Auto News & New car review

If Alfa Romeo is to make a successful return to the North American market, it will need to rely on more than its sexy Italian image. On these shores, that means two contradictory elements are needed in its line-up: sport-utes and green tech. Towards that end, Alfa’s newly-appointed CEO, Fiat Group wunderkind Luca de Meo, has confirmed two new developments for the company. Read the rest of this entry »

The Altea Freetrack 4 is a curious animal; it combines traditional family transportation, off-road capability and typical SEAT sportiness, all in one package.

Based on the Freetrack concept car shown at the 2007, Geneva Motor Show, the production version uses the SEAT Altea XL as a starting point. However, it is easily distinguished from the donor car by the charcoal grey, plastic guards that make up the front and rear bumpers, chunky wheelarches and, to a lesser extent, the sills. Read the rest of this entry »

The new MINI was launched in 2001, to much acclaim. Although bigger than the original Mini, what it lacked in rear legroom, it made up for in unusual styling and a vast array of personalisation elements, much loved by a local estate agent.

The MINI Clubman has the same raft of options but its main benefit is the extra length, which should make rear passengers happier. Read the rest of this entry »

With added interior room and enhanced performance, the 2009 Toyota Matrix promises to be as practical and fun to drive as its previous models. The new Matrix comes in three trims, the base, S, and XRS The base model Matrix sports a 1.8L 132hp 4-cylinder engine putting power to the front wheels with a standard 5-speed manual transmission. A 4-speed automatic is optional. The other two models offer an optional 2.4L 158hp engine. Read the rest of this entry »

For those who appreciate the luxury and refinement of the 7 Series but crave more power, a sports tuned suspension, and driving excitement, the 2008 BMW Alpina may have the ingredients to satisfy all appetites. The Alpina does not disappoint when it comes to power: its 500hp 4.4 Liter V8 creates 516 ft-lbs of torque @ 4250 rpm. To throw a 4-door sedan from 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds takes phenomenal power and a car body that has been engineered to run fast. Alpina has many key structural and mechanical components which are machined out of lightweight aluminum. Read the rest of this entry »

With enough power to have some real fun, the 2008 S6 fills the Audi mid-size performance slot. That 435-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 from Lamborghini lays out a consistently high torque plateau throughout the rpm spectrum. All this performance is mediated through a 6-speed automatic with overdrive while the essence of the car is unchanged for 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dodge Dakota was introduced as a mid-sized pickup, then the only one available, to avoid competing directly with the Chevy S-10 and Ford Ranger; the larger size allowed Dodge to have a higher capacity than the compact pickups, and, later, the only V8.
The Dakota was redesigned for 2005, but sales were disappointing and the engineers and stylists were put back to work; the fruit of their labors was a more attractive truck with new interior features and a massive horsepower upgrade, using the same basic frame and chassis. The 4.7 liter engine has been around since 1999, but now it has 302 horsepower, in the same ballpark as the 5.7 Hemi (which is getting pushed up to 380 hp soon) and far above any past Dakota engine. The interior has been dolled up with a hard-drive based stereo, underseat storage containers, and other features. The sides remain the same, but the grille has been cleaned up and converted to the new Dodge style, with good results (compare the 2008 and 2006 models, above). Read the rest of this entry »