2011 Kia Sorento Review

The 2011 Kia Sorento.It's deja vu all over again.Those of us of a certain age can remember when Honda found the magic dust and began sprinkling it liberally over their product portfolio. They went from an interesting, quirky also-ran to a company that could do no wrong and whose products you couldn't afford to ignore come car-shopping time.Well here we are three decades later, and that's what's happening with Kia, which before they were an interesting, quirky also-ran, weren't all that interesting...so the achievement curve here is actually higher than it was for Honda.About a month ago, we extolled the virtues of the Kia Sportage, now a fine,...

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2011 Mazda CX-9 Review

The 2011 Mazda CX-9. Crossover or sport sedan with a whole lotta cargo space?Oh, man, am I glad we made this editorial decision. Upon returning the Mazda CX-7 we liked so much we asked Chapman Mazda in Phoenix if we could do a review of its bigger brother, the CX-9. They graciously agreed.It's been a while since we've been in a CX-9, and the memory cells were saying "like the CX-7, just bigger". That's how most small crossover/large crossover teams usually work out, and the CX-7 is so good, that wouldn't be a bad thing.But driving the CX-9 immediately after the CX-7 revealed that we are talking about two entirely different vehicles here...in...

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GM launches Beat diesel at Rs 4.29 lakh

Beat just got smarter with all new 1.0 XSDE SMARTECH Common Rail Diesel engine from Chevrolet made exclusively for India. With a power output of 58.5 PS and torque of 150 Nm, this engine promises an impressive mileage of 24* kmpl. (*As certified by Certification Agencies as per rule 115 of CMVR)It has a Fixed Geometry Turbocharger with vacuum operated wastegate for smooth, efficient operation and superior torque delivery from very low engine RPMs for a peppy drive.The Beat Diesel’s three-cylinder DOHC engine features state-of-the-art Common Rail Fuel Injection technology for outstanding emission performance and fuel economy. Its electrically...

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The incredible world inside Audi A8 L W12

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, has introduced the top version of its flagship model - the new Audi A8 L W12 quattro. Equipped with a powerful 6.3 FSI petrol engine, the newest variant of Audi’s flagship sets new standards of luxury, dynamism and efficiency, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds to effortlessly reach its governed top speed of 250 km/h.The new Audi A8 L W12 will be priced at a whopping Rs 1.26 crore (ex showroom Maharashtra).Audi states that the subtle visual details distinguish the new A8 L W12 quattro from the other cars in this model line.The single-frame radiator grille with integral grid structure has a...

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Behold Gaddafi's ‘Libyan Rocket’

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has always been internationally recognised for his vibrant fashion sense, sleeping in Bedouin tents wherever he goes, wearing huge provocative buttons, being guarded by heavily armed women, just to name a few. An epitome of Gaddafi's eccentricity is the car he designed for himself, which Libya claims is the safest vehicle on earth. However, don't go into any details to back up the claim.The Saroukh el-Jamahiriya, which means Libyan rocket, is a five-seater saloon with the nose and tail of a rocket and powered by a 230bhp V6. Launched at a conference called the Organization of African Unity and organized by Colonel Gaddafi...

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Corvette GS Convertible Review

The 2011 Corvette GS Convertible. Gotta hand it to Chevrolet. They know how to keep things interesting. Even as the current generation Corvette ages and the buff books begin trotting out artists' renderings of what the next one is likely to look like, the bowtie boys find ways to keep you from sitting it out until then.Case in point: The Corvette GS Convertible. We'll get right to the stuff that matters. It's the LS3 V8...6.2 liters and 430 horsepower with a six-speed manual transmission. Same basic setup as the standard Corvette Convertible. But instead of 4.2 seconds to 60, the GS gets it done in 3.95 and will pull 1 g on the skidpad. The price?...

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Review

Imagine this showing up on your doorstep. If you're a driver, it's a treat.If you're Toyota or Honda, it's the nightmare that's been coming a long, long time.This is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE...the blip that's been getting bigger in the Toyota and Honda rear-view mirrors for years now. Now, as with many Korean automobiles, it's arrived. The kinks and cultural disconnects that relegated Korean vehicles to second-tier status when compared to their Japanese and American competition have been banished. This is the real deal...what the Koreans can build with no excuses.And it's good. Very, very good.Hyundai proved that by putting one in the test...

