One of the oldest throwbacks at Mercedes-Benz – the giant, militaristic G-class SUV – will get lighter and greener in 2017. But its blunt, in-your-face attitude shouldn’t change much, Automotive News says. Long a Dallas favorite, the 35-year-old G-class looks like it just rolled off the battlefield, gets 12 miles per gallon in town and costs $115,000. Insiders at Mercedes-Benz told Automotive News that the cultish G-class – a German Hummer essentially – will retain its current overall size and two-box shape after the remake in 2017. However, they said, the high-profile G-wagon will essentially be transformed into a new vehicle with a more contemporary suspension, better interior and extensive use of aluminum and high-strength steel to reduce its three-ton weight.
Test drive this 2009 Mercedes Benz GL-Class SUV loaded with features:2009 Mercedes Benz GL-Class BlueTEC 7
“Just build it,” we said, after seeing the deliciously plausible Maserati Alfieri concept at the Geneva motor show. Maserati chose not to respond to our request/demand immediately, instead teasing us further. “I think this car can be manufactured while preserving a fairly high percentage of similarity to what we're seeing here,” a designer said in an Alfieri video feature. Well, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has laid down a five-year road map for its brands -- or at least those sold in North America -- and Maserati's way forward includes a production version Alfieri coupe and an Alfieri cabriolet. The former comes screaming our way in 2016; the later, in 2017. For what it's worth, the long-awaited Levante SUV is supposed to be ready by next year, and Maserati will pull the covers off a new GranTurismo in 2018. The classically proportioned 2+2 Alfieri concept was built on today's Maserati GranTurismo platform, and it consequently packed a 4.7-liter V8 under its long grand tourer hood.
Porsche is much focused on making every vehicle in its stable look, feel and perform like a sportscar. That was the reason why naysayers became converts after driving the Cayenne and that is the story that Porsche wants to communicate with the new Macan too. The sleek, aerodynamic, very Porsche exterior of the Macan already speaks to you. Stepping into the cabin and soaking in the plush interior of the Macan just adds to that connect with the car. The most likeable aspects of the Macan’s interior layout is the clutter free dashboard, though the Porsche signature array of control buttons on either side of the gearshift stick on the centre console is a bit intimidating at first.
Host Alex Goy put the new hardtop Jaguar F-Type R coupe through its paces in the latest edition of XCar. Goy says the loud, red Jag was the first car he has been pulled over in during a shoot -- which must mean he’s either more restrained than we’d have guessed or just supremely lucky. The F-Type R is now the fastest Jaguar you can buy, with 543 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque on tap. It’s also stiffer than the convertible version, which was already good on the racetrack.
China's oldest car company rolled out its first vehicle on Aug. 1, 1958; it was a chrome-lined black sedan designed -- like the pastiche of 1950s cars it resembled, including the Packard-esque Chaika -- to strike equal amounts of fear and inspiration into the revolutionaries. In Chinese, "Hongqi" means "red flag," the most potent symbol of the Chinese Communist Party, making it a fitting name for a company that supplied the apparatchik. A symbol of power, a sphere of influence, a four-wheeled Great Leap Forward! Curiously enough, it took Nixon's 1972 visit for Mao Zedong (who finally swore off the Soviets and their ZIS-110s) to get into a Hongqi.
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| Image Credit: www.motorauthority.com |
Audi’s latest A6 midsizer first hit the scene as a 2012 model, so the car is just about due for its mid-cycle update. Right on cue, a prototype for just such a car has been spotted. This one is for the sporty S6 model, but most of the changes should feature across the updated A6 range. As the spy shots reveal, the aesthetic changes to the updated S6 will be minimal. We can see that it will be receiving new bumpers and revised headlights. Although the shape of the lights isn’t changing, it appears there are some new LED elements similar to what we saw on the updated 2015 A8. Overseas models will also feature Audi's Matrix LED tech. We know this prototype is for the S6 because of the aggressive front bumper, performance wheels and brakes, lowered suspension, and quad-exhaust tips. The engine in the S6 is Audi’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. As we saw with the 2015 A8, the engine’s output in this updated S6 will likely be bumped up to 435 horsepower from the current 420-horsepower setting.
Luxury cars these days have gotten so plush that automakers have really got to push to make their most high-priced wares seem special. It’s not enough to have a dozen cup holders in your ride—now you need motorized cup holders like in the Cadillac CTS CTS +0.1%, or a full-on champagne cooler like in the Bentley Mulsanne. It’s not enough to have LED headlights and high-density fog lights like those available from Audi —now you need curve-sensitive headlights and a starlight headliner, like in the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Even the interior details, like the leather vents in the Porsche Panamera and granite trim options in the sport sedans at Mercedes-Benz , are flush with expensive textures and materials. But there are plenty of models from premium and luxury brands that actually offer a decent value over long-term ownership.
