2013 Motor Trend SUV of the Year

Motor Trend has declared the 2013 SUV's of the year; the Mercedes-Benz GL. They held a week long test with 10 other SUV's. At the end of the testing they had three cars in mind that they thought were winners : the Mercedes GL, Ford Escape, and the Nissan Pathfinder. They knew that other SUV candidates were no match next to the Mercedes GL.

Yes, I know it’s a GL that won, we all know they are not cheap cars. When they first came out the base price was already $55,675 and now half a decade later the entry level GL is $63,305. So yes, it is kind of unfair for  the other competitors since the more you pay the better stuff you get, right? But look at it this way, it is still a full size seven passenger luxury SUV.  The GL just kills the rest in its class! GL being called best in class is just an understatement in my opinion.

So the interior of both the GL 450 and GL550 is just astonishing and leaves the rest of the SUV's in the dust. What is the price that you are going to have to pay for that amazing interior? How about $4,000? Mercedes is now starting to offer a non-glossy wood (open pore wood) interior. The wood is like nothing you have ever seen, it looks like it was just freshly cut from a tree and put straight into the GL.

Mercedes has adopted the new 360 degree camera which had a lot of people talking about and loved very much. The electric seats in the middle row were a little slow but still convenient to have electric seats in the back.

Now with the driving and handling, Motor Trend was very impressed on how it took on the things they threw at the GL. Even though it weighs 5,774 pounds, it can handle on the road and still get decent gas mileage. Motor Trend calls it “An absolutely amazing piece of machinery” and “ An ueber-smooth ride, even in sport mode”

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL does have everything you need in a SUV. So what were the criteria the the SUV's had to meet in order to be named the winner by Motor Trend? Performance of intended function, design advancement, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, and value. Mercedes met an astonishing five out of the six criteria. The one criteria Mercedes didn't meet was value, but it just depends on the way you look at it; Mercedes is way ahead in the GL then the other competitors.  

info credited to motortrend

2013 Nissan Pathfinder

The new 2013 Pathfinder is not the typical SUV anymore. The Pathfinder will have a VQ-series 3.5 liter V-6 under its hood. It is being built off the same assembly line in Tennessee right next to the higher end vehicles, almost the same as Infiniti JX35.

The Pathfinder has the same 114.2 inch wheelbase as the Infiniti JX35, and also has the same height as the JX35. So really, it almost shares everything the JX35 has except for the badge. Both cars as you can guess also shares the same VQ35DE V-6 which the Nissan says pushes out 260 horsepower on 87 Gas, while the Infiniti says it pushes 265 if running on 91. So just because your car has a Infiniti badge doesn't mean you can't afford that extra 20c a gallon.

But a good thing about Nissan is that you do get a choice of front wheel drive or all four wheels. So when you are feeling crazy and just want to get away from that JX35 tailgating you, just hit that 4x4 and lose him in the trails.

You will have four different Pathfinders to chose from, the bottom of the line S, the a little better SV, the very comfortable SL, and the top of the line Platinum. Platinum is what you would want to aim for because it has all the bells and whistles you can wish for. Some but not all includes an Around view monitor system to view a 360 degree of the outside, eight cup holders, and some nice 20’ in rims with all season tires.


The Pathfinder gets a nice 20 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. It is able to tow a maximum of 5000 pounds. The Pathfinder has come a long way since its first debut in 1986, which was just a pickup with a hard shell. Now it is filled with leather and cameras all around the car. The Base price starts at $29,095 0-60 in 7.7 seconds with a top speed of 120.  

2013 Mercedes GL350 BlueTec 4MATIC

The second generation GL is here with nice facelift. Mercedes also updated the equipment in the inside also. I don't know if I like the big headlights it just looks kind of like a cartoon. One thing I really do like is the black painted roof it now has. I have seen it on some E-Class and it looks good but I can't say who copied who? Did BMW come out with it first or the Benz? But I know for a fact that Audi came out with the LED's then Benz came out with their LED running daylights.

Anyways, the gas version GL has a twin-turbo V-8 with 550 hp! The 2013 BlueTec diesel only has a V-6 with a okay 240 hp but, it has 455 pounds of torque! The diesel is very quick though, you can't even hear it when you are out on the road. With this diesel you can tow up to 7,500 pounds with the optional $550 trailer hitch.

 The GL will get up to 60 in 7.5 sec and finishes the quarter mile in 15.8 sec. Top speed will be governed at 131 mph. At $5 a gallon for gas you wouldn't want to be going that fast anyways but you will get 19/26 which is not bad so 22 mpg averaged. It  has a 26 gallon tank so that is about $130 to fill up, but you will get about 600 miles a fill up.

 All the 2013 GL models will still have a seven speed automatic and standard all wheel drive. It seats a nice comfortable seven people. The back seats do fold down with a one touch power folding which would cost $400. You can keep your passengers happy with the rear seat entertainment package with dual DVD screens.




The GL has a bunch of additions you can add on too, $3,500 Premium package, $2,900 anti roll bars, $2,800 driver assistance package, $1,450 three zone climate control, $1,290 adaptive xenon headlights, $1,290 parking assistance system, $1,100 for multi contour front seats with massage, and $1,090 panoramic moonroof. They still have way more too offer if that wasn't enough for you guys. But the GL350 starts at $63,305, without any packages. Overall a very nice car.
pictures and info credited to www.caranddriver.com 

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Wagon Concept

So Porsche is building a wagon? I thought the Panamera was like a wagon already?


                                  The front still looks the same to me with a little face lift.

                                  The back still almost looks the same but with just a higher trunk. Is it necessary for Porsche to build a wagon? I know there are wagons out there but will this really sell?  The back just looks like it has some rolls on the trunk. The stance on the other hand is very nice though. And I also really like the rims they put on this car. They have not released much info on this car yet, but I'm pretty sure the car will be fast! Here are some pictures for you to look through for now.





                                  Pictures credited to www.carandriver.com