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The Enclave has been a boon for Buick since it arrived in 2007, with impressive sales complemented by profitable transaction prices. And even though the big Buick has gone without a refresh since its debut, the Enclave managed its best year ever in 2011, with a segment-leading 58,000 units sold.

Buick is hoping to stretch that streak with the Enclave’s first refresh for 2013. The tweaked three-row crossover will receive several updates, starting with a new front fascia that includes a black chrome waterfall grille and redesigned hood. The front also includes a new headlight design with standard Xenon headlamps and LED daytime running lights. Out back, the 2013 Enclave features new LED taillights and a fresh design with integrated exhaust outlets.

Overall, the exterior redesign is evolutionary, but more dramatic changes await inside. The Enclave’s cabin was fast becoming outdated, but Buick upped its game with a fresh dash that includes more modern-looking materials and contemporary center stack. There are also tasteful wood treatments, a smattering of chrome accents and attractive stitching throughout. The cabin also features blue LED ambient lighting that accentuates the size of this voluminous crossover.

The 2013 Enclave will also inherit Buick’s IntelliLink infotainment system, which offers a brilliant LCD and interactivity with smart phones via Bluetooth and USB connections. The Enclave also features tri-zone climate control and an industry-first front center airbag for additional crash protection.

Buick engineers hasn’t made any changes to the tried-and-true 3.6-liter V6 or the six-speed automatic, but the ride and handling setup has been given a bit of love. The front and rear dampers were revised for a smoother ride, with adjustments that also ensure big bumps don’t loosen your fillings. The ride has also received more “Quiet Tuning,” (read: insulation) which keeps even more unwanted road noise out of the re-imagined cabin than before.

The 2013 Buick Enclave will make its official debut at the New York Auto Show tomorrow. Scroll down to read over the press release from Buick and peruse official high-resolution images in the gallery above.

Continue reading 2013 Buick Enclave debuts with new look over same drivetrain

2013 Buick Enclave debuts with new look over same drivetrain

Google Maps has reinstated the feature letting you know how long a trip will take in current traffic. According to Autoblog’s sister site, Engadget, the previous algorithm didn’t pass muster, so the updated calculations uses both historical and current traffic conditions to arrive at an estimated time of arrival. It appears on the journeys for which information is available beneath the no-traffic estimate.

If the map can’t find information on your chosen roads, you can assist The Goog and your fellow travelers by turning on My Location if you have a Google Maps for Android. Your phone – and a bunch of others – will update home base as to your velocities and help fill in those traffic blanks.

Google Maps regains ability to estimate your trip duration with traffic

The LA Weekly reports there may have been more to the viral news story of a motorcycle police officer who ended up with his legs in the air in the back seat of a BMW convertible after a traffic collision. Following an 18-month investigation, prosecutors have officially dropped the three misdemeanor assault charges against driver Brian Hitchcock after the man’s lawyers discovered Hermosa, California officer Anthony Parente had a history of questionable accidents and hefty workers’ compensation claims.

Hitchcock was charged with assault, reckless driving and a third misdemeanor after Parente accused the man of speeding in the parking lane, swerving in front of the officer and then jamming on his brakes once Parente hit his lights and sirens. The bike then struck the BMW, catapulting Parente into the rear seats of the vehicle. The two had been next to each other at a stop light moments earlier.

But Hitchcock reportedly maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, saying he accelerated normally and never cut the motorcycle off. Eye witnesses corroborated his version of the story, and Hitchcock’s lawyers found Parente had filed for workmans’ compensation six times in recent years, three of which were in his four years with the Inglewood School Police Department where he served before joining the Hermosa Beach Police Department in 2005.

Furthermore, Hitchcock’s lawyers discovered Parente had allegedly pulled a similar stunt with a cop car after ramming one Peter Brown. Brown’s insurance paid Parente’s claim. Hithcock’s did not, with the man vowing to fight the charges tooth-and-nail in court. Parente, meanwhile, is currently on medical leave with workman’s compensation for soft tissue damage some 20 months after the accident.

Was that viral photo of a motorcycle cop crash-landing into convertible a scam?

It’s April 2 today, which means we’ve made it through all the April Fools’ Day gags (stay tuned for more on that front…) and it’s time to turn to more serious stuff. And nothing is more serious than the 2013 SRT Viper that debuts on April 4 at the New York Auto Show.

