is reportedly working on a refresh for its mid-size pickup, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The refreshed Taco will debut in October, as part of the automaker’s plan to debut many all-new or refreshed vehicles this year. In addition to the Tacoma, the and will also receive substantial overhauls for the new model year.
Bob Carter, group vice president and brand manager for Toyota, says that the 2012 Tacoma will keep the same engine and frame, but will have a new exterior design, as well as an updated interior. Currently, the Tacoma is powered by a 4.0-liter V6 that produces 236 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque.
Additionally, Carter states that the Tacoma will receive new entertainment functions, and as we , the automaker’s new infotainment system will be part of the offerings. We’ll have more details come October.
A new car, updated livery and a fresh set of tires can only mean one thing for Ken Block – a new Gymkhana video is in the works, and it’s slated to take over YouTube sometime this summer. The new instrument of driving precision and rubber destruction is Block’s .
Gymkhana Four will no doubt be another internet sensation, one that will add to the constantly growing mass of people who’ve viewed the previous three videos. To date, Gymkhana installments one through three have been watched over 110 million times, with Gymkhana Three making its way on to YouTube’s list of Top 10 Videos of 2010.
Whether you think it’s merely a marketing stunt, a display of skill behind the wheel or something in between, there’s little doubt that you’re going to watch it. We’ll do the same, and you’ll be sure to find it here on Autoblog when Ken Block and DC Shoes release the finished version. For now, you can get a taste of what’s to come by checking out the image gallery above.
Anybody can buy a cop car. The roadway is littered with clapped-out Caprice cruisers that cause motorists to instinctively to slam on the brakes while the driver rolls smugly on by. Not everybody can pick up a brand-new , however, but a few dealers actually have them in stock.
A reader (Thanks, Manzer!) managed to spy one – complete with tinted windows – and sent in a few pics of the updated Caprice parked at in a nearby lot. While we are sad because it reminds of the gone-too-soon , we’re happy that we might someday be able to pick up a used one for far less than the nearly $32,000 price tag these command when new.
What do you get for all that coin? Well the average Joe Citizen gets exactly nothing, since you can’t officially buy one since with its dealers that saw a few examples selling to civilian buyers. Johnny Law, however, gets lights hidden in the front grille and rear window, a modest cloth interior and Police Performance mode as part of the Stabilitrak system. The best part lies under the hood, though, as this cruiser comes equipped with a 6.0-liter V8 engine that produces 355 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque.
Do you happen to wear a badge and desire a new ride to stop the baddies? Check out the in Atlanta, Georgia for a few options to put on your shopping list.
Now that has officially launched the , it’s time for the automaker to finish off the tweaks for its larger crossover. It’s been many moons since our trusty spy photographers have spotted the big GL out testing, but the prototypes are now back on the road, and it appears that a bit more of the matte camouflage has been stripped away.
We don’t expect things to change too much from the current GL, save the addition of some new headlamps and LED taillamps. If the M-Class is anything to go off of, we can expect that both gasoline and diesel engines will make their way to the United States, likely in the same GL350 turbo-diesel V8 and GL550 V8 guises that we currently have. For the V8 model, the old 5.5-liter naturally aspirated unit will surely be swapped out for the new twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter powerplant, found in the other 550-badged Mercedes-Benz models.
Look for the updated GL-Class to debut later this year.
The hits dealerships next month, and although the majority of its new model year updates are small, there’s big news under the hood. has decided to ditch both its 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 and 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 in favor of the automaker’s more powerful 3.6-liter V6, an engine found in a variety of applications throughout GM’s portfolio.
GM has officially priced the 2012 SRX from $36,060 (*including $875 for destination).
Other changes for the 2012 model year include standard Bluetooth connectivity on all models, a new Xenon Blue Metallic paint option, new interior color choices and a revised 20-inch wheel pattern, among other things. to read GM’s official press release with the full details and check out the 2012 SRX in our gallery above.
