Autoshow Season - Saturn Outlook
The Car Connection is showing pictures of the new Saturn Outlook cross-over. Based on GM's brand new Lambda chassis, the Outlook will seat up to seven with a 3.6l VVT with 269hp and 247 lb*ft of torque routed through a new 6-speed automatic in front or all-wheel drive.More details as they become available.
Read about it here.
4-door Wrangler revealed
I'm sure no one at Jeep is pleased that images of the new 4-door Wrangler have surfaced ahead of its official debut at the New York Autoshow later this week...Going by the name "Wrangler Unlimited" - this appears to be pretty much what you'd expect a 4-door Wrangler to be. Note the decidedly small rear doors and the very Hummer truck (a la H1 and H2 SUT) profile.
More details as they become available.
Read about it at Carscoop
Autoshow Season - Jeep Patriot is for real
As if anyone really thought the Jeep Patriot concept was anything but a real product just waiting for an announcement (but, just look at how fast we went from concept to production - yeah, right)...Jeep has now officially announced the production trim of the Patriot as these photos - which we have a hard time telling are any different than the *cough* concept shown before.
Details include an interior that is nigh indistinguishable from the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass. Standard power will be from the 2.4l 172hp 4-cylinder that serves as the top engine in the Dodge.
In a switch from what we were expecting, the Patriot will be available in front-drive in addition to all-wheel drive (more on that in a minute). We would have guessed that the Compass would have been the only front-drive Jeep on this chassis with the Patriot taking the more Jeep-like high-ground with standard all-wheel drive. Unfortunately, the Jeep marketing folks who just had to have a lower-priced model won out - doing some more damage to the Patriot's angle of being a 'true Jeep'.However, in an effort to salvage some of Jeep's credibility - the Patriot will come with both the Compass' all-wheel drive w/ locking differential (known as Freedom Drive I) as well as a harder-core system that uses the CVT to emulate a low range (Freedom Drive II).
Freedom Drive II (which to our ears sounds like the dorkiest name for an all-wheel drive system ever) also buys you a Patriot with an additional inch of ground clearance, skid plates aplenty, as well as additional body sealing to give this model a 'Trail Rated' badge and 19" water fording capabilities.
Honestly, we would have foregone the front-drive model altogether and given both all-wheel drive Patriot models the additional inch of clearance and let the Compass play to the front-drive market...of course, we'd also have put some faux-metal door handles in the Caliber, Compass, and Patriot - rather than the cheesy textured plastic 'things' that the bean-counters have handed down (it's the little things, guys)...of course, they didn't ask us.
Expect the Patriot to show up on Jeep lots 'round September with around a 16k starting price. The real Patriot will likely base much closer to 20k - still a relative bargain for comfortable, economical, and Trail Rated goodness.
Solstice with hardtop
This comes to you via the Solstice Forums, courtesy of Autoblog.
At the NCAA event Pontiac was putting on in Indianapolis, someone noticed this Solstice in what appears to be SCCA trim - with what will likely become (eventually) a dealer installed hardtop.
Read about it at:
Sneak peek: GM's Pontiac Solstice racer? - Autoblog
At the NCAA event Pontiac was putting on in Indianapolis, someone noticed this Solstice in what appears to be SCCA trim - with what will likely become (eventually) a dealer installed hardtop.
Read about it at:
Sneak peek: GM's Pontiac Solstice racer? - Autoblog
New refreshed Durango debuts
Dodge debuted yesterday their mildly restyled Durango which will see its first public outing at next week's New York Autoshow.
A couple years ago, Dodge introduced the current Durango (shown to the right), based on the new Dakota, yet expanded to a size similar - though a bit smaller than the full-sized SUVs from Ford and GM. Unfortunately, the larger Durango ended up with some unfortunate styling quirks (like oddly shaped front dropped fenders and cross-eyed headlights).
This freshening takes care of much of this by squaring off the front-end while maintaining a touch of the stepped down fender. This change also helps give the Durango a more elegant style and connects it with the new Nitro and Caliber.
Other changes are focused on smoothing over the environmental impact of such a large SUV. Dodge is keeping the 3.7l V-6 for folks who don't need/want the trade-offs of a V-8 powertrain. The 4.6l V-8, the mid-level engine, is now fully E85 ethanol blend compatible. At the top of the powertrain foodchain is the 5.7l Hemi with Chrysler Group's cylinder deactivation technology (MDS - Multi-Displacement System).
In addition, Dodge has announced that 2008 will see the 5.7l Hemi paired with a 2-mode hybrid drive system co-developed with the BMW group and General Motors. This is expected to provide a 25% economy improvement over the standard MDS equipped Hemi.
We find it odd that Dodge won't be offering this hybrid system with a smaller engine to provide even greater economy (especially the 1-2 punch of offering it with the E85-friendly 4.6l V-8). Of course, since the hybrid system they will be offering places the electric motors in the transmission case and would not require much packaging consideration to expand its offering to the other engines - these changes could come quickly if the market demands.
Improved economy and better looks? That should help Dodge move a few more of their big utes in an increasingly tight market.
A couple years ago, Dodge introduced the current Durango (shown to the right), based on the new Dakota, yet expanded to a size similar - though a bit smaller than the full-sized SUVs from Ford and GM. Unfortunately, the larger Durango ended up with some unfortunate styling quirks (like oddly shaped front dropped fenders and cross-eyed headlights).
