتمبر، 2012

2013 Range Rover

2013 Range Rover revealed in full

The brand new, fourth-generation Range Rover SUV from Land Rover hits showrooms this December following a global premiere at the 2012 Paris Auto Show this month. Earlier, Land Rover gave us a preview of the new Range Rover, but now we have all the specs and some beautiful new imagery of the stylish SUV.
On the outside, the new model, code-named L405, remains unmistakably a Range Rover. Beneath the pretty sheet metal, however, the new 2013 Range Rover is nothing like its predecessors.

Audi RS4 Avant

There was a time not so long ago that Audi only produced one RS model at time - with the RS2, RS4 and RS6 being solo highlights in their relevant eras. But Audi - never shy of exploiting a niche - obviously thought that the mighty RS brand was a weapon too infrequently used, and subsequently plastered those two little letters across a whole gamut of familiar product. As a result, Audi currently produces the RS3, RS6, RS5 and TT RS, with both coupe and convertible versions of the latter two. And now there's another RS to add to the tally: this, the new RS4 Avant.

The Avant part is particularly relevant, because this time the RS4 will only be available in estate format, Audi having decided that the RS5 coupe and convertible cover the other body-style bases - and not wishing to cannibalise sales from its own model range.

Toyota GT 86

2013 Ford Mondeo

new Aston Martin Mondaudi, the latest creation from Ford's design studio. Note the grille, borrowed from the current AM V12, the slimline LED lights, snaffled from an Audi A5/A6/A7/A8, and the general fastback outline - thanks Kia Optima and Audi A7!
Actually, we're just being mean. This is, of course, the new Ford Mondeo, which is effectively a rejigged version of America's Ford Fusion. But in a most un-American twist, the fourth-gen Mondeo gets a teeny tiny three-cylinder 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine.
Yes, the little turbo engine from the new Focus and Fiesta (as well as this rather excellent road-legal racer) is being pushed to the limit in the big Mondeo. But while there's only 125bhp and 125lb ft at the ready, it can be overboosted to 147lb ft should you need to overtake.
And minuscule displacement has the pleasing side effect of miniscule emissions - the Mondeo will now lead its class, producing just 130g/km compared with the current petrol-powered Bavarian benchmark, the BMW 320i's 147g/km.

At 4.8 metres long it's roughly the same size as the old ‘un, albeit a shade lower. There's also a new multi-link rear suspension setup called integral link that's a lot closer to the design used by BMW and Audi (best get the sports bras out), and there's electric power steering.
You'll have to wait until later for more details, and 2013 to actually buy one. But in the meantime, d'you dig the styling mélange?

meet the new Peugeot 208 GTI

If your childhood involved styling lusciously coiffed hair while recording The A-Team on a VHS before listening to Wham on a Sony Walkman, chances are you're familiar with something called the 205 GTI.
Well, it's back, sort of. Internet, meet the new Peugeot 208 GTI.

Peugeot is acutely aware that of late, its hot hatch offerings have failed to match the giddy, lift-off oversteery heights of that 1980s legend. It wants to make up for it.

These are the first official pics of the production version, scheduled for a Spring 2013 release date, and the only recent Pug hot hatch that so deliberately references its 205 predecessor. That chrome strip running along the window edge is very 205ish.

الجمعة، 7 سبتمبر، 2012

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

190 mph Cadillac isn’t fast enough.

Texas tuning house Hennessey Performance has announced plans to offer a modified Cadillac CTS-V Coupe with an estimated top speed of 242 mph.

The two-ton VR1200 Twin Turbo coupe can reach this epic speed thanks to a 7.0-liter V8 engine with the aforementioned boosters good for 1226 hp and 1,109 lb-ft of torque.

If that’s a little overboard for your morning commute, the car offers settings of just 1,000 or 800 hp.

In any event, expect to be on a first name basis with your local gas station owner. You may put his kids through college.

Six-speed manual an automatic transmissions are available – the latter a $20,000 custom unit. Hennessey says it will accelerate to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, cover a quarter mile in 10.2 and break 200 mph in the standing mile.

The brakes and suspension have been upgraded in an attempt to keep up with the car’s newfound prowess, its magnetic ride control dampers retuned by former GM chief test driver John Heinricy, who developed the factory version of the CTS-V.

الخميس، 6 سبتمبر، 2012

New Ford Escape faces third recall

Ford is recalling 7,600 new Escapes to fix coolant leaks that can cause engines to overheat or catch fire.

The recall affects 2013 models with 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines. Plugs in the engine may not have been installed properly and can fall out while the motor is running. Coolant can leak and cause

New Ford Escape faces third recall

engines to overheat.

Dealers have repair parts available and owners should make service appointments as soon as possible, said Ford spokeswoman Marcey Zwiebel. Ford will fix the problem for free.

It's the third recall in less than two months for the completely redesigned SUV, which also has had problems with fuel lines and carpet padding. In July, the company recalled 11,500 Escapes to fix lines that can crack, leak and cause fires. That same month, Ford said it would recall more than 10,000 of the vehicles to fix carpet padding that can interfere with braking.

Three recalls in two months shows there are quality problems with the new vehicle, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer group.

Ford E-Series van revealed

Replacement for Ford E-Series van revealed

The Econoline is (almost) dead. Long live the Transit.

Ford has unveiled the all-new European-style full-size van that will begin to replace the venerable E-Series in the United States starting next year.

The relatively sleek vehicle is built on a unibody chassis for improved fuel efficiency and ride comfort compared to the truck-based E-Series, but promises to deliver the same level of cargo carrying ability.

Available with a choice of three different roof heights, the rear-wheel-drive Transit will launch in the US with the same 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that’s currently offered in the F-150 pickup, as well as a diesel option that has not yet been specified.