This Is (Unfortunately) Bentley’s First SUV

Ever have someone show up to a party that you’re hosting just as you’re about ready to wind it down? That’s what Bentley has done with its EXP 9 F Concept that was revealed yesterday in Geneva.

While smaller SUV’s may still have a bit of longevity, the thirst for massively heavy, inefficient and flashy SUV’s is certainly dwindling. I’m sorry, but in a global recession, showing up at a shopping mall in this thing is just idiotic. And what makes it even more idiotic is the fact that it looks idiotic. I can only assume Bentley’s designers were subjected to naked pictures of Rush Limbaugh because anything they ended up designing would surely look better. Unfortunately the EXP 9 F Concept looks just as bad, if not worse. At least they have an equally ridiculous name to match it.

And to make it seem even more ridiculous when oil prices are soaring and the environment is languishing, Bentley decided to go ahead and put a massive 6.0 litre V12 engine in it, which means it produces about 600 horsepower. Even companies that make monstrous SUV’s are at least trying to make them more efficient. The Porsche Cayenne, for instance, comes in either hybrid or diesel variants. This engine is just plain giving Mother Nature and pretty much everyone else the middle finger.

The all-wheel drive system helps this SUV retain any credibility, however I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone willing to actually take it off-road. In fact, I doubt anyone would want to drive it in any weather other than a clear sunny day given its price tag.

Of course this SUV comes with all the necessities of a Bentley such as internet connectivity, electric foot rests, seat massagers, blah blah blah. If you’re bothered enough, there’s a few more pics after the jump.

[Inside Line]

Read the rest of this entry »

All-Electric Ford Focus Tops Nissan LEAF’s Efficiency Rating

Who killed the electric car? No one, apparently, as another manufacturer has tossed its hat into the electric car craze.

Ford’s all-electric Focus is very close to production and has recently been rated at 110 MPGe, which bests the Nissan LEAF – perhaps the most popular mainstream electric vehicle right now. The LEAF is rated at 106 MPGe.

Still, both vehicles are beat by Mitsubishi’s electric car offering, the i-Miev which gets a rating of 126 MPGe.

Wait, what’s that ‘e’  doing at the end of the MPG rating, you ask? Well since electricity cannot be measured in gallons, a conversion factor was used to measure the amount of electricity used into a miles per gallon equivalent. And since we use L/ 100 kms in Canada, that roughly translates into 2.1 L/100kms of electricity that the electric Focus uses. Clear as mud?

The electric Focus is also rated at 99 MPGe on the highway which is better than the LEAF’s 92 MPGe highway.

So the questions remains: which would you take, the all-electric Ford Focus or the Nissan LEAF? Or would you consider buying an electric car at all? Sound off in the comments.

[Ford]

Subaru Claims Top Spot In Consumer Reports Rankings

Consumer Reports has just released their annual automotive report card today with a few surprises. Mainly, Subaru has trounced Honda for the coveted top spot thanks to the newly redesigned Impreza, and strong ranking Legacy and Outback. Consumer Reports bases their ranking on the performance, comfort, utility and reliability of more than 275 vehicles.

Honda has long held the number one spot, but with the redesigned Civic generally receiving mass amounts of criticism for being worse than the outgoing model.

“Honda has been hurt by several redesigned models — including the Civic and Odyssey — that didn’t measure up to their predecessors,” said Consumer Reports. “Honda models, however, are still among the most reliable on the road overall.”

Toyota had a strong rating in the top three as the newly redesigned Camry received much praise for the strong reliability showing of the Corolla.

Mazda rounded up the top three thanks to the newly redesigned Mazda3 with its Skyactiv technology, but could have ranked higher if the RX-8 and Tribute weren’t dropped from the line up.

The other surprise was Ford slipping from 5th place to 10th thanks to “the subpar reliability of some new vehicles, due largely to the troublesome MyFord Touch infotainment system and Power-Shift automatic transmission,” said Consumer Reports. The Fiesta, Focus and Explorer all received below average reliability scores as well.

Meanwhile Chrysler was once again ranked last but the domestic automaker can take comfort in knowing that they were rated second most improved company behind Mazda.

GM was also ranked low due to below average reliability.

Congrats to Subaru! Stay tuned for Car Driven’s review of the Impreza next month and we’ll see if the newly crowned Imrpeza truely deserves these accolades.

[Consumer Reports]

Got Heated Seats? Watch Out For ‘Toasted Skin Syndrome’

In pretty much every part of the country, heated seats are fairly necessarily and appreciated during winter months. However as it turns out, if you overuse your seat warmers that could lead to a condition called ‘toasted skin syndrome’ doctors warn.

Although the name suggests otherwise, toasted skin syndrome actually isn’t a burn. It usually comes in the form of an irritating rash.

