2014 Tahoe / Yukon

                              What is it? A Ford? Actually this could be either the next generation Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Yukon. For those who think this might be an Expedition, well it's not. That is because this prototype was spied with a Expedition as well as a Toyota Sequoia.

                            The Tahoe and Yukon will be on a new platform supposedly called GMT1000. Which means that this car might shave off as much as 500 pounds. High strength steel is the overall structure that plays a big role in the lost weight. 

                              There will be a all new V-8 with all aluminum construction, direst injection and, variable valve timing. Mileage should improve a little bit since it is lighter now. The new 2014 Tahoe and Yukon should be debuting around 2013, and will be asking somewhere along the lines of $40,000.

Pictures and Info credited to www.caranddriver.com

What is the cost of ownership for an expensive SUV?

Wouldn't we all love to own a Ranger Rover? We all know in today's society, the car you own represents a sign of status symbol. When you're watching those reality shows on TV, all the Beverly Hill's wives drive a nice blacked out Range Rover. For many upper middle class, they try their best to mimic them. It's not so hard to imagine them going out to the dealership with their wives looking at all the beautiful selections of  high-end luxury vehicles, including Range Rovers. So imagine this; for your beautiful wife you decide to buy her a brand new car of her choice. Soon a nice man walks out in an  astonishing Armani suit greeting you, offering a cold beverage. Before going to take a walk around the lot, the nicely suited sales person will create small talks trying to make you feel comfortable. After several more small talks and couple sips of the cold beverage the sales man offered, the awaited show around the Range Rover begins.
     Of course, what I am about to say about this car is solely my opinion. Anyways, so you take a glance at the price and you see $63,000 as the base price. You are now thinking in your head, "Man, I can't even imagine all the upgrades my wife is going to want. Does she really need the Climate comfort package ($1,500), Luxury package($4,700), Vision assist pack($1,200), wood trim($350)?! At those prices she does not need any of that!" In reality Range Rover does not sell any car without a package. Now your wife is convinced she wants the Range Rover. Great, you just walked out of the dealership $80,000 poorer. 

     You just brought a brand new car, you should  not need to go back to the dealership for a long time until your first oil change right... You are wrong!! Range Rovers are the most notorious for being unreliable. You will be back at the dealership in a heartbeat for issues you have never even heard of. You are going to take your brand new Range Rover to the dealership and they are going to tell you your EAS (electronic air suspension) has gone bad. What is an EAS?! Well that has to do with your ride height, when you are in sport mode you want your car to be lower so the EAS lowers it for you. When its time to climb some mountains you want the most clearance as possible so you put it on its highest setting.

     The funny part about the Range Rovers EAS going out is that Range Rover's best selling point of the car! So how much is that going to cost you if it does go out? $500 each, Hopefully you will have a warranty on this car. Climate Control, I would be so mad if my A/C went out during a hot day. Well guess what? If you own a Range Rover the chances of you sitting in LA traffic without A/C is highly likely.

    Driving on some rocky mountains that might be the place where you break your oil pan, correct? Nope, just with daily driving you can still get oil leaks! I really would not want to take a Range Rover on any mountain runs now. Another common failure is overheating. Paying over $80,000 for a car and running across all this issues is not cool.

So if you are planning on buying a Range Rover, please look at your bank account and make sure in the "Service Car" account you have saved up another $5,000 or so just for the first year. You can roll deep just like the Beverly Hills mom's just make sure your pockets are just as deep though!

Info credited to  http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/for.html
Pictures credited to www.caranddriver.com

The Porsche That Doesn't Need Gas

All new 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel! So for some time now the Europeans always gets the better end of the deal by getting models we can't over here in the States! Watch out, we just got the Cayenne Diesel! Yeah I know, the Diesel doesn't have that much horsepower. Its only pushing 240 hp but remember its a diesel, so that means 406 torque!! You might be thinking, 'Wow I should be hitting 60 pretty quick...' Well not quite at 7.2 seconds. The ups of having a diesel is that your mpg is just amazing at 19 city and 29 highway, way better then the V-6 at only 16/23. Still thinking maybe you'll just stick with the regular model, but wait, the price is only $56,725! Pretty good deal if you ask me.


 So what does it feel like driving around a Cayenne diesel? It's still a Porsche, steering is still smooth, grip is just insane for a suv. Diesel's have that distinct noise, but for Porsche you wont hear any of that. Most of the new cars these days have the start/stop system to enhance fuel efficiency, but why put a start/stop system in cars like there? If you are able to afford this car, I'm pretty sure you're able to afford the gas.


The down side of having this amazing diesel is that you will need to refill the exhaust system with AdBlue Nox-reducing agent every 10,000 miles. Upside is you get a maximum range of 740 miles per fill up! Do you know what that means? You can drive from LA to Las Vegas and back and then make a trip back again on the same tank!

The clearance is about 10 inches so you'll be able to get over most stuff when you're out in the woods.



So it's a Diesel, with AWD, only a 5 passenger car though. It is a 8 speed automatic with tiptonic. $56,725 is your base price. Would I get it? Really depends on what I'm looking for, if I'm in a market for a diesel then this would be the first choice SUV for me.




