Premium compact crossovers have become big news lately, a fast-growing segment dominated by players such as the Acura   RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. Now Lincoln is set to make a splash in the segment…

Lincoln launches all-new MKC compact crossover

Premium compact crossovers have become big news lately, a fast-growing segment dominated by players such as the Acura RDX, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. Now Lincoln is set to make a splash in the segment with the launch of its all-new MKC.

The MKC is the first Lincoln designed from the ground up in the dedicated Lincoln Design Studio, and the luxury automaker has high expectations for the new crossover.

The sculpted bodywork features a high beltline and low shoulders, giving the MKC a muscular, athletic presence. At the front the MKC gets Lincoln's distinctive split-wing grille, flanked by swept-back HID headlights. At the back, a unique wrap-around tailgate creates a clean look while also allowing easy access to the luggage compartment.

Inside, the MKC was designed to create a calm, uncluttered environment. Design details include a full-width instrument panel, pushbutton shifter, and one-piece centre stack. Rich materials are specified throughout, and for those seeking Read Full Story
Is it remarkable that the first four-cylinder production engine offered by AMG would also be the most powerful production four-cylinder   engine ever offered en masse-period? After all, AMG is known…

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG 4Matic Road Test Review

Is it remarkable that the first four-cylinder production engine offered by AMG would also be the most powerful production four-cylinder engine ever offered en masse-period? After all, AMG is known for turning each Mercedes product it gets its hands on up to 11 on a scale of 10, so why expect anything less?

Hand built, the 355 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder installed in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG 4Matic does indeed boast the distinction of being the most powerful production four-cylinder engine ever offered for mainstream public consumption. Generating 332 ft-lbs of torque, the engine is teamed with a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive.

To get the 2.0-litre mill to pump power so prodigiously, the speed-crazed engineering team at AMG prescribed a twin-scroll turbocharger producing some 26-psi of boost-along with direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. Optimal density of the intake charge is ensured with a water to air intercooler, Read Full Story
A few short months after debuting its slightly enlarged new third-generation Cooper Hardtop, Mini has gone whole hog and introduced   a five-door variation, officially dubbed the Cooper 5-Door. It’s…

Mini reveals more practical Cooper 5-Door

A few short months after debuting its slightly enlarged new third-generation Cooper Hardtop, Mini has gone whole hog and introduced a five-door variation, officially dubbed the Cooper 5-Door. It's a model that has long been rumoured, slotting in between the sporty but slightly impractical Cooper Hardtop and the much bigger Countryman crossover.

The new passenger-friendly Mini 5-Door is 161 mm (about 6 inches) longer than the three-door Hardtop, riding on a wheelbase that's been stretched by 72 mm (about 3 inches). The extra length has been divvied up between the rear passenger area and cargo compartment, so the 5-Door provides both a little more rear legroom and a bit more luggage space than the Hardtop.

It also gets a third rear seatbelt, making it officially a five-passenger car (the Hardtop is only a four-passenger car). That said, three across in the back seat will be a tight fit, despite Mini carving out 61 mm of extra elbowroom thanks to carefully designed interior Read Full Story
While we’ve had the Mercedes-Benz B-Class here in Canada for quite some time, this marks the first year of the Electric Drive   version of the car. With a powertrain developed and produced…

2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Road Test Review

While we've had the Mercedes-Benz B-Class here in Canada for quite some time, this marks the first year of the Electric Drive version of the car. With a powertrain developed and produced by Tesla Motors down in California, probably the most remarkable aspect of the B-Class Electric Drive Mercedes-Benz is the fact it is wholly unremarkable.

Sit behind the wheel, very little tells you this is the electric version of the automobile. The only immediate visual cue is the replacement of the tachometer with an analog power usage gauge. In other words, if you've been in any Mercedes-Benz product built during the past five to seven years, you'll feel right at home in the B-Class Electric Drive. You won't encounter any flashy "electric" graphics. There is no futuristic "whooshing" sound when you turn the key to the run position. Nothing overtly screams "electric car" here.

