2011 Volkswagen Phaeton facelift in depth
Six weeks after its official announcement at the Beijing auto show, full details are finally being released about the 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton facelift. The Dresden-produced Volkswagen flagship saloon is available with either two individual rear seats or a bench, and can be purchased with a long wheelbase.
Changes to the car include a completely remodeled front end that incorporates LED cornering lights, and bi-xenon headlights that touch either side of the chrome grille. The rear light cluster is also comprised of LEDs behind smoked lenses. In keeping with Volkswagen‘s current design language, “horizontal lines dominate the geometry,” according to a press release.
Categories: Volkswagen Tags: Volkswagen
2011 Nissan Versa gets priced, includes minor updates
The Nissan Versa hasn’t received any substantial updates since its 2007 debut. It’s a shame, since there’s some pretty stiff competition on the market these days, especially from the likes of the Suzuki SX4, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta. Still, Nissan adds incremental updates annually, and the 2011 model year is no different. What’s most important, though, is that pricing for the latest Versa has gone unchanged, meaning the bottom-end 1.6 Base sedan still rings in at $9,990, and the top-end 1.8 SL hatch commands $16,900, with a variety of models in both body styles in between.
Visually, nothing will change from the 2010 car (pictured), but some new standard equipment makes its way onto some trims. 1.8 S Versa sedans now benefit from an in-dash six-disc CD changer, and mid-grade 1.6 sedans now come with standard ABS (sorry, 1.6 Base, you still have to do without anti-lock brakes).
Categories: Hatchback, Nissan, Sedans/Saloons Tags: Nissan
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 walkaround
Mercedes-Benz has released 10 minutes of new video footage of the SLS AMG GT3.
Set to enter competition next year, key design features include a new front fascia, a ventilated hood, a carbon fiber front splitter, a massive rear diffuser, and an enormous rear wing. Other goodies include an AMG race braking system, a six-speed racing transmission, roll cage and a steering wheel with buttons for the pit radio, headlight flashers and drink supply.
Under the hood, power is provided by a 6.3-liter V8 engine which is “virtually identical” to the one in the production car. The company declined to provide detailed performance data, but stated the GT3 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds (0.2 seconds faster than the standard car) and hit a top speed in excess of 186 mph (300 km/h).
Categories: Mercedes-Benz, Super Cars Tags: Mercedes-Benz
2010 Toyota 4Runner faithfully sticks to the formula it helped create
Toyota has made some serious money over the past couple of decades by making safe, reliable vehicles. There have been a few models, like the Supra and Celica, that have appealed to the enthusiast, but the rest of America hasn’t really seemed to care. New Toyota chief Akio Toyoda has promised to change that paradigm, however, pledging to inject new vehicles with much-needed soul. But do we have to wait a few years for Toyota’s designers and engineers to come up with something new and exciting? Maybe not.
While the enthusiast-inspired products like the FT-86 coupe are still a ways off, off-roading types have a new Toyota to test drive: the 2010 4Runner. We’ve long known that the 4Runner has been perfectly capable of wrestling with a bit of mud, as it helped define America’s sport-utility genre along with the original Jeep Cherokee way back in 1984. But this new model is at once bigger, more capable and more luxurious – and its styling has been designed to stand out in an admittedly thinning crowd of proper SUVs. We spent a week with a Magnetic Grey Metallic 4WD SR5 to see if Toyota has been right to stand by its mid-size mainstay while the rest of the automaking world has been busy turning its body-on-frame gas-guzzlers into pump-friendly softroaders.
Suzuki recalls 2010 Equator pickups over suspension concern
Remember the Suzuki Equator – the overlooked, rebadged version of the Nissan Frontier that went on sale in early 2009? There hasn’t been much to talk about the slow-selling Fronquator, but now a recall involving vehicles manufactured between November 2009 and March 2010 (a whopping total of 582 units) brings the little truck into the front of our minds again.
According to the official recall statement from NHTSA, the Equator’s lower control link bushing collars may not contain welds that meet strength specifications, which can alter the wheel alignment over time. The safety recall is taking place as you read this, and dealers will replace one or both lower control links if necessary.
