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First Drive: 2011 Chrysler 300

Filed under: Sedan, Chrysler, First Drive, Luxury

A Lot Newer Than It Looks From The Outside

2011 Chrysler 300 – Click above for high-res image gallery

“We basically blew the old car up. The number of parts we carried over from the last car you can just about hold in your hands,” said Mitch Clauw, Chief Engineer on the 2011 Chrysler 300.

He was responding to repeated questions about the new sedan. Was it all-new, or just a heavy refresh like the 200 Sedan? You can’t blame journalists for being confused. Chrysler’s product onslaught is putting 16 all-new and significantly improved models on the road this year. But all-new is a very different thing from significantly improved.

Clauw supported his answer, “Every exterior panel is new. Every piece in the interior is new. With the underbody, just a few pieces of the front floor pan are carry over. The front and rear aluminum suspension pieces and geometry are different. So is the steering. The V6 is all new. While the internals of the Hemi are carryover, the intake, exhaust and accessories are not.” Okay, we believe him now, but you’d need really big hands to hold the carried-over five-speed automatic transmission.

Gallery: 2011 Chrysler 300: First Drive

2011 Chrysler 300

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First Drive: 2011 Chrysler 300 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lamborghini to position rear-drive LP 550-2 as “entry-level” Gallardo?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini, Rumormill

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni – Click above for high-res image gallery

Following in the footsteps of its parent’s at Audi, Lamborghini has made all-wheel drive something of a battle cry. What was introduced as an option on the Diablo VT has now proliferated across every model Lamborghini has made since its introduction. Well… until the Balboni edition came along.

To honor the career of the company’s long-serving test driver Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini rolled out a purist’s version of the Gallardo that did away with the all-wheel drive system in favor of rear-drive only, dropped 10 horsepower and was available with a classic gated manual in the place of the e-gear sequential gearbox.

The Balboni edition – carrying the LP 550-2 designation to mark its metric horsepower output and traction configuration – was set to be the only rear-drive Gallardo available, until Lamborghini announced the Bicolore edition just the other day. Although sold overseas with all-wheel drive, the American version was announced as the first rear-drive LP 550-2 to follow the Balboni.

According to reports coming in from Italy, Lamborghini is now preparing to offer the LP 550-2 as a sort of “entry-level” Gallardo, undercutting the price of other versions while offering the more direct drivetrain set-up. Apparently Lamborghini already sold a number of these LP 550-2s to Asian customers who missed out on the Balboni’s limited production run, and will now offer the bare-bones Gallardo as a regular member of the family.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

balbonilp5502fd_01 balbonilp5502fd_02 balbonilp5502fd_03 balbonilp5502fd_04 balbonilp5502fd_05

[Source: OmniAuto.it – translated]

Lamborghini to position rear-drive LP 550-2 as “entry-level” Gallardo? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo bringing all-wheel-drive V60 plug-in hybrid to Geneva

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Volvo

2011 Volvo V60

2011 Volvo V60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volvo has announced plans to bring a “virtually production ready” V60 plug-in hybrid to the Geneva Motor Show this March, and if it makes it to market, it will be both the automaker’s first ~~gas~~diesel-electric production model and the first all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid to be sold in the States.

The V60 hybrid will essentially pack two separate drivetrains: a 215-horsepower turbodiesel 2.4-liter five-cylinder up front and a 70-hp electric motor mounted between the rear wheels. A 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack feeds juice to the rear electric motor and Volvo claims that the V60 hybrid can be driven for up to 31 miles on electricity alone. Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby is adamant that the V60 will be a sports wagon for the enthusiast, which we can hopefully confirm when sales begin in 2012.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo V60

[Source: Volvo]

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Volvo bringing all-wheel-drive V60 plug-in hybrid to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Toys/Games

Test Drive Unlimited 2

Test Drive Unlimited 2 features character customization – Click above to watch video after the jump

Can you think of something missing from the current crop of automotive video games? If you said cosmetic surgery then you must work for Atari. The upcoming Test Drive Unlimited 2 is going to let you customize more than you car. Your on-screen avatar can appear exactly how you want it to thanks to numerous facial and clothing options. Click past the jump to see what we’re talking about.

[Source: YouTube]

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Video: Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: BMW working on range of front-wheel-drive concepts

Filed under: Europe, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Rumormill

BMW Roundel

When BMW began making noise about bringing front-wheel drive to the table, purists, enthusiasts and fans of the brand immediately busted out the pitchforks and torches. Visions of front-wheel drive 3 Series and 1 Series models were almost enough to induce frenzy (not that a huge number of owners would know the difference…), but if the latest word from BMW Blog is to be believed, the company’s front-wheel drive efforts will be contained to a handful of all-new models.

The news comes courtesy of a BMW insider posting on German Car Forum. Supposedly, the main impetus behind delving into a FWD platform isn’t to increase the company’s average fuel economy as some have guessed. Instead, BMW is looking to make the Mini brand more profitable by sharing platforms with other models under the Roundel.

Those include a new compact BMW roughly the size of a Cooper, as well as an MPV that the insider calls a Compact Gran Sport Tourer. Additionally, there may be room for a crossover-sized front-wheel drive beast as well. Interestingly enough, the report says that the new BMW compact will have proportions similar to those of the Honda CR-Z.

At this point, it’s difficult to say whether or not the source from German Car Forum has their facts straight or not, but so far, this is the most detailed glimpse we’ve gotten into what BMW is up to with its FWD program.

