Tag: 2014

Official: 2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year long list released

Filed under: Etc.

North American Car of the Year crystal award

Is it that time of the year again already? The 2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year award “long list” has just been revealed, with 29 nominees sliding into the car category and 19 up for consideration in the truck/utility space. As ever, both NACTOY lists serve to illustrate the ever-widening scope of product that our industry has to offer. Tiny electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Spark EV and luxury bruisers like the new Maserati Ghibli bookend the car list, and the truck/utility nominees continue to illustrate the growing popularity of crossovers.

Last year, the Cadillac ATS claimed the car award (the Ram 1500 took home the truck category), and this year, General Motors has a healthy crop of nominees, including two from Cadillac (CTS, ELR) and four from Chevrolet (Corvette, Impala, Spark EV, SS). On the other side of the fence, the Buick Encore and Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra twins are also vying for the coveted cut crystal. Kia and Mercedes-Benz also have a lot of vehicles up for consideration. The Korean brand is represented by the Cadenza, Forte, Soul, and Quoris on the car side, and the Sorento on the truck/utility front, while Daimler will see its B-Class, CLA-Class, E-Class and S-Class models in the mix.

As ever, the long list gets its name because it serves as broad brushstroke roundup of new or substantially updated vehicles released in time for consideration. Given the fluid nature of new vehicle releases, the long list shows which vehicles are eligible for consideration – some of them may not have been seen or driven by the NACTOY’s 50-strong juror pool yet. Select vehicles may thus fall off the list if they do not become available for judging in a timely fashion, while other vehicles not shown on the list may be still be added at this stage. Later this fall, after jurors have driven the vehicles, a first round of voting will be held, and the resulting “short list” of a dozen or so vehicles will trigger further assessment followed by another vote that will result in three finalists for each category. A final round of voting will commence, and the winners will be announced at January’s Detroit Auto Show.

Check out both lists of nominees by scrolling below, then have your say on who you think should win in Comments.

*Full Disclosure: Author is a NACTOY jury member.

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2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year long list released originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 BMW 4 Series

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, First Drives, Luxury

Because Four Is Greater Than Three

2014 BMW 4 Series

Say what you will about the name 4 Series, there is a method to BMW’s madness. On one hand, it’s easy enough to just buy into the logic that odd numbers are reserved for sedans and wagons, and that even numbers are reserved for coupes and convertibles. On the other hand, consider the idea that the higher numbers are used to separate the more dynamic, more engaging vehicles that use the same platform. It’s that sort of separation that differentiates the 6 Series so nicely from its 5 Series roots, after all. And if we’re being cynical, it also allows BMW to charge a bit more money for its lower-volume offerings.

So with the new two-door version of the 3 Series, BMW has gone the route of strengthening the dynamic virtues of its F30 chassis to create a car that’s more removed from its sedan kin than one might think. And after spending some time with the new 4 Series on the roads around Lisbon, Portugal, as well as the famous Circuito do Estoril racetrack, it’s increasingly clear that calling this car a 3 Series Coupe simply wouldn’t be fair.

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2014 BMW 4 Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick Spin: 2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Quick Spins

2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus - front three-quarter view, red
Ignore the naysayers who say the Audi R8 is too refined to be a proper supercar, or that it has begun to show its age – after a few tweaks for the 2014 model year, the automaker’s flagship remains one of my favorite exotics.

Audi has treated all of its R8 models to a host of enhancements for the 2014 model year that include new LED headlights and tail lamps, larger steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, new exhaust finishes, updated alloy wheel designs and fresh exterior colors. However, the most significant news is the arrival of a proper seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission (it replaces the six-speed R-Tronic). The rapid-fire gearbox shaves a coupe tenths off the 0-60 sprint and improves fuel economy for both the eight- and ten-cylinder models (thankfully, a traditional six-speed manual is still on the order form).

