Cars Tips: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Acura's New RLX Sports 20 Beams of Light on its Headlamps [w/Video]

Sad but true; the only exterior feature we found worthy of a note on the new 2014 Acura RLX that made its world premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show and which will be sold in Japan as the new Honda Legend, are its so-called "Jewel-Eye" LED headlamps.

The rest of the car in terms of styling might as well be a puffed up $50k Honda Accord or if you prefer, a longer and duller looking version of the Acura ILX, which itself, is a glorified Honda Civic under the sheetmetal.

We were wondering when we would see what BMW is preparing for its 1-Series Coupe and Convertible replacements, and now, thanks to these fresh spy shots, we can show you the first pictures of what we're likely to come to know as the 2-Series Convertible as part of a rumored broader change of names for the Bavarian carmaker.

In the exactly the same way that the 4-Series Coupe and Convertible variants will be based on the F30 3-Series, the 2-Series models will share their platform, interior and mechanical hardware with the latest 1-Series hatchbacks.

Sometimes it's the strangest things that can brighten up your day; like watching a video of a group of tuned Japanese sedans rolling down the road when all of a sudden, you hear a familiar tune coming from…the engine of one of those cars.

The admittedly talented driver behind the wheel of the VIP-esque style (with a little bit of imagination) Toyota Chaser GT Twin Turbo series GX71 from the 1980s played the world-famous Jingle Bells tune simply using his right foot and the raspy sounds of the modded powerplant.

When it comes to insane Porsche builds, few companies can compete with Germany's 9ff and especially its crown jewel, the GT9, which is appearing in an updated form at this week's 2012 Essen Motor Show.

The GT9 Vmax is a new edition of the 9ff's supercar that is loosely based on the previous Porsche 911.

Some cars can sell themselves, but it never hurts to spice things up if it can help to spread around the word. Case in point, Kim Ridley who owns the Ridley’s Rides car dealerships in Eugene, Oregon.

Ridley posted an ad for a low-mileage 1977 Datsun 280Z on eBay, which contained pictures of a young woman supposedly posing sensually (we'll disagree, but everyone to his own taste, of course) on the Japanese coupe.

Nothing-new right? Well, not exactly, as what makes this story interesting is that Ridley claimed in an interview with Adweek that the woman in the photos was his young daughter, something he took back, but only after the car was sold for $7,500 or about €5,800.

As if it wasn't facing enough setbacks already, Fisker Automotive is now forced to deal with a new one through no fault of its own. The California-based carmaker announced today that it has halted production of its Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan due to a shortage of battery packs.

Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz said at the LA Auto Show that the carmaker is waiting for the outcome of the December 6 auction of A123 Systems, the company’s sole battery supplier that has filed for bankruptcy.

Startech, a Brabus subsidiary that focuses its tuning attention on Jaguar-Land Rover Group models, released a new concept based on the latest Land Rover Defender at the Essen Motor Show that runs for the public from December 1 to 9.

Named the Defender Series 3.1 Concept, the study is inspired by the classic Land Rover Series III, which was produced from 1971 to 1984.

We all know that automakers and custom shops alike often overdo it with their tuning concepts at events like the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and the Essen Motor Show in Germany, but once in a while, you see some pretty nifty creations like the TS-650 Concept made by Toyota's motorsports division and Lexus Europe.

The only thing that looks out of place on the TS-650 that made its world premiere today at the 2012 Essen Motor Show are the Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) logos that replace the Lexus badges on the car.

We would also have preferred to see TMG base the TS-650 on the recently facelifted Lexus LS with its more sculpted body, but still, the Japanese brand's European designers deserve praise for turning a dull luxury limo into a fully fledged sports sedan.

The muscled up concept gains a wider body with blistered wheel arches along with matching front and rear bumpers, and a carbon fiber aero kit comprising a front lip spoiler, extended side skirts, rear diffuser and boot lid wing. The same lightweight material is also used on the roof and the front fender air vent trims.

