Toyota Bringing New 4Runner to State Fair of Texas

Toyota is introducing an all-new 2010 Toyota 4Runner at the State Fair of Texas in late September. The venue, which is often used by automakers to announce pickup truck news, should be just right for this truck-based midsize SUV. Toyota says the 4Runner is now “more rugged than ever” and “offers sure-footed off-road capability.”

Other SUVs this size are disappearing (Chevrolet TrailBlazer) or emphasizing on-road duty and moving to a unibody, or carlike, platform (next-generation Ford Explorer). The current 4Runner offers V-6 or V-8 engines and is available in rear- or four-wheel drive.

Details on the 2010 are minimal at the moment, but our sibling site PickupTrucks.com will be on hand at the State Fair of Texas when the 4Runner officially debuts.

Volvo S80 Refreshed for 2010

 
The S80 isn’t exactly an old vehicle — it was launched in 2007 — but Volvo has refreshed it for 2010. Given the age of Volvo’s flagship sedan, the changes aren’t dramatic. Like many cars, the S80 has seen sales fall lately.

Exterior changes include a larger, prominent “Volvo” badge on the front grille; in the rear, the “Volvo” decal is now spaced out and larger. Other tasteful enhancements include a bright chrome strip lining the front lower intake, side sills and below the taillamps.

On the inside, Volvo has added some metallic trim to the center stack to make it look more like the new XC60. There’s also a restyled instrument cluster and a brand-new four-spoke steering wheel. The automaker says the new steering wheel will find its way onto other Volvos down the line.

There are no mechanical changes to the S80. It can be equipped with an inline-six-cylinder engine, a turbocharged inline-six or a V-8. All-wheel drive is available on the turbo and V-8 models.

The 2010 S80 will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March, and will go on sale in the U.S. shortly thereafter. Pricing will be announced closer to launch. Check out some photos below.

Nissan Cube Priced at $13,990

Nissan has priced its new boxy car, the Cube, at an affordable $13,990.

The Cube will be available in four trim levels when it goes on sale in May: base, S, SL and Krom. Every Cube comes with a 122-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a slew of safety features, including active head restraints, side-impact and side curtain airbags, electronic stability control and antilock brakes.

The base Cube comes with fairly routine amenities: power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry, air conditioning and 15-inch steel wheels. The base version is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. To get the continuously variable automatic, you have to upgrade to the S trim.

The S trim is priced at $14,690. For that price, you get body-colored mirrors, cruise control and upgraded interior upholstery. The CVT adds another $1,000.

The $16,790 SL trim comes standard with the CVT, 16-inch aluminum wheels, automatic headlamps, automatic climate control, iPod integration and an upgraded stereo system. The SL Preferred Package ($1,600) adds another layer of luxury: push-button start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, satellite radio and rear parking sensors.

The tricked-out Krom edition costs $19,360. That price premium brings bright chrome trim, unique 16-inch chrome wheels, checkered upholstery for the seats, ambient interior lighting and standard Bluetooth.

In addition, Cube customers are offered more than 40 accessories for customization.

The Cube enters a rather specific segment costing significantly less than the Scion xB ($15,750) but slightly more than the also-new Kia Soul, which starts out at $13,300 and can be equipped with a more powerful engine.

We initially awarded the Cube our top pick among the three but some, Suburban Dad included, think the Soul bests the Cube in most respects. It seems the battle of the boxes is on.

2010 Kia Soul Will Start at $13,300

Today, Kia officially announced pricing for its all new Soul hatchback which goes on sale this spring. A starting price of $13,300 before destination charges ($695) is considerably low, especially considering air conditioning is standard. Move up to a higher trim level and stability control is also standard. Mileage for all models is expected to be more than 30 mpg.

There are four trim levels with odd naming structures: Soul, Soul+, Soul! and Soul Sport. Each model adds more standard equipment and available options, which we break down below.

Compared to other cars on the market, the Soul is pretty inexpensive. It’s cheaper than the Scion xB ($15,750), Scion xD ($14,650), Chevy HHR ($18,720), Dodge Caliber ($16,210), Honda Fit ($14,750), Jeep Patriot ($17,290), Pontiac Vibe ($17,050 w/air), Suzuki SX4 hatchback ($15,939) and Toyota Matrix ($16,290). The closest competition is the Nissan Versa hatchback with A/C, which starts at $13,110. Most of these vehicles either don’t come with stability control or offer it as an added option.

2010 Audi A5, S5 Cabriolet

• Competes with: Convertible versions of BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37, Lexus IS and Volvo C70
• Looks like: The sexy coupes get a droptop version that isn’t quite as good-looking
• Drivetrain: 211-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder or 265-hp, 3.2-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic in the A5; 333-hp, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 with seven-speed double-clutch transmission in S5
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2009

The all-new A5 and S5 convertibles will hit the U.S. next year, replacing the current A4 and S4 Cabriolets in Audi’s lineup. The move isn’t surprising; the new A5 and S5 coupes have sold briskly and won over the Cars.com staff as well.

