Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Wrangler owners all know that they’ll 1 day wake up with the sudden urge to bolt on a couple thousand dollars’ worth of aftermarket parts. And in these precious disorienting seconds, Chrysler wants to them to default to mouthing the word, “Mopar”—hence the mission of this yellow Jeep landing in Geneva.

Beyond its awkward Rocks Star name, this is your standard Wrangler Rubicon softtop with half doors, only with a kickin’ 2.8-liter turbo-diesel 4-cylinder banned from our residence turf. The college-bus-yellow color scheme carries over to the steering-wheel spokes, air-vent trim, and passenger grab handle, although the wheels, grille, gas cap, and the rest of the interior go black.

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A light bar/hoop fixed to the bottom of the A-pillars signifies you can’t fold down the Rocks Star’s windshield, but in return you’ll get 4 square LED lamps mounted higher and proud of the glass. We know how considerably Wrangler owners hate square lights—witness the anti-square headlamp vitriol slung at the YJ—so that is a real gamble. A distressed-looking U.S. Army–style star and circle on the hood might make up for the nonround lights, although. Even though Chrysler is not adding the diesel to Mopar’s U.S. catalog, the rest of the components ought to be offered soon.

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Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Wrangler owners all know that they’ll one particular day wake up with the sudden urge to bolt on a couple thousand dollars’ worth of aftermarket components. And in those precious disorienting seconds, Chrysler wants to them to default to mouthing the word, “Mopar”—hence the mission of this yellow Jeep landing in Geneva.

Beyond its awkward Rocks Star name, this is your basic Wrangler Rubicon softtop with half doors, only with a kickin’ 2.8-liter turbo-diesel 4-cylinder banned from our residence turf. The school-bus-yellow color scheme carries over to the steering-wheel spokes, air-vent trim, and passenger grab deal with, while the wheels, grille, gas cap, and the rest of the interior go black.

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A light bar/hoop fixed to the bottom of the A-pillars means you can not fold down the Rocks Star’s windshield, but in return you will get 4 square LED lamps mounted high and proud of the glass. We know how much Wrangler owners hate square lights—witness the anti-square headlamp vitriol slung at the YJ—so that’s a genuine gamble. A distressed-looking U.S. Army–style star and circle on the hood might make up for the nonround lights, even though. While Chrysler is not adding the diesel to Mopar’s U.S. catalog, the rest of the parts must be offered quickly.

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Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

Wrangler owners all know that they’ll one particular day wake up with the sudden urge to bolt on a couple thousand dollars’ worth of aftermarket parts. And in these precious disorienting seconds, Chrysler wants to them to default to mouthing the word, “Mopar”—hence the mission of this yellow Jeep landing in Geneva.

Beyond its awkward Rocks Star name, this is your basic Wrangler Rubicon softtop with half doors, only with a kickin’ 2.8-liter turbo-diesel 4-cylinder banned from our home turf. The college-bus-yellow color scheme carries over to the steering-wheel spokes, air-vent trim, and passenger grab deal with, whilst the wheels, grille, gas cap, and the rest of the interior go black.

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A light bar/hoop fixed to the bottom of the A-pillars indicates you can not fold down the Rocks Star’s windshield, but in return you will obtain 4 square LED lamps mounted higher and proud of the glass. We know how a lot Wrangler owners hate square lights—witness the anti-square headlamp vitriol slung at the YJ—so that’s a true gamble. A distressed-looking U.S. Army–style star and circle on the hood may make up for the nonround lights, although. While Chrysler is not adding the diesel to Mopar’s U.S. catalog, the rest of the parts should be offered quickly.

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Geneva Rocks: Jeep Debuts Diesel-Powered Wrangler Rocks Star

2016 Aston Martin Vulcan Debuts: 24 Examples, 800+hp, Track-Only

Official Photos and Information

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It has nothing at all to do with Star Trek, but this track-oriented hypercar is certainly fascinating.

Let’s start off with the name of Aston’s new megapowered track star initial. It almost surely has you considering of Mr. Spock, or possibly—if you’re also sad to be noticed in public—another more obscure Star Trek character, like T’Pau. But Aston Martin’s Britishness implies the Vulcan name is far more probably a reference to the astonishingly loud Cold War bombers.

Regardless of its namesake, the Vulcan is set to be the most intense not-fairly-roadgoing Aston Martin however, a restricted-edition, track-only hypercar that is clearly aimed at the same bit of the marketplace as the Ferrari FXX K and the McLaren P1 GTR. You know, the bit exactly where the billionaire adrenaline junkies hang out. Only 24 Vulcans will be produced, and purchasers will also get, according to the official release, “the chance to precisely tailor their track-day experience through a graduating scale of detailed energy and dynamic efficiency adjustments.”

