2010 Racer X Design RZ Ultima Concept

2010 Racer X Design RZ

2010 Daniel Garcia Banos Audi A9

Audi A9

Smart Fortwo Goes Electric

If ever a car was meant to run on electricity, it would be the Smart Fortwo. Its mission in life is to be an urban/suburban commuter for one or two with a bit of luggage. That dovetails neatly with the hundred-mile range of most early electric cars. The price, were you asked to pay the full cost for something three feet shorter than a Mini, is $44,000 by Smart's estimate. That is offset by a $7,500 government subsidy (Smart as the owner keeps it - sorry) and some Smart underwriting of the cost. In exchange, you get a distinctive vehicle that turns heads and, should you desire, provides a convertible option at no extra charge.

Wheeling through the narrow streets here, the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive is in its element: a small, maneuverable urban car with room for two people, a half-dozen bags of groceries, and your iPhone in its special cradle on the dash. It's an advance model of the 250 electric Smarts we'll get, 1250 total the world will get, as Smart launches an electric prototype this fall. If you want one, get in line fast. It's offered as a $599 a month lease for people living in five early adopter regions - the Boston-to-Washington corridor, Indianapolis, Orlando, Portland, and San Jose.

2010 Audi S5 Road Test Review and Price

MSRP:
From $52,400

There are plenty of adults out there who attempt to keep one foot firmly planted in their adolescence. For these grown-ups suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome, the 2010 Audi S5 is one of the best choices to sustain the passion of driving while still delivering a level of sophistication to satisfy more mature expectations. It's as if Audi took the premise of the great American muscle car and dressed it up in a well-tailored suit.

In terms of blending Mustang frivolity with Audi sensibilities, the S5 artfully selects the best attributes from each. A powerful V8 with a mellifluous exhaust note mounted under a long hood is already a promising start. Add in Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system and an elegantly designed interior with plenty of tech features, wrap it in an athletic and seductive skin and the result is nearly irresistible for a child masquerading as an adult.

It's this intoxicating cocktail of motoring amusement and finesse that sets the 2010 Audi S5 apart from other vehicles. A BMW M3 will deliver a livelier performance, but doesn't feel as sophisticated. The Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe is more luxurious, but can't compare to the S5's level of driver engagement. Also worth mentioning are the less-expensive Infiniti G37 and pricier BMW 6 Series. Among all of these choices, the Audi S5 shines as a beautifully well-rounded machine that is perfect for finding your automotive Neverland.

Performance

The 2010 Audi S5 is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 that produces 354 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Our test car was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, but an automatic with manual-shift control is available as an option. Acceleration is brisk, requiring only 5.2 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill (5 seconds with rollout, like on a drag strip). Coming to a stop from that speed required just 110 feet.

The S5's straight-line acceleration and braking is nearly identical to other cars in this class, but it trails the competition slightly in terms of handling — likely a result of the car's hefty 3,924-pound curb weight. The Audi weaved through the slalom at 66.8 mph, which is about 3 mph slower than its BMW rivals. On the open road, however, the S5 feels immensely stable and secure when compared to the competition, and is a bit more relaxed when being tossed into serpentine mountain curves. In these conditions, the steering also feels a bit too isolated and light.

In everyday driving conditions, the effortless steering is an advantage when maneuvering in tight spaces. The clutch pedal travel is rather long, but takes only a short while to get used to. The shifter is exceptional, though, with a strong yet smooth and positive engagement.

Our test vehicle included the optional Audi Drive Select system, which allows the driver to choose from Comfort, Automatic, Dynamic and Individual settings. These settings vary the throttle response, steering ratios and suspension stiffness to suit a driver's particular needs. Switching between Comfort and Dynamic modes produces noticeable differences in ride quality and performance, elevating this system past novelty status.

Comfort

In typical Audi fashion, the interior of the S5 is, for the most part, a joy to experience. The front seats are well contoured to hold occupants securely in place and are adequately padded for long-distance touring comfort. Rear seats are much less accommodating with a lack of head- and legroom for adult-size passengers. But like the front seats, there is plenty of bolstering to keep those in the rear quarters from sliding about when cornering.

The 2010 Audi S5's ride quality straddles the line between luxurious and sporty. Though it is capable of entertaining the driver in the curves, the suspension still manages to smooth out most ruts and bumps in the pavement with ease. At highway speeds, the cabin remains calm and quiet, with wind and road noise abated to near silence. The interior is so quiet, in fact, that we often wished the glorious roar of the V8 was more prominent.

