The more things change, the more they stay the same. That old saying once again proves true as some early pricing information for the new 2010 Ford Mustang has leaked out, with the latest 'Stang continuing its tradition of offering an excellent value proposition when compared to its new peers. Base price for a standard V6-powered 2010 Mustang is reportedly $21,845, including delivery charge. For comparison, its biggest competitor will surely be the Camaro, which starts at $22,995. The other revived pony car is the Dodge Challenger, which in base SE form begins with a $22,545 sticker price. Each of these entry-level models comes equipped with a standard V6 engine, though the Challenger comes only with a four-speed automatic while its competitors offer a stick. Anyone wanting an open-air experience has no choice but to opt for the Ford, as the Blue Oval's offering is the only modern musclecar with an optional drop-top.
Stepping up to a V8-powered Mustang will reportedly run you $27,995 – quite a bit cheaper than the V8-powered Camaro's $30,995 sticker. Dodge's entry runs $30,545 for the base R/T model and its HEMI V8. It's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, of course, as the Mustang GT is down a bit on horsepower compared to its rivals, but we think the GT's cut-rate pricing should be more than enough to keep Ford's pony at the top of the sales charts.
Back in September we reviewed the V6-powered Dodge Challenger SE, and our conclusion was that an uninspiring engine and benign handling was trumped by terrific curb appeal and an affordable price tag. The R/T model we reviewed yesterday fared even better, with a near perfect combination of brawn and beauty. It was fun spending time behind the wheel of both the SE and R/T models, but we knew we had to get our hands on a fire-breathing, 425-hp 6.1L HEMI V8 to see how capable the Challenger could be at full tilt. After all, there are few things in life better than classic muscle car looks combined with a brute-force V8. And if there are two available V8 engines, it just makes sense that we'd prefer the Challenger with the most powerful powerplant. Did Dodge hit the mark with its top Challenger? We welcomed the Challenger SRT8 into the Autoblog Garage to find out for ourselves.
Before landmark films American Graffiti and Star Wars, George Lucas was just another film student at the University of Southern California. During his time at USC, Lucas and 13 other film students put together an eight-minute-long film called 1:42:08. The title contains no words, and the film has no dialog. What does appear on the screen is racing legend Peter Brock as he speeds through Willow Springs Raceway near LA. The movie's sound track? The sound of a Lotus 23 race car at full throttle. Hit the jump to see Lucas' 1966 short film for yourself. It's no Empire Strikes Back, but it's damn good cinematography. If you aren't a big Lucas fan, there's still Peter Brock and a Lotus 23. It's a win-win.
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Any chance we get to grill a Mitsubishi PR person about the 2009 Lancer Sportback, our questioning inevitably centers on whether the five-door will be packing the Lancer Ralliart's turbocharged, all-wheel-drivetrain. At the New York Auto Show, we were told that the Sportback would "probably" carry the Ralliart's 237-hp, turbocharged inline-four and Evo IX-derived AWD system, but nobody from Mitsubishi would confirmed it. Some snooping at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website reveals that Mitsubishi has already filed with the Feds for three different drivetrains for the 2009 hatch, including the GTS' 2.4-liter four-pot attached to either a CVT or five-speed manual, and a 2.0-liter DOHC turbo equipped with an "Automatic (S6)." The automatic in question is almost assuredly the six-speed twin-clutch (TC-SST) gearbox available on the Ralliart. For those of you unable to get around the recently redesigned 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX hatch's shape, a credible contender has arrived, and it should be hitting dealers this spring.
While other automakers are dropping out of the Detroit Auto Show left and right, Audi is heading to Motor City with guns blazing, beginning with the 2010 Audi R8 V10.
Car and Driver decided to put the rumors to rest that the updated super coupe is officially coming to Detroit, packing a 5.2-liter V10 putting out 520 hp and 398 lb.-ft. of torque. Aside from the obvious aural and performance differences, the V10-powered R8 will make use of a pair of larger dual exhaust tips rather than the V8 model's quad outlets. Expect new wheels, upgraded brakes and a few changes to the interior as well.
