40 years of the Volkswagen Golf

After seven generations and sales of over 30 million, the iconic family hatchback is still going strong and is still setting the benchmark for other carmakers to meet.

The Volkswagen Beetle, the ultimate people’s car, was an extremely hard act to follow, but when the original Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed three-door hatchback rolled off the Wolfsburg production line on March 29, 1974, it signaled the start of a second motoring revolution.

As well as offering what has become timeless styling, it introduced German build quality to the affordable family car sector, but as well as being inexpensive, was an absolute joy to drive.

But as well as redefining the concept of the family hatchback, it also invented the concept of the ‘hot’ hatch with the launch of the original Golf GTI in 1976 — a car that really was all things to all. A car for running around town, shopping, long road trips or even for the track.

It created a market sector that 38 years later is still not just alive and well but as competitive as ever. Every company that produces hatchbacks for the European market, from Honda to Ford, has at least one family car with serious sporting credentials in its lineup.

By the time the GTi was launched, one million Golfs were already on the road and in 1979 the company launched the first convertible version, which has gone on to become a modern, affordable classic.

The Golf has survived because the company has never been tempted to tamper with the formula — a nimble car, packed with technological advances, focused firmly on families.

This concentration is also why over the past 40 years there have only been seven generations of the car. The current Golf, launched in September 2012, is the most comfortable and technically advanced yet, and in 2013 scooped both the European and World Car of the Year awards.

And, for its 40th anniversary year, Volkswagen plans to launch the e-Golf, the first ever all-electric version of the car, which should offer a range of 190 km between charges and a GTE plug-in hybrid version capable of delivering a fuel economy of 1.5l/100 km and an electric motor only range of 50 km.

As Volkswagen points out, very few products launched in 1974 have stood the test of time quite as well, but those that have include the Rubik’s Cube, liposuction and the Post-it note.

GM adding 971,000 vehicles to ignition recall

DETROIT General Motors is boosting by 971,000 the number of small cars being recalled worldwide for a defective ignition switch, saying cars from the model years 2008-2011 may have gotten the part as a replacement.

The latest move brings the total number of cars affected to 2.6 million. The questionable handling of the problem, including GM’s admission that it knew the switches were possibly defective as early as 2001, has embarrassed the nation’s largest automaker. The recalls which are under investigation by Congress and federal regulators have overshadowed the improved quality of GM’s newer cars.

The episode has also consumed the time and efforts of GM’s new CEO, Mary Barra, in her first few months on the job. Barra has apologized publicly for the deaths linked to the switch defect and ordered what she promises will be an “unvarnished” internal investigation of the matter.

GM previously announced the recall of 1.6 million cars, only through the 2007 model year, which were built with the faulty switch. The recall involves six cars: the Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet HHR, Pontiac G5, Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Ion and Saturn Sky.

GM says it sold 95,000 faulty switches to dealers and aftermarket wholesalers for use as replacement parts. Of those, 90,000 were used to repair vehicles from the 2003-2007 model years. But 5,000 of the switches were used to fix cars from the 2008-2011 model years.

GM said it doesn’t know which cars got those 5,000 switches, so it needs to recall all of them. Of the cars being added to the recall, 824,000 were sold in the U.S.

The ignition switches can move out of the “run” position and cause the car’s engine to stall. It can also knock out power steering and power brakes, making the vehicle harder to maneuver, and disable the air bags. GM has said the defect is linked to at least 12 deaths in cars from the 2003-2007 models years. On Friday, the company said it isn’t aware of any fatalities connected to the defect in the 2008-2011 models.

“We are taking no chances with safety,” Barra said in a statement.

Barra is scheduled to testify before two congressional committees next week. The committees want to know why it took GM more than a decade to recall the cars after engineers discovered the faulty switches. The Justice Department is also investigating.

GM has said that it expects to have replacement switches starting next month for the cars originally included in the recall. GM expects those repairs to be completed in October.

The company said owners of the cars added to the recall Friday will be contacted the week of April 21.

Until the recalls are performed, the company says drivers should remove everything but the key from their key chains, to avoid pulling the ignition switch out of the “run” position.

Watch Ford spoof that much-criticized Cadillac commercial

//////You know the commercial. A vaguely familiar actor who you can’t quite place gazes across an infinity pool and wonders aloud: “Why do we work so hard? For what? For this? For stuff?”The man (portrayed by Neal McDonough, whose resume includes “Band of Brothers,” “Justified” and “Desperate Housewives”) then roams around his lavish home spouting his idea of the American dream while judging workers in other countries for taking too many vacation days.The commercial for the Cadillac ELR has stirred …View “Watch Ford spoof that much-criticized Cadillac commercial” on Spundge

EcoDiesel, 8-speed boost Ram 1500

A small V-6 turbodiesel engine and 8-speed automatic transmission have put the 2014 Ram into the lead for fuel economy among light-duty pickups.I’m driving the 2014 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4X4, which carries an EPA estimate of 27 miles per gallon on the highway.

It’s equipped with a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6, provided by Italian engine builder VM Motori, which works closely with Chrysler owner Fiat. The smooth, 8-speed tranny is a product of Germany’s ZF Getriebe. The same turbodiesel/8-speed combination is being used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Not only is the V-6 economical, it is filled with torque. It is rated at 240 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. The diesel block is small as compared to, say, the Ram’s Cummins turbodiesel used in its heavy-duty trucks. The EcoDiesel weighs only 50 pounds more than the Ram 1500′s Hemi V-8 gasoline engine.

With plenty of low and midrange torque, and little turbo lag, the small diesel delivers the Ram four-door adequately.

The 8-speed automatic is controlled from a dial on the dash; just below that are buttons for the electric shift-on-the-fly transfer case between two-wheel, four-wheel and low-range settings.

Built in Warren, Mich., the Ram’s parts-content breakdown is 66 percent from the U.S., 23 percent Mexico, the engine from Italy and the transmission from Germany.

Base price on the 1500 SLT Crew Cab 4X4 is $38,665. The addition of the ecodiesel engine, 8-speed automatic transmission and dozens of options raises sticker price to a whopping $53,085.

Those amenities, though, are much appreciated when operating the tough, smoothly performing truck, and include navigation, UConnect AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth with SiriusXM traffic/travel and nine speakers and subwoofer, rearview camera and front and rear park assist, heated front seats and steering wheel (leather-wrapped), and power heated mirrors.

Also, four-corner air suspension, transfer case and front suspension skid plates, rear extra-heavy-duty shock absorbers, 3.55 rear-axle ratio, spray-in bedliner and a 32-gallon diesel-fuel tank.

Wheels are 20-inch by 8-inch black aluminum with Goodyear Wrangler P275/60R20 all-season tires.

The RamBox cargo system provides lockable storage in the sides of the truck bed.

Major events in GM's recall of 1.6 million cars

Congress, the Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are all investigating General Motors Co.’s recall last month of 1.6 million vehicles for an ignition switch defect which can cause the car to stall and deactivate the air bags. The defect is linked to 12 deaths.

Here is a timeline of key events, based on documents from GM, NHTSA and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

2001: A report on the Saturn Ion, which was still in development, notes problems with the ignition switch, but says a design change solved the problems.

2003: A service technician reports that a Saturn Ion stalled while driving, and that the weight of the owners’ keys had worn down the ignition switch.

Late 2004: The Saturn Ion’s cousin, the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, goes on sale. GM learns of at least one crash where a Cobalt engine lost power after the driver inadvertently moved the key or steering column. GM engineers replicate the problem in test drives. An inquiry is opened within the company, but closes after potential solutions are rejected.

May 2005: A GM engineer proposes changing the design of the key. The solution is initially approved but later cancelled.

July 29, 2005: Amber Marie Rose, 16, dies in a frontal crash in her 2005 Cobalt. Investigators hired by NHTSA find that the Cobalt’s ignition had moved out of the “run” position and into the “accessory” position, which cut off power to the air bags.

September 2005: GM’s legal staff opens a file on the Maryland crash.

December 2005: GM tells dealers to inform owners of Cobalts to take excess items off their key chains so the key isn’t pulled downward. Also, inserts placed on customers’ keys can prevent the keys from shifting while in the ignition. The bulletin includes the 2005-2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2003-2006 Saturn Ion, 2006 Chevrolet HHR, 2006 Pontiac Solstice and the 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit, which was sold in Canada. Warranty records show that only 474 owners got those key inserts.

April 2006: A GM engineer signs off on a redesign of the ignition switch. The new switch goes into cars from the 2007 model year and later.

October 2006: GM updates the dealer bulletin to add vehicles from the 2007 model year.

2007: Government safety inspectors look into reports of air bag failures and engine stalling, but can’t show that the vehicles are failing at a greater rate than peer vehicles.

March 2007: A group of GM employees learn from NHTSA staff of the 2005 fatal crash. By the end of the year, GM has data on nine crashes in four, the ignition had moved from the run position to the accessory position.

August 2007: NHTSA contracts with Indiana University to study a 2006 Wisconsin crash in which two passengers died. The report finds the ignition in the 2005 Cobalt was in the accessory position and the air bags didn’t deploy.

2009: GM now decides to change the key’s head from a “slot” design to a “hole” design to reduce downward force. The key is changed for the 2010 model year the last year the Cobalt is sold.

2010: After a NHTSA investigation, GM agrees to repair power steering motors in a little more than 1 million 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2007-2010 Pontiac G5s.

2011: GM launches a new investigation into 2005-2007 Cobalts and the 2007 Pontiac G5 to determine why their air bags didn’t deploy in crashes.

2012: GM widens the investigation, but it closes without reaching a conclusion.

December 2013: Incoming CEO Mary Barra learns about the ignition switch defect.

January 2014: A committee of GM executives approves a recall.

