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June 28, 2005

Saab's Bold New Power Play

The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Aero with its new 2.8-litre V6 Turbo engine is, quite simply, the fastest accelerating car ever to carry the Saab badge, according to the Scandinavian automaker.

For the first time, Saab customers will be able to enjoy the combined benefits of turbocharged power and 6-cylinder refinement in a purpose-built package.

With GM at the helm, it is no longer content to let its European marque sit on the sidelines with meek vehicles - it wants a bigger piece of the prestige pie, and the new 6-cylinder turbo engine for the 9-3 Sport Sedan is the first step towards a more dominant image for the Swedish car builder.

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06:24 AM in Saab | Permalink

June 27, 2005

Mitsubishi's 3.8-litre V6: Built for Australia

In the lead up to the launch of Mitsubishi's new large car in October (the Magna's replacement), the South Australian-based automaker has unloaded new information on the car's V6 engine.

In its mission to develop ‘the best quality car ever built in Australia’, Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) today revealed crucial aspects of the PS41's new engine.

Slated for an October 2005 launch, the PS41 offers strongly competitive power and performance features, while being the first Australian-built car to meet the new Australian environment regulations.

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06:22 AM in Mitsubishi | Permalink

June 24, 2005

2006 Subaru Impreza: First Look

Back in January we published an article about the new 2006 Subaru WRX, and how it was expected to differ both stylistically and mechanically to the current 2005 model.

Though not bang on the money - the headlights aren't as angular, and the brake lights aren't slim line - we weren't far from it, as the official photos evidence.

The biggest change Subaru has made is to the grille that, with a little help from designer Andreas Zapatinas, is now more akin to the somewhat extraterrestrial design of the B9 Tribeca, which was designed to appeal to the hugely lucrative North America market.

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06:18 AM in Subaru | Permalink

June 23, 2005

2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible

The 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible is a 2-door, 4-passenger convertible, available in 3 trims, ranging from the Base to the GT. The 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible's competitors include the Chevrolet Equinox, the Ford Escape, and the Mazda Tribute.

Upon introduction, the Base is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I4, 150-horsepower engine that achieves 22-mpg in the city and 29-mpg on the highway. The GT is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I4, 220-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 21-mpg in the city and 27-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.

The 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible is all-new for 2005.

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06:15 AM in Chrysler | Permalink

June 22, 2005

2005 Chrysler Crossfire

The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire is a 2-door, 2-passenger sports car, or convertible sports car, available in 6 trims, ranging from the Coupe to the SRT-6 Roadster. The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire's competitors include the Jaguar XK-Series, the Panoz Esperante, and the Volkswagen R32.

Upon introduction, the Coupe is equipped with a standard 3.2-liter, V6, 215-horsepower engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard. The SRT-6 Roadster is equipped with a standard 3.2-liter, V6, 330-horsepower, supercharged engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2005 Coupe is a carryover from 2004. The SRT-6 Roadster is all-new for 2005.

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06:14 AM in Chrysler | Permalink

June 21, 2005

Best of the Best

The Ferrari F430 was chosen as the top sports car for the 2005 Robb Report 17th annual Best of the Best special edition.

Ferrari's new F430, a mid-engine sports car powered by a 490-horsepower 4.3-liter V8 engine, was top choice in the Sports Car category. Paul Dean, Robb Report editor-at-large, described the F430 as "the finest Ferrari ever built, and maybe the world's best sports car ever."

The Aston Martin DB9 was named the Robb Report's 2005 Car of the Year, and was chosen as "Best of the Best" in the GTs and Coupes category. According to Dean the DB9 is "the finest of the new Aston Martins built to whisper of past glories without displaying an obsession with them."

"Best of the Best" in the sedan category was the Merecedes-Benz CLS55 AMG, the high-performance AMG version of the new sedan with a coupe-like profile, powered by a 469-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine. Brett Anderson, Robb Report senior vice president of editorial, summarized the CLS55 as the "perfect amalgamation of style, strength, subtlety and pure mind-numbing fun."

In the Sport-Utility Vehicles category, the new Land Rover Range Rover Sport was the top choice—the first Land Rover with an emphasis on handling and on-road performance. Range Rover Sport's off-road capability "remains an industry standard," according to Dean, "and the on-road performance is designed to match and maybe even surpass that of BMW's X5, Porsche's Cayenne Turbo and any member of Mercedes' M-Class."

06:08 AM in BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, News, Porsche | Permalink

June 20, 2005

"Bionic" Car Fueled by Fishy Ideas

Lots of cars have been named after creatures of the sea, from the Corvette Stingray to the Plymouth Barracuda. But Mercedes-Benz's new Bionic Car was actually made to look like one. At a DaimlerChrysler car exposition last week in Washington, D.C., the automaker unveiled the concept vehicle, whose sloping nose and trim silhouette were modeled directly after the small tropical boxfish (inset).

Engineers patterned the vehicle on the boxfish's unique features, mimicking the fish's streamlined profile to improve the car's aerodynamics, while adopting the animal's boxy frame to increase strength and stability. Drawing on biology to develop new technology—a concept known as bionics—enabled the designers to create a diesel-powered prototype that can achieve speeds of up to 188 miles an hour (190 kilometers an hour) and boasts fuel economy of 70 miles a gallon (30 kilometers per liter).

Boxfish, also known as trunkfish or cowfish, can be found in warm ocean waters, where they linger near the seafloor to hunt for burrowing invertebrates. The fish are easily identified by their distinctive profiles as well as by the bonelike, six-sided plates that cover much of their bodies and help protect them from predators.

Acknowledging the fish as the inspiration for the Bionic Car, Mercedes-Benz issued a statement calling the boxfish "a prime example of the ingenious inventions developed by nature over millions of years of evolution."

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06:01 AM in Mercedes-Benz | Permalink