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2006 New York Auto Show Coverage by TCC Team
(4/10/2006)
Mercedes Gets Electric

2007 Mercedes-Benz E550
At the
New York
show, Mercedes reminded crowds
of its revamped SL-Class, which TheCarConnection previewed earlier this
year. It also announced pricing on the GL450 sport-ute, also reviewed here
earlier this year — the new SUV will start from $54,900 including a
long list of standard features like curtain airbags and anti-roll technology.
But the electrifying news at the
Mercedes stand was the new E-Class. Shown in diesel, gas and AMG form, the new
E’s press launch featured an aerialist who seized the power of a Tesla coil to
direct lightning around the new E-Class. The new E-Class looks very familiar, but
Mercedes says more than 2000 changes have been made, qualifying the 2007 model
as a new generation. The E550 model will be the first model in the
U.S.
; its 382-hp V-8 will still give it 20-mpg fuel economy. The E63 AMG model has
a 507-hp V-8 with 463 lb-ft of torque. And the new Bluetec diesel E320 arrives
in the fall with 221 hp, 376 lb-ft of torque, and a 35-mpg fuel-economy rating good
for 780 miles of driving range.
Read more about the SL550
TCC drives the Benz GL450
Jeep Has the “Dirtiest Show in
New
York”

2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
In what the Jeep crew called “the
dirtiest show in New York,” Chrysler marketing chief Joe Eberhardt and Jeep
leader Frank Klegon unveiled a pair of new Jeeps for New York crowds, beginning
by enlisting the New York Fire Department to blast away a mountain of dirt off
the show stand, revealing the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The Unlimited arrives
this fall as a long-wheelbase, four-door edition of the new Wrangler with a
convertible Sunrider fabric top or a removable Freedom Top system with three
panels and multiple configurations. With a 3.8-liter V-6 and a choice of manual
and automatic gearboxes, the Unlimited is more versatile than the last model of
that name; the second-row seats also flip and fold to create a larger cargo
area.
Read more about the new
Wrangler

2007 Jeep Patriot
In the second unveiling of the
sunny Jeep press conference, held outdoors, the new Patriot four-door SUV drove
up for its own dose of mud.
Actress Eva Mendes (Hitch) came out to christen the Patriot
with Champagne —
but Chrysler’s execs decided buckets of mud would be more
appropriate for the Caliber-based crossover ute. With real off-road capability
and an available CVT transmission, the Patriot will be the least expensive
vehicle in the Jeep lineup, priced below the $15,985 Compass crossover,
Eberhardt confirmed.
Read more about the new
Patriot
Ford Says New V-6 Sets
Class Standard
The new
3.5-liter V-6 that will come to the Ford family this year will be among the most
powerful in its class, Ford announced on Wednesday in conjunction with its
display at the
New
York
auto show. Ford’s V-6 will be rated at 265
horsepower and will run on regular unleaded gasoline, Ford says. The engine will
make its way into the Edge/Lincoln MKX crossover vehicles; in 263-hp form it
will go into the Lincoln MKZ sedan, formerly known as the Zephyr. The engine,
Ford adds, is compatible with direct injection and turbocharging in future
applications.
Land Rover Gets Its Own ’Net TV
Station
Land Rover had a strong sales year
in 2005; the SUV brand was up 30 percent last year, LR VP Richard Beattie told
New York audiences on Wednesday, for a total of
a record 48,977 vehicles in
North America .
Worldwide, sales reached 185,120 vehicles, up 14 percent. And this year in
North America so far, Land Rover sales have
increased 34 percent.
To draw
in more Land Rover owners and fans to the company’s Web site, Land Rover
inaugurated a new online feature called Go Beyond TV. The new Web service, Land
Rover says, is the first broadband TV application launched by an automaker. The
site offers video clips of lifestyle and adventure events that focus on the Land
Rover experience —
but
also includes press conferences and news from Land Rover. Viewed from
www.landrover.com, the service can also be
viewed on some cell phones and devices like the Sony PSP.
Acura RDX Ready for Urban
Runs

2007 Acura RDX
Acura’s RDX is finally here, and
the “urban running back” will be on sale later this year, the upscale Honda
division says. Born in 2002 as a show car concept at
Detroit and shown last year in
Detroit as a production concept, the RDX arrived in
New York
behind the power of its 240-hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The
compact ute also gets a five-speed automatic with semi-manual shifting and
18-inch wheels and tires. Acura estimates fuel economy at 19/24 mpg for its new
entry-level SUV, which marks the debut of a new global platform that could spawn
a new CR-V and Element in coming years. A version of the SH-AWD all-wheel-drive
system found on the RL luxury sedan is outfitted to all RDXs, as is stability
control with anti-roll control. A six-disc CD changer with XM and an MP3-player
input port are standard, too; a Technology package upgrades the RDX with a
navigation system, a ten-speaker surround sound system with DVD-Audio capability
and 410 watts of power, Bluetooth connectivity, and real-time traffic alerts.
Assembled in
Ohio
alongside the Acura TL, the RDX goes on
sale later this year.
MDX Renewed in the Fall; MD-X
Concept Springs into NY

2006 Acura MD-X concept
The MD-X concept, meanwhile,
couldn’t roll into Javits under its own power, but made a powerful statement
nonetheless, with more stylish lines and sharper angles than the current model.
The concept sports a wider track than the current MDX, as well as a longer
wheelbase and 20-inch wheels. In the fall, the production version will have
SH-AWD, the all-wheel-drive system in the RL sedan and RDX ute that modulates
torque to wheels front and back as well as left to right. Acura also promises
the best safety in the class for the new seven-seater SUV, along with real-time
traffic through XM and ELS surround sound. Built, designed, and manufactured in
North
America, the new MDX arrives in the
fall.
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