2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Spied

What It Is: A 2014 Bentley Continental Flying Spur—the four-door sibling of the Continental GT coupe and GTC convertible—caught while testing wearing fake Mercedes S-class camouflage. A lot of spy photos come through our email inboxes, but few prove as entertaining as these shots of the next Flying Spur. Not only did Bentley stick on some pseudo-Benz head- and taillights, but it went so far as to affix bulging fender flares similar to those on the current S-class. Looking past this Bentley’s drag, it’s clear that the Flying Spur will inherit the same basic stylistic upgrades that hit the 2011 Continental GT and 2012 GTC. 

Why It Matters: Bentley’s entry-level sedan has been on sale in the same form since 2005—that’s quite the product cycle. It’s an especially long lifespan when you consider the stratospheric sandbox in which the Flying Spur competes; rich or poor, people tend to crave the latest and greatest, and that counts double when customers need to shell out nearly $200,000. Mix in the competition that appeared since the Spur first went on sale—the Rolls-Royce Ghost (which beat the Flying Spur Speed in a comparison test), the Aston Martin Rapide, and the upcoming Pullman version of the next Mercedes-Benz S-class—and a freshened Flying Spur becomes even more important for Bentley. 

Powertrain: The Flying Spur will again offer a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 engine with output increasing from 552 hp to 567 for the normal sedan; the hi-po Speed model should see its W-12 jump from 600 hp to 616. (Both increases already were applied to the redesigned two-door W-12 Continentals.) It’s likely that Bentley will add the same 500-hp, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 that’s found in “base” versions of the GT and GTC. It remains to be seen whether Bentley will position this model as a sporty Flying Spur variant or a fuel-economy special; either way, the V-8 does provide a tangible efficiency benefit for the GT, which would translate to the four-door. Regardless of which engine powers it, the 2014 Flying Spur will continue to offer only all-wheel drive.

Competition: Aston Martin Rapide, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Mercedes-Benz S-class AMG.

Estimated Arrival Time and Price: The upgraded Continental Flying Spur should appear sometime next year as a 2014 model. As with nearly every new car out there, don’t expect the Flying Spur’s base price to go anywhere but up.

View the original article here

Read More

2013 Lincoln MKZ Priced from $36,800

Lincoln’s redesigned 2013 MKZ sedan goes on sale later this fall, and today the company released some pricing details for its newest four-door. The MKZ will start at $36,800; that base price gets you a front-wheel-drive version powered by a 240-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four. The MKZ is available in four trim levels—Premiere, Select, Reserve, and Preferred—and each trim can be had with the base turbo four, an available 300-hp V-6, or a hybrid powertrain. Incidentally, Lincoln will charge the same for the hybrid as for the turbo four, trim level for trim level. Lincoln has not yet revealed pricing for the available V-6 or all-wheel drive. The company did reveal that the MKZ’s available giant retractable panoramic sunroof will cost buyers a cool $2995.

The MKZ’s base price includes a ton of standard techno-goodies like Sync; MyLincoln Touch with an eight-inch center touch screen; Lincoln Drive Control, which can alter the adaptive suspension, steering, stability control, Active Noise control, and engine and transmission calibration to specific drive modes; remote start; and LED headlights and taillights. The MKZ concept‘s pushbutton-operated transmission survived the transition from design fantasy to production reality, and is standard on all models. More details on the MKZ’s four trim levels, minus pricing, can be found below:

MKZ Premiere: $36,800 (All of the standard equipment listed above.)MKZ Select adds: rearview camera, wood steering wheel, ambient lighting, rear park sensors, HD radioMKZ Reserve adds: navigation with voice recognition, blind-spot monitoring system, rear cross-traffic alert, power-opening trunk, cooled seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheelMKZ Preferred adds: 19-inch polished aluminum wheels, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, 110-volt power outlet, upgraded THX II audio system, premium floor mats,At least in terms of base pricing, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ starts only slightly higher than the $35,630 required to take home the outgoing 2012 model. The new sedan’s price barely undercuts that of the $36,995 Lexus ES350, its key competition; the no-extra-cost hybrid model slides in a significant $2945 less than the $39,745 commanded by the ES300h hybrid. The four-cylinder MKZ’s estimated 22-mpg city and 33-mpg highway fuel-economy numbers better the ES350's 21/31 figures, but Lincoln has yet to reveal estimates for the front-drive V-6 model. (All-wheel-drive V-6 MKZs are estimated to return 18/26 mpg; Lexus does not sell an all-wheel-drive ES350.) MKZ hybrid fuel-economy predictions also are forthcoming.

View the original article here

Read More

MINI Prepares us for the New Paceman Crossover

You know it is only a matter of time before the presentation of a new model when a carmaker drops pictures of a barely camouflaged prototype as MINI did on Tuesday with the Paceman.

The new images show the three-door crossover model with only parts of the rear end covered in the traditional swirly livery we have come to expect from Mini's engineers over the past few years. 

Not that we're surprised, mind you, as back in April, Kay Segler, Senior Vice President MINI Brand Management, had confirmed the name of the new model and announced that the Paceman would be presented in a "few months’ time and launched onto the market in 2013".

"The MINI Paceman is the world’s first Sports Activity Coupé in the premium compact segment. It combines a clear appetite for extravagance and infectious driving fun in a style that only a MINI could pull off with such authenticity,” Segler said during the aforementioned press conference. 

What we get from these latest pictures is that the production model remains true to the styling of the Paceman concept previewed at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show, with only some minor changes to the exterior body trim such as the grille and side air vents. 

The Paceman is based on floor structure of the five-door Countryman crossover with the two models also sharing the same engine lineup. 

