2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe

Hot on the heels of the refreshed 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan, the company has taken the wraps off the latest addition to the C-class line, this sharply styled coupe. Merc's new two-door four-seater debuts at the Geneva auto show.

Unsurprisingly, the C coupe's snout looks rather like the new nose on the C-class sedan, although the fascia has been slightly tweaked. The C coupe's side profile is definitely going to provoke reactions; some will say it's characteristic of modern Mercedes-Benzes, featuring a strong rising beltline and a kink at the C-pillar. Others may say it looks like a Honda Accord coupe, a comparison the Mercedes styling team would no doubt be upset to hear. All C coupes will come standard with 17-inch wheels, the design of which will depend on the trim level, and all C coupes will feature chrome-tipped dual exhaust tips.

Two Trims to Start

Americans will see the C-class coupe in two flavors to start, an entry-level C250 and an upscale C350—the 450-plus-hp, plutonium-flavored C63 AMG coupe comes later. (The C63 was recently revealed—albeit briefly—via Mercedes’ Super Bowl commercial.) Both non-AMG cars’ powertrains are new for this year, and will be shared with the C-class sedan. In the event you've forgotten the specs of the new engines, a quick recap: The C250 will feature a turbocharged and direct-injected 1.8-liter inline-four good for 201 hp and 229 lb-ft. Its bigger-engined brother, the C350 coupe, packs a naturally aspirated, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6, cranking out 304 hp and 273 lb-ft. As in the sedan, both of these engines will route power only to the rear wheels. The all-wheel-drive C300 4MATIC version is reserved for the sedan.

In the U.S., both the four and the six will come only with Benz's seven-speed automatic transmission, dashing hopes that the coupe would take up the stick-shift cause from the now-automatic-only C-class sedan. Perhaps as a compromise, both C-class coupes will have paddle shifters on the steering wheel—a feature that's not available on non-AMG C-class sedans. Helping the sporty-driving cause, the C-class coupe will come with the company's Agility Control system, which features adaptive dampers.

Lots of Standard Features

Indoors, the C-class coupe is much the same as its four-door sibling. The dash is significantly better than the pre-facelift C-class sedan’s, featuring higher-quality materials and a more stylish layout. Buyers of the C250 will find their interiors trimmed with aluminum, while C350 coupe owners are treated to walnut wood, and can upgrade to snazzy matte-finished ash wood. The C-class coupe is crammed with standard features, many of which are expensive options on the C-class sedan. They include a panoramic sunroof, sport seats, Bluetooth, a 5.8-inch multimedia display, LED daytime running lights, nine airbags (including dual front pelvic airbags), and Benz's Attention Assist system. The C-class coupe also will include Merc's newest-generation COMAND infotainment interface, should buyers stump up to buy the navigation system.

With all of these toys included, the C-class coupes should have base prices somewhat higher than an equivalent sedan’s when they go on sale in September. Still, given the new C’s features and its handsome looks, dealers should have no trouble filling their order books, so long as customers don't end up leasing two-door Accords by accident.

Porsche 918 RSR Concept

Porsche 918 RSR Concept

It is 6:30 a.m., and a bunch of journalists have gathered at Detroit's Cobo Hall. Most managed just a few hours of sleep following a kick-off party across the street the night before. Is this ridiculous press-conference slot Porsche’s penance for shunning the Detroit auto show for three years?

There is a more charitable way to look at it: This is a rehash of the September 28, 2000 gathering in front of the Louvre to witness the unveiling of the Carrera GT. It was pouring rain, but absolutely no one regretted rising early, as automotive history was made that day.

The car we are seeing now is called the 918 RSR. It is not entirely new, but a stunning evolution of the 918 Spyder that took last year's Geneva auto show by surprise. Not long after the 918's debut, Porsche's supervisory board gave it the green light for series production.

When the Spyder debuted, Porsche claimed "over 500 hp" from a version of the 3.4-liter V-8 found in the RS Spyder race car, plus electric motors front and rear. With the RSR, Porsche is getting more specific. The direct-injection V-8 makes 563 hp at a screaming 10,300 rpm; two 75-kW electric motors, powering the front wheels only, boost maximum power to 767 hp.