Energy comes from a version of the company’s familiar V-12 engine that is been developed with help from Aston Martin Racing. It displaces 7. liters and produces “800-plus” horsepower. For reference, the Aston One-77, which was hardly ever accused of being a slouch, managed 750 horsepower from 7.3 liters.

The rest of the Vulcan’s specifications are similarly unobtanium-grade. It is constructed about a carbon-fiber monocoque and has carbon bodywork. The engine is connected to a magnesium torque tube and a carbon-fiber driveshaft that channels power to a racing-spec Xtrac 6-speed sequential gearbox. Braking is accomplished by Brembo racing calipers gripping carbon-ceramic discs at all 4 corners (15. inches in diameter at the front, 14.2 at the rear), and the auto sits on Michelin racing tires. The Vulcan apparently has been built to FIA safety requirements, and the chassis also has a racing-style pushrod-operated suspension, adjustable spool-valve dampers all about, and adjustable anti-roll bars. It also gets driver-adjustable anti-lock brakes and traction manage.

There’s no mention of any roadgoing or complete-bore competition variants, even though the design and style undoubtedly appears as if it could spawn a street-legal version. Aston insiders have previously indicated that style cues from these “special” models are probably to be noticed in the company’s a lot more-inexpensive models in the medium-term. Colour and trim alternatives seem to be fully negotiable, with Aston’s bespoke “Q” division charged with creating positive every single consumer gets exactly what they want, presumably up to and which includes “Blood of My Enemies” pain2rk or Chihuahua-hide trim.

The official release is noticeably silent on the matter of money. This signifies, we presume, that the Vulcan will be sold at a substantial discount to Aston’s other models on account of the fact that you will not be in a position to drive it anyplace except on a racetrack. What sounds fair? $ 80,000? $ 60,000?

We kid, of course. The lack of price is practically certainly explained by that old line about your want to know becoming inversely proportionate to your potential to afford. Do not be at all surprised if the Vulcan ends up costing a lot more than even the One-77 did, which commanded just shy of $ 2 million.

Owners will get the opportunity to have a range of tuition possibilities to aid them get the very best out of the automobile, up to and like time in Aston’s GT racers and expert motorsports simulators. Thereafter the organization is planning “a series of exclusive track-day events . . . that will offer the opportunity for these buyers to discover their driving capabilities, and the car’s overall performance prospective, on some of the world’s most well-known and glamorous race circuits.” Or, in quick, fairly considerably the very same deal provided to buyers of the FXX K and the P1 GTR.

Let’s just hope that some freak triple-booking incident sees all 3 makers bringing their vehicles to the identical track at the same time.

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2016 Aston Martin Vulcan Debuts: 24 Examples, 800+hp, Track-Only

Kia Sportspace Concept Debuts, Is the Optima Wagon of Our Dreams

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The Power to Surprise? That’;s an understatement . . .

Kia’s Sportspace wagon idea is so damn gorgeous and close to excellent that we count just 3 items we don’t like about it. 1st, the big ventlike things in the rear fascia look out of place second, the rear license-plate mount requirements to be relocated from the otherwise gloriously spare tailgate and third, the front running-lamp/vent pieces appear to riff a bit as well hard from Volvo’s playbook. Seriously, that is it—we’d eat up the rest of the Sportspace in a single bite, chewing optional.

Now this is the portion where we tell you that the Sportspace is just one more piece of vaporware, one more heart-tugging preview of a Europe-market place-only station wagon that we’ll in no way be in a position to purchase. Properly, that’s only partially true, as far as we know. What we’re hunting at right here, people, is very probably the subsequent-generation Kia Optima mid-size sedan, gussied up in station-wagon clothes in a bid to capture the interest of European types at the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Follow along with us here: The Optima sedan is at the moment sold in Europe in generally the same kind it is sold in right here, and a redesigned version of the car is due this year. It is quite easy to connect the 2 dots with a extremely straight line and assume that this is the new Optima, as we did when Kia teased the Sportspace last week.

Having shown the car in this kind, nonetheless, it would appear as although Kia is at least thinking about adding a liftback model to its European Optima lineup. We’re also glad it does not seem to be following the lead of corporate sibling Hyundai in dialing back the hotness of its mid-size offering. The present Optima wowed the automotive planet with its daring and remarkably upscale style in 2010, and the Sportspace is even a lot more impressive.

