Lexus IS-F

Congratulations to the Lexus engineers roaring around the Nürburgring in this black prototype of what, at first glance, appears to be an IS-F Cabriolet. Lexus doesn't currently offer the sporty IS-F in drop-top format, so it appears case closed. Except that a closer look reveals an interior roll-cage and a few other items that don't quite jive with this being simply an IS-F with a folding hardtop.

2014 Lexus IS-F

For starters, the IS-F (and the entire IS range) is overdue an update, the performance-oriented sports sedan has been around since 2008. Lexus simply can't afford to wait, especially with recent updates coming to fierce rivals like the Audi S4 and BMW M3 sedan. Adding a convertible version to the IS-F at this stage of the game simply doesn't make much sense; though it's possible one might appear with the next-gen model.

2014 Lexus IS-F

Zooming In on the Details
Other than this car's interior roll-cage, which is about the last thing you'd install when testing a convertible, this prototype has a quad-exhaust system that seems very mismatched with the cutouts in the rear bumper. Then there is the (not so small) matter of that massive rear spoiler mounted on the trunk. While the IS-F has some bold styling features, nothing comes close to the magnitude of this tacky add-on.

2014 Lexus IS-F

Expect some substantial changes to the chassis and suspension system of the next IS-F, along with the rest of the IS lineup. It remains to be seen whether Lexus opts to stick with the 416-bhp 5.0-liter V-8 engine used in the current IS-F, or if a smaller and more fuel-efficient powertrain could work its way under the hood. We'd bet on the revised IS range, along with the next IS-F, to make an appearance at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show in early-January, with U.S. sales to follow later in the year.

Caught Testing: 2013 Range Rover LWB

There isn’t much lacking from the current Range Rover, the boxy British-built sport-utility is loaded with luxury features and has an optional 510-bhp supercharged V-8 engine. Of course, a little more cabin room would be nice, and perhaps some extra cargo space for those extra Neiman Marcus shopping bags. Spotted here is an extended wheelbase version of the Range Rover, which could reach production as early as late-2012. Even with this test vehicle’s strange ‘pixelated’ camouflage, it’s still easy to spot the longer rear doors and side glass. Why this prototype also includes a rear roll-cage (visible in side profile shots) remains a mystery.

2013 Range Rover LWB

Bigger and Lighter Than Before
It’s worth noting that the current Range Rover is limited to only 5-passengers. This long wheelbase model could allow for the fitment of an additional rear seat, though it’s impossible to tell whether or not one is fitted to this test vehicle. At the very least, rear passengers should have far greater legroom, and cargo space should swell considerably from the already ample 35.1 cu. ft. in the standard model.

2013 Range Rover LWB

The engine lineup should be mostly carry-over, with the 5.0-liter V-8 offered in 375-bhp naturally aspirated and the aforementioned 510-bhp supercharged format. A 6-speed automatic transmission will send power to Range Rover’s legendary four-wheel-drive system. Not many owners will go rock crawling in something like the $170,000 range-topping (pun intended) Supercharged Autobiography Ultimate Edition – but this SUV is definitely equipped for the challenge.

2013 Range Rover LWB

Even though it’s bigger, this new Range Rover could be markedly lighter than before. By sharing aluminum chassis technology with its partner, Jaguar, the future Range Rover lineup could be several hundred pounds less portly. That should boost performance and fuel economy that, as it stands, is an oil-executive-friendly 12/18-mpg city/highway.

2014 BMW M3

Our spy photographers have captured the 2014 BMW M3 sedan, both inside and out, as the car was being road tested in Europe. The black prototype seen here is wearing only minimal amounts of exterior camouflage, the swirly black and white graphics have migrated primarily to the front and sides of the car. That makes it easy to spot the quad-exhaust, cross-drilled rotors, larger alloy wheels, and fender flares that will feature on the production model. There is also a power bulge in the hood of this example. However, generally speaking, it appears BMW isn’t going overboard when it comes to muscling up exterior of the next M3.

