The annual SEMA Show is the one time of year when you can see outrageous builds, auto industry celebs, the newest parts and accessories, and more all under one very large roof. This year, Nissan tasked the hosts of your favorite Motor Trend Channel shows with finding the best SEMA had to offer. In the first episode of 2015 SEMA Week, Mike Finnegan and friends compete in four very different Datsun Z cars for ultimate bragging rights.
Finnegan starts by roaming the halls and parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Along the way, he finds an art car built for the Burning Man festival, a super-efficient fuel pump, and a Ford Econoline powered by four blown Hemi V-8s. After getting his fill at the show, Finnegan is joined by fellow hosts Jessi Lang, Fred Williams, and Mike Sabounchi at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a game of automotive H.O.R.S.E.
The hosts are each given a modified Datsun 240Z, which they must pilot through a series of challenges. Each penalty results in a letter (or number, in this case), and the first host to spell “240” loses. The challenges include a reverse burnout contest, drift parallel parking, and an autocross against a nitro-fueled, remote-controlled car. Which host comes out on top? Check out the video below to find out and keep watching 2015 SEMA Week to see a four-way drag race between the hosts.
Thanks to the emissions scandal, Volkswagen’s future existence has been called into question as the company has had to set aside large amounts of cash to deal with the various recalls and fines. With sales numbers dropping, the automaker needed to find a way to tighten its belt.
The automaker identified a way to save around $2 billion, which will cut trim levels and variants in its lineup. “We from the works council have long flagged the huge range of model variants and different components. That brings enormous complexity and adds to costs, for example, for logistics. We can take out costs there on a large scale and don’t have to talk about job cuts,” said labor representative Bernd Osterloh in a briefing with journalists in Wolfsburg, Germany, last week.
So far, the emissions scandal has cost Volkswagen just over $9 billion. While the $2 billion that it will save by cutting trim levels will help, the automaker will also cut investments by $1.05 billion a year. VW Group is also scaling back its sports car racing programs to save money, with both Audi and Porsche running one less car in the WEC series. The scandal is currently being battled on three fronts now, with the nearly 85,000 3.0-liter diesel models in the U.S., 800,000 vehicles in Europe with irregular CO2 ratings, and the nearly 11 million vehicles globally that feature a 1.2-, 1.6-, and 2.0-liter diesel engine.
The upcoming Bugatti Chiron hypercar should have a menacing mug to go along with its menacing amounts of power. A photo of a Chiron prototype recently surfaced on the heels of Bugatti’s announcement that the Veyron’s successor will officially be named Chiron.
The lone photo reveals plenty about the Chiron’s looks. No one will mistake it for anything other than a Bugatti and it appears to be more of an evolution of the Veyron with tighter lines, a more aggressive front fascia, and super wide haunches. While not as wild as the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept, the Chiron will still look like a proper hypercar and should turn plenty of heads.
Speculation suggests that the Chiron will feature an updated version of the Veyron’s 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W-16. The engine will feature direct injection along with electric turbochargers for near instantaneous boost. Completing the drivetrain will be a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and all-wheel drive. Total output is rumored to be around 1,500 hp, which is 300 more horses than the Veyron. Top speed is expected to reach an insane 288 mph.
The price tag will undoubtedly top a million bucks, but that hasn’t stopped 100 customers from placing orders for the new hypercar. Bugatti says the Chiron will make its official debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, though the car probably won’t roll off the production line until 2017.
With its tall roofline, sliding doors and huge cargo area, Ram's new ProMaster City Wagon excelled at safely carrying editor Jen Burklow's golden retriever Tyler using the Gunner Kennels dog crate. Watch the video for more.
Automakers who want their vehicles to earn the coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards will have to start making smart headlights a priority, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is adding a standalone test for headlights to its existing battery of safety evaluations.
Next year, the IIHS will add a rating program for headlights. Adaptive headlights use cameras, sensors, and motors to help direct the headlight beams toward corners or dips in the road. The technology has been employed by some manufacturers like Porsche, Audi, Hyundai, and others, but IIHS hopes the feature will enter the mainstream.
“We’ve studied all of these different innovations to the extent we’re able, and the strongest signal we get back from the data is that the steerable headlights are associated with the largest reductions of crashes reported to insurers,” IIHS chief research officer David Zuby told Automotive News in an interview.