I recently spent time with the new-for-2014 V10 Plus model, which is only available in a coupe body style. Compared to the standard V10 models, the Plus sheds upwards of 130 pounds thanks to lightweight manual seats (not fitted to my test car), carbon-ceramic brakes, reduced sound bay insulation, a smaller fuel tank and an assortment of carbon-fiber pieces (including side blades, front splitter, rear diffuser and spoiler). But that’s not all, as the V10 Plus also receives a bump in output that pushes its ten-cylinder to an even 550 horsepower.

Driving Notes:

  • My six-foot two-inch frame has always found the R8 Coupe to be very comfortable – a standout in a segment of cramped coupes. The enhanced cabin is nothing short of breathtaking, with beautiful carbon-fiber and aluminum accents, tactile switchgear and a fit-and-finish to rival Rolls-Royce. My Brilliant Red test car was fitted with the optional diamond-stitching full leather package ($6,300) that seems a worthy investment, if just to watch your passenger’s jaws drop when they climbed in.
  • The naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10 has been massaged to produce 550 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, a 25 horsepower increase over the standard V10, which Audi says is good for a 3.3-second sprint to 60 mph (with the help of launch control). Nobody will miss the old, sometimes clunky, single-clutch gearbox. The new dual-clutch unit shifted smoothly during normal driving, yet it eagerly cracked off the gears when driven aggressively (don’t waste your time with the console-mounted shifter, as the wheel-mounted paddles are much easier to use). Power at the low end of the tachometer was plenty strong, but the V10 really came to life once it started vigorously spinning. Run it to the 8,500 rpm redline between each shift, and its screaming audio track will remind you why enthusiasts still appreciate fine, naturally aspirated engines.
  • Zipping through the canyon roads in the mountains above Malibu put the R8 V10 Plus right at home. Its mid-engine handling and balance was exceptional. The damping is fixed to a very firm setting, even though lesser R8 models offer a variable magnetic suspension, but it never felt overly harsh for its role. A low center of gravity and a wide stance provide excellent stability, and the turn-in was quick, accurate and sharp. The massive carbon-ceramic brakes are unflappable – right up there with the world’s best.
  • Audi has engineered the Quattro all-wheel drive system to send upwards 85 percent of the torque to the rear wheels, translating to a rear-bias driving dynamic (override the stability control, and then mash the throttle mid-corner, and the R8 V10 Plus responds with an easily controlled powerside). Floor the accelerator out of the corner, and the front wheels pull the nose around as if it were hooked on a wire.
  • The R8’s strength has always been its ageless styling, comfortable cabin and driving demeanor. As a result of the enhancements, the new V10 Plus is much more feisty than its lesser siblings while exhibiting a performance edge that only increases its appeal.
  • With the spectacular limited-production R8 GT but a memory, this is the new king of Audi’s model range – it wears the crown very well.

2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Chevy Sonic to offer short-term limited-edition colors

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Crossover, Chevrolet, Design/Style

2014 Chevy Sonic - front three-quarter view - Deep Magenta Metallic paint

When Chevrolet launched its subcompact Sonic, it made a splash with a bright paint dubbed Inferno Orange. The metallic citrus shade was a genuine retina searer, featuring prominently in the car’s early marketing efforts as its so-called ‘launch color.’ But Inferno Orange is now gone from the Sonic’s order sheets, and the rest of the car’s color palate is more traditional and – dare we say it – a bit sober.

But that’s about to change – Chevy has just announced that it will begin releasing a range of limited-edition short-term paint colors beginning with the “chromatic plum” shade seen above, Deep Magenta Metallic. The striking hue came about after witnessing the successful launch of the Chevy Spark in Techno Pink. The special paint will only be available from August through October, but Chevy hasn’t revealed if it is capping the number of vehicles it will produce in this shade.

Chevy says that Deep Magenta Metallic will be followed up by Cool Blue, a shade the company describes as “a grayish, dirty blue.” The latter will be available from November until March, and another new shade, Dragon Green, will join the Sonic’s permanent color choices sometime in the first quarter of 2014. Interestingly, the company says that a typical Chevy vehicle receives “10 to 12 color options throughout its lifecycle.” The Sonic already received a similar number of paints before Deep Magenta Metallic and it’s still relatively early in the car’s lifecycle, so clearly Chevy sees small car buyers as being receptive to a broader range of color choices.

