Car Informant » SUV

New Range Rover. Official Information

Ani — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:22:00 +0000

The company Land Rover shared the official information and additional images of the fourth-generation Range Rover. The car was shown at a private event in London.
The car has got a whole lot of fresh items, but the traditional angular silhouette has been retained. Roughly the same evolutionary changes were expected in the cabin of the SUV, and a new audio system Meridian, four-zone climate control, navigation system with 8-inch touch screen and improved seats are also worth noting.
At the start of sales of the new Range Rover, it will be equipped with one petrol and two diesel engines. The main and the most powerful one will be the 5.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine V8, capable to issue 510 hp and accelerate the car from zero to 100 km / h in 5.1 seconds. The diesel engines will be presented as 3.0-liter TDV6, capacity of 258 hp, and 4.4-liter SDV8, able to issue 339 hp. The engines will work together with a new 8-speed automatic transmission.
Further details of the car will be announced during the public presentation of the car, which will be held at the Paris Motor Show.

Nissan Showed the Concept of an Electric Crossover

Ani — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:48:49 +0000

The Nissan company has told about the new concept TeRRA, which will be officially presented at the Paris Motor Show. The new car is an electric crossover.
The developer has given Nissan TeRRA full drive, and for the front wheels the same motor that is installed on the Nissan Leaf is responsible, while the rear wheels are driven by two separate electric motors. In addition, under the hood of TeRRA hydrogen fuel cells will be placed which produce electricity.
In the interior of Nissan TeRRA the replacement of conventional devices with a new electronic tablet is worth noting. The device can also function as a multimedia and a navigation system, In addition, the driver can easily take it home.

SsangYong Will Show a New Crossover in Paris

Ani — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:15:30 +0000

The company SsangYong will show a new crossover concept on the Paris Motor Show. The SUV called e-XIV will be the third car of the XIV family, name of which is deciphered as eXciting user Interface Vehicle.
The concept crossover will reach 4160 mm in length, 1790 mm in width and 1575 mm in height. As planned by the creators, e-XIV will be driven by an electric motor powered by a battery. SsangYong e-XIV will be a hybrid with extended range.

Additional electricity for the batteries will be provided from the solar panels installed on the roof of the car. In addition, e-XIV will get a glass roof, a system that allows to control electronics with a smartphone, and other elements.
SsangYong will begin the mass production of the SUV in 2013.

Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept is upgraded for Geneva

Ani — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:19:44 +0000

Volkswagen planned the European debut of the off – road sport – concept Cross Coupe at the Geneva Auto Show. However, in Switzerland, the sports crossover will arrive in a substantially upgraded version.

The first thing that catches your eye is the concept has changed its color. For the Europe Volkswagen Cross Coupe, first shown at the Tokyo Auto Show is now repainted in a brighter red color.

The power plant has undergone a substantial upgrade. If in Japan the concept featured as usual, in general, hybrid, so on the Swiss soil it will already appear as a diesel – electric one. The place of the petrol turbo engine will take a new four – cylinder diesel engine with the volume of the 2 – liter and with the capacity of more than 180 horsepower.

In other respects the scheme of the power plant will not change – the concept will retain two electric motors, one of them is with the capacity of 54 hp, together with a diesel engine and rotates the front axle and the second is with the capacity of 115 – horsepower – it rotates the rear, thus providing the all – wheel drive prototype. Thus, the total capacity of the power plant is slightly more than 300 hp.

The diesel engine can be used both for the movement and to recharge the batteries while only in the electric mode Cross Coupe can travel about 40 miles. In the hybrid prototype, like many other concepts of VW, has a unique fuel economy – about 1.8 liters per 100 kilometers.

On the serial prospects of the hybrid nothing is said yet, but it is believed that Volkswagen Cross Coupe can be considered the forerunner of a new generation of crossover Tiguan.

Mini has created an extreme “SUV”

Ani — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:55:13 +0000

The class of the miniature sport crossover did not exist until recently, and now have to choose from. At present on the market are struggling 184 – horsepower Mini Countryman S and 190 – horsepower Nissan Juke, and soon we will get even more interesting proposal – Mini Countryman JCW.

Under this abbreviation, which stands for «John Cooper Works» traditionally the extreme versions of Mini Corporation are hidden. Under the hood there is a 1.6 liter turbo engine, which is squeezed out 211 hp. In the mode of «Over boost» his power may temporarily rise up to 221 hp. With it the four – wheel drive crossover became capable to dial 100 km / h in 7.1 seconds. The current the most powerful Juke – 8,4 sec.

The hatchbacks of the series of JCW are equipped with only the “mechanics”, while the crossover has an alternative – a 6 – speed automatic transmission.
If the standard Countryman does not look aggressive, the flagship version has changed “in the face”. The distorted mouth grille, the embossed bumpers and the war paint did their job: the ‘SUV’ car no longer looks like a lady’s car.

In the class of the smallest crossovers the novelty has no competitors, but if you take the larger models, there exist some sportier versions. For example, BMW X1 has a more powerful and a high – speed versions. But it must be admitted that they are not so spectacular in appearance.

