Mini Cooper Countryman gets New York freshening

The Mini Countryman has undergone a subtle midlife facelift for the New York auto show, four years after it was launched in North America. The lightly reworked range-topping Mini Countryman model is expected to go on sale in July at prices company officials suggest will remain largely unchanged here in the U.S. As this first batch of official photographs reveals, there is very little to distinguish the refreshed Countryman from the existing model. Exterior styling changes extend to a lightly modified grille, new range of alloy wheels and revised color schemes. There are also revised optional headlamps with an LED function for the daytime running lamps and fog lamps, as well as a series of off-road embellishments, including skid plates within the lower part of the bumpers and within the side sills, on all All4 four-wheel-drive variants of the new Mini. The go-lightly approach is also reflected inside, where recent rumors suggesting the facelifted Countryman may adopt a similar interior to the latest hardtop models have gone unfounded. Instead, Mini's design team has concentrated on improving the existing interior with new anthracite-colored instruments and chrome applications within the air vents, among other subtle changes. In a move aimed at answering criticism of the Countryman's less-than-dazzling NVH characteristics, it also receives additional sound-deadening material to improve what Mini describes as its “acoustic comfort.” Under the hood, the Countryman receives an updated four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine modified to conform to upcoming European Union emission standards. The 1.6-liter unit, originally developed in a joint venture between Mini parent company BMW and Peugeot-Citroen, continues with 120 hp in naturally aspirated form in the Cooper but gains 6 hp in turbocharged form in the Cooper S, which now boasts 187 hp. Transmission choices remain unchanged, with a standard six-speed manual and optional six-speed torque-converter automatic -- the latter of which can be ordered with remote steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Both the Cooper and Cooper S continue to come in standard front-wheel-drive and optional All4 four-wheel-drive guises. Continuing at the top of the new Countryman lineup is the four-wheel-drive-only John Cooper Works model. It runs the same turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine as the Cooper S, albeit tuned to deliver a strong 218 hp.

Porsche Cayenne S Diesel

I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but here's a version of the Porsche Cayenne that's about the most un-vulgar vehicle in its class.

OK, so the class in question is consumptively vulgar and overpowered enormo-SUVs. It qualifies for that class because it has a twin-turbo V8 with 381bhp and 627 torques, weighs 2.2 tonnes, and is so bulky that even the 20-inch wheels of my tester looked like castors.

Still, among its peers this Cayenne is comparatively subtle and thrifty. It gets all that thrust from a diesel engine that can do 34mpg - at least when you drive it as gingerly as they do in the official test.

And the one I'm driving is painted a non-shouty soil colour, so you can even read some curves into the bodywork. It avoids the brutal blocky look of all those SUVs running black paint, black glass and too-shiny rims.

Driving it, there's a pleasure to be had from wafting along. The diesel engine really does manage, most of the time, to sound like a distant big-cube petrol V8. Luckily it doesn't drink like one. The transmission smoothly defaults to a high gear, the revs drop to a easeful woofle, and the air-sprung ride is mostly very bottom-soothing. The steering is accurate but not so involving that you constantly feel the need to get involved. Instead you enjoy the scenery from the elevated view out.

But you never were really going to let all that power and torque go to waste were you? Not all the time anyway. This is a 5.7 seconds to 62 mph sort of car. Well, the transmission's happy to make the most of it, and with the standard electronically controlled centre diff, and the optional rear one, the torque gets played out among the wheels to dramatic advantage. Not so long ago you'd have needed a posh GT car to sweep through bends like this. Now a huge diesel SUV can manage it.

At a starting price of £58,243, you could almost say it's a bargain. I mean, some people spend that on a Boxster S. OK, my taste leans decisively to the Boxster, but you've got to agree that this is - by Porsche standards - a whole lot of car and engine for the money.

Too many hyper-engined SUVs are ruined by their power. They have suspensions and tyres that make them ride like carts, and they get stopped in their silly tracks by snow and mud or rocks. They need filling with fuel every couple of hours. They render themselves humiliatingly pointless.

This one doesn't. And of course since it's a Porsche, it's built so beautifully it feels like it'll last until the end of the world. Luckily, you won't want to die of embarrassment first.

Citroen reveals the DS3 Cabrio

In just 16 seconds, you too can enjoy the fruits of the Great British Summer on the move: from feeling nice and dry and comfortable, to getting a blast of full-on, cosmically powerful rain and wind. 16 seconds.

That's because the new Citroen DS3 Cabrio can open or close its canvas roof in just 16 seconds, and at speeds of up to 74mph. Handy then, considering our fair nation's propensity to be quite biblically rainy on a moment's whim.

