2016 Lexus RX Revealed! More Energy and Presence, Familiar Ethos

The Lexus RX pioneered the luxury-crossover segment when it debuted in the late 1990s as the RX300, and the model has been a pillar of the Lexus brand ever because. It remains the bestselling Lexus model today. The organization shifted 107,000 units final year, putting the RX properly ahead of the runner-up ES sedan, of which it sold 72K. So while Lexus would like the RX to shake its somnambulant image, it is loathe to move it also far off the beam.

The just-unveiled 2016 redesign shows that inherent conflict. Chief engineer Takayuki Katsuda expressed it thusly: “Our ambition has been to make a bold and entirely new statement . . . [while] staying correct to the pioneering values of earlier RX generations.”

Bold and New, or Staying Accurate?

The new RX adopts the brand’s aggressive—which is not to say “beautiful”—new design and style language, with L-shaped lighting elements and a giant, spindle grille. The “floating” roof created by the blacked-out C-pillar is a new twist—unfortunately for Lexus, it’s one that is also seen on the new Nissan Murano. Dimensionally, the car has grown almost 5 inches in length, although the wheelbase has been stretched by some 2 inches width and height are within a fraction of their preceding figures. The added length final results in enhanced rear-seat space, but Lexus has opted not to wedge in a third row of seats.

Beneath the tortured sheetmetal, Lexus engineers managed to wring extra output from familiar mechanicals. Electing to sit out the trend toward engine downsizing and forced induction, they are once more serving up a 3.5-liter V-6, only now with 300-ish horsepower (final figures are not in) instead of 270. An 8-speed automatic, formerly exclusive to the F Sport, replaces the 6-speed unit in other RX350 models. Again, buyers can decide on to have the front wheels or all 4 wheels do the driving. Naturally, the RX450 hybrid returns, with an Atkinson-cycle version of the 3.5-liter. Functioning with its electric motors, it, as well, claims an output of about 300 horsepower, up from 245. Lexus claims to have enhanced handling although preserving the vehicle’s cushy ride. To that finish, an adaptive suspension is newly obtainable.

F Comes Right after M—Way Right after

The AWD-only F Sport gives no extra output but does include active anti-roll bars, 20-inch wheels, and steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Its adaptive suspension adds a stiffer driving mode referred to as Sport S+. Largely, although, the F Sport’s nature is conveyed by its visuals, which tends to make it a far cry from the overall performance SUVs supplied by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Audi.

The new security tech is likely to be of greater resonance to RX buyers. Joining the earlier precollision warning technique and blind-spot warning are lane-departure warning, lane-hold assist, and rear cross-targeted traffic alert. A new panoramic-view monitor additional aids maneuvering, and adaptive high beams aid illuminate twisty roads, even though a giant moonroof lets rear-seat passengers gaze at the stars.

We anticipate the RX will continue to be the star of the Lexus lineup. We’ll see after we drive the 2016 iteration no matter whether the brand made a bold adequate move with this redesign, or no matter whether it dangers getting outshined by the expanding field of competitors.

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2016 Lexus RX Revealed! More Energy and Presence, Familiar Ethos

Corvette Energy, Cadillac Platform, Rad Exhaust Noise Confirmed for 2016 Chevy Camaro

The 2016 Camaro had much better damn nicely be faster than the trickle speed at which Chevy is releasing its particulars. A couple of days after we were shown the Camaro’s new/old badge design and told when to anticipate the car’s debut, and nearly a full year since we 1st published spy pictures of the vehicle, Chevrolet has released 2 more tidbits surrounding the powertrain and the platform.

The most recent from Chevy? The new Camaro is receiving a version of the Cadillac ATS’s Alpha platform, as effectively as GM’s fifth-generation LT1 V-8. We already knew that Caddy’s Alpha architecture would be place to use as the basis of the 2016 Camaro, and it was largely assumed that the muscle automobile would ditch its outdated LS3 V-8 for the General’s latest and greatest small-block. Nonetheless, this confirmation is good news. The Alpha bones are lighter, stronger, and more capable than the current Camaro’s bulky Zeta underpinnings. The LT1 V-8 is an absolutely epic thing, with cylinder deactivation, direct fuel injection, and a Vette-load of energy.

