Monthly Archives: June 2018
3 Things To Know About The 2019 Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet has officially revealed the reborn Chevrolet Blazer in Atlanta. The 2019 model should give the upcoming Ford Bronco a run for its money, but it doesn’t look like it. Though it has an aggressive styling up front, the Blazer was made to look more like a family car rather than an off-road vehicle.
The new Blazer has exchanged its body-on-frame construction featuring a four-wheel drive system with a unibody structure partnered to a front-wheel drive. An all-wheel drive is now only an option. This is basically a two-row, five-seater mid-size SUV that somehow slots between the Equinox and the Traverse in the growing crossover lineup of Chevy.
Exterior
In terms of styling, the Blazer looks like a fusion of a 2019 Acura RDX and a 2019 Chevy Camaro. It has a massive grille, LED daytime running lights, a window line that sweeps upward towards the rear, and a floating roof treatment with blacked-out pillars.
Interior
The rear seats could slide to increase the leg room or the cargo space. If you fold the second row, the Blazer will have a total of 64.2 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
As for the tech stuff, Chevrolet hasn’t announced what will make the Blazer a cut above the rest. But details have emerged that standard to the crossover SUV would be an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4G LTE connectivity that allows Wi-Fi hotspot, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, an electronically lockable glovebox, a cargo management system, wireless smartphone charging, 6 USB ports, a hands-free power liftgate, and a panoramic twin-pane sunroof.
There are safety features, too, such as adaptive cruise control and a rear camera mirror. These will be available in the RS and Premier models.
Powertrain
There are two available options right now in terms of power. The first one is coming from a 2.5-liter inline-4 that can produce 193 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque. That’s the base model. Those who need more power might want the 3.6-liter V-6 engine that produces 305 horses and 269 pound-feet of torque. Both engines will be paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Photo Source: Roadshow
S Appearance Package Adds Oomph To The 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
If you want to look cool while picking up your kids from soccer practice or hauling groceries to the trunk of your new minivan, then you should probably check out the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid that just got the S Appearance Package treatment.
This July, the automaker will start offering the minivan in the S Appearance package. The success of that same package being offered in the gasoline combustion version of the auto last fall triggered the decision to introduce the upgrades also in the hybrid version of the Chrysler Pacifica.
The updates will mostly be the same as on the gas versions. Buyers of the S package will get the same exterior gloss black accents, including grille surrounds, eyebrow headlamp accents, and window and rear valance moldings. The Chrysler wing badges, placed on the front and rear, are done also in black for the hybrid version, it comes with a special teal insert to highlight the green accents. There’s also the “Black Noise” finish on the Pacifica, S, and eHybrid badges, and the black roof rack and 18-inch wheels will come as standard.
The interior of the S Appearance package has black seats with gray accents, as well as the S logo, light gray stitching, and black accents on the wheel. There are also light gray stitching and the Anodized Ice Cave bezels on the instrument panel and the door trim. If we didn’t mention what element of the cabin you are waiting for, know that it has been wrapped in black. Everything, except for the contrast stitching and badges, has been blacked out.
The S Appearance Package on the 2019 Pacifica Hybrid models can be had with any exterior paint color, not just black. Orders will start next month for $595. It will arrive in dealerships in the fall.
2019 Aston Martin DB11 Classic Driver Edition is Just Too Cool
The 2019 Aston Martin DB11 Classic Driver Edition, a special edition model made for the 20th anniversary of the exclusive website Classic Driver, takes on a color scheme that resembles a lot like the American dollar. And why shouldn’t it be wrapped in green and gray? The special edition Aston Martin DB11 screams money and yes, only the ultra-rich would have the rights to own one.
The Classic Driver edition is probably the best bespoke creation made by Q by Aston Martin, the brand’s personalization program. The vehicle was made for Classic Driver, considered to be the world’s first website solely for the sophisticated car collectors and auto enthusiasts. There will only be 20 units of the Classic Driver Edition, and they can be had by long-time members of the Classic Driver community.
The body paint for the car is inspired by the Classic Driver’s green and grey colorway, as well as Aston’s Charcoal Grey finish that became famous back in the 60s. The color scheme is called Classic Driver Grey and it looks like a deep, glossy dark grey paint with fine and subtle pearls thrown in. When sunlight hits the color, it turns into a surprising green shade.
