Autoblog

Although we've already seen the Audi Q5 in a variety of forms after its initial unveiling in Beijing this past July, the four-ringers decided to finally show off their cute 'ute in North America for the first time at the LA Auto Show. The compact(ish) CUV is packing the award-winning 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine putting out 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque through the seven-speed, dual-clutch S tronic transmission, and Audi is quick to point out that with a drag coefficient of just 0.33 and a turbocharged four, the Q5 will be one of the most fuel-efficient offerings in its class. Check the galleries below for more and see our previous post for all the details.

Kia put on quite a show today, prancing out a slew of new Souls at the LA Auto Show. Expected to drop as an early 2010 model in late '09, the new boxy Soul will go head-to-head with the equally-new Nissan Cube for the affections of ex-xB buyers here in the States. While the Cube really goes after the square-edged look, Kia has softened the Soul. The box's rising beltline starts lower in the front and gradually sweeps skyward at the rear, adding a unique look to the little crossover. A standard 1.6L four banger pushes roughly 120 horses through a five-speed manual tranny and an optional 2.0L unit with about 140 horsepower can be mated with either the stick or a four-speed automatic on uplevel models. Each should exceed 30 mpg on the highway.

The Korean automaker promises that there will be an abundant number of customization possibilities for its new Soul and there will be three separate Soul models in addition to the base kit, including the Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport. We think that they may be trying a bit too hard to be young and hip with these odd model designations, but standard auxiliary and USB input jacks in the center console with full iPod control through the steering wheel audio controls strike us as an excellent idea for its target demographic. Details on what each model gets are in the press release pasted after the break.



Live Photos Copyright ©2008 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

It takes no stretch of the imagination to look at the freshened Subaru Tribeca and see a stillborn Saab 9-6x. The grille and the headlamps may be slightly different from what a Saab version of Subaru's biggest crossover would wear, but if you park your Tribeca next to a 9-5, you'll notice the resemblance immediately. All the work had been done to morph the Tribeca into a Saab variant, and then General Motors decided to sell its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, and so broke the ties that bound the two automakers.

The tidy little story doesn't end there, though. Just this month a patent was filed for a Saab vehicle that can be nothing but the 9-6x that we all thought was dead. Why now? Well, the folks at TurboNines posit that we may yet see the Saabaru crossover for a couple of solid reasons. Right now, Saab has the 9-7x, which is a variant of the Trailblazer. It's in fact the best Trailblazer ever, but it's headed for extinction when General Motors shutters its Moraine, OH plant. That leaves an opening in Saab's lineup, and dealers would love to have something to sell. Enter the 9-6x; all the work has been done, so it can be pulled off the shelf and pressed into service without the cost of development or even styling. Of course, it might just be that we're talking ourselves into something, but the fact that the patent was just applied for makes us think that we could soon see a Saab 9-6x based on one of our favorite larger crossovers.


[Source: TurboNines]

We first saw Hyundai's rolling CUV shapeship, the HED-5 i-Mode, back in Geneva, but today at the LA Auto Show is the first time the Korean automaker has shown the car in the States. New to the crossover is a 2.0L gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine that Hyundai plans to roll out in production machines shortly. The new Theta Turbo GDI engine puts out 286 horsepower, which is very impressive for such a small powerplant. Hyundai puts its direct injection and turbo technology to good effect and combines these new features with its Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) to allow for a 15-20 percent fuel economy increase compared with a standard 2.0L four-banger. Expect to see this new engine make its way into a production car sometime in 2010.

According to Hyundai, the HED-5 has been approved for production and a new six-seat production CUV will hit the market in 2010 that's inspired by its design. Of course, don't expect to see its far-out future-spec interior make it to production, but the GDI engine and general look of the concept is a lock.

Gallery: Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode


Photos Copyright ©2008 Jeremy Korzeniewski and Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Here's an interesting way to clear some unwanted inventory: offer a crazy-sounding deal on two new cars, like buy one car and get the second for just $1. That's the pitch at a suburban Chicago Chrysler dealership that promises a 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser demo car for just $1 if you happen to purchase one of their five remaining 2008 Chrysler Pacificas. That's practically a 2-for-1 deal and would give buyers two options for family hauling duty. The lame-duck Pacificas in stock range in price from $37,000 to $40,000 and can carry six passengers and their stuff in floaty luxury. The PT, on the other hand, offers a more frugal option for up to five passengers. Dealer Frank Mancari started the deal on Saturday at his Oak Lawn dealership to increase showroom traffic. Once all of the vehicles are sold, however, that's it. We bet more than one person will walk in and tell the dealer he can keep his PT Cruiser, they'll take the Pacifica with a $15,000 discount instead. Who are we kidding, Chrysler doesn't even want these cars anymore. Thanks for the tip, Dave!