The new generation of the Hyundai i30 3-door hatchback, which made its world premiere in September at the Paris Motor Show will go on sale in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2013 with prices starting from £13,995 OTR. Read more »

This is What You Get for Breaking a Mirror and Driving Away in Ukraine

We'll admit that the first time we watched this video, we were under the impression that a man simply stole the license plate of the baby blue-colored Lada sedan waiting for the green light.

However, as pointed out by the commentators on YouTube, somewhere around the 10-second mark, the Lada sedan can be heard and partially seen making a quick maneuver to the left where it clipped another car's mirror, which is visible on the ground at the 19-second mark.

Halloween may be long gone, but Nissan hasn't throw…its pumpkins out yet. To celebrate the partnership with Warner Bros and the release of the third film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 3, and of course, create some buzz around its name, Nissan's UK division has built a special vehicle inspired by the Dark Knight. Read more »

Mitsubishi Celebrates 30 Years in the U.S. with 2013 Outlander Sport Limited Edition

All the talk at Mitsubishi's LA Auto Show stand is the new 2014 Outlander, but the Japanese company had another unveiling in store, that of the 2013 Outlander Sport Limited Edition, designed to commemorate the brands arrival to American shores three decades ago. Read more »

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Carscoop’s A to Z Guide to the 2012 LA Auto Show [Updated]

The U.S. may host two major automotive shows each year, in Detroit and New York, but what is undoubtedly the entertainment capital not only of the country, but of the whole world, is surely a good place to stage another one.

Organizers of this year’s event, which opens its doors on November 28 for the press and two days later for the public, have announced that the 2012 LA Auto Show will offer its visitors no less than 24 world and another 25 North American premieres.

A Jaguar with a carbon fiber rear wing that would make WRX owners salivate with jealousy? Sure, why not, especially since there's a perfectly good reason for its presence on the boot.

If you haven't done so before in our previous postings, meet the XFR-S, which Jaguar never fails to mention that it's the brands most potent performance sedan ever.

It looks like Opel's decision to kill the Astra Twin-Top and add a larger and more luxurious soft-top model into its automobile lineup in the form of the new Cascada convertible was in the right direction as one of its chief rivals in Europe, the Volkswagen brand, is contemplating the same exact move. Read more »

Watch a DIY Nissan Juke R from Russia Hit the 1/4 Mile in 10.48"

The original Nissan Juke R with a twin-turbocharged V6 heart transplant from last year's GT-R that beats to the tune of 545-horses is no doubt one of the craziest and fastest crossovers ever to be offered for sale by any car manufacturer.

It's also one of the most expensive as it carries a price tag of €500,000 or close to US$650,000 at today's exchange rates.

But it isn't alone when it comes to insanely powerful Jukes as one Russian owner has created his own vision of the Juke R fitted with an unspecified engine pushing out 750-horses.

The best way to convince consumers about a new technology is to showcase it on the track or at least put a racing spin on it. Diesel engines aren't anything new by any means, but the push to get American buyers to give them yet one more chance is.

Together with next year's launch of the new 2014 Mazda6 equipped with a 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine in the States, Mazda will also field a racing version of the sedan during the 2013 Grand-Am series.

Building a people mover out of a commercial van like the Transit Connect has it positives and negatives, which as you can imagine, have to do with the practical and styling aspects respectively.

What this means is that, while Ford's new Transit Connect Wagon looks like a square-shaped commercial van with passenger windows, on the other hand, it offers plenty of interior space as well as a towing capacity of between 1,200 and 2,000 pounds (544 kg to 907 kg), depending on the model.

The creative minds over at Afzal Kahn's tuning house have come up with a new design theme for the four-door version of the Jeep Wrangler Sahara (called Unlimited in North America).

Black is the key word for Kahn's tune, as just about everything inside and out sports a dark shade of some sort.

