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Motor Authority - blog Category: Wagons

  • Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up

    Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up November 4th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, November 4th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 1 Comment

    Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up

    The Chrysler plan has been spilling across the web all day long now, but as it winds down into its death throes (the plan, not the company) we have the latest on how they plan to rev things back up to redline, in terms of sales, brand awareness and product interest.

    The key element, as always, will be producing stellar product. To that end, Chrysler will be tapping Fiat's product line heavily. The exterior of the cars will still strongly reflect Chrysler heritage and design, but the interiors and their underpinnings will be much more Fiat in origin.

    The first major plans include a complete reshaping of the Avenger--just short of an all-new...

    The Chrysler plan has been spilling across the web all day long now, but as it winds down into its death throes (the plan, not the company) we have the latest on how they plan to rev things back up to redline, in terms of sales, brand awareness and product interest. The key element, as always, will be producing stellar product. To that end, Chrysler will be tapping Fiat's product line heavily. The exterior of the cars will still strongly reflect Chrysler heritage and design, but the interiors and their underpinnings will be much more Fiat in origin. The first major plans include a complete reshaping of the Avenger--just short of an all-new model--for the fourth quarter of 2010. An all-new Sebring will follow in 2013. Also coming in the fourth quarter of 2010 will be the updated 2011 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. For 2012, a new compact sedan, sourced from Fiat and intended to fill the C-segment slot vacated by the PT Cruiser, which ends its long run in 2010. 2013 sees the addition of a B-segment small car imported from Europe and built by Fiat Group operations, designed to target the premium small-car segment. That same year, a midsize crossover will join the ranks, also sourced from a Fiat platform but built in the U.S. In the nearer term, a number of special-edition cars, including 300 Sport Edition sedan, a Town & Country Fashion Edition, a PT Cruiser Final Edition,  and a Sebring Ocean Edition. These cars will add a near-term sheen to the brand as the new leadership ramps up the deeper, more meaningful changes. Sometime during 2010, we'll also see the launch of the new 2011 Chrysler 300 sedan. For more on that car, read up on our coverage here. [Chrysler] Read More

  • Acura Announces 2011 TSX Sport Wagon To Arrive In Fall 2010

    Acura Announces 2011 TSX Sport Wagon To Arrive In Fall 2010 October 28th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 28th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 4 Comments

    Acura Announces 2011 TSX Sport Wagon To Arrive In Fall 2010

    Back in August we brought you news that Acura was considering a TSX wagon for the U.S., and today, Acura has confirmed that it will indeed be bringing the car Stateside by late 2010.

    Known elsewhere in the world as the Accord Euro Touring wagon, the Acura version will be called the TSX Sport Wagon. The TSX Sport Wagon will join the slightly larger 2010 Acura ZDX crossover as a new form factor for the notoriously small brand.

    Adding a bit more utility to the already very good TSX sedan makes a lot of sense, especially as crossovers and their spiritual ancestors--wagons--worm they way back into the hearts of Americans.

    Though the TSX is a...

    Back in August we brought you news that Acura was considering a TSX wagon for the U.S., and today, Acura has confirmed that it will indeed be bringing the car Stateside by late 2010. Known elsewhere in the world as the Accord Euro Touring wagon, the Acura version will be called the TSX Sport Wagon. The TSX Sport Wagon will join the slightly larger 2010 Acura ZDX crossover as a new form factor for the notoriously small brand. Adding a bit more utility to the already very good TSX sedan makes a lot of sense, especially as crossovers and their spiritual ancestors--wagons--worm they way back into the hearts of Americans. Though the TSX is a notch down in size from cars like the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate, it's premium positioning and slightly lower pricing might make it more attractive to younger buyers looking for an aspirational purchase. No details on the car have yet been revealed, but expect it to be a doppelganger for the TSX sedan, with similar or identical powertrain and options packages, including the available 201-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 280-horsepower V-6 engines. [Acura] Read More

  • 2010 Acura ZDX Makes Official Production Debut at Orange County Auto Show

    2010 Acura ZDX Makes Official Production Debut at Orange County Auto Show October 15th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 15th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 5 Comments

    2010 Acura ZDX Makes Official Production Debut at Orange County Auto Show

    The Orange County Auto Show may not be on your radar--it may not be on anyone's radar--but that's where Acura chose to officially release the production version of the 2010 ZDX coupe/sedan/crossover.