Feb. 13: GM recalls 780,000 compact cars, including Chevrolet Cobalts, Pontiac G5s and Pontiac Pursuits from the 2005-2007 model years.

Feb. 25: GM expands the recall to include Saturn Ions and three other vehicles.

March 5: NHTSA demands that GM turn over by April 3 documents showing when it found out about the ignition switch problem. Barra promises employees an “unvarnished” investigation into what happened.

March 10 A House subcommittee says it will hold a hearing, eventually set for April 1, on the GM recalls. The Justice Department is also conducting a criminal probe.

March 17 GM announces three new recalls of 1.5 million vehicles, as part of an effort to assure buyers that it’s moving faster to fix safety defects.

March 18 Barra apologizes for the deaths that occurred. She appoints a new global safety chief.

March 25 GM turns over documents to the House subcommittee.

April 1-2 Barra to testify before Congressional committees.

April 3 Deadline for GM to submit documents to NHTSA.

April 7 GM expects replacement switches to be available at dealerships. The company says the repairs could take until October.

The Audi SQ5: Pretty, powerful. But worth the price?

I needed a good stretch of road, relatively free of traffic, and found one at midnight on Interstate 66 west heading toward Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It was a late weekday night in late winter, when most normal people were sleeping or otherwise ensconced in the safety of their homes. But I had only a few days left in the 2014 Audi SQ5 Quattro, the Prestige edition of that compact luxury crossover utility vehicle. I wanted to give it a run unimpeded by the congestion that frequently turns I-66 into a virtual parking lot during business hours.

The SQ5, available in Premium and Prestige trims, is the sporty, high-end edition of the already nice regular Audi Q5 crossover utility. The SQ5-Prestige sits at the top of that high-end line. In terms of numbers, it looks like this: The Q5 starts at $37,300, the SQ5-Premium starts at $51,900 and the SQ5-Prestige opens its doors at $59,400.

Of course, you can spend more. You can always spend more on option-laden European luxury automobiles. The perennial question: Is it worth it?

My inherently cheap self gives a guarded yes to the SQ5-Prestige on that question “guarded” because it reflects an individual’s willingness to be pampered, to flex more automotive muscle and, mostly, to pay for everything that comes with the SQ5-Prestige, which has its own list of options. Many of us would give a resounding no to a base price increase of up to $22,000. But for those of us who can and want to say yes to that kind of money, it is arguably worth it in this case.

First, Audi historically has offered one of the best automobile interiors in the business. The Q5′s cabin is good. The SQ5-Prestige’s cabin is substantially better, spoiling its occupants with supple leather seat coverings; tasteful brushed aluminum and wood accents; a premium 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system; and a leather-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel that fits nicely in hand.

But I did not leave my house at midnight just to sit in a well-appointed, motorized living room. I wanted to drive to feel the difference, if there was a difference to be felt, between the three-liter, 272-horesepower gasoline V-6 with 296 pound-feet of torque in the regular Audi Q5 and the supercharged (forced air) three-liter V-6 in the SQ5-Prestige (354 horsepower, 347 pound-feet of torque).

Quick notes: Oh, yes! There is a difference! Eighty-two more horsepower and 51 more pound-feet of torque make a difference you can feel. But you can feel it only on a relatively clear road that permits spirited motoring. Also, the same engine is available at lower cost in a supercharged version (the 3.OT) of the less-plush Q5.

Suspension improvements in the SQ5 Premium and Prestige are discernible. Those models handle more precisely than the sibling Q5. They are more maneuverable and handle with more confidence in tight traffic. In light traffic, such as on midnight I-66 and adjacent roads, both are a confident joy to drive. Run 100 miles nonstop in either one, and you’ll understand why people who have the money are willing to spend it on the super-tufted, high-performance SQ5 models.

Conventional wisdom says those people, who are willing to spend more to get essentially what is available for $22,000 less, don’t care about such things as the price of gasoline. Conventional wisdom is wrong. All vehicle manufacturers high-end, low-end and middle are under consumer and government pressure, here and abroad, to improve fuel economy and reduce tailpipe emissions. Even Lamborghini and Ferrari are pouring money and talent into the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient engines.

So, it is not surprising to me that Audi has pulled off a neat trick with the SQ5 substantially boosting horsepower without a concomitant increase in fuel consumption. The SQ5 Premium and Prestige get an almost respectable 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 miles per gallon on the highway, albeit using required premium gasoline.

Bottom line: If most of your driving is daily commuting, say, suburb to city in a high-congestion area during normal business hours, it makes more sense to spend less money and buy a regular Audi Q5, or something similar. You’ll get similar creature comforts without the angst of knowing that you paid much more for a vehicle that could go faster and handle better but can’t do any of those things because it is jammed in traffic with everyone else.

Ride, acceleration, handling: The Audi SQ5 gets excellent marks in all three, assuming that you can find a road to drive it the way it was engineered to be driven or that you don’t mind driving at midnight.

Head-turning quotient: It is stately and attractive on the outside, beautiful and comfortable within.

Body style/layout: The Audi SQ5, Premium and Prestige versions, are the high-end cousins of the Audi Q5 crossover, on which both are based. They are front-engine, all-wheel-drive compact luxury utility vehicles with four side doors and a rear hatch.

Engine/transmission: Audi SQ5 models come with a turbocharged 3-liter, 24-valve gasoline V-6 with variable valve timing (354 horsepower, 347 pound-feet of torque). The engine is linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission that also can be operated manually via paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.

Capacities: Seating is for five. Cargo capacity is 29.1 cubic feet with rear seats raised. The fuel tank holds 19.8 gallons of gasoline. Premium grade is required.

Mileage: I averaged 23 mpg in highway driving.

Safety: Standard equipment includes front- and rear-ventilated disc brakes; four-wheel antilock brake protection; emergency braking assistance; electronic brake-force distribution; automatic brake drying; electronic stability and traction control; dusk sensing and automatically leveling headlamps; cornering lights; Audi roadside assistance program.

Pricing: The 2014 Audi SQ5 starts at $51,900 with a dealer’s invoice price of $48,268. Add $7,500 to the consumer’s price for Prestige package (onboard navigation with real-time traffic reports, rearview backup camera, Bang & Olufsen sound system, manually operated rear window shades and other items) and a $895 factory-to-dealer transportation charge. Consumer’s price as tested is $61,215. Dealer’s price as tested is $56,996.

Toyota, GM defects cast new light on push for self-driving autos

Computers are slowly taking over one of the most potent symbols of human independence: Driving.

The government says that shift will make the roads safer and eventually free people to work, read or even watch a movie as they travel from place to place.

But in the wake of deadly manufacturer defects at Toyota and General Motors, analysts are raising questions about whether autonomous vehicles could hurtle into dangerous territory.

Last month, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration took the first step toward requiring that new automobiles be equipped with sophisticated computers designed to communicate with other vehicles, with the aim of preventing accidents and, eventually, guiding cars through traffic.

Those systems are being field-tested in Michigan. Some other states permit fully autonomous cars to be driven on their roads in California, Google’s fleet has logged more than a half-million miles without incident. Before the decade is out, Volvo and Nissan say, self-driving cars will be available to the average consumer in dealer showrooms.

“Decades from now, it’s likely we’ll look back at this time period as one in which the historical arc of transportation safety considerably changed for the better,” said David Friedman, acting NHTSA administrator.

But while autonomous cars herald great promise, they also pose difficult policy questions. Who is liable, the driver or the manufacturer, if autonomous vehicles wreck? Who owns the trove of data the cars generate? Should a computer steer a car off the road if a tree limb falls in front of it? What about a child on a bicycle?

And the prospect of manufacturer defects would become even more alarming in vehicles that rely heavily on increasingly complex computer technology.

“Cars are meant to be driven by people, not machines,” said Joan Claybrook, a consumer advocate and former NHTSA administrator. “I have enough trouble trusting my computer, much less a computer to drive my car.”

Last week, the Justice Department fined Toyota $1.2 billion for covering up a sudden-acceleration problem that has spawned more than 400 lawsuits. Meanwhile, GM is facing multiple federal investigations into an ignition-switch problem that has contributed to at least 31 accidents and 12 deaths since surfacing more than a decade ago.

In both cases, the problems turned out to be basic and mechanical. But federal safety investigations into the defects were complicated by the millions of lines of computer code and advanced electronics that are already standard equipment.

“The reality is that the vast, vast majority of accidents are caused by human error and computers are going to dramatically improve on people’s driving,” said Joshua Schank, president and chief executive of the Eno Center for Transportation, a research organization that has studied the challenges posed by autonomous cars. But “people are very nervous about the idea that computers could go haywire and cause us to die.”

Researchers such as Schank tend to focus on the positive. In the foreseeable future, they say, self-driving technology will save fuel, cut pollution and reduce highway costs. As more cars become autonomous, they could safely tailgate, packing more vehicles into existing lanes and making traffic jams a thing of the past. Autonomous cars even have the potential to offer the disabled the freedom of the road.

The pace of change has been rapid. Just 10 years ago, a self-driving-car competition held by the Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency failed to produce a winner. Not a single entry was able to complete a 142-mile desert course between California and Nevada and claim the $1 million prize.

Fast-forward to 2007, when a team of researchers from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University tricked out a Chevrolet Tahoe with conspicuous sensors outside and advanced electronics inside. The SUV was able to follow traffic laws, merge into moving traffic, make its way through traffic circles and avoid other obstacles at a decommissioned Air Force base, proving that autonomous cars were more than a pipe dream.

By 2009, Google was test-driving autonomous cars on busy highways. Last year, speaking at a ceremony after the signing of a bill allowing the testing of autonomous cars on California highways, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said, “You can count on one hand the number of years until ordinary people can experience this.”

