Audi S3 2A 362 HP Five-Cylinder Demon Hatchback

Iwas mighty impressed when I drove the all-new 2015 Audi S3 earlier this year,but I could definitely tell Audi left some room for a little more. That "more" will be the most powerful five-cylinder engine they've ever built. Meet the 2015 Audi RS3.

While it won't hit Europe until next spring, Audi tonight released the full specs and photos of what may be the baddest modern hatchback they've ever built. Here, the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine puts out 362 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. A zero to 60 mph run gets done in about four seconds.

Intelligent torque vectoring sends power to all four wheels (duh) via a new seven-speed S tronic transmission, re-worked for faster shifts. No mention gets made of a manual gearbox by Audi, so it seems manual fans are going to feel left out on this one.

The new RS3 salutes the Audi rally cars of yore in a big way: with its sound. Audi touts the car's as the same one they've used since their 1980s rally racers, and the new car has driver-controlled flaps in the exhaust pipes that control exhaust flow and bring the noise whenever you want. And that's just the standard one — there's also an optional sport exhaust. 

In addition to the revised front and rear, the car also sports a magnetic ride suspension, optional ceramic brakes and a ton of other goodies.Itall sounds pretty sweet. Audi is reportedly still deciding whether to bring the RS3 to the U.S. For now the Sportback five-door hatch is the only bodystyle, but we've also heard rumblings a sedan might be in the works. I'd love to see that happen for America. Do it, Audi! Read more

Range Is Not Guaranteed - Soul EV exposed after a full charge

Rangeis not guaranteed. In freezing temperatures, it is safe to expect at least a 10 percent degradation of battery power. The battery cells are all huddled together, like train passengers waiting on the platform. In extreme subzero temps, as was the case with Soul EVtesting in Swedish Lapland, near the Arctic Circle, cold weather degradation can be up to 50 percent.

We left the Soul EV exposed after a full charge for 12 hours in freezing weather on the top of a parking garage to wind chills in the single digits and temps in the teens. It had 91 miles of range when we left; it was down to 74-mile range when we got back in. Remarkably, after two minutes of driving, the range went back up to 90 miles. All the heat generated from the butt warmers and steering wheel and climate control heated the cabin, which heats the battery in the floor. While it may be problematic to leave the Soul EV exposed in such cold with only a quarter battery left, most plug-in owners wouldn't do that anyway.

The Soul EV can be programmed to heat itself for 15 minutes before you get in, as long as it's plugged into the grid. Remote programming is available through a smartphone app.

Kia's UVO infotainment system is customized to the EV, providing a list of the nearest chargers on a real-time basis, from nearby dealerships to public chargers to Charge Point stations. We had no idea how many chargers were available to us in the Chicago area.

While the interior of the Soul EV is not nearly as striking as the Soul ! (top-of-the-line Soul Exclaim), it is in line with Kia's holistic design philosophy. Many plug-ins get higher-grade trim levels standard to support the EV premium, but instead of the exclamation point, Kia used the symbolic equivalent of recycling arrows. More

Fres News - Kia Soul EV Outdoes Compact

TheSoul EV retains virtually all of the quirky charms of its gas counterpart,which was redesigned for its second generation in 2014 with EV compatibility in mind. The Soul has led the charge of urban mobility with seating for five, tall ride height like a crossover, the latest in in-car connectivity and with hatchback versatility. Rear seats fold flat to solve most urban challenges, from loading up a short move across town to packing the pet and gear to head away for the weekend.

Officially, the EV retains 91 percent of the cargo space but even that is misleading. The space under the floor in the cargo area, where you might have found a spare tire long, long ago, is not included in the calculation. That space is divided between open storage and a dedicated slot for the charger. Thus, the difference in cargo area is negligible.

Often times, plug-in vehicles lose cargo space because the battery pack is stored behind the rear seat and creates an irregular plane when the rear seats are folded down, as is the case with the Ford C-Max Energi. The 27 kWh battery pack in the Soul EV is stored under the floor between the axles. It provides 109 horsepower with 210 pound-feet of torque, which is not fast by any means, but it has linear quickness whenever you want it.