We’ve been racking up some serious miles on our . Since its delivery in March, we’ve added nearly 11,000 miles to the odometer, and after that many miles of commuting, road tripping and cargo-shlepping, the interior of the big was starting to get a bit dusty. During the month of July, we treated the to some much-needed TLC.
In addition to an at a local do-it-yourself wash and vacuum station, our Equus went in for its second oil change. After our , we opted to just drop the car off at the dealership this time around, mostly because of timing issues on our behalf. Submitting a request for Equus service with an Apple iPad is still as easy as ever, and the dealership request for an appointment went flawlessly.
11,000 miles might not seem like enough time to accumulate lots of wear and tear on a vehicle’s cabin, but upon closer inspection, our Equus is starting to show signs of aging.
Keep your eyes locked on the official for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (, look for the hashtag).
The moment of truth is upon McLaren this weekend. After rolling out its MP4-12C road car to positive reviews, the racing team turned automaker is turning itself back into a racing team with the new McLaren GT division and its MP4-12C GT3 – the first GT racer from the Woking, UK outfit since the celebrated F1 GTR.
After launching the new GT3, McLaren went back to the drawing board and came out with a series of updates based on their preliminary testing, and along the way, took 20 orders from a variety of independent racing teams for next year. That’s all well and good, but what really matters is whether or not the car can perform. And we’re about to find out this weekend when a trio of MP4-12C GT3s debut at the 24 Hours of Spa at the famous race track in Belgium.
Truth be told, this isn’t the first time the MP4-12C GT3 – try saving that three times fast – has driven at Spa, having joined the British GT Championship there earlier this month. The solitary entry placed 12th in the first race and a solid 4th in the second, but those results apparently didn’t count towards anything, as it was an exposition entry.
This time, however, McLaren GT will be back with three cars and ten drivers out to prove what the new car can do. One car will feature McLaren’s own factory test driver Chris Goodwin, another with Andrew Kirkaldy, head of the CRS racing team that formed the outfit together with McLaren, and a third with VonRyan Racing, one of the factory’s first customers. We’ll be keeping an eye out to see how they do. Follow the jump for the full press blast and scope out the high-res image gallery for a closer look at the machinery.
says big things are in store for the redesigned , and the vehicle is nearly ready to show its face to the world. The mid-sized sedan isn’t quite ready yet, however, and our spy photographers have captured the camo-wearing four-doors making their way around the desert.
We’ve been promised a more dynamic looking Camry the next time out, and the angles cut around the nose look sharper than recent generations. Still, it’s just speculation at this point, because that camouflage is doing a pretty good job of hiding what lies beneath. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too much longer to see the updated sedan, as it’s slated to hit dealer lots this fall.
is giving the company’s a mild refresh for 2012. The SUV will ditch its bulky front fascia for a slightly more restrained nose with a three-bar grille replacing the thick-chrome grin of the . In addition, Honda plans to squeeze a little more fuel efficiency out of the SUV with a new transmission, saying it will boast the highest EPA-estimated mileage of any three-row crossover. The old five-speed automatic gearbox has been replaced with six-speed unit for 2012.
Honda is throwing in a few interior updates as well. Buyers will be able to enjoy a slightly massaged cabin, complete with an updated navigation system and stereo to match. Finally, new paint colors and wheel options will round out the changes.
In addition to the revised Pilot, Honda has also added a new Sport model to its familiar for 2012. Above the Ridgeline RT standard features, the Sport will get exclusive black 18-inch alloy wheels, black honeycomb grille, standard fog lights, black headlight and brake light housings, and black mirrors and door handles. The 2012 Ridgeline goes on sale November 2011; the Pilot a few months earlier.
See the brief blurbs from Honda for each model . You can also click on either image for an enlarged view.