Auto manufacturers have also stepped up the pace of research. Some have established outposts in Silicon Valley intended to foster collaboration with the region’s deep well of technology entrepreneurs and quicken the pace at which the automobile is re-imagined.

“The metabolic rate of what happens here is dramatically different than what happens everywhere else,” said Venkatesh Prasad, a senior technical leader and self-described “what’s-next guy” with the Ford Motor Co.’s Research and Innovation group in Palo Alto, Calif.

Other work is being done in Michigan, the ancestral home of automobile development. In Ann Arbor, University of Michigan researchers backed by a federal highway safety grant have outfitted 3,000 cars with special sensors and wireless devices that allow them to exchange information with one another and with nodes mounted on traffic lights, at intersections and along curves on more than 70 miles of city streets.

Ten times a second the cars and roadways “talk” to one another, relaying vehicles’ location, speed and direction, and alerting drivers if their cars are going too quickly around a curve or if another car is erratically changing lanes or braking.

Researchers are combing through billions of messages passed through the network with an eye toward creating a robo-road system that would guide driverless cars from the garage to the grocery store and beyond.

To complement that research, the University of Michigan is constructing a 30-acre facility that would serve as a kind of test track for self-driving cars. The test area would allow engineers to see how autonomous cars perform in a complicated urban environment that includes street signs, stoplights even construction detours.

For consumers, researchers say, the automobile’s transformation is likely to unfold in stages. Within the next decade, cars will be able to drive themselves, but people will still have the option to take over.

After that? Some engineers envision vehicles that are little more than the private equivalent of railroad passenger cars, with no controls for humans at all.

Nissan recalls more than 1 million vehicles for air bags

Nissan is recalling just over 1 million cars, SUVs and vans because the front passenger air bags may not inflate in a crash. It’s the company’s second recall to fix the same problem.

The recall affects the Altima midsize car, Leaf electric car, Pathfinder SUV and Sentra compact models from the 2013 and 2014 model years, as well as the NV200 Taxi van and Infiniti JX35 SUV from 2013. Also covered are the Infiniti QX60 and Q50 SUVs from 2014.

In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Nissan says the vehicles’ computer software may not detect an adult in the passenger seat. If that happens, the air bags won’t inflate.

Nissan will notify owners and dealers will update the software for free. The recall is expected to start in mid-April.

Most of the vehicles were recalled in February of last year for a similar problem. Dealers replaced seat sensors, but Nissan said it continued to get consumer complaints and warranty claims in vehicles that had been repaired.

Front passenger seats have sensors that determine the passenger’s weight and turn off air bags off if a child is on board. The malfunctioning sensors can turn the air bags off even if an adult is in the seat.

Nissan received three reports of air bags failing to inflate in a crash. Spokesman Steve Yeager said in an e-mail that he is not sure if anyone was hurt in those incidents. There have been no deaths due to the problem, he said.

The recall affects almost 990,000 vehicles in the U.S., another 60,000 in Canada and small numbers in other countries, Yeager said.

Alfa Romeo returns to US after 10-year hiatus

The Italian sports car builder will be marking its official American return, after a 10-year absence, with the official launch of the 4C coupé at the New York International Auto Show in April. And, if all goes to plan, a compact, luxury off-roader will soon be on the way, too.

As such, the 4C will represent the first step the once great automotive brand is taking to rebuild its reputation and to attract the U.S. car-buying public in particular with a host of new models.

The coupé version of the 4C is to be followed by a convertible version and in 2015 by a real-wheel drive luxury sedan to rival the BMW 3 Series called the Giulia. According to Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne, it will reassert Alfa’s reputation for not just rear-wheel drive, but for handling finesse and of course, wonderful styling.

No doubt the Giulia will develop a loyal following if it is as good as Alfa Romeo hopes it is going to be, but the car that could really put the brand back on the map, particularly in the U.S. and China, is a compact, luxury SUV designed to compete with the VW Tiguan, Audi Q3 and BMW X3. This car is expected to go into production in 2016 and, if it has the desired impact, will be followed by a larger version that would compete with the Audi Q5.

Also key to the brand’s revival will be the Made in Italy marker. All cars carrying the Alfa Romeo badge will be built in Milan and exported.

Therefore, the company’s existing plans to build a new, affordable fun-to-drive roadster a modern-day Spider or Duceto in the U.S. in conjunction with Mazda looks like it is still going ahead, but the new car will be branded as a Fiat or Abarth instead.

However, it all starts with the 4C, which is hoping to impress the U.S. market in the same way that it has already wowed European car fans and motoring journalists alike with its lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum build, sublime handling and good looks.

Bentley feels need for speed; Rolls-Royce, not so much

Competing luxury car makers are taking very different approaches to developing their forthcoming SUV models.

How do you make a luxury SUV stand out from the crowd? According to Bentley, the answer is to make it incredibly fast. When its new off-roader rolls off the production line in 2016, it could well be capable of hitting 200 mph (320 km/h). At least, according to reports, that’s the challenge the company’s engineering department has been set.

Making a sportscar that fast is difficult enough, but to achieve those levels of performance, safely, in a vehicle that could stand nearly 2 meters high and need massive ground clearance (to avoid rocks and potholes) would be some feat indeed. And, it would no doubt have potential buyers forming a neat and orderly line outside dealerships.

But while Bentley is focusing on the ‘S’ for Sport, Rolls-Royce is getting obsessive about the ‘U’ for Utility.

The BMW-owned luxury brand first admitted that it was loosely considering the idea of a rugged limousine in January, but unlike its closest direct competitor, it is in no rush to even develop a working concept.

Speaking to Autocar, Jolyon Nash, Rolls-Royce’s global sales and marketing chief, said, Sports and utility are not two words you normally associate with Rolls-Royce. The challenge we have given to our designers is a concept that fits Rolls-Royce.

And, if the designs don’t meet the brief then We won’t be entering the segment, Nash is quoted as saying.

The premium SUV market is growing quickly and until recently Range Rover and the AMG reworked Mercedes G-Wagon pretty much had the segment to themselves.

But in recent years Porsche and Audi have joined the party and now Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley and Jaguar are all preparing to move into the segment too. Rumors are even surrounding BMW, Rolls-Royce’s parent company.

It is reported that the company is testing the feasibility of building a full-size luxury off-roader based on its 7-Series platform.

Three of the best electric cars out there

Electric cars might still be a rarity on many roads but, thanks to improvements in battery technology and charging infrastructure, price cuts and government grants and other schemes, the vehicles are starting to gain in popularity. A look at three of the best currently on the road.

Nissan Leaf

In 2010, Nissan and Renault were bullish about the impact the car would have and set a target of selling 1.5 million Nissan and Renault-branded electric vehicles before the end of 2016. Although the companies have since been forced to rein back their enthusiasm the target is now 1.5 million cars by 2020 sales of the Nissan Leaf alone already account for nearly 10 percent of that target.

Since its launch in 2011, the Leaf has achieved sales of over 100,000, making it the world’s most popular electric car. Part of this has been achieved through aggressive advertising, by discounting and through government-backed schemes, but, fundamentally by constantly improving the car as technologies develop.

As a result, the latest generation Leaf is capable of traveling 124 miles (200km) on a single charge. It is also more comfortable and roomy when traveling that distance, thanks to reworked suspension, the introduction of higher cabin specifications and the relocation of the charging point to the car’s nose. This has freed up space in the rear for back-seat passengers and their luggage.

The other big change since the car’s launch has been available charging points. Nissan and Renault have worked hard to extend the Leaf and other Nissan and Renault-branded electric vehicles’ desirability by investing in supercharging infrastructure. There are now over 1000 fast charging points across Europe that can add an 80 percent charge to the car’s batteries in roughly 30 minutes. The company aims to hit the 1800 charger mark in Europe by the end of this year.

Technical specifications:

0-60 mph: 10.1 seconds

Power: 107bhp

Range: 124 miles

Price: $28,800

Tesla Model S P85 Performance+

The Leaf might be the world’s most popular green car, but there is little doubt that the Model S is the world’s most desirable electric car.

And, in P 85 Performance + guise it can compete with the best that BMW and Mercedes have to offer in terms of performance, comfort and looks, while still offering emission free motoring. The Model S comes with a premium price tag in excess of $87,000 once the customization options are selected but it also offers a premium range for an electric vehicle of 265 miles (426km).

Initially only available to US customers upon its launch in 2012, it quickly became the vehicle of choice in Silicon Valley where it is known as the Apple Mac because of the devotion it creates with owners. Since August 2013 it has also been on sale in left-hand drive form in Europe and a right-hand-drive version is in development for the UK and Japanese markets. At the beginning of 2014 it also officially went on sale in China.

Like Nissan, Tesla has been hard at work putting in the charging infrastructure necessary to make its cars more practical and has already managed to build a US-wide network of superchargers that can add a 50 percent charge to a battery in 20-30 minutes.

It also has similarly comprehensive plans for Europe and has set itself a deadline of the end of 2014 for electrifying German, Norwegian and Dutch roads and for providing access within a 320km (200-mile) radius to Tesla owners in France, England, Wales and Sweden.

Technical specifications:

0-60 mph: 4.2 seconds

Power: 416bhp

Range: 265 miles

Price: $87,000

BMW i3

The German company, with a reputation for building drivers’ cars has, unsurprisingly, taken a slightly different approach to a number of electric carmakers with its first truly environmentally friendly offering.

Its lightweight, battery-powered city car, the i3, uses carbon fiber to keep weight down and rear-wheel drive to make the car fun to drive. It’s also pretty fast 0-100km/h (62mph) in just a smidgen over 7 seconds.

However, the nimble handling and acceleration come at a cost range. To keep the weight down, the battery is small and is only good for 130-160km (about 99 miles) before a recharge is needed.