Like the outgoing A4 and S4, the new models will feature retractable soft-tops instead of the newly popular retractable hardtops, like we’ve seen on BMW and Infiniti. However, the move allows for 11.3 cubic feet of storage volume with the top down. In comparison, the Volvo C70, which is one of the Audis’ larger competitors, only offers 6 cubic feet of trunk space with the top down. 

One major difference between the new convertibles and the coupes is the engine in the S5 Cabriolet; instead of the V-8 in the S5 coupe, the S5 Cabriolet gets a supercharged V-6 that makes 333 hp. That means if you pick the open-air version you’ll lose 21 hp. We wonder how much of that power will be missed by convertible drivers, though. It’s also not a big drop-off in power compared to the S4 Cabriolet, which puts out 340 hp with a thirstier V-8.

A5 drivers will get a choice of front- or all-wheel drive in the base, 2.0T models. A5 3.2 models and the S5 come only with all-wheel drive.

Prices haven’t been announced, but we expect them to be higher than the A4 Cabriolet’s $40,750 and S4 Cabriolet’s $56,775 starting prices.  More photos below.

Mercedes-Benz Prices New GLK SUV

It’s been so long since the all-new 2010 GLK SUV debuted in the “Sex and the City” movie that we’d almost forgotten all about it. Today, Mercedes-Benz decided to release the starting price of the GLK350: $33,900, not including an $875 destination fee.

That’s for the rear-wheel-drive model, which won’t go on sale until April. However, the all-wheel-drive model, which will start at $35,900, will go on sale in January. We’d guess more buyers will be interested in the all-wheel-drive model.

The price is a few thousand less than the all-wheel-drive-only BMW X3, which starts at $39,400. Land Rover’s LR2 also comes with only all-wheel drive and starts at $35,375.

The small, luxury SUV segment is getting crowded, and it may be the wrong time to introduce another one. But Mercedes has done well with its other SUVs in the past few years, so perhaps the GLK will be another success.

More on the Mercedes-Benz GLK

2009 Nissan 370Z Priced at $29,930

Nissan announced today that the redesigned 370Z coupe will start at $29,930. The car comes in base and Touring trims, and spokesman John Schilling said Nissan will announce full pricing for the car in a few weeks. The new price represents a $1,420 increase over the 2008 350Z coupe — the '09 350Z is available only as a convertible — but new standard features include an electronic stability system and steering-wheel audio controls. Both were previously optional.

The 370Z goes on sale in January, with a convertible version to follow.

VW R32 Discontinued for Now

We have some bad news for all you Volkswagen R32 fans out there: Thomas Wegehaupt, spokesman for Volkswagen, has informed us that there will be no U.S. version of the R32 for the 2009 model year. It’s an odd move given that the redesigned R32 was on sale for less than a year. The R32 is a VW Rabbit- (or Golf-) derived model that’s been extensively reworked to include a V-6 powertrain and all-wheel drive.

Part of the reason behind this move could be that a redesigned 2009 Golf was just unveiled at the 2008 Paris auto show and is headed to the U.S. sometime next year. We might get a new R32 based on the 2009 Golf but that will most likely be a year or two down the line. Until then, if you’ve been holding out for a better time to get this hot hatch, your time is running out. Doing a quick inventory check on Cars.com unveils a total of 276 R32s spread across the nation. They start at $32,990, but there’s a maximum of $2,000 cash back on them through Oct. 31. 

Infiniti Prices G37 Sedan and Coupe

Dealers will have the latest G sedan and coupe on the morning after the presidential election, Nov. 5. We don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but if you’re feeling good about who won the presidency, why not consider the upgraded version of the already quite worthy G starting at $33,250, not including destination charges.

The biggest change comes to the sedan; it gets a 3.7-liter V-6 with 328 horsepower, which was featured in the 2008 coupe. Both get an upgrade on the transmission front, adapting the smooth seven-speed that we enjoyed in the new FX35 SUV.

The sedan continues to offer an all-wheel-drive model while the coupe gets all-wheel drive for the first time. Full pricing is below; both models start at $1,000 higher than last year. For the sedan, the price bump is really minimal, but many might wonder if the coupe’s new transmission is worth the cost.

Ecoboost On Its Way; Debuts Summer 2009

Ford is banking on a new lineup of turbocharged engines to fuel its resurgence and tackle tough new mileage guidelines. The Ecoboost engine line was shown off at a Lincoln press conference at Ford’s Chicago manufacturing plant. We were able to get a glimpse at Ford’s plans and lay them out for you below.