Info and pictures credited to www.motortrend.com

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

This December the new 2013 Range Rover will be out and with some improvements. It will be much lighter than the old Range Rover, and also will have much better fuel economy. The Range Rover should be 926 pounds lighter! "How?" you may ask, well this lighter weight has a lot to do with the new all aluminum chassis.

 

For those Ranger Rover owners who want to go 'Green' should be proud: 75% of the aluminum is recycled. The vehicle's bodyside is pressed in a single panel to reduce the amount of joints which means improved body integrity. This new body is so aerodynamic that it improves air flow by 10%.

 

You will get a standard eight speed automatic with your choice of either a 375-hp 5.0 liter V-8 or a 510-hp supercharged unit in the higher trim level. 0-60 time is pretty impressive coming in at 6.5 and 5.1 on the supercharged. So guys you know what that means, you need the supercharged ones just so you can keep up with the other big boys out there.

 

New system adds a Park Assist ability, which means you don't ever have to parallel park the car again! There are other luxury features on this car, like the rear where you get an extra 4.7' compared to the old Range Rover. 29 that is how many speakers you will get in this car, with that you also get a surround camera system so you'll always know what is around you. 

 

 The British still retained the Range Rovers main use; rock climbing. A new redesigned air suspension and an intelligent four wheel drive system will get you around anything. The four wheel drive system with all for a 50/50 torque split.

 

 Some figures for this master piece. The standard HSE around $60,045 and the Supercharged $75,654.

Now that may sound like a lot of money, but compared to other cars which these features this is a really good deal, if you ask me.

Info and Pictures Credited to www.motortrend.com

 

2013 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

Does your wife always nag at you to get the groceries quick? Well here is your perfect excuse to get a new car, and a pretty fast one also I must say.  The new 2013 ML63 AMG is still your typical family SUV but with just twin-turbos and some boost under the hood. The ML is a heavy groceries-getter weighing in at two and a half tons. This beast has a 5.5 liter V-8 with 14.5 psi of boost pushing 518 horses, meaning you will hit that 60 in about 4.8 seconds. Once you select the AMG Performance package, your  boost goes up to 18.9 psi, with 550 horses hitting that 60 will be even quicker in about 4.5 seconds. Your top speed is governed at 155 mph even with the Performance package. So you guys know what this means right...? Off the line you will be head to head with the, BMW X5 M (4.5 sec), Porsche Cayenne Turbo (4.4 sec), Land Rover Supercharged (5.6 sec). The ML now has active anti-roll bars, cornering almost feels like the X5 M which is a good thing. This ML isn't going to be going on some crazy trails or going up a snowy mountain road with its stock tires. But once you change the tires you're going to change the whole character of the car together with handling. So what I'm trying to say is just keep it the way it is. The inside of the ML is like walking into a designer store. The insides are wrapped in a very high-end grade leather. You will be rolling pretty deep with the stock 21-inch wheels, and nice chrome exhaust tips. So now your probably wondering what is all this going to cost you? Its going to set you back a nice $95,865 base, but with just a few lovely upgrades your looking at six figures already, about $112,805.

 

   

     

Photos and Information credited to- www.caranddriver.com

 

 

RX 350 F Sport

The RX now has a F Sport package. What does that mean? Well to start off the regular RX is just a crossover right? or is it a SUV? My personal opinion its a crossover, not tall enough to be a SUV. The new RX is actually built on a ES platform. I think it looks not bad for an RX F. The RX has been around for many years now and we know that its one of the best selling crossovers out there. Just look back a few years when the Audi commercial released the new Q5 they were practically saying the RX is the top seller out on the market because every mom has one, so they were trying to tell you to be different and buy the Q5 so you can stand out in the crowd and be a trend setter. Also what we know about this car is the stereotypes that goes along driving it. Like #1 your a woman, #2 your a soccer mom, #3 probably a stay at home mom, #4 your a mom who has kids #5 you just don't see a guy driving it!! That is what Lexus wants to change. That is why Lexus has now made an RX F! It's for all you Husbands and Fathers out there. Now when you want to take your Beloved other to the Lexus dealer ship you wont really have to push her towards the GS or the SC you can be semi happy with driving the RX F around. But what makes it an F? Is it just a badged up RX with cool emblems all over it? It's surprisingly not, they have actually done some mods to it. On a standard RX you only get a six speed automatic, on the F you get an eight speed automatic with paddle shifters! All enthusiasts favorite flappy paddles... You also get all wheel drive instead of the normal front wheel drive. In the F package you get all upgrades on a regular RX like the Premium and Comfort packages as standard package (Moon roof, HID's, heated seats, ect...). Also you get F Sport suspension with rear performance dampers. That is really all the upgrades you get on the F version. How is the drive though... not so well, its a very bumpy ride and not smooth like a Lexus should be. Under the hood you will have a 3.5L V6 pushing 270hp with 248 torque. 0-60 in about 7.7 Seconds with a cap of 112 mph gas is 18 City / 26 HWY and you can get all this for $47,000 (base). (I still wont recommend you taking this on a canyon run or trying to run the ///M X5) Is this the Q5, X5 or, ML killer? Not quite yet.

Pictures credited to www.autoblog.com