However, the car’s navigation system, smartphone and smartwatch apps are designed to factor available range and closest charging points into route selection and there’s a 24-hour helpline for anyone who might end up stranded on mile 100.

Other steps BMW is taking to increase peace of mind is to offer the car with an optional generator a 650cc gas engine that can be installed to charge the batteries, essentially turning the car into a series hybrid. However, it only has a 9-liter tank so is there as an emergency range extender, good for a further 100km or so and not for a real cross-country adventure.

That’s why BMW also plans to offer owners access to other types of cars, such as big SUVs and larger sedans for longer-distance trips and weekends away so that they keep the i3 solely for week-day commuting.

It looks as if BMW could be on to something. It is struggling to meet demand. Over 11,000 have already been sold and in the US the company has had to impose a three-to-six-month waiting list for new customers.

Technical specifications

0-60 mph: 7.2 seconds

Power: 168bhp

Range: 99 miles

Price: $41,350

BMW i3: Strong and futuristic (review)

Some people would kill for this job; I don’t know why they gave it to me. I won’t be surprised if/when they take it away. I do enjoy driving, but I’m no car nut. At times I struggle to find anything interesting to say, so I write about my girlfriend or our kid and our unremarkable lives instead, then work a bit of the car in. Some of you moan: call this a car review? No, not really; try  What Car? magazine if you want a proper one of them. Also, you try writing 500 interesting words about a  Kia cee’d. Most cars are boring (unless you’re into them, in which case you probably are).

Not this one, though. For the first time in, well, maybe ever, I’ve got a new car that is not only interesting and innovative but also likable. There are loads of electric cars now, most of which are much like any other car, only they’re powered in a different way. Greener, quieter, you can feel better about yourself, but on the downside they’re very expensive and don’t go very far. This one has those issues (though there is a version with a small additional petrol engine to extend the range, but it costs more). But in other ways it’s brilliant.

For one, it’s different, not just a car with an electric motor. BMW has rethought the whole thing. Look at it! It’s made of carbon fibre, it’s light and strong strong enough to do away with the B pillar between the front and the back. Open the front door, then the back door, which swings the other way, like the previous generation of London taxi, and now it’s properly open, welcoming. Step in!

Inside, it’s light and airy, uncluttered, futuristic. Materials are interesting. I think  Kevin McCloud would approve. My son (there he is!) certainly does. His window is low enough to see out of. Not that he wants to; there’s way more interesting stuff going on inside.

To drive, once I’ve figured out how to, it’s a blast. Quick (up there with a hot hatch away from the lights), well-balanced and responsive. Range is between 80 and 120 miles, depending on how you drive it and what setting you have it on: EcoPro+ for more miles but fewer comforts (such as heating); the version with the petrol engine approximately doubles that range.

The i3 has loads of clever tricks up its sleeve. It avoids collisions, with cars and pedestrians. It will stay in its lane on the motorway.  And the self-parking is the best I’ve seen. You press a button and it parks finds the space, turns the wheel, goes backwards and forwards, until it’s in. Free of stress, free of sexism.

I’m practically redundant (that’s fine, I didn’t like driving that much). There really is a sense that this car is heading towards the future. And it’s good to know the future isn’t joyless.

BMW i3

Price: $42,323
Top speed: 93 mph
Acceleration: 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds
Range: 80-120 miles
Eco rating: 9/10
Cool rating: 9/10

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

Newest models shined for opening April 9

New 2014 and 2015 models are heading this direction, as the start of the Denver Auto Show is barely more than two weeks away (April 9-13). It’s the biggest car show in this part of the country, with more than 500 new ones representing 39 makes from Acura to Volkswagen and models from A3 to Z4.

The big attraction will run from Wednesday, April 9, to Sunday, April 13, at the Colorado Convention Center.

Preceding the show will be the sixth annual charity preview party on Tuesday, April 8, benefiting the Denver Post Foundation, National Jewish Health and Clear the Air Foundation. The 2014 car of the year, truck of the year and SUV of the year will be announced, as chosen by the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press group.

Car show hours will be 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, which can be purchased online at www.denverautoshow.com or at the door, are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, with no charge for those younger than 6.

The Denver Auto Show is owned by the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, headed by Tim Jackson, and produced by the Paragon Group. Representing the dealer group as auto show chairman this year is Todd Maul.

Eighteen makes of vehicles were displayed at Denver’s first automobile show at the old Coliseum in May 1902. Among dealers were George E. Hannan, J. Hervey Nichols Jr., Bryan Haywood, Bilz Brothers, Webb Jay, Potter Automobile and Storage Depot, A.T. Wilson, E.R. Cumbe and S.C. Shearer.

A new model, known as the Chevrolet, drew attention at the 1912 show, which had been moved to the Denver Auditorium. Other makes included Baker Electric, Buick, Cadillac, Chalmers-Detroit, Ford, Fritchle, Kissel Kar, Maxwell, Mitchell, Moon, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Overland, Packard, Peerless, Pierce Arrow, Rambler, Reo, Sterling, Stevens-Duryea, Studebaker, Thomas, Velie and White Steamer.

Though the Denver show is one of the oldest in the country, it wasn’t scheduled on an annual basis until 1978.

For more information of the upcoming show, phone 800-251-1563 or www.denverautoshow.com.

Subaru Outback sits pretty at long last

Traffic can be a jailer, confining you to your automobile, granting freedom of movement only as it pleases. The romance of driving succumbs to boredom and tension under the circumstance. It matters not whether you have 500 or 100 horsepower, you are moving at the same pace as everyone else, assuming you are moving at all.

In horrific traffic jams, much the norm on roads in and out of the Washington region, my view of driving turns inward, specifically toward the passenger cabin enclosing me at the moment.

Is it attractive, comfortable, well organized and safe? Does it make me feel like a pauper, prince or king? Do I look forward to sitting inside of it again, if only to move an inch a minute in traffic going nowhere fast?

For years, my answer was a resounding No to those questions, especially to the last one, for almost any interior put together by Subaru of Japan. The company seemed to know nothing about interior design, to care nothing about it, either.

Happily, that Subaru seems to have been replaced by one that does not confuse good interior design with Lenten sacrifice. The proof is in the 2014 Subaru Outback wagon, Limited edition. It is one of the best automobile interiors I have sat in at any price, which makes it all the more attractive.

The Outback line includes four equipment/trim levels 2.5i, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, and 3.6R Limited. The numbers refer to engine sizes 2.5i for the direct-injection 2.5-liter, horizontally opposed boxer-type four-cylinder engine (173 horsepower, 174 pound-feet of torque), and 3.6R for the horizontally opposed six-cylinder model (256 horsepower, 247 pound-feet of torque).

The 2.5i Limited is plush. But it is the kind of plush I’d be willing to live with at an out-the-door price south of $33,000, nearly $7,000 less than some more prestigious nameplates offering less equipment.

The 2.5i Limited gives you high-quality, exceptionally well-designed, well-crafted equipment at a price that is statistically affordable (according to Interest.com, a consumer affordability research firm) for many gainfully employed households.

Step inside this wagon. There are supple, leather-covered seats with contrast stitching. The instrument panel, including a 7.5-inch center-console screen, flows easily into the rest of the wagon’s interior. It makes sense. It belongs there. Brushed aluminum and wood-grain accents blend well. There is nothing forced, strained or overdone. It is a comfortable, welcoming place. You want to be here even if the crazy driver in front of you is holding up traffic in two lanes by trying to cut in front of an 18-wheel truck.

I know. We don’t buy cars, wagons, trucks just to sit in them. But the reality is that we sit in them, whether we want to or not, almost as much as we sit anywhere else. The traffic isn’t moving! What are you going to do jump out of your vehicle and make zoom-zoom noises as you run between congested lanes? Probably not. You are going to sit.

There’s no need to worry. When the traffic starts moving and in the off chance that it actually starts moving at certifiable highway speeds the new Outback Limited will have no problems keeping up. The wagon’s standard 2.5-liter gasoline, four-cylinder boxer engine is something of a wonder. It is relatively quiet, powerful enough, wonderfully well balanced. It is one of the smoothest four-cylinder engines I’ve ever driven.

Snow and ice aren’t problems with this one. The chassis of the all-wheel-drive Outback clears the ground by 8.7 inches. Subaru’s legendary asymmetrical all-wheel-drive system, instantly sending extra traction to wheels that need it when they need it, is more than enough to keep you going in bad weather on the road and in moderate off-road (grass, gravel, shallow mud) driving. Those capabilities, plus an interior finally worthy of the name, make this Outback a winner.

Cherokee may not show Jeep DNA until you get it stuck

Sometimes it’s best to bring a shovel on a test drive.

It’s unnecessary ballast when driving a new Honda, but a good idea when trying out the reanimated Jeep Cherokee. The 2014 Trailhawk model reads Trail Rated on the fender, pretty much a dare to a certain section of the populace, myself included. As if issuing the challenge, Are we doing this, or what?

Yes, we are.

That’s why I placed a towrope, a long-handled shovel and a hatchet in the back of my Cherokee Trailhawk 4Ã4, which has a starting price of $29,495, and $36,120 as tested. I was going to drive the SUV around the snow-covered roads of rural Pennsylvania until I found out just how Jeep-y this Jeep proved to be. Getting stuck was part of the plan.

I wouldn’t treat most vehicles this way, but Jeep products have a genuine legacy to live up to. Since 1941³ is stamped right on the bottom of the steering wheel. From World War II onward, Jeep, now part of Fiat SpA’s Chrysler Group, has produced America’s rough-and-tumble standards.