Those findings led IIHS to take a closer look at the technology with a standalone test. While adaptive headlights have the ability to adjust to the road ahead, other innovations include the ability to dim automatically when an oncoming vehicle is sensed. Zuby went on to say, “It makes sense that if drivers can see better at night, they’ll be involved in fewer crashes at night.”
If all goes well with the new test, a good headlight score could be a requirement for TSP+ consideration as early as 2017.
The Volkswagen Group is pinching pennies to deal with its diesel emissions scandal, and the financial cutbacks are affecting the entire company, including its motorsports division. Audi recently unveiled the newest version of its R18 e-tron Quattro race car, but also announced that it, along with sister company Porsche, will have fewer entrants for the upcoming 2016 World Endurance Championship season.
“In the interest of maximum cost efficiency, Audi and its Group sister brand Porsche, have both agreed to each compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the WEC season’s pinnacle event, with only two instead of the most recent three cars,” Audi said in a statement.
That said, the updated R18 e-tron Quattro LMP1 racer moves up from the four-megajoule to the six-megajoule hybrid sub-class, according to a report by Autocar. Contributing to the move is the R18’s new energy storage system featuring a front-axle, lithium-ion battery system, which replaces the flywheel setup used in previous cars. A six-cylinder TDI diesel engine remains. Audi has yet to release figures on the revised powertrain. Visually, the new R18 features redesigned, L-shaped headlights, along with a red-accented black paint job.
Porsche will unveil its race car at a later date. Autocar reports that one Audi car will be piloted by Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer, and Marcel Fassler, while the other will have a team consisting of Loic Duval, Lucas de Grassi, and Oliver Jarvis. Audi drivers from last year’s number-three team (Filipe Albuquerque, Marco Bonanomi, and Rene Rast) remain on the team as works drivers.
Meanwhile, Porsche’s teams will include Mark Webber, Brendon Hartly, and Timo Bernhard in one car, and Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, and Marc Lieb in another car. The Porsche team that won it all in last year’s Le Mans race (Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, and Nico Hulkenberg) look unlikely to return.
Rumors about the successor to the mighty Bugatti Veyron have persisted, and now at least one of them has proven to be true. Bugatti confirmed today that its next hyper car will be named Chiron, after Bugatti works driver and successful racer Louis Chiron.
“We want to make the best significantly better,” said Bugatti president Wolfgang Dürheimer, in a release. “The Chiron will set new standards in every respect. We will continue to produce the world’s most powerful, fastest, most luxurious, and most exclusive production super sports car.”
That’s a tall order considering the Veyron produced as much as 1,200 hp and had a top speed in excess of 250 mph. But the Chiron is expected to use a version of the Veyron’s heavy-hitting 8.0-liter quad-turbo W-16 engine aided by electric turbochargers and direct injection. The improvements are said to boost output to a staggering 1,500 hp. The engine is likely to be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and power will be routed to all four wheels through a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system. As for how the new hypercar will look, you can get an idea by studying the Vision Gran Turismo concept that debuted earlier this year in Frankfurt. According to our sources, once you strip away the concept’s ground effects and central fin you have the production Chiron.
Bugatti says it has already received more than 100 orders for the Chiron, which will make its debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The car is undergoing final testing, with prototypes currently conducting on-road trials. Stay tuned for more on Bugatti’s upcoming hypercar.
At the end of its tenure in the Motor Trend garage, our long-term 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4×4 had traveled just over 32,000 miles. During that time the turbodiesel half-ton pickup was popular among the staff. It served several roles, including making daily commutes to the office and extended road trips, and acted as a support vehicle for various comparisons, a moving truck for employees and friends, a transporter for recreational vehicles, and a car hauler.
On more than one occasion, our Ram 1500 EcoDiesel was used to haul scooters and motorcycles, and it also towed a go-kart trailer, but its most challenging job may have been when I bought a project car: a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham. Based on GM’s G-body chassis, the 1980s-era midsize coupe measures 200 inches stem to stern—about as long as a current full-size Dodge Charger. (The body-on-frame Cutlass Supreme coupe’s approximate 3,600-pound curb weight does make it significantly lighter than a Charger sedan.)
With the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 (rated 240 hp, 420 lb-ft), eight-speed automatic, and 3.92 rear-end gear ratio, our four-wheel-drive Ram with 5-foot-7-inch bed has a max tow rating of 8,650 pounds, well under the weight of the classic Oldsmobile and the tandem axle trailer. My new car was located in Lancaster, California, approximately 100 miles from my home in Los Angeles. First I stopped in Inglewood to pick up the appropriate car hauler. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s optional air suspension made hooking the trailer up to the hitch easy. With the air suspension set at the lowest height, we were able to position the hitch ball directly under the trailer tongue before raising it straight up for an simple connection. After the trailer was safely installed, I took the unladen trailer up to Lancaster. With the car loaded onto the trailer, I began the return trip back to Los Angeles.