Of course, if you've been paying attention to the approach Mercedes-Benz has been taking with its alternatively-fueled Read Full Story
Hardly any sports cars offer the versatility, style, heritage, desirability, and overall cachet of the Mercedes-Benz SL 550. In fact,   we dare say no other sports car can deliver all of those qualities…

2014 Mercedes-Benz SL 550 Road Test Review

Hardly any sports cars offer the versatility, style, heritage, desirability, and overall cachet of the Mercedes-Benz SL 550. In fact, we dare say no other sports car can deliver all of those qualities in a manner commensurate to that of the Mercedes-Benz two-seater. Interestingly, back when the model was conceived, the letters "S" and "L" in its nomenclature represented the words Sports and Light; as the original SL cars were both sporty and lightweight. Over the years, this changed.

As the cars became increasingly more luxurious, their weight factor steadily crept up. Eventually, the L better stood for "Laden" rather than "Light". However, with the introduction of the current version of the Mercedes-Benz SL (referred to internally by Mercedes-Benz as the R231) lightness once again applies (sort of), as this is the first mainstream SL model to be crafted primarily of aluminum.

Looking back over the history of the SL, we've noted an interesting pattern. Every other version Read Full Story
In the push for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, one of the key elements is keeping the weight down. It only makes sense – just   think about how much more effort it takes to push a stalled…

Fusion Lightweight Concept sheds 363 kilos for better economy

In the push for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, one of the key elements is keeping the weight down. It only makes sense - just think about how much more effort it takes to push a stalled car compared to, for instance, a baby stroller.

As part of its "Blueprint for Sustainability" Ford has become a full convert to the concept of reducing weight, a strategy the automotive industry has dubbed "lightweighting". The U.S. automaker has already cut over 318 kg (700 lbs) from the curb weight of its new 2015 F-150 by replacing the steel body with aluminum and by using lighter high-strength steel for much of the frame. This, Ford says, allows the new F-150 to "tow more, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop shorter – all with improved gas mileage."

Now, in cooperation with Cosma International - a subsidiary of Canadian parts supplier Magna International - Ford is turning its attention to weight-saving materials and technologies as they might be applied to passenger Read Full Story
It’s real, it’s drivable, and it has 300 horsepower fed to the rear wheels from a mid-mounted 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. Too   bad, then, that the Hyundai Veloster Midship Concept…

Hyundai reveals ultra-cool mid-engine Veloster Midship Concept

It's real, it's drivable, and it has 300 horsepower fed to the rear wheels from a mid-mounted 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. Too bad, then, that the Hyundai Veloster Midship Concept is only a one-off prototype … at least for now.

Hyundai unveiled the radical Veloster show car at the 2014 Busan International Motor Show in South Korea. Known internally as the Veloster RM (for rear-drive, mid-engine), it was created by the company's High Performance Team, which also developed the i20 WRC rally car. Features include a lightweight aluminum suspension, a gigantic rear wing, and a high-rigidity chassis with near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution thanks to the mid-engine layout.

In a media release announcing the show car's debut, Hyundai carefully pointed out that the Veloster Midship "is a concept only to explore possibilities for the Veloster chassis, and is currently not related to any future production model."

Hyundai also revealed its new large AG front-wheel Read Full Story
Forget the Rolls Royce or the stretch limo, when your next chauffeured ride arrives it might just be this little bubble car from   Google. And while self-driving autonomous cars from Google aren’t…

Google reveals purpose-built autonomous car

Forget the Rolls Royce or the stretch limo, when your next chauffeured ride arrives it might just be this little bubble car from Google. And while self-driving autonomous cars from Google aren't exactly new, this one has some critical differences.

First, it's not a development sled based on a Toyota Prius or Lexus LX with an assortment of added-on cameras, sensors, computers and control systems, as the company's past autonomous cars have been. Instead, it's a purpose-made design, built by Google entirely from scratch.

Second, and perhaps more significantly, unlike the earlier autonomous cars that were based on production vehicles, this one doesn't have any redundant manual controls. So there's no steering wheel, no brake pedal, no accelerator pedal, and no gearshift lever. Just a pair of seats, some space for luggage, buttons to start and stop the car, a navigation screen that allows you to enter and display the programmed route … and that's about it.

Read Full Story