AUTOS

June 03, 2015 AUTOS

New 2016 BMW X1 Switches to Front-Drive-Based Platform

-Five years ago, BMW’s then-CEO Norbert Reithofer famously shared the observation that four out of five owners of the 1-series believed they had a front-wheel-drive car. That was shortly after the launch of the X1, a compact crossover based on the rear-wheel-drive 1-series platform. Now comes the second-generation X1, after a surprisingly short production run for the first iteration (even shorter in the States, where it only just arrived as

June 03, 2015 AUTOS

We Drive SRT’s Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo Concept, Detail Its Insanity

-There are Gran Turismo 6 Vision concepts—such as those digital creations of Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Infiniti, Volkswagen, and others—and then there is SRT’s Vision Gran Turismo concept, dubbed the Tomahawk. Actually, make that SRT’s three Vision Gran Turismo concepts; each one represents a harder-core version of the base Tomahawk S. And all three are coming to a PlayStation near you this summer. For it to stand out compared to the other impressive

June 02, 2015 AUTOS

A Video Lap of Le Mans One Year After the Deadliest Crash in Motorsports

-At first, this 1956 video seems like just another fascinating item from the racing archives. Driver Mike Hawthorn, with a camera on the tail of his Jaguar D-Type and a microphone slung over his shoulders, narrates a pre-race practice lap around the Circuit de la Sarthe. It’s a rare chance to ride along, to see and hear one of Jaguar’s most legendary racing machines in the venue where it so

June 02, 2015 AUTOS

Reminder: The 2015 Mustang Shelby GT350 Sounds Wicked

We’ve heard a few notes from the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350‘s quad tailpipes before—most notably, in a Ford-produced video of the track-attacking Mustang in testing at Virginia International Raceway. But who could say no to more? Ford just released a new video highlighting the combustion-chamber music from this mighty Mustang, to remind those of us who may have forgotten: That 5.2-liter flat-crank V-8 sounds vicious. – – – – Ford

June 02, 2015 AUTOS

2015 BMW 435i xDrive Tested: In BMW-Speak, It’s the Two-Door, Six-Cylinder, AWD (Actual) Coupe

– It would be too easy to kick off this evaluation of the all-wheel-drive BMW 435i xDrive coupe with a snarky quip about how the 3- and 4-series lineups have ballooned to comically crowded levels, but then you already knew that. There are sedans, sedans that pretend to be coupes, wagons, hatchbacks that look like SUVs, and convertibles. This test is of a 4-series coupe—an actual two-door—equipped with all-wheel drive

June 02, 2015 AUTOS

Opel Unveils New Astra Compact—Here’s What It Means for Buick

-This is the new Opel Astra, set for an in-the-metal debut at the Frankfurt auto show this September. It replaces the current five-door hatchback, which is sold in Europe under the Opel and Vauxhall brands and in China as the Buick Excelle XT. – The outgoing model still serves as the basis for the three-door Astra GTC, the U.S.-bound Cascada convertible, and the Buick Verano four-door sedan. Stephanie Brinley, an analyst at IHS Automotive,