There is no doubt that Honda moves to the beat of its own percussionist, especially compared to its Japanese competitors. Of late, however, the Acura side of the house seems to be making some very odd decisions. There is the most obvious front and center example – the new shield grille, which one dealer has taken it upon himself to fix. Then the other day came news that Honda CEO Takeo Fukui has confirmed the next-gen top-of-the-line Acura sedan will use the company's first V8 engine. This comes at the same time other manufacturers are abandoning new V8 engine programs due to falling sales and high fuel prices. No doubt Honda's answer to the V8 question will be something at least slightly different than what we've seen from Infiniti and Lexus. The latest head scratcher may well be the biggest of all. Since it's debut, the BMW X6 has had many of us pondering why it exists. Apparently the team at Acura understands, since they have created a "sport activity coupe"/crossover thingy of their own. The X6 hasn't exactly been flying off dealer lots in the U.S. since it went on sale six months ago, so the obvious question is why make another? We certainly don't know the answer, but judging by this prototype with an Acura shield grille visible under the camo that was spotted recently at the Nürburgring, Honda does.
Beneath all that ridiculous (though pretty darn effective) yellow and black paisley camouflage sits the new MINI Crossover. First shown in concept form at the Paris Motor Show, at 162-inches long, the new MINI CUV is quite a bit larger than its other older stablemates. At what point is a MINI not so mini any more? This could be it, as the spy photographers point out that it appears larger than the BMW 1-Series that shares a number of parts with. Lost in the translation from show car to test mule are the unique doors, which appear to have been replaced with a standard, run-of-the-mill four door body style. The rear hatch also opens from the top instead of sideways like on the concept, though it's been taped-up to appear like the barn-door style portals from the Clubman. The whole shebang's been lifted a bit and all four wheels are driven. Expect both gasoline and diesel four-bangers under the pointy-snouted hood.
Ford of Europe has an Individual Program that's been rolled out for a number of old world offerings, and now the Kuga gets its turn in the wardrobe room. Inspired by the Iosis concept from 2006, the new body kit and 20-inch wheels clothe a specialized interior for the Kuga Titanium that features Ebony Nappa and Bond leathers with contrasting piping and high-gloss Piano White fixtures. Down in front, the Kuga will benefit from a new 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder Duratec Turbo with 200 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque that comes out of the Focus ST. It should add some sporty to the spaciousness while returning 29 Imperial mpg. This gas engine is 64 hp up on the standard offering, the Duratorq TDCi diesel. Another first for the Kuga, it can be shifted with an optional 3-mode, 5-speed automatic transmission. On another note, the Duratec puts out a more energetic sound thanks to new exhaust tuning. The Individual program and powertrain options will be available from the beginning of 2009, and the first Kuga Individual showcasing what customers will be able to do goes on display at this week's Paris Motor Show.
The Chevy Orlando, due to be revealed at next month's Paris Motor Show, has turned tail and the rendering doesn't look half-bad. It's mildly reminiscent of the Audi A2 from way back when, in an exaggerated, chunked-up way, and we get a little Volvo feeling from the sculpted area of the rear lights. Overall, we give it a thumbs up. The Orlando is a compact seven-seater, and the dip in the rear roofline means that those last to occupants might need to be especially compact. However, the intended audience is probably not the local WNBA team, so the kids should fit just fine. With a hot front and rear, and an interior that nearly qualifies as dreamy, this is the kind of thing we're looking forward to checking out in the flesh. Stay tuned for Paris...
If you want an SUV that looks like what a really cool Saab 9-4 might potentially look like, but you want it to have a Mercedes model name and be from Korea, then you're looking for the Ssangyong C200. Known outside the U.S. for its 4-wheel drives like the Ssangyong Musso, which means "double dragon rhinoceros", the C200 is a four-wheel-drive, unibody CUV meant to grow Ssangyong's product range. It is packaged with a 2.0-liter engine and a 6-speed transmission, claimed to put out low emissions and be EURO V emissions-approved. Depending on how many horses they can squeeze out, it could be a nice little ride for Ssangyong money. That's all we know about it for the moment, but we'll bring you the full story when it's launched at the Paris Motor Show next month.
Honda/Acura engineers were recently caught testing a new sport crossover in the dead of night around the deserts of California, and while they came wielding flashlights to blind our spy photographer's lens, we got these pictures of what the luxury brand is up to in the quickly softening market for crossovers. The vehicle appears to be similar in shape to the BMW X6 despite the heavy camouflaging obscuring its profile. The windshield is very steeply raked and the shape of the cutout allowing the grille to breathe is reminiscent of Acura's new Superman-shaped grilles. Indeed, even the wheel and tire combination suggests that this is a crossover with sporting intentions. It may be a big brother to the RDX with more athletic moves than the MDX. Still, we can't help but wonder why Acura would be working on yet another crossover with those two already in its lineup, especially considering the market's current exodus to passenger cars.
