The new Jaguar XE was spied testing in the Colorado mountains.
The new Jaguar XE sedan was spied testing in the Colorado mountains this week, according to photos sent in by friend of TFLcar Michael B. Jaguar’s newest sedan is the first of a new generation of cars to be launched on the company’s state-of-the-art, all new Advanced Aluminium Architecture.
Inspired by the F-Type, the Jaguar XE’s svelte body lends itself to a low 0.26 Cd drag coefficient and carbon emissions of 99g/km. Powered by a 340 HP supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, the XE will sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and achieve an electronically-limited top speed of 155 MPH.
The Jaguar XE will feature rear-wheel-drive as standard, with the capability of featuring all-wheel-drive as an option. Two new Jaguar InControl® infotainment systems will be available, as will intelligent active driver assistance technologies.
The XE will be Jaguar’s most reasonably-priced model when it launches in global markets in 2015 and in North America in 2016.
For more information on the new Jaguar XE, check out the TFLcar “everything you ever wanted to know” video from the 2015 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS 2015) below, and stay tuned to our site for the latest and greatest developments on the new baby Jag.
Just what kind of sound will those 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB tailpipes make?
The 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB has leaked – this is it. Say goodbye (eventually) to the naturally-aspirated Ferrari V8, as this beautiful prancing horse goes by way of forced induction.
As the outgoing Ferrari 458 Italia’s replacement, the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB will turn everything up quite a bit. Courtesy of its 660 HP, turbocharged V8 the GTB will hit 60 MPH in less than three seconds, on its way to 125 MPH in 8.3.
The 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB is in fact the first mid-engined, forced-induction V8 Ferrari since the sinfully simple F40. Top speed of the GTB is said to be around 205 MPH.
What is unknown is just what the 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB will sound like through its twin tailpipes. Will the high-revving shriek of the outgoing 458 be retained, or will it be a more growling, burbling, popping, hissing soundtrack?
With more and more manufacturers going to forced induction to increase both power and efficiency, this is undoubtedly the wave of the future. But will it be enough to appease those who claim themselves natural-aspiration purists?
Check out Ferrari’s teaser video below, and stay tuned to TFLcar for updates when #wordsarenotenough is officially unveiled.
For more forced-induction Ferrari imersion, check out the TFLcar Ferrari F40 “Driven and Revealed” video below:
The 2016 Ford Focus is an all-wheel-drive, turbocharged monster.
The 2016 Ford Focus RS has made its worldwide debut! Packing a 315 HP, 2.3-L turbocharged four cylinder EcoBoost engine and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive when it goes on sale in early 2016. The global reveal has been broadcast here.
The 2016 Ford Focus RS’ 2.3-L EcoBoost engine, as expected, will be shared with the 2016 Ford Mustang. Unlike the Mustang, however, the RS uses a twin-scroll turbo with a larger compressor for better airflow, as well as a larger intercooler. Standard is a genuine, three-pedal six-speed manual transmission, shuttling the EcoBoost to its 6,800 RPM redline.
Standard features for the 2016 Ford Focus RS will include 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and Recaro seating. The torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system is claimed to virtually eliminate understeer, promoting smooth, controlled oversteer drifts while maximum lateral acceleration will exceed 1g.
MSRP and precise release date have not yet been anounced, so stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates on the 2016 Ford Focus RS as they become available. We’re just excited that there will finally be a Focus RS available in the US!
In the interim, check out this epic TFLcar 0-60 mashup battle between the 2014 Ford Focus ST and the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, showcasing both cars as they battle it out on the track.
The 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT has a starting MSRP under $100,000.00.
Whoa there, Aston Martin – where did you come from? The 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT has a starting MSRP of just under $100,000.00 ($99,900.00 to be exact), standard two-tone paint schemes, and a proper six-speed manual gearbox. Affordable exclusivity? You bet.
The 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT’s standard color combinations include Alloro Green with white, Jet Black with silver, Skyfall Silver with anthracite, Mariana Blue with silver (pictured), and Speedway White with silver. Dark-finished 19-inch wheels are standard, too, as are clear tail lamps and splashes of gloss-black trim. Worth noting, while the basic paint and silver, anthracite, or white stripe are standard, the contrasting painted mirror caps, grille surround, and a-pillars are optional.
Inside, the GT features standard leather seating in black or gray, complemented by red, black, yellow, or gray accents. More gloss black trim adorns the dash and console, while matching upholstery swaths the door panels. The parking brake is set to the left of the driver’s seat, a nod to Aston Martin’s racing heritage.
Depress the 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT’s clutch pedal and slip its crystal key into the ignition slot. After a brief pause, the dry-sump 4.7-L V8 barks to life, settling to a refined burble at idle. The GT’s mill puts out 430 HP – identical to that of the $133,525.00 V8 Vantage S, and ten more than the standard V8 Vantage.
Power is soft at low revs, but does build progressively as the tachometer swings towards its 7,300-RPM horsepower peak. This power delivery, along with the six-speed-manual transmission’s short throws, allows for a precise sense of control during both hard acceleration and corner exits.
