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Station wagons, as pointed out by ex-Autoblogger Jonny Lieberman, are boring. “It’s the penalty you pay for falling in love and having children,” he says.

Sure, just so long as your children like to go fast, at least when the chosen conveyance to move those booster seats from Point A to Point B is either the wagon version of the Cadillac CTS-V or Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, as tested by Motor Trend in the video you’ll see after the break.

Without spoiling any of the salient details, we’ll say that one car was a wee bit quicker, crossing the finish line a scant 79 feet ahead of its rival after a half-mile of acceleration to speeds surpassing 150 miles per hour, while the other was deemed the overall better car for enthusiast drivers.

Which was which? See the video below for all the answers you crave, along with some brilliant exhaust notes from these two rare wagon-shaped beasts.

Continue reading Motor Trend pits Cadillac CTS-V vs Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG in wagon-off

Motor Trend pits Cadillac CTS-V vs Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG in wagon-off

Our spy photographers have nabbed the first glimpse at the upcoming Audi Q6 – a crossover that’s being designed to give the BMW X6 something to torment on the playground. These shots show that the Q6 will ride on an altered version of same platform underpinning the current Q5, but from the look of things, the Q6 is a good bit longer and wider than its donor with a little extra ride height to boot. Of course, this is simply a test mule undergoing development, so don’t count on the thoroughly awkward B-pillar we see in these shots making it all the way to production.

So far, the German automaker hasn’t said much about what buyers can expect to find under the hood, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see anything other than a selection of the same troop of engines currently powering the company’s stable. That means a powertrain lifted from the parts bin of the Q5 and the Q7. A supercharged 3.0-liter V6 would provide a nice foil for the 300-horsepower X6 xDrive35i, though more thrust would be necessary to parry the X6 xDrive50i with its 400-horsepower, turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. The company’s home market will likely get one or two diesel powerplants, as well.

Audi Q6 mule spotted testing

Ferrari has been known to produce one-off vehicles for customers, most notably the F430-based SP1 created for a wealthy Japanese collector in 2008 as well as the P540 Superfast Aperta created on the 599 FTB Fiorano platform in 2009.

Now, if the Ferrari afficianados over on FerrariChat.com are correct, Ferrari Special Projects program has built a third vehicle, this time for musician Eric Clapton, who is known to be a passionate Ferrari collector.

The car looks to be based on the 458 Italia and has distinct styling references to the 12-cylinder Ferrari 512 BB built in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a large lower grille, hood slats and flying buttresses at the rear. Judging from the photos, the interior appears to be relatively unchanged from the 458 Italia, and the mid-mounted 4.5-liter V8 is likely still in place as well.

We will try and find out more details about this special Ferrari, but until then, check out the photos of the car in the gallery above.

Did Ferrari build Eric Clapton a one-off 458 Italia?

Mazda’s new compact crossover is coming out of the gate strong, with the 2013 CX-5 garnering generally good reviews that include praise for its fuel economy and best-in-class handling. Now, Mazda can tout a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as well. The CX-5 snagged “Good” ratings across the board, including front, side, rollover and rear crash tests.

The CX-5 joins its stablemate, the Mazda3, on the 2012 Top Safety Pick list, which is growing rapidly. Just in the small SUV class that the CX-5 is categorized in, eight models are now listed, including the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Patriot (with optional side torso airbags), Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Click past the jump to read the full press release from Mazda, as well as watch the CX-5’s IIHS crash test video.

Continue reading 2013 Mazda CX-5 latest to get IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels [w/video]

2013 Mazda CX-5 latest to get IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels [w/video]

Despite the occasional buggy-on-car accident, most Amish remain totally opposed to modern safety equipment like headlights, taillights, brakes, seatbelts or even, in Kentucky at least, orange safety triangles.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the ubiquitous neon-orange triangles seen on everything from wide loads to cement mixers are apparently too high-tech for Amish horse-drawn buggies. First, the objectors say the orange is way too bright and clashes with their buggies’ blacked-out color scheme. Second, the Amish say the three-sided shape can represent the Holy Trinity and shouldn’t be used for something as worldly as a cheap, plastic warning device.

One Amish man recently spent 13 days in a county jail after refusing to pay a fine for not having the triangle on his buggy. The American Civil Liberties Union has stepped in to defend the man in Kentucky Supreme Court on religious grounds. The Amish hope the court will vacate the charges and open up a dialogue into less-offensive alternatives to the offending placards.

