Sunday, February 12, 2017

2017 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW

NISSAN
Titan King Cab
Titan XD King Cab
  • 6.5 ft. cargo bed
  • Rear hinged rear doors open 172 degrees
  • S, SV, & PRO-4X trims in either 2WD or 4WD
  • Only full-size Truck to offer a rear seat delete option for additional rear cargo space
  • 390 hp V8 on Titan
  • 390 hp V8 (or) 310 hp Cummins Turbo Diesel V8 on Titan XD
  • 5 year / 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty
  • On sale in May
    HYUNDAI
    Elantra GT
    • GT and GT Sport trims
    • 160 hp 4-cylinder w/ 6-speed manual (or) Automatic on Elantra GT
    • 200 hp Turbo 4-cylinder w/ 7-speed automated manual on Elantra GT Sport 
    • 18" wheels & larger brakes standard on Elantra GT Sport
    • Vertical LED DRL's
    • 8" infotainment screen w/ Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
    • Revised BlueLink communication can not only remotely start the car, but it can also heat the rear window & defrost the mirrors
    • BlueLink also works with Amazon Alexa
    • Available Forward Collision Warning with Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Wireless Device Charging, and LED Headlamps.
    • On sale in June
      MITSUBISHI 
      Outlander Sport Limited Edition
      • ES, Limited Edition, and LS trims in either FWD (or) AWD
      • Limited Edition features an alloy fuel door, HID headlamps, fog lamps, Black 18" wheels, Black mirror covers, and "Limited Edition" badges.
      • Aluminum foot pedals, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, Black heated cloth seats w/ red stitching on the steering wheel, brake handle, and shift knob 
      • Starts at $22,000
      • On sale Now
        TOYOTA 
        RAV4 Adventure
        • Taller ride height overall
        • New Tow Prep package. 
        • Cold Weather package features heated cloth seats, heated steering wheel, and windshield wiper de-icer
        • Adventure trim includes Black 18" Wheels, Lower stone chip guards, Black fender flares & exterior trim, and "Adventure" badges
        • Unique door panels, leather shift knob, and "Adventure" kick panels and floor mats 
        • On sale in September
          Sequoia TRD Sport
          • 2WD (or) 4WD w/ TRD suspension and Bilstein shocks
          • New grille and front bumper, smoked taillamps, Black 20" wheels, & "TRD" badges 
          • Super White, Magnetic Gray, or Midnight Black only
          • Toyota Safety Sense includes Forward Collision Warning, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Auto High Beam Headlamps
          • Black Cloth standard or optional Black Leather captain chairs w/ unique kick panels, TRD shift knob, and floor mats 
          • On sale in September
            Tundra TRD Sport
            • Double Cab or CrewMax cab styles in 2WD or 4WD
            • TRD anti-roll bars, shift knob, floor mats, body side graphics, and Bilstein shocks
            • Body color mirrors, hood scoop, and bumpers, smoked taillamps, Silver/Black 20" wheels, LED headlamps w/ black bezels, and mesh grille w/ body color surround
            • Super White, Blazing Blue, Barcelona Red, Magnetic Gray, or Midnight Black only
            • Toyota Safety Sense includes Forward Collision Warning, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Auto High Beam Headlamps
            • On sale in September
              DODGE 
              Durango SRT
              • 475 hp 392 Hemi V8
              • 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic and AWD. 
              • 7-mode drive allows the driver to choose between Auto, Sport, Track, Snow, Tow, Valet, and ECO settings which alters powertrain, suspension, and steering calibrations.
              • Brembo brakes
              • “Goliath” 20" wheels
              • 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds
              • Towing capacity is 8600 pounds.
              • Functional hood scoop w/ dual heat-extracting vents
              • Front fascia cold-air duct
              • LED fog lamps, dual 4" exhaust tips; wheel flares; and body-color rocker panels. 
              • 180-mph speedometer
              • SRT flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle shifters
              • Heated/ventilated front seats; heated 2nd-row seats
              • Hand-wrapped dashboard with silver stitching
              • Nappa leather with suede inserts and silver-stitched SRT. 
              • Optional Demonic Red Laguna leather seats, Dinamica suede headliner, and carbon-fiber trim.
              • Free 1-day session at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
              • On sale in November
                FORD 
                Expedition


                • EcoBoost V6
                • 10-speed automatic w/ start/stop technology. 
                • Terrain Management features 7 drive modes that alter powertrain settings
                • 7 or 8 passenger seating 
                • 2nd-row seats tilt and slide forward, for easy 3rd-row access. 
                • 3rd-row seatbacks recline
                • Rear cargo area can accommodate a 4×8 sheet of plywood.
                • Available features include
                1. Active Park Assist, 
                2. Pro Trailer Backup Assist, 
                3. Surround-view Camera, 
                4. Lane-Keep Assist, 
                5. Adaptive Cruise Control, 
                6. wireless charging, 
                7. WiFi hotspot, 
                8. dual-screen rear-seat entertainment, 
                9. SYNC 3 infotainment
                10. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 
                11. hands-free liftgate, 
                CHEVROLET 
                Redline Special Editions


                • Redline editions have black wheels with red hash marks, red-outlined black badges, black grilles, and black bowtie logos. 
                • Camaro Redlines have black hash marks above the wheels
                • Colorado and Silverado Redlines have red tow hooks.
                • All will be on sale by the end of 2017 

                1. Cruze LT Redline
                2. Malibu LT Redline
                3. Camaro LT Redline
                4. Camaro SS Redline
                5. Trax LT Redline
                6. Equinox ST Redline
                7. Traverse Redline
                8. Colorado ST Redline
                9. Silverado LT Z71 Redline

                Saturday, February 4, 2017

                THE WHOOOSH OF AN EV

                     The EV (electric vehicle) is here to stay. Not every manufacturer has one and with autonomous vehicles on the horizon, something tells me not every car maker will have one in their fleet 5 years from now either. I like EV's. I believe in EV's. If it would better fit within my current lifestyle, I might even drive one every day. I do wish they weren't so damn ugly.
                     From the small amount of EV's shown here, only 4 are decent looking; and the only reason they are is because they're based off current models. The exception being the Model S which is a brand new vehicle. 

                FORD
                Focus EV
                $30,000
                145 hp
                107 miles on a full charge
                (2016) VOLKSWAGEN
                e-Golf
                $30,000
                115 hp
                85 miles on a full charge
                NISSAN
                LEAF
                $31,000
                107 hp
                107 miles on a full charge
                FIAT
                500e
                $34,000
                111 hp
                85 miles on a full charge
                CHEVROLET
                Bolt EV
                $37,000
                200 hp
                240 miles on a full charge
                KIA
                Soul EV
                $33,000
                110 hp
                95 miles on a full charge
                MERCEDES-BENZ
                B250e
                $41,000
                175 hp
                87 miles on a full charge
                BMW
                i3
                $44,000
                170 hp
                115 miles on a full charge
                TESLA
                Model S
                $65,000
                328 to 465 hp
                190 to 467 miles on a full charge
                Model X
                $75,000
                400 to 465 hp
                235 to 295 miles on a full charge