[Source: German Car Forum via BMW Blog]

Rumormill: BMW working on range of front-wheel-drive concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Ferrari to unveil all-wheel-drive shooting brake in Geneva?

Filed under: Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari, Rumormill

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti unveiling

We’re anticipating a new Ferrari to be unveiled in a few months time at the Geneva Motor Show, but just what form – and arguably just as vitally, what technology – the new Prancing Horse will take has been the subject of much rumor and conjecture as of late.

Based on Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo’s reported pronouncement that his company is preparing “a very different new Ferrari” for the Swiss salon, initial reports speculated that a production-ready hybrid could be in the cards. But the latest reports seem to call that into question.

So if not a hybrid, what has Maranello got in store for us? Most reports point towards a replacement for the 612 Scaglietti, the company’s flagship (if somewhat lackluster) four-seat GT. Others suggest a shooting brake two-door wagon, while yet others report that whatever debuts will incorporate the company’s part-time all-wheel drive system, if not necessarily a hybrid drivetrain. The truth probably lies in the combination of several of these reports, if not all of them, but we’ll just have to sit tight to see what will lie underneath the veil come March.

[Sources: Le Blog Auto, Eurocarblog]

Rumormill: Ferrari to unveil all-wheel-drive shooting brake in Geneva? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Porsche, First Drive

It May Be Humpbacked, But It’s No Quasimodo.

2011 Porsche 911 Speedster

2011 Porsche 911 Speedster – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s rare. It’s fast. It’s expensive. Meet the 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster. First shown in October at the Paris Auto Show, the $204,400 humpbacked 911 arrives at U.S. dealerships early next year.

On paper, the rear-wheel-drive 911 Speedster appears to be a heavily optioned 911 GTS Cabriolet, albeit one with a bubbled tonneau cover. Having just driven the new GTS with the 408-horsepower 3.8-liter flat-six and Turbo-width rear track, we knew going into this drive that the uprated equipment makes a good foundation for the Speedster. Building on the GTS’ enhanced mechanicals, the Speedster also gets the seven-speed PDK dual clutch, Sport Chrono Plus, Porsche Active Suspension Management and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. Take it or leave it, this is the only way the Speedster comes.

But so much for on-paper specs. To find out what the 911 Speedster is like on the road, we headed to Palm Springs, California for a mid-winter desert blast.

Gallery: 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster: First Drive

2011 Porsche 911 Speedster

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First Drive: 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear UK opens new season with drive-by Stig shooting session

Filed under: Celebrities

Stig

If we didn’t know any better, we’d think there was still some bad blood between Ben Collins and the hosts of Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond all took a few pot shots at cardboard cutouts of the Stig during this week’s episode while trying their respective hands at the art of drive-by shooting. According to The First Post, Captain Slow was the initial one to bust a few caps with a handgun from the passenger side of a Ferrari, followed by Hammond gunning from a Porsche. Not to be outdone, Clarkson took on his target with an automatic rifle from the window of a Mercedes-Benz.

Collins infamously riled both the producers and the hosts of Top Gear by publishing a memoir of his time as the Stig called The Man in the White Suit. With the mystery of the Stig’s identity dissipated, Collins was canned from the show. He quickly found work with the rival gang over at Fifth Gear, but Top Gear has yet to replace its tame racing driver. Still, there is some word that the show has found a new driver and its only a matter of time before he shows his ~~face~~ helmet. Thanks for the tip, Gooner!

[Source: The First Post]

Top Gear UK opens new season with drive-by Stig shooting session originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: How to railslide a front-drive 1992 Subaru Legacy

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Subaru, Humor

1992 Subaru Legacy railslide

Wyatt Knox creating a new Winter X-Games event – Click above to watch video after the jump

The extreme sports and motorsports worlds have collided in recent years, with the X-Games set trading in their small wheels for much larger ones. In that same spirit, rally driver Wyatt Knox is looking to reverse that trend and bring rallying into the action sports world. Take a front-wheel drive 1992 Subaru Legacy, a well-placed log on Team O’Neil Rally School’s closed course, a couple of HD video cameras and you have the recipe for an automotive railslide.

The end result actually turns out pretty well because Knox knows what he is doing behind the wheel. His backside car slide can be seen in the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

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Video: How to railslide a front-drive 1992 Subaru Legacy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T

Filed under: Sedan, Kia, First Drive

Meet the Sonata 2.0T’s Evil Twin

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T – Click above for high-res image gallery

By this point, you should know all about the excellent new turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine from Hyundai and, by extension, Kia. We’ve spent plenty of pixels gushing about the engine’s power and efficiency when lodged in the nose of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T, and judging from our time behind the wheel of the 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T, the engine is no less at home lighting up the tires of the newest sedan from Kia. Buyers looking for a four-door with a little more edge than the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or even the embiggened Sonata will be happy to see that the newest interpretation of the Optima wears some seriously aggressive sheetmetal outside to go with some of the best power and fuel-efficiency in the mid-sized sedan class.

Kia says that the Optima 2.0T was built to be the Sonata’s more menacing cousin, and in addition to the sedan’s brawny lines and 274-horsepower four-cylinder turbo, the company’s engineers folded in a firmer suspension and reworked power steering system for a more athletic driving experience. The changes may not be enough for us to call the 2011 Optima 2.0T a sport sedan, but they do serve to give the vehicle a significantly different flavor compared to the 2011 Sonata. We jumped into the driver’s seat of the 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T SX to find out just what those changes meant on the road.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T: First Drive

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T

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First Drive: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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