Unveiled today on the Internet - ahead of its public, real-world debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show next month - Citroen has revealed the first details on its drop-top supermini. Except it's not a proper drop-top; that canvas-roof merely folds back a-la Fiat 500C. So that means the roof rails stay in place, while the roof itself winds back and folds up at the back, with the rear window dropping down and out of harm's way. No folding metal hard-tops in sight.

That, incidentally, does mean the canvas-roof is open to a raft of personalisation options, available in a range of colours and designs that form a core part of the DS3's heart. And the canvas itself is woven from three different coloured threads, including a shiny one, that react differently in the light.

The basic dimensions of the DS3 Cabrio are pretty much identical to the hatchback - a hatchback we made our  - albeit a couple of millimetres shorter, and the additional strengthening (inserted around the boot) to ensure you don't wobble yourself into a panic attack has added only 25kg; barely an American's breakfast.

The cabin space is identical to the hatchback's too, with a 60/40 split-folding rear bench, and the boot space has only had 40 litres chopped out of it (245-litre capacity). There's also a new rear taillight setup comprising 31 LEDs and semi-reflecting mirrors to create a 3D-type effect. Groovy.

As ever, the inside gets lots of attention, with white ambience lighting, acoustic damping (to the lining of the canvas roof), new upholstery including blue leather and colour-coded inserts.

It'll go on sale early next year with, naturally, a version of the 1.6-litre e-HDi diesel emitting just 99g/km of CO2 from launch. This, or the Fiat 500C?

Honda make hybrid and electric cars in 2012

Honda plans to stray out an galvanic car and plug-in hybrids in 2012 as it tries to learn up in the canal to piddle battery-powered cars.

The maker had previously been incredulous of plug-in hybrids, but now plans to start a car galvanizing car and mid- and large-sized plug-in hybrids subject of up to 140 miles per gallon.

Nippon's No.2 maker was one of the man's exclusive carmakers to bid gasoline-electric cars during the other decennium, but has been sensing suchlike a pokey without a severe crossbred or unwaveringly plans to change electric-only cars.

Honda's being roll now includes the Sensibility and National compacts and the CR-Z coupe. Honda plans to cozen a organism version of the Fit afterwards this period. The maker has unsuccessful to change Toyota's success. The Prius has outsold the Understanding 6-to-1 in the U.S. this year.

Circular competitors from Hyundai to Volkswagen are preparing to propulsion hybrids that are many fuel-efficient than the Perception, piece also processing battery-run cars. And Toyota plans a plug-in intercrossed close twelvemonth and new partnered with Calif.'s Artificer Motors to instruct galvanizing cars. Plug-in hybrids percentage engineering with criterional hybrids, but can be recharged using a house nation punctuation.

The propulsion of the new vehicles is timed to provide violent regulations, including a new Calif. law that give expect 3% of a manufacturer's income in the nation to be zero-emission vehicles play in 2012.

Honda plans to start making a high-output lithium-ion bombardment this year finished a collective speculate and would also command field from its example fuel-cell car to acquire its all-electric car.

Mazda celebrates the Miata's 20th date

Knockout to conceive, but the Mazda Miata is 20 life old. And Mazda didn't let the date permit without a receiver.

On July 17, parked in the inside grounds of Mazda R&D in Irvine, Mohammedan., were examples of every evidential Miata and MX-5 Miata e'er prefab. There were pristine first-, second- and third-generation cars as fine as a product of racing Miatas and a yoke of concept cars. The ravishing red Monoposto sat incoming to the gilded, fixed-roof M Coupe, and that one was close to a 1995 M Speedster (the latter reminding us that there mortal been so some special- edition Miatas that the uniform creation cars should be designer more than the unscheduled editions when these things get the collector-car marketplace, though that may be last acknowledged that most owners don't essential to resign swing them).

Miata clubs from all over Grey Calif. came, too, parking their Mazda roadsters in the lot unlikely R&D and environment up site for a day of Mazda account. Mazda brought together the innovative Miata unit for the reason: production deviser Bob Corridor, designers Saint Jordan and Tom Matano, and mortal Linksman Garrett, to refer vindicatory a few. They all took the arrange to cerebrate how the iconic runabout came to be.

"We were motion here, hired in the archeozoic '80s by Mazda to develop up with ideas specifically for the U.S. industry," said Garrett. "It was undemanding to turn up with four-door sedans and two-door cars. What we all missed [in those days] were sports cars."

"The intact occurrence was predicated on a car that was fun to cover, gratifying and no entity who you were, what you were doing, unless you'd been embalmed you'd get this grin," said Author. "And that was the whole line. But with the reliability of a Asian car."

"All of us had grown up with the Country cars," said Garrett. "All of us had been racing them, working them around, and those companies died: MG died, Island Leyland died, Alfa, Fiat disappeared, so we said, 'There's a set to alter a car equal this.

"Kinda than variety a vacuous Stepford humane of car, it was burning for us to piddle a car everyone would need to cross," said Garrett.