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2014 Chevy Sonic to offer short-term limited-edition colors originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video]

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, First Drives, Electric

Side Effects May Include Grinning and Tire Chirping

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV

For anyone who has yet to experience the joys of indoor go-karting, you’re missing out. Electric karts race around the inside of former big-box retail establishments, warehouses and the like delivering more excitement than you typically get from those rickety old concession karts powered by lawnmower engines. Since we can’t afford anything wearing a Tesla badge, these usually come to mind when someone mentions an electric vehicle that’s fun. After driving the 2014 Chevrolet Spark, though, our mental association might just be out of date.

Thanks to their instant torque, an EV being a hoot to drive shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, but Chevy’s all-new Spark EV is making its bid to rise to the top of this growing class, a field that includes the Fiat 500e, Mitsubishi i-Miev, Nissan Leaf, Scion iQ EV and Smart Fortwo ED, and it’s doing so with more torque, better efficiency and a lower price. With a name like “Spark,” it would be easy to assume that this small car was conceived with an EV model in mind from the beginning, but that’s not the case.

Even entering its third generation in 2009 (the first two weren’t sold in North America), General Motors admitted that the Spark was not designed with an EV drivetrain in mind. Just four years later, though, the Spark EV is hitting America’s roads – in California and Oregon – so we headed to scenic Portland, OR to check out Chevy’s new battery electric vehicle (BEV) and the first EV for General Motors since the controversial EV1.

Continue reading 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video]

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM reportedly recalling select 2014 Silverado, Sierra pickups over airbag issue

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2014 Chevy Silverado front three-quarter

2014 GMC Sierra front three-quarterGeneral Motors is recalling 843 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Crew Cab pickups, due to a fault with the vehicle’s airbags. According to GM, the airbags may not inflate properly in the event of a crash. There haven’t been any crashes or injuries associated with this recall, which is always good. Naturally, repairs will be free of charge, and GM will begin contacting affected owners soon.

GM has a lot hanging on the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Not only is it banking over $12,000 per vehicle on these trucks, as reported by Automotive News, but GM is counting on the Sierra and Silverado to take the fight to cross-town rivals Ford and Ram. The F-150 and Ram 1500 have been on a tear over the past few years, with fresh updates, advanced powertrains, and plenty of solid press while the GM trucks have been waiting for the 2014-model-year upgrades.

It’s still entirely too early to judge the Sierra and Silverado, particularly as those 843 recalled trucks make up barely two percent of the over 40,000 units moved so far. But, as AN rightly states, these trucks are the most important vehicles to come out of GM since bankruptcy, with about 60 percent of global profits relating to pickups and SUVs. Starting an introduction of such a big product with a recall, however small, is not the preferred way to do things.

GM reportedly recalling select 2014 Silverado, Sierra pickups over airbag issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jul 2013 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video]

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Chevrolet

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is officially a safe car, earning a five-star safety score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

GM General Director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness, Gay Kent, says that the 2014 Impala was “designed to provide excellent crash safety,” and there’s a long list of safety features to back up that statement, some of which are firsts for Chevrolet. Only a few years ago luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, were pioneers of radar-based safety technologies. Now the technology has trickled down to more affordable cars, such as the 2014 Impala, which also features traffic-sensing radar (a first for a Chevrolet), adaptive cruise control that adjusts vehicle speed and can stop it in gridlock traffic, crash-imminent braking, collision alerts and lane departure warning. The car also has a rear-mounted video camera paired with an ultrasonic system to help with parking, 10 airbags and the list goes on.

Of course, driver aides such as traction control, stability control and anti-lock brakes come standard on the Impala, too, as does OnStar, GM’s GPS-based service that will send an emergency call for help if it senses the vehicle was in a crash.

Scroll down to read the press release about the full range of safety features that earned it a five-star crash rating, and be sure to check out the video of the crash test below.

