The new 5.0 is one hell of an engine, and it’s installed in one hell of a car.
Watch the Video: 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 – Video
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Original Post By Google News Car and Driver
No steering wheel and neither two wheels nor four, so why are we bringing you this Olympic bobsled? Well, because it’s freaking awesome. And we don’t often get a chance to see a bobsled in person.
This “Night Train” practice sled—we, and even M-B PR staff, still have no idea why it’s here—was pushed out at the New York auto show by Steve Holcomb’s U.S. sled team during the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-class unveil. We got a few minutes to talk with pushman Justin Olsen to find out a few more details about the bobsled experience and the team’s gold-medal-winning ride.
Made in the U.S.A., the sled is composed of a fiberglass/Kevlar composite and weighs about 465 pounds—the minimum for a four-man sled is 464 pounds. There is no steering wheel but rather a right and left lever for controls and only one real “seat” for the driver. The rest of the crew sort of piles in behind him. Olsen said that each man’s position in the sled is critical for maximum speed and though there is no verbal communication between the teammates once they’ve filed in, sometimes they’ll give a tap to slightly reposition another member to achieve that optimum placement. Getting as low as possible is the goal for all the pushmen and the team even trains in the wind tunnel to determine the best aero. There is one hand brake at the rear that deploys a horizontal blade, but it isn’t used during the run, only after crossing the finish.
The sled reaches speeds around the 100-mph mark, and Olsen says it’s like riding a roller coaster with your eyes closed since he must keep his head down the entire ride. Sounds like fun to us.
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Original Post By Google News Jon Yanca
Today, during the U.S. debut of the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg at the New York auto show, VW of North America CEO Stefan Jacoby confirmed that the upcoming New Mid-Size Sedan (NMS) will have a diesel engine option for North America. The NMS, which is the working title for the Passat replacement, most likely will be powered by the current corporate 140-hp, 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel. We are crossing our fingers that maybe, just maybe, VW will give us the uprated Euro version which puts out 170 hp.
While little else is known about the NMS, we can tell you that it will be built at VW’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, alongside the next Jetta, which was previewed by the NCC concept. VW previously handed out the above NMS sketch which shows that it will wear the current VW family face, as seen on the latest Golf and Touareg.
Look for the NMS to debut sometime later this year as a 2011 model; by then we should know its official name. We hope.
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Original Post By Google News Jon Yanca
Toyota’s microcar heads to the U.S. under the Scion banner.
The Toyota iQ, the world’s smallest four-seater, is headed to the U.S., but not as a Toyota. Scion finally confirmed what we’ve known for a while and announced at the New York auto show that it will be sticking its badge on Toyota’s tiny iQ when it comes stateside. To bring it in line with the other offerings from Toyota’s “youth-oriented” Scion brand, the iQ will get a bit more flash and flare than the Toyota version, with sharper, beefier front and rear fascias and more-muscular fenders.
At 120.1 inches long, the Scion iQ is a few inches longer than the Toyota version and just over a foot longer than the two-seat Smart Fortwo, but it’s still two feet stubbier than a Mini Cooper. The iQ’s 78.7-inch wheelbase is five inches longer than the Smart Fortwo’s, which makes space for the iQ’s innovative—you might also say “compromised”—rear seats. Scion calls it 3+1 seating, as it made room for an adult in the back by placing the front passenger’s seat closer to the windshield than the driver’s seat. Behind the driver, there’s room for a small child or a house cat—hence the +1. Rear-seat headrests are set right against the back glass, but don’t fear a rear-end collision; there’s a curtain airbag that deploys between the headrests and glass. The rear seats fold independently and with both folded, Scion says there’s enough room for two golf bags.
Keep Reading: 2011 Scion iQ – Auto Shows
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Original Post By Google News Jared Gall
Mazda today announced pricing for the 2 hatchback ahead of its July U.S. launch. The base price of $14,730 will get you a Sport model with a healthy list of standard equipment; upgrading to the Touring model, which nets things like fog lights, cruise control, and a six-speaker sound system, will set you back $16,185. Few options will be available, chief among them an $800 four-speed auto that replaces the five-speed manual transmission.
Mazda 2 pricing undercuts that of the Honda Fit ($15,610), as well as the Ford Fiesta five-door ($15,795) with which it shares underpinnings. (At $13,995, the Fiesta sedan does beat the 2 hatch, but we’re comparing Granny Smiths to Fujis.)
