For your $21,460 ($20,695 + destination) you get a Sport trim CX-5 which, unfortunately, is the only one available with the 6-speed manual transmission. Besides the shift-it-yourself gearbox you get 17-inch alloys, DRLs, power mirrors, automatic headlight shutoff, cloth interior, cruise control, a four-speaker stereo with AUX and USB inputs (take that, Mazda 3) and the 2.0-liter, 155-horsepower Skyactive four-cylinder motor powering the front wheels.
This package seems like a good deal, but then things get unfortunate (for enthusiasts)...
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Categories: Mazda,SUVs
Ferrari F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are the latest victims benefactors of the unholy profitable union of the Fiat and Chrysler empires. The Ferrari ambassadors were gifted the first two 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s in Europe and they aren't just off-the-line ones, no, these have been tweaked by SRT.
The normal 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 comes with 470 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque 00 so do these. Instead of giving these two obviously unqualified characters (Seriously, race suits fully zipped in a garage? Amateurs...) more power, they gave them more style. First comes a coat of Rosso Corsa paint, a matte black grille, an offset driver's side stripe with white accent, carbon-fiber mirror caps and the Italian flag painted on the bottom of the rear spoiler. The special edition SRT8s are dropped 1.5 inches to give them a better stance on the standard 20-inch wheels. Inside we've got -- shocker -- red leather with yellow dials on the IP.
European delivers start for real in the summer.
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Categories: Celebrities,Ferrari,Jeep,SUVs,Tuners and Modifications
Just last week we had a 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser with KDSS in our office to tackle our new RTI ramp. Because so little has changed with the big Toyota, they haven't bothered to update the press fleet with 2011 models. That is about to change, however, as Toyota will show off the 2013 Land Cruiser at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show next week.
Just after celebrating its 60th anniversary in Japan -- it's been in the U.S. for more than 50 -- the redesigned Land Cruiser debuted in Japan first. Outside we get a new grille and HID headlamps, LED daytime running lights, chrome side molding and new tail lights. The inside was tweaked, too, with ventilated front leather seats, glossier wood trim, bright silver IP ornamentation and chrome-plated air vents. On the tech side we see a new Multi-terrain monitor with front, side or rear views, a Multi-information display, an Eco light (the 2011 model gets 13 mpg city and 18 highway), dynamic radar cruise, Multi-terrain ABS, trailer sway and CRAWL control with off-road turn assist.
The Land Cruiser is still powered by the 5.7-liter, 381-horsepower V8. Pricing wasn't announced, but the redesigned LC goes on sale later this month.
Categories: Chicago Auto Show,SUVs,Toyota
The rumor of a Lamborghini SUV has been kicking around since the day the LM002 died. Bentley has confirmed theirs, Maserati is set on the Kubang; if there is a perfect time for a new Lamborghini SUV, now's it. And if there's any place to reveal a quarter-million-dollar SUV, it's Beijing.
Italian publication quattroroute.it has leaked this image of an Aventador with ground clearance purporting to be the new Lamborghini SUV. It's unclear at this point if it's a leak or a rendering, but based on how similar this looks to an Aventador, we're thinking rendering. Powering the ultra-SUV will be the Gallardo's V10 in base trim and a top-trim hybrid drivetrain -- due in 2015-- cranking out 700 hp. The hybrid part of this rumor sounds unlikely by 2015.
Going along with the rendering/leak is the rumor that Lamborghini will will show the first concept of this at the Beijing Motor Show in April.
(Inautonews, quattroroute.it)
Categories: Beijing Auto Show,Future Vehicles,Lamborghini,SUVs
When it rains it pours. I hadn't driven a KDSS-equipped 4x4 in over a year, but now we've had two in two weeks. It's not because we now have an RTI ramp; it just worked out that way.
I'm not complaining.
The first time I drove Toyota's KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) was back in late 2007, when the fully redesigned 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser was introduced. All Cruisers from that point forward have come standard with KDSS.
