Daily Archives: June 30, 2018
2019 Dodge Charger Gets Performance Upgrades
Large sedans are still in competition with crossovers. Lest we forget about them, Dodge came up with fresh aesthetics and performance upgrades for the 2019 Charger. Sure, we’ve been preoccupied with the Redeye, but we’re sure Dodge has not forgotten that the Charger used to get plenty of attention, too.
For 2019, the high-performing variants of the Dodge Charger will get a new grille with dual air inlets. The grille, however, will only be available with the R/T Scat Pack and Hellcat. The two models will also receive as standard Launch Assist, which can detect driveline-damaging wheel hop at launch and modifies the engine torque to regain grip.
Same with the Challenger SRT Demon, the Charger SRT Hellcat will also receive the After-Run Chiller and the Torque Reserve, as well as new options like the Brass Monkey 20-inch forged wheels, a Satin Black hood, and an Alcantara package. The latter will bring a suede-like material to the sedan’s seats and steering wheel.
The R/T Scat Pack buyers can also opt to have the Bilstein adaptive damping suspension with modes such as Auto, Sport, and Track. There are new exterior colors available and there’s a new Launch Control switch placed on the dashboard.
Performance
There are many different engines for the Charger: the base model gets the 292-horsepower V-6 engine while the Hellcat has a 707-horsepower V-8 engine.
The base model, called the SXT, will come with an all-wheel-drive system, while the new GT gets a rear-drive system. The GT and R/T models, on the other hand, will receive a performance hood, side sills, fascia, and spoiler for the higher variants.
Performance suspension, improved steering, Dodge Performance Pages Pages with the 8.4-inch Uconnect screen, performance bolstered seats, and 20-inch Satin Carbon wheels and Black Noise wheel options are standard for the two trim levels.
The GT gets a top speed of 130 mph while the R/T gets 150 mph.
3 Things We Noticed In The 2019 Kia Proceed GT
The five-door 2019 Kia Proceed GT was just spotted in the open, and we now have a pretty clear idea of how the fastback is going to look like once it’s revealed at the 2018 Paris Motor Show in October.
To be clear, Kia hasn’t exactly confirmed when the release will be, but all signals point to the Paris Auto Show.
Exterior
The spy shots of Motor1 show the upcoming Proceed GT with a covered front section, doors, and rear section. But thanks to a bit of wild imagining, we got a pretty good idea of how the auto is going to look like without all that wrap.
The front grille will be the traditional Kia grille, though with the “GT” badge on it. The headlamps are the same as the regular Ceed, and the side air intakes, huge alloy wheels, and red brake calipers all point to a car with serious sporting credentials.
The Proceed is very much a fastback, thanks to the sweeping roof that extends to the rear section. There are large taillights at the rear, including a pair of exhaust tips on opposite ends of the sedan.
Interior
We didn’t get many snaps of the Proceed’s interior, but let’s just say that it will be similar to the concept, which had a 50s-inspired, retro-style cabin. The concept had Kia changing the color of the instrument cluster depending on the driving mode. It also had a carbon fiber spine that runs up to the front seat. We don’t know if these are exactly what we’d come to expect from Kia, but this or a more traditional cabin will be more than enough for fans.
Powertrain
Kia said that the Proceed GT will get a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that can deliver around 200 horsepower.
This figure could change as production day nears, but it’s doubtful that the South Korean automaker would bring more power to the Proceed GT. If it will, the five-door fastback will officially step on the Stinger’s toes. The Stinger has a 2.0-liter engine that produces 255 ponies.
3 Things You Should Know About The 2019 Porsche 911 Speedster
Though it’s about to retire, nothing could stop Porsche from fitting the current-generation 911. Spy photos of an uncovered Porsche 911 Speedster have been revealed by TopSpeed, and let’s just say, the sports car looks absolutely sexy.
Exterior
Save for its soft top, the two-seater 911 Speedster followed the styling cues of the 911 GT3, which is available in coupe only. The bumper is identical to the GT3 with its large vents on the sides and wide intake on the middle.
And just like the GT3, the rear fenders are wider, which is enough to house the middle-mounted exhaust with two pipes. The engine lid has a unique and interesting-looking spoiler, but this could change as the car nears production.
