The ultimate Golf gets 270 hp and may be called the R20.
BY JENS MEINERS
It’s no secret that we love the Volkswagen GTI—it’s a three-time reigning recipient of a 10Best Cars award, after all. But even the 210 hp of the upcoming sixth-generation 2010 replacement model leave the GTI at a distinct power disadvantage in its [...]
Five-door reinforcements are coming for the Lancer and Lancer Ralliart.
BY JARED GALL
America is still not a hatchback-friendly place, but rising fuel costs and a plunging economy have several automakers hoping that tighter pocketbooks will have U.S. customers looking at smaller, more efficient ways to get the SUV/crossover feel. In the summer of 2008, when we [...]
The weather was cold as ice—but we were willing to sacrifice.
BY ERIK JOHNSON
Top-down in a Mini convertible in negative-degree temperatures? It was probably the dumbest decision we’ve made since we decided to buy a 30-year-old school bus from a drunk guy with no bathroom. OK, so we had the Mini’s windows up, the nuclear-grade seat [...]
The new GTI stays slavishly close to the concept car.
BY JENS MEINERS
VW wants to hype the smallish Polo at the Geneva auto show this March, but we don’t really care. The significant news for us is the next-generation GTI, of which production-version pictures have now been leaked courtesy of worldcarfans.com.
The GTI was previewed with a [...]
New mid-size sedan, wagon taking cues from the latest 7-series.
BY MIKE SUTTON
Caught in wagon form wrapped in plastic camo, spy images of BMW’s new 5-series show the mid-sizer is taking shape with a broader snout and a larger twin-kidney grille similar to that of the new 2009 7-series. A rounded tail also alludes to [...]
The racing shop readies a supercar just in time for a worldwide economic rebound—that’s coming, right?
BY JARED GALL
With the final run of 75 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens being produced now—in topless speedster form, no less—the McLaren shop will have some build space to fill soon, and this is the car that will occupy it. Initial reports [...]
In which we verify the truth of an old song: You always hurt the one you love.
BY TONY SWAN
If you accept the idea that cars can suffer a midlife crisis, then we think you’ll agree that the one experienced by our long-term Audi S8 test car was pretty severe.
Here’s the story: With 23,288 miles on [...]
Hatches and family sedans alike throw down the pink slips.
Stepping into the ,000 to ,000 range opens up the world of performance variants. Interested in the Mazda 3 or Chevrolet Cobalt but want a little more oomph? Mazda and Chevy both have factory-boxed solutions that provide factory-tuned performanceand a full warranty. Even if a [...]
Add 195 turbocharged horses to a Challenger SRT8, then notify Houston control.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS
Just as the Dodge Viper brand is about to be quietly euthanized or sold to a den of Cub Scouts, along comes the far less expensive but equally tweakable Challenger—a tuner’s dream come true. Not surprisingly, major Mopar power hogs are now [...]
The low-volume roadster has run its course as Cadillac’s image booster.
BY MIKE SUTTON
The Cadillac XLR is the latest victim of the tough times plaguing General Motors, which confirms that 2009 will be the last year of production for the low-volume roadster. Although dealers are still taking final orders, the automaker’s Bowling Green, Kentucky, plant [...]