Inside Lane Magazine: Issue 35, Detroit 2012

Inside Lane

Issue 35

Detroit 2012

t i ro

t e D Welcome ladies and gents to motor city. It is the 2012 Detroit motor show and the very first opportunity for manufacturers to show off this years star cars.

There were many points of interest from a multitude of manufacturers. From Hybrids to high performance, Detroit 2012 delivered and all the best bits are over the page as well as this months biggest stories...

Everyone is jumping on the crossover markets bandwagon, and who can blame them. This segment is one of the fastest growing in the industry and all the usual suspects are out to beat off the competition. Even cars such as the ghastly Nissan Juke are thriving proving to all manufacturers that it is at least worth a shot.

Vauxhall are next to throw their hat in with the new Mokka.

This baby SUV comes to the market with the options of both front and all wheel drive dependent upon your preference. The Mokka may not be the most extravert in its design language, but it is tastefully sculpted and wont look out of place in an urban environment. Power comes from a choice of three engines all equipped with start/stop technology. On the petrol side we have a 1.6 litre or a 1.4 turbo, and alternatively there is a higher capacity 1.7 in diesel form.

Expect the Mokka to hit the streets late 2012.

“1 Mokka Please...�

Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag of Toys

2013

The Porsche Boxster has always been seen as the poor mans Porsche. However, this stereotype has never done the car justice as despite being the baby of the range, it is a fantastic car to get behind the wheel of. The entry level Porsche has always served the brand well and this coming Geneva motor show will see the unveiling of an all-new Boxster. Well, the Germans just couldn’t wait that long and so have given away the surprise.

This is the 2013 Porsche Boxster and it sure looks more aggressive than the outgoing model. The new design sticks close to the Germans evolution ethos, but just like the new 911, this car takes it up a couple of notches. The more prominent hunches and rear end that is akin to the 918 Concept do make the 2013 car rather attractive. This new car also has an electrically powered roof eliminating the need to manually put the rag top in place yourself. Power in the standard Boxster comes from a 2.7 litre engine that produces 265BHP and will manage 36.7MPG. The Boxster S has a 315BHP 3.4 litre unit that can still do 35.3MPG. Both come as standard with a 6 speed manual gearbox and have Porsche’s PDK as an option. 0-62MPH for the S with PDK is just 5 seconds with the standard car equipped with the same gearbox coming in at 5.7 seconds.

The Boxster and Boxster S will start at £37,589 and £45,384 respectively.

Boxster

75 Years

Many would argue that the British car industry is all but dead and according to facts and figures they would appear to be correct. Yet, out there in the British mainland is a company that has seen off two world wars and so a gloomy economic climate was not going to beat them down. The plucky Brits at Morgan are celebrating 75 years of the 4/4, a car that has never gone out of production!

The car, in 75 years, has hardly changed from the original bringing a literal meaning to the catchphrase “a modern day classic.” With it’s 2.0 litre four cylinder engine that produces 145 BHP, this little motor really is in a world of its own. The cars charm still hasn’t warn off and this 75th anniversary edition with it’s matte stripe is a testimony that Great Britain, like the 4/4, still marches on.

Ford’s New Baby SUV

The crossover in Europe is now so popular that you would be hard pushed to go through a populated area and not see one. Their high driving position and ample boot space makes them the perfect school run for the those mothers that fear being crushed by a Chelsea tractor. Ford have long been accused of producing a Fiesta based crossover and now the cat is out of the bag.

Making its debut at the New Delhi Auto Expo, this is the Ford EcoSport. Marking up as being similar in size to the Fiesta, the EcoSport uses Fords new design language that we are huge fans of. The bold detailing of the car really does make it stand out, and in a picture with no size reference you could even be fooled into thinking the car is much larger. The baby SUV is yet another of the blue ovals global cars and is set to reach Europe at some point in the future.

Get your FREE download of Matt Cahill’s ASTONISHING album “Kings” mattcahill.bandcamp.com

Welcome To Motor City!!!

