Acura has eloquently refreshed the TSX small sports sedan inside and out for 2009. But are looks all that matter? Cars.com’s Mike Hanley has already reviewed the new TSX, and he shares his thoughts on video at the New York auto show.
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When the FX hits the streets this summer there’s no doubt it will scare some young children who cross its path. Its menacing grille and bold styling cover an impressive performance machine. In the video here, Kelsey Mays takes a look at the 2009 in all its purple glory.
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We've been scratching our heads at the Maxima's new front-end styling. The more we look at it head-on, the more we see a resemblance to a certain flagship from Nissan's luxury division. Maxima, meet Q45, the full-size Infiniti sedan that was axed from the automaker's lineup in 2006. In its swan song year, the luxury sedan cost some $58,000, a figure that put it up against the Lexus LS and Audi A8.
The resemblance is more than passing, so we asked Nissan design VP Bruce Campbell if the late Q had provided any inspiration. He chuckled — apparently we weren't the first to ask him that.
"In short, no," Campbell said. "But, you know, that's thinking of it in retrospect. There was no picture up there on the board, [with us] thinking 'Oh, that was a nice car.'"
The Maxima's head designer, in fact, might have been "too young" to remember the Q's glory years, Campbell said. That's a shame, because it would seem fitting that Nissan's latest flagship would follow in the footsteps of Infiniti's former top dog. Or maybe not — given the Q's demise, the Maxima might just as well do without its ill-fated legacy.
Following the Concept Kizashi 1 and Kizashi 2 from last year's Frankfurt and Tokyo motor shows comes the Kizashi 3, which shares elements from both of the earlier cars and looks more like a real product. No coincidence there; Suzuki says the Kizashi 3 is on its way to becoming a real product. It will debut in Japan, where Suzuki says pre-production versions are already built. It is planned for the U.S. as a 2010 model.
The show car looks quite large, but the Kizashi 3 is technically a midsize sedan. The deep grille looks like yet another copy of Audi's new design direction, complete with a chrome cross-member. The car's a bit snub-nosed, similar to the Toyota Camry with which it would compete. The 21-inch wheels and tiny side mirrors are auto-show-only, but Suzuki says the concept is 90-95% of what the real product will look like — bold stuff. The interior is a mystery, because the concept's isn't representative and wasn't on display.
The car shown has all-wheel drive, based on front-wheel-drive architecture that Suzuki claims as its own even though it started its life as GM's Epsilon platform when the U.S. manufacturer owned roughly half of Suzuki. The car is powered by GM's relatively new 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6, which also appears in the Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Malibu, to name two models. It produces 300 hp here. The transmission is a six-speed automatic with paddle shifting.
Check out more photos below and let us know if you think Suzuki is ready to take on the Camry and Accord.
We knew when we saw the first images of the new Nissan Maxima that it would be one of the most-talked-about debuts in New York. The big-mouthed sedan has won over nearly all of us, including Kelsey Mays, who delivers an up-close look at the Maxima live from the show floor.
I couldn't get too close to the new Borrego in Detroit, and I couldn't find it in Chicago, but I was finally able to spend time with Kia's new full-size SUV in New York and was fairly impressed by it. The Borrego has a very truck-like feeling to it, very much in line with the Toyota 4Runner and Ford Explorer, both of which, Kia says, are smaller than the Borrego. I drove a 4Runner last week on a business trip, and in terms of inside space the two feel very close in size. I liked the amount of space in the second row of the Borrego; with the driver's seat set to where I normally have it, my knees weren't smushed back there. Headroom in the driver's seat was tight, but the model on the show floor had a sunroof, which usually steals a few inches of headroom. I doubt I'd buy one with a sunroof.
The Kia Koup is a sporty-looking two-door concept that features its share of show-car elements, like a neoprene floor, but it wouldn't take much in terms of styling tweaks to turn the Koup into a production car.
The Koup's front end has a bit of a scowl to it. It has thin, angled headlights, a large lower grille and bumper intakes. Under the domed hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that features direct injection and makes 290 hp and 289 pounds-feet of torque, all to the front wheels. Potential production versions would likely offer normally aspirated engines, but it's nice to see Kia going big by putting a turbo engine in the concept. Rather than a traditional manual transmission, Kia has saddled the concept with a six-speed automatic that features shift paddles ahead of the steering wheel.
The cabin has four bucket seats, with white accents for the front seats and rear seats that are completely black. The backrests have silicone padding to enhance occupant comfort, according to Kia. For more photos, check out the gallery below.
Not two months after sister company Hyundai debuted a freshened Sonata, Kia followed suit with the midsize Optima. Though the cars shared architecture in previous years, they’ve been on divergent paths for some time now, Kia says. Where the upgraded Sonata’s new face found general acceptance, our reaction to the Optima is lukewarm. The car’s sheet metal went from Plane Jane to Frank Caliendo, meaning you can find a good impression of a lot of cars here: the grille and taillights look like those on the new and two-generations-old Accord, respectively; the headlights are all Camry; and the trunk and rear bumper remind us of the Malibu.
Both engines have been upgraded, but the cabin remains mostly the same, save for some cooler electroluminescent gauges in the sporty SX trim level. (“Sporty” is a relative term here, as in, whoa, check out that sporty Camry SE!) Other SX features include 17-inch rims, a sport-tuned suspension and mirrors with integrated turn signals. The LX and EX trims remain, and new standard features include a USB port, which takes iPod compatibility beyond what simpler auxiliary jacks allow. Six airbags and active head restraints are also standard, but we wish ABS and stability control were, too. They’re optional, but product strategy manager Ralph Tjoa said that may change before the car arrives at dealerships.
Click below for more pictures.
Saleen is best known for its custom Mustang work, but the company also builds supercars for the rich and speed-addicted as well. The S5S Raptor concept gives us an idea of what its next supercar will look like.
Unlike concept cars from large manufacturers, Saleen is a small shop that hand-builds its supercars, so bringing the Raptor to production wouldn't take too long. The company says it could go on sale within two years at a price near $185,000.
What would that money get you? A supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 good for 650 hp and 630 pounds-feet of torque. Zero to 60 time? The company predicts 3.2 seconds. Top speed? More than 200 mph. Saleen says these numbers will be aided by the use of E85 ethanol as the car's fuel.
We're fans of the look. It might remind us a little of a Lamborghini up front, but the wild backside makes the Raptor unique. More photos below with more to come from the show floor.
Hyundai says the two Genesis coupes on display at the auto show were early, preproduction models shipped here from Korea, so things like badge placement — neither one said “Genesis” on it, for instance — would change considerably by the time the cars hit dealerships. Other things, like padding in the trunk, would upgrade some of the barer bones seen on the cars here.
All the same, I’m not sure why this car carries the Genesis name:
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