However, the Paceman is more than a three-door version of the Countryman as Mini's designers have penned a new exterior with a lower and sportier looking roofline, a rising waistline, more muscular rear fenders and a different rear end with bulging tail lights.  

View the original article here

Read More

2012 Volkswagen Passat SEL Long

One of the toughest parts of my job, and yes, there are several, is trying to express to readers the value of a car is not necessarily found in the boxes of a spec chart. While the numbers are important, it's often the qualitative mortar in between the quantitative bricks that tell the story. When talking to friends about our long-term Volkswagen Passat, one of the first things that gets brought up is the 0-60 mph time, which happens to be 9.0 seconds. The Passat is certainly not quick off the line, but once rolling, holds its own. I have been told by a few people that they would never consider the Passat's 2.5 liter because of this stat. Apparently, they're doing more street racing with their family sedans than I am as I have yet to drag race a Camry for money. 

Having put nearly 7000 miles on our Passat, there have been only a few times I really wished for more power. Uphill passing and on our figure-8 course are the only two that immediately come to mind. Generally, however, I am fine with the 170 hp and 177 lb-ft the 2.5-liter I-5 churns out. I merge on the freeway, I turn left across traffic, I survive in L.A. -- one of the fastest, most aggressive driving cities in the country. None of the horrors of a car without 300 hp have befallen me. 

All this refinement, however, might be just in time for its final act. Rumor has it, this engine's days are numbered and a 1.8-liter direct-injected turbocharged I-4 will be taking its place in a couple of years. It will no doubt offer a flatter torque curve, possibly higher power and torque numbers, and better fuel economy. If it's similar to the 2.0T in power delivery, this will totally change entry-level VWs. Until then, VW offers the TDI and the VR6 for the aspiring Vin Diesels with kids. 

View the original article here

Read More

New 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible Carries a Base Price of $60,445

The 2013 Camaro 1LE that bridges the gap between the SS and ZL1 coupes wasn't the only new model to receive a price tag, as according to Autoblog.com, General Motors also announced pricing for the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible during an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday. 

The rag-top version of the ZL1 will start at $60,445 (€49,100), which includes a $900 destination charge (*). That's a $5,450 premium over the current, 2012MY Camaro Coupe priced at $54,995. 

 

Like its coupe brethren, the ZL1 Convertible owes its prowess to a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that delivers 580-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 556 lb.-ft. (754 Nm) of peak torque at 4,200 rpm. The ZL1 is offered with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. 

Chevrolet quotes a zero to 60mph (96km/h) sprint time of four seconds, a top speed of 184mph (296km/h), 11-second quarter-mile ETs (11.93 with the automatic / 11.96 with the manual transmission) and a Nürburgring lap time of 7:41.27 - though we know for a fact that the latter was achieved with a Coupe model and not the Convertible ZL1.   

View the original article here

Read More

Audi Freshens Beautiful R8 Coupe and Spyder for 2013

Audi has revealed the refreshed 2013 R8 and the changes, though minor, nicely update what is one of our favorite sports cars. It may not be readily apparent, but the R8 recently celebrated its fifth birthday—its aggressive-yet-spare styling has aged well. To that end, Audi didn’t mess much with the mid-engine, all-wheel-drive R8’s basic cosmetic goodness. The company also didn’t do much with the mechanicals, including the wonderful V-8 and V-10 engines, although there is a new dual-clutch automatic available. 

The LED Pioneer

Even though Audi has yet to release U.S.-specific information, the updates announced by Audi Europe will carry over to the R8 we get here. The cosmetic changes include new LED headlights and taillights, as well as a tweaked front fascia and grille. The new headlights are full-LED units that incorporate Audi’s latest LED accent strip in place of the old car’s bedazzled eyelashes, which consisted of individual light-emitting diodes. Audi also fitted the R8 with the latest take on its iconic single-frame grille, which features beveled upper corners for more pizazz. The outer front intakes get new accents to match the tweaked grille. 

The R8’s taillights now light up with a pulse of light that runs from the inside to the outside. We must say that these fancy flashers have us as excited as we’ve ever been about blinkers, and we look forward to seeing them in action. Audi previewed this lighting trick on the LED-tastic A2 concept at last year’s Frankfurt auto show. For the closest real-life analogue to these fancy blinkers, think of the sequenced rear-indicator lamps on Ford’s Mustang and you’re pretty much there. 

New Transmission, New Trim Level, Same Engines

The R8’s 430-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 and 525-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 engines both carry over for 2013. The much-beloved, gated six-speed manual transmission also survives—though a stick option won’t make it to the next-gen R8. Audi is swapping last year’s R tronic single-clutch six-speed automatic for a new S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch auto. The new transmission will no doubt be smoother than the old, track-oriented R tronic unit, which tended to be balky on the street. 

We’re quite pleased both engines and a choice in transmission will continue to be offered for 2013: We’ve tested and liked pretty much every current variation of the R8, from the 4.2 Spyder all the way up to the 5.2 coupe; we also have driven—and slept in—the track-ready GT coupe.

There is a new trim level for 2013 called the V10 Plus, but so far it’s only been confirmed for Europe. On paper, the Plus sounds a lot like the current-gen, limited-production R8 GT. The Plus gets a more powerful version of the regular R8’s V-10, upping output to 550 hp; specially tuned springs and dampers; as well as aero and styling upgrades. That’s just 10 fewer ponies than you got in the outgoing GT; the new trim level eschews the GT’s wild rear wing and hard-core, track-focused theme. 

The 2013 Audi R8 goes on sale later this year in Europe, and U.S. availability shouldn’t lag too far behind. We suspect the freshened R8 will make an appearance at an auto show soon—most likely in Paris this fall—but Audi hasn’t yet confirmed an official debut. 

View the original article here

Read More