The battery placement affects rear passengers more than cargo space. The floor is three inches higher in the back, so knees would seem a bit closer to the chin, but Kia pushed the seat bottoms back to flatten it out for rear passengers. Retaining that space is imperative since the interior space of the Soul is the biggest competitive advantage over compact plug-ins.

The Soul EV has nearly 50 cubic feet of cargo space, which is 7 cubic feet more than the C-Max Energi and way more than the BMW i3's 36.9 cubic feet. Only Mitsubishi's i (formerly Mi-EV) compares, but only in cargo area.

The Soul EV excels at range as well, providing 93 miles on a single full charge. This was consistent with all our overnight charges from a standard outlet in our garage. While our model had dual ports for Level 2 (five-hour charge time) and DC fast charging (less than 30 minute charge time) in the area where a grille would be, we didn't have a need for it. More

Read Our Full Review Of The 2015 Audi A3

Fuel economy rings in at 27 mpg combined whether you get front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.From behind the wheel you’ll find an electric power steering system that’s among the best-weighted in the business, with a precision that allows you to place the A3 exactly were you want to in be in your lane. That said, actual road feedback isn’t any more vivid than in most other models, that is to say, it’s a bit dull. The brakes are also precise and easy to modulate.

Safety wise the 2015 A3 has already been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS and aced all the tests including the tough new small front overlap test. All the safety features you’d expect in a premium vehicle are here and of course, you can spend plenty on optional extras to up the safety quota. You can even get active lane assist and adaptive cruise control in the A3.

Starting from about $30,000 the A3 comes decently equipped with a power driver seat, Bluetooth, and leather upholstery. Our nicely equipped A3 has a sticker price of just over $36,000 and that includes things like heated front seats and the MMI navigation system. Load it up and you’re looking at about $45,000. Want even more power? That S3 starts at just over $41,000. No matter which model you choose or how much you pay you won’t find stuff like a heated steering wheel or cooled seats, options you can now get in a Kia. That’s a bummer in our book.

So what’s the bottom line with the 2015 Audi A3? It puts more pressure on “premium” small sedans, with real prestige in its badge and real potential in their spec sheets.

News Cars - 2015 Audi A3 Video Road Test

The Audi A3 hasn't been a smash hit in the U.S. through the 2013 model year. mainly because until now it's only been available in hatchback form. Now we have a new family of A3s geared more toward American tastes. Does the new A3 lineup have the right stuff, and can it fend off the sexy Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class?

This time around the A3 is going to be available in a few different body styles: sedan, hatchback, and convertible. The sedan should be the most popular model. The shape is quintessentially Audi with a large grille up front, rounded front end, gentle roll of a roofline, and a stubby trunk.

Inside the A3 ventures into new design territory for Audi. There are actually some VW roots showing here with the horizontal dashboard. We like the round vents and trio of small climate control knobs. There’s an LCD display that rises from the dash which is a uniquely German solution for infotainment.

Let’s be clear, this is a small car, but this interior is larger than the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class. Up front comfort is adequate in the seats, but they aren’t as supportive as Audi’s larger models. The lower seat cushion is surprisingly short, even with the optional sport seats. It's not what we expected in a European car.

Overall fit and finish is acceptable but the refinement is meeting the minimum one might expect in a premium-brand small car.

Back in the rear seat you’ll find decent space if you don’t have a very tall driver up front. Headroom is on the tight side for anyone 5’10” and above.

The A3 arrives in the U.S. in two forms: front-wheel-drive 1.8T models with 170 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque, or our test car which was a 2.0T quattro—meaning all-wheel-drive—model with 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are turbocharged, direct-injected in-line fours connected to Audi’s dual-clutch transmission.

Need more power? There’s the S3 with that 2.0-liter turbo engine rated at 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.

In case you missed it, no manual transmission is available in any A3 model at the moment. Sorry America.

Fres News Cars - Ford F-150 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 Output 2015

In announcing output and towing figures for its new twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6, Ford published a video of a towing drag race in which a 2015 Ford F-150 stomped a Ram EcoDiesel and a Chevrolet Silverado with a 5.3-liter V-8. Although we’re not inclined to get excited over manufacturer test runs—we do that stuff ourselves—taken with the 2.7’s 325-hp and 375-lb-ft output ratings, the engine is shaping up to be an appealing option taken alone. (The EcoDiesel is rated at 240 horsepower and 420 lb-ft, the 5.3-liter Chevy at 355 and 383.) But when you consider the mass reduction resulting from the new F-150’s aluminum construction, you can see why Ford’s truck-marketing people are starting to seriously use the phrase “power-to-weight ratio” for perhaps the first time ever.

