Honda fans know that whenever the automaker unveils a prototype of a carwell it’s gonna be pretty darn close to what you’re gonna see in productionversion in showrooms in the months or immediate years to come that appears tobe the case here with this the insight prototype which would reprise a thirdgeneration of Honda’s hybrid vehicle unlike the first two generations this isa very kind of normal-looking car it’s a sedan that Honda actually positions as apremium entry above the Civic kind of in its walk up in terms of hybrids thiswould still slot below the Accord Hybrid dimensionally very similar to the Civicin terms of styling the insight prototype has a fairly tidy rear endwithout too much going on back there in terms of just kind of adventurous cuesup front here Honda’s plunging grille here which we’ve seen in some form oranother on the Accord and the Civic it sort of fans out any of these adjacentheadlights here under the hood a very similar drivetrain we’re told to theclarity plug-in hybrid without the battery size and the hardware forplugging in that’s a 1. 5 liter atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with a twomotor hybrid system capable of driving you at low speeds on electric poweralone honda says when you throw it all together the insight will get more than50 miles per gallon in one of the epa cycles although officials did not tellus exactly which cycle honda does say this is coming out at an auto show verysoon in production form so stay tuned for moreyou
we’re here at the 2017 SEMA show where we caught up with Jonathan ward fromicon 4×4 because one of the standout vehicles to us is this reformer f250six-pack so Jonathan talked to me about the concept of what we have well I wantto build the most inefficient things I possibly can so this is part of thereformer lines you know we have the production fj’s and Broncos and thriftmasters and then once that standardized I hate to say it I like get a little bitbored and I love doing these one-offs because like constant discovery and youknow new challenges so this is a really good example of those it’s a 1965 f250crew cab and that’s factory build every one thinks that we mash it up and makeit wasn’t really factory that but they built them for like the railroads andthe military and stuff so they’re hard to find but all that remains of it isthe body shell the seat frames the door handles so the idea is with the reformerrevisit like everything I do classic design in a modern context so the ideais simply to make this a viable capable safe fast fun daily driver but likereally honor the the vintage style so it’s got the beautiful styling of a 65that will elaborate on that so like the plastic knobs it didn’t all kind ofmatch I’ll take some liberties pick my favorite one see and see it in stainlesscreate more continuity with the design then they just kind of geek out on everysingle to the tail it’s super fun so what’s under the hood so this one’srunning a five nine Cummins and then Gail banks has become a dear friend andwe’ve been working with her for years so we basically said to Gail just sendme whatever the heck you have for the five nine which you and I both know hehas kind of everything for it so it’s about probably 750 torque but totallymanageable daily driver and it just moves like a freight train and whosetransmission in fact so basically I cheatedI took a no seven Mega Cab 3,500 Dodge and built the truck upon that but it wasa client request because he doesn’t like the current generation Ford diesel buthas massive faith and experience and the Dodge so everything is dodge underneathaxles and suspension yeah I mean I did the core Fox off-road racing suspensionwe did ceramic coated stainless Gail banks exhaust upgraded the brakes andthe clutch but yes the primary architecture in fact even the referencethen the client if he needs to again we’re rolling to a Dodge dealer maybepiss them off confuse them a little bit but tell them hey it’s this all partnumber consistency can bus electronics obd2 everything is still consistent tothat VIN so we try and avoid the Johnny Cash specials you know where the clientdoesn’t know what to do where to get what and when you kind of use a wholeplatform you’re getting a lot of engineering and consistency by doingthat I know you’re all about the details so talk to me about the interior socustom leather buy more and she’ll she’s a common partner for me but I’m a majorleather geek hobbyist too so like why did the dye sample they made it for soit’s got this like funky red modded with black highlights the seat insertsI wanted to get something really durable and I like to go outside automotive soit’s actually Knoll which is like high-end architecturebut outside patio furniture so UV dry run of all that’s way better thanautomotive then like we had seat heaters we use tempur-pedic foam the steeringwheel is a vintage Ford wheel but from another app and then I hand-stitched andleather wrap did gauge shell looks stock so we kept the custom cab gauges andeven the exterior side trim they never did a custom cab crew cab butI used to own one and love them so then we Sheldon it’s all you know modern gutsbut with the vintage aesthetic hidden audio with Bluetoothyou know a/c and power windows but it looks like analog so like a little stuffman you know me I love that’s the last thing the bed itself that must havecreated some issues or problems what kind of solutions did you come up withwell when you’re doing these body swaps even with CAD control there’s thingsthat just kind of surprise you and give you new challenges so actually to getthe fitment right and the chassis balance correct because we don’t want toalter suspension or engine versus front axle center point we’ve actually cheatand raise that bed floor up so you’ll notice that when you drop the tailgateyou lost probably six inches of depth but that gave us better mechanicalengineering so we just let it have its very cool thank you for your time I knowyou’re running the show appreciate it thanks for the interest for more go topickup trucks comyou