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2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet Review

Exclusivity. It's a fabulous thing, really. A certain something, often built of superior craftsmanship, sometimes of smoke and mirrors, that makes your product special, enables you to sell it for a premium and ensures that your customers won't feel like one of the herd.For a long, long time, Mercedes-Benz had that in spades. And it was built of superior craftsmanship. Those of us of a certain age can remember when Mercedes-Benzes weren't especially pretty (the stunning 300SL Gullwing a notable exception), and weren't especially fast (again excepting the 300SL), but sold to discriminating buyers for about two and a half times the sticker price...

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2011 Ford F-350 Review

Remember when a "work truck" and a luxury car were on opposite ends of the vehicular spectrum? Well, those days are long gone...and the ultimate example of that is right up there above this paragraph...the Ford F-350 Super Duty.When lines get blurred...especially lines that far apart, it's usually because something...often core principles and competencies. But not in this case. Somehow, this is all work truck and all luxury vehicle.It starts closer to its work roots. At the base price of $49,410 for the 4X4 Crew Cab in Lariat trim, you get a rock-solid truck capable of towing 12,500 pounds.  And it comes with a nice, large, but somewhat...

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2011 Mazda CX-7 Review

The crossover segment is so thick with vehicles that it's all becoming a blur. Time for a drive in one that breaks through the clutter and clears the head...the Mazda CX-7. Loyal TireKicker readers know we've driven...and raved about...the CX-7 before. It's always been a great way to move 5 people in comfort and economy for not a lot of money but with a substantial amount of fun for the lucky driver behind the wheel.As with all Mazdas, the focus is on driving...and the CX-7 Sport model we just finished a week in (courtesy Chapman Mazda in Phoenix) bears that out.For $22, 795, you get a 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve four cylinder making 161 horsepower...

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2011 Ford Fusion Review

These have to be sweet days for Ford. Not only did they spare themselves the bankruptcies GM and Chrysler went through (by mortgaging the famous Blue Oval logo), they're making and selling cars. That probably sounds like a no-brainer...I mean, Ford's a car company, right? But the fact is that Ford and the other domestics spent most of the last two decades selling trucks and SUVs. Sure, they made cars, but they weren't the company's prime focus (way more profit in the trucks and SUVs) and consumers had long since put Toyota and Honda on the top of their family sedan shopping lists.Well, that's all changing...and three weeks (yep, an extended test)...

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The All New Audi A6 to Hit the Indian Shores

Come this September and you will be greeted by the new Audi A6. After recently launching the RS5 and A7, Audi India will bring in the new A6 in order to increase its foothold in the premium segment.First look at the new A6 and you can easily mistake it for the A8L. But the side profile of the car proves that it is still the A6 which now is shorter than its predecessor. However, the wheelbase has increased by almost 69 mm which is reflected in the cabin space. The front end looks quite like the A8L which is actually not bad. The headlamps are now entirely an LED affair with daytime running lamps. The front bumper has also been reworked which also...

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The world's cheapest Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron is a modern automotive legend. The sleek speedster from Volkswagen boasts a top speed of over 260mph, making it the fastest road-legal car in the world, and it has a stunningly large $1.5 million price tag to match. Because of this astronomical cost of entry, only a few hundred of the vehicles have ever been built, meaning your chances of owning one are rather slim. That is, unless you're Mike Duff, an ambitious 25-year-old from Florida who decided to build his very own Bugatti with his bare hands.Starting with a complete 2002 Mercury Cougar coupe, Duff set to work transforming the vehicle's entire exterior into that of a world-class...

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Would You Pay $50,000 for Kate Middleton’s Used VW Golf?

Say want you want about the media’s obsession around Britain’s newly-wed royal coupe, Kate and Williams, but for some people, like Sonny Brazil, it’s a gift from the heavens.You see, Sonny’s father Al, bought Kate Middleton’s inky-blue 2001 VW Golf hatchback back in 2009 from her brother James for a reasonable £1,400 (about US$2,300 or €1,600 at today’s exchange rates)."At the time, I didn't put two and two together because he didn't exactly say he was related to Kate but when I noticed the log book and saw the first owner was Catherine Middleton I got quite excited,” Sonny told The Daily Mail.Now, Sonny believes his Golf is worth its weight...

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