    Not much new info accompanies the car's production debut, though the photography gives us an incredibly detailed look at all its nooks and crannies as they'll be when the ZDX hits showroom floors this winter. The ZDX was initially unveiled at the New York Auto Show back in March, but the design wasn't officially production-ready at that point.

    The ZDX will be positioned between the MDX SUV and RL sedan according to Acura, putting it's likely...

    The Orange County Auto Show may not be on your radar--it may not be on anyone's radar--but that's where Acura chose to officially release the production version of the 2010 ZDX coupe/sedan/crossover. Not much new info accompanies the car's production debut, though the photography gives us an incredibly detailed look at all its nooks and crannies as they'll be when the ZDX hits showroom floors this winter. The ZDX was initially unveiled at the New York Auto Show back in March, but the design wasn't officially production-ready at that point. The ZDX will be positioned between the MDX SUV and RL sedan according to Acura, putting it's likely retail price somewhere between $40,000 and $46,000 to start. EPA estimated fuel economy is tipped to hit 16/22 mpg. For the full run-down on the all-wheel drive, 3.7-liter, 300-horsepower segment-bender, check out our preview of the 2010 ZDX here. And if you're in the area, you can head over to the Orange County Auto Show to see the car in person today through October 18. [Acura] Read More

  • 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate Mega-Gallery

    2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate Mega-Gallery October 14th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 14th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 0 Comments

    2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate Mega-Gallery

    While we in the U.S. will only likely see the E350 4matic version of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate--no rip-snorting 525-horsepower E63 AMG Estate, sadly--it's still one attractive and capable people mover. A huge gallery of photos released this week show off the car in full detail.

    With a 272-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine, the E-Class Estate's nothing to sniff at in the performance department, though it's not an elongated luxury hot hatch, either.

    Some of the upgrades in the 2010 E-Class range include: the Night View Assist Plus pedestrian recognition option that's migrated down from the S-Class; Attention Assist, which helps...

    While we in the U.S. will only likely see the E350 4matic version of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate--no rip-snorting 525-horsepower E63 AMG Estate, sadly--it's still one attractive and capable people mover. A huge gallery of photos released this week show off the car in full detail. With a 272-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine, the E-Class Estate's nothing to sniff at in the performance department, though it's not an elongated luxury hot hatch, either. Some of the upgrades in the 2010 E-Class range include: the Night View Assist Plus pedestrian recognition option that's migrated down from the S-Class; Attention Assist, which helps monitor and alert drowsy drivers; and new adaptive headlights that use a camera on the windshield to re-direct headlight beams away from oncoming traffic when necessary, improving visibility and safety for everyone. Other standard features are what you've come to expect from Mercedes-Benz and luxury carmakers in general: seven airbags, belt tensioners, active head restraints, an active hood for pedestrian protection, and a wide range of interior options and high-tech entertainment and information systems. Read up on our previous coverage for a complete rundown on the 2010 E-Class or the new Estate, or just hit the gallery above and enjoy the scenery. [Mercedes-Benz] Read More

  • Driven: Audi A4 Allroad

    Driven: Audi A4 Allroad October 12th, 2009 By Michael Frank Michael Frank, Author, October 12th, 2009 Michael Frank 4 Comments

    Driven: Audi A4 Allroad

    Americans are their own worst enemies when it comes to car buying. Consider the latest batch of wagon/hatch/crossovers, the Toyota Venza and forthcoming Honda Crosstour; the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo and Acura ZDX. Any and all, in a prior era, would have been called wagons with zero aspartame aftertaste.

    But today wagons don’t sell. The word “wagon” carries the same stigma as “liberal” in America—hence the revival of the “progressive” brand. The labels may change but is anybody really fooled or does it just make folks happier to call themselves progressive Gran Turismo owners instead of...

