BY AARON ROBINSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL
Quicker than a Subaru WRX, this new Lancer model offers fun on the run.
Mitsubishi knows the name Ralliart isn’t spoken with much reverence among American gasoline punks. That should change. Mitsubishi has watched Subaru ring up healthy sales with the mid-grade WRX, which neatly slots between the 87-octane Impreza and the high-test STI. (more…)
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BY CSABA CSERE
Traction that finally matches the power and balanced handling.
As engine outputs have risen over the past 25 years, front-drive cars have migrated towards four-wheel-drive to give their over-burdened front tires a break. Even Saab has finally capitulated with this 9-3 Turbo X.
A Haldex 4.0 center coupling shifts as much as 90 percent of the engine’s 280-hp output to the rear wheels via electronically controlled wet clutches. Its little digital brain anticipates when power is needed in back even before the tires slip. An electronically controlled clutch pack in the rear diff prevents side-to-side slip, while the traction control takes care of the front wheels. (more…)
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BY RAY HUTTON
The emperor’s new clothes.
This isn’t the first time Volvo has produced an all-new car that looks just like its predecessor. Clearly, the Swedish purveyor of sensible sedans and wagons is afraid of alienating its clientele. (more…)
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BY ALISA PRIDDLE
An SX4-based concept for sports-bike enthusiasts.
American Suzuki Motor Corporation continues to show offerings in its Suzuki LIVE Series, launched last year as a line of concepts for life huggers and as a way to promote the fun quotient of the vehicles from which they are derived. Of the four rolled out this year, two are on Suzuki’s stand this week at the New York auto show. (more…)
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BY STEVE SILER
Sweet Swedish style. Zero to 60 in the sixes. So why don’t we love it?
The Volvo C30 wears the freshest design to come from Sweden in years. And that says a lot, given that Sweden is known for cool design. Okay, that and stunning six-foot-tall women (which, we suppose, could also be examples of cool design). (more…)
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BY MARK GILLIES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL
Courting the Mainstream: The WRX trades rallying rawness for wider appeal.
Before the WRX went on sale in the United States in 2001, Subarus appealed more to the Whole Foods crowd than to car enthusiasts. Yet the little turbocharged sedan and wagon changed that perception and have been a real hit with kids of all ages, selling 94,000 copies since March 2001”or 40 percent of total Impreza sales. (more…)
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BY ERIK JOHNSON
Simply put, diesels are awesome. We’re such huge fans of diesels and their clattery goodness that we were beside ourselves with glee when Jeep announced last year that it planned to swipe the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel from the Mercedes powertrain lineup and stuff it into its Grand Cherokee SUV for 2007. After all, what vehicle wouldn’t be better off with a little sparkless ignition in its life? (more…)
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