Indeed, if the clip is to be taken at face value, it shows that the switch to aluminum has paid off. The test involved towing 7000-pound trailers for three miles to the top of Arizona’s Davis Dam Road—the same road used as a basis for the SAE J2807 towing test, which Ford will adopt with the 2015 truck—with 4×4 Crew Cab models equipped with either 3.73:1 or 3.92:1 axle ratios. The F-150 beat the Ram by more than 40 seconds during each of three runs and the Silverado by about six seconds twice (Ford admitted losing to Chevy by a similar amount in that pairing’s third run.) Speed aside, the 2.7-liter F-150 carries a maximum towing rating of 8500 pounds, which trails the 11,200 pounds of the 5.3-liter Crew Cab Silverado and the 9200 of the Ram EcoDiesel.

2015 Ford F-150 twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 engine cutaway

Ford also announced that its own scales place the 2.7-liter F-150 Crew Cab at 4942 pounds, which compares quite favorably to the 5674 pounds it reports for an identical 2014 F-150 with a 5.0-liter V-8. Ford has been touting a general 700-pound savings since the 2015 F-150’s debut in January, but the automaker put a finer point on things with The Detroit News, claiming the figures could range between 625 to more than 730 pounds. We’re looking forward to verifying—or debunking—the claims once we get the new trucks on our own scales.

The 2.7-liter engine, code-named “Nano,” uses a compacted graphite iron block for added durability. (Why use iron in an aluminum truck? Read our deep-dive on the block to find out.) An automatic engine stop-start system is standard, although it is automatically deactivated in four-wheel-drive mode or while towing. Ford hasn’t released fuel-economy figures yet. Read More..

Fres News Cars - FIRST DRIVE REVIEW – 2015 FORD F-150

Aluminum cans are all the rage in the craft-brewing industry. Once a symbol of cheap and tasteless beer, cans seal more tightly than do glass bottles, better protect their contents from UV degradation, and reduce the expense and energy that come with shipping a truck full of brews to your local depot. Get past the stigma imprinted by 40-plus years of Miller Lite, and cans are the perfect vessel for high-end beer.

In the light-duty-truck world, beer cans are either all the rage or the ammunition for all of your rage, depending on which automaker's logo your Calvin decal is pissing on. The aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 brings huge weight savings for America’s bestselling vehicle. You’d think this would be universally accepted as innovation, progress, and a generally good thing. But in the vernacular of a Chevy or Ram loyalist, beer cans take on a condescending connotation, as in “I’d never drive a truck made out of beer cans.” These people prefer their trucks be made from SpaghettiOs cans, apparently.

They don’t take the beer-can analogy lightly at Ford. It’s to the point that F-150 marketing boss Doug Scott needs 13 syllables every time he mentions the lightweight metal. "High-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy" purged as much as 500 pounds from the cab and bed of the new truck. The single significant piece of steel in the body is the laminated firewall, designed to keep unseemly sounds out of the cabin. With more than three times as much high-strength steel as in the outgoing truck, the underlying frame sheds between 60 and 70 pounds. Lighter seats, leaf springs, and lower control arms contribute to a claimed total reduction of up to 700 pounds per truck. READ MORE:

Fres News Cars - Official 2015 Ford F-150 EPA Fuel-Economy Numbers Released

There’s been no shortage of debate surrounding Ford’s decision to adopt aluminum construction for the new 2015 F-150 pickup, and now we have some key metrics that will feed the fire: EPA fuel-economy ratings.

The headline number that Ford is keen to hang its efficiency hat on is for trucks equipped with the 282-hp 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine and two-wheel drive, so we’ll start there. That truck has earned an EPA city rating of 19 mpg and a highway rating of 26 mpg. Combined fuel economy is rated at 22 mpg. 

