When R&T did its sport sedan comparison test, I was the first guy to break ranks from convention and argue strongly for the IS350 F-Sport. It’s truly the class of the field from the rubber up.
Now Lexus has cranked up the volume — but as with the previous IS-F, Japanese-car fans looking for a direct competitor to the BMW M3/M4 are advised to keep their expectations mild.
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The coupe market is declining in the mainstream market, but in the small luxury car segment, a two-door variant is considered a necessity to compete. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Infiniti all have two-door variants of their small sedans, as a way to add volume and give buyers a sportier option. For 2015, Cadillac’s entry wears the ATS nameplate and drops the 2.5L base engine.
Oh, GM. You really did it. You gave in to the perfectly understandable desire to create what’s best described as a C7-V, or maybe a ZR0.9. Don’t blame you, Mr. Reuss likes these kinds of battlewagons and you guys are so good at supercharging that small-block I’m surprised there isn’t some sort of weird Silverado variant out there for the hat-without-cattle crowd. The car’s going to be great, it will be fast, it will be the winner of Motor Trend tests for sure and maybe even some of the others.
But you shouldn’t have called a Z06, and I’m surprised you don’t know why.
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The world needs more sexy two door RWD coupes. I think we can all agree that the cheap two-door sports car market has gained some excitement the last few years, especially with the success of the BRZ/FRS (I shall call them BRS for short) twins. Kia is toying with that idea, too, and is pulling no punches while they’re here. The GT4 Stinger concept is aimed right at the heart of the BRS twins, and here’s how…
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Did Hyundai ever truly believe that its Genesis sedan would have the kind of industry impact legendarily enjoyed by the first Lexus LS — or even the original Acura Legend? Probably not. But just as the builders of those two cheap-luxury knockouts did, the company is electing to consolidate some gains in conservative fashion with the second-generation Genesis.
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This is the future of VW’s gas motors. Turbo 1.4L four cylinders with cylinder deactivation (A first for a four-cylinder, at least for the US), start/stop, and a unique “coasting” mode for the Dual Clutch Transmission(DCT), which allows the Passat to fully disengage the clutch, and thereby allowing the car to coast with the least amount of mechanical drag possible. Current DCT’s will keep the motor engaged while coasting and engine brake. Read More >
Even though the BMW i8, i3 and M3/M4 were the starts of the BMW stand (in that order), I was more interested in the upcoming 2-Series. Unlike the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the Audi A3, the 2-Series is rear wheel drive, as the future 1-Series moves to a front-drive platform shared with Mini.
Face it: Honda’s been the best in the business at building cars in the Fit’s segment since it was really the Civic’s segment. The new-for-2015 model won’t exactly inspire confidence in Toyota Yaris salespeople across America, either.
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The 1965 Porsche 911 Targa has always been a bit unloved by the Porsche purist. The higher roofline of the Targa compromised the slick silhouette of the 911 that made it so iconic. It was something of a knee-jerk reaction to impending safety regulations by the NHTSA. Porsche thought that convertibles were soon to be made illegal, so the Targa offered a steel roll bar and removable roof section to fill the gap.
Fortunately, that fearful day for Porsche never came, and the targa departed the lineup in 1989, having been vastly supplanted in popularity by the full-droptop 911. This doesn’t stop Porsche from occasionally playing with its history.
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The all-wheel drive 2014 Golf R packs 290 hp and 280 ft-lb of torque, shoves it down your choice of either a six speed manual or six speed dual-clutch transmission, and hauls the compact hot hatch to sixty in 4.9 seconds. That’s about a second quicker to sixty than the outgoing Golf R… Read More >
The Dune concept aims to be a moderately functional addition the the Bettle lineup. VW raised the Beetle’s ride height by two inches, giving the Beetle a more “go anywhere” appeal. An inch wider track, and mighty 255/45 tires on 19 inch wheels round out the stance. The Dune hides a few clever tricks in its appearance package, however…
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Tacky graphics, redline wheels, hotglued industrial adhesive attached spoiler and painted red calipers. I know this is an AMG, but can we tone down the try-hard looks? There’s a reason successful young Mercedes-Benz buyers don’t shop at Autozone for “accent pieces”, and it is not because they want the junk factory-installed.
The Z06 has usually been a trickle-down of the Corvette GT car. Aero tweaks were unique to the .R, tricks like hood-evacuated radiator air flow, rear-fender mounted cooling ducts for various cooling system (like the differential), and a rear diffuser. Now that the C7 boasts these tweaks from the get-go, the C7.R more closely resembles its street brethren than ever before…
No other car on the planet combines technological supremacy and ventricle-bursting depreciation like a modern V-12-powered Mercedes-Benz. For the newest take on the formula, the automaker’s turned all the knobs to 11.
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The outgoing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was arguably one of the most admirable products in automotive history and certainly the most focused Corvette ever sold to the American public. Its replacement has more of what the people who actually buy Corvettes truly want.
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