2017_Toyota_86_001_4D4B978CD7B450B62A83BF6879E886AD6F149643-crop

2017 Toyota 86 – First Look At Revamped FR-S + Corolla iM and Yaris iA

The Scion FR-S will live on, of course, in the Toyota range with a new name and style for 2017. Dubbed just the 86 — versus GT86 in Euorpe and elsewhere — the car has aggressive new LEDs for the nose and tail.  All-new lighting is complemented by a fresh nose appearance, without the lower amber blinker bulbs. Looks like these we’re relocated up into the main light units.  Slick new taillamps are sexy too, but the tail does lacks the fresh bumper treatment of the nose.  But integrated LED rear turn signals are a nice upgrade along with the …

Keep reading

2016-BMW-M2-Laguna-Seca-15fdafad

2016 BMW M2 – Laguna Seca Photoset – Jaw like Popeye, Shoulders like BRUTO!

18 photos have never packed such a punch! Look. At. This. Beast! Around Laguna Seca for the international press launch, this ridiculously fast and fun supercoupe dramatically ups the ante to Audi and AMG.  The closest you can get to this speed from outside Europe?  Definitely a pony-car killer, this M2! 2016 BMW M 2 – Laguna Seca     When BMW goes for performance glory, everyone else best stand back or be blown clear in jetwash. The new ~$130k M4 GTS reveal is being followed closely by a shadow that maintains nearly 99-percent of the big brothers’ track pace, …

Keep reading

2017 Sportage SX Turbo

2017 KIA Sportage SX Turbo Debut – Quad LEDs + Euro Handling Focus

The new Sportage is here in USA form, which we pleased to say looks exactly like the min-Cayenne of the Euro GT-Line rangetopper. The poshest trim for the USA is the SX Turbo AWD, as shown here. 2017 KIA Sportage SX Turbo PREVIOUS KIA’s push to excel globally is ramping up nicely. Frankfurt, California and Korea-based teams are now aligned to make the most of each area’s strengths. Korea as the lead manufacturing hub/supplier base, Cali as a tech and design center of excellence, and the European R&D division taking a much bigger role in vehicle development. It is a …

Keep reading

2016 BMW M2  11

2016 BMW M2 Is Official! Speed and Stance Make M4 GTS Look Silly

Vaya vaya!  [Get Out!!] When BMW goes for performance glory, everyone else best stand back or be blown clear in jetwash. The new ~$130k M4 GTS reveal is being followed closely by a shadow that maintains nearly 99-percent of the big brothers’ track pace, but with a far more agile turn-in and — critically — a more affordable price. Will the estimated $55k total be too much for such a pocket rocket? We’d say NO!!! Take a look at those all-new fenders front and rear. Wide enough to slip into a DTM race, and hiding wheels with giant contact patches …

Keep reading

2016 Chevrolet MALIBU 2

2016 Chevrolet MALIBU 2.0T – Pre-production First Look Inside and Out

  Busy travel week with lots of incredible first drives, track blasts and world premieres to share! One highlight in a packed lot of all-new 2016 models? One we could not actually drive… but were thrilled to photograph inside and out. You’re looking at a knockout style that is premium, wide and low in the flesh. The Malibu shown here is deeply sexy from all sides — something we have never uttered about the current car or even the big-hit 2007 model. Yep, this all-new ‘Bu is quite a looker. A grey and overcast early AM for photos darkened some …

Keep reading

2016 Honda Civic Sedan 61

2016 Honda CIVIC Sedan – 70-Image Reveal of Lux New Look + 1.5L Turbo

Honda’s live YouTube concert and Civic reveal is streaming the world debut of the all-new sedan tonight — with shockingly advanced design, tech and cabin luxury upgrades. The all-new look is quite distinctive and very sexy, particularly versus the current Civic. An all-new platform brings a lower hoodline, a more rear-mounted windshield, plus flying C-pillars out back that plunge into the trunk nicely. Out back, an aero-optimized octagon forms the main trunk and bumper shape, wearing striking LED light pipes around the top edges. Those lights are a great complement to the LED headlights, turn signals and DRLs in the …

Keep reading

2017 KIA Sportage 1

2017 KIA Sportage First Look: GT Line Quad LEDs + Euro Handling Focus

KIA’s push to excel globally is ramping up nicely. Frankfurt, California and Korea-based teams are now aligned to make the most of each area’s strengths. Korea as the lead manufacturing hub/supplier base, Cali as a tech and design center of excellence, and the European R&D division taking a much bigger role in vehicle development. It is a smart foundation for KIA’s move to become Hyundai’s sportier cousin. As it stands, the Kia range is broad but lacks a cohesive, defining nature. The firm has their eyes on BMW. If they can engineer cars to be sold world-wide in one chassis …

Keep reading

2016_jetta_gli_5002(1)

First Look: 2016 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Debuts New Performance Design and Fresh Cabin Tech

  The Jetta GLI is new for 2016, with a design that actually looks (kinda) new! Hooray! The current Jetta is a bit of a joke in the car-enthusiast community. On sale since the beginning of time immortal, the vehicle is stale and dorky and nerdy. Not even a default “hot chick” car at this point. It is more like a jumbo Corolla — but with atrocious mechanical and electronic gremlins present from day one. It is heavily, heavily decontented to achieve a base price point of around $20,000, and this overall de-cool-ification unfortunately drowns out the fresh 1.8-liter turbo …