Detroit 2012

POWER

It appears a manufacturer these days has to try really very hard to

POWER

build a bad car. A few years back I often mocked Hyundai and wrote

POWER

Koreans producing brilliant cars such as the i40. Overseas the

them off almost on sight. Today that is a very different story with the Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a hot topic as this well priced rear drive coupe adds a few new tricks for 2013.

I saw the original Genesis Coupe back in 2008 at the London motor show and though it was brilliant.

Today in the UK we are still without the car and this saddens me deeply. However, this new 2013 model looks even more exhilarating than its predecessor. Those new bonnet nostrils are not just there for display, the 3.8 litre V6 now produces 348BHP and 296lb-ft of torque! It gets even better for the 2.0 litre model swapping 201BHP for 274BHP making for an incredible 73BHP increase. The V6 will even crack 0-60MPH in under 5.5 seconds. The steering and suspension have also been tweaked making the Coupe a real world contender. Unfortunately there are no plans to produce a right hand drive model. Shame.

It is that time of year in the UK where we all ask ourselves that question of “will it snow?” Over the past few years the winter flurry has brought the country to a halt due to the lack of preparation for the sudden change in climate. Audi’s new Concept car could be just the thing you need to rescue your kids from a closed school.

Audi had been pondering about a sub Q5 crossover for a long period of time, and so when the Q3 arrived it was no surprise. This Q3 Vail Concept previews a potential all-road variant of the Q3 as the German manufacturer says that this car has been designed with winter in mind specifically. Powered by a 2.5 litre TFSI petrol engine, the Vail produces 310BHP and an incredible 400NM of torque. 0-62MPH is done in 5.5 seconds and it will then go on to a top speed of 163MPH.

“Audi’s Q3 Has Got Beef”

Breaking in the new pony The worlds most iconic muscle car is undeniably the Ford Mustang. It has been the peoples choice for decades and boasts a bold name, a bold design, and guaranteed envious looks from passersby.

The pony car may not work here in the UK on the grounds of it being too big, too fuel consuming and a little too ostentatious for the British public, but it doesn’t stop us from wanting one. This is the 2013 Mustang.

The 2013 cars appearance has been sharpened with new design work on both the front and the rear.

The deeper grill on its nose promotes the cars raw nature better than the more sedate 2012 model.

LED lights are now branded on the Mustangs rear that has a much more prominent “chiseled jaw” look to it. Under the Bonnet the Mustang GT’s 5.0 litre V8 now produces 420BHP, up from 412 last year. An interesting new option is the “pony projection lights” that, when the car is unlocked, project the Mustang logo onto the floor below.

2013 Mustang

?Caught the BUG yet?

Let us get this out of the way first. The original VW Beetle was a travesty on wheels offering one of the worst motoring experiences the world had ever seen. Its only positive was that it didn’t cost a vast quantity and it was simple to repair. The Beetle that followed it was dull and failed to become as popular as its predecessor. This years Bug however, we really like with its masculine features and turbocharged engine.

At Detroit VW continue to please us further.

This interesting silhouette you see before you is the E-Bugster and isn’t it quite something to look at! The roof has been lowered by 3 inches and the car now sits on 20 inch alloys. This in tandem with more muscular hunches and bumpers really does make for a good looking machine. Underneath the body is an electric motor that has a 100 mile range. The Germans claim that the battery can be charged to 80% in a rather handy 30 minutes from a quick charge point. The motor produces 114BHP and 199lb-ft of torque.

Though just a concept for now, the new bug is sure to get an electric drivetrain further through its production lifecycle.

We are really going to have to reconsider our motoring stereotypes! Once upon a time owning a Lexus meant that

“Yeah I’m A Lexus... AND WHAT?!”

either you disparity wanted to avoid the congestion charge or that your primary occupation was a librarian. First came the LFA, a supercar of biblical proportions that nobody saw coming.