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We suspect that, as in the past, the LT1 will make significantly less power in the Camaro than it does in the Corvette, even even though both vehicles will share a 6.2-liter displacement. (The base Corvette Stingray makes 455 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque bet on around 400 for the Camaro.) Chevy says that more than 20 % of the LT1’s parts have been optimized for the Camaro, and it even released an audio clip of the new engine ripping by means of the gears (listen beneath). It sounds great. And a lot quicker than Chevrolet’s long, slow tease. The wait will be more than soon—the 2016 Camaro debuts on Detroit’s Belle Isle in May possibly. Unsurprisingly, we’re not the only ones eagerly anticipating the new Camaro Chevy required to shut down the online registration it had set up for present Camaro owners to attend the reveal event following just 8 hours due to the powerful response.

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Corvette Energy, Cadillac Platform, Rad Exhaust Noise Confirmed for 2016 Chevy Camaro

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Spy Photographs: No Camo, Lots of Energy

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We catch the twin-turbo beast sans camouflage.

• KGP PHOTOGRAPHY AND


• MICHAEL SIMARI

What It Is: With the CTS possessing moved up a notch in size and value and no longer straddling the middle ground between compact and mid-size luxury automobiles, the upcoming CTS-V will no longer do battle with the conventional sports-sedan and -coupe bogeys, BMW’s M3 and its newly rechristened M4 sibling. That is now left to the ATS observed right here, uncovered and powered by a version of the CTS Vsport’s stout twin-turbo V-6.

Why It Matters: If you are a luxury manufacturer playing in the fiercely competitive reduced finish of the spectrum, BMW’s 3-series has been your historic bugaboo. Matters get worse with all-out zoot penciled into the equation, as BMW has traditionally had that on lockdown with its M cars. Cadillac is aiming squarely for the latter, however, with the ATS-V, and there’s space for a takedown. Despite the BMW’s healthy 3.7-to-60 and 12-second quarter-mile numbers (with an automatic), we lamented the artificiality of the M4. Given that the regular ATS feels far more enjoyably carlike and gives greater handling than the workaday 4-series, if the V holds the very same tack, issues could get extremely intriguing certainly.

Platform: Constructed on GM’s rear-drive Alpha platform, a stretched version of which underpins the CTS and will serve as the basis for the subsequent Camaro, the normal ATS has proved itself in the corners. Count on the V to be even more relentlessly competent when factors get tight. Also expect it to be saddled with Cadillac’s fussy CUE infotainment technique, which we once unfavorably (is there any other way?) compared to fecal matter. We hope it will be updated by the time deliveries of this auto commence.

Powertrain: We’ve previously estimated that the V’s 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 would put out about 420 horsepower. The M4 tends to make 425 from its exceptional twin-turbo inline-6. The Cadillac will practically definitely be at least a skosh lighter than the Bimmer, which ought to translate into numbers that equal or exceed those of the entrant from Munich. Count on a 6-speed manual and an 8-speed automatic to deal with shifting duties. We prefer GM’s 8-speed automatic to BMW’s occasionally-balky DCT, and the 6-speed stick works extremely nicely in the Corvette. Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz do not let you the option of rowing your own gears, which is nigh sufficient to make this a 2-dog fight in our manually biased eyes.

Competitors: BMW M4, Audi RS5, Lexus RC-F, Mercedes-AMG C63.

Estimated Arrival and Cost: Provided that it is due to be unveiled at the L.A. auto show next month, the ATS-V ought to begin populating dealer lots in the spring wearing stickers that start somewhere around $ 60K.

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2016 Cadillac ATS-V Spy Photographs: No Camo, Lots of Energy

Pony’s Gallop, Ford-Certified! 2015 Mustang Energy, Torque Figures Released

Ford’s achingly slow rollout of final details on the 2015 Mustang, from pricing to unique features to choices availability, is ultimately coming to a head. The automaker has at long last revealed output figures for every single of the pony car’s 3 offered engines, and they’re not wildly diverse from our estimates. Ford also released technical information for the Mustang’s V-6, turbocharged EcoBoost 4-cylinder, and V-8 engines, as well as weight figures for coupes equipped with the engines.

Here are the output figures, model by model:

Mustang 3.7-liter V-6: 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, option of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.

Mustang 2.3-liter EcoBoost I-4: 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque, choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.

Mustang 5.-liter V-8: 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, selection of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.

