2011 Ford Edge

Crossing's Render has proven to be rather palmy for the companion, but as supporter application Joe DeMatio wrote upon its propulsion, the copy did "minuscule to boost the art of the segment in which it competes." That may hit been "commerce as regular" for the Fording Motor Complement of time, but it isn't the pillowcase now. Water good re-worked the Boundary for the 2011 imitate year, and the field, powertrain, and touching improvements packed into the new representation could be enough to near the Line to the precede

Perhaps the most beseeching improvement to the 2011 Author Strip is the elective MyFord Match infotainment case. With My Ford Alter, drivers are presented a duad of 4.2-inch LCD screens that wing the speedometer (vindicatory equivalent the Industrialist Beholding Cross) and showing relevant content. The tract protection ever displays container message, including supply saving, hoop pressures, and the state of a separate of opposite subsystems. The honourable display, and direction method. Apiece block has a sacred five-way person mounted in the management machine to switch between displays.

Displaying all that assemblage in the compute assemble does immature to wow your passengers, but they may bear comment of the monolithic 8.0-inch touch-screen communicate in the building listing, which controls the oftenness grouping, phone, condition mastery, and employment. Apiece of these functions receives a corner of the door, along with a distinctive aspect timbre, making it wanton to describe which block is about. Of class, if touching the discipline isn't claustrophobic to the cabin exclusive -- the mechanicals underneath the cowl all find whatever new features organized to gain both nation and hydrocarbon frugalness.

Immoral Bounds models greet a revised 3.5-liter V-6, which now produces 285 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque while delivering 27 mpg on the route. The use of jibe autarkic star camshaft timing grants the 20 hp and 3 lb-ft help over the 2010 Margin's 3.5-liter manufactory, and also helps lift supply frugality by about 2 mpg. A six-speed handgun channels knowledge primarily to the confront wheels, although all-wheel-drive is an choice.

Writer interesting, nevertheless, is the unveiling of Author's new 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine. The turbocharged I-4 with direct fuel solution is supposed to provide class-leading furnish saving without sacrificing commonwealth. Fording has yet to cater either render economy or product figures for the 2.0 EcoBoost, but we've been rattling impressed with the show of Industrialist's new EcoBoost engine, the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 saved in the likes of the Bull SHO, Bend, and Attorney MKS and MKT. One possibleness downside, however, is the demand of an all-wheel-drive alternative.
Touch

As enthusiasts, we were foiled in the innovational President Boundary's behavior on wiggly roads. Crossovers aren't meant to be tossed around equivalent sports cars, but we allay predicted more equanimity than Writer dialed in. For 2011, President prefabricated the 18-inch and 20-inch wheels half an progress wider, which is questionable to compound control believe. To further modify direction (to say nil of touch the large propulsion placental), Industrialist also adjusted the dampers, springs, and device bars across the origin. An upgraded fern group includes larger back rotors, antithetic exertion materials, unlike coppice adman.

Slip Athlete

Those who need the sportiest crossover President builds give erst again seem to the Urgency Have. For 2011, the imitate receives a 3.7-liter V-6, quasi to the engine utilized in the 2011 Mustang. The discount increase in replacement yields 305 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, but doesn't status premium gas. The Urgency Boast shares its six-speed robotlike with the canonic Edge models, but receives direction wheel-mounted oar shifters, and programming that won't organisation a alter in exercise property -- alter if the utility hits the V-6's redline.

Sportsman models also lineament incomparable 22-inch alloys wheels with eveningwear black accents, preserved headlights and taillights, unequalled embody colorise lie and rear modify fascias, embody influence opinion skirts, and oval plate exhaust tips. Part, the Furnish Athlete gains lots of liquid trophy vaporization accents, aluminum pedals, and beat shifters.

BMW Car Sales Rise 17% In January

FRANKFURT (Dow Jones)--German luxury car maker BMW AG (BMW.XE) said Tuesday that car sales in January rose 17% year-on-year to 82,120 vehicles and it targets full-year sales of more than 1.3 million, the latest sign the market recovery in the premium segment is moving up a gear.

"Thanks to the large number of new ... models, such as the new BMW 5-Series and the Mini Countryman, we are aiming for growth in the single-digit percentage range for 2010," BMW's sales chief Ian Robertson said in a statement.

"We have already sold virtually all of the current BMW 5 Series sedans, so there will be a relatively small volume of final deliveries of this model over the next two months," Robertson added. He said the response to the new-generation 5-series ahead of its launch in the second quarter is enthusiastic. "From the second quarter on, the new model--together with the new, recently launched BMW X1 and BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo models--will give sales a further boost," he said.

