New Kia Optima confirmed for 2015

Kia will take a fresh swipe at the new Ford Mondeo, VW Passat and Vauxhall Insignia when it launches an all-new version of the Optima less than a year from now. It will feature a sharper design, higher-quality interior and the option of diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, and we had a chance to poke around the production car at Kia’s new Namyang design centre, near Seoul.

Although no photography was allowed of the new car, we can reveal that design sticks closely to the current, post-facelift model (pictured) with a wide ‘tiger nose’ grille connecting up to the headlights either side and large wraparound taillights at the rear. The petrol model features more aggressive, sharper intakes in the front bumper, while the hybrid models get a blanked out front grille that opens when cooling is required. Softer curves in the front bumper, special wheels and a wider rear bumper to help reduce aerodynamic drag.

New Kia Optima: interior and tech

The interior quality has taken another leap forward, one of Kia’s main focuses for all its new models, with leather seats and a new larger, widescreen display installed in the centre of the leather-wrapped dash. Matt black switchgear arranged in horizontal rows is reminiscent of BMW’s latest cabin design, which is no bad thing.

No detailed specifications were made available, but bosses confirmed that an model featuring a development of the current 1.7 CRDi diesel engine will be offered, along with a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid a little later in the life cycle. And Kia is targeting a class-leading electric-only range with the plug in, according to its head of overseas marketing, Spencer Cho.

“Look at the Soul EV, apart from the Tesla it has the longest range of any of its competitors,” he said. “In the same way we are trying to extend EV range for plug-in hybrids, too.”

Cho also revealed that a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain is under development, and an Optima estate is under development especially for the European market.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/

Review: 2015 Jaguar F-Type R coupe: Fast, Sexy but Not So Silent

If the industry awarded a Best Soundtrack statuette, the 2014 Jaguar F-Type convertible would win handily. For 2015, the F-Type becomes more of a bombshell with the addition of a lithe coupe whose knockout beauty matches the song of its supercharged engine.
Ian Callum, who took his talents from Aston Martin to Jaguar, is among the designers who acknowledge that a well-executed coupe will look better than its convertible counterpart. Taking nothing away from the lovely F-Type convertible, the coupe’s plunging roofline — accentuated by beautifully drawn rear glass — and flared hips give it an unfair advantage.