A handful of key takeaways from the numbers listed above: The V-6 sees its peak-horsepower figure drop by 5 ponies relative to the 2014 model’s V-6, while the V-8′s horsepower and torque enhance by 15 and 10. The 8’s power increase comes largely by way of improvements cribbed from the now-defunct Mustang Boss 302′s version of the same 5.-liter Coyote V-7 The intake and exhaust valves are larger, the camshafts and pistons have been revised, the valve springs stiffened, and a forged crankshaft and connecting rods were fitted to support greater engine speeds. The cylinder heads are new and function reduce-restriction intake and exhaust porting.

Happily, our reporting on the 2015 Mustang’s curb-weight increases was spot-on: The new ‘Stang is only marginally heavier than the outgoing model. Especially, Ford’s claimed curb weights reveal that the V-6 manual coupe carries just 30 additional pounds (for a total of 3526 pounds), whilst the automatic-equipped version gains 12 pounds (for a total of 3530). The V-8–powered GT coupe gains 87 pounds in manual type (for a total of 3705 pounds) and 54 pounds in automatic guise (for a total of 3729 pounds). The EcoBoost is claimed to weigh almost the identical as the V-6 version, at 3532 pounds with the manual and 3524 with the automatic. No official weight figures for the Mustang convertible were supplied, but a prior leak of info indicates that they’ll weigh roughly 120 pounds a lot more, regardless of engine.

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The weight figures probably imply that 2015 Mustangs with the carry-over engines ought to execute pretty significantly the very same as their predecessors in a straight line, which is to say they’ll be plenty swift. Of course, we’re curious to measure the overall performance of the new 2.3-liter EcoBoost version, offered its impressive torque benefit more than the V-6. We’ll have to wait for a full test of each model to draw final conclusions, but we’re not seeing something to make us significantly less excited to drive Dearborn’s newest pony.

Pony’s Gallop, Ford-Certified! 2015 Mustang Energy, Torque Figures Released

Stirred, Not Shaken: Porsche 911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition Adds Decals, Not Energy

June 10, 2014 at 6:30 pm by Davey G. Johnson | Photography by James Lipman and the Manufacturer

In final year’s edition of the evergreen 911-vs-Corvette comparo, we noted, “With its outrageous styling and bawdy exhaust note, the Corvette is pure perform­ance art. It is new and it is not possible to ignore, so the 911 merely disappears in its presence.” Some Porschephiles no doubt felt slighted by this assertion. Porsche itself might have as properly, because they really feel the require to offer a more visually outrageous Neunelfer that can not be ignored. It’s the new, restricted-run Martini Racing Edition, a Carrera S for these who find Porsche’s Sport Exhaust alternative too subtle and its neo-Fuchs-style wheels lacking enough retro panache.

Purchasers are limited to the decision 2 body colors—white or black. Whichever you pick, the paint will cover Porsche’s Aerokit Cup racy-appear front fascia and fixed rear spoiler. Stainless sill panels study “911 Carrera S – Martini Racing Edition.” Porsche Communications Management and Sport Chrono packages are regular on the Martini, as are the Sport steering wheel and Bose sound system. The gray tach face provides way to a black one, in line with this 911’s older-college pretensions. And then there are the decals. Produced super-renowned by the Helmut Marko/Gijs van Lennep 917K that delivered Porsche’s second all round Le Mans win in 1971, Martini stickers big and small have a time-honored tradition of becoming slapped on Stuttgart sportsters over the years, most lately as an offered choice on the 918 Spyder.

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The engine’s unchanged, which is largely all appropriate in our book. The 400-hp 3.8-liter flat 6 is a ripping sweetheart of a point, even though it seems as although a light juice-goose would pair nicely with the far more sportlich intent of the decals and aero bits.  Americans, however, need not apply, as Porsche’s not offering the car in the United States. Which kind of blows a whole in our original thesis—Unless they’re just getting petty. On the bright side, we spoke with Porsche Automobiles North America nowadays, and they confirmed that you can basically construct your own if you’re so compelled. The Aerokit Cup components will run you about $ 6K. The decals, which Porsche will begin promoting later this year, will undoubtedly cost a lot more than the examples you had printed at Sylvester’s Sticky Vinyl Emporium, but hey man, Zuffenhausen stuff. Zuffenhausen stuff, y’know?

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Stirred, Not Shaken: Porsche 911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition Adds Decals, Not Energy