“Sometimes people don’t initially make the connection between the rash and the exposure, but based on the pattern you can figure out that it’s probably from heat,” said Jennifer Stein, a professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, who was not involved in the studies.

While toasted skin syndrome isn’t relatively serious, it’s definitely something to be avoided as skin discolouration can persist for months. The best way to do so is just to turn down the setting on your heated seats. Most cars that come with heated seats have multiple settings, so it’s best to leave them on the lowest setting or turn them down to the lower settings once they’ve been on for a while.

[Wheels.ca]

Is BMW Interested In Acquiring Saab?

By now you’ve likely heard that Saab has filed for bankruptcy and, as a result, administrators have opened the floor to bids on the Swedish car brand.

Saabs United is reporting that there is about 6-7 bidders interested in acquiring the brand and one of them is a German brand located in Munich. Guess which famous German brand resides in Munich? That’s right, the blue and white roundel.

BMW has openly stated that they would like to expand their portfolio of owned brands which includes Mini and Rolls Royce and they have also said that they are interested in dabbling a bit more in the front-wheel drive segment – something that Saab has done for better or worse in their long history. Considering how BMW was able to inject some excitement into the front drive Mini brand, there is no doubt that a BMW-Saab partnership would come up with some very interesting product. Or perhaps a Mini-Saab partnership is more likely as previously rumoured.

Other companies said to be interested in Saab are, unsurprisingly, a slew of Chinese companies and one Indian company.

[Saabs United]

Chinese Unimpressed with Canadian Ambassador’s Ride of Choice

Dave Mulroney is our Ambassador to China and he recently is catching some flack for a recent purchase. No, it’s not any sort of spending scandal but it’s apparently due to the choice of government vehicle that Mulroney recently posted pics of. Mulroney’s Toyota Camry Hybrid (which is identical to the one posted above) was immediately mocked by over 1000 Chinese as soon as he posted the picture. In China, most politicians are seen in uber premium German sedans, primarily Audis. One Chinese commuter commented:

“It’s always best to yield to an Audi — you never know who you’re messing with, but chances are it’s someone self-important.”

In China, Camry’s are generally regarded as cars the next step up from buses and bikes. That’s about it. A fellow Chinese Ambassador also joined in the ribbing as he posted to Mulroney’s pics saying “A Chinese mid-level cadre wouldn’t lay an eye on your car!”

Mulroney actually responded to the Chinese backlash saying that he only has a budget of around $32,000 (CAD) to spend on his governmental vehicle and that spending any more is outside of the set guidelines.

“I have to answer to Canadian expectations. What happens to China is for Chinese people to decide,” Mulroney continued. He also said he originally posted his hybrid because he often gets questions about how the embassy operates, and how much money is usually spent. Mulroney said he was just trying to seem transparent with the Chinese people, something that their government is often criticized for not being.

While this certainly won’t spark any sort of international incident, it does indeed show different cultures attitudes towards certain vehicles and vehicle makes.

[The Globe & Mail]

More News on 5-Door Fiat 500 (UPDATE)

*UPDATE: Fiat has jsut released a pic of what the 500L is going to look like. Click past the jump to check it out.

If the Fiat 500 is just a tad too much on the small side for you, stay tuned because there is actually a five door coming.

Dubbed as the 500L, the five door version will get a taller roof line than the three door and will ride on the same chasis of the Fiat Punto. The 500L is expected to be slightly wider as well.

Likely to power the 500L is a 1.4 litre Multi-air four cylinder to make about 105 horsepower. A diesel option is expected as well, but whether or not that makes it to Canada is anyone’s guess. And if you’re a gambler I’d suggest betting against a diesel version gracing our shores.

The 500L will officially debut at this year’s Geneva Auto Show and will go on sale in Europe in July. North American sales will probably begin in the fall.

The 500L joins an already various 500 line up with the three door, cabriolet, and Abarth. An all electric version is planned down the road as well.

[Autoblog Canada]

Read the rest of this entry »

Sexy AND Safe: 2012 Volvo S60 Gets Top Safety Marks

Volvo may be pumping up performance in the S60 with the R-Design but that doesn’t mean that they’ve lost sight of their roots: safety. Case in point, the 2012 S60 has just earned perfect ratings in all categories including frontal, side and pole crash tests run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. The S60 aced the pole crash test in particular as no other vehicle’s occupants (read test dummies) has ever faired as well in that test.

The S60 is just the second vehicle to ever ace all of the NHTSA tests. It joins only the Chevrolet Camaro for perfect marks.

So, we have a stylish, fun to drive Swedish sports sedan that will likely keep you together in one piece if you wrap accidentally wrap it around a tree. What’s not to like? The S60 is starting to look more and more like this year’s most underrated car. Now all Volvo needs to go is offer it with a proper six-speed manual and then they’ll have a clear winner for sure.