Fortunately, the F-Type is more than a pretty face. Jaguar says the aluminum-intensive coupe is the most torsionally rigid model in company history, 80 percent stiffer than its open-roof sibling. To increase the strength of the “pillarless” design, which eliminates a roof support bisecting the side glass, a pair of hydroformed aluminum beams span the entire roof arch.
Compared with the heavier, more pliable convertible, the increased core strength has helped to create a notably more athletic, focused performer.
I tested the pick of the litter, the F-Type R coupe, which starts at $90,925. (A pair of supercharged, 3-liter V6 models, with 340 or 380 horsepower, start at a respective $65,925 and $77,925.)
All three Jaguar models sound intimidating, with pushbutton-controlled active exhaust systems. But the V8 is deliciously, almost indescribably, assaultive. The car sounds as if it’s gargling burned gasoline. Crackling, vrooming and backfiring, the Jaguar may prompt calls to your local neighborhood watch, though you can switch off the exhaust button to mute the sound.
An optional panoramic roof ($1,200) doesn’t open, but it creates the illusion of a single piece of glass stretching from behind the windshield to the rear deck. Peer through that glass, and you’ll see the integrated air deflector that rises at 70 m.p.h. to reduce aerodynamic lift by 265 pounds; it tucks away below 50 m.p.h.
All great so far, including flush-mounted handles that pivot out when you unlock the doors. But one year into its run, the F-Type’s cabin looks and feels even more like a pretender. Coupe or convertible, the Jaguar is like a star architect’s big-city hotel: The facade is eye-popping, but inside the actual room there are bare walls and a warm Diet Coke in the minibar.
Stitched leather on the dash hits the right luxury note, as do sport seats with integrated headrests and cool, clear-lensed climate-control knobs.
But other materials and switches give off a plasticky, rubbery vibe. Two of a sports car’s most crucial elements seem like compromises: the bland driver’s gauges and the automatic shifter, a stubby rectangle whose touch yields no pleasure.
And while the Corvette and the Porsche 911 offer 7-speed manual transmissions, the Jaguar has only an 8-speed paddle-shifted automatic, though it is smooth and swift in all facets.
And to its credit, the Jaguar is so vivid, aggressive and desirable that I stopped noticing its cabin blemishes.
On a summer day in the horse country of Dutchess County, N.Y., the F-Type came into its own, hammering and haunting back roads like no Jaguar I’ve driven. Pushed harder at Gingerman Raceway, a charmingly scruffy road course in Western Michigan, the coupe proved it was more than a stylish British fop: Swinging its tail wide under power and using its robust brakes and monumental thrust — almost an unfair advantage — to eke out a lead over a formidable BMW M4 in hot pursuit.
Not surprisingly, the F-Type doesn’t steer as sensitively as a Porsche; few cars do. But history’s most powerful production Jaguar does accelerate more quickly than a 911 S or a Stingray. And with its ability to bomb into curves and howl out again, fully vested in the road-sensing adaptive suspension and brake-based torque vectoring system, the F-Type R would surely claw any rival’s tail on public roads.
Those are things that haven’t been said about a Jaguar since the legendary E-Type of 1961-75.
After 40 years with no two-seater in its lineup — and a long period of corporate slumber — the F-Type R continues Jaguar’s fairy-tale revival. It’s one part beauty, one part beast.

http://www.nytimes.com/

Bentley Mulsanne Speed

For decades now Bentley has been a strong competitor to the likes of Rolls Royce. They offered machines like the Mulsanne that offered ultimate levels of comfort and luxury for the dignitaries, rulers and drug-lords of the world. But then Volkswagen rebadged the Phaeton to create the Continental and things changed forever. Bentley instantly swapped from a boring ho-hum brand of machines for the ultra-rich to a company that offered sporting luxury GT cars like Aston Martin and Maserati . Then Bentley went and made a faster, better version they dubbed Speed and it was good. Now Bentley is looking to once again inject a bit of speed and excitement into their lineup and they have made a new Speed version of the Mulsanne?!

That is right, Bentley has taken its gigantic luxo-barge and crammed it full of engine and upgraded chassis bits to create the Mulsanne Speed. Despite record levels of power and performance for the brand, Bentley was smart to keep a rather subtle (or as subtle as a giant Bentley can be) exterior design.

Did Bentley just create the ultimate luxury sleeper? Read on to find out all the details and decide for yourself.

Updated 10/03/2014: Bentley unveiled at the 2014 Paris Auto Show the most powerful, fastest Mulsanne ever. 

In our rendering, the Mulsanne Speed wears a splitter up front, side skirts, smoked headlamps with black inserts and a dark-black metal mesh grille. We also lowered its stance slightly and topped it off with a ’Speed’ badge on the side.

As with all cars of this level, the exterior design is quite restrained and clean considering its sporting intentions. From the old Mulsanne, Bentley has added a dark finish to the grilles that cover the nose, lower bumper vents and wing vents. If you have a very sharp eye, you will also notice that the headlamps and taillamps are tinted a bit darker as well.

One of the more noticeable changes for the new Bentley Mulsanne Speed is the new set of wheels. These new wheels are directional, a first for Bentley, and are “handed;" meaning they are set for one side of the car or the other. No left-to-right tire rotations here, folks. Expect them to cost a fortune to replace if you ever damage them. Each 21-inch roller is individually machined from solid, forged blanks.

