Acura has officially announced that it will add a Sport Wagon version of the TSX sedan to its lineup next fall. Already on sale in other markets as the Accord Touring, the TSX Sport Wagon will likely get all the same specs as the current sedan. Acura says it will provide further details as the on sale date gets closer.
It never fails, does it? Build a performance car and price it low enough for younger drivers to afford, and then, the insurance companies step into to ruin the fun. Maybe.
Every couple years, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the non-profit testing and research agency supported by auto insurance companies, releases its model-by-model insurance loss rate scores. And it just so happens that among 2005-2007 models, the Subaru Impreza WRX had the highest loss rate among all types of coverage.
Our guess is that the WRX's relative popularity is the culprit. Also, the IIHS didn't track the Mitsubishi Lancer/Lancer Evolution, while the Mazdaspeed 3 was evidently rolled into the Mazda 3 line. So it's hard to make a definitive assessment for this class of car. Insurers, of course, think in terms of risk, not class.
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
We really like our long-term 2008 Ford Flex, but it has never had much going on in the acceleration department. For 2010, the long-awaited Ford EcoBoost V6 is an option for the Flex. And it's no understatement to say it makes a world of difference.
With this twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 under its hood, the Flex shaves 2 full seconds off its quarter-mile time and has a 9-mph quicker trap speed. That's nothing short of amazing for a big, heavy, six-passenger crossover.
Full track test results for the 2010 Ford Flex SEL with EcoBoost after the jump, followed by track numbers for our long-term Flex, so you can compare the two.
Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2010 Ford Flex SEL with EcoBoost.
We like the idea of the Cadillac CTS Wagon (above), and we've driven it -- it's good. But we like the idea of a CTS-V Wagon even more.
And today a source inside General Motors has confirmed that it's going to happen: The CTS-V Wagon is going to exist alongside the CTS-V sedan and CTS-V coupe.
Yes, this is a 525-horsepower, matte-silver station wagon with carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Is any additional explanation why this is cool really needed?
The BMW 5 Series hasn't had a full redesign since 2004, and Inside Line learned today that a fully revamped 5 Series sedan and wagon will be unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. Most likely, then, we're talking about the 2011 BMW 5 Series. That's a current 5 Series sedan pictured here just for reference.
Look for an overhauled 6 Series coupe and convertible one year after that.
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
The diesel-powered Jetta TDI wagon has gotten most of the attention, but Volkswagen also builds a Jetta wagon equipped with its torquey and fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged, gasoline four-cylinder. Rated at 200 horsepower, the 2.0T is only available on the top-of-the-line VW Jetta SportWagen SEL. With a six-speed manual gearbox, it has a fuel economy rating of 21 mpg city/31 mpg highway. And all Jetta wagons have 67 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
This particular 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SEL is loaded with options, resulting in a borderline uncomfortable price tag. Fortunately, it's over a second quicker to 60 mph than our long-term VW Jetta TDI sedan, which weighs about the same. With our SEL wagon's port-installed 18-inch wheels and 225/40R18 Goodyear Eagle GT tires, it's hardly shocking that it stops shorter than our Jetta TDI sedan, too. What is surprising is that this SEL wagon is over a mph slower through the slalom than the TDI -- those grippy tires don't work well with the stock suspension tune.
Follow the jump for numbers and comments from our test driver.
Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SEL.
We've driven the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 sedan and now one of our German shooters has gotten a look at the E63 AMG wagon.
We've always like the idea of Benz's AMG wagon. Who doesn't want to haul a bunch of stuff whilst hauling ass with a 6.2-liter V8 rated at 518 horsepower and 465 pound-feet torque? Mercedes says the E63 AMG sedan will hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, so even the slightly heavier E63 wagon should be comfortably below the 5-second mark.
We still haven't decided whether we like the new E-Class styling, but as is usually the case, it sits a lot better on the wagon than the sedan. Though seen in unpolished form here, the trapezoidal quad exhaust outlets look as cool on this E63 wagon as they do on the sedan. Black tape on the front quarter panel might suggest some kind of venting, but more likely it's just covering up the customary "6.3 AMG" badge.