Click here to read our story from the New York auto show and get a full rundown on U.S. specifics and pricing.
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Original Post By Google News David Gluckman
Hyundai takes a different approach to mid-size hybridization.
Hyundai is doing things a bit differently with its new 2011 Sonata—it’s a mid-size sedan that actually looks appealing—and that concept extends to the just-announced hybrid version. This gas-electric sedan is being shown for the first time at the 2010 New York auto show, alongside the turbocharged, 274-hp Sonata 2.0T.
Keep Reading: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – Official Photos and Info
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Original Post By Google News David Gluckman
Although we’ve been expecting Mitsubishi to bring a gasoline-powered version of its i microcar to North America, company spokesmen have confirmed that no decision has been reached on a small Mitsubishi for the U.S. We’ve been told that the Japanese automaker is still debating whether it wants to keep the i’s unique shape strictly for the electric i-MiEV, which is scheduled to arrive here in late 2011. This would be similar to what Toyota has done with the hybrid-only Prius, associating its silhouette with eco-friendliness. Should Mitsubishi decide not to offer a gas i here, it would most likely bring a version of the small car that will replace the Colt, based on its upcoming “global small” platform.
While we can understand why Mitsubishi would want to save the i shape just for electrified vehicles, the company needs something—anything—to create brand awareness, and having multiple variants of the i on the road could only help.
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Original Post By Google News Jon Yanca
Hyundai installs its first direct-injection turbo engine in the shapely Sonata.
We’ve known it was coming for a while now, but Hyundai has now officially unveiled the turbocharged version of its all-new Sonata at the New York auto show.
Powered by an all-new 2.0-liter turbo four, the Sonata 2.0T will take top honors in its class in both highway fuel economy and power—including V-6 competitors—according to Hyundai’s estimates. The Korean company is saying the engine should return 34 mpg on the highway (and 22 mpg in the city) while generating a highly impressive 274 hp at 6000 rpm. Torque stands at 269 lb-ft, delivered between 1800 and 4500 rpm. Hyundai says you can even shop in the regular-unleaded section of your local gas station—no premium required, as is the case with most other turbocharged engines.
Keep Reading: 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T – Auto Shows
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Original Post By Google News Erik Johnson
Mazda says it will offer a mid-size car with a fuel-efficient diesel engine in the U.S. by 2012. (Our guess is an oil-burning 6 sedan.) The car will be rated at up to 43 mpg in highway driving and be Mazda’s first diesel offering on our shores.
It will employ a diesel engine called SKY-D, which was announced alongside a gasoline engine called SKY-G and an automatic transmission called SKY-Drive at last year’s Tokyo show. We’ve now learned that all three technologies will make their way to American vehicles.
With lower internal friction and “innovative combustion” techniques, the SKY-D engine should be 20 percent more fuel-efficient and offer more torque than Mazda’s current 2.2-liter turbodiesel (which we sampled in a Euro-spec Mazda CX-7). A ceramic diesel particulate filter means the engine will meet American emissions standards without a urea exhaust-treatment system.
In 2011, Mazda will launch the SKY-G engine globally. The gasoline engine will reportedly be 15 percent more fuel-efficient and offer 15 percent more torque than today’s comparable engines. The improvements stem from a higher compression ratio, reduced internal friction, optimized combustion, and “intake volume control.” SKY-G will become Mazda’s core powerplant and is said to offer zesty performance on top of the fuel savings.
Both engines will be mated to SKY-Drive, an updated version of Mazda’s six-speed automatic transmission. It will lock up the torque converter more often, making it five percent more efficient than Mazda’s current automatics while offering a direct feel and quicker shifts; Mazda says the automatic will feel like a dual-clutch transmission.
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Original Post By Google News Jake Holmes
Infiniti makes some big changes to its big SUV but keeps the price the same.
The original QX56 finished mid-pack in a five-SUV comparo back in 2006, falling to two Germans but besting two American behemoths. That first-gen QX was based on the same trucky platform as the Nissan Armada—indeed, it was simply a tarted-up version of the biggest Nissan—but Infiniti has since chosen to further differentiate the two and switched this new QX to the more modern architecture shared with the not-for-U.S.-sale Nissan Patrol.
Keep Reading: 2011 Infiniti QX56 – Official Photos and Info
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Original Post By Google News David Gluckman