To round out the changes, Bentley has added some nice new rifled exhaust pipes for the upgraded engine and four new paint colors: Spectre, Candy Red, Camel and Marlin. The weird black/gold/green car we have here in our photos is the new Spectre paint.

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase	3,266 mm / 128.6"
Overall length	5,575 mm / 219.5"
Width (across body)	1,926 mm / 75.8" (width with mirrors folded)
Width (inc. mirrors)	2,208 mm / 86.9"
Overall height	1,521 mm / 59.9"
Fuel tank	96 liters / 21.1 gallons / 25.4 US gallons
Boot volume	443 liters / 15.64 cu. ft
Kerb weight (EU)	2,685 kg / 5,919 lb
Gross vehicle weight	3,200 kg / 7,055 lb

http://www.topspeed.com/

Dartz Prombron Black Shark officially revealed

Latvian tuning house, Dartz Motorz, has officially unveiled its new hi-tech SUV, the Dartz Prombron Black Shark, which the company describes as the world's first real spy car

Russian SUV manufacturer - Dartz, builds the world’s most insane and heavily armoured SUVs. In line with this ethos, the company has revealed its latest creation with the Dartz Prombron Black Shark. Named after a Russian attack helicopter, this new SUV is based on the Mercedes GL-Class SUV platform.

Described as the ‘real spy car of the 21st century’, this vehicle features electrochromatic windows and B7-grade armour with the body made from Kevlar and titanium which enables the SUV to withstand magnetic mines. The Prombron Black Shark uses a bulletproof rotating front grille to ensure no damage can be inflicted to the engine.

A fingerprint scanner and retina scanner has also been implemented for additional safety. Another interesting feature is the disappearing door handles which Dartz says act as an ‘anti-paparazzi shock-device’. 

Power is provided by either a modified twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 engine or an upgraded twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 Mercedes-sourced engine. The more powerful unit can be tuned to churn out 1,500PS of power at customer’s request.

The Dartz Prombron Black Shark SUV will be limited to only five production units.

Neiman Marcus Maserati Ghibli S Q4 Appears in Christmas Book

An all-new Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is out, and among all the crazy gifts, which include a $65,000 large outdoor garden peacock and a pair of his/hers Quadskis, there's the 100th anniversary Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Maserati Ghibli S Q4 that costs $95,000.

The Neiman Marcus touch on the Ghibli S Q4 means that it gets a unique gray metallic exterior paint color, while Gloss black door handles and a shadowline exterior trim make this Ghibli stand out from others on the road. Inside, the Ghibli features a combination of premium leather in an exclusive brown color with Piano Black lacquer trim. Black contrast stitching adds even more appeal, while the Trident logo comes stitched in black on the headrests.
The Neiman Marcus edition Ghibli also comes well-equipped with paddle shifters, a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, front and rear parking sensors, and heated seats and steering wheel.

© Provided by MotorTrend Maserati Ghibli S Q4 100Th Anniversary Neiman Marcus Edition Steering Wheel

The Ghibli is not only special because it's been outfitted in Neiman Marcus style, but also because it represents the Italian automaker's 100th anniversary. With that, the Ghibli also gets a 100th anniversary logo along with the Neiman Marcus number badge on the center console, while the center caps on the wheels also don the 100th anniversary logo. Peeking out from behind the wheels are red-painted brake calipers. No mechanical changes will be made, which means power will come from a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that produces 404 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. That power will get the Maserati from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, while the Q4 all-wheel drive system will allow you to drive in whatever weather the holiday season can throw at you.

Like several other Neiman Marcus cars before it, the Maserati will be extremely limited at just 100 units available, and they could go fast when it goes on sale on October 22. Cars that have graced the pages of previous Christmas Books include the 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, which cost $344,500 and the McLaren 12C Spider the year before that. Others including the 2012 Ferrari FF sold out in 50 minutes since there were only 10 copies made. That's not that fast compared to the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible, which saw all 100 examples disappear in just 180 seconds.

Source: Neiman Marcus