Automotive Trends

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.
     

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      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.

      Automakers are feeling pretty good about 2012 and from what we’ve been able to pry out of them they’re going to be kicking-off 2013 in style by rolling out more than 50 new concept cars and production vehicles at the annual auto show season kickoff we call the North American International Auto Show. That means we’re going to have to take our coverage to the next level so readers far and wide will feel like they’re in the Motor City with us taking notes, snapping pictures and tracking down the best gourmet cappuccino. And we plan to do just that by increasing our video offerings and on-the-spot Twitter reporting. (Follow us @automotvtrnds) Of course we’ll be recapping things each night with all the highlights and stunning photography you crave. Find your way back here Sunday, January 13^th as we descend into the madness and get things started with our predictions for North American Car and Truck of the Year.

      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…

Going Places

      I think we can all agree that the last iteration of the Toyota Avalon was in need of a double dose of espresso. So when I was invited recently to drive the all-new 2013 Avalon, my first thought was to caffeine up before I settled behind the wheel. What I expected to be little more than weak coffee turned out to be more like a caffe vanilla Frappuccino. Let me explain. Read more…

     The most potent Golf in Volkswagen showrooms has a lot going for it. The iconic shape still offers an airy cabin with plenty of headroom, a useable rear seat once you climb back there (or choose the 4-door and make it easy) and family-friendly hatchback utility. VW’s beloved 2.0-liter turbo engine has been cranked up to 11 and now sends 256 hp to all four wheels and the only way you can get it is with a proper 6-speed manual. The Lamborghini-esque steering wheel makes you feel like you’re in something from the other end of Volkswagen’s empire and our Sunroof & Nav trim came with exactly zero options. So why can’t we recommend it to driving enthusiasts? Because at $36k the hardware isn’t enough to justify the premium over other thrill machines like the brilliant Scion FR-S and even Volkswagen’s own legendary GTI, which will get you 85% of the R’s performance for a whole lot less outlay. And it’s not anywhere on our top 10 priorities list, but even then, 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway is pretty hard to swallow from a 4-cylinder in twenty-twelve. If your best memories have always been in Golf’s you’ll love everything about this one just as we did. Everything but the price, that is.

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      The Toyota Avalon has been with us for much longer than seems possible. When it debuted as a 1995 model, it was credited with being ‘Toyota’s Buick.’ Whether that was intended as an insult or a compliment depends on how you felt about Buicks at the time, but we’ll speculate those making the assessment weren’t referring to the LT1 V8-powered Roadmaster, but rather the somewhat smaller LeSabre or even the 13-year old Century. In any case, the Avalon has continued to be a plusher, larger, softer variation of the Camry. Like the Camry, the Avalon has remained fairly anonymous. Indeed, its styling was likely created with the intent of being used as a template for the ‘anycars’ used in various automotive supply advertisements.  Read more…

       We’ve already given the Kia Optima our stamp of approval, but now that the even more efficient Hybrid version has spent some time in our fleet we thought it warranted another trip in front of the Automotive Trends’ cameras. You should watch the video for the full story but if you simply must have a spoiler the best thing about the Optima Hybrid is the 6-speed automatic and the worst has got to be the terrible stereo featuring the most frustrating preset setup we’ve encountered in recent memory. How can they be that bad, you ask? Watch the video, we say.

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Comfort is King in the Redesigned Lexus Flagship

     Since its debut in 1989 the Lexus LS has emphasized comfort over everything else. Through the relentless pursuit of perfection engineers have been on a never ending quest to eradicate every hint of noise, vibration and harshness no matter how seemingly insignificant. If you want to truly understand the phrase “detail obsessed” lock yourself in a room with the LS’s chief engineer for an afternoon. The flagship’s reputation has been built upon its unmatched ability to isolate passengers from the harsh and hectic world and the thoroughly refreshed 2013 model intends to move that reputation to the next level. And having already established a lead in the luxury hybrid market with the range-topping LS 600h L Lexus engineers are taking this opportunity to get in the sport-minded market by adding a new F Sport trim to the LS lineup. Lexus recently invited us to sample the LS family and when we weren’t reclined in the massaging back seat pretending to be a business titan we made some observations you might be interested in. Read more…