    Americans are their own worst enemies when it comes to car buying. Consider the latest batch of wagon/hatch/crossovers, the Toyota Venza and forthcoming Honda Crosstour; the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo and Acura ZDX. Any and all, in a prior era, would have been called wagons with zero aspartame aftertaste. But today wagons don’t sell. The word “wagon” carries the same stigma as “liberal” in America—hence the revival of the “progressive” brand. The labels may change but is anybody really fooled or does it just make folks happier to call themselves progressive Gran Turismo owners instead of liberal Volvo/Subaru wagon-drivers? I raise the automotive question (and table the political one) after a week in Switzerland and Germany driving the splendid 2010 Audi A4 Avant Allroad with a 3.0-liter TDI, a car that likely will never make it to these shores because it steps too closely near turf reserved for the Q5, even if for purely pragmatic reasons it likely makes more sense and is certainly more fun to drive. With 7.09 inches of ground clearance the Allroad wagon rides 1.5 inches higher than a stock A4 Avant, but at five feet tall is otherwise wagonlike—a full half-foot lower than the Q5, which by the way has 7.9 inches of ground clearance. Oddly and tellingly, neither Audi is a match for the 2010 Subaru Outback, which with 8.7 inches of ground clearance and a height nearly equivalent to that of the Q5 must be the tallest “wagon” in history. Still, we can’t blame Subaru for making its Outback a skyscraper or Audi for chasing the same audience with the Q5; height is an attribute Americans still prefer in their cars, even if making an Outback or any other vehicle taller makes it less dynamically capable. That Subaru isn’t tall because our roads have suddenly turned to Chilean mountain pass rubble but because our wagon phobias — "People might think I have kids if I drive a wagon, eek!" — are ever-present. In a word, this is lame. Too-tall is less fun, less efficient, less pragmatic. Whereas a vehicle that rides at the Allroad’s height splits the difference between having a little bit more ski-car prowess without completely neutering sports-wagon pretension, a vehicle like the Q5 or VW Tiguan adds more mass while dinging fuel economy, with little if any more utility to show for the height gain. Consider that the Allroad weighs 644 pounds less than the Q5 (3,600 lb vs 4,244 lb) but only gives up seven cubic feet of stowage capacity behind the front seats. The good, the low, the wide The A4 Allroad is only “light” when weighed against similar-capacity crossovers but in that field it proves that a lower, wider base is always a better starting point. With a longer overall wheelbase and wider track than the outgoing A4 Avant (and the track of the Allroad is yet wider by .79 in. than the 2010 Avant) this car can be pushed through hard stints of very tight cornering with little worry save managing increased understeer. The steps to such hooliganism require the following: 1.  A low-trafficked European roundabout. 2.  Adjusting the Audi Drive Select system to its most aggressive throttle, suspension stiffness, and steering modes. 3. Snapping off ESP (not fully off, actually; more below). 4. Now watch your mirrors for the cops and barrel around at a breakneck pace until you’re laughing your ass off. It helps that our tester also came with Audi’s incredible S-tronic seven-speed paddle shift manual gearbox that can flick off gear changes in a few HUNDREDTHS OF SECOND, and even skip gears during downshifts to the highest possible gear. (In the U.S. you’ll see this transmission in the forthcoming S4.)And while the prior six-speed DSG we tested (on a VW) was probably the first automated paddle shift system to make “real” manuals seem obsolete, the contest is fully over with S-tronic. Audi/VW, you win. Also good is that Audi’s latest quattro biases torque split toward the rear wheels, 40 front/60 rear (and up to 65 percent front or 85 percent rear in low traction instances), so in default circumstances the Allroad drives like a rear-wheel drive car. In cases of poor grip the Allroad features a less sensitive Offroad Detection mode (ORD) which keeps revs a little higher for more instant deceleration on downshifts and even allows near-lockup of the brakes, since locked brakes on loose surfaces build up more material in front of the tires and in turn the car stops more quickly. A similar system on the VW Touareg is called ABSPlus. While the exterior of the Allroad looks the brawnified Avant, the inside is pure posh Audi, with a full-tilt mix of Audi’s classic soft-touch surface treatments for dash, door handles and center console and lightly chromed rims surround vents and instruments. Audi, like all cars sold in Europe, allows much greater customization there so customers get myriad options for surface treatments, with sport seats as an option, and trim in aluminum or several wood grains. Why not for the U.S.? The Allroad would just be too expensive for America. You can blame a weak dollar or the fact that for too long big cars have also been relatively cheap in this country. Or perhaps its a matter of sheer volume; if Audi could shift tens of thousands of Allroads the price could be cheaper. As it stands even with the “base” engine-2.0-liter TFSI—in the U.S. that’s also the base engine for the 2010 A4 and A5—the Allroad would run $54,000. That’s way more expensive than the base Q5, at $37,200. The sticker for the Allroad we tested with a 3.0-liter TDI is a fierce $70,000. Yeah, it launches the car to 60 mph in about 6.4 seconds and yet still gets a combined fuel economy of 33 mpg (we averaged slightly better than that). And it’s compelling that the 367 lb-ft of torque from the 3.0-liter diesel bests that of Audi’s 4.2-liter V-8 gas motor and hits hard at just 1,500 rpm, but there’s no U.S. consumer who would pay that much for the added torque or better mileage. Even the 2.0-liter TDI would retail for $60k in U.S. dollars and while that gets an even better combined 37 mpg (vs. 20 mpg combined for the Q5) this is still too steep a sticker unless gas goes up to $5 a gallon. All that argues against an A4 Allroad for America, unfortunately. Then again, Audi has been one of the few brands of late that seems to "get" American tastes for flat-out gorgeous cars. My bet is those who buy the Volvo XC70 and Subaru Outback don't prefer to be seen as less sexy, it's just that there's no other choice on the market..... Are you listening, Audi? Read More