The oft-rumored Audi R8 Spyder will hit the European market in late 2009, with sales beginning in the U.S. sometime in 2011. According to C&D, the reason for the delayed Stateside launch is due to dealers that "have their hands full allocating coupes." Whatever that means. The R8's stylistic party pieces – it's side blades – will be shrunken down to accommodate a power-operated soft top, and the interior will carry over unchanged.
For all the problems it faces, Chrysler has to be happy with this: the Dodge Challenger rollout has gone about as well as anyone could have hoped. Everyone wanted this car to happen from the moment it appeared as a concept back in 2006. Back then, the S197 Mustang was still new and demonstrating that retro done right can be a very good thing. Flash forward to today and following a brief, SRT8-only 2008 model year run, the Dodge Challenger is now available in three distinct trim levels. We've already reviewed the stylish and value-priced, six-cylinder SE model, and we'll soon give you our take on the top-tier knuckle-dragger, the SRT8. That leaves the mainstream muscle – the R/T. We recently welcomed a silver example equipped with the hotly-anticipated six-speed manual gearbox into the Autoblog Garage. But is it something you'll want to welcome into your garage?
Just one short year after Fisker debuted its plug-in hybrid Karma show car at the Detroit Auto Show, the house that Henrik built will be returning to the Motor City to debut the production version of its ambitious project. Fisker says the production model, which is shown above in this just-released official pic, will only vary slightly in design from the show car, including a different upper grille that's a bit larger towards the outer edges and a larger lower air intake. The exhaust pipe from the internal combustion engine will also exit from an odd place: behind the front wheels. We'll also get our first view of the Karma's production interior in Detroit next month.
Fisker announced last month that it had chosen General Motors' turbocharged, direct-inject 2.0L four-cylinder as its ICE of choice, and after sampling that engine in the Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo, we're very eager to see what it will do in a hybrid set-up designed to make one very large luxury saloon move like the wind. Combined with the hybrid system's 22.6 kWh electric motor, the drivetrain as a whole is said to produce 408 horsepower and propel the car to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and onto to a top speed of 125 mph.
If you've been sitting on the car-burying sidelines waiting for Acura's buck-tooth treatment to make its way to the front end of the RDX, we have good news for you. Spy pics of the 2010 RDX show that Honda's premium crossover will soon sport the love-it-or-leave-it shielded grille. Closer inspection of the front clip shows that the fog lamps and front bumper will also receive a visual tweak. The current model's uninterrupted bumper breaks at the lower air dam, which could provide some visual relief to the RDX's somewhat awkward mug. The minor update to the front end comes after only three model years of the inaugural RDX, a trend Honda will likely continue to keep up with the competition. Acura's shielded grille theme hasn't been met with glowing praise so far (TL, anyone?), but perhaps it will look better on the larger face of a crossover... hopefully.
Even though Ford hasn't admitted it, we all know what's coming to Detroit. The 2010 Ford Taurus that's been spied and rendered is on its way, and although FoMoCo's design director, J Mays, won't go on the record as saying that the new Taurus will be unveiled in Motor City, he did say the automaker will show off the next iteration of its global styling theme this January.
Ford's North American and European design teams have been working together for the last two years on the successor to the automaker's "kinetic" design language that made its production debut with the Mondeo and continued with the Fiesta and Kuga. Mays calls the new theme "post-kinetic" and says it will "have the best attributes of kinetic, but ... is going to be possibly a little more simple, a little more elegant." The rendering above – "inspired" by a singular spy shot and created by Joshua Byrnes – is a good indication of what's to come, and if that's what Mays means my "simple" and elegant," we're sold.
Over the weekend, Nissan and Datsun devotees descended on the Fuji Speedway to enjoy the festivities at the 12th NISMO Festival in Japan. In the lead-up to the event, speculation swirled that the 2010 Nissan GT-R Spec-V would be revealed to the world, but instead, the Spec-V's modification list was leaked to GTR-World. The supposed specs leave us cold.
According to GTR-World and the GTRBlog, engine output will swell to 485 PS (just over 478 hp) 520 hp. The transmission mode select button has been removed, supposedly meaning that "Race" is the only setting available. However, an "overboost" button is included in the package that increases mid-range boost pressure for overtaking maneuvers.
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