Imagined as the racing version of the 918 line, the RSR has a flywheel-based hybrid system like that in the GT3 R hybrid race car, rather than the hefty lithium-ion battery pack the first concept toted. The flywheel stores electrical power and is charged during braking. At the push of a button, it provides extra power for up to eight seconds. (The 918 Spyder’s battery pack, meanwhile, was said to be able to propel the car for 16 miles on its own, which would take considerably longer than eight seconds.) The motors can vary torque side to side for increased agility. To the same end, the RSR has a six-speed racing-style sequential transmission in place of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission fitted in the 918 Spyder. Instead of the Spyder's futuristic touch-screen, the RSR’s center console sports a purposeful spread of rocker switches.

I See Racing in Your Future

The 918 Spyder—like the Carrera GT, which was developed from the LMP2000 racing concept—was a convertible. But the 918 RSR is a closed-roof racer with gullwing doors, clearly hinting at future racing programs. The RSR keeps the carbon-fiber monocoque of the Spyder, and is an altogether stunning design, with a fan on the rear deck above the engine and a huge carbon-fiber rear spoiler. The two-tone paint job—what the press release calls a "liquid metal chrome blue" and "the typical Porsche hybrid orange color"— evokes the Gulf racing livery of the 917, the unforgettable racing monster developed by Ferdinand Piëch. Piëch also was a driving force behind the 918. In the German newspaper F.A.Z., he recently said that, "With its top models, Porsche needs to reach the level of Ferrari." As usual, it seems Piëch’s minions were listening. (Indeed, the front end apes the Ferrari F430’s perhaps too much.)

Although the 918 program is confirmed, the final execution is still wide open, and it will be some time before the first 918s are delivered. We wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually two series-production models: the 918 Spyder and a gullwing, hardtop version called the 918 GT. Sounds like Porsche has paid its penance in full for skipping the Detroit show these last three years.

2014 Porsche 918

2014 Porsche 918

What it is: A true mid-engine supercar and the spiritual successor to the Carrera GT.

Why it matters: After the Wendelin Wiedeking era—characterized by  the absence of a factory racing team, parts-sharing between the Boxster/Cayman and the 911, plus the portly Cayenne and Panamera—Porsche needs to reassert its position as the quintessential sports-car maker. Porsche will even do a racing edition (the Carrera GT never raced). Two street versions, a gullwing-door 918 GT and a 918 Spyder, are likely.

Platform: A new mid-engine platform exclusive to the 918.

Powertrain: The 918 RSR concept used a flywheel hybrid system, but the production 918 should get a plug-in hybrid system integrated with a 550- to 600-hp V-8.

Competition: Ferrari 599 replacement, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Lexus LFA, Mercedes SLS AMG.

What might go wrong: The world may end before we get a chance to drive it.

Estimated arrival and price: It won’t come before 2013, and it won’t be affordable. Unless you consider $500,000 affordable.

Porsche 918 Spyder Priced

Porsche 918 Spyder Priced, Matching 911 Turbo S Will Be Optional

In the wake of the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid's surprise launch at the 2010 Geneva auto show, Porsche made little secret of its plans to put the car into production. In fact, Porsche’s erstwhile R and D chief, Wolfgang Dürheimer—who now heads Bentley and Bugatti—personally handed this writer a form to sign up and register his interest in the car. I declined the offer, but others didn't, and official production plans were confirmed last summer thanks to “outstanding customer response.” Now, we have a price: a cool $845,000, not including destination and handling. (We suspect the destination charge will affect few people’s purchasing plans.)

Additionally, Porsche has confirmed many of our suspicions. The 918 Spyder will be powered by a mid-mounted V-8 displacing “more than four liters”—as opposed to the concept’s racing-derived 3.4-liter engine—making “at least 500 hp.” Output from the car’s two electric motors also will stay close to the first concept’s, at “approximately 218 hp.” The performance targets are lofty: 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, a top speed of 199 mph, and a Nürburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, beating the legendary Carrera GT by two seconds.