  • Toyota, Lexus Floor Mats Now Recalled: 3.8M Vehicles Affected

    Toyota, Lexus Floor Mats Now Recalled: 3.8M Vehicles Affected October 6th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 6th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 4 Comments

    Toyota, Lexus Floor Mats Now Recalled: 3.8M Vehicles Affected

    Last week Toyota issued a safety advisory on a number of Lexus and Toyota-brand vehicles for a problem with the floor mats that could potentially cause the accelerator to become stuck, creating a safety hazard. This week, the Toyota has termed the issue as a recall, affecting up to 3.8 million vehicles.

    According to a report from the Detroit News, a letter from Toyota to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated the company is "willing to identify this campaign as a safety recall," though it went on to note that Toyota has not concluded the vehicles affected "contain a safety-related defect."

    The vehicles with the...

    Last week Toyota issued a safety advisory on a number of Lexus and Toyota-brand vehicles for a problem with the floor mats that could potentially cause the accelerator to become stuck, creating a safety hazard. This week, the Toyota has termed the issue as a recall, affecting up to 3.8 million vehicles. According to a report from the Detroit News, a letter from Toyota to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated the company is "willing to identify this campaign as a safety recall," though it went on to note that Toyota has not concluded the vehicles affected "contain a safety-related defect." The vehicles with the problematic floor mats include: the 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 and the 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and 350. Other Toyota vehicles within the scope of the recall include: the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, and the 2007-2010 Tundra. Toyota's recall was made in reaction to a tragic accident in California that cost four people their lives. The August accident involved a dealership loaner car, a Lexus ES. The driver's lack of familiarity with the car's controls likely made it difficult to react in time to avoid the fatal rollover. For those with affected vehicles, Toyota recommends removing the floor mats immediately and not replacing them with anything else. It has also suggested a course of action should a driver choose not to remove the mats and encounters the stuck accelerator issue:         Should the vehicle continue to accelerate rapidly after releasing the accelerator pedal, this could be an indication of floor mat interference.  If this occurs, Toyota recommends the driver take the following actions: First, if it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the vehicle. If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle. Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine. If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button. If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel. In the event owners choose not to remove their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com. Owners with questions or concerns, are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com Read More

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