2012 Land Rover Range Rove Evoque

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It was the middle of fall when a cold, wet, weather system blew in from the Pacific and dumped the season's first significant snow on California's Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. The next day I received an enthusiastic email from co-worker Karla Sanchez asking to swap cars with me for the weekend so that she could zip to Mammoth Lakes for opening day on the slopes. I obliged but with the agreement she would give me a full report of the Rover's first frolic in foul weather. Here are her observations: "This is an overall awesome rig to take up to the mountains: It stuck well to the snow-covered surfaces, and rarely felt like it was going to lose traction. Driving at about 50 mph up Minaret Rd, the chassis would occasionally lose grip, but the traction system would quickly actuate, catch and correct any sliding. At one point, I approached a turn too fast and began sliding, but only for a moment, as the tires promptly gripped the snow, allowing the brakes to quickly bring us to a halt. I was a bit nervous pulling into six inches of fresh snow on the driveway of our rental cabin, but the Evoque plowed right through without hesitation. I drove with the snowy/icy surfaces mode engaged most of the time until the end of the weekend when all the snow had melted off the roads. And even then I drove over some large ice patches with the regular mode engaged, but the Evoque glided over them without incident, proving that the stability system is reliable even if the proper mode is not engaged. Room is not very generous inside, either. We had small and large suitcase, a medium duffel, three snowboards, and a few other small bags stacked inside, minimizing the already compromised rearward visibility. My backseat passenger was more then a bit cramped, but be kept his complaints to a minimum, and in fact, over the course of a few days grew to love the car's design and style - his eyes were opened to the benefit of small SUV with lots and lots of luxury amenities. He was also was charmed by the multi lens camera system and thought all the different views were a great novelty. Overall, the Evoque's condensed size and sure-footed stability system make it a great weekend runner to where the payment ends and the lifts begin."

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Our Car
Service Life	8/20,566 miles
Average Fuel Economy	21.7 mpg
CO2 Emissions	0.89 lb/mile
Energy Consumption	155 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems	None
Maintenance cost	$0 (oil change, inspection, cabin-air filter, engine-air filter)
Normal-wear cost	$0

2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

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A friend of mine recently bought a 2012 Toyota FJ, and knowing that my current daily driver was some sort of Range Rover, he asked if I'd meet him in Death Valley for a weekend of deep canyon exploring. I agreed, but reminded him that this Range Rover is not quite as capable as its bigger brothers, and that his FJ would likely have to take lead when the going got tough. Death Valley is a huge place filled with layers and layers of desert grandeur, lots of which can be accessed by well-kept, twisty ribbons of asphalt. These roads are perfect for zipping up and over with the Evoque's sticky rubber and grip-happy suspension, but I wondered how those same tires and suspension would do when we'd leave the asphalt? Our destination was the Barker Ranch via the Goler Wash. Getting to the mouth of the wash meant slithering down a fast, gravel-compacted road, then driving a few miles up a large alluvial fan to the start of the canyon. The Evoque handled all with ease but not without audible fuss. The low-profile tires result in plenty of rough road noise drumming into the cabin -- the price you pay for such big rims. As we neared the mouth of the canyon, I began to notice that the terrain looked recently disturbed. Sure enough, the canyon was completely washed out. Two weeks prior to our arrival, a strong thunderstorm appeared to have wreaked havoc on the canyon, allowing Goler Wash to live up to its name. The Evoque wasn't about to go up it, and even the more capable FJ began to shiver in its boots. Rather then risking getting stuck, we instead used the newly created terrain at the mouth of the canyon to learn more about Evoque's Terrain Response System. Toggling through the settings, then rolling through the boulders and sand allowed my spotters to see how each setting tackles the terrain with a different approach. Though none of the setting were going to change the Evoque's lack of robust tire tread or underbody clearance, I now have a better understanding of the sort of terrain the Evoque is capable of tackling. An FJ it is not, but it's ability to click off triple digit speeds on the asphalt while also zipping down the majority of unpaved roads makes it a unique crossover offering and (mostly) perfect for visiting a big, vast place like Death Valley.