There will be no two models with the exact same shade of this colorway because the Aston Martin DB11 Classic Driver Editions are color sprayed by hand. To finish off the exterior look, the Classic Driver Edition comes also with a discrete carbon fiber body pack that is finished with a bespoke satin Eiffel Green lacquer.
The interior is an all-green interior that should look wrong but somehow was able to pull it off. Majority of the cabin is wrapped in the exclusive Eiffel Green Caithness leather, which is a rich shade of green leather. There’s an embroidered Parliament Green Classic Driver logo on the headrests. The finished product? Magical and almost untrue in its elegance.
Each unit will come with a 4.0-liter bi-turbo V-8 engine that produces 496 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque.
The standard DB11 already has a price tag of $208,000, so the special edition will certainly go north of that.
Tochigi Police In Japan Gets A Nissan GT-R
It is not enough that there is literally zero crime rate in Tokyo, one of the megacities of the world. It is not enough that Japan has an exotic cuisine that serves live animals on a bed of ice. It is not enough that it has a street full of cosplayers and that grade school students there literally create robots out of boxes. How can Japan get any cooler? For the police in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture, it’s getting a rather special car—a Nissan GT-R, specifically.
The highway patrol unit of the administrative region north of Tokyo now has a Nissan GT-R complete with police livery and regalia, flashing lights, and everything else needed to help the GT-R run after fugitives.
The car was donated by a local businessman. It will be used to run after traffic offenders like speeding motorists and tailgaters. Coincidentally, the car doesn’t have to journey far from its facility to the destination point. The factory where Nissan manufactures the R35 GT-R since 2007 is only down the road from the police station.
The coupe hasn’t been used to chase any traffic offenders just yet. It has mostly been used to pose for cameras and to do PR stuff for the law enforcement.
If you think this is the first time that a performance car has been transformed into a police car, you clearly don’t know Japan or Nissan, for that matter. In the past, Nissan has turned its Skyline into a patrol car for Tokyo, so if you’re ever in the vicinity of the megacity, try and look for the R34 Skyline GT-R in all its glory. It has been so popular, in fact, that people keep uploading videos of its sighting on YouTube.
In a true megacity like Tokyo, it’s not a surprise to see performance cars being driven on its vast road network. That’s certainly very different for other Asian countries, whose cities like Beijing and Manila suffer from extreme traffic situations.
Was the Audi Chief Sacked Because Of Emissions Cheating Scandal?
Audi’s chief executive Rupert Stadler stepped down from the management boards of Audi and its parent company, Volkswagen, amid investigations into the emissions cheating scandal that rocked the German company.
Volkswagen’s supervisory board did not suspend Stadler, the company emphasized, but the chief executive asked to step down until allegations against him are clarified. The company held a six-hour meeting on Monday when he was also detained by German prosecutors because he might influence witnesses in the ongoing fraud investigation.
Stadler, 55, is the highest-ranking Volkswagen executive to be arrested in connection to the costly diesel emissions scandal that first went public back in 2015. Last week, the German automaker was asked to pay 1 billion Euros, which Volkswagen did not dispute to show that it is taking responsibility for what happened.
Stadler and some other 19 current or former Audi employees are being investigated for tampering and installing a cheating software in 240,000 diesel cars sold in the United States and Europe. The cars were supposedly installed with a cheating software that would lower emissions only during the test. It would not work during normal car operations.
In a statement, Audi said that it agreed to suspend Stadler “until the circumstances that led to his arrest have been clarified.” He would be considered innocent until proven guilty.
The emissions scandal brought Volkswagen’s shares plunging, and it crushed the confidence of investors, consumers, and regulators in diesel technology. Since the scandal broke, it has already cost Volkswagen more than $30 billion in recalls, penalties, and settlements.
Although the German automaker changed its management and put a major investment in electric cars, it continued to struggle to move away from the issue.
Abraham Schot, Audi Board Member and Sales Chief, was named interim CEO while Stadler remains suspended, according to the statement from Volkswagen. Schot joined the VW Group from Mercedes-Benz Italia back in 2011. He joined the Audi board in September 2017 and is believed to be untainted by the scandal.