This freshening takes care of much of this by squaring off the front-end while maintaining a touch of the stepped down fender. This change also helps give the Durango a more elegant style and connects it with the new Nitro and Caliber.Other changes are focused on smoothing over the environmental impact of such a large SUV. Dodge is keeping the 3.7l V-6 for folks who don't need/want the trade-offs of a V-8 powertrain. The 4.6l V-8, the mid-level engine, is now fully E85 ethanol blend compatible. At the top of the powertrain foodchain is the 5.7l Hemi with Chrysler Group's cylinder deactivation technology (MDS - Multi-Displacement System).
In addition, Dodge has announced that 2008 will see the 5.7l Hemi paired with a 2-mode hybrid drive system co-developed with the BMW group and General Motors. This is expected to provide a 25% economy improvement over the standard MDS equipped Hemi.
We find it odd that Dodge won't be offering this hybrid system with a smaller engine to provide even greater economy (especially the 1-2 punch of offering it with the E85-friendly 4.6l V-8). Of course, since the hybrid system they will be offering places the electric motors in the transmission case and would not require much packaging consideration to expand its offering to the other engines - these changes could come quickly if the market demands.
Improved economy and better looks? That should help Dodge move a few more of their big utes in an increasingly tight market.
Autoshow Season - New Audi TT breaks cover
Geez...some companies are just _so_ too good for autoshow debuts.Instead of waiting like every other self-respecting auto company, Audi decided to unveil their new TT coupe to the world in a special event, broadcast on the Internet live from Berlin.
Now, we finally have official pics of a car that spy photos had left little to the imagination of for weeks now.
No real surprises in this new TT except maybe that the V-6 Quattro model will finally be available with a standard 6-speed manual in addition to the previous model's DSG...one of many reasons (not the least of which is a lack of funds) that I didn't consider the previous V-6 TT to be a worthy sports car for my shopping list...The new TT, as you may have already heard is now 5 inches longer and 3 inches wider, as well as slightly less pure of form than the first generation car - of course, it would have been practically impossible for Audi to improve on the artistic wonder that was the original TT coupe, a car that many thought would/could never be produced, so bold were the lines and shapes of the original show car.
Interior-wise, the new car has many of the same cues, but again with a little less daring and purity (note the triangular 'bracing' that the original TT used, in metal, on either side of the center stack is now rendered in plastic - a mere shadow of its former beauty).Will the new TT sell - of course. With its larger interior, it is sure to capture a few more folks who found the former car too small for their tastes. The extra power and refinement is also sure to attract a few more. It is just a shame that in the interests of change, that the TT has been forced to get bigger - even if its new aluminum/steel space frame have kept weight gain in check and new, more powerful engines have given Audi more impressive performance numbers to sprinkle in their press releases and brochures - and less edgy in its design.
Of course, most current generation Audi's suffer from this stylistic watering-down from the early 21st century highs (the new, giant grills are one example; excess surface detailing is yet another).
We'll reserve final judgment until we start to hear from folks who have driven the new car. But even if it is the best new coupe, dynamically - it just isn't the same.
GM fights back against Tahoe bashing in online commercial contest
By now, you've likely heard that GM has received some less-than-glowing entries in its contest to create your own Tahoe commercial at http://www.chevyapprentice.com
Several commercials slam the big ute specifically and often GM as a whole for even producing such a beast.
Now, in the GM Fastlane blog, Chevy General Manager Ed Peper has fired back with a fairly reasoned response as well as why they don't think 1. that the Tahoe is as bad as these people say and 2. how them not pulling the faux ads isn't a sign of being asleep at the switch.
Really, it is funny to think that some folks are attacking what is arguably the most efficient of the big utes just because the contest made it easy.
Take a look Mr. Peper's open letter to these folks at:
GM FastLane Blog: Now that we've got your attention
Several commercials slam the big ute specifically and often GM as a whole for even producing such a beast.
Now, in the GM Fastlane blog, Chevy General Manager Ed Peper has fired back with a fairly reasoned response as well as why they don't think 1. that the Tahoe is as bad as these people say and 2. how them not pulling the faux ads isn't a sign of being asleep at the switch.
Really, it is funny to think that some folks are attacking what is arguably the most efficient of the big utes just because the contest made it easy.
Take a look Mr. Peper's open letter to these folks at:
GM FastLane Blog: Now that we've got your attention
BLS and GM's reaction to recent reports on their Euro strategy...
GM's Fastlane Blog has a post setting the record straight about recent reports on Cadillac's sales targets in Europe for both the Cadillac brand as a whole as well as the new BLS sedan that just launched (finally).In case you've forgotten, the BLS is a front-drive, sub-CTS Cadillac developed from the Epsilon chassis (the same platform used by the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra, Pontiac G6, upcoming Saturn Aura, and the Chevy Malibu) It is not currently slated for the North American market - though reports are that a 2nd generation Epsilon-based BLS w/ all-wheel drive may make the trip later this decade.
Cadillac is targetting 20k sales in Europe per year by the end of the decade, 10k of which are expected to be the new BLS.
It appears that some reporters have mistakenly heard the 10k number as a suggestion that Cadillac is backing away from their previous 20k/year goal rather than a clarification of how they were going to get there...read all about it at GM's blog for further info:
http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2006/04/cadillac_bls_hi_1.html