If the featured in our comparison test looked familiar, that’s because it’s our long-term tester. In fact, you might say that the arrival of our Jetta TDI is what sparked the idea for the comparison test, especially after Editor-in-Chief John Neff took the car on a few long highway trips and recorded well over 50 miles per gallon. And while the Jetta – spoiler alert! – may not have won our eco-warrior comparison, its 2.0-liter diesel engine continues to impress us with its effortless efficiency.
Just how effortless? We enthusiasts tend not to be the most efficient drivers, and yet our recorded average fuel economy over the past 8,500 miles is 43.4 miles per gallon. That’s right, our average combined number is 1.4 mpg higher than the EPA’s highway rating for the Jetta TDI. In fact, we’ve recorded as high as 53.5 mpg on the highway, and even under the most spirited driving, the lowest number recorded in our logbook so far is just 36.7 mpg.
Keep your eyes locked on the official for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (, look for the hashtag).
We love a good crash-testvideo as much as the next auto-obsessive website, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is chock full of them. Unfortunately, the insurance watchdog used a video player system most likely designed back when Geocities was an Internet staple. Now, however, the IIHS has launched an updated player, and the videos are arranged neatly for your viewing pleasure right on the Consumer Reports website.
After first selecting a make, you can filter by model before selecting the video you want to see. for a sample, then head over to the .
Like many a before it, has prepped its newest escarabajo to begin running down production facilities in Mexico. Located in Puebla, Volkswagen de México serves as one of the nation’s largest employers, with a workforce of over 15,000 folks. The Puebla facility served as a major manufacturer of the preceding New Beetle, turning out 1.5 million units between 1997 and 2010. Now, the factory worker’s wrenches are set to bring the updated version to life.
“Did you know that it was never supposed to be called a Charger?”
The man posing the question is Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Chrysler’s SRT group. According to Gilles, the modern was styled to have been branded differently, but the suits wanted a sporty full-size four-door. The design team delivered what was asked and the marketers went ahead and applied the name. Much to the chagrin of many a Mopar fanboy on the planet.
Thankfully, our time with the the affable Mr. Gilles wasn’t spent pondering the last generation LX’s branding issues. Or refinement issues. Or interior gaffes. Instead, rounded up its newest factory-fettled performance superstars in Southern California so we could get some quality time with the latest generation of SRT machines, including the .
This updated model provides a welcome change compared to its predecessor. Some may still feel that the last-gen Charger may not have deserved to wear the badge, but Chrysler’s latest is clearly closer to its B-Body brethren. To find out just how close, we strapped in and ran down some of California’s finest roads on our way out to Willow Springs for some track time.
We now know exactly what to expect from the Harley-Davidson lineup next year. The bike maker plans to roll out two new models: a 10th Anniversary Edition V-Rod and a new Dyna Switchback. The V-Rod will wear special silver paint designed to pay homage to the aluminum bodywork of the original liquid-cooled Harley, and buyers will get to enjoy unique 10th Anniversary V-Rod bags as well.
Meanwhile, the Dyna Switchback boasts a detachable windshield and a set of removable hard bags to create a versatile ride that can toe the line between an in-town cruiser and a long-haul machine. The Switchback, like all but two of H-D’s entire line of Dyna, Softail and Touring models, packs the company’s Twin Cam 103 engine with a full 100 pound-feet of torque.
The rest of the Harley-Davidson stable has received a few updates as well, including the company’s Night Rod Special. That bike gets a new set of light-weight wheels, a tapered tail section and an inverted front fork along with improved ergonomics.
Finally, the Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations team has rolled out a CVO Road Glide Custom with all the tricks. Buyers can rock out to a high-output Harman/Kardon stereo, and each CVO Road Glide Custom is built with a frame-mounted fairing dipped in wild paint. for the full press release.
The hasn’t had many updates since it last received an overhaul for 2006, but that changes for 2012, at least in the area of powertrains. As we told you , the otherwise untouched Impala will receive tried and true 3.6-liter V6 for 2012. The direct-injected engine boasts 302 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque – a far cry from the 211-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 it replaces. Heck, even the optional 3.9-liter V6 could only muster 230 horsepower.