Mazda will soon become the first Asian automaker to offer a modern diesel engine on one of its passenger cars in the United States. And that car is none other than the all-new Mazda6 sedan, which received its North American debut today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Read more »

2013 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe: All You Need to Know and See [113 Photos and Videos]

It’s not often that an established car company, such as Honda, flops on one of its most important new models. It’s even more surprising when that model, despite being panned by the press, proves to be a hit with the customers.

As you may be aware by now, that’s exactly what happened just 18 months ago when the Japanese carmaker revealed the ninth generation of the Civic: it got panned by Consumer Reports, which denied it a “recommended” rating and dropped it to the bottom of its list. As a result, CEO Takanobu Ito apologized in public and the company rushed in a facelift.

In spite of the 2012 Civic sales being up 40 percent, to 234,029 units, through September, making Honda’s compact model the sixth best-selling car in the U.S., its replacement was unveiled at the LA Auto Show.

The 2013 Civic has received a host of changes that seek to address criticism aimed at the 2012 model. The Coupe remains unchanged, save for new wheels, but the sedan features a black honeycomb mesh grille, new clear-lens corner lights and a taller, more sculpted hood up front and a new trunk lid, taillights and restyled bumper at the rear.

Those of you who like stereotyping vehicle brands and their owners may find a thing or two to say about the participants in what we can only assume to be an amateur street race between a tuned, fourth generation Chevrolet Camaro Coupe and a reportedly turbocharged, E36 BMW M3.

The race for the Camaro came to an end as fast as it accelerated when one of its wheels decided to it was time to call it quits and follow its own independent path.

We've already seen the new Accord but at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda announced that the frugal, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) variant of the series will be available for retail sale and lease beginning January 15 in the states of California and New York, with an MSRP of $39,780, excluding a $790 destination (*) fee.

Whether or not it's worth paying close to double or about $18,000 more than the base $21,680 2013 Accord with a 185hp four-cylinder engine, or even a $10,000 premium over a fully equipped EX-L with Navigation, is something that buyers should seriously take into consideration.

Choosing the Paris Auto Show for unveiling the brand-new F-Type roadster was for Jaguar, all a matter of the event’s high profile. However, as its execs know all too well, the new roadster's biggest market will be the U.S. – and it’s no coincidence that they announced its pricing two months before the car even landed on American soil.

This happened at the LA Auto Show with Jaguar saying that it believes the roadster will prove more than competent enough to prove worthy to its unofficial “new E-Type” label.

As promised, Chevrolet lifted the wraps off its 2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS racecar today during a special event in Las Vegas. Even if you're not a fan of NASCAR racing, you'll be interested to know that the competition SS incorporates design cues from the upcoming production 2014 Chevrolet SS.

We'll remind you that all NASCAR racers feature a generic body with some minor modifications that include the funny looking decals that resemble the head- and tail-lights. To understand the relationship between a production model and its NASCAR sibling, check out Ford's Fusion racer in our previous post here.

"As a passionate race fan, the debut of the SS NASCAR race car is a genuinely exciting moment for me,” said GM North America President Mark Reuss during the presentation of the car in Las Vegas.

While extremely popular in Europe, for a long time, diesel-powered passenger cars were a non-entity in the U.S. automotive business. Furthermore, it was more likely to see pink flamingos parading in Times Square than a premium brand automobile with a diesel engine under its hood.

Today, things are quite different. Diesel engines are nothing like they used to be, nor are gasoline prices, so manufacturers are not afraid to add diesel variants to their U.S. line-up.

The painstakingly slow teasing of the Corvette C7 continues with one more artsy trailer, this one talking about the calibration of the car, but without really saying anything…

However, what this video does give us is our first glimpse at the next Corvette's digital gauge that occupies the center and the right side of the instrument panel incorporating the revolution-counter that goes up to 7,000 rpm and a central status screen depicting the outline of the car.

Among the less important/interesting world premieres of the LA Auto Show, is the BMW Concept K2 Powder Ride, which was created in partnership with winter sports equipment supplier K2.