2014 BMW M3

From the Driver’s Seat
We’re still waiting to be handed the keys, but at least we know what the view will be like from the driver’s seat of the M3. The sport seats are heavily bolstered and appear to be covered in a matte-finish suede, or perhaps Alcantara. This model features a 7-speed DCT gearbox, minus the paddle-shifters that are normally included with this gearbox. A close-up of the chunky steering wheel shows that there’s something silver behind the wheel, though it’s impossible to tell if these are traditional paddles that (for whatever reason) might have been taped down in this model. In the U.S. market, BMW will continue to offer an optional 6-speed manual transmission.

2014 BMW M3

Tri-Turbo Inline-6
We know for a fact that the current M3’s 414-bhp V-8 is getting the heave-ho, in favor of a turbocharged inline-6 cylinder engine that pushes out approximately 440 hp. What we can’t be certain of is how many turbochargers BMW plans to slap onto this high performance motor. Rumors of a tri-turbo inline-6 appear to be gathering some momentum, though BMW isn’t saying anything on the record. It makes sense for BMW’s flagship compact sports sedan to have something extra special under the hood. This could also play nicely into BMW’s current push toward improving fuel economy and reducing weight across the brand’s range of vehicles.

2014 BMW M3

2015 BMW i8 Coupe - Spy Shots

We’re getting so close to the i8 sport coupe, you can almost feel the keys to this plug-in hybrid-powered supercar in the palm of your hand. Our spy photographers have managed to get closer than ever before to an i8 Coupe while it was undergoing a test drive on public roads in Europe. As we’ve seen on previous i8 test mules and prototypes, BMW engineers have a fondness for swirly blue-and-white camouflage. Yet we’ve never seen the production car this close, and for the first time we’ve gotten a peek at the rear-mounted battery pack and interior.

2015 BMW i8 Coupe

A Look Inside the Cabin and Under the Glass Hatch

The production version of the i8 Coupe, along with the upcoming i8 Spyder drop-top variant, maintains a strong resemblance to the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics concept that was first shown in 2009. Yet based on these spy shots, there’s obviously work to be done before the i8 goes on sale in 2014, most likely for the 2015 model year, and for a price between $150,000 and $200,000. Check under the rear glass of this test car and you’ll see a couple rows of exposed (though neatly bundled) lithium-polymer batteries. Rest assured, the i8 coming to a BMW dealership near you is not going to have such naked mechanical bits and pieces.

2015 BMW i8 Coupe

The battery placement seems strange, however, when you consider the i8 Coupe has a 2+2 seating arrangement and a 131-hp electric motor mounted at the front of the car. A more centrally located position for the battery pack would seem to offer improved weight distribution and packaging, especially since a 220-bhp turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine already occupies space behind the cabin. But this plug-in BMW’s preliminary performance specs remain impressive. The i8 has an electric-only operating range of approximately 20 miles and can sprint from 0-60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds. Estimated overall fuel economy is expected to be in the region of 70-mpg.

2015 BMW i8 Coupe

Ironically, the cabin of this i8 Coupe (at least the little we can see of it) appears remarkably put together and similar to what you’d find in other upmarket BMW products. Visible in the photo of the cabin are console-mounted buttons for the door locks, hazard lights, along with temperature controls and fan settings. The thick-rimmed steering wheel also appears to be standard issue BMW hardware. The one small circular dash-mounted gauge we can spot has markings for 70, 130(?) and 170. While it looks like a turbo boost level gauge, the numbers seem to indicate it’s monitoring something else. Any readers willing to submit a guess as to what that might be?

Mercedes-Benz ML350

Mercedes-Benz ML350.

Make

Mercedes-Benz

Model

ML350 BlueEfficiency

Price

From $99,900 (auto only)

Engine Size

3.5-litre petrol V6 225kW/370Nm

Emissions

208 g CO2/km

Fuel Consumption

8.9 L/100km

These days a turbo-diesel engine is almost a prerequisite in a large SUV. Mercedes-Benz calculates about 80 percent cent of sales of the new third generation M-class will be diesels.
Accounting for most of the rest will be the V6 3.5-litre ML350 BlueEfficiency, as it is the only model still petrol-fuelled apart from two V8s, the outrageous ML63 AMG V8 and the forthcoming ML500.