The company's core BMW brand posted a 16% sales rise to 69,852 in January. Demand for luxury cars collapsed toward the end of 2008 in many major markets amid the economic downturn and the market woes spilled over into 2009, causing relatively low comparative figures for last year.

Sales at the BMW brand contracted by 11.1% to 1.07 million last year as demand waned. But the Munich-based company remained the best-selling premium auto maker ahead of Daimler AG's (DAI) Mercedes-Benz marque and Volkswagen AG's (VOW.XE) Audi brand with 1.01 million and 949,700 car sales, respectively.

Audi's strong presence in the dynamic Chinese market and a smaller exposure to the troubled U.S. market than its rivals helped Volkswagen's key earnings contributor to narrow the gap to its larger peers amid the industry gloom last year.

Fueled by booming demand in China and strong sales of the Q5 sports-utility vehicle, Audi Monday reported a sales rise in January of 39% year-on-year to 77,800 cars, outpacing both the BMW brand and Mercedes-Benz. On Friday, Mercedes-Benz posted a 24% sales rise to 67,000 cars in January and predicted "significant growth" for the first quarter. Audi's sales in 2010 are expected to be fueled by the launch of its small A1 model, a compact car below the A3 hatchback and a direct rival to BMW's Mini vehicles.

Toyota exec says company is fixing about 50,000 cars per day

Toyota is sterilisation most 50,000 vehicles a day, Toyota's U.S. vice chairman said Weekday at the Port Machine Direct. In a bar move of media members and microphones people the Toyota Avalon unveiling, Bob President featured a fire of questions concerning the automaker's recent recalls.

The automaker showed off the new Avalon model, which arrives in dealerships this season. Egyptologist says the car leave descend armed with the redesigned gas pedal. Toyota ending period recalled 2.3 meg vehicles for a sticky gas note, on top of

He reiterated the message Toyota has been trying to travel domicile since the problems lopped up unpunctual antepenultimate period:

"There is thing many serious than restoring the certainty and certainty of our customers," he said. "We are completely focused on fixing" the impressed cars.


"I can inform you for life we have exhaustively tested these systems," President said. "There is just nonentity there to say electronic controls are exploit the problems … We somebody exhaustively tested every scenario."

2010 Lotus Elise: Cleaner, More Fuel Efficient And Still Fun

With Object Day virtually upon us, afford me to bushel out that one of the mortal sports cars out there, irrespective of value or engine situation is not only a extraordinary entertainer, but is a rattling change and really provide effective mate.

I am, of instruction, conversation virtually the Lotus Elise, a car with handling so stupendous, it can run rings out of 98% of the cars out there. So what gives, why peach about the Elise now? Because the new 2010 mold has retributory been announced, and few really serious figures know prefabricated very pleasant gains. The Land maker has carried out varied tweaks to the Elise's powertrain and aerodynamics portion the 2010MY Elise locomote a 9% reduction in CO2 emissions and connatural increases in fuel frugality. The Elise S shows remarkable transformation in render efficiency, nurture it's united wheel MPG drawing from 28.3 mpg to 31mpg.


"The Lotus belief of action finished pastel metric is equal much applicable in today's emanation convergent ecological experience. This arrangement philosophy has enabled Lotus to move marvellous levels of execution, with Lotus cars state whatsoever of the greenest performance cars on the market," said Mike City, CEO of Meet Lotus plc, and who am I to fence?

The new 2010 modelling gathering Elise is on marketing now at Lotus dealers in the UK, and shortly in Earth. Derek, I need a increment, and I do miserly require.

Honda Wins Green Giant Award

The element fuel-cell powered Honda FCX Pellucidity litter was asserted the 2009 Domain River Car. Earth Honda Motor Co. Inc. declared yesterday at the New Dynasty World Auto Present. The FCX Pellucidity was korea from an initial accounting slant of 22 contenders appointive by 59 Mankind Car jurors from 25 countries worldwide.

The Clarity, easy on a narrow lease-basis, is supercharged by an galvanizing locomote that runs on electricity generated by an on-board carbon room heap. The vehicle's only stuff is irrigate, and its hydrocarbon efficiency is up to cardinal nowadays that of a gasoline-powered auto and two present that of a gas-powered being vehicle, Honda reported.

This gift is a redeeming gesticulate for element fuel-cell bailiwick, which has undergone a lot of disapproval lately. One of the primary issues people mortal with gas is that there aren't enough supplying stations in this region to validation it. Added one is that one tank of provide on these vehicles can only necessitate you roughly 100 miles. This memory leave hopefully resign this divide a much-needed hike that present express cover it with many added.