slowly but surely Lincoln’s new horizontally framed grill is making itsway across the lineup and now it graces the updated MKC which is Lincoln’s smallSUV as you can see here it replaces what used to be kind of a split vein grill itextended all the way after the headlights there’s a little bit ofseparation and we actually think this looks a lot better headlights also havebeen redesigned Lincoln says you come around the side there’s a few otherminor changes here one is the door handles they have this little chromestrip on them now and you come around to the tail and there’s another chromestrip here just below Lincoln’s badging here right in thecenter now the MKC already drives pretty well mechanicals essentially carry overfor the new updated version here so that should continue you can find out a lotmore closer to it’s on sale date in summer of 2018you
we’re here in Raleigh Durham North Carolina to look at the new Jetta and itreally is new new technology new platform new safety features new designeach others new styling is still a grown-up look but it goes for a bit moredrama and a bit more upscale feel as a larger grille more chrome sharpersculpting standard LED headlights and daytime running lights as well asstandard LED tail lights for those who want a sporty you’re looking a JettaVolkswagen offers the our line model a mid price model that has additionalfeatures including a piano black grille its own 17-inch darkened wheels pianoblack mirror caps and around back it has its own bumper with dual chrome exhausttips inside the our line has its own grand black seats and it has greatcontrast stitching on the seats and on the steering wheelanother thing that distinguishes the new Jetta design is a sharp character linethat runs from the taillights up and through into the front fenderunfortunately it ends at a fake fender vent I think we’re over those but italso has in profile a trendier coupe-like roofline that is not soextreme that it cuts into rear seat Headroom still looks good it also isn’tso extreme that it cuts into the trunk so much that you have trouble gettingthe trunk loaded a highlight of the Jettas new interior design is adriver-focused dashboard the instruments and touchscreen wrap around you you canfeel a little bit of Gulf DNA in this the touchscreen is now an 8 inch premiumscreen 6. 5 inches is standard and that’s still bigger than the largest screen andthe old model also the screen is moved up and into your line of sight whereasin the old model it was down below by the gearshift one new feature is achoice of 10 colors of ambient lighting that reps all around you through thedashboard and the doors and if you have a favorite color for that lighting youcan have it every time you get in the car thanks to a personalization featurein the Nuge which saves up to 4 profiles includingthe lighting but also your radio presets how you like to digital instruments avariety of other features another feature that’s a first for a Jetta and afirst for Volkswagen is a premium audio system that is a beats system 7 speakersincluding a subwoofer in the trunk Volkswagen has also designed a lot morecabin storage into the new Jetta that includes large door pockets front andrear a nice device bin in the front with a soft bottom and a larger console whichincludes thoughtfully a light interior so you can actually find things in thereone odd thing for the tech-savvy new car however is that it has only two USBports one up front one in the console plus a 12-volt while the interior of thenew Jetta is a lot more pleasant place to be most of it is about the front ofthe cabin the back seat is roomy enough it has plenty of legroom and Headroomfor six-foot adults but it’s just for to the new larger console intrudes into theleg room pretty much eliminating it for the middle passenger and also there’s asignificant drop down of the materials quality when you go from the front roadto the back road the old Jenna was already among the more fun to drivecompact sedans the new one is even better thanks to the new platform arevised version of the strong little 1. 4 liter turbo carries over but now it’smated to a new 8-speed transmission with well spaced ratios and crisp shiftingsteering was nicely weighted the brakes are confident cornering was tied downthere’s nothing not to like about it I’m not saying you’ll mistake it for a golfGTI but it is definitely competitive with the best in compact sedansincluding the Honda Civic and the Mazda 3overall the 2019 Jetta redesign is a much more satisfying vehicle updatedtechnology new style still fun to drive it could take the Jetta from being aniche player in compact sedans to a true mainstream competitor for moreinformation go to cars calm