While we’ve seen teasers and spy shots, renderings and some other assorted approximations of what the first Viper without a Dodge badge will look like, we think this latest one really kills it. Courtesy of artist Jon Sibel, this is one of those images that looks good enough to be the real thing. If it were, we’d be pleased with the new Snake. We imagine everyone at Chrysler would too.

Besides this great rear three-quarter shot, Sibel has done up a nice Viper roadster that you can see in our gallery.

One more rendered speculation of the new Viper before the big reveal

Cadillac is updating its best-seller for the 2013 model year, with the SRX crossover getting several technology enhancements, including CUE, the luxury brand’s new infotainment system.

The acronym stands for Cadillac User Experience, which uses a capacitive touchscreen for control of numerous functions, including interfacing with a driver’s smartphone. While other systems like CUE already exist, none offer proximity sensing and haptic feedback such that the display changes as a driver’s hand nears it and gives feedback to his selection. We’ve already posted a deep dive with CUE here.

The other big upgrade is the availability of new safety technology in conjunction with Cadillac’s Safety Alert Seat, which we wrote about here. Two packages will be offered, one called “Driver Awareness” and the other “Driver Assist.” The former is focused on crash prevention by way of providing driver alerts, while the latter will also include vehicle intervention.

Cadillac has also added active noise cancellation to the SRX for 2013, along with redesigning the steering wheel and shifter and updating the instrument cluster to accommodate CUE. Some new USB and SD card ports, minor rear-seat entertainment upgrades, standard HD radio, and new interior color combinations round out the changes.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading Cadillac CUEs up improved 2013 SRX

Cadillac CUEs up improved 2013 SRX

Cadillac is updating its best-seller for the 2013 model year, with the SRX crossover getting several technology enhancements, including CUE, the luxury brand’s new infotainment system.

The acronym stands for Cadillac User Experience, which uses a capacitive touchscreen for control of numerous functions, including interfacing with a driver’s smartphone. While other systems like CUE already exist, none offer proximity sensing and haptic feedback such that the display changes as a driver’s hand nears it and gives feedback to his selection. We’ve already posted a deep dive with CUE here.

The other big upgrade is the availability of new safety technology in conjunction with Cadillac’s Safety Alert Seat, which we wrote about here. Two packages will be offered, one called “Driver Awareness” and the other “Driver Assist.” The former is focused on crash prevention by way of providing driver alerts, while the latter will also include vehicle intervention.

Cadillac has also added active noise cancellation to the SRX for 2013, along with redesigning the steering wheel and shifter and updating the instrument cluster to accommodate CUE. Some new USB and SD card ports, minor rear-seat entertainment upgrades, standard HD radio, and new interior color combinations round out the changes.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading Cadillac CUE’s up improved 2013 SRX

Cadillac CUE’s up improved 2013 SRX

Toyota has just wrapped up another impressive Antarctic expedition, this time traversing over 43,500 miles in the span of four months. In the process, the company says it snagged a new world record with three specially-prepared Hilux pickup trucks with each covering 5,903 miles of the frozen continent. Iceland-based Arctic Trucks handled converting the pickups for their stint in the cold, and while the alterations included creating at least two 6×6 versions, the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engines had to be reworked to consume Jet A-1 fuel. In the low temperatures of the Antarctic, standard diesel would simply turn to jelly.

The trucks were also outfitted with large tires running just 2-3 psi of air pressure, resulting in a contact patch around 17 times larger than a standard tire. Toyota reports the trucks ran incredibly well throughout the expedition and required no major repairs.

Starting last November, Toyota sent a team of 10 Hilux trucks to the far south to establish fuel depots, a weather station and to support scientific expeditions along the way. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Toyota conquers Antarctic in jet-fueled Hilux pickups

Toyota conquers Antarctic in jet-fueled Hilux pickups

We had a feeling this was coming. The otherworldly curvy sheetmetal of the Nissan Juke has always seemed so far off the map as to appear more French than Japanese. After all, Gallic designers have a long history of creating bold and polarizing forms. So it comes as little surprise that AutoExpress is reporting that Nissan will let its corporate siblings at Renault borrow the fun-to-drive Juke crossover for a model of their own.

At least in the UK, the unnamed model will replace the slow-selling Koleos CUV. AutoExpress has worked up some renderings, and notably, they swap out the Juke’s unusual front lighting for something a bit more traditional and more along the lines of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show Captur showcar.

Earlier speculation had the Captur coming to market riding atop Renault’s Clio architecture, but if this new report is accurate, Renault probably won’t have to invest as much to bring the vehicle to market. Check out the full renderings at the link below, and sit tight, because AE doesn’t expect the subcompact ute to arrive until sometime next year.