As we pulled out with the Cutlass in tow, there was a moment of hesitation when I was aware of the mass of the car and trailer. It’s a lot like the turbo lag I experienced when accelerating below half throttle. But once we were moving, the torque from the EcoDiesel effortlessly pulled the Cutty without drama. The Ram rode smoothly and felt planted as we got up to 55 mph.
Early on in our time with the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the half-ton pickup suffered a few mechanical issues, first a faulty air-conditioning compressor clutch relay, then an erratic oil pressure sensor, and later an issue with catalytic converter. The clutch relay was stuck in the run position, causing two issues: It wouldn’t allow the compressor to cycle on and off, which made the evaporator ice over, reducing the effectiveness of the air-conditioning system, and the compressor was held in the run position, even with the engine off, draining the battery if parked for the weekend.
Additionally, the oil pressure light turned on when driving on steep inclines. After a manual check of the oil level and oil pressure tested within parameters, Chrysler advised the dealer to replace the oil pressure sensor. The issue didn’t return. Around 15,000 miles, the check engine light came on due to an issue with a NOx sensor being “below threshold.” The dealer replaced a catalytic converter.
The Ram required $775.04 in maintenance, which included four DEF refills (8 gallons every 7,500 miles) three oil changes (including 11 quarts of synthetic oil every 10,000 miles), one fuel filter, a rear differential service, and tire rotations. The EcoDiesel returned a 23.2 mpg average. In comparison, our Hemi-powered 2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4×4 required $120.94 in maintenance costs, which included two oil changes and tire rotations over 14 months and 32,170 miles. The Ram Hemi averaged 15.6 mpg. Our 2012 Ford F-150 Lariat 4×4 EcoBoost cost $208.35 in maintenance costs over 28,000 miles. Those costs include three oil changes, tire rotations, and an engine air filter. The F-150 EcoBoost achieved 14.4 mpg overall.
The EcoDiesel engine achieves significantly better fuel economy than the Hemi engine without giving up much of its towing capability. And yes, DEF fluid and diesel engine maintenance is pricey, but using October 2015’s national average pricing for regular unleaded ($2.32) and diesel ($2.49), our EcoDiesel would still have cost $670 less than our Hemi to fuel and maintain for 32,000 miles. On November 23, the national average price for regular unleaded was $2.09, compared to the average price of diesel of $2.45.
Because of its practicality and functionality, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4×4 might have been the most borrowed vehicle in the Motor Trend garage. It proved popular for work-related tasks and personal use by many staff members. It traveled to the Rocky Mountains five times, up to the Reno/Lake Tahoe area at least once, and over to Kingman, Arizona. It also spent several days in the Mojave Desert and another day in Indio in nearly 120-degree temps as a support vehicle. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel easily tackled any job we threw at it.
More on our long-term Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4×4 here:
Air suspension ($1,695), 20-in black alloy wheels ($1,400), RamBox ($1,295), side steps ($600), Rear Camera and Park Assist Group ($595), Uconnect 8.4-in touchscreen with navigation ($500), spray-in bedliner ($475), Comfort Group ($395: heated front seats and steering wheel), 9-speaker sound system ($300), trailer-brake controller ($230), 3.92:1 axle ratio ($50)
In a burgeoning class of tall hatchback cars masquerading as small SUVs, the Mazda CX-3 is ... a hatchback — a sharp-looking, nimble one, with a quality interior and high gas mileage, but hardly an SUV.
When you think of SUVs, chances are you think of big, floaty truck-based behemoths, something that seats up to eight people and can tow a boat up a mountain or traverse the wilds of your local mall parking deck with a full brood of offspring aboard. That classic idea got a remake after the gas-price shocks of the last recession, when automakers turned their front-wheel-drive midsize cars into high-riding hatchbacks and called them crossovers.
There's a new crop of SUVs in town, however, and they've seemingly appeared overnight: the subcompact SUV, a tiny little thing, based on front-wheel-drive subcompact-car platforms. They can't tow boats. They can't carry a big family to the mall. None can seat more than five people, and some can barely fit more than two. They do get decent fuel economy; they don't require a second mortgage to purchase, and they fit in spots that their bigger brethren couldn't. And one or two of them can still climb that mountain.