Keep reading

2015 Audi Prologue Avant Concept 31

Real-life Photos Show Sexier 2015 Audi Prologue Allroad Than Preview Renders

Okay, this is just getting ridiculous now. After the Prologue in LA and La Vegas, plus Prologue Avant in Detroit, we thoroughly get the point of this concept car. The second frustrating thing about the Prologue concept series is that the Audi A4 needs to be replaced. Urgently. Where is it? This latest Prologue Allroad is as expected – a high-riding version of the Avant, but this time powered by a giant V8 hybrid as with the first Prologue Coupe. The Avant was a diesel-electric hybrid if we are not mistaken. So where the F is the new A4? After …

Keep reading

2015 MINI Vision Gran Turismo Concept 2

First Look – 2015 MINI Vision Gran Turismo Concept Is Widebody Clubman GT3

First look today at the upcoming MINI entrant into the world of Gran Turismo 6. This MINI Vision GT concept promises a massive jump in power and track ability, likely with AWD and nearly 400-horsepower. We only have a few sketches of the car plus two digital teasers, but the real thing will be seen very soon online, and perhaps in person at the Geneva auto show next week. The MINI VGT will be raceable with the next PlayStation update for Gran Turismo, likely mid-March. 2015 MINI Vision Gran Turismo Concept  

2016 Lotus Evora 400 3-tile

400HP, 4.1s 2016 Lotus Evora 400 Is Leaner and Meaner 2+2 With Designed-In Downforce

First look tonight at the new Lotus Evora 400 — a tweaked and updated version of the promising sports-car with mid-mounted V6 power, a supercharger with 50 extra horsepower to deliver 4.1-second sprints to 60-mph, and even an available IPS automatic transmission. The big news of the Evora 400 is its cooler style, better aero slipperiness combined with almost double the downforce of the existing Evora S. Inside, the new Evora 400 is far more advanced with new controls and new tech throughout. The center stack is incredibly modern and delivers Porsche-beating design details for things as everyday as the …

Keep reading

Super Sedans 2016 design shootout2

Super Sedan Design Shootout – 2016 Lexus GS-F vs. 2016 Cadillac CTS-V vs. E63 AMG vs. M5

  INTRO: How freaky does that sliced image montage look above!?  Despite the four car’s here not quite matching up in the photos we have at hand, they all share a great deal of buyer and market appeal. For shoppers needing supercar pace with room for five people, there have never been more choices. Very exciting times in the super-sedan business! In a segment that the BMW M5 once owned all to itself, the current M5 Jahre 30 Edition is a run-out special for 2015 that feels ancient versus the latest AMG, Cadillac and Lexus four-doors. To save the M5 …

Keep reading

nomad colors

2015 ARIEL Nomad – Exclusive Digital COLORIZER

This Ariel Nomad is a very cool piece of news – even as CES is in full swing and Detroit is starting to build momentum ahead of press parties starting on Sunday. We’ve spent a bit of time in photoshop to create an exclusive color visualizer for the new Nomad — with our skills obviously best able to create bright, Skittles-style shades. We’ve also lightened and darkened the wheels for a few ideas of what the gloss-black optional rims might look like. This car seems like it is *perfect* for the X-raid class of rallying, and as such there are …

Keep reading

ariel nomad

3.3s 2015 ARIEL Nomad – Tech Specs, Options and Full-Throttle Testing Video!

Updated 1.6.2015 If anything, the real-life Ariel Nomad is even cooler than last week’s teaser renders indicated. Power is a stout 235-ponies, the Yokohama 35-inch mud tires are insane, and the options list will make you start drooling onto your touchscreen. Is there any downside to the ultra-light yet super-strong Ariel Atom chassis concept being applied to an off-roader? Not that we can think of. A heated windshield is even offered. The rear-engine playfulness and handling joy seem to apply themselves perfectly to the Nomad’s off-road mission — as well as guaranteeing traction for sprints and heavy braking. The 100-kph …

Keep reading

ariel nomad

2015 ARIEL Nomad is Off-Roader With ATOMic Lightness and Speed!

Thrilled to see the latest move from Ariel Motors in the UK: an off-road version of its legendary Atom sports car! This new variant is called the Nomad and is based on the latest Atom 3 running gear — but with a totally new roll-cage/chassis combination, a huge suspension upfit and giant dune-munching tires. A windshield is also in the mix on the teaser shots. This will be helpful for keeping the mud and sand out of your face! 200-horsepower is the output from the rear-engine Nomad, with rear-drive keeping things just a few hundred pounds up on the flyweight …

Keep reading

prologue audi gif

Audi Shits Bed in LA? Second Take on 2014 Audi Prologue Concept + 50 New Photos

Updated 11.23.14     Audi Shits The Bed. ? What kind of headline is that? Despite being so brash — it seems a bit nicer than the original, which was: Audi Prologue is Worst LA Debut. We have to be honest, the latest press photos of the Prologue look better than the car does in real-life photos — which is rare. Usually any ultra-lux concept will look far more interesting in the real world. The Audi Prologue is a nightmare scenario for Audi’s supposed design resurgence for more than a few reasons. The lack of real-life impact is just the …

Keep reading

caynne gts gif

5.2s 2015 Porsche Cayenne GTS First Look! February 2015 USA Arrival

First look at the 2015 Cayenne GTS — the performance-oriented Cayenne with pricing from $96,000 and a new twin-turbo V6 putting out 440-horsepower. Everything about the GTS is performance-optimized, right down to that engine being a cool 300-pounds lighter than the turbo V8 in the Cayenne Turbo. A discount of more than $50,000 versus the Turbo is a nice side benefit, but the GTS runs Turbo-spec brakes and suspension. A unique exterior is still the GTS Cayenne’s best-known attribute, along with a manual-transmission option for a few years there. This year, the custom styling of the GTS is even more …

Keep reading