2011 Bmw 528i priced from $45,425

Pricing for BMW’s all-new 2011 528i has been announced. The entry-level 5 Series, the 2011 528i, is priced from $45,425, including an $875 destination fee, making it nearly $5,000 less expensive than the 535i, and nearly $1,400 cheaper the outgoing 2010 528i.

This is almost unbelievable since the 2011 model is an all-new design, and it boasts of getting numerous improvements over the outgoing vehicle. BMW claims that the all-new vehicle architecture 55% stiffer than the last 5, but is considerably lighter.

Porsche Panamera Black Edition

Porsche Panamera Black Edition

2010 Aston Martin Gauntlet Concept

The main goal of the Aston Martin Gauntlet Concept was to design a car which is technically almost identical to the existing production Aston Martins while defining a design character that outmost respects the impressive history of the brand and combine the timeless lines of the past Aston Martins with the modern interpretation of the existing styling.

Land Rover LRX to Debut at Paris Auto Show

Land Rover will debut its newest and smallest model at the Paris Auto Show later this year based on the LRX concept first shown at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2008. Originally thought to be a 2011 model, Automotive News is reporting that it will arrive in late 2011, likely as a 2012 model year vehicle.

According to an older press release released by the automaker the upcoming LRX (if that is in fact its name), will be, “the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.”

2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged

2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged

Despite enduring a string of financial hardships, Land Rover still enjoys one of the clearest and most robust brand identities in the automotive kingdom. The English automaker has held the same core values since the company's first off-roader was created by Maurice Wilks in 1948. Wilks reportedly designed the first Land Rover to emulate a Jeep he had driven, and the first Land Rover prototype actually utilized a chassis borrowed from that legendary American off-roader. And much like Jeep, when you think of Land Rover, the words rugged, purpose-built, and capable are sure to come to mind, but the two storied marques part company when it comes to luxury amenities. England's four-wheeling pride and joy can be found in places like Africa, the Middle East, Australia's Outback and as well as the ritziest precincts of Beverly Hills and Monte Carlo.

Review Volkswagen Passat CC

As motoring journalists, we’re very lucky to have the newest and shiniest cars in town parked in our porch. After awhile, the “immune system” gets build up to a level that only the very captivating will leave a mark.

The Volkswagen Passat CC is one such car because it’s such a beauty. I caught myself looking back everytime I walked away. I unrolled the curtains so I could occasionally look at it while reading the papers. Such was the effect.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

While the Passat CC looks pretty good in pictures, only in real life does it create the abovementioned symptoms, like the captivating girl you remember so vividly one week after that brief five-second encounter.

The CC is not so much a makeover of the standard Passat, but it’s as if this was the original sketch VW designers came up with before sensibility took over. Personally, I think that this car looks better than the Mercedes-Benz CLS, which we presume was VW’s inspiration for its four-door coupe.

Like the CLS, the Passat CC sports a wider, lower and sleeker shape over the car on which it’s based on, and it shares no body panels with the normal Passat.

To be exact, the CC is 34mm longer, 35mm wider and significantly, sits 55mm lower. This, plus the high and rising waistline results in a slim glasshouse which contributes to the CC’s coupe aspirations. Oh, and aren’t those turbine 18-inch alloys sexy?

The frameless doors also do their part in adding sense of occasion. Open them and you’ll find a sumptous cabin in tan leather. Perhaps VW has gone overboard in trying to make the Passat CC special by having just two individual rear seats; while it was just nice for my family of four, the lack of seating for five could be a potential deal breaker for many.

Moving on, while the basic dash design is carried from the normal Passat, the cozy and cocooning surroundings (you sit much lower too) and the very luxe Nappa leather makes it all feel a tad more exotic. The brushed aluminium trim is convincing and VW’s excellent RCD 510 system (not found in GTI/Scirocco) is a welcome inclusion – the full colour touch screen unit incorporates a rear parking camera and ParkAssist, which gives a bird eye’s view of the car relative to obstacles. Just as well, because outward visibility – especially the over the shoulder rear three quarter view – isn’t great, thanks to the small glass area and thick pillars. Coming out of junctions could prove tricky too.