Those numbers go head-to-head with the EPA numbers for the mid-size 2016 Chevy Colorado with the V-6 and two-wheel drive, the Ford bettering Chevy’s smaller truck in the city rating by 1 mpg. But if wringing every last mile out of a gallon is your top priority, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel still trumps them both with its 20/28/23 numbers. Checking the box for a 4×4 drivetrain with the same engine drops the Ford’s numbers slightly to 18/23/20.

The two-wheel drive F-150 with the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 base engine knocks the numbers down a smidge, to city/highway/combined EPA estimates of 18/25/20. Stepping up to 4×4 capability reduces those ratings to 17/23/19.

Selecting the 385-hp 5.0-liter V-8 accelerates the downward trend, but not as drastically as you might expect. It comes in at 15/22/18 in rear-wheel drive versions and 15/21/17 in 4×4 guise.

Lastly, the optional 350-hp, 3.5-liter Ecoboost V-6 two-wheel drive F-150 checks in at 17/24/20, and 17/23/19 in the 4×4 version. Of course, your mileage may vary with the turbocharged EcoBoost engines depending on how often you take advantage of the boost part of the equation. Either way, it’s kind of fascinating that the truck world has finally found a set of numbers to argue over as voraciously as it does tow ratings. Pull up a chair, this could get good.

Lincoln Ready To Deliver Black Label Service

Luxuryis the new black for Lincoln. Well, actually, it’s the new Black Label program that Lincoln wants people to see as luxurious, and Lincoln will be talking a lot about the program this week at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Black Label is not to be confused with the Mercedes-Benz Black Series, a lineup of uber-performance vehicles. It should also not be confused with Johnnie Walker’s Blue Label, the highest-end Scotch Johnnie Walker produces.

No, for Lincoln, a new standard of customer service will be wrapped and packaged under the Black Label. Think of it as the way many people think they should be treated when plunking down more than $40,000 for a car or crossover.  2015 Lincoln Mkc Black Label Indulgence Chroma Couture Front Side View While skeptical of the initiative a year ago when Lincoln introduced the world the concept at Pebble Beach, I’m starting to understand why Lincoln created this program, which will add another $6,000 to a vehicle’s price tag. 

It’s a story behind buying your car that you share with a friend over dinner. “Oh, I didn’t even go to the dealership,” you can say as you cut into your medium rare free-range grass-fed steak. “They brought samples and swatches to my house, and when I did arrive at the Lincoln dealership, I sipped espressos while the dealer had my car detailed. And I hope you’re enjoying tonight’s dinner. The menu was created exclusively for people like me. You know, on the list. The Black Label list.” More

Cadillac ATS-V Coupe Spawns GT3-Spec Race Car

Cadillac’s replacement for the CTS-V.R race car is the all-new ATS-V.R, but instead of targeting North America’s Pirelli World Challenge with its latest racer Cadillac has more global ambitions. In line with this focus, the ATS-V.R has been developed to meet FIA GT3 specifications.

The ATS-V.R is based on the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe debuting this week alongside an ATS-V sedan at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, and even shares the road car’s twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6, albeit a sturdier unit developed for motorsport. When unrestricted, the engine delivers as much as 600 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. The ATS-V road car is expected to have 450 hp on tap.

Specific technical upgrades for the race car include larger, twin BorgWarner turbochargers; increased capacity intercoolers; competition engine management and a direct, side-exiting exhaust. The car also gets a rear transaxle gearbox, giving it a near-ideal weight distribution of 49 percent front, 51 percent rear (the dry weight of the car is 2,900 lbs). The gearbox is a sequential unit from Xtrac and comes with paddle shifters.

The ATS-V shell has been completely stripped and fitted with an eight-point welded roll cage as well as carbon fiber replacements for the hood, trunklid, fenders and doors. New aero components, also made from carbon fiber, include the side skirts, front splitter, fascia and dive planes, rear diffuser and rear bumper cover.

As mentioned, the exhaust is now routed direct from the turbos to the sides of the car, with no mufflers. The suspension is fully adjustable and the wheels are lightweight aluminum pieces from BBS. Inside these sit massive Brembo brake calipers and discs.

Since its inception in 2004, Cadillac Racing has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 pole positions with its previous CTS-V sedan and CTS-V Coupe race cars. It’s also a five-time winner of the Manufacturers’ Championship in the Pirelli World Challenge, including the series’ past three seasons, as well as in 2005 and 2007, and a number of Cadillac Racing drivers have managed to secure titles.