The original 1970s-era Cherokee was the forebear of sport- utility vehicles. It looked like a burly wagon, though with hardy internals for serious off-roading. The later models introduced in the 1980s were rugged, but drove more kindly on asphalt. You still see them in places like southern Colorado, often bearing KC roof lights and knobby, oversized tires.

The more family-friendly Grand Cherokee was released in the early 1990s. By the 2000s the base Cherokee nameplate was replaced by the rather sad Jeep Liberty.

So the announcement last year that the Cherokee would be returning was met with enthusiasm right until fans got a look at it and universally decided they loathed the front end.

The faux vertical grille slots on the sharp-edged nose don’t bother me so much. It’s the side profile I dislike. Traditional Jeep design elements like the squared-off wheel arches feel forced on the slick, carlike profile.

In fact, the silhouette of the Cherokee reminds me too much of the front-wheel-drive Dodge Dart, which shares the same platform. (Other elements, including the on-road ride, remind me of the Dart, too, and that’s not a compliment.)

The base Cherokee has a 2.4-liter four-banger, a 184- horsepower engine that, frankly, seems dreadful. Just too little power, particularly when combined with four-wheel drive. The 3.2-liter V-6 on my test vehicle had a more acceptable 271 horsepower. It had a nine-speed transmission and, while no barnstormer, ample pep to get up hills.

I liked the Cherokee least on the freeway. The week before I’d driven a General Motors Co. GMC Sierra Denali full-size pickup on a section of fast, sinuous highway and had commented on how smooth and stable it felt. In comparison, the Cherokee’s shorter wheelbase and relatively high center of gravity left it skittish and less composed, particularly on its chunky all- terrain tires.

Still, it’s the off-road components that make it a genuine Jeep. You could opt for the front-wheel drive only, but in that case a Honda or Hyundai crossover is a better choice.

The Trailhawk model has a heightened suspension and a system for selecting specific terrains such as snow, rock, mud and sand. More essentially, it has gearing for low range and a locking mechanical rear differential, hard-core 4Ã4 gear you won’t find on another light off-roader, Tata Motors’ Land Rover Evoque.

After this winter’s extreme temperatures, the roads in eastern Pennsylvania were pitted and warbled, and while the Cherokee’s interior clanked and shimmied, the suspension handled bumps with a good degree of confidence.

I turned off the asphalt onto a logging road, still covered in snow. The only other interlopers had been outdoorsmen on personal ATVs who had plowed narrow tracks through the crunchy crust. I placed the Cherokee’s Active Drive II system into snow mode and headed up a steep hill. The tires never slipped.

So I headed deeper into the woods, and deeper snow. Tires scrabbled to maintain traction as they broke through virgin snow. It was imperative that I keep moving. As the Cherokee wiggled down the road, I averted my eyes from a steep slope on one side. Going that way would be worse than being stuck.

Going down on a hill on a section of crowned road, I found the truck crabbing too far to the edge, into deep snow. My rear tires spun and I relaxed off the gas. Bad move. I was stuck.

I got out to assess the situation. The Jeep was leaning toward the driver’s side, the front left wheel sunk up to the axle. I reversed and then nudged forward. No luck.

Out came the shovel and the vehicle’s floor mats, which I shoved behind the tires for added traction. I dug around the tires and reversed, gaining some ground. So it went for 20 or so minutes.

Was I worried? Well, there was a ranger station a few miles up the road. But I didn’t want to bother them, especially as this was the trouble I’d been looking for. And I was feeling pretty confident in the Jeep’s timeworn 4Ã4 systems.

I packed down enough snow that I could reverse back up the hill some dozen feet, and then made a run back onto the center of the road. Success.

There may be no mistaking the Cherokee for a hard-core off-roader like its cousin, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. But it’s still Jeep enough to get you into plenty of trouble.

The 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 4Ã4 at a glance

Engine: 3.2-liter V-6 with 271 horsepower.

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic.

Gas mileage per gallon: 18 city, 25 highway.

Price as tested: $36,120.

Best feature: Jeep enough to have fun in the outdoors.

Worst feature: Jeep enough to ride a little rough on the highway.

Tesla can topple the auto dealer's monopoly

Ask any of Tesla’s customers or fans what makes them so enthused about the California car brand, and the answer will almost always have something to do with the all-electric drive-train strategy or the inevitable replacement of gas cars with electric power. Actually, Tesla’s automotive technology is neither completely unique nor guaranteed to put an end to internal combustion (let alone support the firm’s ludicrous market valuation). What is revolutionary, however, is Elon Musk’s desire to build a retail network free from the franchise-dealer monopoly. And, despite some setbacks this week, he might just succeed.

By attacking the gatekeepers of automotive retail, Tesla is promising not just a unique sales and service experience for its well-off customers, but a more liberalized, competitive market for all car buyers. In this sense, Tesla does indeed hold the promise of a better if not greener future.

The dealers themselves, of course, are none too pleased. And they have one of the best-funded and most active political lobbies in the United States, even securing for themselves an inexplicable exemption from Consumer Finance Protection Bureau oversight. Worse, Tesla is facing not just a federal-level battle with this implacable foe, but a state-by-state fight as well, with New Jersey and Texas becoming the latest to ban direct sales.

After all, car dealers have everything at stake. Unlike most developed markets, the U.S. is built on a system that allows new vehicles to be sold only by franchised dealers. This not only bars makers such as Tesla from cutting out the middleman and selling directly to consumers, it prevents new players from entering the market and providing new sources of competition. As Alex Tabarrok points out in a excellent post at Marginal Revolution, the initial benefits of the dealer franchise system have long since given way to rent-seeking, inefficiency and unintended consequences.

Indeed, the excesses of the dealer-franchise monopoly go a long way in explaining the woes of Detroit’s automakers. Locked into franchise agreements that they can break only at extreme cost (see the $1 billion GM paid to buy out Oldsmobile dealers in 2004), U.S. automakers are hampered in adjusting sales and branding to changes in demographics and taste. Moreover, the franchise system encourages automakers to push volume onto their dealers in pursuit of short-term goals, in turn leading to steeper discounts, worse resale values and long-term damage to brand equity. Not coincidentally, Europe and Japan’s more competitive retail markets provide incentive for car manufacturers to more closely match supply with demand, preventing the excesses that lead to massive crashes like the one that forced GM and Chrysler into the arms of the U.S. government in 2008.

So what chance does Elon Musk has realizing his vision of a post-monopoly car market? Actually, momentum might be on his side. Chrysler’s new owner Fiat recently battled California’s car dealers for the right to operate non-franchise retail laboratories for its Fiat 500 city cars. TrueCar, an online car shopping site, butted heads with dealers over online price competition. Ebay and Groupon have dipped toes into new-car sales, Costco is nibbling around the edges of the dealer monopoly, and even major automakers show real interest in the potential for online sales. Even in the realm of service, where dealers make up for slim sales margins with huge profits, growing support for right to repair legislation which would force automakers to give the same information and tools to independent repair shops that they provide to dealers threatens an arguably more important dealer monopoly.

Though Tesla is attacking the franchise system most directly and gaining the headlines as a result, it’s hardly alone in pushing for a change to America’s archaic and inefficient auto retail system. Musk would do well to reach out to these other players as he continues to fight what is, by any macroeconomic analysis, the good fight.

By carrying the standard for retail market liberalization, Tesla shows that it aspires to be more than a green gimmick, but heir to the best traditions of American innovation. And that’s a revolution worth getting excited about.

Bentley gives sneak peek at new SUV

The luxury sports car maker has published the first official image of its first ever off-roader.

And, as the car isn’t destined to go into production until 2016, Bentley has a lot of time to fill in order to keep potential owners engaged and excited.

Competition in the premium SUV class is starting to build with Maserati and Lamborghini both poised to launch 4x4s and even Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin are actively weighing up the pros and cons of joining the party too.

Nevertheless, Bentley claims that the car will be the most powerful SUV on the market when it does go on sale and that the finished item will not be mistaken for anything other than a Bentley, meaning it will be exclusive, comfortable, a showcase for leather and wood craftsmanship, and potent.

And, if the teaser image is anything to go by, it will also keep the proportions and styling cues present in its limousine and GT cars.

The company also claims that since it officially announced it was building an off-roader, it has received 2000 orders and that the petrol-powered SUV will be joined by a hybrid model in 2018.

Volvo starts testing talking cars

It turns out that it’s not only British people that like to talk about the weather; so do Swedish cars. But unlike the Brits, who use the subject as a way of making small talk or breaking the ice, Volvos are getting conversational in a bid to avoid ice and to help keep other cars safe on the road.

When a communicative Volvo encounters slippery conditions thanks to black ice or freezing temperatures, it will send that information to other cars, via the cloud. Then when the next car reaches the same point on the road, the driver has already been informed via dashboard alerts and so is prepared to respond to the conditions.

The pilot test scheme, which launches Wednesday will initially involve 50 specially adapted cars and is a partnership between Volvo, the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen).

The pilot is one of the first practical examples of the way communication between vehicles over the mobile network enables vehicles to ‘speak’ to each other and with the traffic environment. This can contribute to making traffic safer, says Erik Israelsson, Project Leader Cooperative ITS (Intelligent Transport System) at Volvo Cars. We have 50 test cars on the roads, and next winter the fleet will grow considerably. Our aim is to make the technology available for our customers within a few years, he adds.

The system uses the mobile phone network to send and receive data between cars and Volvo’s online database which crunches the information and converts it into warnings which are tailored to the severity of the conditions. The database wil also be used to alert the authorities in terms of road maintenance areas of the road network that need more attention or that require further winter treatment, for example.

When the road administrator has access to information from a large number of cars, the data can be used to make winter road maintenance more efficient. The information could help to improve road safety further for all road users. This could also reduce the use of salt when not needed and minimise the environmental impact, says Erik Israelsson.

