Tag: 2014

Official: 2014 Toyota Tundra gets five grades priced from $25,920*

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Work, Toyota, Off-Road

2014 Toyota Tundra front three-quarter view

Toyota has announced pricing details for its refreshed 2014 Tundra, with the fullsize pickup offered in five grades. Naturally, that doesn’t include the buyer’s choice of three cab styles, the option of two- or four-wheel drive, and a choice of a 4.0-liter V6 base engine or 4.6-liter and 5.7-liter V8s.

The base SR starts at $25,920, while the volume SR5 model starts at $29,465. Toyota notes that all SR5s ordered with the big V8 hold the line on pricing from 2013 while including a further $650 in standard equipment. The first of three high-end trims, Limited, starts at $36,940, while the Platinum and 1794 Edition both start at $44,270, with all prices subject to a $995 destination charge. Also noteworthy on the cost-savings front, Limited CrewMax 4×4 models are priced $2,000 less than their 2013 equivalents, (4×2 buyers save $1,900).

As is typical for a model as as customizable as a pickup, Toyota’s pricing structure is far from simple. Adding the 5.7-liter V8 at one trim level can cost several hundred dollars more or less than another trim level – the same goes for adding four-wheel drive. So, rather than break out the Enigma Machine to try and decipher what options cost what on which trim, we’ve just rolled the whole pricing chart in. Scroll down for a look, including Toyota’s full press release, and then check out our recent First Drive feature of the truck.

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2014 Toyota Tundra gets five grades priced from $25,920* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2014 Nissan Rogue gives us our best look yet

Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossover, Nissan

2014 Nissan Rogue spy shots

Nissan is reportedly fast-tracking the development of its next-generation Rogue crossover, and judging by this latest set of spy shots, the new small CUV is coming along quite nicely.

To no one’s surprise, the new Rogue takes the vast majority of its design cues from the Hi-Cross concept that debuted at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, and specific elements like the pronounced wheel arches, angular nose, flat roofline and more stylized taillmaps should make for a Rogue that’s far more style conscious than the model it replaces. This stronger design language should help the new Rogue to better stand out in the sea of Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 rivals.

There’s far more to the new Rogue than just some swoopier sheetmetal, though. This crossover is expected to be the first vehicle to ride on the Renault-Nissan CMF (Common Module Family) platform, an architecture flexible enough to eventually support a host of new products. As we reported earlier, the next Rogue will be built in the US, in Tennessee.

According to our spies, Nissan plans to launch the new Rogue in the 2014 model year, and we won’t rule out a possible debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November. For now, take a gander these new spy shots.

2014 Nissan Rogue gives us our best look yet originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Nissan Altima gets updated equipment, prices

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Nissan

The 2014 Nissan Altima Sedan is available in seven well-equipped models ? the 2.5, 2.5 S, 2.5 SV and 2.5 SL featuring a 182-horsepower 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder and the 3.5 S, 3.5 SV and 3.5 SL with a standard 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. Every 2014 Altima is equipped with a standard Xtronic CVT? (Continuously Variable Transmission).

The fifth-generation Nissan Altima is heading into its second year, and to mark the occasion, it’s getting updated pricing, some visual and tactile enhancements and new option packages. First up are the physical changes: All 2014 Altima models will have chrome exhaust tips, revised seat cloth (when not fitted with leather) and better noise isolation. Check the option box for the new Sport Value Package, and the Altima also will come equipped with 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and remote engine start.

But those aren’t the most important updates for 2014. Nissan is showcasing the expanded functionality of its NissanConnect system, which works with Android and iPhone handsets. Applications will be introduced in the fall and launch with Google search and Facebook, later to be joined by iHeartRadio and Pandora. NissanConnect with navigation system (separate from NissanConnect applications) will be capable of running SiriusXM Travel Link for data including weather, fuel prices and movie times. In addition, there are changes to other option groups, including a revised Technology Package and a new Display Audio Package, the specifics of which can be found in the official release.