What we have here is a cosmetically modified version of BMW revamped X1 compact crossover, supposedly designed for cold weather sports enthusiasts.

It's no secret that Acura is having a hard time positioning itself between parent company Honda and pure luxury carmakers, but the Japanese brand is once again trying to gain a foothold in the executive sedan category with the new 2014 RLX that was unwrapped today in Los Angeles.

Acura had previewed the new RLX with a thinly disguised concept model at this year's New York Auto Show. Not much has changed since then, with the production version of the RL's replacement simply gaining different trims for the bumpers and smaller wheels than the concept study.

For the first time, we see the interior of the RLX. Despite the use of the usual upscale leather materials and wood trims, the overall design brings to mind that of the latest Accord, which isn't something you want to see in a model of this category and price.

Among other interior comfort and convenience features that can be found in the new RLX are dual screens (just like the Accord…) including an 8-inch Navigation screen and a 7-inch On-Demand Multi-Use Display touch screen, plus push-button start, power tilt and telescoping steering, power sunroof, tri-zone automatic climate control, and Bluetooth HandsFreeLink.

Some two years after the Chrysler Group split Dodge's lineup into two different brands, one for the firm's passenger vehicles under the Dodge nameplate, and the other comprised the Ram truck models, the Detroit carmaker is now creating a separate sub-division for Ram's commercial trucks and vans. Read more »

Mercedes’ LA Show Ener-G-Force Would Make One Cool Looking G-Class

This year’s LA Auto Show Design Challenge theme was about the ultimate highway patrol vehicle of 2025. Mercedes-Benz was one of the carmakers that picked up the gauntlet and its Advanced Design Center California came up with the Ener-G-Force patrol concept.

Their work was deemed good enough to turn the “pure science fiction” Highway Patrol Vehicle into a full-size concept car. Instead of a law enforcement vehicle, though, it became a study of how the G-Wagen, a hardcore off-roader that has been with us since 1979 might evolve in the future.

Thanks to the fact that a great number of Russian drivers have their dashboard cameras rolling all the time, we have the chance to watch all the weird things that take place on- and in some instances, off the road.

This video takes us to Vladivostok and a white SUV that was filmed rolling down a steep road but failed to turn left or right at the crossing Instead, the vehicle continued its way and tumbled down the hill.

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show has the distinction of hosting the world premieres of all-new replacements for two of the most popular compact crossovers in the globe, the 2013 Toyota RAV4 and the 2014 Subaru Forester.

The new Forester is an inoffensive evolution of its predecessor that debuts with a roomier interior, improved performance and better fuel economy.

The hybrid version of VW’s Jetta compact saloon was displayed as a concept in January’s Detroit Auto Show and it has already been announced that it will go on sale in the States before the end of the year as a 2013 model, with prices starting at US$24,995 excluding a destination charge of US$795.

It was about time, then, to introduce the final production version of the Jetta Hybrid to the U.S. market – and VW promptly did that at the LA Auto Show.

It's only a matter of hours before Honda gives us a talk- and a walk-around the refreshed 2013 Civic at its scheduled press conference at the Los Angeles Motor Show, but in the meantime, here are some new pictures of the compact saloon.

To be more specific, what we have here are the first photos of the car's updated interior and the exterior of the sportier Civic Si edition, which follow an earlier pair of images showing the mid-level EX-L grade.

Honda has taken a lot of flak from the press for the current generation Civic's interior. Consumer Reports, for example, had said that the cabin "feels cheap" and is "a letdown from previous Civics".

From this image, we see that Honda has made some changes to the design of the dashboard, which now features a new center section with different air vents, new controls for the air conditioning system and at least in this grade, more upscale trim with silver finishes and leather padding on the passenger side and the upper parts of the door panels.