The pilot scheme is part of Volvo’s overriding research into autonomous driving systems and technology and although the current focus is on reporting changing driving conditions, car-to-car communication and car-to-infrastructure communication have a host of other possibilities.

This is only the beginning. In the future we will have increased exchange of vital information between vehicles, says Erik Israelsson. There is considerable potential in this area, including safer traffic, a more comfortable drive and an improved traffic flow.

And of course, as safety systems become more active and cars become more autonomous, the system could be ramped up so that as well as a weather warning, stability and traction control settings could also be communicated to ensure the car stays planted firmly on the road.

Testing of Audi’s system is underway in Las Vegas, the northern Italian city of Verona, and in Berlin, and a market launch is currently the subject of intense analysis in the United States.

Mercedes S-Class coupé gets turbo treatment

The results will be seen for the first time when the ultra fast car makes its global debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.

For many, the S-Class coupé was already jaw-dropping to look at.  It’s a car that offers all of the creature comforts, refinery and technological innovation of a premium, premium, executive car, yet distilled into a sloping, GT form.

And now, thanks to the addition of an AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine, it is going to be equally jaw-dropping to drive. As Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH says: The new S 63 AMG Coupé is another exciting AMG dream car in the luxury segment. Mercedes-AMG is putting the pedal to the metal again in the new year. Our model initiative is set to continue at blistering pace in 2014.

And, looking at the performance specs, that is not hyperbole. This car is huge and seats four in living room levels of tranquility. Yet, with enough pressure applied to the accelerator, it will go from stately to 100 kph in as little as 3.9 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Part of this is down to the engine’s huge levels of torque and horsepower 900 Nm and 585 hp respectively, but it’s also due to the fact that AMG has managed to shed the car of 65 kg thanks to prodigious use of aluminium, composite materials in the braking system, specially forged light alloy wheels and a lithium ion battery.

This weight saving also helps to improve fuel efficiency. The car is capable of returning 27.9 mpg on the combined cycle.

And of course, being a top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz, the S 63 AMG Coupé is packed full of technological toys and cutting-edge driving features. Not least the magic Body Control suspension system that keeps the car planted and comfortable plus a curve tilting function that makes the car literally lean into corners and bends like a skier or motorcyclist for better roadholding grip and a better racing line.

The S 63 AMG Coupé is scheduled to go on sale before the end of 2014.

Kia doesn't lose Soul in improvements for 2014

The animated and dapper hamsters in Kia’s television ads aren’t the only ones who ride comfortably in Kia’s newly revamped Soul five-door hatchback.

People of nearly all sizes and budgets can find the five-passenger, 2014 Soul to be a satisfying small car. For 2014, it has a more responsive engine, more rigid body, ritzier passenger compartment and greater interior room than its predecessor.

Buyers just have to like riding in an expressively mod box.

Starting retail price for the 2014 Soul is affordable at less than $16,000.

With fold-down rear seats, the Soul has as much cargo space 61.3 cubic feet as a small sport utility vehicle.

Gasoline mileage can be better than that of an SUV. The test Soul with automatic averaged 26 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving without fuss.

Best of all, the 2014 model is the first Soul to earn top, five out of five stars in U.S. government crash tests in both frontal and side crash tests. Previous model year Souls got only four stars in frontal crash tests.

No wonder the Soul far outsells its major competition the boxy Scion xB and Nissan Cube. Specifically, 118,079 Souls were sold in the United States in calendar 2013, up 2 percent from the previous year. In comparison, Scion xB sales last year fell to 17,849 and Cube sales fell to 5,461.

The Soul is competitively priced. Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $15,695 for a base, 2014 Soul with 130-horsepower four cylinder and six-speed manual transmission. The lowest starting retail price for a 2014 Soul with automatic is $1,800 more, or $17,495.

There is a larger, more powerful four cylinder, too. Starting MSRP, including destination charge, for a 2014 Soul Plus model with this 164-horsepower direct injection powerplant is $18,995. The only transmission with the uplevel engine is a six-speed automatic.

All Souls come standard with heated outside mirrors, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, two 12-volt power connections, sunglasses holder with dual maplights above the front seats, air conditioning, tilt and telescoping steering wheel and power windows and door locks. There’s even a free, three-month subscription to Sirius/XM satellite radio for every 2014 Soul owner.

In comparison, the 2014 Scion xB has a starting retail price, including destination charge, of $17,725 with 158-horsepower four cylinder and five-speed manual transmission and $18,675 with four-speed automatic. The base, 2014 xB includes turn signals in the outside mirrors, remote entry and cruise control, which are not on the base Soul. But the base xB does not have heated outside mirrors.

Meantime, the base, 2014 Nissan Cube S starts at $17,570 with 122-horsepower four cylinder and six-speed manual. The base, 2014 Cube with continuously variable transmission that operates like an automatic has a starting retail price of $18,570. The base Cube includes remote keyless entry, cruise control and premium-look electroluminescent gauges that the base Soul does not have. But the Cube’s steering wheel only tilts and does not telescope in and out.

Many people don’t realize the Soul was Kia’s second best-selling vehicle in the United States, after the mid-size Optima sedan, last year. But it’s tough to beat the Soul’s easily maneuverable size, flexible cargo and people-hauling capability and value-for-the-money features.

The test Soul, for example, included remote keyless entry, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, Kia’s UVO infotainment system, rearview camera, navigation system, panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, leather-covered seats, push button start, illuminated lighting at the audio speakers, heated steering wheel and more for just over $26,000.

The Soul’s box shape is changed just slightly for 2014, and most observers didn’t notice the changes on the test vehicle. Specifically, the Soul is about a half inch shorter in height than before, so it’s a couple inches shorter than the Cube. This makes the Soul feel less tippy than the Cube in curves and turns but still allows for ample, 39.5 inches of headroom in front and rear seats. The 2014 Scion xB has more headroom than either competitor 40 inches in the front seats and 41.2 inches in the back.

Back-seat legroom is generous in this segment, and for 2014, Kia expanded the Soul’s wheelbase the distance from the middle of one wheel on one side of the vehicle to the middle of the other wheel on that same side to improve interior space. As a result, legroom measures 40.9 inches in the front seat and 39.1 inches in the back seat.

It’s worth noting that the Soul’s seat cushions sit up a comfortable distance from the car floor, so passengers don’t drop down to settle onto the seats. This higher seat position makes it easy to enter and exit the Soul and allows for the driver to have good views forward through the windows of cars that are in front of the Soul in traffic. Plus, the glass on the rear-door windows goes down all the way.

Most Souls come with the uplevel, 2-liter, double overhead cam four cylinder. It’s gasoline direct injected and mated only to a six-speed automatic.

Performance has been improved for more oomph at lower engine rpms. Torque peaks at 151 foot-pounds at 4,000 rpm, and with the Soul being such a lightweight car weighing just 2,700 to 2,850 pounds the powerplant did a good job of providing a spunky feel.

Still, the four cylinder buzzed loudly when pressed to accelerate hard.

The tester averaged better than the federal government ratings of 23/31 mpg and translated into a range of 369 miles on a single, 14.2-gallon tank.

U.S. announces $1.2 billion Toyota settlement

WASHINGTON The government announced a $1.2 billion settlement with Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday and filed a criminal charge alleging the company defrauded consumers by issuing misleading statements about safety issues in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Attorney General Eric Holder said it is the largest financial penalty of its kind ever imposed on an auto company. Under a deferred prosecution agreement, an independent monitor will review policies, practices and procedures at the company.

The action concludes a four-year criminal investigation into the Japanese automaker’s disclosure of safety problems, which focused on whether Toyota was forthright in reporting problems related to unintended acceleration troubles.

Rather than promptly disclosing and correcting safety issues … Toyota made misleading public statements to consumers and gave inaccurate facts to members of Congress, Holder told a news conference.

Toyota said that at the time of the recalls, we took full responsibility for any concerns our actions may have caused customers, and we rededicated ourselves to earning their trust, said Christopher P. Reynolds, chief legal officer of Toyota Motor North America. In the more than four years since these recalls, we have gone back to basics at Toyota to put our customers first.

Toyota said it had made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements.

Starting in 2009, Toyota issued massive recalls, mostly in the U.S., totaling more than 10 million vehicles for various problems including faulty brakes, gas pedals and floor mats. From 2010 through 2012, Toyota Motor Corp. paid fines totaling more than $66 million for delays in reporting unintended acceleration problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration never found defects in electronics or software in Toyota cars, which had been targeted as a possible cause.

Volvo tests sensor system that detects distracted drivers

Volvo is developing a detection system that could automatically take over the vehicle’s controls when it senses the driver is distracted, tired or asleep.

It uses a dashboard-mounted sensor that captures information from infrared light projected onto the driver’s face.

Although invisible to the human eye, the infrared light helps the sensor detect things such as whether eyes are open or closed, the position of the driver’s head and whether he or she is looking straight ahead, down at dashboard controls or out of one of the side windows.

Since the car is able to detect if a driver is not paying attention, safety systems can be adapted more effectively. For example, the car’s support systems can be activated later on if the driver is focused, and earlier if the driver’s attention is directed elsewhere, explains Per Landfors, engineer at Volvo Cars and project leader for driver support functions.

The technology is already being used in Volvo test vehicles and can be integrated into a number of the company’s existing active safety systems, including those focused on keeping a car in a lane, its adaptive cruise control and its collision warning and automatic braking systems.

However, that’s just the start. Being able to track the driver’s head position could enhance accessibility features: for example, automatically raising or lowering the driver’s seat, steering wheel, plus wing and rear-view mirrors so that they are in the best possible positions.

Interior and exterior lighting could also respond to where the driver is looking at a particular moment. This could be done by the sensor measuring between different points on the face to identify the driver, for example. At the same time, however, it is essential to remember than the car doesn’t save any pictures and nor does it have a driver surveillance function, Per Landfors clarifies.