Some Amish upset over buggy safety triangles

Jaguar Land Rover and Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Company have filed paperwork to enter into a joint venture. Under the agreement, the two Tata Motors properties will manufacture both Jag and Land Rover vehicles and engines, as well as a new line of vehicles developed with Chery. The joint venture will also create a research and development lab and sell the products created by the partnership. Land Rover has had its eye on boosting sales the still-growing Chinese market for some time, and the move looks to be a smart first step in that direction. While overall vehicle demand has softened in China, wealthy buyers are still thirsty for status-symbol vehicles like those in the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolios.

Now that both companies have agreed upon the terms, the automakers must get approval from the Chinese government before the joint venture can become official.

Land Rover isn’t the first company to jump into bed with Chery. As Automotive News reports, last year Subaru submitted a a deal with the Chinese company to regulators to produce vehicles in the People’s Republic. So far, no announcement has been made on that venture’s progress.

Jaguar Land Rover inks joint venture with China’s Chery

Audi may be looking to fill the void between the A4 Avant and Q5 with a new model, according to Automobile. The company hasn’t nailed down a name just yet, but reports suggest the vehicle will be a crossover version built on the underpinnings of the A4. That means a taller ride height, more commanding seating position and room in the rear for additional cargo. Specifically, the German automaker is aiming for the deep pockets of households with two incomes and no children as well as retirees with some extra cash to blow.

The company may call the creation the A4 Superavant or A4 Avantissimo, but no decision has been made just yet. Either way, Audi probably doesn’t want the crossover to resemble a minivan. Just ask Mercedes-Benz how well that works out.

Designers are reportedly paying special attention to elements like the rear overhang, total vehicle height and the proportion of glass to sheetmetal to keep that image at bay. There’s even some word that the vehicle will arrive with a plug-in hybrid variant, complete with the same 226-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a 35-horsepower electric motor snugged into the transmission.

Either way, we can expect the genre-straddling model to do battle with BMW’s forthcoming 3 Series Gran Turismo, which will hopefully look – and sell – nothing like the larger 5 Series Gran Turismo. Style it with the same grace and sense of proportion that marks out the A7 and nobody gets hurt, ‘k?

Audi at work on A4 Superavant?

No, this is not the screenplay for The Hangover Part III. But this story does demonstrate how brilliant ideas conceived at the bar with your buddies have a tendency to snowball out of control. In this case, a single, flippant thought (How high can a taxi meter go?), one that might have been resolved by Googling, led to a 50,000-mile excursion in an eBay Motors-sourced, $2,000 car.

The story, as told by The Wall Street Journal, is an adventure tale of epic proportions, starring three 20-somethings from Great Britain. They left the U.K. over a year ago on a drive around the world, armed only with a 1992 London Black Cab and the desire to set the world record for the longest taxi ride. Their journey has taken them to the Middle East in time for the Arab Spring, up to the Arctic Circle, and as high as a Mount Everest base camp.

The Journal caught up with the trio in New York City after a 12-state tour of the U.S., where one of the British buddies saw fit to comment on our national obsession with the cost of gasoline. “Americans don’t know how good they have it,” he told the reporter, after recounting how he paid $12/gallon for fuel in Turkey.

As the friends have driven their cab, dubbed “Hannah,” around the world, they’ve been having quite a laugh, but they’ve also been raising money for the British Red Cross, in the form of corporate sponsorships, according to the report.

Click past the jump to see a video interview with the intrepid travelers, and don’t forget to check in on the trio’s progress via their blog, ItsOnTheMeter.com.

Continue reading How a few college buddies racked up $100,000 cab ride [w/video]

How a few college buddies racked up $100,000 cab ride [w/video]

News of an impending automotive debut, especially one as big as the next Chevrolet Impala, generally come straight from the mouths of the automakers. Interesting, then, that the New York Auto Show’s Facebook page is the first bit of confirmation we’ve seen that the 2014 Impala will be making its worldwide debut in The Big Apple.

All we have to go along with that confirmation is the teaser image you see above (click on the pic to enlarge), so we can’t glean too many details just yet. We can see a Hofmeister-esque kink in the C-pillar, strongly accented in chrome trim, along with the well-known leaping impala emblem.

