The floodgates will open on the '09 Acura TL soon enough, but in the meantime, Inside Line has posted a set of press photos and confirmed the car's final specs. As has been previously reported, there are two versions: a base 3.5L car with 285 horses and front-wheel drive; and the range-topping TL SH-AWD, which gets a 305-horsepower 3.7L V6. The Type S is history, replaced in essence by the SH-AWD. Both TL models are mated to 5-speed automatics, and a stiffer chassis should help make time spent behind the wheel more engaging.
Inside, the layout is one that should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a new Honda or Acura. Metallic-look wings arc out from a center stack topped by a multifunction LCD screen and finished at the bottom by Honda's all-in-one controller for audio/info/nav interfaces. In short, techno-gadgetry abounds. The new TL is a larger car than it predecessor, with a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 6.2 inches added to its overall length. Consequently, interior space also improves over the outgoing sedan.
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"The poor man's Audi S4." That's what Motor Trend is tentatively dubbing the Ford Fusion GT, an EcoBoost-powered, SVT-massaged version of the automaker's staid sedan. According to the buff book, Ford will equip the Fusion GT with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, producing around 340 hp, still short of the engines 415 hp capabilities. Instead of trying to shovel that much grunt through the front wheels, Ford will tap Haldex to supply a part-time all-wheel-drive system to aid grip and limit torque steer, and it's possible that a paddle-shifted six-speed auto 'box could be part of the package.
The Fusion GT would be the fourth model to benefit from Ford's line of EcoBoost engines, which currently power the Lincoln MKS, Ford Flex and forthcoming Lincoln MKR. Four-cylinder versions are in the pipeline and are expected to power the entry-level Fusion in 2010, along with a high-performance version of the Focus and another version of the Edge crossover. EcoBoosted sixes are also rumored to be motivating Ford's downsized F100 pickup, but according to MT, a blown V6 for the next Mustang is on hold.
Buyers of the next generation of Volkswagen-developed small cars will have one more option box to tick when placing their order: all-wheel-drive. The new platform, dubbed PQ25, will find its way underneath a handful of new models, spanning the range from the low-end (SEAT), mid-grade (VW) and luxury (Audi). All-wheel-drive won't be an option for the new SEAT Ibiza, but consumers of the next VW Polo (specifically the CrossPolo) might be able to outfit their tiny runabout with AWD, while the Audi A1, due out in late 2009, will continue the automaker's love affair with quattro.
Honda/Acura had its 2009 dealer meeting in New Orleans last week, and a little birdie that claims to have attended has whispered some details about the 2009 Acura TL in our ears. According to our anonymous tipster, the '09 TL range will consist of two models. The front-wheel-drive car will be powered by a 3.5L V6 delivering 280 horsepower. The step-up version will feature SH AWD and have a 3.7L, 300-horsepower V6 underhood (presumably the same one used in the MDX). We're told the latter car is not a Type-S, by the way -- that trim level goes back into hibernation with the arrival of the '09. Word is, the car "looks amazing." The TL in its current state is Acura's best-looking vehicle, so our curiosity is definitely piqued.
The beating heart of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (and Turbo) is the company's own proprietary wet-clutch all-wheel-drive system. Its traction dynamics are what Porsche owners and enthusiasts have come to know and trust for generations. Reports are now circulating, however, that Stuttgart is preparing to dump its own tried-and-tested in-house four-wheel-drive system for an outsourced Haldex transmission, reportedly equipped with the latest electronic limited slip differential. The rumors come at an interesting time for Porsche, considering that a wide range of vehicles from the Volkswagen Group into which Porsche just acquired majority interest – including VWs, SEATs, Skodas, Audis and even the Bugatti Veyron – use the Haldex. If the reports are accurate, the system could be out on the next iteration of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 as well as the 911 Turbo spied while undergoing cold weather testing in Scandinavia just last month.
While station wagons are a very big part of the European automotive landscape, here in the States the two-box design sells much better when it's a crossover. We Americans don't have many choices on the true wagon front, mostly because high volume demand simply doesn't exist. One wagon that has been around for a while is the Volvo XC70, which combines much of the rugged AWD utility of an SUV with traditional wagon packaging.
The XC70 is all-new for 2008, including its Ford Mondeo-derived platform, 3.2L engine and more refined sheet metal. On paper, the XC70 delivers a good-looking, safe and evolved station wagon to go head-to-head with upscale utility vehicles.
In the past few years, we've all heard about the price of cars and trucks being impacted by the price of steel. We've also heard about the reduction in the numbers of trucks sold due to the downturn of the housing market. According to this article (sub. req'd), there is a new raw material affecting the price of vehicles: sawdust. It seems that the slow housing market means that fewer scraps of wood are being reduced down to dust, which is used in the manufacture of certain interior components, like steering wheels. Apparently, there are a few substitutes to sawdust in the farming industry, like cow manure. This fact raises an interesting question: would you rather pay more for your car or have the steering wheel made with cow manure? Or, how would the use of cow manure in the making of your next car affect that "new car smell" that we all know and love?
Hot on the heels of news that Subaru will be showing off a 147-hp diesel boxer in the Legacy and Outback next month in Geneva, the Japanese automaker is rumored to be considering an oil-burner for its tuner favorite WRX. It appears Subaru may have a winner with its 2.0L turbo-diesel powerplant, too. During a test drive of the diesel Legacy, the UK's Autocar gushed that the sedan may sport the best diesel they've ever driven. Since Subaru is looking to improve its fleet-wide fuel economy, it makes sense that the engine would quickly make its rounds through the Subie lineup. The Forester seems like a logical target, and with 258 lb-ft and a compact footprint, the fuel-efficient powerplant would definitely work in the WRX.
Australia's Drive asked Subaru about a possible diesel WRX, and the company responded with the expected "we're looking into it". Of course they are. As fun and interesting as a diesel WRX sounds, the combo is likely the stuff of pixie dust and fairies of the dental kind for those of us living in the States. We almost never get the really interesting stuff here. That all could change, however, when the EU adopts emissions standards as strict as those in the US, making the transfer of diesel technology between the two as easy as pie.
According to poster jmk2888 at the EvolutionM.net forums, the car you see here is indeed the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The poster, who indicates that he works for Mitsubishi in California, says that the car was in the lot briefly but is now "on the way to an auto show." Funny, we happen to be going to an auto show next week, so let's assume the Lancer Ralliart's on its way to Detroit for its official unveiling.
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