Range Rover Evoque 5-door

Land Rover has released full details on the upcoming Range Rover Evoque 5-door.

The 5-Door Range Rover Evoque shares its turbocharged powertrain line-up with the Coupé model. The state-of-the-art diesel and petrol engines offer smooth and responsive performance, blending four-cylinder efficiency with six-cylinder refinement and power.Customers can choose between two comprehensively updated 2.2-litre turbodiesel derivatives, with 190PS or 150PS.In the 5-Door model, the front-wheel drive Range Rover Evoque with the 150PS 2.2-litre engine achieves sub 135g/km* CO2.A new 240PS, 2.0-litre Si4 petrol engine combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin variable valve timing for exceptional driveability and fuel efficiency.

Evoque, in all its incarnations, is meant to “expand and revitalize the global appeal of the Range Rover marque,” according to Phil Popham, Land Rover’s managing director.

The new model is the third to wear the Range Rover badge, alongside the original SUV and the Range Rover Sport.  But Evoque is Land Rover’s first crossover platform, a distinct shift in direction for the British maker, whose products are known for the go-anywhere versatility.

The basic details of the 5-door closely match up with the 3-door, including the global range of 4- and 6-cylinder engines, which will power both front and all-wheel-drive configurations.

The Evoque is built on a modified version of the Freelander/LR2 platform and is considerably smaller and lighter than the Range Rover Sport.

Among the engines is a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline direct-injection four-cylinder delivering 240 horsepower. Several four-cylinder turbodiesels also will be offered.

Inside Line says: Land Rover's Indian parent Tata Motors hopes eventually to spin off Range Rover as a separate, upscale brand. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

2011 Hyundai Elantra

After its home market unveiling earlier this year, Hyundai has taken the wraps off its 2011 Hyundai Elantra sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The compact sedan promises lots – 40 mpg at a starting price of under $15,000 before destination.

Hyundai, with its small-engined fleet of fuel-savvy bruisers, seems downright giddy at the news. The Korean manufacturer has announced that by the time 2025 rolls around, the company will have a corporate average fuel economy of 50 mpg. The groundwork for that dramatic increase is being laid right now with vehicles like the Sonata Hybrid and the most recent addition to the Hyundai stable, the 2011 Elantra.

The last-generation Elantra debuted four short years ago, but in the meantime, competition in the American small-car market has increased by leaps and bounds. Additions like the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus have proven that domestic manufacturers are just as serious about producing compact, high-quality vehicles with excellent fuel economy as the long-reigning titans of the segment from Honda and Toyota. With its 40 mpg highway rating, stylish exterior and excellent drivetrain, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra is set to put the rest of the segment on notice.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is powered by the company's new 1.6L Gamma Gasoline Direct Injection engine that develops 140 PS and 17.0kg/m of torque.  the engine is coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission and a front wheel drive system.  Hyundai claims the new Elantra is 10% more fuel efficient in comparison to its direct competitors.

The equipment list for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra includes HID (high intensity discharge) headlamps, LED combination lamps in the rear, heated rear seats, puddle lamps and a color TFT LCD informatin display.

The Elantra's interior bears a likeness to the Sonata's cabin, though with slightly more sci-fi look. It looks like it might combine some of the best of cockpit-style layouts with more open ones, as it pinches quite narrow up at the top for more knee room. The nav and sound system controls are up high, along with the nav screen, while climate controls are just below. Nice, round analog gauges sit directly ahead of the driver, as well as a set of steering-wheel controls. Instrument panels have a two-tone look, with hazy metallic trim.

We expect to know more in the fall, when the American auto show season kicks off with the November Los Angeles Auto Show.

2011 Chrysler 200

Chrysler announced that its all-new midsize sedan will be called the 200. Chrysler has ended the long run of its Sebring sedan after the last generation was met with a lackluster reception by the press and, more importantly, the buying public.

Virtually every system in the sedan is new or upgraded for 2011, giving the Chrysler 200 its own identity and space in the highly competitive mid-size sedan segment. Exterior and sheet metal upgrades include: front and rear fascias and fenders, grille featuring the new Chrysler brand winged badge, new hood, LED positioning light pipe in front headlamps, rear deck lid and exterior mirrors, new projector headlamps and fog lamps, new LED taillamps and an LED center high-mounted stoplight.