Past that, recent spy photos have revealed that the front-wheel-drive Impala will boast plenty of passenger room from its Epsilon-II architecture, the same guts that underpin the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XTS. We’re also expecting GM’s well-regarded 3.6-liter V6 underhood, along with a possible turbocharged four and e-Assist hybrid setup.

This news comes on the heels of last week’s announcement by General Motors that it plans to replace the Impala in its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series effort with a new nameplate that will also see a production model offshoot, leading to renewed speculation that the automaker will not only sell a new full-size Impala, but potentially a large rear-wheel drive sedan to offer as well, possibly based on the company’s Zeta platform that underpins the Holden Commodore and recently introduced Chevrolet Caprice PPV law enforcement special.

The 2012 New York Auto Show is slated to kick off on April 4, but in the meantime, feel free to go over the teaser above with a fine-toothed comb, and stay tuned for any more details we find ahead of its debut.

UPDATE: GM has confirmed the Impala with the issuance of a press release and official image. In addition, it has confirmed that a revamped 2013 Traverse crossover will also bow in New York. The Traverse will be available with GM’s new front, center-mount airbag first revealed in the updated Buick Enclave, the Traverse’s twin. See the official release after the jump and note the addition of a Traverse interior image above.

Continue reading New York Auto Show confirms 2014 Chevy Impala debut via Facebook [UPDATE]

New York Auto Show confirms 2014 Chevy Impala debut via Facebook [UPDATE]

The Citroën DS6 Concept may have slipped out ahead of the showcar’s planned debut later this year. What is believed to be the big DS was seen lounging on the streets of Paris during a recent photo shoot, and while initial photos like the one above show the car covered by a well-placed cloth, new shots from L’Automobile have come out that show the concept in its entirety. The massive alloys shown above look to be the same as the ones we’ve already seen poking through the lens-flare-riddled teasers. Details are still scarce about what the DS Concept will bring to the stage in terms of drivetrain, but the French automaker has made it clear it has its eye on creating a new, large cruiser aimed squarely at the large-sedan hungry Chinese market.

Citroën is likely to unveil the DS6 Concept at the Paris Motor Show in September, and may borrow more than a few elements from the Citroën Metropolis Concept built just for the Shanghai World Fair. While the exterior elements may vary considerably, both vehicles are expected to carry approximately the same dimensions. That means the DS6 may be over 17 feet long and more than six feet wide.

For more shots of the car uncovered, head over to L’Automobile.

Citroën DS6 concept spotted on Parisian streets ahead of reveal?

Our neighbors to the north do scandal a little differently. According to The National Post and The Globe and Mail, political candidate Danielle Smith and her tour bus has aroused some controversy thanks to a pair of ill-placed wheels on her campaign wheels. Smith is campaigning in the Alberta election as a member of the right-wing, liberterian Wildrose Party, and while her staffers initially approved the bus design, they didn’t notice any issue with the portrait’s placement early on. Then Twitter jumped in. It wasn’t long before the image of the bus was bouncing around the internet and collecting laughs.

Early this week, the campaign announced it would, in fact, change the design to reduce distraction as much as possible. The change likely won’t come cheap, however. A full-size wrap like the one on Smith’s tour bus can cost more than $10,000.

While Wildrose party leaders have hinted the dust up wouldn’t have occurred if the candidate had been male, independent evaluators have found the election to be gender-neutral so far.

Canadian campaign bus livery causes pointed controversy

Audi has resurrected its Twitter campaign to put lucky fans behind the wheel of an R8 for a day. The program generated a massive amount of attention last year, spurring the company to bring it back for Round Two. It all got started when Joanne McCoy tweeted using the hashtag #WantAnR8 in early 2011. Audi showed up at her Washington, D.C. home with a brand-new mid-engined sports car for the day, and the company went on to share the love. So far, the hashtag has been used over 75,000 times since its inception, but that number is expected to skyrocket.

The new contest is available for entry until October 29. For 2012, Audi is splitting the campaign into four entry periods, with two winners from each period. That means there will be a total of eight winners this go around. Those who take the top prize will have the choice of either driving the R8 on a track at the company’s Audi Sportscar Experience in Sonoma, CA or have the car delivered to their house. Tough call.

Audi has released a new commercial to announce the return of the campaign. Click past the jump for a look see.

