2013
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It may seem like the life of a traveling auto writer is all unicorns, rainbows, and thumping V-8s (or V-10s or V-12s), but track-testing a new car can be tough. You have to learn a new track as you learn a new car, typically in a very short period of time and in a limited number of laps. In high-horsepower, expensive cars, the risk factor rises even higher. But sometimes, it can be borderline magical. A couple of weeks ago at the Streets of Willow, the tight, small course set off to one side of the famous Willow Springs Raceway, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT was my unicorn, and it spread...
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A. Kahn Design’s 2013 Range Rover Is Bespoke Tuning At Its Best
Land Rover specialist A. Kahn Design finally gets its hands on the 2013 Range Rover.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan Goes Stock Car Racing, Australian Style: Video
Though the Australian V8 Supercar Series and our own NASCAR series are radically different forms of racing, the two series share more than a few common elements. Both base racing cars on popular production sedans, both rely on highly-tuned V-8 engines for power and both use a front-engine...
Kurt Ernst -
2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman ALL4 First Drive Video
Puerto Rico probably isn't the first place you think of when you think about great driving roads--or driving at all for that matter. Beaches, beer, sun, sand, and time away from work and the daily stresses of life--that's what Puerto Rico is usually about. But not today. No, today it's about the...
Nelson Ireson -
Elon Musk Refutes New York Times Tesla Model S Review: Video
The task for The New York Times' contributor John M. Broder sounded simple enough: to highlight Tesla’s newly-installed Supercharger Stations at Interstate 95 rest stops in Newark, Delaware and Milford, Connecticut, Broder was to drive a Tesla Model S with an 85 kilowatt-hour battery from...
Kurt Ernst -
Nissan’s Project 370Z Throws Down Against Its Fans: Video
Last year, Nissan solicited social media feedback to build the ultimate track-day 370Z, an event it dubbed “Project 370Z.” The idea was to gather the knowledge of Nissan Z owners and fans, then use readily-available aftermarket parts to construct a seriously fast 370Z. To bump output...
Kurt Ernst -
Strong global demand for the new Range Rover means you may need to wait up to a year for delivery.
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2013 Dodge Challenger R/T Redline: Chicago Auto Show Preview & Live Photos
For 2013, the Dodge Challenger R/T gets a new Redline appearance package.
Nelson Ireson -
Limited Edition Mopar ’13 Dodge Dart Debuts In Chicago
Chrysler’s parts and accessories division, Mopar, sells a dizzying array of products for all of the Chysler Group vehicles, and each year the Mopar division works its magic on one limited-production vehicle. At this year’s Chicago Auto Show, the Chrysler Group rolled out the Mopar...
Kurt Ernst -
Superman-Inspired Kia Optima Hybrid: 2013 Chicago Auto Show
Although Kia apparently missed the memo from 1996 that under-car neon lights are no longer cool, the overall effect of this Superman-inspired Kia Optima Hybrid is right on target--if that target is looking like it came straight from a comic book. Of course, a comic book is where Superman...
Nelson Ireson -
SRT Adds 'Core' Performance Models To Its Catalog
The idea behind the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee is a simple one: focus on the performance and handling aspects of the car, while reducing luxury content to keep the price attractive to the enthusiast buyer on a budget. SRT is now applying this less-is-more philosophy to the Challenger SRT8...
Kurt Ernst -
Volkswagen Debuts Limited Edition GTI Models In Chicago
A new Volkswagen GTI is expected to debut in 2014, but that doesn’t mean that the German automaker has forgotten about the current Mark VI GTI. Announced today are two limited-edition four-door GTI models designed to appeal to buyers looking to add a bit of exclusivity to their driving...
Kurt Ernst -
Last year’s Subaru WRX and WRX STI Special Editions have just been priced, with the most affordable model only costing $500 more than the price of the standard model on which it's based. Pricing on the 2013 Subaru WRX Special Edition will set you back just $28,795, which is only $500 more than the standard WRX Premium. The WRX STI Special Edition, meanwhile, will set you back $34,795, which is also just a $500 increase on the price of the stock WRX STI. If you’re interested, you had better act fast as Subaru plans to limit these special editions to just 300 units in total, 200 of...