The operating principle is exactly the same as the 2011 Lexus GX 460 we saw last week. But the 200-series Land Cruiser platform used here is different from the 150-series Land Cruiser Prado platform that underpins the GX; that fact will become clear when you see how the stabilizer bars differ in this KDSS application.
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Categories: SUVs,Toyota
Those of you who are into murdered-out SUVs but aren't keen on aftermarket parts can rest a little easier now that Jeep will be building a Stealth Edition Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The special edition truck features a platinum-chrome grill, black gloss 20-inch wheels, black gloss grille surround, headlamp bezels and lift-gate light bar. It will be available in this lovely all-black scheme, or a slightly less awesome Deep Cherry red.
According to Chrysler, this concept has "production intent" but for that, they'll need a name and that's where you come in. Suggest a name for the new version of the Grand Cherokee over at Jeep's Name My Ride website and you could win one of your very own. Keep in mind, though, that this is a brand that likes names like Nitro, Shock, Avenger and Viper. Surely there are some American Gladiator names they haven't used. Lace? Sunny? Titan? Thunder? Storm? Hawk? Rebel?
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Categories: Concept Vehicles,Jeep,SUVs
Every day I see the same guy on my commute into work. He's got a green Ninja 250, one of the new ones, an orange safety vest with reflective tape and reflective tape on his helmet. He's also got a GoPro on his helmet and one mounted to the back of the bike. He's a good rider; I've seen him get out of some tricky spots (busses in LA care not for motorcycles), and while a lot of people are hooking up GoPros to catch their canyon carving, I think this guy's doing it for insurance purposes.
Sort of like this driver whose dashcam saves him from an annoying/expensive insurance claim.
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Categories: BMW,Miscellaneous,SUVs,Videos
Why a Lexus? Well, the 2011 Lexus GX 460 is based on the Land Cruiser Prado, a smaller version of the Land Cruiser we know that Toyota sells elsewhere in the world. Furthermore, it comes with something called a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS,) a long way of saying it has front and rear stabilizer bars that automatically decouple to improve off-road articulation.
Standard on the GX since 2010 (and optional since 2004), KDSS is also found in the US on the Land Cruiser (2008-present) and the 4Runner Trail Edition (2010-present.)
Daily driving benefits greatly because such a system allows the GX to be fitted with much larger stabilizer bars than any off-road vehicle could otherwise tolerate. Indeed this Lexus GX460 corners far flatter than other SUVs of similar size and configuration.
KDSS is a hydaulic system that's fully automatic -- there are no switches on the dash because there is no need to turn it on or off. Instead, the front and rear stabilizer bars feature hydraulic cylinders on their left-hand sides, with piping connecting the two and a valve in between.
In a corner, both cylinders are squeezed (right turns) or stretched (left turns) in the same direction. Such "in-phase" loading produces front and rear pressures that are more or less equal, which holds the valve closed to keep those cylinders absolutely rigid so the stabilizer bars can deliver their full roll-resisting effects.
But frame twist off-road conditions -- and our RTI ramp -- produce positive pressure in the cylinder that's being compressed and negative pressure in the one being stretched. Such "out-of-phase" axle articulation causes the valve to pop open, which makes the cylinders go limp and take the stabilizer bars out of the picture.
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Categories: Lexus,SUVs
Lexus didn't bother discussing the 2013 LX 570 during its press conference yesterday, and rightfully so given that the LX is only getting a minor refresh. Instead, the company's largest and most opulent luxury SUV is just sitting on the Lexus stand in Detroit between a GX 460 and a red LFA.
The changes to the front and rear fascia are pretty obvious compared to the 2008-'10 LX 570. Headlights are now HIDs (and with an $80K price tag, we're surprised they weren't standard before) and the grille has more chrome and a new GS-inspired look to it. There are also LED DRLs. In back, Lexus has cleared the lens for the amber turn signals. You're also looking at a new 20-inch wheel design for the LX and one of the two new paint colors (Nebula Gray Metallic).