2013 Kia Rio SX Arrival

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Does this Motor Trend Garage introduction qualify as one of those "that awkward moment" Internet posts? Our last subcompact hatchback comparison's final draft order made the Kia Rio the automotive proxy for Mr. Irrelevant ("Shiftbox Revolution," April 2012). We aired grievances ranging from driving dynamics to the lack of features onboard. But that was a stripped-out LX, picked to the bone and devoid of power door locks, electric-crank windows, and cruise control for the sake of low pricing. The Rio SX furnishes all three, plus automatic headlights, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power-folding side mirrors, and backup camera. The SX-specific sport suspension has higher-rate rear springs, specially valved shock absorbers, and a 2 mm-thicker front anti-roll bar. Despite the LX's poor showing, our new long-termer is the kind of car embraced by car buffs. Not because it's crazy powerful -- the direct-injection, 1.6-liter I-4 makes 138 hp, "beating" the 140-hp VW Passat TDI for least amount of pony power in the Garage. It's the transmission. A limited run of just 459 SX five-doors with six-speed manuals were built and sent to Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, four East Coast markets, and Southern California.

Behold the only long-term garage vehicle named after a city. Or a river. Or a restaurant? It couldn't be the kid-friendly movie...

Further tickling the car aficionado gene is a calculated purloining of equipment from the auto SX's $2350 Premium Package. The single-spec manual SX nabs the keyless entry with push-button ignition and 7-inch audio/video/nav touchscreen display at no extra cost. What didn't make the cut: a sunroof, leather seating, and heated front seats. We'll examine how the car behaves around town and far away from home base. We'll even see how it engages the enthusiast driver, and we'll sneak a peek at the chassis beneath the well-dressed sheetmetal. Nope, there won't be anything awkward about any of this at all.

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2013 Kia Rio SX
BASE PRICE	$18,650
PRICE AS TESTED	$18,794
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback
ENGINE	1.6L/138-hp/123-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION	6-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	2522 lb (61/39%)
WHEELBASE	101.2 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	159.3 x 67.7 x 57.3 in
0-60 MPH	8.2 sec
QUARTER MILE	16.5 sec @ 83.1 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	123.5
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.80 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	27.9 sec @ 0.60 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON	29/37 mpg
ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY	116/91 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS	0.60 lb/mile
TOTAL MILEAGE	1442 mi
AVERAGE FUEL ECON	30.9 mpg

2014 Kia Soul First Look

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SHOW FLOOR UPDATE: Kia's Track'ster-inspired 2014 Soul was just unveiled amid a DMX remix, break dancers, and yes, dancing hamsters, today at the 2013 New York auto show. The stylish new Soul is Kia's attempt at keeping the car fresh among young buyers. Though it may make slightly less power than before, it comes with a higher-quality interior, a capacitive eight-inch infotainment touch screen, and offers tech features like Pandora Internet radio, which is built right into the head unit. - Christian Seabaugh The Kia Soul undoubtedly outsells its competition and serves as one the automaker's bestselling models, but that hasn't stopped the Korean automaker from pumping new life into the urban box with a significant redesign. Although the 2014 Soul sticks to the same recipe that made it a sales success, it's been infused with extra ingredients to improve ride quality, passenger comfort, and visual appeal, making for an even more delightful box car. To start, the Soul has filled out quite a bit. Its wheelbase was extended by 0.8 inches to 101.2 inches, and it's gotten stouter with a 0.6-inch wider waist. While it remains 63.4 inches high, its tailgate opening has increased by 2.4 inches. The increased dimensions mean the Soul's interior was also given plenty room to grow, with legroom increasing 0.8 inches, headroom by 0.2 inches, and front shoulder room by 0.3 inches. Step-in height has dropped 0.2 inches for easier exit and entry, while cargo space steps up half a cubic foot to 24.2 cu ft. Roomier, but also quieter, Kia says increased NVH materials in the door cavities reduce wind and road noise, while an isolation pad and layered carpet further reduce interior noise levels by three decibels. The chassis' torsional rigidity is 29 percent stiffer than before, and engineers tinkered with the front and rear suspension set up to improve ride and handling. The front subframe now wears four bushings versus none on the current Soul, which Kia says helps absorb harsh bumps. The stabilizer bar has been pushed back on the McPherson strut front suspension, and shock absorbers have been turned at a different angle and stretched out for more suspension travel. The steering box, which now uses a one-piece steering gear housing instead of a two-piece unit, has been moved forward in an effort to improve steering response and on-center feel. Kia also says this reduces vibrations felt through the wheel. The same Flex Steer system offered in the new Kia Forte is also featured in the new Soul, allowing the choice among three different levels of steering tuning: Comfort, Normal, and Sport.