Volvo is one of several automotive companies attempting to be an autonomous driving technology pioneer and this technology would also help bring self-driving features to production cars rapidly.

Initial autonomous cars will not be fully autonomous and will require an alert driver, ready to step in when road conditions become too challenging, or when there is a problem with self-driving sensors, for example. This system could be used to identify if the driver is in a position to take over driving duties or whether the car would have to stop.

Currently being developed in partnership with Chalmers University of Technology, PSA Peugeot Citroen is creating an emotional recognition system with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne that will be able to identify road rage, anger and other forms of driver frustration.

Ferrari and Volvo rule out bringing CarPlay to older vehicles

Unlike Mercedes, which says it’s working on a way to bring Apple’s new in-car tech to existing customers, other companies won’t be following the same path.

It means that for the moment at least, CarPlay, Apple’s new system for mirroring iPhone functionality on the car dashboard is going to be both an exclusive and elusive feature.

As well as Mercedes, Volvo and Ferrari, who have all demonstrated the technology working in their latest cars due to go on sale this year a host of other companies have pledged to offer CarPlay in new cars soon.

However, so far, none of the other brands from Honda and Jaguar Land Rover to Ford and Toyota, have been prepared to say exactly when CarPlay is coming and in which cars it is likely to feature.

And now, Ferrari and Volvo have both released statements to Apple news site 9to5Mac saying that they won’t be offering CarPlay as a retro-fitted option to existing customers.

Volvo claims that the reason is that to do so would be too complicated. It’s not simply a matter of installing new software but of essentially changing the layout of the dashboard and instrument panel as its take on CarPlay is all about increasing safety and reducing driver distraction.

Ferrari has said that although CarPlay will not be offered to existing customers, it does offer an aftermarket product aimed at offering last generation infotainment, completely compatible with most recent phones. Already compatible with the Ferrari F430, it will soon also be offered to 599, 612 Scaglietti and first-generation California owners too.

So far, leading aftermarket in-car system companies, including Pioneer and Kenwood, have also been quiet on the subject only confirming that none of their 2014 replacement music and navigation head systems will be supporting the technology.

Meaning that for now, the only company likely to offer an aftermarket installation will be Mercedes, which has confirmed it is working on a solution but is yet to reveal which cars will qualify for the system.

In January, Google announced that it had formed the Open Road partnership with a number of leading auto-makers, including Volkswagen, to bring a safer form of Android to the car dashboard.

However, a production version of the system is yet to be demoed. Worried about alienating potential customers over their preferred smartphone operating system, Mercedes has made it clear that when the Android system launches officially it will be supporting it too.

Honda recalls 886,815 Odyssey minivans

Honda Motor Co. is recalling 886,815 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. because a fuel pump cover can deteriorate and cause a fuel leak.

Odysseys from 2005 through 2010 model years are involved. The recalled minivans were made between June 23, 2004, and September 4, 2010.

According to documents posted Saturday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the cover on the fuel pump strainer can wear down from exposure to high temperatures and acidic chemicals, like those found in fertilizers. Fuel leaks can cause a vehicle fire.

Honda says no fires or injuries have been reported.

Honda dealers will repair the vehicles for free, but the company says replacement parts may not be available until this summer. It will notify owners of the recall next month.

Mustang grabs starring role in 'Need For Speed'

The new movie Need For Speed is Aaron Paul’s vehicle, but it was the Ford Mustang that received the star treatment.

Before he even cast a single actor, director Scott Waugh traveled to Detroit to meet with Ford Motor Co. executives about using the Mustang in his movie that opened domestically Friday. The film begins in a blue-collar town and stars Paul as a car-loving, hard-working street racer.

The Mustang was the perfect fit for his lead character.

He was looking for a car that was iconic and definitive of American racing, and when it came to Ford, he was thinking specifically Mustang, Ford marketing manager Mary Ellen Abraham said Friday. We were really excited about the opportunity. It gave the Mustang an opportunity to be used well outside the typical product placement, and the Mustang was cast as a leading character in this film.

The movie is based on the popular EA Entertainment racing game, and as the main car in the film, the Mustang outshines six European super cars that are also featured.

The Mustang in Need For Speed is based on the 2013 Shelby GT500 and billed in the film as the final car famed designer Carroll Shelby was working on at the time of his 2012 death. Shelby was working on 50th anniversary edition of the Mustang when he died at the age of 89, but the car in the movie is a fictionalized.

It’s the mythology of the story, said Abraham. It’s entertainment.

But Waugh felt it was important element of the story. If you wanted a Mustang, you always wanted the Shelby Mustang because it was an amazing car, he said.

Both Ford and the Need For Speed production team were eager to respect the vision Shelby might have had for the hero Mustang. They didn’t want to make the car look too futuristic, and also kept two of Shelby’s signature design elements the blue stripes and chrome.

The frame was altered by celebrated Ford designer Melvin Betancourt and built by Techno Sports in Detroit. Among the custom alterations were a wider body, 20-inch alloy wheels, a V8 engine, heavier compression rates on the springs, high-charged Bilstein shocks and thicker sway bars. The interior console was adapted to accommodate an iPad for Paul’s character to use when communicating with his crew and the futuristic side-view mirrors were turned into cameras.

Seven different Mustangs were built, each serving specific purposes ranging from beauty shots, stunts and driving shots to a model that could be lifted by and hung from a helicopter.

We made several, and some of them were pretty roughed up, said Abraham. But a few vehicles still remain. We used two last week at the premiere, one that was being driven and one that was on the red carpet.

Ford also used one as the pace car last November during NASCAR’s championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the manufacturer is the title sponsor.

Need For Speed marks roughly the 3,000th appearance in a feature film for the Mustang, but one that Ford is particularly proud of.

We think that this one is truly unique and very special, Abraham said. Now one of the cars is driven by a really, really popular actor and it is based on a game that has over 17 million followers. So we’ve reached followers and customers and we’re breeding Mustang lovers and sharing why Mustang has been such an iconic brand.

GM recall doubled as Georgia lawyer pushed U.S. regulators

Six days after General Motors recalled almost 800,000 Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s for a defect that could cause surprise engine shutdowns, lawyer Lance Cooper, a solo practitioner in Georgia, sent government regulators a letter: There are more faulty GM models out there.

Six days later, on Feb. 25, the automaker more than doubled its recall to include other mid-2000s GM models, including Saturn Ions and Pontiac Solstices, saying their ignition switches could unexpectedly turn off if jostled by a driver or weighed down by a heavy ring of keys, cutting power to the engine and air bags.

The recalls have clouded the reputation of the biggest U.S. automaker, spurred new searches for deaths connected with the cars and raised a question that investigators in Washington, New York and inside GM are pursuing in parallel: Why didn’t GM recognize the potential dangers sooner?

To date, Cooper may have dug the deepest.

He single-handedly set the stage for this recall, said Sean Kane, an auto-safety analyst who credits Cooper for being the first to create a public record of what GM did with the ignition switch. Kane, the president of Rehoboth, Mass.- based Safety Research & Strategies, has worked with plaintiffs’ lawyers on suits involving sport-utility vehicle rollovers, tire recalls and unintended acceleration in some Toyota models. He consulted on Cooper’s suit against GM.

But for the things he has done, this thing doesn’t happen, Kane said.

Bringing a wrongful death lawsuit against GM, Cooper obtained more than 32,000 pages of related lawsuits and other documents from the company, deposed about a dozen of its engineers and gathered assessments of the ignition issue from dealers. According to some of the depositions, reviewed by Bloomberg News, the defect was known to some dealers, engineers and managers since at least 2004.

GM settled with Cooper’s clients for an undisclosed amount last September. Five months later, the company announced its recall. Shortly after that, it gave government regulators a timeline of the company’s knowledge of the defect that was consistent with Cooper’s findings, including engineers’ decade- long awareness of it.

GM spokesman Greg Martin declined to comment on Cooper’s lawsuit. The company has apologized for its delay in recalling the models, said its decision-making process was not as robust as it should have been and said it is studying ways to improve how it addresses defects.

Cooper is no big-firm litigator. The 51-year-old graduate of Emory University School of Law employs a handful of people in Marietta, just outside Atlanta. He litigated his case against GM mostly with the help of his paralegal, Doreen Lundrigan. His experience with GM echoes that of Tab Turner, the Arkansas-based sole practitioner whose personal injury suits helped lead to the 2000 recall of 6.5 million Firestone-brand tires from Japan’s Bridgestone Corp., many of them on Ford Motor Co.’s Explorer model.

Cooper characterizes himself as a free-market guy who believes the courts are necessary to police those markets. This is the poster-child case for why the civil-justice system is necessary: NHTSA knew about this for a number of years, and they didn’t get to the bottom of it, Cooper said in an interview.

NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has said it didn’t force GM to conduct the recall sooner because GM hadn’t provided timely information about the connection between defective ignition switches and failing air bags. Nathan Naylor, a NHTSA spokesman, declined to comment further.

Cooper said he took on his first product liability case in the early 1990s, involving a Ford Bronco II rollover. It sort of led to more cases, and as a result, this is where I am, he said.

Since 2009, according to people in his firm, Cooper has reached confidential settlements with GM in three other lawsuits involving alleged vehicle defects. Cooper has secured more than 50 settlement and trial awards, they said, including nine for amounts greater than $5 million.

Cooper was approached in February 2011 by the family of Brooke Melton, a 29-year-old Georgia pediatric nurse who died in March 2010 after her 2005 Chevy Cobalt lost power, veered into the opposite highway lane and hit an oncoming car.

