The 2013 Ford Focus ST is one of the best American hot hatches on the market today.
Unlike many economy cars that are boosted, turbo-charged and lowered to look fast…the 2013 Focus ST is genuinely fast and trackable.
In other words. it is a comfortable on the track, as it is not the road.
That’s because Ford has done their homework and tuned and turned the 2013 Focus ST into a proper sports car.
In another fun and informative TFLcar drive and review, Nathan takes the fastest focus from 0-60 to find out just how fast it really is at a mile above sea level.
BTW: You can also watch a racetrack review of the new Ford Focus ST HERE.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 4Matic was announced today in all of its glory. This new Mercedes flagship (at least until the S65 comes out) has a long name, but it surely deserves it and has the numbers to back it up. This luxury liner has private jet level of craftsmanship and every comfort feature imaginable. It has interior smell control, heated arm rests, full LCD gauge cluster, and the list goes on and on. As you can imagine, this is a not a light weight vehicle. We are talking nearly 5,000 lbs of high tech goodness on wheels.
Naturally, the folks at Diamler wanted the new S63 to have the performance numbers to be worthy of the flagship. They bestowed it with the 5.5-liter BiTurbo V8 capable of 577 horses and 664 lb-ft of torque. When you have this much power and twist at you disposal – the rear wheels will struggle. So, why not add all wheel drive. Hence, the “4Matic” designation on the 2014 S63 AMG. The result is staggering. Mercedes claims 3.9 second 0-60 MPH run and electronically limited 186 MPH top end. This is faster acceleration than many current sports cars. Clearly, the 4Matic all wheel drive is helping.
Coincidentally, the 3.9 second acceleration is exactly the same as the 2013 Audi S8 Quattro. The Audi’s smaller 4.0-liter V8 has a lower 520 horsepower rating (on paper). However, we all know that Audi is sand bagging. This would be a great drag race!
Roman and Nathan enjoyed the SL63 AMG way too much as you can see in this video:
And here is Nathan being pinned back in the seat as he launches the 2013 Audi S8:
Andre Smirnov
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFLcar since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.
The Honda Factory Performance package is here baby, and it’s going to beef up what is an already swift coupe. The Honda Accord coupe is the best handling Honda product next to the Acura TL manual with SHAWD. Yes, when the new Acura NSX gets here, we’ll have something truly brag-worthy to roll in. For now, the Honda Factory Performance (HFP) package for the Honda Accord Coupe V6 dials up the heat.
“The new Accord Coupe V6 is already a natural on twisty roads, but the HFP package really takes it to a new level,” said Lee Niffenegger, program senior engineer at Honda Performance Development. “With a lowered ride height, sport suspension and more performance-oriented tires, the HFP kit definitely provides more controlled body motions and enhanced stability.”
So, this Honda Factory Performance package is a trim, option and suspension package. I’m on the fence regarding the looks. Some people find the regular Honda Accord Coupe attractive; however, a vast majority of people seem to more enamored with its performance. Count me as one of those people.
“The HFP package features 19-inch HFP alloy wheels; a decklid spoiler; HFP sport suspension (lowers height by 15mm and enhances handling); HFP front, side and rear underbody spoilers; red interior illumination; HFP floor mats and HFP badges for each side and the trunk. The HFP package, like all Honda Genuine Accessories, carries a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and is engineered to be fully compatible with the vehicle. Enhancing its exclusive appeal, only 500 examples of this limited-edition HFP package will be sold for the 2013 Accord Coupe V6. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the package, not including installation, is $4,620.” Honda of America Media
Good news: Honda has just released the limited-edition Honda Factory Performance® (HFP®) package for the Honda Accord Coupe V6. It’s available for purchased and it can help with the (already good) handling.
Speaking of the Honda Accord, we finally got a hold of one and challenged one version against another!
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.