Now Lexus strikes a second blow with this LF-LC Concept car.

The futuristic 2+2 is an astonishing sight that inspires visions of the future. Its sleek profile is an aerodynamic masterpiece and according to Lexus, aids in delving the cars dynamic movement.

Inside the LF-LC doesn’t dull down into simple plastics and leathers. The cockpit could come from a jet fighter based in the year 2154 and the vast use of glass highlights the sheer amount of design work that has gone into this concept.

Since 1993 the Ford Mondeo has been ferrying the families of Europe from anywhere to everywhere. The solid and reliable motor has become just as much of an icon as its predecessor, the Sierra. Now it is time for an all-new car to take up the Mondeo nameplate. This is a big launch for Ford‌ So here it is, the 2013 Ford Mondeo.

To be badged the Fusion in America, this new car continues Fords “one car� policy that now merges European models with those to be sold in the US. Using many of the seductive lines from the Evos Concept we saw last year, the new Mondeo looks fantastic! The design boasts function but is also followed through with bold features such as that grill. Engines will initially come in three flavors; 1.6 litre petrol, 2.0 litre turbocharged Ecoboost, and both a 1.6 and 2.0 litre diesel. The new chassis also benefits from multilink suspension and the ability to add an all wheel drive option, though Ford have said nothing officially about this variant for the European market.

Your Favorite Family Member Returns...

Hometown Hero Cadillac has made a real comeback over the past decade from being big sloppy land yacht, to a genuine competitor for Europe’s big guns. The European luxury saloon market not only offers high standards of comfort but also impressive performance on the road. Forgive the stereotype but in most cases this is true… The yanks have never done corners particularly well. Cadillac hopes to change that with their new ATS. Setting its sights firmly on the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series, this new ATS has aimed high to say the least. The familiar architecture comes direct from its bigger brother though now sees slightly softer lines making a cameo appearance on the body.

Three engines are available; a 2.5 litre four cylinder with 200BHP, a 2.0 litre turbocharged motor producing 270BHP, and a range topping 3.6 litre V6 with 318BHP accompanied by 267lb-ft of torque.

This car may have spent plenty of time at “the green hell” but is it a match for the best? Only time will tell.

Dodge

DART

Now that Fiat and Chrysler are “best friends� in terms of business, we have been seeing rebadged variants of each sides cars for a little while now. Future models are to heavily borrow from each others parts bins in a mutually beneficial way meaning that the Americans get handling spot on, and the Europeans will gain a bit more power. The first new car from this alliance is finally here. The 2013 Dodge Dart.

Based upon the brilliant Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the new Dart brings a handsome new face to the market. It is a great combination of muscle car attitude meeting with European refinement. The car has a range of three engines starting with a 2.0 litre Tigershark inline-four with 160 BHP and 148lb-ft of torque, finishing with a 2.4 litre with 184BHP. Combine all this with a multilink suspension and the finished product looks very promising. Inside the Dart continues to tick boxes with a very premium sculpted interior.

THE LEGEND

It has been a long time‌ The automotive industry often morns dead heroes that have been discontinued for one reason or another. The Focus ST, the Civic Type-R and the Mazda RX-8 to name just a few over the past year or so. But none have been missed more than the Honda NSX. The well priced, beautifully balanced machine was sentenced to death in 2005 after 15 years of putting a smile on drivers faces. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the NSX will return.

RETURNS

Wearing an Acura badge for now, this is the new Honda NSX supercar and my goodness it ticks the boxes! Not only does it look sharper than a samurai sword but it sticks to that true NSX formula of a mid-mounted V6. The evolution of technology may have killed off its predecessor, but this car is at the cutting edge. It has a hybrid mode to the hippies happy. It has a dual clutch gearbox to keep those who speculate on numbers happy. Best of all, it is driver focus just like the 1990 car was and so makes us very happy.

The new NSX is expected to hit production lines within the next 3 years.