Continue reading Audi’s #WantAnR8 Twitter ad campaign returns

Audi’s #WantAnR8 Twitter ad campaign returns

So a new Sonata isn’t as exciting as a new Chevrolet Corvette, but given the enthusiasm the current Hyundai midsize sedan has generated around these parts, musing about what might be coming down the pipeline is worth at least a few minutes. Hyundai’s Korean CEO Kim Choon-ho has told Reuters that a “revamped” Sonata is due in just two years, following closely on the heels of a new Genesis in late 2013.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, we have loved the new Sonata and its Optima cousin from Kia ever since they first hit our shores back in 2010. This pair is the class of the midsize class, and we can only wonder what Hyundai has planned to keep them on top, given the fierce competition.

We’d suspect the new Sonata will be launched here as a 2015 model, which would make some sense. Though we haven’t driven it yet, the new-for-2013 Ford Fusion looks poised to bring the goods, and the next generation of the hot-selling Nissan Altima will soon be unveiled at the New York Auto Show.

Revamped Hyundai Sonata due in 2014

We have fairly modest dreams when it comes to ferrying our remains to our final resting place. After all, it can’t cost that much to rent the The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile for a few hours. Should you have slightly more expensive tastes, there’s always this Rolls-Royce Phantom Hearse. The specialty vehicle is set to be unveiled at the Tan Expo funeral home show in Bologna, Italy. With 23 feet of length from stem to stern, this Phantom is longer than even the long-wheelbase version of the sedan. Interestingly enough, designers retained the rear doors for additional live passengers while incorporating a large rear cargo area for the dearly departed.

According to builder Biemme Special Cars, the vehicle’s tail is constructed entirely of aluminum using over 600 bits and pieces. The same 6.75-liter V12 engine found in the standard Phantom, which means your earthly remains will get to graveside with the help of 453 horsepower.

How much will it cost? Biemme hasn’t handed out a specific figure just yet beyond saying the vehicle will likely fetch more than €500,000. That’s $663,950 at current conversion rates.

Rolls-Royce Phantom hearse is a classy, costly way to go

Small, rear-wheel drive, manually shifted coupes can be exciting, no? Fun and zippy to drive, and because of their tighter dimensions and lower weight, they tend to be easy on the gas, right?

Well, in the case of the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S, maybe not as much as we’d have hoped. Sure, they have smallish 2.0-liter four-cylinders and six-speed manual transmissions, but their hunger for gasoline is just average. Official EPA fuel efficiency numbers are in, and the BRZ and FR-S with manual transmissions net 22 miles per gallon city and 30 highway on premium fuel. Still, that’s about the same as the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with the four-cylinder and manual tranny which gets 21/30 on premium, and it’s better than the aging Mazda MX-5 Miata which returns 21/28.

The BRZ and FR-S chug less fuel if you outfit them with the optional automatic transmission. They probably won’t be as much fun, but they will return numbers close to 25 city/34 highway.

Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S fuel economy numbers bubble up on EPA site

We can’t quite explain why we’re so drawn pre-production test mules. Maybe we just like the thought of seeing a vehicle as it grows from concept to reality or being able to take a peak into the engineering behind a car that will hit production soon. Either way, videos like the one after the jump flip all the right switches for us. Like Wired, EVO recently got the chance to ride along in an early version of the 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder. With two electric motors and kicking V8, the car is good for a dizzying 770 horsepower combined.

EVO gives us our closest look yet at the vehicle’s driveline, including the 80-kW electric motor in the front and the 90-kW motor in the rear. Interestingly, as Evo points out, the 918 can be powered purely on the front-mounted electric motor that drives the front wheels. That’s right, this is the first production front-wheel drive Porsche, even if it’s only likely to operate as such a sliver of the time. Even with all the technological whizzbangery on board, the 918 still sounds like a true Porsche when the 570 horsepower V8 barks to life. Porsche has worked to keep as much of the vehicle’s weight below the center line as possible, and as a result, the engineers had to resort to some cleverness when it comes to exhaust routing and the like. Hit the jump to see what we mean.

Continue reading Watch and hear a Porsche 918 Spyder running chassis with Evo

Watch and hear a Porsche 918 Spyder running chassis with Evo

We Bond With Gaydon’s Gorgeous Tweener

“You need to get in touch with Steven Ewing right away,” said the instant message. It was from Autoblog editor-in-chief John Neff, and since fleet manager Ewing was online, I pinged him. “Hey, are you available to grab an Aston Martin Virage for the weekend?” he asked. “There’s one in New York.”