To sweeten the pot a bit more, the Environmental Protection Agency’s website now verifies that the 2012 Impala can hit 30 miles per gallon on the highway. That’s better than the 29 mpg of the outgoing model, though the ‘12 model could only manage 18 mpg in city driving, while the ‘11 model registers a tick better at 19 mpg. While the combined fuel economy of the two models is likely still the same, it’s hard to argue with an extra 91 horsepower without a penalty at the pump.
We’re still waiting on Chevy to cough up images of the updated 2012 model, but if you’ve somehow forgotten what the ubiquitous Impala looks like, you can check out our gallery of the 2011 model above.
With Android outselling Apple’s iOS devices by a lofty margin, we’ve been asking every automaker when Android connectivity will finally come to cars. Automotive supplier Harman International has answered the call with its latest infotainment system, which integrates the Android Open Accessory Protocol to allow users to connect their Google-powered smartphone or tablet and control their devices through the head unit, steering wheel buttons or voice commands.
By adopting and implementing the Android protocol, Harman’s systems have access to user’s music, movies and navigation apps, along with SMS and email functionality. Other integrated apps – particularly nav and POI programs – are already available, including Harman’s own app, which allows users to hear Facebook and Twitter updates, get customized news feeds, listen to podcasts, traffic and weather alerts and Internet radio streaming.
The protocol currently supports Android 3.1 running on tablets and 2.3.4 on smartphones, and the first automaker to bring the system into their vehicles is set to win big. And not just with geeks. for the full details.
originally appeared on on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our .
No matter what part of the world you hail from, there’s really nothing quite like the Targa Newfoundland. Held on a beautiful island off the Eastern coast of Canada, the course is over 1,350 miles long and winds through small towns, open spaces and deep forests for some of the most challenging and varied stages of any competition on the continent. As a result, competitors come wielding sheetmetal from every conceivable corner of the globe and era of automotive history. It’s a buffet of horsepower at wide-open throttle, and this year, we’ll be in the hunt ourselves.
The good people at have been so kind as to offer us a much-coveted co-driver seat in their supercharged . Nancy, as our valiant stallion is affectionately known due to her NC chassis, started life as an abused orphan of the Mazda press car fleet. After a little massaging by the Flyin’ Miata crew, the car now rocks a 2009 front fascia, the company’s proprietary supercharger kit, springs and sway bars as well as a set of Tokico Shocks. All told, the car produces somewhere around 240 horsepower, which should be enough to help us keep up with the rest of the Grand Touring Class.
Yours Truly will doing his level best to keep from confounding Bill Cardell as he whips Nancy across the Canadian landscape. Those familiar with the Miata scene know Cardell as the founder and owner of Flyin’ Miata, so if anyone knows how to properly cane an MX-5, it’s this guy. I’m honored to have the chance to share the cockpit with him.
This year, Flyin’ Miata is actually campaigning two vehicles. While Cardell, myself and Nancy are set to go the distance in the Grand Touring category, Keith and Janel Tanner are also taking to the Targa. The husband-and-wife team will once again helm the same 1994 MX-5 Miata that they drove in the 2008 Targa Newfoundland, with one big change. This year, the car rocks a L33 V8 conversion that cranks out 400 horsepower to the rear wheels thanks to a set of LS6 heads and a trick cam. All of that power is funneled through a T56 six-speed transmission and a Getrag differential with a clutch-pack limited slip. Needless to say, the Tanners will be taking on the Open Class to do battle with the quickest metal of the event.
Interestingly enough, Flyin’ Miata wouldn’t have been able to head to the 2011 Targa Newfoundland at all without the help of the company’s fans and supporters. The team tried to seduce large sponsors to help fund the trip to Canada before turning to the Miata nation for help. To date, they’ve raised over $14,500 to help put the cars on the first stage. It’s a testament to just how faithful Miata owners can be.