Categories: Suzuki Tags:
Lamborghini Cnossus student design concept
The Lamborghini Cnossus is the work of Victor Filipchenko (along with colleague Nelson Simoes) who created the project as part of his thesis work at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, Italy to earn a Master’s Degree in automotive design.
The project was developed with the blessings of the storied Italian supercar maker. With a vague assignment to simply design a race car, Filipchenko took inspiration from the Lamborghini Countach (1974-1990) but created something very new with modern touches such as the thin, horizontal line of the taillights.
Categories: Lamborghini Tags: Lamborghini
GM prices 2011 Chevrolet Corvette range
The C6 Chevrolet Corvette has been around since the 2005 model year, but General Motors has made a point to keep its everyman sports coupe fresh with regular updates. For 2011, the big change is an upgraded Z06, with new Z07 and Carbon Fiber packages. One thing that isn’t budging much for 2011 is price, as most versions of the Bowtie sports car have reportedly gone up in price but $20 compared to the 2010 model year.
The base Vette starts out at a reasonable $48,950, and if you lose the fixed roof, the price jumps to $53,600. Move up to the Grand Sport and you’ll be staring at a $54,790 Monroney, while the GS ragtop is exactly $5,000 more than the base convertible. Move out of the GS and into the Z06 and the price rockets to $74,305. The Carbon Fiber package is $3,995 stand-alone package, while the Z06 Ultimate Performance Package (A.K.A. the Z07 package) is a healthy $9,495. The Corvette Blogger says the limited Carbon edition Z06 should come in at around $95,000.
First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Visions of wealthy surfer dudes chasing tasty waves isn’t exactly the first image we’d associate with the freshened up 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class, but right before our drive in-and-around New York City, we received this tidbit during the press preview: it’ll swallow 7-foot boards. Good to know.
While we’re guessing surf board stowage isn’t a top priority for most prospective R-Class buyers (full disclosure, we have firsthand knowledge of a guy who used his R-Class for just this purpose), the point is made — this is a luxury crossover with some unique capabilities.
Most of the changes to the U.S.-built 2011 R-Class revolve around its exterior, which is now more in line with its stablemates. Its wider-look mug is highlighted by a more angular three-bar grille and hood, revised headlamps and slick LED light-bar running lamps. The muscular theme also plays out at the rear, with shallower rear glass, rectangular exhaust tips integrated into a diffuser, and edgier taillamps. Adorning the coupe-themed greenhouse’s flanks are larger rear view mirrors with the automaker’s optional blind spot detection system — a welcome feature for a vehicle as long as the R-Class (203.1 inches).
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Mercedes-Benz Tags: Mercedes-Benz
Lexus holding spring sale on F-Sport packages for IS and GS models
Lexus is having a spring sale on several of the F-Sport accessory packages that offers for the IS and GS models. The packages include a $1,450 suspension lowering kit and a $4,495 kit that adds new wheels and tires to the package. For those who want to go all out, the top package runs $8,995 and adds in a brake upgrade with six-piston front calipers and cross-drilled 14-inch rotors. A set of four-pot calipers and 13.6-inch discs are provided for the rear corners.
The sale price on that top package is a savings of $1,479. All three packages are discounted from June 1 to July 31 and installation is included in the price. Want to know more? See all the details after the break.
2011 Buick Regal makes even more sense on American soil
It was cold and rainy last November when we first drove an early prototype of the 2011 Buick Regal in Michigan. The weather was lousy, but our short time with the car intrigued us. There were far fewer complaints about conditions last month when we spent time with the sport sedan on the famed Nürburgring in Germany – its home turf. As it moves closer to arrival, Buick’s newest family member once again showed us its moves in the mountains of Southern California.
We spent the better part of a sunny spring day driving both the normally-aspirated and turbocharged models – each with automatic transmissions – in an attempt to see how the imported European challenger runs on clean and dry domestic pavement. How does the four-door sedan perform in this new arena? Is it tough enough to compete in the mid-size segment? Most importantly, is the Buick Regal good enough to accomplish its goal?
Categories: Auto Review, Buick, Car Review Tags: Buick