Ken Melton, Brooke’s father, said in an e-mailed statement that Cooper was recommended to him by his insurance company, which he said had recently gone to court against him in another case and was very impressed.

Melton’s family received a recall notice from GM soon after the crash, Cooper said, related to an issue with the Cobalt’s power-steering.

In June 2011, Cooper filed a wrongful-death suit against GM on behalf of the family in State Court in Cobb County, Ga. That fall, Cooper asked GM for information related to the Cobalt’s power steering issue. I also told him I strongly believed that a technical/mechanical problem with the vehicle had caused the accident, not my daughter, Ken Melton said in the statement.

He soon changed his focus. Information from the black box in Melton’s Cobalt indicated that power had been cut not only to the power steering, but also to the rest of Melton’s car, Lundrigan said. Meanwhile, Cooper also became aware of bulletins GM sent to dealers in 2005 and 2006 pointing out scenarios in which drivers could inadvertently turn off the ignition in various GM models.

In a revised complaint filed in March 2013, Cooper alleged that as Melton drove her Cobalt on Georgia’s Highway 9, her key moved out of the run position, shutting off the engine and causing her to lose control and strike an oncoming car.

The impact caused Brooke’s vehicle to travel off the highway and into a creek, leading to injuries that resulted in her death, according to the complaint. GM was accused in the complaint of negligence in designing, testing and manufacturing such a car and of failing to adequately warn consumers.

In total, the firm deposed some 30 people familiar with the ignition-switch issue, including about 12 GM engineers, Lundrigan said.

Cooper’s focus on getting really into the internal workings of that corporation, getting into their engineering drawings, communications helped pressure GM, said Dennis Cathey, a Georgia lawyer who has known Cooper for more than a decade and worked with him on automotive defect cases. He has an innate sense of knowing that something could be wrong, and seeks to find out his proof to establish that wrong.

Even so, Cooper hadn’t received all that he sought from GM. In September 2012, he had asked GM for information on the ignition switches including related lawsuits and documents on a replacement part described in the dealer bulletins.

The following January, GM provided a lot more documents, Cooper said. They provided even more, he said, after the judge issued an order in February 2013 overruling GM’s general and unspecified objections to several of Cooper’s discovery requests and requiring the carmaker to produce all responsive documents and materials by the end of the month.

In subsequent depositions, though, GM engineers referred to documents that the automaker hadn’t provided, Cooper said. In June, he filed a motion seeking penalties against the carmaker for withholding information.

In September, two months ahead of the suit’s trial date, GM and the Meltons reached a confidential settlement, Cooper said. GM hadn’t provided the additional documents, he added.

A related suit could still reach trial. Cooper also sued Thornton Chevrolet, the dealership in Lithia Springs, Georgia, where Melton brought her car for repair just days before her fatal accident, according to the lawsuit. On the visit, the suit alleges, Melton raised concerns about the engine shutting off during driving. Thornton failed to identify and implement the GM bulletin to dealers aimed at addressing the problem, Cooper said. While the judge in the case has ruled on pretrial issues, a trial date hasn’t been set, according to Lundrigan.

The dealership’s attorney, Matthew Stone of Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP, said the firm couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

GM’s recall, and word of Cooper’s knowledge in the case, has given the solo lawyer a sudden popularity. The firm has received more than 70 calls in the past few weeks, from would- be plaintiffs, attorneys seeking to partner with Cooper and people thanking him for publicizing the issue, said Victoria Schneider, the firm’s marketing director.

I’ve talked to a few lawyers, Cooper said.

Cooper is bound by a protective order in the Melton case, in effect since December 2011, that bars him from sharing material and deposition testimony GM has designated confidential. He must also return GM’s documents after the case is finished. Copies of depositions in the case reviewed by Bloomberg News are heavily redacted, with the majority of some testimony blacked out.

While Cooper hasn’t filed more lawsuits since GM’s recall announcements in February, his firm’s investigation of the situation is continuing, he said.

If we were to file another lawsuit against GM, we’d call GM’s lawyers up and we’d say, ‘Hey, we’ve got all these documents, let us use them in the new case.’ If they say no, we’d file a motion with the judge, he said. We’ve had these situations before where most of the time, the manufacturer will be reasonable and allow you to use them.

Cooper said the process has been gratifying for Melton’s family. They hope the public will now know the whole truth about what GM did, he said.

New V-6, 8-speed power midsize Land Rover

The driver sits high in the tall, upright 2014 Land Rover LR4 SUV, surrounded by premium leather and in control of top-performing four-wheel-drive technology.

New power highlights the LR4 this year; a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine has replaced the 5-liter V-8 and an 8-speed automatic transmission sits in place of the former 6-speed. The V-6 churns out 340 horsepower and 332 lb.-ft. of torque, and the transmission offers normal, sport and manual-shift modes with paddleshift capability.

Gear selection is with the handy rotary dial on the center console and response to the various terrain situations is with the push of a button for normal driving or for grass, snow, mud or rock-crawling.

Adding efficiency to the new V-6 is a stop-start feature which quickly shuts down the engine at stoplights, then shudders to a restart when the brake is released.

A 50/50 split of city/highway driving, including a 120-mile road cruise, resulted in overall average of 17.3 miles per gallon. The LR4′s EPA estimate is 14/19. It rides on Continental 4X4 Contact 255/55R19 tires.

Few 4-by-4s offer the mix of rugged offroad prowess and interior luxury as does a Land Rover or Range Rover product.

The LR4′s rear cargo area is accessed from a split assymetrical tailgate. Two small seats lift from the cargo floor to offer limited third-row seating.An 825-watt Meridian surround sound with 17 speakers, dual sunroofs, navigation and two-speed transfer box pushed price of the LR4 to $62,895. The LR4′s beautiful almond/arabica leather finish is trimmed in walnut wood. The LR4 is built in Solihull, England.

The 113.6-inch wheelbase for the big, tough LR4 is exceeded only by the flagship Range Rover’s 115 inches and 122.9 for the long-wheelbase version among Land Rover products. The Range Rover Sport sits on a wheelbase of 108 inches and the LR2 and Evoque 104.7.

Two Denver dealerships, Land Rover Denver East and Land Rover Highlands Ranch, after their purchase by Kuni Automotive have been combined, renamed Land Rover Denver and moved into a remodeled operation at 6160 S. Broadway.

2014 Nissan Altima sedan: A solid bet on the ordinary

Ordinary well done deserves attention. It, at least, merits thanks. In that spirit, accept this column as gratitude for the 2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL sedan.

But let’s first get some things out of the way. The Nissan Altima is no speedster, not even with its optional 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine (270 horsepower, 251 pound-feet of torque). It certainly won’t excite speed demons in standard form 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine (182 horsepower, 180 pound-feet of torque).

With either engine, it will get you to where you have to go safely, reliably, comfortably and with more than a modicum of style. It is a wonderfully ordinary car for ordinary people, which is offensive only if you find something wrong with being ordinary. I don’t.

I like ordinary. I believe that ordinary rules, even in the automobile industry. In fact, it is reasonable to argue that if ordinary did not exist, exceptional would be kaput, too. Think about it. Most exotic car companies exist today only because they are owned by manufacturers that earn most of their money making and selling ordinary cars and trucks.

Bugatti and Lamborghini, for example, owe their continued existence to Volkswagen. Jaguar and Land Rover, former wards of Ford Motor Co., now derive sustenance from India’s Tata, maker of many ordinary vehicles, among other things. And Cadillac, now grown ridiculously haughty, as evidenced by its supremely arrogant Poolside TV advertisement (paraphrased: You deserve to be wealthy and have all of the stuff that wealth can buy because you are among the few who work hard and never take a vacation). Well, Cadillac would not exist were it not for all the two-week-off wage grunts buying Chevrolets.

Ordinary is crucial to the proper functioning of everything. It must be sustained. It must be respected. Nissan understands that. The front-wheel-drive Altima family sedan is proof.

With a base price of $22,110, considered affordable in an automobile industry where the average out-the-door price of a new vehicle hovers around $31,000, it offers a lot a top federal crash-safety rating, excellent interior comfort, good fuel economy (27 miles per gallon in the city and 38 on the highway using regular gasoline), and attractive exterior and interior styling.

At $27,860, the starting price of the 2.5 SL version driven for this week’s column, you get many things as standard equipment not offered as standard in automobiles costing $13,000 more. There are, for example, heated front seats and an onboard navigation system with a rearview camera. With options, such as a Bose premium sound system, you get a total car package in the Nissan Altima that puts some prestigious car badges to shame.

Of course, you can always spend more, and Nissan is not above taking your money. If you are bored with the 2.5 Altima class, reflective of the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, you can ask for the slightly more costly and powerful 3.5 V-6 Altima with its own base, S, and SL trim levels. Ordinary does not have to be lackluster. Nissan apparently understands that, too.

Ordinary evolves. At each stage of its evolution, it demands respect. Disrespect it, and you wind up filing for bankruptcy and begging the federal government for a taxpayer bailout. Ask General Motors the same car company that now has the temerity to insult us with its . . . you-deserve-to-be-rich-because-you-worked-harder-than-anyone-else commercial.

Ordinary nowadays includes technological savvy fostered by ongoing technological progress. I’ve visited countries where certifiably poor people who have never had land-line telephone service now think nothing of reaching for a cellphone. Walk onto the campus of any state college in America, choose an observation post, and watch myriad students from myriad backgrounds tweeting, clicking and browsing. They expect to have access to similar technology in their automobiles. Nissan gives it to them at a reasonable price in the Altima.

The company realizes the evolution of ordinary has resulted in the elevation of the same, which is why Nissan is taking so many other risks, for example, with all-electric cars such as the Leaf. Nissan is betting that its future lies with ordinary. Accordingly, I’m betting on Nissan.