First Drive: 2010 Hyundai Tucson
What is it? The latest generation of Hyundai's popular compact SUV
The basics: Front- and all-wheel drive plus four-cylinder power
On sale: Early next year
Price: Less than $20,000 (est.)
Hyundai only updated its Tucson compact SUV last year with a new four-cylinder engine but the next-generation model has now made its U.S. debut, showcasing the latest iteration of the automaker's "Fluidic Sculpture" design language.
The 2010 Hyundai Tucson was revealed for the first time back at September's Frankfurt Auto Show in the form of the European iX35 version. However, we now finally have the full U.S.-specs for the compact SUV--and we're live today from the first drive of the 2010 Tucson in Los Angeles.
<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=02a34aeb8e" rel="nofollow">2010 Hyundai Tucson First Drive</a>
The latest addition to Hyundai's lineup has a much more premium look than its predecessor and also comes with a few new features. Front- and all-wheel drive versions will be offered, but only one engine will be available initially--Hyundai's new Theta II 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 176 horsepower (26% more than its predecessor) and 168 pound-feet of torque.
In addition to the 2.4-liter engine, Hyundai will introduce an even more fuel efficient Blue model for the 2011 model year equipped with a Theta II 2.0-liter engine.
With an overall length of 173.2 inches, a width of 71.7 inches and a height of 66.3 inches (with roof rails), the 2010 Hyundai Tucson has a great stance and road presence. It also means the Tucson has a longer wheelbase and overall width than the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester to deliver more packing efficiency.
Furthermore, at 3,203 pounds for an automatic transmission model, the Tucson is lighter than its competitors, while offering more interior room than the Nissan Rogue and Ford Escape.
Accordingly, the Tucson has one of the best fuel economy ratings in its class, with an estimated 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway rating for the automatic model with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive versions return 21 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
Inside, fitted as standard is Hyundai's signature blue lighting, power windows, power door locks, fold-away mirrors and remote keyless entry with alarm and panic button. Bluetooth hands-free phone system with voice recognition and steering wheel audio and cruise controls are also available.
Other available features include leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, power driver seat with lumbar support, automatic headlights, side repeater exterior mirrors, front wiper de-icer and dual front automatic temperature control.
A total of six airbags are also positioned in the Tucson's interior. Dual advanced frontal airbags are complemented by front seat-mounted side-impact airbags and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags with new rollover sensors that cover both the front and rear seat rows.
Development for the 2010 Hyundai Tucson took more than 36 months and cost upwards of $225 million. The Tucson has remained one of the most popular Hyundai models with more than one million units sold worldwide since the launch of the original model back in 2004.
[Hyundai]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 BMW 5-Series: Preview and First Photos
This afternoon, the 2011 BMW 5-Series sedan gets its long-awaited world premiere.
Part of the new generation of BMW large cars, the new sedan is closely linked to the 2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo we reviewed for you in September. BMW also confesses the new 5er shares many of its mechanical systems with the big 7-Series sedan, which was introduced as a 2009 model earlier this year.
The new 5-Series sedan comes to the U.S. with a pair of engines -- either BMW's brilliant twin-turbo, 400-hp V-8 or the same single-turbo in-line six that makes 300 hp in the Gran Turismo and in this application. It's rear-wheel drive, but the new 5-Series also will gain all-wheel-drive versions next year, as well as a normally aspirated, 240-hp six-cylinder model.
With new styling that sheds the overly complex surfaces and shapes of the Bangle era, the new 5-Series could be as improved as the 7-Series before it. We'll let you be the judge: we're posting photos as quickly as BMW puts them into the information cloud. Follow the links below to see the 5-Series premiere to the world, and to get an in-depth preview and photos, right here at TheCarConnection.com
2011 BMW 5-Series--full preview and photos
2011 BMW 5-Series--the official reveal, via the Web
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Preview: 2011 Buick Regal
- What is it?: The relaunch of the popular Regal nameplate, which will be Buick's new mid-size sedan
- The basics: Four-cylinder only for now; front-wheel drive, 180+ hp
- Price: $21,500 (estimated)
- On sale: late 2010/early 2011
Rumors of the Buick Regal's return to production have been circulating for months, and at a dealers' meeting this week, GM finally confirmed them. After being out of the public eye for six years, the Buick Regal will return to showrooms in late 2010 or early 2011, likely as a 2011 model.
The revamped Regal mid-size sedan will be based on the Opel Insignia. (In fact, there's already an Insignia-based Buick Regal on sale in China. It's pictured above.) Like its big brother, the Buick LaCrosse, the Regal is expected to sit on GM's front-wheel-drive Epsilon II platform, but without so many of the LaCrosse's luxury touches. The Regal will also be shorter than the LaCrosse by about seven inches in length and four inches in height.
2011 Buick Regal: The basics
Buick says the new shape is sleek and sculpted, and we're inclined to agree, after seeing it in a GM design studio earlier this year. We liked the car as the Opel Insignia, and as the Chinese-market Buick Regal, and the swift details pressed into its door panels and the Buick waterfall grille have been integrated nicely (and quickly) into a car that at one point was to be the second-generation Saturn Aura. The Regal's interior sports LED-lit gauges, a low instrument panel, and a sweeping dash with suitably upscale trim. Buyers will have a choice of satin metallic interior trim, or piano-black plastic or a dark wood called Kibo.
Powertrain options will include the new, 182-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 220 hp. The latter's a surprise, since it's been expected that the Regal would get a V-6 engine--especially since Buick claims the Acura TSX and Volvo S60 are competitors. For the first model year, Buick says only the Regal CXL will be offered. In 2012 they promise other model versions, which likely means a V-6 is in the offing. A six-speed automatic is the sole gearbox, standard on both, with a manual shift mode. Buick estimates the smaller four will get 30 mpg on the highway, while the turbo engine will get 29 mpg highway ratings from the EPA.
The 2011 Regal will have some adaptive suspension pieces that could distinguish it in the class of near-luxury sedans. The GM brand says a new Interactive Drive Control System will be offered with the turbocharged Regal, and it will have suspension settings that are driver-selectable: Normal, Tour and Sport. IDCS will be like the systems on other cars, with electronic shocks varying their stiffness as traction, acceleration and steering inputs call for it. Read more
Driven: 2010 Lexus RX 350
The RX was one of the first crossovers and arguably the first luxury crossover when it was introduced for 1998. Since then it's become the long-time bestseller for the brand, and it's easy to see why. The 2010 Lexus RX 350 is nearly as practical as a minivan and more fuel-efficient than an old-style SUV, yet serenely refined, with enough luxury features to feel a little indulgent.
But at the same time the RX has become, in some places, ubiquitous.
From the outside, those who aren't RX owners or habitual automotive Web site visitors probably aren't going to notice the difference between the previous second-generation RX and the redesigned 2010 model. RX 350s are still a dime a dozen in the parking lots of upscale malls. But the new model does change significantly on the inside. The instrument panel is much more interesting to look at, with broad arcs and curved panels that distance the RX from minivans or more affordable, non-luxury-brand crossovers.
At the front of the center console and next to the driver is the new Remote Touch controller—a cross between joystick and trackball—that controls screen-based menus and features. The screen seemed quite far away, but we appreciated the broad hood over it, which kept reflections from ever being an issue. Although the menus aren't that much easier than in other screen-based systems like BMW's iDrive or Mercedes-Benz's COMAND, we found the controller less distracting than others that needed to be rotated or those that provided haptic feedback.
Lexus has boosted power from the 3.5-liter V-6 in the 2010 RX 350 to 275 hp, up from 270, and mated it to a new six-speed automatic. Shifts during light and moderate acceleration are seamless and almost impossible to detect without listening for them or watching the tach; we also liked the softer, more linear throttle calibration which gives takeoffs a more precise, luxurious feel. EPA fuel economy ratings stand at 18 mpg city, 24 highway,
The 2010 RX 350 includes a green 'Eco' light in the instrument cluster, but it proved more of an annoyance than an aid. We wondered if the calibration was wrong, as you could still accelerate at what we felt was a moderate pace and it would just stay illuminated the whole time. Only in jackrabbit starts it would go off for a short time.
The driving experience is, to put it bluntly: very numb. Admittedly, many RX buyers will be looking for exactly that. Even with the available Sport Package, which our RX was equipped with (including a sport-tuned suspension), it's capable in corners but by no means eager.
Over several days and about 100 miles of driving, we averaged about 17 mpg overall in the RX 350,
Our test RX 350 had all-wheel drive; for 2010 it's a new adaptive torque split system that sends all torque to the front wheels except when starting up from a stop or when the traction is needed in back. Compared to last year's system it doesn't create nearly as much driveline drag, which should also go to help improve fuel economy overall. And though the RX isn't built for off-roading, the AWD system has a diff lock mode that might come in handy in deep snow, sand, or mud.
Seating and seating space were the subject of many small gripes throughout the week we had the RX. The heated and ventilated seats were upholstered in a nice albeit slightly plasticky leather, but their cushions were on the short side. The hard, contoured headrests, when down, dug into shoulder blades but when up tilted this driver's head uncomfortably forward. Otherwise, the RX is surprisingly short of headroom in the front seats. With the seat bottom adjusted all the way downward, taller drivers will skim the headliner beside the moonroof. Visibility is good outward, thanks to a rather low beltline, but rearward visibility is still impaired by the thick rear pillar and an issue when changing lanes.
When he originally tested the 2010 RX 350, editor Marty Padgett noted more engine noise than in previous versions. Though this tester noticed the engine more than before, it seems road noise and wind noise are even better isolated this time around—so that might be why.
Adding about ten grand to the $38,200 base price, our RX 350 got extras like bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive front lighting, rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated seats, the moonroof, power heated mirrors, a premium sound system, and the navigation system with XM NavTraffic and NavWeather. The available heads-up display is also well worth getting; it projects current speed onto the windshield, along with turn-by-turn navigation instructions.
Close to $50k, there are lots of other choices, including the Lincoln MKX, the Audi Q7, and the new, lower-priced 2010 Cadillac SRX. Shoppers might also consider the hybrid Lexus RX 450 h, which gets 32 mpg in city driving and starts at $41,660.
If it isn't abundantly clear, the 2010 RX 350 is both a vehicle that isolates you and yours from the outside world and makes the driving experience seemingly as uninvolved as possible. To many shoppers, that makes it very appealing.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Forbidden Fruit: Volkswagen Scirocco R
This weekend Volkswagen is bringing out a new racing version of its Scirocco for its first public debut, at the 24-hour race at Germany's Nürburgring.
The new Scirocco is powered by the 265-horsepower, TSI version of VW's 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection mill, as used in the Audi TTS in North America. Our own Rex Roy recently tested a TTS and returned beaming about the engine's responsiveness and vocal character. An XDS limited-slip front differential, combined with the latest version of the company's ESP stability control, helps deliver all that power smoothly through the front wheels.
Visually, the Scirocco R is heavily influenced by the real thing, VW's GT24 racer, with bigger air openings in front, bigger roof-edge spoiler, dual chrome tailpipes, accented sill panels, and unique 18-inch 'Talladega' alloys.
Now for the bad news: Contrary to what we were hearing several years ago—and comments from VW as recently as last fall that it was reconsidering the Scirocco—Volkswagen now has no plans to bring any Scirocco model to the U.S., according to VW of America chief Stefan Jacoby. The Scirocco is built alongside the Eos at a plant in Portugal, and currency issues are expected to be part of the problem. As Volkswagen is moving to establish several higher-volume models focused toward the North American market, many of its niche models, like the Scirocco, aren't part of that plan.
The U.S. might not be completely skipped over on all the performance goodies, though. At last check, the U.S. was due to see the XDS system in upcoming GTI, which will be redesigned for 2010, and the stronger engine was also expected. A next-generation version of the high-performance R32 is still up in the air, though much more likely than the Scirocco.
So it looks like we'll be left to dream of this hot little coupe from across the pond.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Scion, Lexus Getting In on the 2010 Toyota Prius Act?
Call it rank speculation--but TheCarConnection.com's sister site AllAboutPrius.com is getting in on the act with the groundbreaking Toyota Prius set for a Detroit show debut.
AllAboutPrius thinks the new hybrid will be getting some companions, but not necessarily in the Toyota showroom. For sure, Lexus is plotting a new stand-alone hybrid--and it could be that the Lexus HS 250h coming to January's Detroit show will actually be a four-door derived from the new Prius. There's also a new coupe on the front burner, to take on Honda's CR-Z hybrid--and wouldn't it be perfect it if was the replacement for the aging Scion tC?
There's more meat on the 2010 Prius' bones, too, according to AllAboutPrius.com. The new car has a more upscale, conservative interior than the second-generation car--which could make it easier to transform into a Lexus. And the 2010 Prius is expected to grow a bit, too, so that rear-seat legroom is improved.
The final word on the new Prius comes as Toyota opens the 2009 Detroit Auto Show--or maybe before that, if the embargo dam breaks as has become the custom. We'll be here to fill you in as soon as more Prius pics and information surface. In the meantime, check out ABP's writeup on the Prius and see more pics over at our 2010 Toyota Prius page.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