Click the video above to see the side crash test of the S60.

[Examiner.com]

BMW To Bring 5-Series Diesel Over In Wagon Form?!

Just when it seemed like wagon aficionados were going to have to make an occupy-every-auto-manufacturer movement, BMW swoops in with some exciting news.

If Endras BMW is to be believed (who by the way seems to have taken over representing BMW in Canada from the ever dormant BMW Canada), the 5-series is going to be available on our shore in diesel form! The 550d in Europe gets a tri-turbo 3.0 litre six which makes 375 horsepower and a whopping 546 pound feet of torque all while returning on average 6.3 L/100 kms and producing 167 g/km of carbon dioxide.

But wait, it gets better.

The 550d will also come with BMW’s X-Drive all-wheel drive system optional as well as BMW’s M package being available to spruce things up look-wise.

But probably the best news of all? This can all be had in wagon for as well. BMW had decided to not sell the 5-series wagon on our shores with the 5-series GT stepping in to fill the gap. However, as good as the 5-series GT is, it’s not exactly a sales star.

The 550d with the M-pack and in wagon form was actually Jeremy Clarkson’s pick for car of the year this year and it’s not hard to see why.

All this seems too good to be true and when that happens, it usually is. However, Endras BMW claims an 550d Xdrive M wagon can be available to us Canucks as early as March.

Now, all BMW needs to do is add a manual transmission to that wagon and boy, do we ever have one drool-worthy family hauler.

[Endras BMW]

Oh Hi: 2012 Nissan Pathfinder ‘Concept’

 Looks like Ford’s Explorer is going to be getting some steep competition in the form of the new Nissan Pathfinder….concept. Yes, despite its production ready looks, Nissan is still dubbing this one a concept.

Despite this, Nissan is giving a few details. Probably the biggest change in the new Pathfinder is its unibody platform which, as Nissan points out, reduces weight significantly. This, in addition to a new V6 mated to a CVT, means that the Pathfinder will be more efficient than the outgoing model. 25% more efficient in fact.  While there are no official fuel economy numbers just yet, a 25% reduction in fuel usage for a 7-passenger CUV is fairly impressive.

“Nissan is in a great position today.  Sales are up, market share is increasing and our dealers have a great selection of 2012 Nissan cars, trucks and SUVs in inventory,” said Michael Colleran, Regional Vice President of Field Sales and Sales Operations, Nissan Canada Inc.  “This new Pathfinder Concept is just the beginning of a far-reaching wave of new products on the horizon for Nissan.  By the end of 2012, more than 70 per cent of our sales volume will be all-new or redesigned.”

Indeed, big things are happening at Nissan and it’s a bit risky to change over the platform of a tried tested and trusty model such as the Pathfinder, but Nissan hopes this will generate into more agreeable reactions to city driving all while keeping the Pathfinder’s offroad prowess.

Once the Pathfinder is revealed in non-concept mode, there will likely be more specs to report and Car Driven will have all the details. What do you think of the Pathfinder Concept?

[Nissan Canada]

Civic Still Canadian Car-sales King

Canadians still prefer the Honda Civic despite new offerings from Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet and Mazda.

For the 14th year in a row, the Civic has been named Canada’s best selling car with 55,090 iterations of the Civic being sold. The runner up is the Hyundai Elantra, with the Mazda3 coming in next, followed by Chevrolet’s Cruze.

“First and foremost, we thank the thousands of Canadians who bought Honda Civic models this past year to make the Civic the number one car in Canada for the fourteenth consecutive year,” said Honda Canada in a statement.

And thank them they should since this model year Civic has been widely criticized for lackluster performance, sub-par quality and boring styling – things that never would have been said about Civics of the past. This, apparently, has not deterred Canadians and Honda should thank their lucky starts for that, as Consumer Reports for the first time ever did not recommend the 2012 Civic. It is rumoured that Honda is going back to the drawing board to address these issues. The changes could come as early as the 2013 model year.

[Honda Canada]

Cadillac Addresses Flaws With Escalade’s Security Features

Better late than never I guess?

It’s fairly well known that GM’s full-size SUV’s are pretty easy to steal, specifically the Escalade as it consistently gets the unhonourable accolade of ‘most stolen vehicle’, except for this year that is. But regardless it’s consistently in the top ten most stolen.

For some reason it took GM this long to actually address the issues that make it so easy to steal an Escalade in the first place, namely making a steering column lock that actually works, an alarm system that actually comes on when when the windows get smashed, wheel locks and and encrypted key. But these new features are now standard on all Escalades which is a step in the right direction. So what if you own a Tahoe or Yukon which are equally is easy to steal? Better ensure you have great insurance coverage because GM hasn’t addressed those vehicles. Yet. Hopefully they will soon.

At least now it will take thieves longer than 14 seconds to steal an your Escalade if you’re an owner.