Little Changed From the (First) Concept

Like the first 918 concept (and unlike the second, which appeared at this year’s Detroit auto show press days but departed before the show opened to the public), the production car will have one electric motor at the front axle and one at the rear. The gas engine will drive only the rear wheels, but the electric motors will turn the 918 into an all-wheel-drive car. Feeding electrons to those motors will be a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. While Porsche isn’t sharing much in the way of specifications on the pack, it has said that the production car will have an electric-only range of “more than 16 miles,” during which its top speed will be 94 mph. Fully charging the pack will take about seven hours on a 110-volt circuit, although a quick-charge option is likely. The gas engine will of course ensure that the car can be driven—quickly—regardless of state of charge. Fuel consumption will be rated around 78 mpg in the European combined cycle, which includes some driving on batteries only.

The compact V-8 will be derived from the RS Spyder race car’s engine. It will sit directly behind the passenger compartment and be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The car will use a carbon-fiber monocoque, and will have a manually removable top that can be stored in the front trunk. Stylistically, it will be very close to the Geneva concept.

Production of the 918 Spyder starts on September 18, 2013. (9-18, get it? Given Porsche’s obsession with numerology, we expect the first chassis will begin down the line at 9:18 a.m.) And the total production run will be limited to—you guessed it—918 units. You can place your order now.


Most Expensive Option Ever?

Even if you end up at the back of the queue, Porsche will soften the blow with an exclusive toy to entertain you while you wait. As a 918 buyer, you will be allowed to purchase the 911 Turbo S "Edition 918 Spyder.” Available only to buyers of the 918, it, too, will be limited to no more than 918 units.

The 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder can be had either as a coupe or convertible and boasts "acid green" accents on the badging, mirrors, seats, dash, and instrumentation, as well as matching brake calipers. A plaque on the glove compartment bears the production number of your 918 Spyder. The 911 special edition includes a full leather interior and carbon-fiber elements, and thus represents some value (not that its customers care). It costs the exact same $161,650 or $173,050 as the standard 911 Turbo S and Turbo S Cabriolet, and will be delivered later this year instead of the late-2013 date for the first 918s.

Although that might sound steep for an option, in terms of percentage, it’s the same as a Chevy buyer sprucing up their Cruze with $3200 or so in extras. Considering the tremendous performance of the Turbo S, which went from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds in our testing—not to mention the tremendously deep pockets needed for 918 ownership—we don’t see why one wouldn’t opt for this inevitably highly collectible “option.”

2012 Mini Inspired

2012 Mini Inspired

Multinational corporate intertwinings make for some creative uses of brands and parts. Within the BMW Group, Rolls-Royce builds its smaller model—the Ghost—using a few pieces of the BMW 760Li. Now Rolls is really downsizing, as it has partnered on a version of BMW’s other iconic Brit, the Mini.

The luxury runabout—to be unveiled at the Shanghai auto show—is officially called the Mini Inspired by Goodwood, Goodwood being the home of Rolls-Royce’s factory. Mini will offer 1000 copies in the spring of 2012. It’s a Mini Cooper S underneath, but with Rolls-specific detailing inside and out. While it has the Cooper S’s turbo four, that model’s scooped hood has been swapped for the Mini Cooper D’s more understated bonnet. The rest of the monochromatic exterior’s trimmings are equally as modest, with some normally optional chrome and “Inspired by Goodwood” fender plaques being the only attention-getting add-ons. Even the 17-inch wheels are standard Mini catalog parts. Rolls-Royce Diamond Black metallic paint is standard while Mini’s Reef Blue metallic will be optional.

Sadly, the Doors are Hinged at the Front

You’ll more clearly see the Goodwood inspiration inside. Rolls designers helped choose the trim and coloring—they call the leather hue Cornsilk—and the walnut pieces are shaped at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood facility. A stitched black-leather upper dash looks quirky, but expensive.

Few details were overlooked. A Rolls-like woven headliner has been fitted, as have lamb’s-wool floor mats. The doors and center console are covered in leather. The speedo and tachometer faces have been swapped for versions with Rolls-Royce’s font, although, disappointingly, the tach has not been supplanted by a Rolls power-reserve gauge. Many of the controls get a gloss-black finish, including the steering-wheel spokes. We’d have preferred a thin-rimmed wheel to better match that in a Rolls, but using the chunky Cooper S helm is an understandable concession given the fight provided by the turbocharged Mini’s front wheels.

