Belgian tuning company Caractere adds the Audi Q5 to their list of modified vehicles. The new kit is more subtle and less aggressive than the Abt Sportsline Q5, which is good for people who want to change the appearance of their Q5 without being too flashy about it.
After a couple years, it’s easy to get bored with a car you drive every day, especially if it’s not a particularly exciting car in the first place. Take the Audi Q7 for example. It’s not a bad vehicle in any way, but just like every other SUV on the road, it’s a bit…mundane. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new car every couple of years though. Bored with your Q7? Hand it over to ABT for an energizing facelift and overall upgrade.
In keeping up with modern marketing methods, Honda innocently set up a Facebook page for the new Accord Crosstour, which promised to be a “sophisticated refinement of a premium sedan with versatile aspects from an SUV.” When the first pictures of the Crosstour went live, Honda received an unintended backlash from Facebook users as they ripped apart the Accord Crosstour’s styling...
In Hyundai’s next step to rid themselves of their boring image, they’ve unveiled a completely redone Tucson crossover SUV for 2010 at the LA Auto Show. The new Tucson CUV was designed entirely at Hyundai’s European design center in Frankfurt, and it shows. The new Tucson has more interior room, better tech and fuel economy, and a more aggressive design following Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design trend.
When Infiniti dropped off the EX35 last week, I didn’t really know what to think. The first few times I drove it, I didn’t like it. Something about it was just…off. The transmission didn’t feel right, steering was weird, and it felt too small for its purpose. But after a few days, it hit me. This thing is brilliant!
Looks like Kia’s been busy over the past year. At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Kia unveiled a total of five new models, along with their new “EcoDynamics” sub-brand. Most of the new stuff will only be available in Europe, at least initially. Let’s take a look at what they’re offering…
“Hey did I already write about this?” I literally said that out loud to myself when this landed in my inbox yesterday. Nope, I was thinking of Audi’s Q7, this is Audi’s brand new, smaller Q3. Strong family resemblance though, huh? And you don’t have to have a degree in product planning to see who the Q3 is aimed at: would-be buyers of BMW’s smaller X3 sport-ute. The question becomes, does Audi have what it takes to beat BMW?
The Nissan Murano crossover, first released in 2003, was a big hit for Nissan. Practical looks, a great powertrain, and a high level of utility made it a winner that competes with the Ford Edge, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Chevy Traverse. In 2007 as sales started to decline, Nissan pulled the Murano off the lots for 2008 and began working on an updated model for 2009 without straying too far from the winning Murano formula. We drive the redesigned 20098 Nissan Murano. How is it?
The base model comes equipped with a decent 3.6-liter V6 VVT engine, capable of delivering some 270 hp and 248 lb-ft (336 Nm) of peak torque. The Saturn Outlook SE delivers 18/26 city/highway mileage measured by the EPA. The same model with an all-wheel drive is rated at 17/24 mpg.
Chevy just unveiled the all-new 2010 Equinox; their compact crossover SUV. The 2010 model is a significant upgrade from 2009, both from a design standpoint and functionality.
Audi just chose a production site for the upcoming Q3 crossover - the SEAT facility in Martorell, Spain. Manufacturing should being in 2011 with a production capability of 80,000 units/year. Audi threw around €300 million into this, and chose the site after careful consideration of other facilities internationally.
Audi is pressing forward and releasing it’s new, smaller Q5 SUV to the public. Not the road behemoth like the Q7, the Q5 is somewhat smaller, and aimed squarely at a more urban buyer (i.e. yuppies).
Let’s take a look under the hood, shall we?
It’s happened more than a few times - I’m chatting with a fellow gearhead about the latest sports cars, old muscle cars, or whatever I’m in the mood for at the time. Then, the inevitable question: “What kind of car do you drive?” I ask. “Well,” he says as he looks at his feet, “I used to have a [insert cool car here] but had to sell for a minivan when we had kids.” Ouch! This has been happening all over America for years, folks, and we have to put an end to it.
Automoblog.net does a full review on the 2009 Nissan Rogue. Does the relatively new crossover from Nissan hold up to the bigger players in the small SUV game?
After Audi chose the production facility for the new Q3 SUV, people got hard at work trying to figure out what the Q3 will actually look like. Audi described it as “A coupe-like five-door SUV with seat positions, wheel size, and ground clearance characteristic of a typical SUV.”
Ford hopes that the crossover will help the company to compensate for the slowing down sales of large SUVs, which market position has been severely damaged by record-high oil prices. Although being much smaller than a real truck, the Edge will offer significantly better mileage.
American ZAP company plans to show-off its conceptual ZAP-X crossover electric vehicle during the upcoming NADA annual meeting and exhibition, February 3 to 6, 2007.
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