What should you expect from this category? You'll get a four-cylinder-powered front-wheel-drive model, oftentimes with a fairly advanced turbocharged engine, but always making less than 200 horsepower. These definitely aren't the beasts that midsize and full-size SUVs are, and you can feel that when you press the accelerator. The tradeoff is considerably better mpg. All-wheel drive is typically available, with one or two models like the Jeep Renegade offering a more sophisticated 4x4 system that actually can climb trails and ford streams. Manual transmissions can be had in some models, but six- to nine-speed automatic transmissions or continuously variable automatic transmissions are the norm.
Inside, you'll find seat belts for five passengers, but typically only adequate room for four, and in some cases that's stretching it, with cramped backseats in models like the Mazda CX-3 and Nissan Juke. And despite the category being labeled as SUVs, only some of them offer the higher seating position one expects with such vehicles; several make you sit low in the vehicle, and have low roofs as well, making them more subcompact wagons than actual SUVs. Cargo room is similarly compromised, with some models offering decent space and some focusing instead on passenger room, coming up short on luggage capacity.
As for amenities, the trend toward putting high-tech equipment and comfort amenities in the low-end models continues into this category. You can get navigation, premium audio systems, leather interiors and advanced safety systems such as blind spot warning, parking sensors, and even automatic cruise control and autonomous braking. Nearly all the amenities can be found on these diminutive truck-lets that can be had on the bigger SUVs.
While the amenities are similar, subcompact SUVs are a shadow of the traditional SUV, and you should understand what you get, and what you lose, before you choose.
Good news: Fuel-economy leaders in the subcompact SUV class are knocking on the door of a combined 30 mpg with all-wheel drive; four of the seven SUVs tested are EPA-rated an identical 29 mpg combined, with a fifth rated 28 mpg combined. Despite those similar combined ratings, there was an appreciable spread among the competitors in our mileage test, and the leader took the top spot decisively.
Our models with all-wheel drive included the Honda HR-V, Nissan Juke, Subaru XV Crosstrek, Mazda CX-3 and Jeep Renegade; the Fiat 500X and Chevrolet Trax both had front-wheel drive (remember: a requirement for this Challenge was that they have all-wheel drive available, not necessarily present). We drove these small SUVs more than 200 miles in and around the Denver area, through Colorado's mountains and surrounding highways, encountering an altitude difference of 3,600 feet from the lowest point (4,401 feet) to highest point (8,007 feet), according to Racelogic VBOX GPS data. Speeds averaged a brisk 55 mph overall, though the winding mountain roads saw a much slower 40 mph average.
The wide range of engine, transmission and drivetrain technology in these small SUVs makes them drive very differently from each other; a welcome surprise for an economical-type segment where they can often all drive, and look, alike. Under-the-hood technology featured turbocharged engines, nine-speed automatic transmissions, continuously variable automatic transmissions, selectable all-wheel-drive systems and various sporty or economical driving modes.
Cars.com illustration by Paul Dolan; Map data: Google, Image Landsat
The Juke's selectable all-wheel-drive system went through our mileage drive in two-wheel-drive mode, while the Jeep was driven in its automatic all-wheel-drive setting; the other all-wheel-drive systems aren't configurable. EPA testing of cars with various driving and economy modes varies depending whether the vehicle defaults to a certain driving mode, so we played it even across the board and drove all the SUVs in their default driving mode, or Normal, where applicable. Editors were thankful for that when it came to some contenders, such as the Honda HR-V; it was already struggling in the mile-high altitudes when it was in its most responsive Sport mode, and it would likely have been even more of a slug with the Econ button pressed.
The sluggish HR-V was also the most efficient of our contenders by a long shot, hitting 35.3 mpg easily, and beating the next-best Juke's 33.9 mpg and XV Crosstrek's 33.4 mpg. Our fuel-economy results came from averaging our own fill-up calculations with each SUV's trip-computer readings.
The top three vary greatly in engine type with the HR-V using a 141-horsepower, 1.8-liter inline-four-cylinder; the XV Crosstrek using a 148-hp, 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder; and the Juke using a 188-hp, turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder. It's interesting that the most efficient contenders, despite similar EPA ratings, both have CVTs. Bemoaned by many editors and the family for odd driving characteristics, the SUVs with CVTs sure delivered on their promise of improved fuel economy.
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