2014 Ford Fiesta ST (European Spec) First Drive

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After missing out for decades on the hot, small, and fun cars that personified Ford in Europe, now it seems the company can't stop bringing them over to the U.S. Not long after the Focus ST's arrival comes the Fiesta ST, a rowdy, unflappable, and hilarious little car. Smaller and lighter, it's the ST formula distilled, and that is a very good thing. First, a disclaimer. For the car's launch, Ford invited journalists to Nice, France, to drive two-door hatchbacks that won't be available in the U.S. The only trim we'll see is a four-door hatchback with a manual. While it has two extra doors and weighs more, there are no other hardware differences between the U.S. and European models. From the engine to the suspension to the tires, all the parts are the same, although some tuning differences exist. For example, the rebound setting on the U.S. car had to be changed to meet a U.S.-specific pothole test. As for the ST-specific hardware, there are the requisite drop in ride height, new dampers, and stiffer springs. A torsion beam with greater roll stiffness helps induce the tail-out antics, while new steering knuckles and revised camber give the wheel greater control. The brakes are discs all around; the bucket seats have thick side bolsters; and, of course, there's that potent turbo I-4.

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Though mechanically identical in other Fords, the calibration of the 1.6-liter here is specific for this application. It makes either 180 hp or 197 hp and 177 lb-ft or 214 lb-ft of torque depending on overboost, which is when the turbo breathes as much as 21 psi for 20 seconds maximum. (It reverts to 14.5 psi after.) Ford engineers say that the recovery time is virtually nil, so that lifting off the throttle briefly and going back to wide open throttle, either during a gear change or while navigating a corner, puts the engine back in overboost. That means outside of the autobahn, it's always available on public roads.

Mitsubishi Pajero

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The Mitsubishi Pajero (pron.: /pəˈdʒɛroʊ/; Spanish: [paˈxeɾo]; Japanese パジェロ [padʑeɽo]) is a sport

utility car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the

Pampas cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina.However,

since pajero is an offensive term for "wanker" in Spanish,alternative names have been used

for many markets overseas. It is known as the Mitsubishi Montero (meaning "mountain hunter"

in Spain, India, and the Americas (except Brazil), and as the Mitsubishi Shogun in the

United Kingdom. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Car Plaza.

Discontinued in the United States in 2006, the vehicle continues to be sold in the rest of

the world in its fourth-generation iteration.

Thanks to their success, the Pajero, Montero and Shogun names were also applied to other,

mechanically unrelated models, such as the Pajero Mini kei car, the Pajero Junior and Pajero

iO/Pinin mini SUVs, and the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero/Shogun Sport. Main rivals are the Land

Rover Discovery, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SWB/LWB and Nissan Patrol.

The first Pajero prototype was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November 1973. The Pajero

II prototype followed in 1978, five years later. Mitsubishi’s aim was to create more of a

recreational car, not just an SUV.