Despite being renowned primarily for its luxury cars, Bentley has a rich history in endurance racing that dates back to 1928. It took 73 years for it to return to the tracks but when it did, it once again achieved victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Speed 8 in 2003.

That win also marked the end of the British brand’s racing program. A decade later, Bentley decided to engage in motorsports once again, starting from the end of 2013. It will do so with the Continental GT3, which was launched in concept form in Paris and made its U.S. debut at the LA Auto Show.

Lexus LF-LC and LF-CC on Display at the LA Auto Show; Which One Do You Like More? [Poll]

They may be what you call "old news" in the motor show circuit, as the blue LF-LC was displayed at October's Sydney Motor Show, and before that, at the Detroit show in January (albeit in a different color), with the bronze LF-CC appearing in Paris in September, but there's no denying that the two Lexus coupes are amongst the most impressive cars at this week's LA Auto Show.

The bigger LF-LC is a pure sports car featuring a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain producing 499-horses (506PS) and all-wheel drive. Lexus officials have admitted that they are considering a production version, though no final decision has been reached yet.

Lexus' second study is the LF-CC for a coupe model based on the underpinnings and mechanical hardware of the next IS sedan.

In concept trim, the Japanese carmaker's BMW 3-Series Coupe-rival sports a hybrid systems comprising a 2.5-liter four-pot and an electric motor delivering somewhere around 200-horses to the rear wheels.

Mercedes-Benz selected the Los Angeles Auto Show for the world premiere of its track-focused, but still street-legal, SLS AMG Black Series that was joined by the refreshed SLS AMG GT and the new GL63 AMG, both of which made their U.S. motor show debuts. Read more »

New 2014 Porsche Cayman Coupe is Lighter, Sexier and Faster. Priced from $52,600 [126 Photos & Video]

After the new 911 Carrera in both Coupe and Convertible body styles, and the latest Boxster roadster, Porsche revealed a new iteration of its third sports car series at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2014 Cayman.

Based on the new Boxster, the Cayman has been reengineered from the ground up and features a lightweight body design making it up to 30kg / 66 pounds lighter than the car it replaces, a 40 per cent stiffer body and more powerful and efficient flat-six engines that offer better performance as well as p to 15 percent greater fuel economy.

The 2014 Kia Forte Sedan is yet another new model to receive its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. It will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 offering buyers a choice of two four-cylinder powerplants and will be followed up by a five-door hatchback and a coupe model.

Kia's new compact-sized sedan, which our international readers may also know as the K3 (Korea) and Cerato (Australia, Brazil etc), slots between the Rio sub-compact and the Optima mid-size sedans.

The Korean carmaker highlights the new Forte's more modern design which it says is "inspired by European sport sedans" but born in California at Kia’s American Design Center in Irvine.

Under the new bodywork, you will find a chassis that is longer (by 1.2 inches), lower (0.6 inches) and wider (0.2 inches) than the previous Forte sedan. Furthermore, at 106.3-inch long, the new Forte's wheelbase is two inches longer than before for improved interior space.

If you live in Europe, you've probably seen the new 2013 Beetle Convertible as it is already offered for sale, but on this side of the pond, the open-top Volkswagen just received its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the German carmaker also announced pricing. Read more »

2014 Sorento May Look the Same, But Kia Says 80 Percent of the Parts are New or Redesigned

If you were to take a quick look at the 2014 Kia Sorento, which is enjoying its North American premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, what you would probably see is the restyled front and rear ends, and some barely noticeable tweaks in the cabin.

Ask Kia, however, and the Koreans will tell you that there's much more than meets the eye to the revamped Sorento. In fact, Kia claims that more than 80 percent of the parts in the crossover are either "all-new or significantly redesigned", including the 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine producing 290 horsepower.

The new Mitsubishi Outlander's world tour continues with its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Designed from the ground up to be offered with an advanced hybrid powerplant, the seven-seater 2014 Outlander also underwent an intensive diet losing around 200 pounds (91 kg) compared to the outgoing model.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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