”The V-Series is the highest expression of Cadillac’s rising product substance,” Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen said in a statement. “Elevating and expanding the V-Series is the next logical step in Cadillac’s growth, including this new race car developed in GT3-specification, enabling us to pursue racing on a more global scale.”

The Cadillac ATS-V.R is now about to embark on an extensive testing program ahead of the start of the 2015 motorsport season.

New Honda Power Unit In Its F1 Car

McLaren today started testing of a new Honda power unit in a modified version of its 2014 Formula One car. The testing took place during a filming day at the Silverstone circuit in the U.K. under strict conditions.

McLaren, along with other teams taking part in the filming day, were only able to drive the car a limited distance and with demonstration tires. However, the test still represents a major step in the development of McLaren’s 2015 F1 car, particularly in the area of packaging and integration.

Behind the wheel was McLaren test driver Oliver Turvey.

Honda first confirmed its intention to return to F1 as an engine supplier back in 2013. The Japanese automaker’s new power unit, which was revealed for the first time last month, will be used exclusively by McLaren in the 2015 season.

The power unit consists of a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 engine paired with two electric motor-generators, one providing a boost of power to the wheels and the other helping spool up the turbo. Under current regs, combined system output is around 750 horsepower.

Unrestricted testing of the new power unit in a McLaren chassis will commence after next weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi. By then, we should also know McLaren’s driver lineup for the 2015 season. Currently driving for McLaren are Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, though the former may be replaced by current Ferrari man Fernando Alonso.

The Saab EV-1 Was A Swede With

This amazing concept from 1985 also made it into Back to the Future II and had more eighties - vibe than Jerry Wiegert and young Charlie Sheen floating on a cocaine cloud. Too bad Saab didn't follow up on it, because that could have changed everything. Experimental Vehicle 1 was developed in 1985 as a fully working future study based on the brand new 16 valve version of the Saab 900 Turbo.

The wedge-shaped 2+2 coupé was the child of Saab's Head of Design Björn Envall, who made the first clay model of the car at home on his kitchen table, Director of Engineering Gunnar Larson, who wanted to show what the 900's platform could do and prototype specialist Leif Mellberg, who turned Saab's long list of futuristic ideas into a fully drivable show car for the Los Angeles Auto Show. He also fitted it with five-way adjustable power seats from a Corvette. Maybe he knew what was coming.

The EV-1 shocked the audience (and Road&Track) with such advanced features as a 66 cell solar panel mounted in the glass roof powering the interior fans when the car was parked, a giant glass hatch for easy loading, highly flexible bumpers made of Kevlar composites and carbon fiber impact beams in the doors for outstanding crash protection.

The 2.0 turbo four was also tuned to produce 285 horsepower at 16.2 psi of boost with a larger turbo and injectors, upgraded connecting rods and better airflow, which together with the improved aerodynamics turned the EV-1 into a 168 mph Saab.

Its 0-62 mph acceleration time was so impressive at 5.7 seconds that the EV-1 easily made it into Back to the Future II as a future car despite being four years old when that hit the big screen in 1989. The same year in which the car division of Saab-Scania was restructured into Saab Automobile AB, with 50% of its shares controlled by General Motors.

SAAB EV-1 in "Back to the Future Part II"

With its additional luxury and safety equipment such as the (later signature) night panel dash illuminating only the active part of the speedo with the rest of it turned down and all other lights completely switched off, the integrated seat belt tensioners hidden in the B-pillars, the panoramic greenhouse with a removable tinted glass roof and defrosters all around, unidirectional cast-alloy Ronal wheels and Pirelli P700 tires, the EV-1 had everything the customers could expect from a stylish European 2+2 in the mid-eighties, plus more.

Maybe if Saab pushed its lineup harder in this direction by actually making a halo cars like this, we could have ourselves a Scandinavian BMW today instead of the Saab we knew from the nineties on up until badge-engineering master GM eventually pulled the plug in 2009.

Or at least one hell of a futuristic turbo car in our garage.

The weirdest thing is that somehow it reminds me of Saturns, a brand General Motors established on January 7, 1985.