Inside, there's a new TFT (that's thin-film transistor, of course) display in a new gauge cluster, and granny's bird's-eye maple trim gives way to more youthful mahogany inlays. Also seen here is the new Parchment interior decor in lieu of the former Cashmere. The 2013 LX 570 also picks up Lexus Enform, meaning that if you know how to use your smartphone and Bluetooth, you can use apps like Pandora and Open Table via the audio-navigation system.
Sales start in early February, and we're told pricing will be released in a couple weeks.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Lexus,Luxury Cars,SUVs
In what may be the shock of the Detroit auto show, Acura officials admitted that the current RDX gets crappy mileage. Well, not in so many words, but close enough.
To rectify the situation, the redesigned RDX will get a 3.5-liter V6 in place of the current turbocharged four-cylinder. How does putting a larger-displacement six-cylinder in place of a small-displacement four-cylinder cure the mileage issue? Well, that gives you an idea how thirsty the turbo was.
A new six-speed automatic transmission helps the situation along with a lighter all-wheel-drive system. The results are impressive, too. Acura says the new RDX is expected to deliver EPA mileage numbers of 20 city/28 highway. The current RDX only gets 19 mpg city and 24 mpg on the highway.
As you might have guessed by looking at it, the new RDX is based on the recently introduced Honda CR-V. The wheelbase is longer and the tracks are wider so the cabin should have more room than the current model. New technology features like a Pandora radio interface, text-to-voice system and additional sound-deadening materials have been added to beef up the RDX's luxury credentials.
Acura didn't get very specific about pricing other than to say that the new RDX wouldn't stray very far in price from the old one. We'll find out in a few months, as the RDX is slated to go on sale this spring.
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Categories: Acura,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,SUVs
Frankly, we can't think of a better time and place for Porsche to have the debut of the new Porsche 911 Cabrio than Detroit in January. Except, perhaps, for Los Angeles where it's currently 85 degrees. Or New York where people actually buy drop-top Porsches.
According to Porsche's Bernhard Maier, "Detroit was deliberately chosen for the world premiere of the new 911 Cabrio because the USA is far and away our largest 911 Cabrio market." Fair enough.
If you missed out on seeing this one at the L.A. show, fear not, they go on sale just a few months after the coupe version and then you'll see them all the time.
Porsche also announced information about two new SUV offerings...
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Categories: Convertibles,Detroit Auto Show,Diesels,Porsche,SUVs
Volvo released photos of the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept it will be showing next week in Detroit. It will feature a 280-horsepower four-cylinder engine coupled to a 70-hp electric motor. Do the math and that adds up to 350 hp. It will operate in three driver-selected modes: Pure, Hybrid and Power. Volvo claims that Pure will have an estimated average range of 35 miles using electricity alone, while the "high-efficiency" Hybrid mode is good for "operational fuel economy of 50 mpg." That would certainly make it the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market. Volvo didn't describe Power, but we can assume it takes any sort of eco reigns off the powerplant. The concept's interior also has a very cool polar color scheme with blue leather and light grey trim. Pretty sure I'd want any XC60 like that.
A diesel-electric V60 Plug-in Hybrid is already slated to go on sale in Europe later this year, joining the Mercedes-Benz E300 Bluetec Hybrid as the only luxury-branded vehicles to offer a diesel hybrid.
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Categories: Hybrids,SUVs,Volvo
This is the 2013 Buick Encore, or at least part of it. It's the next addition to the Buick lineup and we'll get to see the whole thing next month at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.
It's basically a compact SUV that will slot under the Enclave. No word on which engine it will use, but we're guessing it will be some kind of four-cylinder.
