Luxury can also be safe. The latest vehicle to win an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award is the Cadillac SRX, a midsize luxury SUV. It earned the IIHS’s top safety designation after getting a good rating for rollover protection. The Cadillac SRX had previously earned good ratings for front, side,...
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In 2012 Buick will expand its lineup further down-market, introducing the Verano compact below the Regal. Riding on the same architecture as the Chinese Buick Excelle (and Chevy Cruze), several engines are possible. For starters it could be offered with the Cruze’s 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, but a more likely candidate is the 181-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter...
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Even since the launch of the Venza, Toyota has been spicing up its models with a bit more road presence. Above is the first look at what the new 2011 Highlander will look like – or at least what it will look like when it is sold in Russia for the first time. To celebrate...
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Infiniti appears ready to launch a line of compact luxury crossovers that will wear the JX badge. While not confirmed, the luxury division of Nissan Motor Co. has filed for trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for four separate cars names: JX20, JX25, JX25h and JX30. While moving up the alphabet would seem...
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With relatively poor sales the Ford Edge and its hideously-styled Lincoln-MKT derivative may be phased out in 2013 after just one generation. While a response to the lack of success for each model, Ford has a larger plan for its two remaining brands, aiming to create a larger gap between Ford and Lincoln. With the...
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MINI has officially announced that it will enter the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year, teaming up with Prodrive and running a Countryman crossover. The MINI Countryman WRC is being developed by the legendary Prodrive race team (which helped Subaru win six championships) to run part of the 2011 season as it prepares for a...
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Having unveiled the all-new 2011 Explorer earlier today, Ford has now announced pricing for its newest SUV-turned Crossover, with the reborn utility vehicle starting at $28,995 including the $805 destination charge. Along with the standard Explorer, Ford will offer a mid-level XLT model and a Limited, which will begin at a more pricey $37,995. Comparatively,...
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When Ford execs announced that the company would revamp its lineup, switching from a product line consisting of mostly trucks to one where the majority of vehicles sold are cars, some wondered how this would be possible. Ford’s solution is to transform trucks into cars, or, more accurately, into crossovers. Using a car-based unibody platform rather...
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It’s not news that Audi built the A1 to compete directly with the MINI Cooper, or that BMW is upping the ante with a little extra competition in the form of a new front-drive 1 Series hatchback (for Europe only). But now it appears as though the two German rivals will take their small car...
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BMW‘s lineup of X-badged crossovers and SUVs may soon include one more model, as company execs are reported to be considering building the X4. As AutoCar confirms, BMW won’t deny plans for an X4, which now seems all the more likely after seeing the more conservative direction BMW has taken with the second-generation X3. The...
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Ford has just released the official EPA rated fuel economy numbers for the 2011 Edge and it appears as though the American automaker is living up to its promise to be a fuel economy leader. Well, almost. Equipped with its new standard six-speed automatic transmission, the 3.5-liter V6 is now rated at 19-mpg city and...
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We’ve been hearing about it for years, and now the second-generation BMW X3 has arrived for the 2011 model year. Offered in two model options, there’s an xDrive28i model with BMW’s traditional inline-six making 240-hp and 230 ft-lbs of torque, as well as an xDrive35i model using the company’s single turbo N55 straight-six to make...
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In an effort to drum up interest in its first completely new model in years, Land Rover is dispatching 10 Range Rover Evoque models to major cities in key markets. Included on the list are London, New York, Sao Paulo, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Sydney, Shanghai and Moscow. But this is more than just a...
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In a clever black and white themed campaign, Kia UK is now offering a new special edition version of the Soul, as well as a special edition version of both the Picanto and Rio small cars. We can’t help but to relate it to Scion’s RS-series releases, where unique paint colors and accessories adorn the...
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After the positive reception given to the Beachcomber concept, MINI is interested in bringing a similar model to market, but one that could take the form of a 3-door Countryman. According to BMW company insider Scott27, MINI just doesn’t see a market for the Beachcomber concept, due to its 4-doors and niche-market appeal – namely,...
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In a followup to the story we brought you yesterday about Toyota‘s new electric vehicle prototypes that are being built by American electric sports car maker Tesla Motors, the actual vehicles in question are reported to be the RAV4 crossover and Lexus RX luxury crossover. The reason for the use of crossovers is believed to...
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Subaru has just announced updates for the 2011 Forester, including a new base engine that adds more usable power and improved fuel economy. The new 2.5-liter boxer engine in the 2.5X model retains the same 170-hp, but gains 4 ft-lbs of torque for a total of 174 ft-lbs. We agree that the increase is a...
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It seems as though BMW’s X6 has developed a following in certain parts of the world and may just have created a whole new segment after all. Already we’ve seen Acura jump into the mix, with the ZDX. Now, it appears as though Mercedes will follow with a new model, that Auto Zeitung reports, will...
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Saab is about ready to launch its second model since leaving General Motors, the 9-4X, and new spy photos of the crossover doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Caught by the folks at AutoExpress, the 9-4X looks much as we suspected. When it does launch, presumably at the Paris Auto Show this Fall, it will...
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MINI is set to join the World Rally Championship in 2012, competing with the new Countryman crossover. Rumors to this extent swirled just ahead of the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year where the Countryman was unveiled, but nothing ever came of it. The MINI fans at MotoringFile say the project is still in the...
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Ford continues to let bits and pieces of the 2012 Explorer’s design trickle out, and the latest photo shoot (which made its debut on Ford’s Facebook page) takes place in the snowy woods, with a a few details visible. Notably, the A-Pillar of the car is blacked out, which gives less visual heft (and is...
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The MINI brand looks to expand in a big way – and not just in numbers either. While several new models are set to debut over the next few years, the biggest news might just be an even bigger model. According to a report by the notoriously speculative AutoExpress, MINI plans to introduce a larger...
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Details of the upcoming second-generation BMW X3 have been confirmed by BMW, just a week after news broke of a 300-hp xDrive35i model. While a long list of engines will be offered in other markets, North American will likely get just two of them, a 268-hp 3.0-liter inline-six in the xDrive28i model and the 300ish...
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When we reviewed Honda‘s new Accord Crosstour model, one of our few gripes was in the fuel economy department. Rated at 18/27 mpg (FWD), its not bad, but the lack of a six-speed transmission makes getting the most out of each gallon a bit hard. Honda appears to be ready to announce the addition of...
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