"Today's customer is smarter and they expect their vehicle to be smart as well. They want beauty coupled with substance," said Olivier Francois, President and CEO — Chrysler Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "The new Chrysler 200 delivers reliability, capability, comfort, safety, fuel efficiency and style - beauty and substance."

The new 2011 Chrysler 200 provides drivers an agile, confident, handling performance in all driving situations, whether it's commuting to work, a weekend adventure on twisty roads or going out with family and friends. Virtually every part of the suspension has been retuned or redesigned for 2011, including 26 of 30 suspension bushings. The suspension geometry was completely re-engineered. The track is an inch wider, tire width has been increased from 215 to 225 mm and the Chrysler 200 has been lowered 12 mm in the front and 6 mm in the rear for a lower, wider, more substantial stance.

The best part of the upgrade, however, is under the hood. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder "World Engine" is now the base choice, paired with a choice of four- or six-speed automatics. The star of the engine lineup is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine, available only with the six-speed auto, which should deliver around 300 horsepower, making the 2011 200 peppy enough to run with most of the midsize luxury sedan class.

The suspension is also retuned for tauter handling without compromising comfort, including stiffer body mounts, a new rear sway bar, and upgraded tires balanced against softer spring rates. The cabin is also aimed to be a quieter place, with acoustic laminated glass for the windshield and front door windows.

Powertrain Positives and Negatives

Powertrains for the 200 will include the 2.4-liter four cylinder mated to a four- or six-speed automatic and the new Pentastar V-6, which produces up to 290 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque in other applications and will exclusively be paired with a six-speed auto. The four-speed transmission will do the 2.4-liter no favors, but the V-6’s output will put it at the top of the segment and should make for spirited stoplight drags.

Having been uncompetitive for many years now and not building on a new platform, Chrysler remains at a serious disadvantage in a segment packed with power hitters—the Honda Accord, the Ford Fusion, and the Hyundai Sonata, to name a few. With a revised Chevrolet Malibu also on the way, Chrysler faces a steep uphill battle when the new 200 hits dealers at the end of this year. Good or bad, at least it isn’t called the Sebring anymore.

The 2011 Chrysler 200 will be assembled at the company's Sterling Heights plant, north of Detroit, and will reach U.S. dealers later this year.

2011 Nissan Quest

The Nissan Quest is a minivan manufactured since 1993 by Nissan, now in its third generation. The first two generations of the Quest were a joint venture with Ford, which marketed a rebadged variant as the Mercury Villager. The vans debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Both vehicles were initially powered by the 3.0 L Nissan VG30E V6 until 1999, when the Quest received the 3.3 L version of the same engine. The Quest was completely redesigned for 2004, while the Villager was discontinued and replaced with the Freestar-based Mercury Monterey. The current model is built on the FF-L platform, which it shares with the Altima, Maxima, and Murano. It also shares the award-winning 3.5 L VQ engine with those cars.

The first two generations of the Quest were rather anonymous and subpar, but the current, third-generation Nissan Quest made a huge leap ahead in terms of styling and performance. But the cabin was criticized for its oddball design (which placed the instruments in the center and many too-similar buttons on a large pillar-style center stack), flat seats, abundance of hard plastic and inconsistent build quality. Thankfully, a recent midcycle refresh brought about significant interior improvement via a redesigned dash and center stack, and upgraded materials.

In general, the Nissan Quest remains a mid-pack choice for a minivan, as it's never been able to match top vans like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna in terms of quality, refinement or reputation for reliability. The first- and second-generation vans are mediocre picks on the used car market, while the current Quest, though improved, has never quite caught on with consumers. This model is on a one-year hiatus as an all-new version is readied for production.

Nissan addressed some, but certainly not all, of the Quest's misgivings in 2007, when it smoothed over the instrument panel, brought the gauges in front of the driver, upgraded interior materials, and introduced integrated headrests for the second and third rows that automatically tilted forward, making folding easier.

Nissan opted to skip the 2010 model year, with an all-new Quest on the way for 2011.

What the Auto Press Says

Members of the press have yet to see the 2011 Nissan Quest in the metal, however opinions are already beginning to form based off of the teaser shots.