As for pricing, the changes are pretty minimal, with the base 2.5 CVT starting at $21,860 and the full-boat 3.5 SL CVT topping out at $30,660 before options and a $790 destination fee. You can compare those figures with 2013 pricing here, and see the full rundown of all the trim level prices by scrolling below.

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2014 Nissan Altima gets updated equipment, prices originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Subaru WRX and STI pricing announced

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Performance, Hatchback, Subaru

As the sun prepares to set on the third-generation Subaru WRX, Subaru has released the pricing for the 2014 WRX and WRX STI. With redesigned versions of both cars due out next year, prices for the current car have risen by just $200 across the entire 2014 lineup resulting in new starting MSRPs of $25,995 for the WRX and $34,495 for the more powerful WRX STI (*not including destination).

The destination charge has also crept up for the 2014 WRX and WRX STI models climbing slightly from $770 to $795. A final pricing adjustment for this bodystyle’s send-off year is that the optional navigation system went from $1,000 in 2013 up to $1,100 for 2014. Scroll down for the full model pricing breakdown, and keep a lookout for the all-new 2015 WRX and WRX STI, which we’d expect to see in production form in the coming months.

*Note: WRX STI (above) and WRX (below) are pictured here in the 2013 Special Edition trim.

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2014 Subaru WRX and STI pricing announced originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mercedes GLA to arrive in early 2014

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Crossover, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz GLA spy shot - front three-quarter view, disguised

Mercedes-Benz will be expanding its crossover range with the addition of the new GLA-Class, a prototype of which we recently spied inside and out. Now, Auto Express reports that the small CUV will go on sale in early 2014 following its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

When the GLA arrives, Auto Express expects it to command roughly 5,000 British pounds more than its A-Class hatchback platform mate (seen in the US market as the CLA-Class sedan), for a starting price of around 20,370 pounds, or about $31,000 based on current exchange rates. Of course, that’s all purely speculative at this point, but since the CLA starts at just under $30,000 here in the States, an entry point of somewhere between $30-35k for the GLA doesn’t sound too far off.

The GLA will compete directly with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1, and when it arrives in the States, we expect it to use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the CLA. Both front- and 4Matic all-wheel-drive models are expected to be offered, and a hotter GLA45 AMG version will follow later on. We should have the full details when the GLA is unveiled next month, if not sooner, so stay tuned.

Mercedes GLA to arrive in early 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2014 Fiat 500L now comes with a complimentary Italian family

Filed under: Budget, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Humor, Fiat

2014 Fiat 500L

Fiat’s marketing machine has invaded Funny or Die, and the resulting web commercial is both entertaining and weird. Watch one couple buy the “most stylish” and “roomiest” car they’ve ever had, thinking they’d be able to transport golf bags and art supplies (and 32 basketballs?) only to have the roomy-for-a-Cinquecento back seat filled with a complimentary Italian family. In real life, we can’t see this being a good thing; not only do they take up space, but their added weight most certainly would hurt gas mileage and performance.

But in commercial land, it comes off as funny, and Fiat does prove that the 2014 500L is roomy enough for five people (including the driver), if not golf bags, art supplies and 32 basketballs. Scroll down to watch amusing Internet short below.

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2014 Fiat 500L now comes with a complimentary Italian family originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Aug 2013 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Chevy Trailblazer headed for US in 2014?

Filed under: SUV, Chevrolet, Rumormill

After killing off the previous Chevrolet Trailblazer back in 2009, General Motors continues to sell a new-for-2013 version of its midsize, body-on-frame SUV in foreign markets including Thailand and Brazil. Using an unnamed source, Edmunds is reporting that GM is looking at bringing this second-generation Trailblazer to the US, although an official statement from the automaker suggests otherwise, a stance that echoes what the company said when it revealed the truck back in 2012.

