For those of you appalled or delighted with the 2010 Porsche Panamera, there's more video fodder to back up your strongly held opinions.
Head over to YouTube and watch the new Porsche Panamera in motion. I think it looks a bit better and more sporting while moving, though I'm even more certain that it looks massive and heavy from the rear with that big bulbous bumper.
While trolling through TheCarConnection.com's library of photographs, I was reminded that the Panamera spy shots initially revealed a svelter and tidier form, one that to my eye does a better job of incorporating the Porsche rear slope onto a four-door form. Here it is, below:
What's your take on this spy shot? I bet it got the axe because the rear probably lacks comfort and headroom, though the tidier wheelbase on this shot just looks more aggressive and athletic to me.
I am not against hatchbacks, and think they are used to great effect in all sorts of vehicles like Porsche's own Cayman. And while not hatchbacks due to their rear-engine location, Porsche's 911 Carrera uses a rear slope similar to a hatchback, again to a lean and sporting effect that I find appropriate. The hatch on the spy shot above works to my eye, but on the stretched body of the production Panamera, I think it looks like an odd afterthought.--Colin Mathews
Am I the only one disappointed by the rumored Honda/Acura NSX as presented over at Autocar? It looks to my eye like the meeting of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and Nissan's just-launched 370Z. Both attractive cars, indeed, but neither one possessing the NSX's legendary mid-engine layout, unique silhouette, and lightweight frame ensuring ultra-precise handling.
Opposed to the original NSX's minimalist 3.0-liter V-6 that launched Honda's revolutionary VTEC variable-valve timing, this new vehicle is rumored to house a honking V-10 that takes up significant real estate in front of the driver. And look at all that dead space between the crankshaft pulley and the front bumper, reminiscent of similarly wasted space in the ultra-swoopy Camaro of the late 1990s.
I'm sure this proposed vehicle from Honda (which might be delayed due to market struggles) will be a track-day dominator, just like the new Nissan GT-R and the Porsche 911 twin turbo. But nothing can match the driving joy of a willing dance partner with quick moves and light feet, and I hope a worthier successor to the NSX name makes its way into production as well.--Colin Mathews
TheCarConnection.com's spies have shown you shots of the next Mercedes-Benz E-Class--and earlier this year, we brought you the concept Fascination, a forerunner of the new E-Class.
Now, our spy shooters have found some evidence that Mercedes-Benz will replace the outgoing CLK soft-top convertible with a folding-hardtop E-Class Convertible. The new car was caught recently undergoing testing.
Growing about 4 inches in length compared to the old CLK, this new convertible (and upcoming coupe) will be based on the new E-Class platform. That also means that the engine options will be the same as those on the E-Class sedan, including V-8s and diesels.
The new convertible will be longer than the CLK, and the front seats will be shaped to created even more legroom, all with the goal of making a true four-seat convertible.
With the E-Class sedan and coupe on the market by next spring, we expect the convertible version hit the showrooms after the car show in Frankfurt, meaning late 2009.
Earlier this year, Ford showed a concept car that predicted how its next Explorer would look--softer, a little smaller, and definitely car-based. Now the first spy shots of the 2011 Ford Explorer are floating around--and it looks more certain than ever that the Explorer is ditching its truck roots for a unibody design.
These rough test mules spotted by TheCarConnection.com's spy photographers are a mix of Ford Taurus X and Ford Flex, but there are some telling alterations, raising the prototype's ride-height, along with a higher cowl, and rigged A-pillars to accommodate what appears to be a more steeply raked windshield. There are also clear signs around the rear hatch and roof rails that the platform has been widened. While the front clip is pure Ford Flex, the lowest slat of the Flex's three-bar grille has been removed, perhaps to better approximate airflow of the next Explorer's grille.
Ford also used the Taurus X body on mules for the 2009 Ford Flex and 2010 Lincoln MKT, but those mules had additional length added to their wheelbases. This latest mule features no such additions, suggesting that this new model will be shorter than the Flex for a more fuel-friendly footprint--and suggesting that it might also replace the Edge in Ford's crossover lineup.
The new unibody 2011 Ford Explorer crossover is expected to reach the market in 2010--provided Ford's financial condition doesn't disrupt its product plan any more.
Yesterday, we showed you the first photos of the MINI E electric car coming to the Los Angeles auto show. Today, TheCarConnection.com's spies have nabbed the new MINI Cooper Convertible while testing.
These photos show a Cooper S convertible in almost showroom trim, wearing only a small amount of tape around the rear lights, and small details. The psychedelic tape on the rear window is there to hide the fact that the roll bars from the current model now are hidden and pop up only when needed.
Engine options are the same as those in the MINI Cooper. The lineup will include a 95-hp 1.4-liter four in Europe, along with the 120-hp 1.6-liter four and 175-hp turbocharged four-cylinder in the United States. Europe also gets a 110-hp 1.6-liter turbodiesel. MINI also plans a JCW sport package version with a 208-hp twin-scroll turbo.
The Cooper Convertible's world debut is likely to be held at the 2009 Detroit auto show in January.
Veteran auto journalist Marty Padgett gives you news and opinions on the latest, hottest, greenest and fastest new vehicles on the market--and what's coming down the road.
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