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Subaru’s BRZ Even Makes Grocery Runs Fun: Video
When you pad into the kitchen first thing in the morning, only to find out you’re low on milk, do you silently glow with an inner joy as you reach for the car keys? Are you plotting every inch of your route to buy milk, thinking about things like pavement transitions and power-on oversteer?...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW Z4 Featured In Upcoming ‘Warm Bodies’ Zombie Love Story
The zombie meme is now officially played out. What more-or-less began as a George A. Romero gore-fest in 1973’s Night of the Living Dead has been turned into countless novels and graphic novels, a successful television series and too many movies to count (including the summer-2013 presumed...
Kurt Ernst -
To Make Up Lost Luxury Market Sales, Lincoln Expedites MKZ’s Launch
In January, luxury car sales in the United States were up, and generally by a large margin over prior year. Cadillac delivered 47 percent more cars than it did in 2012, while Porsche delivered a 32 percent gain. Lexus was up by nearly 27 percent, followed by Acura (13.2 percent), Mercedes-Benz...
Kurt Ernst -
Lincoln Readies Its 'Steer The Script' Super Bowl Ad: Video
When Lincoln revealed it would use comedian Jimmy Fallon to write the script for its upcoming Super Bowl ad, based on Twitter submissions about epic road trips from fans, we’ll admit that our first thought was “this isn’t going to end well.” Lincoln, after all, has been...
Kurt Ernst -
Apple's Siri Eyes Free Coming To Acura And Honda Vehicles
If you own a newer Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 6, you probably already know how helpful Siri can be. Though far from flawless, Siri is like a virtual assistant standing by to answer (almost) any question. Apple has been developing a Siri feature called Eyes Free that takes the...
Kurt Ernst -
Volkswagen’s upcoming ad for Super Bowl XLVII doesn’t feature scantily clad bikini models, singing dogs or an adorable pint-sized version of a famous movie villain. There are no pyrotechnics, driving stunts or rock bands, either. Instead, it centers on the quest of a lowly office drone named Dave, who drives a VW Beetle, to improve morale in his workplace. While that’s not particularly controversial in itself, this is: Dave, who’s from Minnesota, speaks with an island patois that some find demeaning to Jamaicans. Worse, one extreme feels that the video portrays...
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2013 Aston Martin DB9 Volante: First Drive and Video Road Test
Winter down south feels like a dental check-up, weeks of built-up dread punctuated just briefly by a cold finger and some mild effluvia. We chatter about it more than we chatter from it. We rail against the seldom-seen sleet. We pre-game the fleeting, fully formed flake that dares drift through the...
Martin Padgett -
2013 SRT Viper Visits Jay Leno's Garage: Video
The new 2013 SRT Viper has barely hit the streets, but it's already slithered its way into Jay Leno's Garage. To be exact, not one, not two, but three new SRT Vipers--along with CEO of SRT and VP of Chrysler Design, Ralph Gilles--dropped by Leno's place, giving Jay the opportunity to see the new...
Joel Feder -
Forbidden Fruit: Subaru BRZ RA Racing
If you believe that Europe and Japan get all the cool cars while we’re relegated to sloppy seconds, the newly-announced Subaru BRZ RA Racing probably won’t make you any happier. Like stripped tuner and racing versions already announced by Toyota and Subaru, the Subaru BRZ RA Racing...
Kurt Ernst -
Ford Gives Away Its Third ‘Mustang Customizer’ Car: Video
So far, Ford has delivered a Mustang GT and a Mustang Shelby GT500 to winners of its “Mustang Customizer” contest. To refresh your memory on the contest details, the Mustang Customizer website allowed fans to build a unique car, then throw down against others to accumulate points. For...
Kurt Ernst -
Vote For How Audi's Super Bowl Ad Will End: Video
Audi has had a pretty good run of luck with its recent Super Bowl advertising. In 2011, they asked viewers to say goodnight to stuffy, pretentious luxury and embrace the modern take on it by buying an Audi instead of a Mercedes-Benz. Based on the increase in Audi’s U.S. sales, we’d say...
Kurt Ernst