Renault to get own version of Nissan Juke

Bucking The Downsizing Trend For All The Right Reasons

Sometimes in life, you hit the nail right on the head, sink a hole-in-one or strike a perfect bullseye. It happens in all walks of life – from the original Star Wars trilogy to the Apple iPod. It even happens from time to time in the automotive realm. Take, for instance, the 1965 Ford Mustang or the original Acura Legend.

Other times, we’re not so lucky. Like the ill-begotten Star Wars prequel trilogy, the automotive world has played host to a long line of underwhelming encores. The Mustang II comes to mind, and so does the Acura RL.

Of course, every so often, automakers release a car to market that’s just isn’t quite fully baked, like the ill-timed and poorly received Edsel from Ford. Though not nearly as obvious, the first-generation Acura RDX falls into this unfortunate camp.

Originally marketed to the upwardly mobile male Gen-X population – a guy Acura named Jason back in 2006 – it turns out that well-to-do, tech-savvy men aren’t actually all that interested in an entry-level premium crossover from Honda’s luxury division. And that’s why, for 2013, the Acura RDX is being re-aimed at the heart of the market: namely, baby boomers and young couples – defined by Acura as DINKS – “Dual-Income, No Kids” – who prefer quiet, comfortable and composed to quick, nimble and raucous.

Continue reading 2013 Acura RDX

2013 Acura RDX

When the 2013 Ford Fusion goes on sale this fall, it will be the first mid-size family sedan in North America to be offered with start-stop technology. But since not all buyers are open to the idea of having their engines turn off at stop lights to save fuel, Ford will be offering it as optional equipment, and the automaker has now announced that the stand-alone feature will cost $295.

The 2013 Fusion will launch with three powertrains (not including Hybrid and Energi variants), but only the 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four is available with start-stop. This engine produces 172 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque, and can be had with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether or not start-stop will be available with both transmissions. The Fusion’s other powertrains – a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four and 2.0-liter EcoBoost four – will not be available with the technology.

According to Ford, the 1.6-liter Fusion should be good for up to 37 miles per gallon on the highway, putting it at the top of its class in terms of fuel economy. Based on its calculations, Ford estimates that drivers who opt for the start-stop-equipped Fusion will save “about $1,100 more than other midsize sedan owners during five years of driving.”

We’ll be interested to see what the take rate is on start-stop once the Fusion goes on sale later this year. For the full details, scroll down to read Ford’s press release.

Continue reading Ford prices 2013 Fusion start-stop option at $295

Ford prices 2013 Fusion start-stop option at $295

This week, the racing yacht VOR70 Maserati finished its run from Miami to New York City. Intended as a record attempt, skipper Giovanni Soldini elected not to have the final time of the transit ratified because he didn’t feel it was reflective of the real speed Maserati is capable of. (The boat had to deal with several weather systems on its way up from Florida, which slowed it. Another attempt at a better time will be made in the future.)

With the boat spending a few days at Manhattan’s North Cove marina, just outside the World Financial Center, Maserati invited us down to take a look in person. Maserati, a 70-foot, carbon-fiber monohull, contested the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race under a different moniker. It was subsequently overhauled, had its weight distribution adjusted, and made 10 percent lighter, after which it was reintroduced in its current form, with Maserati as its primary sponsor.

It’s capable of traveling at an incredible 40 knots under sail (hence the 46 mph reference in the headline), and what’s striking about Maserati in person is that in addition to the hull itself, almost everything else on board is made of carbon fiber: the wheels at the helm, the mast, the grinders and winches, and so on. I pointed at one of the big winches on deck and asked watch leader Brad Van Liew, “How much is that?”

“Around $80,000,” he answered. The whole boat apparently cost around $8,000,000. It’s the state of the art, and if you’re in Manhattan, you might still be able to check it out in person. It’s due to head out on another speed record attempt (destination: Cape Lizard, UK) in the coming days.

If you want to follow the ongoing exploits of VOR70 Maserati, bookmark Maserati.Soldini.it for news, blogs, video, the crew’s Twitter feeds, and more.

An $8 million “Maserati” that goes 46 mph

Here it is, folks. This is the car that was under cover in the spy shots we showed you a few days ago, and it’s going to be called the Fisker Atlantic when it debuts this week at the New York Auto Show. These two images of the car appeared today on a Czech website, and the rear shot clearly shows a license plate bearing the name “Atlantic.”