The article states that the current Trailblazer could go on sale here as early as next year, retaining its seven-passenger, rear-wheel-drive layout, but a Chevrolet spokesperson quoted in the story maintains that there are “no plans” to add another utility vehicle. If added to the lineup, the Trailblazer would give Chevy five crossovers and SUVs. One aspect that could make it an easier decision for GM is the fact that the Trailblazer is built on the same platform as the next-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, models that will be built in the US. Only time will tell if GM plans to bring its global Trailblazer to our market, but with as many car-based CUVs as there are these days, the idea of another rugged SUV sounds good to us.

Chevy Trailblazer headed for US in 2014? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota Matrix discontinued for 2014

Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Toyota

Between its slow sales and the upcoming redesign of the closely related Corolla sedan, things haven’t been looking good for the Toyota Matrix (for some time now). After 10 years on the market, Toyota has officially announced that it will drop the Matrix from its US lineup following the 2013 model year.

The announcement was made as a part of a press release breaking down what’s new for Toyota in 2014, but for now, it doesn’t look like any Toyota-branded product will fill the Matrix’s spot. The Matrix and its sister car, the defunct Pontiac Vibe, were the final vehicles developed under the joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, an arrangement launched back to 1984.

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Toyota Matrix discontinued for 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Aug 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Infiniti Q50

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Infiniti, First Drives, Luxury

Avoiding An Identity Crisis… For Now

2014 Infiniti Q50

Infiniti is a brand that has been quietly undergoing major upheaval – and not just with the numbers and letters on its trunklids. Back in December, Nissan’s premium brand rankled fans and pundits by announcing it would redo its alphanumeric nomenclature, yet that decision was but a PR speedbump – there are bigger fish to fry. After all, this is a marque that was on the chopping block just a couple of years ago, and now it has a major opportunity to succeed thanks to new investment, new independence (Infiniti is now responsible for its own design, engineering, marketing, quality and human resources), a new global headquarters in Hong Kong, and new marching orders from new leadership that calls for a revitalized and expanded portfolio.

Yet if you think that the Q-based naming convention is the first sign of the brand’s new direction, you might have missed Infiniti’s biggest signal flare: the 2013 JX crossover. Fine premium three-row crossover that it may be, it’s still the first Infiniti in ages that operates without a scintilla of driving entertainment at the core of its genetic makeup. (The last – and perhaps only – previous example was also Pathfinder-based, the 1997 QX4). To be fair, three-row CUVs have a laundry list of priorities before driving enjoyment figures in, but the message the JX (henceforth known as the QX60) sends is clear: Infiniti is going after more segments and more customers. Plans are afoot to expand the company’s product line by a whopping 60 percent over the next five years, and in short, that means Infiniti is no longer content to be the unsung Japanese BMW – it needs vehicles that satisfy a wider swath of consumers. Despite all this, Infiniti officials we spoke with were keen to assert that driving pleasure remains very much core to their mission, and to that of this 2014 Q50 in particular.

And surely the Q50 is something different and altogether more palatable to enthusiasts, right? After all, it replaces the bedrock G37 sport sedan at the heart of the lineup (well, sort of), and the latter was always regarded as a good handler and a dynamic drive, even if its overall refinement left something to be desired as it aged. Yet some of the Q50’s new technology, in particular drive-by-wire steering (a world’s first production application) and a new degree of autonomous capability, had us curious to see if the most important part of the experience is still down to the soft-headed bit belted in front of the steering wheel. We spent a day driving both standard and hybrid Q50s in New England and a few more on our metro Detroit home turf to find out if there’s still a healthy percentage of “sport” in this sedan.

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2014 Infiniti Q50 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Aug 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Kia Hotbots come back out to play with 2014 Forte

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Kia

Kia Hotbot ad

Kia is bringing back its so-called “hotbots,” the slightly disturbing female robots that traipse about the uncanny valley while hustling the new Forte and “respecting the tech,” for three new, humorous animated spots.

The Hotbots first debuted during Kia’s latest Super Bowl spot, which followed the debut of the 2014 Forte sedan at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Each new spot follows the premise of the two originals, with the hotbots protecting the Forte while the oblivious owner stands by. Take a look at all three ads below, along with the two originals that kicked the series off.

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Kia Hotbots come back out to play with 2014 Forte originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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