2014 Honda Civic EX-L Model With Navigation

Call it Civic responsibility; Honda has been giving the current generation of its compact-car line new and meaningful improvements each of the past several years. 

And this year is no different. In the 2014 Honda Civic, there are two major additions: a continuously variable automatic transmission, and a completely new in-dash interface.

We recently spent a week with a top-of-the-line 2014 Civic EX-L model with navigation (with a bottom line of $25,030), revisiting this model to sample those things, and how they affect the way the Civic fits into the market.

Getting right to the point: While we never saw any real drivability issues with the former five-speed automatic, which the CVT replaces, we can see how this new CVT will be an even better fit for most drivers, and that most drivers will see better fuel economy from it.

2015 Mini Cooper S - Functionally simplified—though still quite busy

Inside, the Cooper lineup is a little less quirky than it was, and less cluttered in its controls. Yet it’s still most definitely a busy design. Between the various curves, bulges, steps, bevels, and bezels, taking in the design of the interior as a whole can be overwhelming, even though from a functional standpoint it's been simplified. The speedometer has been moved in front of the driver—a good move, we think—while the central stack is still a Big Round Thing, now encircling a display screen. Below, there’s now just a handful of toggle-switches, and climate controls are quite intuitive and ordinary.

A ring surrounds the central display cluster, illuminating based on your driving style and driving mode. We found it gimmicky and somewhat distracting and turned it off; our test car had the available head-up display, which we found quite useful given the central gauges. Settings for both items, by the way, are accessed through a version of BMW’s familiar iDrive system, with a version of the iDrive controller just behind the shift knob. For this tall, long-armed driver, with the seat back most of the way, it was in the right place; but we do wonder about shorter drivers.

Otherwise there’s a drive mode switch just at the back of the shift-knob base, letting you choose from Sport and Green settings, as well as a 'normal' one, that order up some quite different behaviors in the powertrain and steering. The Green setting, for instance, lets the transmission fully detach when you ease off the gas, for far more effective coasting.

A different car, familiar in the details

The latest generation of Mini Coopers are built on a new platform, but you might not even know it from the outside. You’ll know it once underway, though; this feels like a different vehicle entirely—yet one intimately familiar in some details.

While base Mini Cooper models now have a 134-horsepower, 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine—one that lets the MINI Cooper achieve ratings up to 30 mpg city, 42 highway—the Cooper S we drove comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 189 hp and 207 pound-feet of torque—or 221 lb-ft in a special overboost mode, for a few seconds at a time. In our Cooper S it was hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission; and although we probably would have preferred the six-speed manual, the automatic was a delight for the most part, allowing more of a ‘connected’ feeling than most automatics bring.

2015 Mini Cooper S Overwrought or Just Cheeky

Is the 2015 Mini Cooper S overwrought or just cheeky? Is it a trend-setter or a fashion victim? And does it still continue to build on the heritage of the classic Mini?

Those are tough questions, we know. But when driving the Cooper S—the new-generation Cooper S that made its debut this past year—for the first time a few weeks ago, we couldn’t help but ask them to ourselves. MINI, the BMW sub-brand, making cars in England, has been around for 12 years, and this is the third generation of a vehicle that started as a sort of design homage to the classic 1960s (and later) Mini—and especially the more 'optimized' Cooper.

In some ways, we'd say the Cooper S embodies what a modern hot hatch should be; yet in others it’s confoundingly aloof, despite all the heavy-handed cues.

First off, the packaging: At just 151 inches long, the MINI Hardtop is definitely still mini by American standards. Sure, it’s grown closer to other subcompact hatchbacks like the Ford Fiesta or Honda Fit—and significantly larger than the modern Fiat 500, another retro-styled minicar that’s sold in the U.S. But it’s worth making a reality check that the new model is two and a half feet longer, a foot wider, and two inches taller, than the classic Mini.

Before I get into some of the more controversial points, there’s one thing we can all agree about, and it’s that the new Cooper models look pretty great on the outside. They’re essentially the same interpretation on classic-Mini-inspired proportions that MINI Coopers have had ever since BMW created the brand in 2002, but it seems that the nose edges just a bit longer with each generation (are there lies being told?). What we really do like is how there’s a little more contrast and sharpness brought about by the details. Read More

This is the fastest Honda Formula One

You don't hear a lot about Honda's now-kaput single-seater program anymore, but they did build the fastest outright F1 car ever made.Honda's F1 program wasn't a total loss. With rally legends Prodrive running BAR Honda, the team came second to the all-conquering Ferrari in 2004, for instance. 