Given that my navigation experience is limited plotting the quickest path to the Dippin Dots stand at the local amusement park, I’ve got some serious work to do before the race gets started on September 10. Stay tuned for updates on my Targa education.
originally appeared on on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our .
2008 Aston Martin DBS – Click above for high-res image gallery
The has only been on the market now for five years, but the on which it’s based has been around for eight. That’s a fairly long life-cycle for any car, but it seems the DB9/DBS will have to soldier on a bit longer. Its replacement – based on – isn’t due to arrive until 2015 at the earliest. In the meantime, Aston is planning a fairly comprehensive facelift for the DB9 family.
The changes are tipped to arrive first on the higher-end DBS before trickling down to the rest of the family. Design touches are expected to be borrowed from the One-77 supercar, bringing the influence of the company’s design boss Marek Reichman to overshadow that of his predecessor, Ian Callum, now at .
Among those touches are expected to be a new fascia that, surprisingly, ditches the company’s trademark shape in favor of a new single grille opening, coupled with hood vents and sharper lines all around.
A refreshed interior is also expected, as is an upgraded engine with about 20 more horsepower to draw on from the 5.9-liter V12, up to 530 hp in DBS trim. Expect the revised DBS to arrive sometime late next year, with the new DB9 to follow shortly thereafter.
originally appeared on on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our .
UPDATE: The new site will take a few minutes to appear and operate correctly for everyone. Unfortunately, it really isn’t as simple as flipping a switch, but be patient and keep reloading.
Autoblog is celebrating the debut of its latest redesign today, the fifth complete overhaul of the site since it launched way back in July of 2004. Since then, Autoblog has grown to become the largest enthusiast website for automotive news, reviews and event coverage in the world, with over 6 million unique visitors every month.
The latest Autoblog redesign is an evolution of the same blog format that has made the site so appealing to its millions of regular readers, while updates to the design, simplified navigation and a slew of new features have been added. One new feature is called Quick Scan View, which lets readers view 30 articles at a time in an easily browsable tile format – great for when you’ve been away from the site for a day or two and need to catch up on what you missed.
Other new features include:
“Lazy loading” of images for quicker loading times
Automaker sections with pages for every model
Research new vehicles with info powered by AOL Autos
Download gallery images with one click
Attach images and videos to tips
Play the podcast in a separate window while browsing the site
Check out our all-new Long-Term Garage section
Share, Tweet, Email or Print any article
Autoblog readers themselves played a significant role in shaping the new site. A beta version went live months before today’s launch, and readers have been providing the Autoblog team, its developers and designers valuable feedback to ensure the finished product is what they wanted.
Today has been the culmination of months of work, but is by no means the end. We will continue to listen to reader feedback, incorporate suggestions and fix any bugs found in the weeks and months to come. We’ll also launch a completely new AutoblogGreen soon.
This redesign would not have been possible without an extremely talented and dedicated group of designers, developers and project managers. The entire Autoblog team would like to thank the following people for their hard work: Jay Moore, Brandon Goode, Tom Pitts, Debra Anderson, Ray Dorman, Apollo Nguyen, Andy Kahn, Sameer Patel, Katy Collins, Ryan Gatewood, Suhale Malang Khader, Pranav Butala, Ginger Lindberg, Margaret Porteus, Sae Kim, Mitch Hazam, Justin Wolf and Rudi Thun.
originally appeared on on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our .
Like that indecisive companion desperately trying to find just the right outfit, the 2012 Civic would probably have been a more entertaining date had it just stuck with what it was wearing initially.
The Lexus LF-Gh Concept from this year’s New York Auto Show is slowly making the journey from pure conceptual creation to full-on production car, albeit, in the form of the GS sedan.
Own an Apple iPad? Like the Flipboard app? Love Autoblog? It’s officially your lucky day.
Also of interest:
: 2012 Audi A5, S5 get a nip/tuck [UPDATE]
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