Details surrounding the car’s powertrain and interior are forthcoming—we’ll know much more when we see it in particular person next month in Geneva. Our inner nerds have our fingers crossed for some sort of diesel-electric hybrid setup like that in the Optima T-Hybrid concept from the 2014 Paris auto show, but a turbocharged 2.-liter 4-cylinder would much better match the sporty vibe. It is practically definitely front-drive, but all-wheel drive would come in handy when traversing the snowy backdrop in the press images.

Should the next Optima spring forth from the scorching Sportspace comparatively intact, it would right away render Toyota’s newly stylized Camry boring, let alone the conservative 4-doors from Honda, Hyundai, and Chevrolet. The Kia would give even Mazda’s drop-dead-gorgeous 6 a run for its funds. We have our fingers crossed that we can get in on the wagon action—after all, the last Kia-badged station wagon sold in the U.S. was the somewhat dumpy Rio Cinco from the early 2000s, and that is a terrible way to close the book on the physique style.

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Kia Sportspace Concept Debuts, Is the Optima Wagon of Our Dreams

The Waterboy: BMW Debuts M4 MotoGP Pace Vehicle with Production-Intent Water Injection

If you’re into racing and you are not watching MotoGP, stop reading this and set your DVR—or VHS machine if you are like our father-in-law—as the racing is wonderful. Even though we have an undying allegiance to 4-wheeled machines, the wheel-to-wheel action of a MotoGP race is unparalleled in motorsports. Plus, come March 29 and the season-opener in Qatar, you’ll get a glimpse of the most recent BMW M4 MotoGP safety auto, which, aside from the M-tastic graphics, has one rather notable deviation from its production brethren: water injection.

So even though the car is awesome—you require only to scope the photos to collect that—we’re very interested in the underhood addition. Injecting H2O into an engine’s intake plenum or directly into the cylinder cools the intake charge via the evaporative properties of water it is the same principle that makes air feel like ice when you get out of a pool on a windy day. Aircraft engines and racers have been employing water injection for years to cool the intake charge, which reduces knock. By reducing knock, the engine’s timing can be advanced and the engine cylinders can run at a slightly greater pressure, whether that be with a compression-ratio change or more increase in a forced-induction engine. Additional side effects of cooling the intake charge are lowered emissions and marginal gains in fuel consumption.

This all sounds great, correct? Effectively, not genuinely. Operating larger cylinder pressures typically indicates a stouter and heavier engine, as the possible for perforating a piston, block, or head is larger. Plus, if you get the injection quantity wrong and all the water doesn’t vaporize, the engine runs the threat of grenading due to the fact liquids do not compress. It is for these reliability reasons that we banned water injection from our series of Supertuner challenges we ran in the previous.

BMW begs to differ and says H2O will be pumped into the cylinders of a factory-constructed, production M automobile in the close to future, and this MotoGP pacer is demonstrating just that. Water is stored in a 1.3-gallon tank in the trunk and an electric pump sends it to 3 injectors in the intake plenum, downstream of the air-to-liquid intercooler. When the engine is operating at full load for extended periods of time, minimizing the intercooler’s effectiveness, these injectors start adding atomized water to the mix and by the time it gets to the combustion chamber—and we’re speaking fractions of a second—all that’s left is hydrogen and oxygen. Boost goes up, timing is advanced, and more power and torque result. BMW hasn’t released specific gains, nonetheless.

There’s a lot to perform out just before water injection is in showrooms. Aside from finding an H2O additive that’ll avoid freezing and not interfere with combustion, there’s a whole lot of programing, validation, and durability testing that demands to take place. If BMW water injection is indeed billed as an “emissions play” (we’re pondering “M Wasser Power” has a nice ring to it), the EPA will have concerns about how usually H2O should be added to the technique. For now, BMW says the method would have to be refilled with each and every tank of fuel and that if the trunk effectively runs dry, provisions are put in location to hold the engine operating. In other words, this pace automobile would run the typical programing that we currently get pleasure from from the 430-hp twin-turbo inline-6 of typical M4s.

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How long will it be till we can see this in a production automobile? That’s entirely up to BMW. The upcoming M2 is close sufficient to reality that it may possibly be a stretch, but whether or not it has water onboard, it is absolutely going to slake our thirst for a tidily proportioned M vehicle.