Honda quit the sport before the '09 season, but their car (with some modification including a new Mercedes engine) absolutely dominated and won the championship as a Brawn. 

Brawn ended up getting sold to Mercedes, and the team has already won this year's manufacturer's title.My favorite modern F1 moment for Honda came in 2006. It wasn't the worst year for the team, getting one race win and fourth place in the title standings, but it was far from the best, and the team could've used some publicity.

Sothey went to the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The goal was to break 400 kph. That's just over 248 miles an hour, the kind of speed you get from a closed-wheeled streamliner, not an open-wheeled downforce machine. The Ultimate Tribute to Group C and The Mulsanne Straight One of the highlights and main features of the 24 Hours of Le Mans of yesteryear used to be the.

Honda took a 2005 car with an unrestricted V10, nor rear wing, a rudder at the back, and a parachute, as F1 Fanatic explained. I should point out that the V10 in this 600 kilo car put out a 900 horsepower in ordinary trim, according to Honda.

Here's how the car looked in its record trim. Note the rudder at the back.Read more..

GM Takes Cue From Amazon

Here's what we know:

1. Consumers generally hate infotainment systems designed by automakers. (Sometimes, they hate them so much, they file lawsuits.)

2. All that hatred has had an impact on quality and reliability ratings.

3. Both Apple and Google hope to improve the infotainment experience with systems of their own -- systems that mirror the interfaces and features found on the smartphones and tablets we use every day.

You'd expect automakers to breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing about #3. "Hallelujah!", they surely shouted, "Tech companies have come to the rescue, allowing us to focus all our attention on what we do best: building cars!"

MUST SEE: GM Really Wants You To Get Your Ignition Switch Repaired, Offers $25 Gift Card If You Do

And yet, that hasn't happened. Automakers continue to "improve" their own deeply flawed, impossibly outdated software. And now comes news that General Motors is building its own infotainment system on Android rather than using the already-built, already-tested Android Auto.

Before you throw up your hands, though, keep reading. There's a method to GM's madness.

WHAT IT DOES

Apple's CarPlay and Android Auto put smartphones at the center of the infotainment experience. They serve as mirroring devices, allowing consumers to access apps and media via familiar user interfaces.

The problem is, neither Android Auto nor Car Play are full, in-dash operating systems. If you don't have a smartphone, they don't do much good. And they can't control everything that conventional in-dash systems do, like air-conditioning and heating -- at least not yet.

And so, just as Amazon built a completely customized Android operating system for its Kindle Fire devices, GM has decided to tweak Android for its dashboards. The as-yet-unnamed system promises to be instantly bootable, and it will come with its own app environment (again, like Amazon). It will not only allow owners to access apps and media on the center screen, but it will also control the a/c system, allow views through rearview cameras, and everything else that today's dodgy infotainment systems do.

Even more interestingly, GM has partnered with Harman to carry out the task of building the system. Since Harman also supplies infotainment systems for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota, variations of the one it creates for GM could appear on those lineups, too.

OUR TAKE

We get where GM is going with this. It wants an infotainment system that's baked into the dash -- one that can handle a wide range of functions and works even for people without smartphones. Building that system on Android, which many people know (and even iOS users can pick up pretty quickly), seems like a very smart move.

Then again, Google isn't the kind of company to let promising software languish. (It's currently tinkering with one of its most beloved offerings, Gmail, with a new, odd app called Inbox.) Nor is Apple. We'd be surprised if one or both didn't release infotainment systems with greater functionality in the near future.

Will GM's system gain traction? Or will Android Auto and CarPlay force it off the road, much as Android and iOS did to the laughable Fire phone? We'll keep you posted.

Nissan Pathfinder - Sentra Added To Takata Airbag Recall

The ever-growing Takata airbag recall has grown again -- this time, courtesy of Nissan. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF), the automaker has added nearly 53,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles to its recall roster.

