S-type? What's an S-Type? Jaguar's luscious new XF four-door obliterates all memories of its Lincoln-based, J-gated predecessor. The XF, like the illustrious E-Type, is a real Jag. In last July's Motor Trend, the top-model, 420-horse XF Supercharged also dusted off rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus, handily winning our "Private Reserve Cabs" sport-lux comparo and inspiring every test driver to mutter, "We gotta get ourselves one of these."
So we did. A Liquid Silver XF Supercharged (with interior resplendent in "Spice/Char" soft-grain leather) has joined our long-term fleet. In barely a month, it's racked up more than 3400 miles.
Arrival: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
Hamann Volcano Based on Mercedes Mclaren SLR Officially Detailed
How much torque does a volcanic eruption have? Well, it does indeed take a lot of steam to melt rocks and push the lava straight up through the earth's crust and Hamann-Motorsport does a good job of rivaling that with their own Volcano.
The Hamann Volcano is a supersized version of what is already one of the world's most renowned supercars - the Mercedes McClaren SLR. Hamann technicians were able to boost the Mercedes Benz 5.4 liter, 626 hp, 780 Nm V8 and take its performance to 700 hp and 830 Nm of torque at 3,300 rpms; giving the Hamann a 0-100 km/h time of only 3.6 seconds.
Revealed: 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe
Earlier this month, Nissan provided us special access to a camouflaged prototype of its next-generation Z sports car. Now come three photos and official confirmation that this Z will indeed be the 370Z -- or officially speaking, the 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe
What does this mean? Well, for starters, that the rumor mill was 99.99% correct. If you go off name alone, the next-generation Z will be powered by a 3.7L V-6 engine -- no doubt the same one that is in the 2009 Infiniti G37 sedan and coupe. Output should be the about the same as those vehicles as well -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 330 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. Now we don't know all of this for sure, as no details were provided with the images, only this statement:
Suzuki Kizashi Latest Spy Photos in Germany
These most recent spy shots of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi are some of the best seen so far. They provide a pretty good view of the car and you can get an idea of what its final design will be as it gets closer to production. The accompanying photos were taken earlier this week while the Kizashi was undergoing testing in Germany under very light camouflage.
The Kizashi will be Suzuki's first mid-size sedan as the compact carmaker moves its brand upmarket and introduces products into the middle segment of the passenger car market. The mid-size segment is one of the most fiercely competitive in the US market and the Kizashi will go up against best-selling models such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and the Chevy Malibu.
Spycam: 2010 MazdaSpeed3 Caught at the 'Ring
With its winning combination of pleasing looks, high-end features, and fun-to-drive dynamics, the present Mazda3 continues to win comparison tests despite being on the market mostly unchanged since 2004. Even so, going on five years is a long time in the car world, and now Mazda is readying its all-new, 2010 Mazda3 to keep the compact fresh. Official photos of the new 2010 Mazda3 sedan hit the Web recently, stirring up a lot of excitement, but lacking any specs or additional info many enthusiasts were left wondering -- what about a new 2010 MazdaSpeed3?
Porsche 911 Bi-Turbo by DKR Tuning
Those owners of the Porsche 911 Turbo who aren’t entirely satisfied that their car really is the powerhouse Porsche claims it is, can turn to German tuner DKR for a €5,529 power upgrade. DKR Tuning optimises the ECU software and fits a new sports exhaust system to garner a forceful 540 bhp/ 402kW and 775Nm from the car’s twin-turbo 3.6-litre boxer engine.
After having upgraded the engine one might feel a little more adventurous and go kit mad. For that DKR provides 19-inch Cargraphic RS alloy wheels on 235/35 tyres in front and 305/30 at the rear. A functional front lip spoiler and larger rear wing gives that macho appearance that accompanies all this power. It’s a 911 so handling needs no introduction, even at full 540 horses on the throttle.
Sport/Utility Of The Year: Subaru Forester
It would be easy to say that this year's winner is a knee-jerk reaction, that the editors of Motor Trend responded to the skyrocketing cost of gasoline like the rest of the driving public by abruptly abandoning the traditional SUV formula for something smaller, more fuel-efficient, greener, more, well, forest-y. It would be easy to categorize our selection of the Subaru Forester as Motor Trend's 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year as a choice made solely at the pump, but it wouldn't be true.
Sure, our Subaru Forester 2.5XT contender posted the best observed fuel-economy numbers (16.0 mpg) for an all-wheel-drive SUV in this year's competition, but that's not the whole story.