The future of Nissan’s crossover lineup should be bright if the Resonance concept is allowed to inspire their styling. We like the profile a lot and when toned down for production the front and rear should make a great next-generation Murano. The interior is also a beautiful exercise with a light and airy design and technology overload. The concept is said to be powered by a hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain with a CVT doing the shifting duties like in many Nissans so it’s probably safe to assume we’ll see a hybrid Murano in the near future. As long as it looks as good as the Resonance we won’t care what powers it. Read more…
Cadillac showed us the Converj concept a couple years back in the anticipation that the luxury brand would find a way to incorporate the extended range electric vehicle capabilities of the Chevrolet Volt into a sporty and luxurious coupe. Cadillac has shown us photos over that time, in both publicity shots as well as deliberate ‘spy’ photos. The 3-letter nomenclature proliferating the Cadillac line (save the Escalade) meant revising the name into ELR. Overall, the proportions of the ELR have changed somewhat from the Converj, but the overall effect is very true to the concept. Rather than referring to the ELR’s extended range powertrain as the Voltec, Cadillac uses the EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) designation. Cadillac claims it is the first full-line luxury automaker to incorporate such technology, using a gas engine generator to recharge the batteries on any drive longer than 35 miles. The 35 miles is about 3 miles shorter than Chevrolet claims with the Volt, likely due to the slightly more aggressive nature of the ELR, which packs an electric drive unit capable of 295 lb-ft of instant torque. Cadillac neglected to announce pricing, but we would expect it to be significantly higher than the Volt’s $39,145 base price before $7,500 federal tax credit.
Because the NSX remains two years away, Acura used the rest of its NAIAS time to show the assembled press the 2014 MDX Prototype that strongly hints at the production version which will get its own debut soon. Like springtime soon. Which means basically everything you see here will be available in showrooms later this year. This prototype did not have an interior so we can’t comment on that but the MDX remains powered by the 3.5-liter V6 but should get a bump in the power ratings. Super Handling All Wheel Drive will be offered but a front wheel drive MDX will now be available for those in warm climates. A longer wheelbase will allow for more second row legroom and improve ride quality. We like the handsome, refined lines of the new look and we’ll be sure to bring you the full report when we drive the production MDX later this year. Read more…
Acura more or less stole the show last year with the debut of the NSX Concept and the news that it would be developed and built right here in America. To keep that excitement alive they used this year’s show to roll out an updated NSX Concept to curious journalists wondering how the road to production is treating the original Japanese supercar. From what we saw, it’s off to a great start. The exterior changes are mild and mostly for aero management and cooling purposes, but the biggest news was the proposed interior in this concept that previews one possible configuration for the production NSX. However, Acura was clear that this is only a proposal and not an approved design, since the production NSX still has two years of development left. Hopefully the wheels don’t reach production since they play some strange optical tricks on the eye. We like our wheels to look round, thank you very much. Read more…
If we were keeping a list of long-in-the-tooth vehicles most in need of a refresh, the Jeep Grand Cherokee would not be on it. After all, it debuted as a 2011 model and impressed everyone enough to earn the distinction of being the most awarded SUV ever. So we were a bit surprised when Jeep rolled out a refreshed Grand Cherokee lineup for 2014 at their Monday morning press conference. Not that we’re complaining. With new features like an 8-speed automatic and a modern 3.0-liter diesel joining the powertrain lineup, the Jeep marketers can now advertise the dickens out of a 30 mpg highway rating. The changes don’t stop there as the front and rear receive noticeable improvements in the form of new lighting elements with LEDs, a shorter and higher grille, new foglights and wheel designs plus a host of interior refinements. The most significant of which is the 8.4” center screen and 7” screen in the middle of the gauge cluster. They can be programmed to display just about anything and work very well. SRT fans won’t feel left out either, since their 2014 Jeep is benefiting from most of the cosmetic tweaks and the 8-speed automatic comes along to dramatically boost real-world passing times and fuel efficiency. There is also a one button Launch Control system to make sure your stop light drag races go off without a hitch. Look for these in showrooms in the Fall. Read more…
