Tag Archives: US
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.
Hyundai Kona Is Going Tiny With Its New Crossover
Hyundai just announced that its new mini crossover called the Kona is going to be on sale early next year in the United States. That means that the South Korean automaker is finally ready to make a splash in the car industry’s hottest segments.
And that’s not all. According to a source, the Hyundai Kona subcompact crossover will also usher in a new phase for the brand as it features for the first time the automaker’s new design language. That’s a surprising move for the company, which is suffering from a sales slump in the US and is now pressured to do good in the crossovers segment.
The styling originated from Irvine, California, Hyundai’s design studio. It features narrow LED daytime running lights mounted high near the hood line. There are also separate headlights that are positioned lower down the fascia. The effect? The Kona, up front, looks like the Nissan Juke or Jeep Cherokee.
The look isn’t something everyone will love or adore, but the Nissan Juke was surprisingly successful in its sales both in Europe and even in the United States. The Cherokee, on the other hand, sold 200,000 units a year in the US in the last three years. These statistics means well for the Kona and any subsequent Hyundai badges.
Hyundai’s new looks for the crossover will be used on the 2018 and 2019 model of the Santa Fe Sport, which spy shots showed a headlight setup and honeycomb grille similar to the Kona. The new crossover language design, however, signals Hyundai’s willingness to finally break away from a decade of having strong design connection among its crossovers. Now, each nameplate will have a distinct design.
The similar look was necessary because Hyundai wasn’t such a known brand 10 years ago. But now that it has differentiated itself from the rest of the Asian automakers, it’s time to give each vehicle in the lineup a fresh look.
Top 3 Features of the 2017 Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover will debut its 2017 Discovery to US market, and the first stop will be at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This is the Discovery’s first arrival in the US.
To get to know more about the 2017 Land Rover Discovery, we compiled these three things:
1. The Starting Price is $50,985
Land Rover said that the 2017 Discovery will have a starting price tag of $50,985, including a mandatory $995 destination charge. The first to be offered to the US market is the high-buck First Edition package, which will have to raise the price to $74,945. The nearly $25,000 will give you the fully-loaded model, complete with the limited edition styling package.
For a truck that plays well in the dirt and rough roads, the price tag isn’t that hefty, after all.
2. It Wowed Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece
During an event in Venice, Land Rover put the Discovery First Edition among high-tech equipment built for people with very active lifestyles. Unsurprisingly, it caught the eye of Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece. Laird is the “king” of big wave surfing while Gabby is a volleyball player and model.
There’s no active lifestyle more than those two combined. With two children, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery is the perfect vehicle for the couple.
What Land Rover imagines as an owner of the Discovery is one who would load the roof with mountain bikes, surfboards or any equipment for the great outdoors. You can even opt for the waterproof key that Discovery offers, so that you don’t have to worry about it when you’re out.
3. It’s Light and Powerful
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery has a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 engine. It is also made of aluminum, which allowed the Land Rover engineers to make it 1,000 pounds lighter over the current LR4.
Photos
Check out the photos of the new Land Rover Discovery in the gallery below:
Enter Toyota GT86, Goodbye Scion FR-S
Say hello to the new Toyota GT86, which looks quite like the car it will replace. Much can be said about how well loved the 86 is, especially because it won several awards since its conception.
According to Top Gear, there are mild updates in the GT86, the facelift of which coincided with the introduction of the Toyota 86 in the US. These are all ongoing amid the departing of the Scion FR-S.
If you’re looking for turbocharged cars, then this auto might not be the one for you as you will be left wanting for more torque and grip. That is, of course, if you’ve lived all your life with mighty fast vehicles since the GT86 has very decent speed as well.
There are upsides, though, for speed-loving car enthusiasts. The Toyota GT86 has a slick gearchange, and is agile as a light, simple rear-driven sports car. Also, it packs a decent 197 bhp, 0-62 mph in 7.6 seconds with 140 mph top speed.
