2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition

Thank goodness Japan has a wild side. Interspersed among boatloads of politically correct Toyota Priuses comes the occasional Lexus F hot rod. And over at Nissan, punctuating the truckloads of morbidly thrifted Versas is the random GT-R. The muscular Nissan has a legacy going back decades, but for the most part, this fast and furious coupe boldly goes its own way. Quirky, jerky, and perky, it has so much personality that J.D. Power wouldn’t know how to score it. It’s a riot of sensation and sound—some annoying and others cyborg cool. On one hand, it’s a bargain supercar for hard-core gearheads.On the other, for a coupe from a nonpremium brand, the GT-R is a bit spendy, as it costs twice as much as a Chevy Camaro ZL1.

New for 2014 is the Track Edition you see here. It deletes the standard GT-R’s Mini-Me rear seats in favor of a pair of quilted, fabric-covered package bins. Other elements include modified Bilsteins, stiffer springs (20 percent, says Nissan), six-spoke RAYS forged-aluminum wheels, grippy fabric-covered front seats, and front and rear brake-cooling air channels, as well as front and rear spoilers fashioned from carbon fiber. The Track Edition is less influenced by gravitational forces than is the “base” model, to the tune of 33 pounds. Otherwise, this version sports the same horsepower and torque, same gearing, same tires, and so on. So the big question is, does the Track Edition merit a tariff that’s a chunky $16,000 steeper than the “base” Premium model?


Actually, the single notable change in the 2014 GT-R’s numbers is its price: The base Premium model breaks the $100,000 barrier for the first time, and the Track Edition kicks the charge all the way to $116,710. Our test car was $285 more dear than that, thanks to its optional GT-R–logo floor mats.

Although the 0-to-60 acceleration of the Track Edition we tested did reclaim the upper reaches of the two-second realm, the only other measurable improvements over the last base 2013 GT-R we tested were in braking (145 versus 161 feet) and lateral grip (1.02 versus 0.97 g). But since the Track Edition uses the same ultra-sticky Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GTs as last year’s base GT-R, we can only conclude that a stickier track surface improved the stats—not the enhanced content of the car itself. The Track Edition’s brake-cooling ducts likely would be a boon during a longer test session, as last year’s GT-R did exhibit some fade.

But make no mistake, this is a brutally fast car. At 2.9 seconds to 60, the GT-R pulls a massive 1.1-second hole shot on the Camaro ZL1 and easily bests other, more-powerful rides to the 60 mark, including the Shelby GT500, C6 Corvette ZR1, SRT Viper, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari 599GTB, Lexus LFA, and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Even though the GT-R has “only” 545 horsepower, its combination of all-wheel drive, nearly 50/50 front-to-rear weight balance, six-speed dual-clutch transmission for lightning-quick shifts, limited-slip differential, tacky rubber, and launch control conspires to get this supercar off the dime and rocketing through the traps.

The GT-R’s rear-mounted dual-clutch gearbox is an acquired taste. Overall, the driveline has more fore-and-aft lash, bumps, and surges than you might be used to, especially when climbing, say, a steep driveway at low speed. And three-point turns involving changes of direction might take more throttle than anticipated to get under way.
If you prefer your super cars free of whirring, road hiss, tire sizzle, exhaust drone and rumble, and the clickety-clack of mechanical lash, gear rattle, and various whines, look elsewhere. The GT-R Track Edition dispenses with the frippery of exotic hides and haute couture for the nuts and bolts of furiosity.

2016 Nissan Z: Sorry, Z Fans, No Return to Roots Just Yet

The seventh generation of Nissan's iconic sports car. Despite rumors of a 240Z reboot, a downsized Z is unlikely, as Nissan doesn't have an appropriate architecture to refashion the Z into a lighter, less expensive sports car akin to the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins. Expect a concept car appearing in the next 18 months to indicate a new design direction. The styling will break with the immediate past even as the rest of the package steams ahead on much the same course. 

In a lineup fraught with frugal four-cylinders paired with CVTs, the Z is as much an outlier as the GT-R. But Nissan needs the Z to tend the fire, reminding the world of the Datsun days when affordable performance was more of a corporate priority than cross-dressing crossovers. Godzilla may be the halo car, but it now costs six figures. 