Before answering, a flurry of thoughts raced through my head. Did I have plans this weekend? How much would I really get to drive the car? I don’t usually go into the city on Fridays. Should I make the exception? Then I looked out my window, saw the Nissan Versa I was scheduled to drive that very same weekend and banged out a brief reply.

“Yeah, Steve. I can do that.”

Continue reading 2012 Aston Martin Virage

2012 Aston Martin Virage

We saw the 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer last fall as a near-production concept, but today we get the real thing – in pixelated, jpeg form, that is. Indeed, this is about as close as U.S. buyers will probably get to the new Trailblazer. While we weren’t expecting General Motors to change its tune about bringing the diesel-powered, seven-seat SUV stateside, we called and asked anyway. Chevrolet spokesman Tom Wilkinson told us, “There are currently no plans to bring that vehicle to the U.S.”

While the good-looking TrailBlazer would certainly look right at home sitting next to the 2013 Malibu on dealer lots, Chevy already has a three-row utility vehicle in the Traverse. Buyers in Thailand, where the vehicle debuted ahead of the Bangkok International Motor Show, are more apt to need a real body-on-frame SUV like the TrailBlazer. And U.S. buyers looking for a three-row truck can still roll in a Tahoe. Either way, The General has to figure it doesn’t really want another burly three-row utility vehicle sitting on its CAFE ledger.

Still, there’s much to like about the 2013 TrailBlazer, especially underhood. GM is offering two turbo-diesel four-cylinders in 2.5- and 2.8-liter displacements. The smaller engine is rated at 150 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the extra displacement bumps horsepower to 180 and torque to a particularly impressive 346 lb-ft. A five-speed manual and six-speed automatic will be offered. GM says the engines are designed to last for 240,000 kilometers – nearly 150,000 miles.

The TrailBlazer will hit dealers in Thailand in June, with much of the rest of the world – minus the U.S. – to follow. Don’t thing this is some stripped out truck for developing economies though, as the TrailBlazer is sporting a pretty long list of standard features, including lots of safety equipment – stability control, ABS, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, and hill descent control – that we take for granted here.

Click past the jump to read the full press release, and be sure to check out our high-res gallery.

Continue reading Production 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer debuts, “no plans” for U.S. version

Production 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer debuts, “no plans” for U.S. version

Honda has announced it will debut a concept version of the 2013 Crosstour at the New York Auto Show next month. Details are scarce at the moment, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the vehicle turns out to be a thinly veiled look at the next version of the funky crossover. Honda has a long and storied history of rolling out concepts with more than a passing resemblance to its production models. Given that the Crosstour has only been on the market for a couple of years, we aren’t anticipating an all-new model, or perhaps even a heavy redesign.

Back in December, Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told Autoblog that he was “really disappointed” with sales of the Crosstour, which he maintained has “very beautiful styling.” Even so, Iwamura acknowledged that Honda would further refine the vehicle’s styling and performance. As to the latter, Honda now offers buyers the ability to outfit their Crosstour with a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder. The move was largely thought to be in response to the fact that competitors like the Toyota Venza are available with four-pot motivation.

Still, all the engine options in the world won’t save the Crosstour from its inherent design issues. Specifically, the Crosstour offers compromised rear visibility and cargo area, not to mention its highly controversial appearance. Will the concept headed to New York address those ails? We certainly hope so. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

Continue reading Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York

Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York

Honda has announced it will debut a concept version of the 2013 Crosstour at the New York Auto Show next month. Details are scarce at the moment, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the vehicle turns out to be a thinly veiled look at the next version of the funky crossover. Honda has a long and storied history of rolling out concepts with more than a passing resemblance to its production models. Given that the Crosstour has only been on the market for a couple of years, we aren’t anticipating an all-new model, or perhaps even a heavy redesign.

Back in December, Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told Autoblog that he was “really disappointed” with sales of the Crosstour, which he maintained has “very beautiful styling.” Even so, Iwamura acknowledged that Honda would further refine the vehicle’s styling and performance. As to the latter, Honda now offers buyers the ability to outfit their Crosstour with a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder. The move was largely thought to be in response to the fact that competitors like the Toyota Venza are available with four-pot motivation.

Still, all the engine options in the world won’t save the Crosstour from its inherent design issues. Specifically, the Crosstour offers compromised rear visibility and cargo area, not to mention its highly controversial appearance. Will the concept headed to New York address those ails? We certainly hope so. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

Continue reading Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York

Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York