The first SUV of Bentley will be the first hybrid

Ani — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:30:20 +0000

The British Bentley is going to submit its first ever crossover. The management of the Corporation has not officially confirmed, but actively hints at the fact that the novelty will appear in the Geneva Auto Show. The head of the brand also noted that the first crossover will be the first bearer of the hybrid power plant of Bentley.

As has told the head of the company Wolfgang Dyurhaymer to Europe the agency of Automotive News with the reservation that sounds like “if we still release the crossover,” the company hopes to sell off 3.5 – 5 thousand luxury cars annually. Total life cycle of the model according to the project of the management must be implemented 25,000 SUVs.

The prototype of the first crossover, as noted earlier, should make its debut at the Geneva Auto Show. If the parent company Volkswagen approves the project, the serial version will be released to the market within three years. The final decision will be made before the end of the current year.

“If we decide to produce this car, we want to give him the first hybrid power plant in the history of e company with the possibility of charging from the wall outlet” – added Dyurhaymer.

In April, into the arena will be released one more luxury crossover from the large family of Volkswagen Corporation. Its author will be the brand Lamborghini, and the premiere of this novelty is planned for the Auto Show in Beijing.

One more player in this segment is the brand Maserati, belonging to the concern Fiat, it has already introduced its prototype of the crossover Kubang. The serial model should appear on the market in 2013. At present one of the most expensive SUV is Porsche Cayenne. The car, in spite of the pessimistic predictions, was successfully launched on the market. That looking back at the results, in the niche of the luxury SUV were stretched also the other car manufacturers.

Nissan will show the progenitor of the new X – Trail

Ani — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:23:37 +0000

At the Geneva Auto Show, Nissan Corporation will introduce a concept under the name of Hi – Cross. To all appearances, this car is the progenitor of the new generation of the SUV X – Trail, which will be presented next year.

Most likely, the core of Hi – Cross will be based on the platform of the current model, although it will be significantly reworked. As for regarding the design, the new model will receive “softer” forms of the body work. What kind of engines will be under the hood of the serial X – Trail of the new generation has not been reported yet. The information about the power units will appear in the best case, by the end of the year. But it can be said at once – waiting for some revolutionary discoveries in this case, are not worth it.

The model of Hi – Cross will be the second concept of Nissan, which will be presented in Geneva by the Japanese – in addition to this model, we can see the model of Invitation, which should show us how it will look the model of Note of the new generation.

Porsche announced the biggest recall in its history

Ani — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:15:44 +0000

The Porsche Company had to announce the biggest recall of the cars in its history – the service will need to call in about 100,000 SUV Cayenne. The reason for such a large – scale service campaign is the mounting of a defective headlights on the models of 2011 and 2012 year of release.

The representatives of the Porsche Company emphasize that now the problems with the mounting of the headlights are discovered only in the 40 cars, and there are only five cars which headlights actually fell down. However, this amount was also quite sufficient to declare the withdrawal of the whole line of the cars.

Nissan circulates a “spy video” of the new Pathfinder

Ani — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:53:29 +0000

The Nissan Company is still warming up an interest to the new generation of Pathfinder. The manufacturer issued a “spy video” on which the prototype of the crossover is captured, passing road tests at low temperatures in the North America.

In the Nissan Company decided not to wait until the test prototype of the new generation of Pathfinder will be got by spy photographers, and did it itself. In a new video released by the company, the manufacturers demonstrate the process of overcoming the camouflaged prototype of the various road obstacles: the main difference of the new generation of Pathfinder from the previous one has become its concept of a passenger, so the Nissan Company is trying to demonstrate that of course the off – road quality of the crossover has not been affected from a change. In particular, Pathfinder lost the frame as a bearing element: its role now plays a more rigid body. In addition, the novelty has received a seven – seat cabin and an extensive list of on – board equipments.

According to one of the curators of the project Pathfinder, Adam O’Shaughnessy, Pathfinder during the races on impassability made a good impression on the testers, despite its differences from the previous generation.
The new Nissan Pathfinder should appear on sale in the fall of the current year. Presumably, it will be provided by a 265 – horsepower 3.5 – liter six – cylinder engine which will claim the novelty to be among the most efficient models in its class, said the publication Worldcarfans.

Mercedes is manufacturing new generation of GL

Ani — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:43:23 +0000

In the autumn of the current year the Mercedes – Benz Company will start the selling the second generation of its largest SUV called GL. And the presentation of the model could take place in April at the Auto Show in New York, reports the German edition Auto Motor und Sport. Currently, Mercedes – Benz GL is on the final stage of the road testing, but it is already clear that the appearance of the new GL will be not much different from the current car. Although, of course, all the body parts of the car will be completely new.

It was assumed that under the hood of GL will start to be put a new four – cylinder diesel engine with the capacity of 2.2 liters, which produces 204 hp. This engine is characterized by an excellent efficiency and the torque of 500 N • m should be sufficient even for the heavy GL. But the marketing specialists decided that the SUV should not be exchanged for a four – cylinder. That is why under the hood of the car will be the petrol and diesel engines V6 and V8. In addition, there should appear also a hybrid version. The Germans will not forget about the “charged” modification AMG – it will be equipped with a 5.5 – liter V8 supercharged, which develops 544 hp.