AUTOS
-BMW aficionados are living through tough times. Beyond downsized engines and the heavy focus on the “i” sub-brand, they have to get used to front-wheel-drive vehicle architectures. North America’s first sample is the new X1. It replaces the outgoing, rear-drive-based model, which only just arrived three years ago. The new version—which comes standard with all-wheel drive, although the Euro-market FWD model could eventually reach our shores—shares its platform with the
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-The Shelby Daytona coupe is one of the most beautiful and desirable racers in the history of American motorsport. Originals, of which only six were built, now demand upwards of $7 million at auction. Numerous kit car manufacturers have taken a stab at building rough approximations, but now Shelby American is getting in on the act, with a limited run of 50 brand-new Daytona Coupes to commemorate the 50th anniversary
–Overview: With the Toyota Avalon’s midcycle refresh having been unveiled for 2016, we felt it was appropriate to take a final spin in the current version, which has been on sale since 2013. While this might seem like an unexciting assignment, the Avalon—shockingly—isn’t boring. (Well, the conventional, V-6–powered model reviewed here isn’t; the hybrid version is quite sanitized.) Indeed, this car proves that a Toyota product actually can be among
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Remember the Mini Superleggera Vision Concept from the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in Italy? It was a lot of things—low, sleek, topless, unabashedly oriented toward back-road fun rather than boxy practicality. It was a great little concept, a seeming flight of fancy, but as Autocar reports, Mini’s top brass really want to make it a production vehicle. – The British car mag quotes Mini boss Peter Schwarzenbauer as
-We can’t say we’ve ever legitimately yearned for the debut of a new compact crossover, but things are somewhat different when it comes to the 2016 Mazda CX-3. With knockout styling, a lush interior, and an engaging chassis, it’s hard not to be smitten by the tiny Mazda crossover. Having poked, prodded, and tested the CX-3, the only question mark left hanging over it is the price—and that key metric has
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