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The Waterboy: BMW Debuts M4 MotoGP Pace Vehicle with Production-Intent Water Injection

Hot Hatch or Hottest Hatch? Audi RS3 Debuts Packing 367 Horsepower

So, yeah, Audi is launching an über A3 in the type of the new RS3 Sportback. Powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline 5-cylinder engine, it pays respect to Audi’s proud history of 5-cylinder Quattro rally automobiles.

We loved the earlier-generation RS3 hatch, and this one particular promises to be even greater. Energy rises from 340 to 367 horsepower, and maximum torque is rated at 343 lb-ft and offered from 1625 to 5550 rpm. The energy is channeled to all 4 wheels by way of a 6-speed “wet” dual-clutch automatic a manual transmission, disappointingly, is not offered. Zero to 62 mph is said to take 4.3 seconds, and best speed is governed at either 155 mph or—if you spend for it—174 mph. That latter figure is higher than in the compact Mercedes-Benz CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models.

The engine will exhale by means of an active exhaust that can open post-muffler flaps for a fuller sound based on load and engine speed. The 5-pot utilizes an iron block, is hand-assembled by a team in Györ, Hungary, and has max increase pressure of 18.9 psi. The compression ratio stands at 8.:1.

In a segment initial, Audi will offer you carbon-ceramic brakes up front, where they’ll be pinched by 8-piston calipers, and Audi has calibrated the Quattro all-wheel drive program for more tail-satisfied dynamics. As the earlier car was a bit challenging to rotate midcorner, this is a welcome shift. A brake-based torque-vectoring system is present and can act on either the front or the rear axle, even though the suspension has been beefed up and has its personal aluminum steering knuckles.

The 19-inch wheels—available in aluminum, matte gray, or glossy black—are wrapped in 235/35 rubber as standard as an selection, extrawide 255/30s are accessible for the front wheels. The stability-control application incorporates a Sport mode and can be totally defeated. Finally, if Audi’s weight figures are to be believed, the 3350-pound curb weight is down by some 120 pounds versus the last automobile. Credit the VW Group’s modular MQB architecture, which underpins the vehicle.

The huge intakes up front feed much more air to both the engine and transmission coolers, and the vehicle also sports wider fender flares, new sill extensions, a hatchback spoiler, aluminum-appear mirror caps, and a pair of exhaust cannons out back (the last 2 items are RS trademarks). Inside are a set of aggressive sport seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in leather and faux suede, and faux-suede-trimmed door panels. In Europe at least, buyers can upgrade the seats to carbon-shelled versions, though the reality that they have integrated side airbags offers us hope that they could be presented in America.

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But we’d have to obtain confirmation of the car itself 1st. Audi is nonetheless contemplating whether or not to supply an RS3 in the U.S., but if it did come here, it would be in the kind of a 4-door sedan (see our rendering here) and not as a 5-door hatchback. Sedan or hatch, we like. And we want.

Hot Hatch or Hottest Hatch? Audi RS3 Debuts Packing 367 Horsepower

2016 Audi Q3 Debuts: Freshened to Take on Fresh Competitors

Official Photographs and Information

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Audi’;s smallest U.S. crossover gets a visible upgrade.

The Audi Q3 is fresh on the U.S. marketplace for 2015, but it has been on sale in Europe for a number of years. That is why it is already receiving a midcycle face lift, one which is likely to be on display in the metal at the Detroit auto show in January.

Visually, the new model provides a more daring interpretation of Audi’;s single-frame grille, with the upper border connecting the headlights. It reminds us a lot of the Crosslane idea, but the execution is less boxy and much more refined. The regular halogen headlamps are dumped in the refresh, creating way for xenon HIDs (which already were normal in the U.S.) or optional full-LED units. The taillights have been restyled, as nicely. Inside, Audi serves up new materials and upgraded infotainment.

Below its face-lifted skin, the Q3 is a pre-MQB car, but that does not make it completely outdated. A lot more than other vehicles primarily based on the venerable PQ35 and PQ46 platforms, it tends to make use of weight-saving components like aluminum and higher-strength steel. The Q3′s front strut and multilink rear suspension setups deliver relatively agile handling, and the auto is fitted with a stability-control program that has provisions for off-roading. Wheel sizes on European-marketplace models range from 16 to 20 inches.

The engine selections for the 2016 model-year U.S. version aren’t confirmed, but it’s completely attainable that we’ll again make do with the 2.-liter turbocharged TFSI 4-cylinder with 200 horsepower. The updated Q3 must once more be sold here with both front- and Quattro all-wheel drive. The U.S.-industry Q3 at present gets a 6-speed automatic, but there’s nonetheless the opportunity that it could get a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic like Euro Q3s.