The Nissan Leaf is selling so well that dealerships in some areas can’t get enough of them to satisfy local consumer demand. This is a big change from where the Nissan Leaf was just a year ago when low sales were making it a problem for Nissan.
Now, the car is selling so well that they’re running short on inventory and likely will continue to be short right through the summer. They are ramping up production of the Nissan Leaf at their plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, but expect that it will take until Fall for production to catch up with demand.
Just how much better is the Nissan Leaf selling than it was this time last year? It’s currently topping 2,000 units a month which is quadruple the volume from a year ago.
Part of the challenge in meeting demand is that the geography of the electric vehicle market is changing. The West coast once dominated the market with about 37% of all Nissan Leaf sales coming from California alone. West coast cities like San Francisco and Seattle added to the region’s market domination.
Now, California accounts for just 27% of all Nissan Leaf sales. That’s still a big chunk, but at 10% less than last year is a significant drop. It’s not that sales are down overall, but that they’ve gone up in places as diverse as Dallas, Atlanta, and even Chicago. The Atlanta area now ranks at #3 in the market for the Nissan Leaf, but had only a nine-day supply of the vehicles back in June.
The increase in sales of the Nissan Leaf is in large part due to a $6,000 price cut that took effect in January and brought the vehicle’s sticker down to about $28,000. Tax credits could knock as much as another $10,000 off that price making it down right affordable.
Nissan also has plans to expand the charging infrastructure in the US which should help remove one of the big obstacles for those thinking of purchasing electric cars and help sales volume continue to grow.
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
The Datsun GO is here! Well, not here as in the USA, but at least its back. Here’s Nissan’s third brand Datsun as it reenters the spotlight in Delhi, India. This cutesy little runabout is called the Datsun GO. The all-new Datsun GO will be on sale in India in early 2014.
Powered by a 1.2-liter engine connected to a five-speed manual transmission, the Datsun GO is meant to be an extremely frugal, inexpensive vehicle of good quality. I think the 1.2-liter engine is similar to the one used in the Nissan Micra. There is no official word on horsepower, but I know that the Nissan Micra produces between 64 and 78 hp in normal trim, so I would assume similar for the Datsun GO. It will be locally produced and will cost under INR 400,000 (under $6,700). India, Russia, South Africa and Indonesia will get the Datsun GO in 2014.
“This is an historic day for Nissan Motor Company and for our customers and partners in some of the world’s fastest-growing markets. It’s also an exciting moment for many women and men here in India who – today – come one step closer to realizing the dream of purchasing a car,” said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor President and CEO, when unveiling the
car. – – Nissan/Datsun Media
Considering the price and potential of a sharp, little runabout like the Datsun GO, it’s a shame that there are no plans to market it to the United States. I mean, how cool would it be if we could buy a small car for less than $8,000 here? Datsun isn’t saying too much about the five-door hatchback, but they did provide metric dimensions.
“With comparatively compact body dimensions (width – 1635mm; height – 1485mm; length– 3785mm), the car is spacious inside thanks to a wide stance and large wheelbase (2450mm), and offers ample headroom and an expanded front seating configuration. It will be a reliable partner for families, providing comfort to five occupants and agility in congested traffic.
For those customers never wanting to part with their favorite music and pictures Datsun GO will offer a very practical solution – Mobile Docking Station to connect with their smartphones.” – – Nissan/Datsun Media
For a spiritual successor to Datsun’s 280Z, check out this Hyundai Genesis Coupe 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.
The cool cars, motorcycles & truck of the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Victory Parade
The 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is in the records but we have one last video for all the fans of the second oldest race in the United States.
Here’s a video that features all of the cool cars, motorcycles & semi truck of this year’s race in a victory parade down the mountain.
Of course Sebatien Loeb smashed the record this year and that’s why he gets to drive down the mountain first.
But the race features all sorts of brave drivers behind the wheel of crazy cool and race cars, motorcycles and even a semi truck.
You can watch them all in the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Victory Parade.