So, what are the changes? You can see all these changes on how aesthetically appealing the new GT86 is. It has new LED-equipped lights, more dramatic bumpers and air intakes, as well as new and flashier alloy wheels. Compared to the older version, the new 86 looks a bit more on the luxurious side. It looks more assertive than before too.
Inside, Toyota promises to provide “improved sensory quality, leather interiors, Alcantara, and a new sports steering wheel. That same wheel now comes with audio controls—a first for the 86. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the GT86’s interior yet to prove these features.
Toyota has yet to release the prices and full specifications for the new 86, but sources said it won’t go more than the £25,000 range for the entry level. Sales will supposedly begin by fall.
More information about the Toyota GT86, as well as the car itself, will be revealed during the New York Auto Show.
2016 Mazda CX-9 Priced At $31,520
After promising fuel economy, elegant interior and superior handling dynamics, Mazda has released its pricing and packaging information for the 2016 Mazda CX-9, the midsize three-row crossover SUV that the company has been boasting about.
According to a press release, the CX-9 will retail starting at $31,520.
Robert Davis, senior vice president of Mazda’s US operations, said the company has high expectations for the crossover SUV. As a flagship, the CX-9 will be the starting point of all innovative technologies Mazda will test on their upcoming vehicles.
As a Sport trim variant, the CX-9 will come with LED headlights and taillights, much like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster. It will also have fabric seating, electronic parking brake, 18-inch wheels, rear backup camera, trailer stability assist, Mazda Connect infotainment with commander control, and a seven-inch display.
In the Sport package, potential buyers can choose to add power driver’s seat, heated front seats and heated door mirrors.
The Touring, on the other hand, has an auto-dimming rearview mirror, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, Homelink garage door openers, black- or sand-colored leather seating, Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry System, power liftgate, power front seats, and an eight-inch Mazda Connect touchscreen display.
Buyers can also choose among other variants—Touring Premium Package, Grand Touring Model, and the Signature.
All of the models come packed with Mazda’s new turbocharged SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine that generates 310 lb-ft of torque from just 2,000 rpm on either 87- or 93-octane gasoline. It also produces 250 horsepower on 93-octane gasoline (227 horsepower on 87-octane), and has the standard SKYACTIV-DRIVE six-speed automatic transmission either in front-wheel or i-ACTIV all-wheel drive.
The 2016 Mazda CX-9 is expected to be on sale in the US this late spring with pricing starting at $31,520 for the CX-9 Sport, $35,970 for CX-9 Touring, $40,170 for CX-9 Grand Touring, and $44,015 for CX-9 Signature (AWD Standard).
Is The Porsche Macan Coming To The US?
A few years back, Porsche introduced the Macan, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is second to none. It did not confirm back then if the Macan will be available for US consumers so US-based Porsche lovers were left to wonder.
On the other hand, an entry-level Macan, of course, is accessible for certain global market while the UK certainly has it out in the market already.
But now, it looks like Porsche finally decided to bring the Macan to US shores, according to well-placed insiders and sources. We have to wait for an official announcement, as well as more information about that, though.
For those who are not familiar, the Macan houses a corporate VW Group inline four-cylinder engine, and not the turbocharged flat-four used by the new 718 Boxster sports car. Still, that turbo four engine makes 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. It is coupled with a seven-speed and dual-clutch automatic.
Up until now, the regular Macan you will see in the US is the S version, which is powered by a 340-hp twin-turbocharged V-6. There are two other variants—the Macan Turbo with a 400-hp power on its twin-turbo V-6 and the ultra sporty Macan GTS.
More than power, Porsche Macan also improved its fuel economy. The V-6 diesel model, which would most likely face challenges because of emission testing, will probably arrive in the US sometime this year too.
If you base your judgement on specs alone, the four-cylinder engine Macan utilized is similar to the unit placed on the 2017 Audi A4. But remember that the Porsche is way heavier than the Audi A4 so it remains to be seen how the engine will fit in a much heavier body.
This machine should definitely have a price lower than $50,000 since the Macan S starts at $53,650.00.