You can think of the Mini Inspired by Goodwood as the smallest Rolls-Royce available, or the only Roller that comes with a manual. (A six-speed automatic transmission is optional.) Standard equipment will include adaptive Xenon headlights, automatic climate control, a Harman/Kardon sound system, and rear parking sensors. A Cooper S spec’d that way before adding the Rolls bits costs about $30K, and we figure the Inspired car will sticker for at least $45K.

No Ugly Duckling

Blasphemy? Some may think so, but BMW was at least able to keep it in the family, and it avoided building a Rolls-branded microcar à la Aston Martin Cygnet. We’re told some portion of the Mini-Royce allotment will be offered to U.S. customers and we have no doubt they’ll go quickly—possibly to Rolls aspirers or current owners, but most likely to Mini fanatics.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

It’s an epic, decades-long battle waged in showrooms, at the race track, at stoplights, and in internet forums. Chevrolet versus Ford, Camaro versus Mustang. Commencing in the mid-’60s, the clash has been marked by tit-for-tat product introductions, as each brand seeks to match its competitor in every conceivable pony-car niche. Currently, the cars face off in the V-6, V-8, and droptop arenas, but the latest Camaro has ceded the high-performance crown to the Mustang and the brutal, 550-horse Shelby GT500. That ends now.

Welcome the reborn Camaro ZL1.

Open Secrets are Hard to Keep

It’s been a bit of an open secret that GM was working on a high-po Camaro to slot above the 426-hp SS model. Spy photos revealed the car’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, and most assumed that car would wear the storied Z28 badge. But Chevy’s product planners had something different in mind, and we now know the car will wear the reclaimed ZL1 moniker. (SLP Performance previously held the rights to the historic alphanumerics.)

A quick look back is in order. The 1969 Camaro ZL-1 was one of the ass-kickingest machines to ever roll out of Detroit. Dressed up in nothing fancier than base Camaro trim—including dog-dish hubcaps—that original ZL-1 looked like a measly six-cylinder wimp. Without even an engine-designation badge, its only real giveaway was the factory-installed cowl-induction hood. (Well, until you started it up and brought the aluminum big-block 427 to life.) The car was only available via Central Office Production Order (COPO), which installed the 427 option in the Camaro shell. Just 69 copies were built, and the ZL-1’s official 430-horse output figure was grossly underrated, mainly for insurance purposes. It was a quarter-mile king, and is among the quickest factory-built and street-legal beasts ever created.

Back in the present, the 2012 ZL1 aims to grow the legend, and it comes well prepared with a supercharged LSA V-8, borrowed from the Cadillac CTS-V. Producing an estimated 550 hp—a figure on par with the actual output of the original—and 550 lb-ft of torque from its force-fed 6.2 liters, this burly Camaro is seemingly built to terrorize drag strips rather than road courses, so perhaps ZL1 is more appropriate than Z28. (The Z28 was a racer, after all, competing and winning in Trans-Am.) A short-throw, six-speed Tremec manual is the only transmission.

Aiding driveline longevity and pavement adhesion are a beefed-up driveshaft and differential with asymmetrical half-shafts; the latter twist fat, 305-width ZL1-specific Goodyear Supercar F1 gumballs. The 20-inch forged wheels are 10 inches wide in the front and 11 in the rear, but the overall wheel-and-tire package is 22 pounds lighter than the Camaro SS's narrower 20-inch setup. We (conservatively) estimate the ZL1 will cover the 0-to-60-mph run in four seconds flat, while 0 to 100 mph should be accomplished in 9.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.5. Monstrous two-piece Brembo rotors—measuring 14.6 inches in the front and 14.4 in the rear, and squeezed by six- and four-piston calipers—are the centerpieces of the braking system. The latest adaptive magnetorheological shocks sit at all four corners, and drivers can choose between Tour and Sport settings. The ZL1 also marks the introduction of a new electric power-steering system. Weight is said to be about the same as the Camaro SS's—the stronger driveline added weight, but some was pulled out with stuff like the wheels and hood, so it's roughly a wash—which puts this top-spec Camaro at 3900 pounds or so.