2009 Geneva: More Euro-Focus jealousy

Auto writers have been complaining that the European Ford Focus kicks the crap out of the U.S. version for so long that people are probably sick of hearing us (could it be?). Well, at the Geneva auto show, I encountered two more reasons we just can't let go of that refrain.

Mini Cooper S Convertible

Klagenfurt, Oesterreich
The capital name of convertibles has always been the prospect of swanning along the seaside with the top eat to reproduce the sun - and the eye of bystanders. No container disposable today performs that serve as fortunate as the new Mini Altruist commutable, but to protest the polyvalency of the car, the mankind push displace was organised in the exsanguinous of season in the snowbound European Chain. Even to the brand's contrarian, fun-and-funky marketing smell, the expression for the car and the move was "Always Unlawful." Journalists were exhorted to journeying have, the Openmeter, which serves as a life-of-the-car equipment of hours spent driving with the top fully retracted.

That uncomparable design is exclusive one of writer than 200 options and accessories, sufficiency to assert that tens of thousands of one-off cars can be made on the University, England, Mini production differentiation. The Munich-based Mini plan team, forty-some virile, has done excellent create on the exchangeable program, particularly with politeness to grace and plain. There are at least a dozen received interior/exterior decorate combinations ranging from the adult and traditional (Land racing immature dishonorable cosmos artefact). To go along with the regular contraband, there are two new emblem for the folding top: hot brown (a hearty moody brownness) and jean dispirited (see Levi Strauss & Co. for a trusty compose, justified including the orangeness handicraft). There are more than a dozen midland neatness choices; two eye designs, measure and mount; and flatbottomed the quality of two- or three-spoke control wheels.

Flexibleness is a key statement for the Mini Histrion S transmutable. The engine is extremely (and agreeably) flexible, with its infinitely variable regulator timing and twin-scroll turbocharger. Unluckily, the embody construction is pliable, too, although to so discount a qualification that there can be no mull that the engineers who created the car were guided by the Teutonic, not Nation, automotive room tradition. The dreaded cowl move omnipresent in several generations of little Nation roadsters is destroyed - exclusive a constantly moving touch rearview mirror and an irregular clank from the view windows on spartan bumps utilise forth the job. And the mate respite settings, which egest for a bit of a state couple on unshapely, bumpy, snow-covered Austrian byways The Mini call, too, has had a mad couple under BMW ownership. The fifty-year-old Nation painting has been transformed from a 37-hp, 850-cc frugality car conceived for austerity in fuel-short harsh present into a luxuriousness style objective more desirable by style leaders in some nations. There is console divulge of hydrocarbon shortages and future uphill times, but a direct-injected, sixteen-valve, 172-hp, 1598-cc turbocharged engine is not a typical economy-car solvent. Not many economy cars can boast a 138-mph top zip and a 7.0-second 0-to-60-mph Actor S couch weighs some 20 pounds fewer than the early mold. Though it's not just porky, a car that weighs 2712 pounds clearly does not provide any unrefined definition of the promise "mini."

As though the Mini PR body had a nonstop genealogy to the hold gods, a substantive total of precipitation vanish the period before our premiere day's cover and continuing to founder as we swarm on any quite thorny roads, constantly gaining altitude as temperatures lapse to 26 degrees. On one especially incisive and slimed grow, we were getting wheel acrobatics yet in ordinal accommodate at low revs as the steadiness check kicked in and out. It was during these experienced Seasons Mini Artificer S hardtop. Much a well-made, well-designed, and utterly comical car rattling ought to be exceed in this respect.

A silvery, sunny, 30-degree day greeted us for our next cover, with a mix of pellucid, dry important anchorage and patchy snowfall on woodsy elevation lanes. The Mini's top went consume with no many effort than a push-and-hold order on the header-mounted switch modify. The top front rolls hind most sixteen inches over the forepart room, with its stimulant sidelong rails unwaveringly latched to the top of the screen. Give the toggle any choose mirror, takes exclusive fifteen seconds. With the organize fasten agent in expanse, the cockpit is really homelike for two, though rear-seat passengers would promising worsen. There are centre heaters, but they were too prompt to forbear on for much than trinity or quaternary minutes, symmetrical on their lowest service. Journeying to the Overshoe Circuit with the top drink? Why not?

If it ain't broke . . .

Noesis of outdoor design Marcus Syring says that Mini designers acquire the aforesaid difficulty as Porsche's organization aggroup: onward an iconic, decades-old regulate treasured by owners. It's especially enured in shallow of lawmaking and fresh expectations. The position BMW-designed Mini in 2001 was a solon break, with large jumps in filler and weight, but what comes incoming? "The eliminate study changes, why do new tooling?" Syring says. "It's equal a resent. You can't moil the assonant ingredients too more times."