Previously called Project Nina, the Atlantic will slot in Fisker’s fledgeling lineup below the Karma, and reportedly cost considerably less. While any talk of pricing is just a guess at this point, rumor has it the Atlantic will be about half the price of the Karma, putting it squarely in the $45,000-$55,000 range. It’s a plug-in series hybrid, just like its big brother, but the Atlantic will reportedly use a turbocharged four-cylinder from BMW as its range-extending generator.

We’ll have more detailed information about the Atlantic when it officially debuts at the New York Auto Show this week, so come back for our live show coverage on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4-5.

Project Nina revealed as Fisker Atlantic, images leak early

We pity the fool who don’t think this is cool. Put aside the celebrity provenance of this “authentic replica,” allegedly “certified” by George Barris, for now and just take a look at the thing. It appears to be a spot-on knock-off of B.A. Baracus’ bad attitude van, the perfect midlife-crisis toy for anyone who grew up watching The A-Team. Imagine how cool it would be to drop the kids off at school in this?

Okay, the traffic snarl during drop-off time won’t clear out any faster, but when it comes to “manly vans,” you can’t top this custom 1983 Chevrolet G10. Wait, what’s that you say? B.A. drove a GMC? Of course he did. But this is a replica, and one that seems to have been built from a nearly identical Chevy donor.

The seller claims the van was built for none other than Mike Myers, he of Wayne’s World and Austin Powers fame. We’d like to see some documentation of this celebrity provenance, though it’s not the sort of thing that we’d see too much value in, regardless. We’re also curious about the last line of the sale ad: “Movie coming out in June!” It was back in June 2010 that the A-Team feature film debuted, which makes us think the seller might be willing to deal on his $20,000 price.

Find of the Day: “Authentic” A-Team van replica commissioned by Mike Myers

“Fleet” is sort of a dirty word when describing vehicle sales, and the Detroit Three have traditionally been quite smitten with bulk buyers. Unfortunately fleet sales have been demonized for a reason. They can adversely affect resale values, and since fleet buyers tend to expect warehouse store pricing, they’re obviously not great for the bottom line, either. But one automaker seems more than happy to sell to fleets: Ford.

Bloomberg reports that a larger percentage of Ford’s overall sales are going to fleets, rising from 22 percent of in 2006 to 27 percent in 2011. Of those vehicles, 41 percent reportedly went to the likes of Hertz and Enterprise. That leaves the rest of the sales at the local, state and federal level, plus a smattering of commercial buyers. In other words, needy customers with cash in hand. And those buyers tend to want high-margin rides like trucks, crossovers and SUVs; vehicles Ford make money on.

Ford fleet director Kevin Koswick tells Bloomberg that the automaker knows what it’s doing, adding “I don’t see it as an issue as long as you manage your fleet and you’re balanced in what you do.”

Ford defends ballooning fleet sales

We’re big fans of the Volkswagen bus, from the original Type 2 and its descendants, to the Vanagon that replaced it, and even the front-drive Eurovan. While VW hasn’t sold one of these in the U.S. since it discontinued the Eurovan in 2003, the rest of the world has enjoyed the Transporter T5 for the past decade. The VWs are immensely popular camper vans in Europe (especially those with pop-top roofs), and the novel Doubleback conversion shown above takes the formula to another level.

With an electric, slide-out rear pod similar to what you find on many modern RVs, the Doubleback can extend a Transporter by an additional six-and-a-half feet, offering an entire rear bedroom. The company says the extra room adds only 286 pounds to the vehicle’s curb weight and extends in under 45 seconds. The conversion eliminates any rear seating, so your camper will be a two-seater, or you can get a front bench installed to fit an extra passenger in the middle.

At today’s exchange rates, the Doubleback sells for about $87,975, including British taxes, or the company can convert your vehicle. Be sure to check out the photo gallery to see more of this cool bus.

The Doubleback fits a big RV into a small space

If you’re Alan Mulally’s gardener, it’s probably a good time to ask the boss for a raise. The Ford Chief Executive Officer just pocketed $58.3 million in stock earlier in the month, and now his 2011 compensation has been made public – and it’s increased some 11 percent.

Mulally received $29.5 million in 2011, according to The Detroit News, more than twice the next-highest-paid Ford officer cited in the report, Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr., whose total compensation was $14.46 million. While Mulally’s salary amounts to a paltry $2 million, he was paid a $5.46 million bonus, with the rest coming in “stock and option awards as well as personal expenses, which can entail personal use of private aircraft, cell phone use, security, and fuel and car washes,” according to the report.