Interior
The interior of the 911 Speedster will be better than the 911 Carrera. That’s about the only info we can get from the rumors. The interior can be a cross between the standard 911 and the GT3, and it could have the standard features available for the Carrera T. These features are the Sport Seats Plus package that carries with it sportier, four-way adjustable seats with integrated headrests and contrast stitching.
When it comes to the technology available, we’re pretty sure that the 911 Speedster will be fitted with the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system with online navigation and real-time traffic information, the Connect Plus module, and the Track Precision app.
Performance
The new model will most probably carry the same engine as the Carrera GTS, though this will fail to be faster because it lacks the aerodynamics. The 3.0-liter flat-six engine should give 450 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. It will be paired to a seven-speed PDK transmission that will enable the Speedster to reach 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
The Speedster will cost more than the 911 GT3 because there will only be 1,948 units produced. The Speedster might cost a whopping $150,000 before options.
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Has The Stuff Speed Lovers Only Dream About
While Dodge has put an end to the insane Challenger SRT Demon that only had a limited production, it now has the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. It’s not as powerful as the 840 horses that the Demon had, but it received many of the same upgrades as its twin.
There are going to be two models for the car: the SRT Hellcat and the SRT Hellcat Redeye. Focusing a bit on the Redeye variant, it will have 797 horsepower (the regular Hellcat only has 717 horses) and 707 pound-feet of torque. It is an insanely powerful machine that is challenging the limits to what’s legal on the road.
The power of the Hellcat Redeye comes from a 6.2-liter V-8 engine. Now that the Demon has been laid to rest, the Redeye is the “most powerful production V-8,” Dodge said. The Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.4 seconds. It can also reach 131 mph in just a quarter mile time of 10.8 seconds.
Other details include a larger 2.7-liter supercharger, up to 14.5 psi, a higher redline (up to 6,500 rpm), and dual-stage fuel pumps. There’s also going to be a new dual-snorkel hood and an Air Catcher headlamp on the driver’s side of the fascia.
There are other upgrades that separate the Hellcat Redeye from the Demon, though. There’s going to be a Widebody Package for Challenger R/T Scat Pack models. The package will give the muscle car an extra 3.5 inches of width, a plus-sized six-pot front brakes from Brembo, extra wide wheels and tires, and a new suspension.
Production of the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye will begin this fall and deliveries will start by the fourth quarter. There will be no limits to the production of the Redeye, unlike the Demon.
2019 Lincoln Nautilus Receives More Room, Co-Pilot 360, New Engine
The Lincoln Nautilus has officially replaced the brand’s MKX crossover, which was the best-seller Lincoln in the US. The Nautilus gets a lot of new stuff from Lincoln, including a new base engine, a mesh grille, chrome accents, standard equipment, and the price increase.
The Nautilus now carries a starting price tag of $40,340, plus $995 for the destination charges. That’s a total of $41,335. It’s a price bump of $1,305 over the MKX. If you have $255 more, you can get the base model of the Cadillac TX5. Want the optional all-wheel drive? You have to shell out an extra $2,495.
The entry-level Nautilus sheds off the “Premier” tag, but the Select, Reserve, and Black Label trims remain.
The legroom and the headroom for the new Nautilus are arguably the best in the industry, according to Lincoln. Standard to all models are the 10-way power seats, a 12.3-inch digital dash, an eight-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sync 3, and 18-inch wheels.
The Select, priced at $45,540, gets leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, and LED fog lights. The Reserve, which gets a price tag of $49,870, adds climate control on the seats, a panoramic roof, a 13-inch Revel audio system, and finished it all of with 20-inch wheels.
Finally, the Black Label trim upgrades those seats to Venetian leather and Alcantara headliner. It also has 19-speaker Revel Ultima stereo and 21-inch aluminum wheels.
The standard engine is the low-powered 2.0-liter, twin-turbo, four-cylinder EcoBoost that produces 245 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. This, along with all the engines available, is paired with Ford’s new eight-speed automatic while the EcoBoost comes with the start/stop button.
The engine available on the upper trims is the 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 ponies and 380 pound-feet of torque.
The range also gets the Co-Pilot 360. Meaning, the car now packs the following features: automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a backup camera, and blind-spot information with cross-traffic alert.