In January 1983, the first Pajero made its debut at the Paris Dakar Rally, taking first

place in 1985 at only the third attempt. To date, the Pajero is the most successful vehicle

in the Dakar Rally (winning its class 7 out of the last 10 races, and 15 of the full 32

races). This not only gave the Pajero

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

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Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is a mid-size four-wheel drive car in the Toyota Land Cruiser

range produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Prado is one of the

smaller vehicles in the range.

In Europe it is sold as simply the Toyota Land Cruiser LC3, LC4 or LC5 (depending on the

generation) or with the number series designation (LC 70, LC 90 and LC 120). In North

America it is not part of the Land Cruiser range, being instead sold as the Lexus GX 470,

with nearly identical body panels and a V8 engine.

The current Prado is based on Toyota's J150 platform. Previous models were based on the J70,

J90 and J120 platforms. All models designated Prado feature front independent suspension,

ladder frame and a two-speed transfer case except the J70 which had active diffs front and

rear.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is available in GX, GXL, VX and Grande spec versions. The GX

is the entry level model, while the Grande is the more luxurious version. In most markets it

is available with either a 4.0 L petrol V6 or a 3.0 L Diesel engine. In some European

countries there are commercial van variants, based on the short-wheelbase chassis.

First developed as the light-duty of the 70 Series, in November 1984. Available only in

short body, and there were options for soft top or hard top (metal top). Names like Land

Cruiser II, Land Cruiser, and Bundera were made for these 'Light Duty' Land Cruisers. The

Bundera was a medium wheelbase two-door with a plastic top and barn doors at the rear. There

were three engine options, the 2.4 L (2366 cc) 22R petrol engine and 2.4 L (2446 cc) 2L and

2L-T diesel and turbo diesel engines. Transmission for the gasoline engine is the G52 type

while the diesels used the R150 and R151 types. These were the same engines and transmission

used in 4Runner, in cooperation with Hino the new car.

In April 1990, a new type was introduced. The front grille, front fenders and engine hood

were redesigned. The head lamp design changed as well. At the same time the sub name Prado

was attached, but names like Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser II were still used in other parts

of the world besides Japan. Meaning plain or field in Portuguese, Prado the new car from

Land Cruiser was marketed toward more on-road purposes, despite a body on frame design which

was highly capable off-road.

In Japan it came with electronic fuel injection and a four speed automatic transmission. The

2.4 L turbo diesel engine with 71 kW (97 PS; 95 hp) and 240 N·m

Range Rover from Land Rover

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The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by
British multinational car maker Land Rover, part of Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover group,
and serves as its flagship model. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its fourth
generation. Range Rover is also being developed by Land Rover as its premium brand, and it
is used as a brand name on two other models – the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover
Sport.

The Rover Company (the creator of the Land Rover marque) had been experimenting with a
larger model than the Land Rover Series as far back as 1951, when the Rover P4-based two-
wheel-drive "Road Rover" project was developed by Gordon Bashford.This was shelved in 1958,
and the idea lay dormant until 1966, when engineers Spen King and Gordon Bashford set to
work on a new model.

In 1967, the first Range Rover prototype was built, with the classic Range Rover shape
clearly discernible, but with a different front grille and headlight configuration. The
design of the Range Rover was finalised in 1969. Twenty-six Velar engineering development
vehicles were built between 1969 and 1970 and were road registered with the number plates
YVB151H through to YVB177H. The Velar name was derived from the Italian "velare" meaning to
veil or to cover. Range Rover development engineer Geof Miller used the name as a decoy for
registering pre-production Range Rovers. The Velar company was registered in London and
produced 40 pre-production vehicles that were built between 1967 and 1970. Most of these
Velar pre-production vehicles are accounted for and have survived into preservation.
The Range Rover was launched in 1970. In the early 1970s, the Musée du Louvre in Paris
exhibited a Range Rover as an "exemplary work of industrial design".
In 1972, the British Trans-Americas Expedition became the first vehicle-based expedition to
traverse the two American continents from north-to-south, including traversing the roadless
Darién Gap. The specially modified Range Rovers used for this expedition are now on display
in the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust collection at Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Before 1987, Land Rover vehicles were only sold in the United States through the grey
market. The Land Rover company began selling the Range Rover officially in the U.S. on March
16, 1987. From that time until 1993, the U.S. marketing was all in the name of Range Rover,
because it was the only model offered in the American market. In 1993, with the arrival of
the Defender 110 and the imminent arrival of the Land Rover Discovery, the company's U.S.
sales were under the name "Land Rover North America".

