Well, it is official. Ford Motor Company announced today that the Mercury brand will be phased out by the end of the 4th quarter this year. While we hate to see the brand go, none of us here in the AT garage could say that we didn’t see this coming. Ford has been limping the brand along on a life support of ancient Grand Marquis sedans and lightly re-trimmed Blue Oval cars for quite a while. Still, the news brings a tear to the eye. The bright side to this song of sorrow is that Fo Mo Co will be refocusing their efforts on Lincoln and promise seven new or heavily refreshed models will be brought to the lineup over the next four years. My vote is for a genuine CTS combatant and the dropping of the silly MK-whatchit nomenclature. But I digress. Our hearts are heavy tonight over the news that Mercury will soon be joining the Saturn and Pontiac brands at that showroom in the sky. Click through for a gallery of historical pics we dug up and remember the good times with us. Read more…
The 2007 Audi S6 had the grace and svelte of a German sports luxury sedan, and the heart of an Italian bull. The team from Ingolstadt shoe-horned a 5.2L FSI V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo into the engine bay of an A6, threw in some fancy wheels, and lit up the front end with some rather handsome LED running lamps. In S6 duty the hoof-stomping nostril-snorting Gallardo V10 is detuned to 435-hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and routes its power to the ground via a 6-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. A canyon carver the S6 is not, as nearly the entirety of that V10 hangs out ahead of the front axle. It will, however, pull away from a stop with authority! Click through for a more extensive photo gallery. Read more…
Just over a year ago yours truly co-piloted the 2009 Volkswagen CC you see pictured above on a road trip to obtain an Imola Red M Coupe for Executive Editor Dye. On that cross-country journey we learned to love the CC as a road trip companion and dismissed our qualms about it being a Mercedes-Benz CLS knockoff. While the CC’s profile isn’t near as elegant as the Merc’s, the CC is far more attainable for a lot of folks. Under the hood of our model was Audi/VW’s fabulous 2.0T. With only a 200-hp rating this 2.0L direct-injected and turbocharged four-cylinder provided ample power for mountain passes and returned an astonishing 32-mpg considering this is a 3,344-lb four door coupe.
Happy Memorial Day from your friends at Automotive Trends!!!
This might just be the date your parents wished that you didn’t bring home, and we found it at the 2007 NAIAS. The appropriately named HCD10 Hellion is Hyundai’s concept of crossover meets adventurous lifestlye. The body design inspired by hard shell backpacks is organic in nature with sheetmetal apparently stretched taught over the three ultra-lightweight structural ribs. The camouflage fabric roof is removable and the seats have built in removable/refillable fluid reservoirs, eliminating the need for cupholders. Under the hood is a 3.0L common-rail diesel V6 with 236-hp and 332 lb-ft of torque coupled to a 6-speed auto and 4wd.
Kia promised that the KCV III, their concept for the 2004 NAIAS, would be as fun to drive as it was to look at. I guess that depends on the driving you intend to, as forward motivation was provided by a 2.0L 4-cylinder putting out 145-hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. Kia then routed that power to the front wheels and set the rear on a torsion beam axle. Not exactly the stuff sports car fantasies are made from. Still, the KCV III made for an interesting design study for Kia. Along with the very curvaceous body it featured an all glass roof comprised of three sections that would stow at a touch of a button, allowing you to enjoy the open air ambiance regardless of the weather.
Ford Motor Company has literally stamped out millions of Explorers since its introduction back in 1990. So as the SUV market fizzles and the crossover market boils what is Ford to do with its perennial hot cake seller when the customer suddenly demands waffles? More than just add a fruit topping, that’s for sure. What you see above in the Explorer America Concept shown at the 2008 NAIAS is a full-fledged, car-derived, high-riding unibody crossover. Come launch time we’ll find one of two EcoBoost (that’s greenie speak for turbocharged and direct-injected) engines under the hood. The base model will get a 2.0L 4-cylinder with about 260-hp and 280 lb-ft of torque on tap. The optional upgrade engine will be the 3.5L V6 already making its rounds in the Flex, Taurus SHO, MKS, and MKT with roughly 340-hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Next question is whether or not we’ll get a unibody Sport Trac to take on the minivan derived Ridgeline?
The 2007 Saturn Sky was nothing short of brilliant. Not only was this Kappa platform roadster drop jaw gorgeous, the Sky and its Pontiac Solstice twin could carve corners with the best of them. Yet the base vehicle with the 2.4L Ecotec and its automatic gearbox left us wanting. Enter the Redline you see pictured above. Under the hood is a 2.0L turbocharged and direct injected four-cylinder with 260-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque on tap, coupled to a proper manual gearbox feeding the rear wheels. But alas the glory would be short lived as the economic crisis of swapped partial derivatives and the like would force these cars onto the pages of history just as things were getting exciting.
Once upon a time ago, a healthier Chrysler churned out and brought to the streets concept cars by the droves. One such concept that seemed to be on a surefire track to the assembly line was the ME Four-Twelve. Debuting at the 2004 NAIAS, the ME Four-Twelve sported a 12-cylinder quad-turbo mid-mounted engine good for 850-hp and 850 lb-ft of torque. The body was made of carbon fiber and as a result the car weighed in at just 2880-lbs. Sadly, the ME Four-Twelve was sent to the Walter P. Chrylser museum so as not to compete with its then stable mate, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Volkswagen has been teasing us with the idea of a mid-engined roadster for quite awhile now. One such example is the Volkswagen Concept R, shown here on display at the 2004 NAIAS. The R made use of a 3.2L V6 for propulsion and had 261-hp and 240 lb-ft of torque on tap. The seats were fixed in place and for the driver to adjust the seating position he had to actually electrically move the steering wheel, pedals, and instrument cluster “block” back and forth. The seats, though immovable, were filled with an active foam that would adapt to the body contours of the driver and passenger.