[Source: Chicago Breaking News]

After months of reviewing only family-oriented transportation, this particular blogger began a streak of judging high-horsepower sports coupes. It's damn near impossible to complain about something with more power than anyone should ever need, but after a while my family got tired of trying to shoehorn five-year-old twins into the cramped back seat of a coupe. That's why we were most relieved to see that the 2009 Chevy Traverse was ready for a run in the Autoblog Garage.

The Traverse is the latest though maybe not last Lambda crossover, and since it dons General Motors' high volume Bow Tie badging, it's likely the most significant, as well. It is GM's least expensive eight-passenger crossover while also carrying the distinction of being the most efficient and most powerful Lambda. Does that make the Traverse the best of GM's Lambda litter? We took on the massive people hauler for a week to find out for ourselves.


Photos copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk/Weblogs, Inc.

Our friendly neighborhood Toyota/Lexus spokesman, Curt McAllister, dropped us a note with an official announcement of what's coming to the Lexus booth at next week's LA Auto Show, and as expected, the big reveal will be the reworked RX luxury crossover. Like the current crossovers, the RX will come in two prescription strengths: the conventional RX350 with a 3.5L V6 and the hybrid flavored RX450h. The bump in nomenclature from the current RX400h likely implies some enhancements to the powertrain including a bump from the current 3.3L V6 to the 3.5L engine used in the 350. It's assumed the RX400h will also boast enhancements to the hybrid drive system with tech pulled from the 2010 Toyota Prius. The photo above, taken of the Japanese brochure, appeared online showing an evolution of the current design rather than a revolutionary redesign. In addition to the RX, LA will host the North American debut of the all-wheel-drive equipped LS460 and the IS 250C Convertible.

[Source: Lexus]

There's a workout regimen called Crossfit that aims to increase one's abilities in eight different areas. Crossfit doesn't reward the specialist, it rewards the well-rounded; it doesn't create marathoners, it creates decathletes. The point of Crossfit is to allow you to enter any situation with the confidence that you have things like the agility, strength and conditioning to do well. The Toyota Venza has the same ethos: pitched as 70-percent car, 30-percent SUV, the Venza wants to do everything well. And when we say "well", we mean it wants to do everything better than the competition: 10,000 people were leaving Toyota every year to get into something between the Camry and the Highlander, things that ended up being the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7 and Infiniti FX. The Venza is Toyota's request to those buyers to "Come back to papa." Follow the jump to find out whether you should heed the call.


Photos copyright ©2008 Jonathon Ramsey/Weblogs, Inc.

Official images of the new Kia Soul have just begun making their first rounds on the interwebs. The boxy little crossover will see its first U.S. unveiling at the LA Auto Show later this month and we'll be on hand to capture the event in all its glory. Until then, take a look at these early shots of the U.S.-spec version to whet your appetite. The U.S. market Soul will get a 142-horsepower, 2.0-liter gasoline-fed four-cylinder engine that can be mated to either a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual gearbox.

Kia is set to take on the Scion brand with the new Soul and is hoping to compete on level footing by offering a slew of factory customization options right from the dealer. Our second gallery shows some of those options that are being made available in Canada and should be a decent preview of what U.S. buyers are likely to choose from. Expect the new mini 'ute to go on sale in the Spring of next year.



[Source: Kia-World]

The Volkswagen Tiguan, already a hot little CUV, added some bodywork and an APR turbo to go with its Super CC and Jetta TDI Cup Edition Street Concept show car siblings, and then threw in a Rockford Fosgate system to raise the bar further. The little big guy wears fender flares connected by side steps and contrasting rocker panels. Inside is a two-tone leather job with some very attractive speaker enclosures in the doors. Under the hood goes APR's 3-stage turbo to boost output to 295 hp and 300 lb-ft. And out back: a 1,400-watt Rockford Fosgate system with dual 10-inchers taking up the rear floor. And as we learned at the press conference, you can play a guitar through the amp. Of course, you can't store anything back there, but this is SEMA, not a PTA meeting. Read all about it in the press release after the jump, and check out the gallery of high-res photos below.