PLATFORM: The Z will share a chassis with the Infiniti Q50. This new iteration of Nissan's entry-luxury sedan rides on an updated version of the venerable FM platform that underpins the current Z. Nissan will do what it can to keep the weight down, deploying more aluminum along with other pound-paring measures. 


POWERTRAIN: The VQ V-6 is a sure bet, but enhanced with direct injection to make at least 350 horsepower. Not even CVT-crazy Nissan is nuts enough to nix the Z's six-speed manual, which should soldier on alongside the current seven-speed automatic. Don't expect to see the Q50's performance hybrid system in the Z, but a Mercedes-designed, turbocharged four-cylinder could be offered. Nissan will be building the smaller-displacement engine, destined for the Q50, in Tennessee. 



COMPETITION: Audi TT, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Genesis Coupe. 



ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AND PRICE: Early 2015, with a base price just under $35,000. 

2015 Audi Q7 Rendered, Detailed

The second generation of the Audi Q7 full-size crossover. With three-row seating and a large cargo area, it’s a full-size SUV by every standard except North America's. The next Q7's angular, metallic grille is directly inspired by the Crosslane concept the brand debuted at last year’s Paris auto show. The A8-inspired rectangular headlights will be offered in LED and Matrix LED forms, although the latter—as is the case with the A8—won’t be available in the U.S. A pronounced shoulder line gives the Q7 an especially wide and muscular stance, its bold and powerful appearance only heightened by wheel options measuring from 18- to 21 inches in diameter.

Platform: We’re told by an Audi source that the Q7 will drop a whopping 700 pounds versus the existing model (although we’ll wait until we weigh one to get really excited). The most recent V-6–powered model we tested tipped the scales at 5350 pounds. Much of the weight savings can be attributed to the switch from the crossover’s current off-road-oriented platform to Audi’s car-based MLB modular-longitudinal architecture. The current Q7 was never offered with a low-range transfer case, and thus its off-road capabilities were always limited. As such, there won’t be any disadvantages in the switch to the MLB structure; in fact, it will allow Audi to offer a plethora of comfort and assistance systems previously unavailable in the vehicle.

                                                2013 Audi Q7 3.0T S-line

Powertrains: The engine selection has not been finalized, but we can confirm that all Q7 models will come with an eight-speed torque-converter automatic and Quattro all-wheel drive. We expect to see a continuation of the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 as well as the 3.0-liter V-6 TDI, and the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 found in a number of VW Group offerings should be available, too. We understand Audi will offer two plug-in hybrid variants with “e-tron” badging: one pairing an electric motor with the supercharged V-6 and another pairing the electric powerplant with the V-6 TDI. The U.S. market will only receive the gasoline-drinking e-tron.

Competition: BMW X5, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz M-class, Porsche Cayenne.

Estimated Arrival and Price: The next-generation Audi Q7 will be unveiled next year and come to market as a 2015 model. We expect that base prices will nudge slightly northward from the current model’s $47,695 sticker.

Exclusive: 2016 Lincoln MKS Rendered, Detailed!

The second generation of the Lincoln MKS, Which We rendered using info from sources intimately familiar with its development. Designed under the leadership of Max Wolff who previously worked at Cadillac, and Holden before that-the ICC epitomizes the future of the brand's styling direction. Its conservative lines and the 1970s-inspired kink in the rear shoulder line and side windows are not going to wow anyone, but they are an attempt at creating an "American" style, as well as some familial resemblance with the MKC crossover. Moreover, there are sufficient amounts of chrome that cater to those ever-important Chinese tastes. However, there is little commonality with the MKZ sedan, whose futuristic, concept-like style apparently will not lead anywhere. The ICC, of course, will be offered with the upmarket Black Label interior themes launched in Pebble Beach earlier this month.

The MKS is a crucial model in re-establishing Lincoln as a viable premium competitor in the U.S., where it was the top-selling luxury brand in 1998 but has fallen woefully behind the competition since. Ford’s luxury arm had a market share of just 0.57 percent in 2012, making it the eighth-bestselling brand in its segment. Moreover, Lincoln will begin selling vehicles in China late next year, the first serious attempt to venture beyond its home market.