The E63 sedan goes on sale in October, and it's likely the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG wagon won't be too far behind. Mercedes will show the entire E-Class wagon lineup at this month's Frankfurt Auto Show.
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
Since its introduction for 1996, the Subaru Outback has had a cult-like following, and we mean that in the nicest way. It's the classic all-wheel-drive wagon -- not too big, not too flashy, but incredibly useful and rugged for its size. The redesigned 2010 Subaru Outback is still quite practical, but we think it might have gotten too big. We think it has become a full-on SUV. And we're beginning to miss the Subaru Legacy wagon.
This extra size and weight is apparent at the test track, where our 2010 Outback 2.5i tester handles and stops far more like an SUV than a wagon. We should note our test Outback was a bit of an oddball in terms of equipment -- a base 2.5i model with the six-speed manual gearbox and no options. Most 2010 Subaru Outbacks should have Subaru's Lineartronic CVT. As always, 2.5i indicates Subaru's normally aspirated, 2.5-liter, boxer four-cylinder.
Click through to see all the test numbers, along with comments from Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton.
First Drive: 2010 Subaru Outback
Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i.
Are you a Honda fan? How about a fan of Honda's Facebook page? If so, you may already have seen these teaser images of the 2010 Honda Crosstour due out this fall.
In typical Honda fashion, they don't reveal much. In fact, the spy photos we've already posted show far more detail about this upcoming Accord hatchback-type thing. If anything, the release of these teaser shots is a good indicator that Honda is about to finally let loose with all the details.
Spy Photos: 2010 Honda Crosstour Spied
Get ready for one of the more confusing road tests in recent memory. It's not that Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh (yes, that's him behind the wheel) couldn't put a few coherent sentences together, it's the fact that the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 is both faster and slower that its predecessor.
Sound bizarre? Well, it's true, but to understand it, you'll have to read the full story on Mazda's latest super hatch. And trust us, you won't be all that disappointed, or confused, when you're done.
Yesterday we brought you the exciting news about the refreshed and repriced 2010 Nissan Sentra. Today, we bring you yet another price break in the form of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra.
Actually, it's not so much a price break as it is the introduction of a new entry-level model called the GLS. With its five-speed manual transmission, the GLS brings the bottom of the pricing scale down to $15,995. A good start for a decent looking wagon with stability control, satellite radio and an iPod jack.
Full Test: 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
Cadillac has been lying again. You remember when it said the Catera zigged? That was a lie. And now this: Cadillac has been hyping the CTS Sportwagon as if it's the first station wagon from the men and women behind the wreath and crest. Nope.
Way back in 1978 Italian-Swiss nutball Franco Sbarro constructed this, um, this, er...constructed the Sbarro TAG Function Car. And, wait...are those sidepipes? Niice!
Anyway, the so-called Function Car was built in association with Techniques d-Avant Garde (TAG) as a mobile office containing two telephones (!), a television, four cushy chairs and two super-classy wood-and-leather secretaries. The stock Cadillac 8.2-liter V8 powered a couple of the six wheels. Sbarro built a grand total of one of these 23-and-a-half-foot-long monsters. There was a plan to contruct 25 of them before sanity prevailed. Sbarro his-own-self owns the Function Car after he failed to sell it to a musician who wanted to install a piano in the back, before sanity prevailed.
We think this whole conversion van/wagon/caddy thing would have worked had Sbarro offered customized airbrush murals for the back and/or curb-feelers. But maybe that's just us.
Cadillac: There's still time to do the CTS Sportwagon up right.
No surprises here really. The Subaru Outback crossover wagon has always been a better off-roader than most of the SUVs it competes with, and if this handheld video is to be believed, it appears the 2010 Subaru Outback will follow suit. Then again, we don't know who was driving that Toyota Venza. And woe to the Ford Explorer driver who couldn't get up the hill.
First Drive: 2008 Subaru Legacy Boxer Diesel
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First Drive: 2009 Subaru Forester
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