In Europe, the Q3 is accessible with a massive number of powertrain choices: There is a 1.4-liter TFSI that makes 150 horsepower and a 2.-liter TFSI in 180- and 220-hp strengths. Audi also gives a 2.-liter turbo-diesel rated at 120, 150, or 184 horsepower. Our favorite Q3, of course, is the burly RS Q3 with a 340-hp, 2.5-liter inline-5 it will not be supplied in the U.S., not least because it would shame the bigger, supercharged SQ5.

If we had a single want for the Q3, it is that Audi would sell us the Pontiac Aztek–like, “Bucky Ball”–looking accessory camping tent that is accessible in Europe for about $ 1750. “The vehicle interior/luggage compartment and the tent can be used simultaneously. This makes unpleasant activities such as loading and unloading in the course of poor climate drastically more pleasant,” promises Audi. In addition, “the tent is modular, comprising the main tent, a mosquito-proof inner tent, tent floor, sun shade, and a car-distinct connection kit for the tailgate.” Hobo livin’ in a 4-ringed automobile has in no way been so very good.

As does the current model, the face-lifted Q3 will compete with the BMW X1, the Lexus NX, the Mini Countryman, and the Mercedes-Benz GLA-class. Prices need to commence at about $ 35,000.

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The 5 Hottest 2014 Paris Debuts That You will By no means, Ever Drive

As with any European auto show, the 2014 Paris event offered us Americans a prime, front-row seat to witness the debuts of a bunch of rad, attractive, higher-performance (and sometimes all 3!) Continent-only rides that we’ll never, ever, ever be capable to purchase. Our coping mechanism for this look-but-don’t-touch bind is to share our favourite Euro-market specials with you, lest we internalize our frustrations and, nicely, pop. Of course stuff like the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate—it’s a superfast wagon, duh—and the Volkswagen Tristar concept van/pickup and the wild Honda Civic Sort R will never come stateside, but there’s some hope for the other individuals. Nissan’s Pulsar hatchback would make a fantastic Sentra 5-door here, and the conceptual NISMO version would make a wonderful sporty plus-one to that party. The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is not absurdly unprecedented, either just look to VW’s corporate buddy, Audi, which sells the related A4-based Allroad wagon. See? Isn’t it very good to just . . . let it out?

Honda Civic Sort R Idea

A second concept version (here’s the initial) of Honda’s extended-awaited, 4th-generation Civic Variety R will debut at the Paris auto show later this week before it tends to make it into European Honda showrooms sometime subsequent year. Read Much more ››

2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate

With out a doubt, the most recent C63—rechristened Mercedes-AMG C63 rather than Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG—is a fantastic beast. We haven’t driven the hottest C-class Benz yet, but with the base model putting down 469 horsepower and the further-zooty C63 S throwing down a 503-hp gauntlet, there’s no way it is not going to be wonderful, huge gobs of enjoyable, proper? In our thoughts, there’s just 1 way to make it greater, and that is to give it a bigger ass. Meet the C63 Estate. We want. Study Far more ››

Nissan Pulsar NISMO Notion

In the U.S., Nissan’s little-car lineup is like watching late-night skin flicks on Cinemax—you’re technically acquiring what you want, but a lot is left to be desired. In Europe, on the other hand, Nissan’s compact rides are considerably far more properly equipped and satisfying. Take, for example, the Nissan Note, a loose cousin to our Versa Note hatchback on the Continent, the Note is very practically a premium car. Here, the “Versa” badge marks it as deeply flawed. At the 2014 Paris auto show, Nissan showed off its latest European-marketplace compact—the Pulsar—and it follows the pattern by appearing a lot more intriguing than any modest vehicle the brand peddles to Americans. Read Much more ››

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Virtually a quarter century ago, Volkswagen tried and failed to jump-start off the crossover segment in Europe. The Golf Nation, an ultratall version of the second-generation Golf, was launched in 1990 and killed prior to 1992. It certainly didn’t catch on. Read A lot more ››

Volkswagen Tristar Notion

Volkswagen is an auto company soon after our van-loving hearts sure, typical, everyday vans aren’t the coolest factors in the planet, but VW has been churning out a steady stream of awesome hauler variants—conceptual or otherwise—that truly get us going. Now, the automaker has unveiled its newest van-based creation, the Tristar concept, at the IAA commercial-automobile conference in Hannover, and it appears nothing like a van at all. Study Much more ››

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The 5 Hottest 2014 Paris Debuts That You will By no means, Ever Drive