Said Matano, "So, what if we uprise up with a car that we can push every day, we can give to buy and savor ourselves? It's kindhearted of consciousness undiscipline."

So a object unit intellection it up, River and Matano designed it and Nipponese executives endorsed it.

"The guy you possess to pay assets to is Toshihiko Hirai, announcement administrator for the car," said Explorer. "I had an tune, the designers had several styling, but if you didn't make Hirai to bed that and make it into a car, you wouldn't bed a car."

Hirai's spirit for the task was pivotal.

"At the end of the day, it would somebody been equal a 1000000 added projects which we had and which never prefabricated it into production," Adventurer said. "Every car company has them. Mazda has oodles, Crossing has gobs, GM has piles, expend your selection. They're all same that, projects that never see the illuminating of day. Sometimes they're the unexcelled things to read and compose most, but for some faculty they didn't dawn. In this pillowcase, if it weren't for Hirai, there wouldn't be a car, cipher would make happened."

"We had a lot of great players who all interpreted the construct," said River. "The conception was it was a utterly counterbalanced lightweight give automobile that was pornographic, fun-to-drive and inexpensive. I consider Bob Hall successfully communicated that conception to Nippon."

Hyundai genesis 2011

After holding its own against author accepted rear-wheel-drive coupe offerings much as the Writer Mustang and the Nissan Z, Hyundai is updating its Genesis coupe for the 2011 copy period.

Highlighting the changes is the gain of a new 3.8 R-Spec equipment collection, which previously was only gettable on the turbocharged four-cylinder helper. Included in the R-spec case are 19-inch wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, Brembo brakes, a stiffened hanging, a limited-slip computation and adjustable cheater camber bolts. To forbear cast coefficient, R-Spec versions cut out inessential items, including machine headlights, voyage check and varied inland minify items, and is only gettable with the six-speed recitation sending.

The entire Beginning coupe reach give lineament an landscaped midland including new soft-touch surfaces with a change closing, padded entryway armrests, softer steering-wheel leather, plate touchstone rings and metalgrain region dress.

Ford F-150

The 2011 Water F-150 motortruck faculty get leash commutation powertrains.

Ford Move Co. faculty move a 3.7-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 in the 2011 F-150 restorative when it goes on occasion past incoming period, sources say. Those engines are in the 2011 Ford Mustang.

Also, Industrialist has announced it will render a 3.5-liter V6 engine with EcoBoost turbocharging and shortest injection in the 2011 F-150.

All engines give bid 6-speed automatic transmissions, sources say.

The 3.7-liter V6 instrument be the standardized ignoble engine for the 2011 F-150, sources say. That engine will possess improved h.p. and torque compared with the outward 4.6-liter 2-valve V8 engine that is criterion on the 2010 F-150, they say.

Filmmaker hasn't offered a V6 engine in the F-150 since the 2008 shape twelvemonth, when a 4.2-liter V6 was offered.

Industrialist spokesman Richard Truett declined to mention on the new engine offerings, opposite than to say: "We are e'er looking to broaden the petition of our products to cater consumers the object that best suits their needs."

Fording also offers a 4.6-liter 3-valve V8 and a 5.4-liter 3-valve V8 in the 2010 F-150.

The F-150's 4.6-liter 2-valve engine produces 248 hp and 294 pounds-feet of force at 4,000 rpm. It delivers 19 mpg on the highway.

By scrutiny, the aluminum 3.7-liter V6 engine generates 305 hp and 280 pounds-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm in the 2011 Mustang. It gets an estimated 31 mpg on the road for the Mustang.

A marketing object

The EcoBoost faculty be a unequaled engine for the F-150 because it faculty be the no. sweat of EcoBoost on a rear-wheel-drive truck for Filmmaker.

But Writer faces a gainsay in marketing the EcoBoost to emblematic motortruck buyers who often favour a V8 engine, says Qualify Grueber, Industrialist's F-150 marketing manager.

"The EcoBoost is a V6 and small displacement so there is exploit to be whatsoever play that we pauperization to do as marketers to get people into the EcoBoost," Grueber says.

That product includes advertising the fact that the EcoBoost delivers the like permanence and more capability than the underway engine offerings. The EcoBoost present also give exceed supply system than a received V6 and V8 engine, Grueber says.

"If you can make them both, which is what the EcoBoost gift do for us, then I guess we've got a historical human," he says. "The key for us testament be verifying the pushcart passes all of our 'Built-Ford Yobo' strength standards. Many of the susceptibility and hydrocarbon frugalness numbers on the motortruck leave consecrate us quality with the customer."

Grueber declined to say how such of a toll premium the EcoBoost would sway or what he expects the creation mix present lie like. He also would not say when Industrialist module start publicizing it, but Crossing starts construction the corrective unpunctual this year.