As Detroit News points out, these vehicles were previously part of a "customer service campaign", which is similar to a recall, but without as much federal input. As Honda did last week, Nissan has now added the cars to its official Takata recall, giving NHTSA more oversight of the automaker's notification and repair process.

The list of vehicles includes:

• 2003-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2004-2006 Nissan Sentra
• 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35
• 2003-2005 Infiniti FX45
• 2003-2004 Infiniti I35
• 2006 Infiniti M35
• 2006 Infiniti M45

That said, not all vehicles from those model-years are included in Nissan's new recall -- just the 52,738 "vehicles sold, or currently registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas".

That's because the problem with Takata's airbags appears linked to humidity. Persistently humid conditions like those found in the southern U.S. have a negative impact on the ammonium nitrate propellant used to deploy the bags -- specifically, the passenger-side front airbag -- causing some to rip and occasionally spray vehicle occupants with shrapnel. The problem has been linked to numerous injuries and at least three deaths in the U.S.

If you own one of the vehicles listed above and you've already had it serviced under the customer service campaign, you should be fine. If not, plan to take your car in for service as soon as you receive the formal recall notice by mail. (Nissan hasn't said exactly when notices will be mailed, but we'd expect it to be soon.)

Should you have questions in the meantime, you're encouraged to contact Nissan customer service at 800-647-7261, or call NHTSA at 888-327-4236 and ask about recall campaign #14V701000.

2013 Honda Accord For Steering Problems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched two separate investigations into reports of steering troubles on Honda and Infiniti vehicles.

By far, the larger of the probes involves the 2013 Honda Accord. According to NHTSA (PDF), there have been at least 24 complaints of power steering loss in the Accord, four of which resulted in crashes. Field data provided by Honda suggests that there may be a persistent problem, though investigators haven't yet identified a possible root cause.

Interestingly, 13 of the complaints state that the power steering warning dashboard light lit up as the steering went out. Although some owners say that the problem corrected itself after the Accord was turned off and restarted, others say that the problem persisted.

The probe covers some 374,000 Honda Accords registered in the U.S.

The Infiniti investigation includes a much smaller number of vehicles: roughly 17,000 Infiniti EX cars from the 2008 model year. Unlike the Honda investigation, NHTSA states (PDF) that the Infiniti probe is based on complaints of steering wheel shaft separation. According to one of the two incident reports:

"The driver reported that the steering became loose while driving home and completely separated after stopping in his driveway. A service invoice provided by the owner indicates that the dealer replaced the steering column and shaft assembly after finding a failed steering shaft bearing."

Both of these investigations mark the first step in NHTSA's three-step recall process. If problems are found to be persistent across makes, models, years, dates of manufacture, or some other factor, they'll be moved to phase two, the Engineering Analysis, during which the agency will attempt to recreate the problems in lab settings. Depending on the results of those tests, NHTSA may request a full recall of the vehicles.

​2015 Porsche Cayenne GTS

Porsche is out with two new Cayennes, and like every model in its stable, there has to be at least a half-dozen variants. Minimum. So it's time to meet the Turbo-wannabe GTS and its base sibling, that – gasp! – no longer has a manual option.

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There's not too much new with the base model, with the 3.6-liter V6 – shared across the VAG line-up – still chugging along with 300 horsepower, and huffing and puffing to hit 60 MPH in 7.7 seconds (7.6 with the optional Sport Chrono pack). But for 2015, Porsche is dropping the manual option in favor of the eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic, because we're assuming the take-rate on the stick was -1 percent.3

The new GTS is slightly more compelling, ditching the V8 found in the last model with the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 putting out 440 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Porsche claims a 0-60 run of 5.2 seconds (nix a tenth for the Sport Chrono), and a top speed of 163 MPH.

The standard kit includes a sports exhaust, Turbo-repping air intakes and lighting, and flared wheel arches. The suspension has been lowered by 20mm and dropped over 20-inch "RS Spyder" wheels framing the Turbo's larger 390mm front discs. It looks good until you get to the interior, which comes across as bit gauche with its red piping and GTS logo stitched into the headrests.4

No matter. Porsche will sell another boatload, with pricing for the base model coming in at $58,300 and the GTS commanding $95,500. Buy up, people! And keep funding those 911s, Caymans, and 918s.