“Nothing too outrageous has been done to the interior, but we expect overall refinement to be substantially better than what we've seen in previous Quests, and the usual host of cubbies and cup holders will surely be on hand.” - Autoblog

“The design looks pretty wild for a minivan, with a boxy back end and lots of glass visible.” – Cars.com

Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Mitsubishi has released the first official images of the U.S. version of its 2012 i-MiEV electric minicar, just a week before the car is unveiled at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The company also released some specifications for the little i-MiEV. Against the home-market version, the i-MiEV that will be sold in the States is almost a foot longer, at 145 inches; 4.5 inches wider, at 62.5 inches; and just a hair taller, at 63.5 inches.

The i-Miev is about the furthest thing from a luxury car imaginable. In fact, the thin seats and unpretentious decoration are probably too Spartan for American buyers, particularly in light of a projected price of around $30,000 (before any government kickbacks, incentives, tax breaks, subventions and bribes). And sentencing any adult to prolonged confinement in the rear seat would be in violation of numerous international treaties against the mistreatment of prisoners of war.

On the road, the i-MiEV is a smooth and zingy performer, even in battery-saving "Eco" mode, with a lowish top-speed more than offset in real-world conditions by snappy acceleration. I loved it. Even limited range, the biggest drawback of EVs, shouldn't be too much of a problem on a small car such as this, as it's likely to be used for short journeys.

Anyway, most people would say Steffens turned out to be wrong about the Soviet Union. One of the reasons it eventually failed was its resolute refusal to recognise that markets generally do a better job of deciding what to produce, and what price to sell it at, than a man with a plan sitting in an office in Moscow. And yet if we rely on market signals alone to deal with climate change, there's a risk we won't adopt cleaner technologies quickly enough, and the i-MiEV is a case in point.

Underneath the skin, the hardware is identical to i-MiEVs sold in Japan and Europe, meaning U.S.-bound cars will couple a 63-horsepower electric motor to the rear wheels, along with a lithium-ion battery pack. We hear, however, that the difference may lie primarily in calibration. Sources close to the automaker tell us both regenerative braking and throttle input have been revised for our market, likely to make the i-MiEV more at home on high-speed American highways.

2012 Buick Regal GS

After a length buildup, Buick has officially revealed its performance-minded Regal GS at the Los Angeles Auto SHow.

The Buick Regal GS production car features a 255 horsepower, 295 lb-ft. of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to the front wheels through the HiPerStrut system – which is aimed at reducing torque steer.

As expected, the car's European roots and Opel handprint are unmistakable on the visual side. The Regal GS shares many styling similarities with the Insignia OPC, including the satin-metallic, vertical air intake ducts prominently forged to the front fascia. A unique front grille sits between the bi-xenon HID headlights, while trapezoidal exhaust outlets give the rear a more striking look. An integrated rear spoiler and rocker panel extensions build up the theme of aggression. But we'd be remiss to call the Buick an Opel clone, as this Regal comes solely with front-wheel drive and four cylinders beneath the hood.

The engine pressed into service was never a secret. Regal GS drivers will be treated to a version of GM's direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec inline-four used in the Regal CXL Turbo, only with more power. Buick's tuning team fitted a 3-inch-diameter exhaust system and encouraged the intercooled, twin-scroll turbocharger to compress even greater amounts of air for a more fiery combustion. The gain in performance numbers is obvious on paper: The CXL Turbo is rated at 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque; the GS version puts out 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet.

The Regal GS will be unveiled this evening at a consumer event in Miami. It goes on sale in the second half of 2011. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Product highlights include:
• Exclusive Ecotec 2.0L turbocharged and intercooled engine rated at an estimated 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 295 lb-ft of torque (400 Nm)
• Six-speed manual transmission, with six-speed automatic with Driver Shift Control to be offered later
• Interactive Drive Control System with GS mode
• Four-wheel independent system with HiPerStrut front suspension
• High-performance four-wheel disc brake system with Brembo front calipers
• Standard 19-inch, 5-Twin Spoke alloy wheels and all-season tire and optional 20-inch, 5-Twin Spoke polished alloy wheels with performance tires.

Inside the GS, the Regal's cockpit has largely been left alone, save the addition of some sport enhancements. A flat-bottom sport steering wheel is standard, as are heated, leather sport seats. Other standard goodies include things like Bluetooth, XM satellite radio, park assist and bi-Xenon headlamps.