Top 4 Facts About The 2019 Volvo S60
After much speculations, the all-new 2019 Volvo S60 finally made its debut at the company’s new plant in Charleston, South Carolina. This is the first time that a vehicle under Volvo’s name will be made on the American soil.
The four-door sedan will also be the first offering from Volvo that doesn’t have a diesel powertrain option and the first to feature electric performance upgrades tuned by Polestar, Volvo’s in-house performance packages experts.
1. Exterior
The S60 segment first made its debut in 2011 and though the first-generation car was sleek and elegant, that is nothing compared to the sporty and more stylish look of the new S60.
For one, it also features “Thor’s hammer.” It has a more conservative design language than other segments in Volvo’s full lineup, and it can be traced in the flow of the body to the rear end, where it has deeper stamps and creases to lower the weight of the car. It doesn’t have the long trunk of the S90, but the style more than made up for it. At the rear end, the Volvo badge was moved from between the taillights to under the rear (compared to the S90).
2. Interior
The S60 has the Sensus, a tablet-style touchscreen found in the XC60 crossover SUV and the V60 wagon. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. All the sedans in the lineup have the standard active safety features such as the forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian, bicyclist and large animal detection.
The S60 is longer with two more inches of rear seat legroom, which is same as the larger V60. The wheelbase is measured at 113 inches with 18 inches of wheels.
3. Powertrain
There are three powertrains available for the S60. There’s the T5 that has a front-wheel-drive system and 2.0-liter turbo-4 that produces 250 horsepower, the T6 with the turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that gives out 316 horsepower, and the T8, a twin-engine 2.0-liter inline-4 that’s paired to a rear electric motor that can churn out 400 horses.
4. Prices
The base model, the T5 Momentum version, is priced at $36,795. The top-of-the-line trim can cost as much as $56,000.
TheS60 will be available to order through Care By Volvo. Dealers will have them in showrooms by September.
Top 3 Fuel-Efficient SUV Crossovers Under $25,000
The average price of SUVs in the U.S. is above $30,000, but there are still a few well-equipped and fuel-efficient SUV crossovers that are below $25,000. Most of the vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission coupled with good crash safety scores and spacious cargo capacities.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek Premium 2.0i AWD: $24,854
The mid-level Premium trim has 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, roof rails, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with orange stitching, automatic headlights, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. Standard to the trim level is an all-wheel drive, though the Premium comes with an off-road and hill-descent control. The Crosstek is rated 27/33 mpg city/highway and it has a 55.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
2018 Honda HR-V EX AWD: $24,915
The mid-level EX trim is an all-wheel drive that includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a moonroof, heated front seats, automatic climate control, a proximity key with push-start ignition, LaneWatch (a rear-facing camera mounted on the passenger side-view mirror), a 7.0-inch touchscreen, and Pandora compatibility. It has a rating of 27/31 mpg (28/34 mpg with front-wheel drive) and 55.9 cubic feet of maximum cargo room.
2018 Nissan Kicks SR FWD: $24,630
The Kicks has a top SR trim that includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, roof rails, a 7.0-inch instrument cluster display, a proximity key with push-start ignition, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Kicks is particularly special because the automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert come as standard. These are usually not available in other SUV trims at this price range. The subcompact crossover has a rating of 31/36 mpg and can haul a total of 32.3 cubic feet of cargo.
If you want something bigger, you can opt for the base model or the entry-level model of the same segment but one size up. The Honda CR-V, for example, has a cargo space of 75.8 cubic feet. The base model is priced at just $25,245.
3 Cool Things We Like About The New 2019 BMW 8 Series
There have been rumors for years that a new BMW 8 Series is in the works but it’s not until we got to see one that we truly believed them. BMW is in dire need of something to throw against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is already far ahead of the 7 Series.
The 8 Series will sit on top of the BMW hierarchy, making it a worthy opponent of the S-Class. As such, it comes packed with amazing technology and state-of-the-art equipment.
Laser Light Tech
It’s the thinnest headlights ever seen on a car. The Laser Light Tech was first developed with the i8 Concept and then introduced in the 7 Series and the new X5. It looks like the new 8 Series is having it, too.
Why are we surprised? What set these pair of headlights apart are blue accents inside and the fact that each lamp has the chinkiest eyes. The Laser Light Tech uses 30 percent less energy, but it allows the light to shine 10 times brighter compared to LED lights. It can illuminate up to 600 meters of the road ahead.