The vultures have been circling the Lincoln camp for the last few years. The slow death of Lincoln’s companion make, Mercury, in 2011 certainly have given the critics a watchful eye. Lincoln executives hope to reverse that perception by giving journalists a peek today of the MKC concept. The MKC is a small crossover that Lincoln hopes will capture the hearts of those in the market for a small luxury utility vehicle. Ford executives promised that the 5 door crossover is a strong hint at a future production vehicle. We expect that this small Lincoln will be based on the platform used for the Ford Escape. With hints of Audi Q7 in the rear, and a muscular stance similar to the Range Rover Evoque, we think that Lincoln may be headed back in the right direction. The interior looks inspired by that of the new MKZ and features the distinctive pushbutton gear shift selector. While hardly groundbreaking, we think this glimpse at a future Lincoln looks promising and we dare anyone to tell us they knew it sprang from the bones of an Escape. Read more…
RS 7
Audi has been on a winning streak of offering a long succession of beautiful cars. If the A5, A6, and A8 aren’t pretty enough, Audi has the A7 Sportback. If the A7 isn’t fast enough then an affluent buyer with an extra $18,700 laying around can opt for the S7 with 420 horsepower.
When you put three AT Editors in a hotel suite with enough technology to make the local NBC affiliate jealous it’s a miracle anything gets done. We managed to put down the pizza and peel our eyes from the seven—yes, seven—screens we’re utilizing just long enough to gather our thoughts and discuss the highlights of what we expect to see when the doors of COBO Hall swing open tomorrow. We also put our pride on the line and declared our individual picks for North American Car and Truck of the year, which will be announced before the show kicks off Monday morning. We’ll be up before the sun to bring you the latest from Detroit and we won’t quit until the gelato runs out, so check back Monday evening as our Day 1 coverage goes live.
We’ve never been given the task to design a car, much less one as sacred to the automotive faithful as the long running Chevrolet Corvette. The look of such a car must be a challenge to the designers in order to balance the continuation of the legend while reinventing and innovating to keep the car fresh and competitive. It is much easier for those of us on this side of the drawing board to praise or criticize each generation of Corvette. At the end, however, it is the consumer and enthusiast who decides the success and failure of each successive automotive generation. We’re critics though and we know what we like and we know Corvette history. Unfortunately this new car, which revives the Stingray name, did not immediately take our breath away. Even so we must remember our original thoughts when casting our gaze on the C5 Corvette, which is now considered the car that revolutionized what it meant to bear the beloved name. That car didn’t immediately strike us as beautiful then either. Certainly we can praise the upgraded interior and speculate on what it will feel like to row through seven gears. What we can’t predict is whether the C7 will grow better with age or be remembered as the car that broke the Corvette’s beauty streak.
To put it bluntly; the average guy was about as likely to purchase a previous-gen Volkswagen Beetle as he was to schedule a mani-pedi and DVR The View. Volkswagen knew this and as a result has done a commendable job at injecting some testosterone into the 2012 Beetle Turbo that we recently sampled. Of course we like the 2.0-liter turbo that is rated at 200 hp in this application, but we especially like the cooperative 6-speed manual, 19” wheels and sensitive brake pedal. This Beetle is a joy to motor around town in and far more skilled than its predecessor at managing coiled back roads. The body rolls a bit more than we’d like when pushed, but the suspension takes a nice set in the corners and the ride is one of best in the $25k class. The interior is a monumental improvement over the New Beetle and we like the fake carbon fiber accented dash and moderately bolstered seats. Rear headroom and cargo capacity are never going to be the Bug’s strengths but if you like the new look—and we do—you’ll enjoy driving the Beetle enough that jabs from your buddies won’t even bother you. Read more…