[General Motors]

All-Electric Mustang In The Works?

Remember when Ford and Chevrolet put a V6 in the engine bay of their respected muscle cars? The consensus of muscle car aficionados was akin to something like Tim Horton’s taking away Boston cream donuts. It apparently was just unthinkable.

Well now there might be something in development for the Mustang which would be akin to hell freezing over for pretty much any ‘Stang fan, or muscle car junkie in general.

Apparently Ford may be looking into making an all-electric Mustang. Impossible you say? Maybe not. Consider this:

1) All-electric vehicles are making a come back in a big way. There are currently at least ten automakers investing heavily in the technology, not least of which is Ford with the preparation of the launch of the all-electric Focus to bow very soon.

2) Automakers like Tesla with their Roadster, Audi’s E-Tron or BMW with their i8 (I know, the latter is not fully electric, but there’s a lot of electric technology in there) are proving that electric vehicles don’t have to be boring. In fact, performance electric vehicles is a new emerging segment. Therefore Ford could easily nab the “cheap” performance electric vehicle title with an all-electric Mustang.

3) This is probably the most important point of all. I have a source that has revealed exclusively to Car Driven that a prototype is already made, in fact it was witnessed in seclusion by said source. It’s possible this was just a regular electric car conversion, however considering the fuss made when a picture was trying to be taken, it’s clear this is something that Ford wants quiet for the time being.

While all of this remains speculation at the moment, you can be sure that Car Driven will do more digging to see what else is out there on the electric ‘Stang.

What do you think of the idea of an all-electric muscle car?

Dodge Finally Stops Producing The Caliber

I recently had to rent a car for my day job and reserved a mid-size. When I got there to pick up the vehicle they told me they had a shiny new silver Dodge Caliber waiting for me. Aside from the fact that the Caliber is not considered to be a mid-size, I had to insist on another vehicle. Luckily another vehicle has available so I took it, but I also said “you must get that a lot” right after she announced the Dodge Caliber was the vehicle I’d be driving.

“Actually we get specific requests for the Caliber,” she replied. Shocked, I could only muster an abashed look followed by “really?”

“Yeah but it’s either a request to specifically get the Caliber or a request to get anything but a Caliber,” she continued. It seems the Caliber is either a love it or hate it car. Put me in the hate camp.

The good news, for us in the hate camp anyway, is that Dodge has officially stopped production of the Caliber today. I can’t lie, I might have cracked open a celebratory beer when I heard the news.

When the Caliber came onto the scene in 2007 to replace the equally bad SX 2.0 (aka Neon 2.0) it was met with polarizing opinions and mixed reviews. The car’s chunky, sloppy styling matched with a garbage Jatco-sourced CVT, an unrefined ride, no feedback to the steering wheel, poor interior layout and materials, and lackluster fuel efficiency made it easy to label the Caliber as a joke compared to its competition. Exclusive features such as a cooler-like glove box for drinks and a drop down stereo for tailgate parties was not enough to overlook just how terrible the Caliber really was.

Dodge then tried to come up with a credible contender to the Honda Civic Si and Chevrolet Cobalt SS. The Caliber SRT-4 (pictured above) was probably the only interesting iteration of the Caliber but they somehow managed to make it uglier than the more sedated versions. On top of that, it still lacked the refinement and precision of the Civic Si.

So generally an overall fail in my books, however if you are one of the few on the love-the-Caliber bandwagon, sorry for your loss.

The good news is the Caliber’s replacement is expected to come in the form of a re-badged Alfa Romeo which should make Dodge’s new offering in the segment much more competitive. The replacement can’t come soon enough.

I would say R.I.P to the Caliber, but I’ll just end by saying good riddance.

[The Detroit News]

Audi To Drop Manual Transmission On R8

Another casualty.

Audi has just announced that it will no longer offer a manual transmission option for the 2014 model year of the R8 if Car Magazine is to be believed. And there really is no reason why they shouldn’t because it seems manual transmission options are dying off faster than support for Mayor Peter Kelly (that’s a Halifax reference for all you non-Haligonians).

Likely the reason for the omission is due to an unfortunate disinterest from most R8 customers to spec their new Audi with a third pedal. Curious, since manual transmissions are pretty synonymous with performance (at least with purists). The R8 can be described as nothing but a brilliant performance car. However the fact of the matter is, most automatic DSG transmissions can shift faster and more smoothly than you ever could. This certainly is an advantage on the track, however with the R8 being able to handle daily driver duties quite well, I personally would rather row my own gears while blasting through the countryside bends.

Another thing the 2014 R8 will not have is the signature side-blade.

Guess I’ll need to buy my R8 before 2014. Then again, Porsche still understands the joy of a performance machine mated to a manual transmission. I suppose I’ll be taking a 911 over an R8!

[Car]