Glass Gear Lever
Owing to the fact that the interior of the new 8 Series is on top of its class, BMW added another element that would truly amaze buyers. The glass gear lever for the eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission has an illuminated number 8 inside the glass casing, adding an exclusivity to an interior that already screams money. You could also add the glass casing on the iDrive controller, the start/stop button, and the volume knob.
Digital Key
BMW promised drivers that they would not have to carry a physical key every time they have to open and start the car. They made true to their promise. The Digital Key was revealed during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
There’s an installed BMW Connected app for smartphones. The app would communicate with the car via NFC (near-field communication). The driver would be able to lock, unlock, and even start the car (when placing the phone on a charging pad).
John Cena and Ford Settle a Lawsuit Over Breach of Contract
WWE superstar John Cena and Ford have finally settled their lawsuit. The wrestler was ordered to pay an undisclosed amount of money to the automaker.
According to Motor1, Ford filed a lawsuit against Cena for selling his Ford GT before the 24-month required ownership was over. The American car maker agreed that the money received from Cena for the lawsuit will be donated to charity.
Cena pointed out that he loves the Ford GT and apologized to the American automaker. In a statement, he encouraged everyone who owns the same car to honor the stipulations in the contract saying that they could not sell the auto for 24 months after they received it. The wrestler also said he was pleased that the two camps were able to settle the matter outside the court, and that a “worthy charity” will benefit “from one of the most iconic cars in the world.”
The Ford GT only had an initial run of about 500 units. Ford individually selected applications to own the Ford GT. One of the approved buyers was Cena. The American car company received about 6,506 applications for the initial run of the car. But part of the contract clearly stipulated that the owners have to keep their Ford GTs for 24 months as a way to limit the access to the car in the secondhand market.
The wrestler paid $460,000 for his GT, which included $5,200 worth of options such as the Liquid Blue exterior paint and leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Ford filed the lawsuit back in November and requested $500,000 for breach of contract. Cena’s lawyers asked for the suit to be thrown out because the 24-month stipulation was not on all the contracts their client signed. The lawyers argued that the clause was part of the order confirmation but it was not present in the final purchase order.
The contentions of Cena’s lawyers did not hold and the wrestler was ordered to pay up. It’s not clear whether the settlement included the whole amount requested by Ford.
The wrestler already owns a 2006 GT, so it’s not clear why he decided to sell his new sports car over the old one.
More Details Emerge About The 2020 Cadillac CT5 Luxury Sports Sedan
Cadillac hasn’t given us much to talk or think about when it comes to the 2020 Cadillac CT5 luxury sports sedan—seeing as the prototype has always been heavily camouflaged to the point that it’s barely recognizable. We think Cadillac wants us to think they’re merely testing the Charger, thanks to the big hood scoop and fake full-width taillights.
The last time we got spy photos of the CT5, we only glimpsed its front end. This time, thankfully, we’re seeing it from all angles and despite the fake body work, we can find some important new details about the luxury sports sedan.
The front lighting takes a new development. The production-ready headlights are fitted with what appears to be LED illumination and it takes on the same shape we saw on the last prototype. We believe this will end up higher on the front-end section, probably extending horizontally toward the grille. A section of the headlights would still bend to extend to the fender at the back. The design language of the headlights is meant to fuse the current Cadillacs and the Escala concept, which are the basis of the car’s overall body style.
There are also vertical LED accent lights, a trademark feature of the current Cadillacs and the Escala. This is a new detail since we didn’t see this development on the last prototype.
The grille’s details have also changed. Instead of the usual slats that we see in many Cadillacs and other sedans, the CT5 has a plastic mesh of small rectangles. Think of a brickwork and you’ll understand what the CT5 is getting into.
The back looks a typical Cadillac, though it’s less modern than the front end. There are angular cutouts in the bumper (probably to let exhaust gases out) and the taillights have the current Cadillac look with the top curving. The prototype used fake lights, so we can’t tell yet if it will be similar to the one on the Escala.
There’s a good chance the new CT5 will use existing Cadillac engines such as the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6, and the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. The CT5 should be revealed sometime next year for the 2020 model year.
2020 Cadillac CT5 Photos
Here are new spy shots of the 2020 Cadillac CT5 from Autoblog:
