2009 Los Angeles Auto Show: Range Rover Sport Autobiography Limited Edition
You have to give Land Rover credit: the company knows its target market. Seriously, what better place to debut the 2010 Range Rover Sport Autobiography Limited Edition than in California, at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show?
The Autobiography bears many similarities to its Range Rover Sport kin -- especially the Supercharged edition, with which it shares a 510hp supercharged V8 engine. However, the Autobiography ups the ante on style, featuring specially embossed headrests, a unique badge on the tailgate, 20-inch Diamond-Turned wheels, a distinctive exhaust extension, a Santorini Black paint job, and "50 percent fewer buttons and switches on dashboard". The "Limited Edition" part of its name refers to the 250-unit production run. And of course, such a premium ride requires premium dough: the Autobiography's MSRP is $88,545 -- about $14,000 more than its Supercharged sibling.
We'll post live pics from the floor after the reveal. (The shot above is of the 2009 Sport.) In the meantime, feel free to flip through the full press release below.
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LAND ROVER DEBUTS NEW 2010 RANGE ROVER SPORT AUTOBIOGRAPHY LIMITED EDITION AT THE 2009 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW
LOS ANGELES, CA., December 2, 2009 Land Rover, the world's leading sport utility vehicle manufacturer, comes to Los Angeles with the North American debut of Range Rover Sport Autobiography Limited Edition. The limited-production vehicle will be on display with the full model line-up for press review December 2-3, and during the public show days December 4-13.
The award-winning Range Rover Sport line-up will feature a striking new Autobiography Package available in the 510-hp Supercharged edition offering added elegance and refinement for 2010. All seat surfaces are upholstered in new duo-tone leather, available in three color combinations. The front and rear headrests are embossed with a unique Autobiography Sport logo while the wood door inserts also bear this exclusive insignia. The Autobiography Package also includes the rear-seat entertainment system and HD radio offered in Range Rover Sport, as well as a distinctive Autobiography Sport badge on the tailgate. Electronic rear differential lock and adaptive cruise control are also part of the package.
Only 250 Autobiographies will be produced this year in Santorini Black. The exterior features body-colored lower door panels, front and rear bumpers with titan accents and an extended rear roof spoiler. A Titan mesh grille and side vents also enhance the Autobiography Package. Special 20-inch, 10-spoke Diamond-Turned alloy wheels and a distinguishing exhaust extension complete the exterior.
Autobiography A Beneficiary of a Better Basis
The foundation for the Autobiography model the updated 2010 Range Rover Sport puts even more emphasis on driving dynamics over prior model years. From the new suspension that monitors the suspension at up to 500 times per second and adjusts to suit individual driving style, to the new Dynamic setting on the Terrain Response system in the Supercharged model which provides heightened responsiveness during enthusiastic on-road driving, the new Sport feels much more agile, more athletic. Greater driver involvement comes with new paddle shifters to select gears manually when desired, revised steering, and more powerful brakes.
The Range:
HSE
Supercharged
Autobiography $88,545 5.0-liter V8 510 hp/461 lb-ft 6-sp auto
(Prices are MSRP and include $850 destination and delivery charge)
Highlights:
- Greater focus on enhanced driving dynamics, more athletic performance
- All-new direct-injection 5.0-liter V8 engines
- New 5.0-liter supercharged V8 delivers a remarkable 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque with 0-to-60 mph acceleration in just 5.9 seconds
- New 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with 375 hp and 375 lb-ft generating
0-to-60mph acceleration in 7.2 seconds just 0.1 sec. slower that previous Supercharged model
- High-efficiency, sixth-generation Eaton twin-vortex supercharger (Supercharged and Autobiography models)
- Both engines conform to stringent ULEV2 emissions regulations
- Striking new exterior design with new LED headlights, new two-bar grille, revised bumpers and new LED rear light clusters
- Vastly improved ride and handling with new Adaptive Dynamics System featuring precise new DampTronic Valve Technology damper units (shocks) that read suspension movements 500 times per second and adjust to suit the driver
- New Dynamic program within Terrain Response system to deliver more sporting and responsive on-road driving experience
- New paddle shifters for Sport Supercharged (and Autobiography)
- Dramatic leap forward in interior quality, with finer materials and finishes; 50 percent fewer buttons and switches on dashboard
# # #
Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, LR2 (Freelander 2), LR4 (Discovery 4), Range Rover Sport and Range Rover each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 78% of this model range exported to over 140 countries. Land Rover employs 8,500 people and supports a further 40,000 jobs supported in the supply chain.
Land Rover takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Emissions have been cut with all new models and, together with Jaguar, it is investing £800m on technology specifically aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Also, since September 2006, carbon dioxide generated by Land Rover manufacturing activities and UK customer vehicle use has been balanced through an industry leading offset program run by Climate Care.
[Land Rover]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010 Audi TT Drops V-6
Interested in Audi's pert TT coupe and roadster? For 2010, you'll have to look elsewhere if you're only satisfied by V-6 power.
For 2010, Audi's dropping the V-6 versions of the TT from its lineup as a part of a simplification across the board. Witness the also-new 2010 Audi A4 and 2010 Audi S4 lineups: the V-6 is gone from the base sedan, while the supercharged V-6-powered S4 slips into a more comfortable price bracket.
After revisiting the TT for the new model year, we're not so sure you'll miss the 250-hp V-6. With the addition of the 265-hp TTS coupe and roadster last year, Audi had already given the sportscar a more interesting top-line model--one that feels more balanced, too, without the weight of a V-6 on its nose. Base versions continue with a 200-hp turbocharged four.
Other changes for the 2010 model year leave the TT with only dual-clutch transmissions. Since the paddle-shifted, clutch-pedal-free gearboxes are among our favorites in the entire VW/Audi realm, this too is a good thing.
With no other significant styling or performance changes to report, the TT soldiers on for the new year, edging closer and closer to true sport-car territory. Performance is nearly brilliant--and with fuel economy of 23/31 mpg on the base car and a deceptively large trunk, the TT measures up against V-6 competitors like the Nissan 370Z well.
The TT's Achilles Heel, if it has one, is in price. At $38,625 base, it's at least a few thousand more than the Nissan Z; a TTS Roadster will set you back more than $55,000, which will also get you a 2009 BMW Z4 or something from those cousins at Porsche. You'll get Bluetooth, Alcantara trim and a classically proportioned sportscar, but you'll fall just shy of the real players in that price bracket.
Want more? See our 2010 Audi TT page for comprehensive ratings, reviews and news, as well as photos, videos, tweets and more.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
First Drive: 2010 Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback
Ever since we first saw Mitsubishi's Concept Sportback at the Frankfurt motor show back in 2005, we've been hoping—along with countless rally-sport enthusiasts—to see a hatchback version of the compact sport sedan come to the U.S. this time around. Well, it's finally (almost) arrived; though the top-performance Evo won't be offered as a Sportback, both the sporty Lancer GTS and affordable-performance Lancer Ralliart will.
Mitsubishi has announced that the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback will reach dealerships beginning August 17. Prices will start at just $19,100 for the Lancer Sportback GTS, while the Lancer Sportback Ralliart will start at $27,590. That's just slightly higher than the sedan.
In person, we think that the 2010 Sportback Ralliart, just like its chief rival, the Subaru WRX, looks better as a hatch. Quite simply, it has a better sense of proportion
Inside, the Sportback appears a bit roomier than the Subaru Impreza WRX in the cargo area. Versus the sedan, Mitsubishi has lowered the cargo floor by several inches, and the split seatbacks fold forward flat to expand space. Also of note is that the hatch opens down all the way to the bumper, for especially easy loading.
The Sportback Ralliart is a bit heavier than the sedan—the cost of additional bracing around that wide hatchback opening in order to bring the Sportback's structure up to snuff in terms of stiffness. Although we didn't have a sedan to drive back-to-back with the hatchback, it's likely a difference you won't notice.
TheCarConnection.com recently got our first drive in a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart on some lightly trafficked, well-surfaced high-desert roads, as part of a driving event called Run to the Sun. As with the Ralliart sedan, road noise can be an issue even when the surface is good, and ride quality is tolerable but rather harsh. A simple upgrade of tires might go a long way; versus the Evolution, the Ralliart is saddled with all-season tires that don't allow enough grip to take full advantage of the expert suspension tuning and great body control; on tight corners with smooth pavement surfaces, they start to give way early and vocally.
Just like the Lancer Ralliart sedan, the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 237 horsepower and 253 horsepower, paired with all-wheel drive and a six-speed Twin Clutch Sportronic automated manual transmission with steering-wheel paddle-shifters.
No manual transmission is offered on the Ralliart Sportback as of yet, but the Twin Clutch gearbox remains a favorite of TheCarConnection.com, pulling off quicker shifts under power than almost any skilled driver would be capable of, while not bringing the fuel-economy penalty in real-world driving that often accompanies traditional automatics. The only hitch with this gearbox that we've noticed is a slight bit of lurching when gradually accelerating in traffic in second and third gear.
As TheCarConnection.com has remarked before in drives of the Ralliart, we like the strong, smooth response of this engine and prefer it in ordinary driving to the peakier one in the Evolution. Boost is almost immediate, and the engine feels happy and responsive from 2500 rpm all the way up; though you'll forgo the Evolution's mad rush of power near redline. Now that the WRX's power output is up to 265 horsepower, and the Sportback Ralliart is more than 200 pounds heavier, there's a power-to-weight deficit.
Overall, there's a lot to love in the Sportback's package, including a lot more practicality without a significant difference in the driving experience versus the sedan. We didn't notice any more road noise or ride harshness than in the Ralliart sedan, but in this respect the Subaru WRX is still the leader, offering surprisingly deft grip and body control without flustering occupants or wearing them down with road noise. The Ralliart trumps the WRX in steering feel, however.
None of the most valued safety features have been omitted from the 2010 Mitsubishi Sportback Ralliart; it includes electronic stability control, front-seat-mounted side airbags, head-curtain bags, and a driver knee airbag are all included. Top options include a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, Sirius Satellite Radio, a hard-drive-based nav system, and Recaro sport seats.
Visit TheCarConnection.com's overview page on the 2009 Mitsubishi Evolution Ralliart for our definitive Bottom Line that holds true for the new 2010 Sportback Ralliart, along with highlights from other review sources.
High Gear Media drove a manufacturer-owned vehicle to bring you hands-on driving impressions.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Audi A7 Four-Door Coupe Coming In Late 2010
Four-door coupes are still a relatively new segment, especially in the mainstream large luxury arena, which the Mercedes-Benz CLS essentially has to itself for now. But Audi has a rival in the works, a sleek yet spacious four-door cruiser called the A7, and it's due in late 2010.
Recent heavy investments in the Neckarsulm plant tip Audi's intent to take the car to production. Cars are expected to start rolling off the assembly line late in 2010, according to a report by Auto Motor und Sport. U.S. buyers can expect to see it on showroom floors early in 2011.
A wide range of powertrains will be offered in the A7, but things will get really interesting for the sporty and hardcore (respectively) S7 and RS7 variants. The S7 is expected to arrive in 2011, while the RS7 will have a two-year lead time before it debuts in 2013.
Everything from diesel-electric hybrids to 600-horsepower V-10s will be found under the hood of the A7 range. The hybrid powertrain used in the A7 is expected to show up first in the Q5 crossover.
A pair of V-6s form the meat and potatoes portion of the lineup, including a 204-horsepower 2.8-liter engine as the base model, with a 3.0-liter supercharged engine rated at 300-horsepower as the first upgrade.
Stepping up to S7 trim will likely bring with it a 4.0-liter, 394-horsepowr V-8, and finally the RS7 will get a 600-horsepower 5.0-liter twin-turbo V-10.
Both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic gearboxes will be available in the lower-spec models, while a seven-speed dual-clutch unit is also planned for the performance variants.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
One Dealer’s Saga: Closing in One Week
Auto dealerships are closing across the country, as General Motors and Chrysler slash themselves down to market-appropriate size. Some cuts are coming quickly and deeply--nowhere more so than in northern Virginia, where Pohanka Chrysler-Dodge is discounting its last 40 cars as it prepares to close one week from today.
CNN reports that Pohanka's Chrysler showroom is emblematic--and worst-case--for the closings in car dealerships nationwide. The northern Virginia Chrysler-Dodge outlet has resorted to extreme pricing to move the last vehicles from its it.
An example? A brand-new Dodge Nitro sport-utility vehicle with an MSRP of $29,170, is reduced more than 40 percent to a sticker price of $17,510.
The Pohanka showroom has until June 9 to dispense with all its cars; after that date, it can't legally sell them as its franchise agreement has been ended by the bankruptcy courts, and Chrysler won't be compelled to take the cars and trucks back.
It's already moved 80 cars in the past 19 days, CNN reports, but the Pohanka dealer is still cutting prices to keep cars moving. If they don't sell, Chrysler has offered to help move cars to other franchises--with no guarantee the price they might pay to dispense with the slow-selling vehicles.
[CNN]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 Acura TSC: Another Four-Door Coupe?
Honda's luxury arm, Acura, may have more than coupe-like vehicles on its mind.
Earlier this year, the 2010 Acura ZDX broke cover. In the mold of the new BMW X6, the 2010 ZDX takes a sport-ute set of mechanicals and tops it with a swankier four-door "coupe" body. Though it's not really a coupe, vehicles like the ZDX and the X6 are being pushed by automakers as a slinkier alternative--and you can thank the Mercedes-Benz CLS for jump-starting it all.
Now, Honda might be prepping another four-door coupe--this one a passenger car based on its 2009 TSX sedan. Various Web sites are suggesting a new Acura sports "coupe" is in the works, sharing the TSX's platform and its running gear, down to its front-drive setup and four-cylinder powertrain. Other rumors say the new car will get a turbocharged engine and Acura's SH-AWD all-wheel-drive system.
Nothing official has come from Honda--the initials TSC sound as good as any. The illustration above comes from a Japanese enthusiast magazine, and like it, the details on this purported Acura project are sketchy at best.
While other automakers like Mercedes-Benz are pruning and merging model lines, though, Acura is going in the other direction with the ZDX crossover. Will the rest of the Acura lineup broaden, too? Keep it here for coverage from the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.
[Auto Motor und Sport, via Temple of VTEC]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