The News says Ford surpassed its profit targets in 2011, but missed other internal benchmarks.

Doing some quick math, Ford sold 5.7 million vehicles globally in 2011, meaning that Mulally pocketed $5.17 for each one.

Mulally receives nearly $30M in compensation for 2011

Arguably more than any other mainstream automaker, Volkswagen is serious about its heritage. So much so that it appointed Franz-Josef Paefgen – former chief executive of Audi, Bentley and Bugatti – to head up its classics program. In this capacity, Paefgen oversees the heritage departments of each of the group’s brands, but while its commercial vehicles operation may seem the least likely to preserve its past, today’s announcement proves that assumption wrong.

The Oldtimers department of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles just recently moved into a new 7,000 square-meter facility in Hannover, Germany, where its staff of 13 dedicates itself to the restoration and preservation of old VW Buses. Although the garage has been active for several years, working on the company’s own vehicles, the Oldtimer department has now opened its doors for private owners to bring in their vehicles for any degree of service.

Have an old Bus in need of some TLC? Click through the jump for the press release for further details and check out the gallery of high-resolution images for a closer look inside the workshop.

Continue reading Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles opens Oldtimer division for the classic Bus

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles opens Oldtimer division for the classic Bus

What started as only a cute little hatchback, the Fiat 500 will now be growing into a full range of models. The new cabriolet and Abarth versions have already launched here in the United States, and we just got our first glimpse at the larger 500L (pictured above) during the Geneva Motor Show. But now, Automotive News reports that an even larger 500 crossover, dubbed 500X, will be heading into production next year.

Like the 500L, the 500X will use a widened version of Fiat’s small car architecture that currently underpins the Punto in other markets. The new crossover will be built at the company’s Mirafiori, Turin plant, and will replace the current Sedici (a rebadged version of the Suzuki SX4 crossover).

As of this writing, it’s unclear whether or not the 500X will be offered in the United States. But that doesn’t mean we’ll miss out on some small CUV goodness. Automotive News also reports that the 500X will be built alongside a new Jeep crossover, currently codenamed B-CUV, which is set to launch in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2014. It will be smaller than both the current Patriot and Compass, and reportedly be offered with a Trail Rated designation here in the States.

Fiat 500X crossover will debut next year

For The Enthusiast Who Isn’t Ready To Embrace The Future

The 328i is better than the 335i.

We are not the only ones claiming that the entry-level BMW 3 Series, fitted with a clamorous lightweight turbocharged four-cylinder engine, is more agile and tossable than its turbocharged six-cylinder sibling – it appears to many that the segment leader has been displaced by its weaker brother.

Well, maybe.

That big ‘maybe,’ and a whole bunch of its little ‘maybe’ associates, are what convinced us to grab the keys to a brand-new six-cylinder BMW and take it home for a week. Our objective was to determine why the muscular 335i, long the performance benchmark of compact sport sedans, was getting its tailpipes handed to it by its four-banger kin.

To solve the riddle, we put more than 1,500 miles on a brand-new 335i Sport configured with a six-speed manual transmission. Of course, we liked much of what we experienced, as the redesign fits the 3 Series very well. But we also exposed a few holes in its once-impenetrable armor – some big enough to let two fewer cylinders slip by. Has the quickest and highest-performing of the non-M 3 Series models really lost its top spot on the palace throne? If so, why would someone still want a 335i?

Continue reading 2012 BMW 335i [w/video]

2012 BMW 335i [w/video]

Instead of letting everyone else leak shots and scale models of the 2013 Viper, SRT has gone insider trading and released its own teaser shot of the upcoming snake’s interior. What we can see of the overall layout appears familiar from the second-generation car, but the materials look to have been significantly upgraded: ornately bezeled vents, soft-touch trim, cross-stitching and aggressive two-tone accents.

There’s been some bother about the evolutionary exterior design of the 2013 Viper, but for a car that had just two generations in 20 years, it can still stand up to anything from Italy for badass presence. What it really needed was an interior and chassis that could deliver on its looks, and it appears the new 2013 model will be getting just that.

We’ll continue to wait on its official appearance at the New York Auto Show next week to judge, but based on this shot, we like the look of where things are headed. Click on the photo above for a high-res version and stay tuned for the full debut live from New York next week.

SRT teases 2013 Viper interior on Facebook