After a few weeks of teasing, Acura has finally revealed the ZDX, its new four-door, luxury crossover "coupe" that is clearly aimed at the similarly proportioned BMW X6. The ZDX wears the now familiar shield grille and sharp styling that has spread across the entire Acura lineup. To further emphasize the crossover's coupiness, Acura designers have hid the rear door handles in the base of the C-pillar. The ZDX rides tall on 20-inch, 9-spoke wheels and also glints under the lights thanks to a number of chrome trim pieces including a pair of shiny dual exhausts out back. Inside you'll find typical Acura luxury with high quality materials arranged in a high-tech package that includes a new multi-view rear camera system with both a wide angle and top down view. The production ZDX will be V6-powered and kept in line by Acura's superb Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system.
Feel free to poke around the ZDX in our high-res gallery below. It's the best expression yet of Acura's new design language, which has taken some getting used to on its current lineup of sedans. This segment-busting crossover should arrive in dealerships by the fall of 2009, according to Acura.
New York Auto Show 2009: Acura ZDX aimed squarely at BMW X6After a few weeks of teasing, Acura has finally revealed the ZDX, its new four-door, luxury
First Look: 2010 Subaru Outback
A week after unveiling its bigger and better Legacy, Subaru is now letting the other shoe drop. Or should we say letting its hiking boot drop. Since 1994, the Outback has been the Legacy's rough-and-tumble alter ego. Their Indiana Jones to the Legacy's tweedy Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. And like Harrison Ford himself, the Outback has gained in both savvy and physical size since his swashbuckling debut, though neither one appears to be any less willing to tackle genuine adventure.
As with the Legacy's architecture, the 2010 Outback has swelled in size. Its wheelbase has added 2.8 inches, it's been widened by 2.0 inches, and its height has been elevated by 4.0 inches. The consequence is an interior that's ballooned by 8 cubic feet of passenger room (up 7.6 percent), while cargo volume (with folded rear seats) is up 8.4 cubic feet. Aging whip-crackers will appreciate its additional 3.5 inches of front hip room (1.3 in the back) and 4 extra inches of rear legroom in which to straighten arthritic knees. Although the Outback's overall length has actually contracted by nearly an inch, those gains in width and height give it a much more imposing visual presence.
Officially Official: 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI coming Stateside this summer
he 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mark VI) is upon us, and as suspected, the thinly-veiled "concept" shown in Paris is an exact duplicate of the production model we'll be getting in the States this summer.
With redesigned front and rear fascias, artfully sculpted haunches and Scirocco-inspired headlamps, the Mark VI is a subtle evolution of the outgoing model that lends a bit more aggression to the three- and five-door hatch. Power is provided by a tweaked and turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four putting out 210 horsepower (10 hp more than its predecessor) and 206 lb-ft of torque beginning at 1,800 rpm. The run to 60 mph comes in at 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 149 mph.
A six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch gearbox are available, along with a standard sport suspension, DCC adaptive damping (with settings for Normal, Sport and Comfort) and an XDS electronic differential that monitors traction and sends power to the outside wheel. The interior remains largely unchanged, with standard plaid seating (leather is optional), along with stainless-steel pedals, aluminum shift knob and a flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel.
BMW 135i tii up against V8 supercar, F1 racer at Australian Grand Prix
BMW's little 1 Series has proven itself to be a credible performer that's able to hang with nearly anything else it likely to encounter on the road. But against an Australian V8 Supercar and BMW's own Formula 1 racer? Not a chance. Regardless, these three vehicles will indeed face off at the upcoming F1 season opener Down Under. To help level the playing field, each vehicle will start with a handicap, so the real excitement will begin near the end of the lap when the three cars close in on one another as they sprint to the finish line.
The 1 Series that's taking part in the event will be equipped with the German automaker's potent 3.0L twin-turbo inline six and will wear 18" alloys bolted up to a tuned suspension set up with cross-drilled brakes. A set of tii decals and a full BMW Performance aerodynamic body kit top things off. The race will be repeated 5 times starting on Thursday, March 26th.
Spycam: 2011 Ferrari F450
It was five years ago that the current Ferrari F430 debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show and the storied Italian sports and racing car manufacturer is currently hard at work creating a successor designed to both increase power while decreasing emissions and fuel consumption at the same time. Dubbed the F450 by virtue of its enlarged 4.5L V-8 reportedly based on the present 4.3L unit, speculation has power surpassing that of the 430 Scuderia at 500 horses or more.
While the mule our spy shooters caught undergoing winter testing is still wearing modified F430 bodywork, the larger fenders, air scoops, and exhaust system all hint at the need for a wider stance and increased breathing -- no doubt, for a car that will be creating more power. The F450 will also reportedly receive Ferrari's new dual-clutch gearbox that debuted in the California. The new gearbox features quicker, smoother shift action than the automated manual presently used in the F430.
Spy Shots: Production 5 Series GT revealed via BMW TV
As expected, BMW is obviously pretty far along with the production version of the 5 Series Gran Turismo concept that debuted earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show. While show-car details like the thin metal blades connecting the side mirrors from the concept have been replaced with more conventional bits, the general shape of the new GT has been left almost exactly intact. The same can't be said about the interior, which seems to have lost its artful air in exchange for BMW's typically Germanic sobriety.
We'll reserve final judgment for when the production version makes its official debut, likely at an undetermined auto show later this year. Click past the break to see the production BMW 5 Series GT on a video capture of BMW TV, along with the car's German-speaking project leader, Hans-Jurgen Branz.
First Test: 2009 Nissan Cube 1.8S
Quick, what do bulldogs, sunglasses, and Jacuzzis have in common? If you're thinking 1980s beer commercials, you'd be wrong (Spuds MacKenzie was a bull terrier). In fact, these three seemingly disparate elements are all design inspirations for the latest B-segment box van, the all-new 2009 Nissan Cube.
Nissan says the stance and front end of its softly curved box car invokes a "bulldog in sunglasses." They may have a point: The Cube's pinched grille and headlights combine with a jutting front bumper and small wheels pushed to the corners to create a look as awkwardly cute as, well, a slobbering lapdog in shades. Inside, the Cube's soft contours and layout are supposed to reflect a "Jacuzzi lounge," an effect bolstered by a water-droplet motif drizzled throughout the interior details.