In 2005, Land Rover launched another model under the Range Rover brand – the Range Rover
Sport, which was based on the Land Rover Discovery platform.
In 2011, the Range Rover Evoque was launched.

Land Rover

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Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover group, a subsidiary of Tata Motors of India.It is the second oldest four-wheel-drive car brand in the world (after Jeep). The Land Rover name was originally used by the Rover Company for one specific vehicle model, named simply the Land Rover, launched by Rover in 1948. Over the following years it developed into a marque encompassing a range of four-wheel-drive models, including the Defender, Discovery, Freelander, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque. Land Rovers are currently assembled in the company's Halewood and Solihull plants, with research and development taking place at JLR's Gaydon and Whitley engineering centres. Land Rover sold 194,000 vehicles worldwide in 2009. Although the brand originates from the original 1948 model, Land Rover as a company has only existed since 1978. Prior to this, it was a product line of the Rover Company which was subsequently absorbed into the Rover-Triumph division of the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BL) following Leyland Motor Corporation’s takeover of Rover in 1967. The ongoing commercial success of the original Land Rover series models, and latterly the Range Rover in the 1970s in the midst of BL’s well documented business troubles prompted the establishment of a separate Land Rover company but still under the BL umbrella, remaining part of the subsequent Rover Group in 1988, under the ownership of British Aerospace after the remains of British Leyland were broken up and privatised. In 1994 Rover Group plc was acquired by BMW. In 2000, Rover Group was broken-up by BMW and Land Rover was sold to Ford Motor Company, becoming part of its Premier Automotive Group. In 2006 Ford purchased the Rover brand from BMW for around £6 million. This reunited the Rover and Land Rover brands for the first time since 2000 when the Rover group was broken up by BMW. In June 2008, Ford sold both Land Rover and Jaguar Cars to Tata Motors. This sale also included the dormant Rover brand. The design for the original Land Rover vehicle was started in 1947 by Maurice Wilks, chief designer at the Rover Company, on his farm in Newborough, Anglesey. It is said that he was inspired by an American World War II Jeep that he used one summer at his holiday home in Wales. The first Land Rover prototype, later nicknamed 'Centre Steer', was built on a Jeep chassis and axles. The early choice of colour was dictated by military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint, so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green; all models until recently feature sturdy box section ladder-frame chassis. The early vehicles, such as the Series I, were field-tested at Long Bennington and designed to be field-serviced; advertisements for Rovers cite vehicles driven thousands of miles on banana oil. Now with more complex service requirements this is less of an option. The British Army maintains the use of the mechanically simple 2.5-litre four-cylinder 300TDi- engined versions rather than the electronically controlled 2.5-litre five-cylinder TD5 to retain some servicing simplicity. This engine also continued in use in some export markets using units built at a Ford plant in Brazil, where Land Rovers were built under license and the engine was also used in Ford pick-up trucks built locally. Production of the TDi engine ended in the United Kingdom in 2006, meaning that Land Rover no longer offers it as an option. International Motors of Brazil offer an engine called the 2.8 TGV Power Torque, which is essentially a 2.8-litre version of the 300TDi, with a corresponding increase in power and torque. During its ownership by Ford, Land Rover was once again associated with Jaguar - the first time the two companies had been under the same ownership since the British Leyland era. In many countries they shared a common sales and distribution network (including shared dealerships), and some models shared components and production facilities. Sale to Tata