Ford has been banking on strong sales of its crossover vehicles to help counter the sinking ship that is its line of SUVs. While the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, along with the brand new Ford Flex and revised Escape, have sold well enough to post a meager 2.8-percent gain in overall sales so far this year, that number apparently isn't high enough to warrant a third shift at Ford's Oakville, Ontario plant that the automaker was hoping would be necessary. Unfortunately, this shift cancelation means that 350 workers who had planned on showing up for their first day next Monday are now left jobless.
While there are certainly buyers out there who require the capability to haul around their entire families and their associated gear, all large passenger vehicles -- crossovers like the new Flex included -- face an uphill battle now to overcome current market conditions, as this latest announcement once again proves.
For those of you queuing for the Q5, Audi has let loose a flood of new info on its high performance, low consumption, relatively low emission sports SUV. Consumers outside the U.S., get to choose between one of two diesel-sipping TDIs -- of 170 hp and 240 hp -- that are the envy of Stateside quattrophiles. Even with that 240 hp and 369 lb-ft, you'll still get 31 MPG. Folks in the fifty U.S. will need to make do with the 211 hp, 2.0-liter V6 FSI... which isn't exactly a complaint.
The vehicle wrapped around those engines is a study in efficiency, from the power steering pump to the energy recovery to the .33 coefficient of drag. The full press release is after the jump -- it's probably the only one you'll read this year that mentions a "holistic optimization of energy
As the self-appointed family car reviewer for Autoblog, I have some opinions on the topic. If money were no object, my nomination for the ultimate family car would be split between the Mercedes-Benz R-Class and the BMW 5 Series wagon. But the R-Class entry price is $42k, and the Bimmer's is close to $50k -- not exactly family-friendly.
Forbes Magazine, however, is a bit more realistic in its quest for the perfect family car, and considers price a deciding factor, like the majority of families. I agree with its Compact Car pick. The 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit is a good deal for your $16k entry price (though Forbes says $19k). On paper, its 15 cu. ft. of cargo space doesn't sound like much, but in reality, it's bigger than it sounds. The Rabbit also averages about 25 mpg, and these days, that's a big deal.
Still, there are some Forbes picks I just don't agree with. For example, the mag selects the Saab 9-3 Sport Combi as best wagon. Really? I admit I've never driven one, but I'm just wondering where the new Jetta Sportwagen placed. (I just stepped out of reviewing one for a week.) Forbes cites the Saab's maximum 72.3 cu. ft of cargo space as a big factor. But it only bests the VeeDub's by 5.4 cu. ft. And while the VW gives up 110 horses to the Saab's 280, but the VW gets, on average, 24 mpg to the Saab's 18. Oh, and the Saab requires premium fuel. I guess the question is this: Do you want to drag race your wagon or save money? My family will take the cash, please.
Then there's the Best Crossover category, where Forbes crowns the Ford Edge. This time, oddly enough, it decides to give the Edge an edge and lowball the entry level price at $25,735. Add some fairly common options, and you get pretty close to the upper range of $32k pretty quick. That, combined with an average fuel economy rating of 20 mpg, puts it out of the running in my household.
So, what else did I agree with? The Toyota Sienna isn't the best-looking vehicle on the road, but it's Forbes pick for the Best Minivan title. Even with an average of 22.5 mpg and a base price of $25k, I'd be fine putting my clan in it. I can't really come up with a better nomination for best convertible for family than Forbes' choice of the 2008 MINI Cooper. Sure, the kids are gonna be cramped, and they'll only be able to bring on vacation one change of clothes, but Daddy will sure be happy. Plus, its EPA-rated 26 mpg combined (with the stick) is not shabby.
You thought you knew how much a Dodge Journey costs. Well, it's actually a thousand dollars less than that. Why? Because Chrysler is offering that much as an incentive to folks who plunk down the balance on a 2009 Dodge Journey. On the This Is Not Good side, it's the first 2009 model of the year to put money on the hood, and frankly, it just never looks good when the manufacturer offers cash to entice buyers. On the This Is Really Not Bad side, has anyone had a look at the things folks in Journey's market segment are enduring right now? (Hint: rhymes with "portgage misis.") Yeah. So we won't hit Dodge over the head... but we will be watching...