this is the 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake a wagon version of Jags midsize luxurysedan now other luxury brands like Audi andBMW have been running for the exits in this class in recent years as they’vedropped wagons from their lineups and that got us thinking what is this cardoing in America right now of all times does it offer something different thatthose now gone luxury models didn’t that might get shoppers to reconsider one ofthese over an SUV let’s find out if you hang around car enthusiasts long enoughyou soon learn that many have an affinity for wagons preferably with amanual transmission and a diesel engine or in other words the automotiveequivalent of a needle in a haystack the XF Sportbrake doesn’t offer a dieselengine but it does have something for the enthusiast driver with itssupercharged v6 engine which offers effortless acceleration unfortunatelythe engine works with an 8-speed automatic transmission that’suncooperative when you want to get the most from that v6 is power full throttlekick downs are a drawn-out affair as the transmission is in no hurry to downshift to a lower gear the XF Sportbrake stays flat and planted in corners butnumb steering feels a downer you can tell Jaguar wants this wagon toappeal to driving enthusiasts but all-in-all I don’t think there’s enoughhere for them the XF sedan starts at a little less than $50,000 but to get thesport brake body style you have to spend considerably more like around $22,000more add in optional features and it gets even more expensive the as-testedprice of this sport break s is around $85,000 that kind of pricing puts thesport brakes squarely in competition with luxury models from Audi BMW andmercedes-benz but compared with the German offerings the sport brakes cabinlooks decidedly mainstream both in its overall design and in the type ofmaterials used you only have to look as far as the delightfully luxurious cabinof the Mercedes e-class to see all that you’re missing here the XF Sportbrake ismore successful however when it comes to carrying passengers and cargo front seatcomfort is good and the side bolsters keep you firmly in place in fast cornersand the back seat is big enough to comfortably carry it out passengers -if you need more space than the 31 point 7 cubic foot cargo area offers the backseat folds flat with the cargo floor for a total of 69 point 7 cubic feet it’s auseful obstruction free space the only thing compromising its utility somewhatis the shorter opening because the cars raked roofline the SUV has replaced thewagon as America’s family vehicle but wagons still have that utilitarianfamily hauler image even though they’re now nothing like the ones of years pastthe XF Sportbrake drives the point home it’s stylish and sporty with the samelow slung stance as its sedan counterpart and has anintimidating-looking front end with gaping grilles finished in Firenze –redpaint piano black accents and black wheels it turns heads it wasn’t thatlong ago when Jaguar exclusively sold cars but the British brand has jumpedinto SUVs in recent years first with the mid-size F pace model and more recentlywith the compact e pace with the popularity of SUV soaring the move makesa lot of sense but we still don’t know what this thing is doing stateside eventhough its silhouette closely resembles the F pace it’s low ride height is thecritical difference in the thing that will prevent it from ever being morethan a niche model in the USyou
full disclosure I’ve been an auto journalist for 15 years and theVolkswagen Golf and GTI have consistently been favorites for theirblend of peppy road manners hatchback practicality and bottom lineaccessibility and it’s not just me the cars. com editors have given themplenty of awards through the years from the GTI’s 2015 cheep Speed Challengevictory to the 2018 models most fun to drive award while the Gulf hasn’tchanged much throughout the years I have I’m a mom now I have three kids and IDrive a minivan does it still hold a little piece of my heartabsolutely but more specifically is it practical enough in some way to fit intomy mom life the golf uses a turbocharged 1. 8 liter 4-cylinder that although notas spunky as the 2-liter in the GTI feels like more than enough instop-and-go driving it’s Sprint’s to life and the five-speed manual makes itextra lively the shifter has a smooth short action making it easy and fun toplow through the gears a 6-speed automatic is optional in terms of roadmanners the golf feels sporty and fun but in an accessible comfortable way itsride is firm but not harsh and it slices through city streets and highway rampswith a corner hugging agility that rivals the skateboard like moves of theMini Cooper hardtop the Gulf’s pepin agile handling combined with its directsharp steering makes it much more engaging to drive than your averagecompact economy hatchback the golf was refreshed for 2018 but it’s hard to tellthat from the outside where the changes are very subtle inside the changes aremore noticeable starting with this multimedia system the dashboard has beenrevised to make room for a new multimedia system with bigger screensbass models get this 6. 5 inch display and SC models get an 8 inch touchscreenthe 6. 5 inch screen is decent for a bass system it’s not too small and has clearbuttons and an easy menu structure on the plus side apple carplay and androidauto smartphone integration are standard on the negative side there’s nosatellite radio option in this version VW also said it upgraded the cabinmaterials this year but it feels pretty basic and in some places budget likeall this black plastic little extras like this sporty brushed chrome trim andthese comfortably bolstered seats make it stand out you do miss out on a fewthings with the base model however the higher term model gets leatherette andheated front seats in back room is decent for two passengers and when I hadtwo I was able to fit two of my three kids back here without a problem one ina booster one and a forward-facing convertible installing theforward-facing convertible was really easy thanks to these exposed latchanchors the 2018 Gulf starts at around $21,000 and the answer to my initialquestion about it fitting into my practical mom life is a big yes the Gulfdelivers the best of both worlds it’s fun to drive and engaging but it alsoeasily fits to car seats in its back seat while it wouldn’t work as my dailydriver as my second car I’d fight my husband for carp will drop off duty todrive ityou