Price and equipment

The new M-Class kicks off with a new four-cylinder ML250 BlueTec diesel as its $81,400 entry point. It’s a sizeable step to the $99,900 ML350 BlueTec diesel and BlueEfficiency being tested here.

Then it’s a big leap to the $177,900 AMG, although the $119,900 ML500 will help plug the gap when it arrives.

Like its brethren, the BlueEfficiency - Blue is the German car industry’s buzzword for green technology - mates with Benz’s excellent seven-speed auto and comes standard with permanent all-wheel drive.

Compared to its predecessor, the ML350’s price has gone up about $10,000, but Benz claims that is covered by a host of new equipment.

Highlights include memory adjustment for the front seats and steering column, self-parking, leather upholstery, burr walnut trim, active bi-xenons, 20-inch alloys, sat-nav, CD/DVD, Bluetooth and media interface for iPod, USB and auxiliary audio (with cables).

All MLs get a five-star EuroNCAP rating and include nine airbags, stability control, the Pre-Safe crash anticipation system and a reversing camera. The 350 adds a pack that includes active cruise control, blind-spot assistance and active lane-keeping assist.

Under the bonnet

The ML’s V6 swaps from its predecessor’s 90 degree vee angle to 60 degrees for improved smoothness and gets third-generation direct fuel injection. There’s also a completely new intake and exhaust system.

As a result, output jumps from 200kW/350Nm to 225kW/370Nm while claimed fuel efficiency leaps from 11.5L/100km to 8.9L/100km.

That claimed improvement is aided by Benz’s sweet-shifting seven-speed auto, the swap to electronic power steering and the use of low-friction axles. However, the BE misses out on auto stop-start fitted to the diesels and the AMG.

On-test the ML delivered an average 12.8L/00km. Not bad for a 4.8m, 2130kg all-wheel-drive wagon, but certainly not as good as the figures the diesel equivalent (claimed fuel economy of 7.3L/100km) can achieve.

The petrol V6 delivers a crisp throttle response thanks to its natural aspiration, is undoubtedly smooth and has a rev limit beyond 6000rpm. But that’s not enough to hand it an advantage over the more frugal, torquier (620Nm) and equivalently-priced diesel V6.

How it drives

Our test car came fitted with the optional $6900 Sports package which included 21-inch wheels and air suspension rather than standard steel springs.

The air system damping adjusts automatically, or can be set to comfort or sports mode. The former varies through several stages from quite soft to a touch too disciplined, while the latter is fine on smooth surfaces but too jostling in the rough.

Electric power steering is incredibly light at parking pace and weighs up marginally from there.

The ML’s greatest asset is its refinement, with few unwanted noises seeping into the cabin. That helps make it a very relaxing cruise for city, country or freeway.

Off-road? We stuck to formed gravel roads where the “4Matic” all-wheel-drive system proved tractable. Dirt-road braking also revealed well-tuned stability control.

An off-road mode alters transmission, throttle and ABS characteristics, while start-off assist, hold and downhill speed regulation functions are also standard. Air suspension allows body height adjustment.

There’s also a $3500 off-road pack for those who want to really go exploring in the boonies.

Comfort and practicality

With real leather on the seats and Artico (artificial cow) stitched across the dashboard, the ML350 offers real luxury ambience. That’s backed up by deep and supportive front seats and the burr walnut trim. The only downer inside the US-built ML is the dull plastic trim in the centre stack. The instrument panel is also more basic than some of the elegant backlit dials that come in the likes of the E-class. The steering wheel has a profusion of controls and buttons on the front and no less than three stalks protruding from its column, including the gear shifter column on the right. You can find yourself in neutral instead of operating the blinkers! If you want to change gears manually there are paddles on the steering wheel, but the transmission will still over-ride.
The column shifter releases plenty of space in the centre console for storage and cupholders and that is backed up by a large centre-lidded bin and commodious door pockets. In the rear there is heaps of space for two adults to stretch out, three at a pinch. Storage is pretty good, and there are visible airconditioning vents.

The bench split-folds flat, expanding the luggage compartment from 690 to 2010 litres. The load floor is quite low and there are hooks and nets to aid the storage of smaller items. Under the floor is a space-saver spare tyre.