Categories: Buick,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,SUVs
You'd hardly know it from looking at one, but the current Buick Enclave is getting a little long inn the tooth. It was back in 2007 that we bought our long term car and now, in nearly 2012, we're finally looking at the next generation of Enclave.
The first think to notice from these prototypes is the size: The Enclave is not downsizing. Fuel economy standards or not, there's always going to be a market in America for something that will seat 7 comfortably and Buick doesn't appear to have an interest in giving up that market.
Beyond that we're looking at a restyled grille with longer, thinner grille slats spaced further apart than on the current Enclave or on any other Buick vehicle. Out back we're looking at, well, mostly just a much better job with camo than in the front.
While we didn't get any photos of the interior we have to assume it will get many of the same materials upgrades as the rest of the Buick line. In 2013, the Enclave is getting Buick's Intellilink system which will certainly make its way to this vehicle the following year.
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Categories: Buick,SUVs,Spy Photos
I'll be perfectly honest with you; I have no idea what's going on here. BMW has just released a teaser of a new X6 with the caption "A new chapter powered by M. Step 1."
Here's what we know from that: 1) It's not just the X6M with new LED (or laser!) head and tail lights -- blurred here to screw with us. 2) It's a new chapter in...something.
Now, first thoughts are that this new chapter could be a diesel M car. That'd be kind of neat. X6 M50d seems reasonable.
Well, as reasonable as adding more torque to this goofy sport
But if we look closely, the badge they've blurred out doesn't look like it ends in a "d". I get that it could be intentional misdirection, but it really does look it is says LI. A long wheelbase X6M though makes less sense than a diesel.
Watch the video after the jump and decide for yourself.
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Categories: BMW,SUVs
To house a hybrid powertrain as comprehensive as that found in the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV II, you need something as sizable as, er, the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV II. This five-passenger plug-in hybrid SUV concept made its debut here in Tokyo. It's a prelude to a similar vehicle that will, according to Mitsubishi boss Masuko, be introduced "sometime in the 2012 fiscal year."
So, really, the Concept PX-MiEV II is just an incidental wrapper for the hybrid propulsion bits that will probably end up in the Outlander. That fancy hybrid system works like this. Hit the jump.
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Categories: Car Tech,Concept Vehicles,Crossovers,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,Hybrids,Mitsubishi,SUVs,Tokyo Motor Show
Take a good look at the front end of this Volkswagen Cross Coupe concept. According to the company's design chief, this design theme will be carried over to all of VW's upcoming SUVs like the Tiguan and the Touareg. Think it'll help?
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Categories: SUVs,Tokyo Motor Show,Volkswagen
We've seen the word coupe stretched before, but this, I think finally breaks the word completely. This is the Volkswagen Cross Coupe that is being shown at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show.
The concept is sized between the Golf and the Tiguan, but this "part four-door coupe, part compact SUV" shows the new design direction VW is considering for its SUVs. We kind of dig the Phantom-esque roofline, but everything else has to go.
Like most concepts, this rides on wheels that are two sizes too big (265/45R20) and has a powertrain that is possible, but certainly not on the table for anything on sale to the public before, oh, let's say 2018?
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Categories: Coupes,Crossovers,SUVs,Tokyo Motor Show,Volkswagen
Ford will not build a hybrid version of the redesigned 2013 Ford Escape, Mark Schirmer, the company's communications manager, told Inside Line today. That role will be left to the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi (the plug-in version of the hybrid).
In other news, the 2013 Escape will come in S, SE, SEL and Titanium trim levels when it goes on sale in May. You'll see examples of three of the four on the L.A. auto show floor. As usual, the Titanium (shown above) has the best wheels.
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Categories: Crossovers,Ford,Hybrids,LA Auto Show,SUVs
Click past the jump to see the unveiling of the 2013 Ford Escape today in the West Hall of the 2011 L.A. Auto Show. The redesigned crossover goes on sale in late spring 2012.
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Categories: Crossovers,Ford,Future Vehicles,LA Auto Show,SUVs
