Road Tests Index

Road Tests Index

Friday, 29 April 2016

The Flawed Beauty of Aston's Rapide

 
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The Flawed Beauty of Aston's Rapide: Not Perfect, But Oh, That Engine!
 
The Rapide is beautiful to these eyes, even if it doesn't universally make people who encounter it bite the back of their hand. There's that superb V-12 up front to rival John Williams' compositions, and then there is handling that begs for twisty canyons. But sales of the big four-door are laughable, the rear seats are made for children (or adults without legs, torsos, or heads) and the Rapide sucks down fuel like Godzilla munching helpless townsfolk.
 
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Ford: Yes, We're Developing A 200-Mile Range Tesla-Fighting EV
 
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Hey, Outdoor Guy: Your Roof Rack
Is Killing Your Fuel Economy
 
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2017 Continental Senses
Your Approach, Welcomes
You With Lighting Touches
 
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Now Porsche Joins The Precious-Metals Game, With
A "Platinum Edition" Cayenne
 
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Check Out This
Super Sweet 1970
Chevelle Barn Find
 
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Thursday, 28 April 2016

2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63: Who Needs Minivans?

 
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2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 Review: Who Needs Minivans When This Is Available?
 
You see them everywhere, chock full of car seats and errant Apple Jacks, screaming kids and harried parents: minivans. They're actually fine, useful vehicles whether you have a young family or not, but it's the giving up that the minivan implies, the assumption that life has somehow pointed you in a direction that precludes vehicular fun. The sliding door has claimed too many of us and shouldn't be allowed to claim any more. Fortunately, there's a remedy -- one that just might let you sidestep the issue altogether: the 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLS63.

The hottest variant of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class lineup, the AMG GLS63 is most definitely not a minivan. Instead, it's the closest thing you can get to a seven-seat S-Class uber-wagon, raised a couple of inches and fed a diet of steroids and amphetamines. It's also more of a cosseting, high-speed continent crosser than a canyon carver, but that doesn't mean the AMG team didn't try its best to make it fully capable in any situation.
 
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Is Porsche Developing a Flat-Eight For Its New Mid-Level Supercar?
 
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2017 Land Rover Discovery Sport Gets New Tech, Styling Updates
 
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Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Bentayga Speed On The Way? Awesome Chevelle Barn Find

 
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Bentley CEO Durheimer Strongly Hints Bentayga Speed Is On The Way
 
Given the breadth of powertrain options offered on Bentley's other models, from V-8 versions of the Continental GT to all-out Speed versions of that model as well as the executive Mulsanne sedan, the rumor mill churned early on the prospect of a full-on Bentley Bentayga Speed. We'd heard ourselves that there was certainly room in the lineup, but now CEO Wolfgang Durheimer has told Auto Express that one "might expect" the Bentayga to get the Speed treatment.

This is about as close as it comes to an outright confirmation, so at this point the Bentley Bentayga Speed is a foregone conclusion. The standard Bentayga employs a 6.0-liter, twin-turbo 600-hp W-12 engine that makes a very healthy 664 lb-ft of torque, but that output could swell by at least 30 or 40 hp with an upgraded version of the current 12-cylinder. As it is, the Bentayga hits 60 mph in just 4.0 seconds on its way to a 187 mph top speed, but that ceiling could potentially rise awfully close to 200 mph in Speed guise.
 
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Take a Look at This Unbelievably Cool 1970 Chevelle Barn Find
 
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Pirelli's P Zero Tire Turns 30, Gets a Makeover. We Tested It.
 
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