The GT’s hydraulic-assist steering is well weighted (no electricity here) and the chassis, whose suspension is tuned to reflect that of the V8 Vantage S, belies the car’s 3,600-lb curb weight. As a whole, the 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT is a capable canyon carver. Where it falls short, however, is functioning as a daily driver or true grand tourer.
The sport-tuned suspension, while a boon in the corners, feels a bit harsh across rough and uneven pavement. The GT’s well-bolstered seats are likewise supportive, but offer minimal padding.
From a utility standpoint, the Aston is purely a two-seater. Unfortunately, the Aston’s dead pedal rests too far back fostering an awkward, knees-up driving position for those with long legs. Opting for the GT’s available seven-speed single-clutch SportShift II automated manual transmission solves the footwell problem, clearing space to the left of the brake pedal. On the bright side, the 10.6-cubic-foot trunk bodes well for larger items.
Fuel economy in the GT predictably suffers, considering an overwhelming desire to hang its V8 at high RPMs to best extract its power and mellifluous exhaust note. The EPA rates the 6MT-equipped Vantage GT at 13/19/15 city/highway/combined MPG – we experienced 11.8 with a heavy right foot.
Who is really buying a 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT for fuel economy or sheer practicality, though? For less than $100,000.00, you get a genuine looker loaded with a high-revving V8, agile chassis, and the “wow” factor of having something that you’re likely not going to see in every other neighbor’s driveway. If you’re in the market for a canyon carver, the GT warrants serious consideration.
For more Aston Martin goodness, check out this tunnel blast in the even hotter V12 Vantage S Roadster:
Endurance racing is not all about outright speed; it’s also about efficiency and durability. Nissan comes back to the top P1 class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with this GT-R LM NISMO prototype. For this latest project, Nissan has combined all of the fast, high-technology letters of their performance alphabet: GT-R, NISMO, and LM (for Le Mans).
Race regulations limit the amount of energy flow, but there is plenty of room for experimentation with various drive-trains and configurations.
Nissan went way outside the box with creative thinking and came up with this front-engined, front-wheel-drive racing car. That’s right – eschewing convention, the power is sent to the front wheels. Most other LMP1 race cars are rear/mid-engined with all-wheel-drive configurations.
There is a fire-breathing 3.0L twin-turbocharged gasoline V-6 up front that produces around 550 horsepower. Interestingly, this engine is a developmental continuation of the 3.8-L twin-turbo found in the current road-going Nissan GT-R. The 3.0-L racing engine makes about the same power and is more efficient than the 3.8L production motor, according to Nissan. It’s within the realm of possibility, they said, that a version of this 3.0-L V6 will make it into the next-generation GT-R for the street.
The other part of the propulsion system is the kinetic energy recovery system (ERS). It’s able to recover energy from the front wheels and then release it later for acceleration. How it operates is a carefully guarded secret, but it’s reported to add up to 700 horsepower in bursts. This would take the GT-R LM’s total output to 1,250 horsepower on demand. There are regulations on how much electric and fuel-combustion energy the race car is allowed to expel per lap, and the Le Mans track is used as the standard. There are several categories from two megajoules to eight megajoules. The teams can choose the category that suits them best. The more megajoules of electricity you want to use, the less fuel-combustion energy you are allowed. It’s a complicated balance of efficiency and power delivery.
Nissan says it’s possible that the kinetic ERS system could also make it to the road-ready production vehicles down the line.
The GT-R LM puts its power down by way of 14-inch-wide front tires (the rears are 9 inches wide). The additional rubber up front should help, but we will have to wait until April to see how the car performs at the Silverston, UK race.
Here is a highlight reel of the new race car that Nissan calls #HeroComesHome.
Hear what one of the LM NISMO drivers – Mark Gene – has to say about the radical new Le Mans 24hour racer.
If you live in the United States, you can now configure the all-new 2016 Fiat 500X online. FiatUSA.com has added the small utility vehicle to their growing online lineup with a few packages and trims to choose from. The 500X is a small crossover built at the Melfi plant in Italy.
The base-model 2016 Fiat 500X Pop starts at $20,000 and comes with a 1.4-L MultiAir® Turbo Engine with six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive only. Unlike its platform cousin the 2015 Jeep Renegade, the 2016 Fiat 500X does not have an option that connects the 1.4-liter/six-speed manual combination to all-wheel drive (AWD). Also as standard equipment on the Pop, you get 16-inch steel wheels and a Uconnect® 3.0 System with AM/FM Radio and USB/Auxiliary Media Hub.
Additional standard features include a 3.5-Inch Personalized Driver Information Cluster Display, deep-tinted glass, Dynamic Selector™ Traction Control System with three selectable modes (Auto, Sport, Traction), chrome door handles, unique grille insert, side and rear accents.
Adding a different engine and transmission, the 2016 Fiat 500X Easy starts at $22,300 and comes with a 2.4-L Tigershark® MultiAir® Engine and nine-speed automatic transmission. The 2015 Fiat 500X Easy also comes with 17-Inch aluminum wheels, an upgraded Uconnect® 5.0 System with a 5-Inch Touchscreen, AM/FM Radio, voice command and Bluetooth®+, eco:Drive®, SiriusXM® Satellite Radio+, Bluetooth streaming audio and six speakers.