Many More Pieces of Flair

While the sleeper look of the original was awesome, the new ZL1 will be highly differentiated from its lesser kin. Up front, the lower fascia is dotted with brake-cooling ducts and four fog lights, and has a large splitter and a wide-mouth intake. The domed hood is aluminum with a louvered carbon-fiber center section that Chevy says helps downforce, while the rear end gets a larger integrated decklid spoiler and quad exhaust finishers. The exhaust system houses an actuated flap, as on the Corvette, that opens at higher engine speeds to both reduce back pressure and deliver a blood-boiling growl.

The cabin gets a few modest upgrades, including alloy pedal covers, a head-up display, and emblems for the headrests and door sills. Sueded material is applied to the shifter, the new flat-bottomed steering wheel, and the front-seat inserts. The auxiliary console gauges are standard on the ZL1, and feature a boost readout that we wouldn't recommend actually looking at while behind the wheel—keep your eyes on the road, please.

We're told the ZL1 will start around $47K, although Chevy could revise the pricing upward later, and it's unknown if the model will get hit with a gas-guzzler penalty. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait to get our hands on this brute, as it doesn't go on sale until February of 2012. So the GT500, which costs $49,495, will gallop on unchallenged for a little longer. And what about the more-racetrack-oriented Mustang Boss 302? Maybe the Z28 will find a place in Chevy’s modern lineup after all .

2012 Chevrolet Camaro

The first time we experienced a major oil shock—the Disco-fabulous 1970s—it eviscerated the muscle-car scene, leaving us with neutered behemoths constructed with all the care of a North Korean knock-off Benz. In comparison, as today’s crude oil and prices at the pump again head north, muscle-car fans are still coming out winners. Ford’s Mustang Boss 302 is a track-attacking monster. And now Chevy is actually increasing the standard horsepower in its base V-6 2012 Camaro, from 312 to 323, while maintaining a 30-mpg highway rating.

Happy Birthday to You

For the hard-core Camaro community, though, the bigger news is the 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro. While a 45th birthday is less noteworthy than a 50th, who wants to wait another five years? By then, the Camaro will probably be a wheatgrass-electric hybrid. The 45th Anniversary package is available for the top-spec Camaro regardless of engine, and dresses up the car’s exterior with asymmetric hood and trunk-lid stripes, new-design 20-inch rims, a spoiler, and HID headlamps. Inside, the package splatters 45th Anniversary logos all over the place—seats, dash, instrument panel, steering wheel, sill plates—and trims the seats, steering wheel, shift boot, armrests, and center console in red, white, and blue contrast stitching. Disappointingly—but not surprisingly—it offers no performance upgrades. It should, however, look very sharp at the local Sunday-morning car club, alongside owners clad in Camaro hats, T-shirts, and windbreakers, clutching Camaro key chains and Camaro thermoses.

As for that smaller engine, GM’s 3.6-liter V-6 is its workhorse, powering everything from the Cadillac SRX (as of yesterday) to the Buick LaCrosse. The Camaro’s version is now dubbed LFX (in the past it was called LLT), and it makes 323 hp versus last year’s 312. The engine has longer-duration camshafts and an improved head design with larger intake valves. It drops 21 pounds, mostly thanks to a composite (read: plastic) intake manifold and lighter connecting rods, and Chevy says it is still good for 30 mpg on the highway.

On the dynamic front, engineers went to work on the chassis, sorting the stiff ride of the V-8-powered Camaro SS. The new suspension features retuned front and rear dampers, and new solid anti-roll bars front and rear. You know the drill though—we’ll believe it when we drive it.

Bye, Bye, Miss Steering-Wheel Pie

General Motors was also kind enough to clean up the Camaro’s interior for 2012. Most notably, the deep-dish steering wheel—the bane of people everywhere who like steering wheels—is gone, replaced with Chevrolet’s corporate tiller. The gauges dump the retro font from last year’s car, and the monolithic slab of cheap plastic that used to span the majority of the dash has been replaced with several smaller panels. (We just hope the quality is better.) To deal with the Camaro’s pillbox-inspired visibility problems, Chevy added a standard rear spoiler. Since there will now be absolutely no rearward visibility, a rearview camera system is available; it displays the image on a screen located in the rearview mirror.

If visibility is the only compromise we have to make with the new Camaro—and Chevrolet seems to be trying hard to provide it all in terms of power and economy—then it’s just another welcome sign that the 2010s will be a lot gentler on the auto industry than were the ’70s.