Continue reading 2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video]

2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed: Infiniti G37 to live on in showrooms alongside 2014 Q50

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Etc., Infiniti, Luxury

2014 Infiniti Q50 - front three-quarter view live on show stand

Infiniti is preparing to roll out its hotly anticipated 2014 Q50, a car that not only ushers in a new alphanumeric naming strategy, it ostensibly replaces the G37 as the brand’s bread-and-butter sport sedan. That will happen, but not in the short-term, as the G37 will continue to be manufactured and sold alongside the Q50, at least for the rest of this year.

Infiniti spokesman Kyle Bazemore has confirmed to Autoblog that a decision is pending on how long to extend the G37 sedan’s production run. “We’re taking Q50 up a little bit, and that allows us to keep the G Sedan in the lineup… It [Q50] certainly started as a replacement, but it ended up being much more than that.” Confusingly, Infiniti has already announced that the Q50 is to start at $37,605 (including $905 destination charge), yet the 2013 G37 is more expensive, starting at $38,255 delivered according to Infiniti’s consumer website. Thus, a price drop on the G37 is likely coming in short order.

So why hold on to the older model? With the Q50 launching exclusively with V6 and Hybrid models (a turbo four and diesel are said to be in the cards down the road), Infiniti evidently feels it is risking leaving lower-end sales on the table. “There’s a lot of movement with the [BMW] 320i and such, and this allows us a two-tier strategy to compete,” says Bazemore. Keeping the G37 on tap at a lower price for fleet sale duty may also serve to protect the Q50 as it establishes itself on the market.

For the moment, Infiniti is still determining whether to continue G37 sedan production beyond the 2013 model year, and some of that may depend on the arrival time of its new entry-level front-wheel drive model, expected to be dubbed Q30. A decision is likely to be made over the next few weeks. Adding to the confusion, the existing G37 Coupe and Convertible will be immediately rebranded as the 2014 Q60 Coupe and Convertible, even though they won’t be based on the new Q50.

Infiniti G37 to live on in showrooms alongside 2014 Q50 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible caught naked in the wild

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Chevrolet

2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible spy shot - top up - silver

While we had our first genuine look at the 2014 Camaro SS back at the New York Auto Show this spring, we hadn’t yet gotten a glimpse of the droptop version of the pony car, until now.

Nabbed near Chevy’s home turf in beautiful Milford, MI, the ’14 Camaro SS Convertible looks ready for prime time as-is. We’ll be honest: From the shoulder-line up, this new Camaro looks almost identical to the outgoing car, with no apparent changes to the folding soft top or rakish A-pillars. Below the waist, the convertible shares the revised front hood, nose and revamped rear treatment with the SS coupe.

This particular SS Convertible is wearing a new set of 20-inch five spoke wheels, as well as a beefy quad exhaust setup out back. Sharp-eyed readers will also notice that the Chevy test driver isn’t terribly pleased with getting his picture taken. Gentle souls should avert their eyes for images four and five of our gallery…

2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible caught naked in the wild originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: First 1K next-gen Mustangs to carry 2014 1/2 model year?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford, Rumormill

Next-gen Ford Mustang spy shots - profile view, camouflaged

A new report from Mustangs Daily, citing insider sources at Ford, tells us that the Blue Oval will produce 1,000 next-generation Mustangs with the model year designation of 2014 ½, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the storied marque. The commemorative half-year designation is a rumor that’s been swirling in Mustang forums for quite some time now, and seems more plausible than ever with this most recent report. Certainly it’s not far-fetched to believe that Ford will want to make a big deal of the golden anniversary for its most-loved model.

The story (compiled by Drew Phillips, who runs the aforementioned Mustang site when he’s not directing the photography on these pages) goes on to say that the limited-run cars will be the first built on the new Mustang platform internally known as S550 (and spied testing in the attached gallery). Each car is said to carry a “special” VIN and build number, though no performance upgrades versus the 2015 cars to follow are in the works. A collector’s dream then, rather than a weekend racer’s.

First 1K next-gen Mustangs to carry 2014 1/2 model year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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