Powertrain: The 2016 Lincoln MKS will be offered with a new 2.9-liter EcoBoosted V-6 codenamed Nano, and the proven 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. The latter powerplant will match or exceed the Taurus SHO's 365 horsepower, and we expect the smaller V-6 to produce in the realm of 300 horses. Initially, gearchanges will be handled by a six-speed automatic, but eventually the ICC should be the recipient of the nine-speed auto that's being jointly developed by Ford and GM. Power will be routed to the front wheels, but all-wheel drive will be an option-and very likely mandatory when paired to the 3.5-liter. 

Competition: Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, the Lexus ES. 

Estimated arrival and Price: The 2016 Lincoln MKS will land on showroom floors in late 2015 as a 2016 model. Expect the base price to increase by a few thousand dollars from today's $ 41.320.

2015 Ford Mustang Rendered, Detailed

                               

Mustang is Ford’s oldest continuously produced nameplate (Ford might cite its F-series, but that didn’t bear the F-150 badge until a decade after the Mustang arrived). In its lifetime, Mustang has been many different cars: a reskinned Falcon, something closer to the Torino, a hideous and malformed mutant Pinto, and a Fox, the platform it shared with a variety of Fords, Mercurys, and even a couple of Lincolns across three decades. In its current form, though, Mustang has become something it flirted with from inception: great. We named the GT and Boss 302 to our 2012 10Best pantheon, and called the Boss “the best Mustang ever.” For 2015, Ford’s ungulate will undergo its most revolutionary redesign yet. We hear it’ll arrive Thursday, April 17, 2014, or 50 years to the day it originally went on sale. This should make for one helluva birthday.


Platform:Dimensionally, the 2015 edition won’t differ much from the current car, but it will employ an all-new unibody. The next Mustang’s track, both front and rear, will be slightly narrower. Wheelbase looks to shorten up by less than an inch from today’s car. With more-stringent impact requirements pending during the car’s anticipated life cycle, overall length could creep up by the same amount the wheelbase shrinks to allow for suitable crash structures.


Suspension:With the brief exception of the SVT Cobra did Appeared intermittently in between 1999 and 2004, the Mustang Has always relied on a solid rear axle, and since the advent of the internet, forums have been overrun with calls for to independent rear. Hark, bathrobe wearers, your cries have been heard. In addition to reducing unsprung mass, the 2015's multi-link independent rear will allow more space for the rear seat and cargo. 

A strut setup will carry on up front, but with new geometry. Performance models will use aluminum lower control arms, while stamped steel serves in the base car. Big six-piston Brembo brake calipers will be standard on serious performance models, optional on the semi-serious ones.


Powertrain:Unlike today’s Mustang, which sees only limited export beyond the NAFTA zone, Ford has decreed that its next-generation pony car will be sold around the world. With this in mind, powertrain choices will expand significantly beyond today’s single V-6 and three V-8 choices

The U.S. will get a four-cylinder, too—the first in a Mustang since 1993. A turbocharged, direct-injected 2.4-liter four will relieve an upgraded version of today’s 3.7-liter V-6 of its mantle as 30-plus-mpg champ.

2016 BMW M8: The First Super-Bimmer Since the M1

                             

The BMW M8 is the first supercar from the blue-spinner crew since 1981, When the last of the 453 BMW M1s were sold. The M8 coupe will feature a few retro design cues, but that is state-of-the-art gasoline powertrain technology. The structure and body wants to use lightweight materials, color: such as carbon fiber, aluminum, magnesium, titanium and even, in pursuit of a 2760-pound target weight.


As BMW sizes down its mainstream models and Introduces electric cars, it runs the risk of degrading its sporting image. A car like the M8 would burnish the reputation of BMW Motorsports. 

PLATFORM: The new M8 will be built on the platform of the i8, a futuristic carbon-fiber plug-in hybrid uses did some 5-series components. 

POWER TRAIN: An upgraded version of the M5's direct-injected 4.4-liter TwinPower Turbo, coupled to at eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. BMW engineers are talking 600 to 650 horsepower.

COMPETITION: Audi R8, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Porsche 911 Turbo.