Loaded with the aforementioned features, a slight price bump allows you to get the 2016 Fiat 500X Trekking which starts at $23,100. It adds satin chrome door handles, unique grille insert, side and rear accents and “rugged looking” cloth seats.
The 2016 Fiat 500X Lounge moves the base price to $24,850 and includes chrome door handles, unique grille insert, side and rear accents, Keyless Enter ‘n Go™ with Remote Vehicle Start+ and Bi-functional Halogen projector headlamps.
Sitting at the very top of the line, the 2016 Fiat 500X Trekking Plus starts at $27,100 and includes leather-trimmed seating, satin chrome door handles, unique grille insert, wheel-arch moldings, and unique side and rear accents.
The AWD option costs $1,900 for each model (except for the FWD-only 2016 Fiat 500X Pop).
“The Fiat 500X is the next step of FIAT expansion in the North American market,” said Jason Stoicevich, Head of FIAT Brand North America, FCA US LLC. “Personalization is a big part of who we are as a brand, so we are giving our customers a chance to jump-start the process and customize a Fiat 500X that fits their own needs and personality. Also, FIAT fans can now visit a studio to reserve a vehicle and be one of the first to own the Italian-made Fiat 500X.”
Check out the TFLcar 2014 FIAT 500L Mile High 0-60 MPH Performance Drive & Review video!
Easily amused by anything with four wheels, Nathan Adlen reviews vehicles from the cheapest to the most prestigious. Wrecking yards, dealer lots, garages, racetracks, professional automotive testing and automotive journalism – Nathan has experienced a wide range of the automotive spectrum. His words, good humor and videos are enjoyed worldwide.
With Super Bowl 49 in the books, the New England Patriots are at home celebrating a whirlwind victory. While there are winners and losers on the football side, the same goes for the Super Bowl 2015 Car Commercials. While some commercials deeply resonated, sending chills up our spines, others made us laugh, while others still left us wanting for more creativity.
What were your favorite Super Bowl 2015 car commercials? Nissan’s touching “With Dad” spot? Fiat’s “blue pill?” The drifting Lexus RC? Let us know in the poll below, and scroll to the bottom afterwards for a behind-the-scenes look from Nissan and more!
Fiat’s “Blue Pill” commercial gave us a good laugh, while we also enjoyed Nissan’s “With Dad” spot, especially for its sneak peek at the 2016 Nissan Maxima. For an in-depth look at what went into making the video, Nissan has provided us with a short clip, which you can see below:
For more information on the last Nissan Maxima we tested, check out this TFLcar drag race between a 2013 Nissan Altima and a 2013 Nissan Maxima! Both six cylinders, but only one can prevail.
With Super Bowl 2015 (XLIX) upon us, a plethora of Super Bowl 2015 commercials have already begun to leak, especially those relative to cars. Manufacturers such as Kia, Toyota, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai have released their full-length Super Bowl 2015 commercials, full of good laughs and great stories.
Check out the latest and greatest car-based Super Bowl 2015 commercials below!
Kia Sorento – “The Perfect Getaway”
Watch Pierce Brosnan evade his perception of dangerous situations in the 2015 Kia Sorento.
Toyota Camry – “How Great I Am”
Watch Amy Purdy triumph to the iconic words of Muhammad Ali with special appearances by the 2015 Toyota Camry.
BMW i3 – “Newfangled Idea”
Watch Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel grapple with the BMW i3 and the newfangled “internet” in BMW’s latest big-game spot.
Nissan – “With Dad”
Watch Nissan’s first Super Bowl ad in 20 years with this emotional tribute to family, growing up, and Nascar.
Mercedes-Benz AMG-GT – “Fable”
Watch Mercedes-Benz’s take on the classic tale of two woodland creatures racing gets interesting with a guest appearance by the 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S.
Hyundai Genesis – “Welcome to the New Age”
The 2015 Hyundai Genesis takes center stage in this interestingly Canada-only Super Bowl spot.
Furious 7 – Official Trailer
It’s a post-Paul Walker world, and the gang is back for another installment of the action-packed series.
Lexus RC – “Let’s Play”
Toy or not, it sure seems like Lexus’ sporty coupe can drift.
Lexus NX – “Make Some Noise”
Lexus’ first foray into the world of forced induction pays off with a great-looking small luxury SUV.
Jeep Renegade – “Beautiful Lands”
The 2015 Jeep Renegade treads lightly, pouring its soul across trails around the world.
Fiat 500X – “The Fiat Blue Pill”
Watch the Fiat 500, uh, grow.
Dodge – “Wisdom”
Chevy Colorado – “Disruption”
Check out Chevrolet’s 4G LTE hotspot in action. Trust us, it works. Brilliantly.
Roman just bought one of the most hated modern Land Rovers to prove a point: Even this SUV doesn't suck! Or maybe it does...that's what we're going to find out in our latest project series.
The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid hatchback stakes a claim as one of the most efficient and practical cars for the money — but just how good is it on a 1,200-mile road trip?
