L.A. Auto Show: 2012 Buick LaCrosse is hybrid-lite

Though it's not actually using the h-word, Buick has pulled back the curtain on its first foray into the hybrid market.

The 2012 Buick LaCrosse will come standard with a system the company is calling e-Assist. It’s basically a host of fuel-saving systems designed to cut the car’s consumption by up to 25%. The system includes automatic engine shut-off when the car is stopped, a lithium-ion battery that aids in the LaCrosse’s acceleration, and regenerative braking, which puts power back into the lithium-ion battery.

The result is fuel economy of 25 city, 37 highway. The powertrain on this LaCrosse is a 2.4-liter four cylinder paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. Horsepower is rated at 180.

What’s interesting about this take on fuel efficiency is that this will be the standard powertrain for the 2012 LaCrosse.  It goes on sale next year and pricing is expected to be around the $30,000 range. Buyers will still have the option of choosing the V6, offered at the same starting price.

Buick was quick to point out that the $30,000 expected base price undercuts the Lincoln MKZ hybrid (which our own Susan Carpenter recently reviewed) by several thousand dollars. While this is true, it’s only fair to point out that the Lincoln wallops the LaCrosse in fuel efficiency with an EPA rated 36 mpg city, 41 mpg highway.

2011 Dodge Durango makes up for its absence

Jaguar C-X75 supercar is mean and green (VIDEO)

Subaru reveals its crystal ball

-- David Undercoffler

Photo credit: Steve Fecht / EPA

L.A. Auto Show: 2011 Dodge Durango is a show stopper

2010 was a quiet year for Dodge, a brand that traditionally does not enjoy being quiet. So one shouldn't be surprised to find that Dodge used this year’s L.A. Auto Show to highlight six refreshed or completely redesigned vehicles for 2011.

Although the brand, a division of Chrysler, displayed updated versions of its Avenger sedan, Challenger muscle car, Journey crossover and Grand Caravan, it's the 2011 Charger sedan and 2011 Durango SUV that are its real show stoppers.

The Durango revises the nameplate after a two-year absence. It’s built on the same unibody platform as the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, though the Dodge has a wheelbase that’s 5 inches longer and an overall length that’s 10 inches longer. This allows room for a third row seat, something the Grand Cherokee lacks.

The Durango is powered by either the new Pentastar V-6, good for 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, or the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, which puts out 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. The engines are mated to an five-speed automatic speed transmission, though an eight-speed automatic will eventually be available. Towing capacity is rated at 6,200 pounds for the V-6 and 7,400 for the rear-wheel-drive V-8. Gas mileage improves on both from the previous Durango: the V6 is now rated at 16/22, city/highway and the V8 is rated at 13/20, city/highway.

Dodge will offer four flavors of the Durango. The base is the Express, which starts just north of $30,000; followed by the Crew, probably the volume leader for Dodge; the performance-oriented R/T; and, finally, the top-of-the-line Citadel, which flirts dangerously with the $50,000 mark (moat sold separately).

I recently had a chance to drive the new Durango Crew with the V-6 and came away impressed. The ride was smooth, as were the engine and transmission. The interior has been upgraded substantially over -- well, over any Dodge ever (not including other 2011 models).

Unfortunately the Durango weighed in at a rotund 5,000 pounds, which meant the Pentastar engine needed all its power to get the vehicle moving. Additionally, the sticker price on the mid-level Crew model hit a not-insignificant $43,000.

Stay tuned for a complete review in the near future.

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Jaguar C-X75 supercar is mean and green (VIDEO)

Porsche's Cayman R is for where the sun don't shine (VIDEO)

Subaru reveals its crystal ball

-- David Undercoffler

Photo credits: David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Auto Show: Subaru reveals its crystal ball

Subaru used the L.A. Auto Show to give us a look into its crystal ball. The company recently announced a new design philosophy of "Confidence in Motion," and debuted the first practical application of it here with the Impreza Concept.

Tim Mahoney, Subaru’s chief marketing officer, said the Impreza would be the next model that Subaru introduces, but he wouldn’t say what we could expect in the way of a powertrain. He did allow that this design study was “a good hint” at what the Impreza would look like, and said the basic proportions of the concept would carry over into production.

Overall, the car is certainly larger than the current Impreza and features cleaner, more mature styling. The design maintains the unique look of Subaru in a class in which many cars are treated as little more than appliances.

Look for a more production-ready version to show its face at an auto show sometime in 2011.

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-- David Undercoffler

Photo: The Subaru Impreza Concept at the L.A. Auto Show. Credit: David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Auto Show: Jaguar gets mean and green

 

Things are getting fun on Electric Avenue.

Jaguar’s new supercar concept, the C-X75 makes its North American debut here in L.A. This plug-in halo car joins high-end concept supercars exploring electric propulsion, such as Porsche’s 918 concept and Audi’s e-tron concept. The C-X75 builds on Jaguar’s legacy of high-end supercars in the vein of its XJ220 or XJR-15.

The concept Jag features four lithium-ion batteries that power four electric motors (one for each wheel) putting out 195 horsepower each, for a total of 780 horsepower. The car also has torque vectoring. Because I have neither the PhD nor the Powerpoint presentation needed to explain what torque vectoring is, I’ll reduce it to this: it’s the next step in the evolution of all-wheel-drive whereby more torque is directed to the outside wheel(s) in a turn, which gets the car through the turn faster.

Electric vehicles are always torque monsters, and the C-X75 is no different: It puts out a colossal 1,180 pound-feet of torque. Zero-to-60 time is expected to be 3.4 seconds, and top speed is 205 mph.

Two micro-gas turbines can charge the batteries or provide power directly to the wheel motors for a combined range of 560 miles. However, the C-X75 can run on electric-only power for 68 miles.

Aesthetically, the C-X75 certainly plays the part of a show-stopping supercar. The wide front reminds one of the Ferrari California, while the back is dominated by a massive carbon-fiber rear-diffuser and looks like nothing else on the road.

Jaguar is mum on a production date or pricing.

MORE LA AUTO SHOW:

Mazda goes upmarket with concept Shinari

Infiniti joins hybrid parade with the 2012 M Hybrid

Porsche's Cayman R is for where the sun don't shine (VIDEO)

-- David Undercoffler 

Photos: The Jaguar C-X75. Credits: David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Auto Show: Porsche's Cayman R is for where the sun don't shine

This may be a bit of a shock to people living outside the vitamin-D drenched climate of Southern California, but there are places around the country that aren't as climatologically fortunate. They experience sub-50 degree temperatures and precipitation that literally falls from the sky.

Such dastardly conditions precluded large swaths of the U.S. from enjoying all that is wonderful about Porsche's Boxster Spyder, revealed in L.A. one year ago.

On Wednesday, Porsche acknowledged denizens of less hospitable climes with their Cayman R.

Following the same lighter/more powerful philosophy that created the Boxster Spyder from the common Boxster, the Cayman R sheds 121 pounds from the Cayman S and sees a 10-horsepower boost for a total of 330.

The lighter weight comes from aluminum in the doors, carbon-fiber backed seats and the same lightweight 19-inch wheels you find on the Boxster Spyder.

Buyers can also choose to jettison the air-conditioning and stereo for extra weight loss. (Or just skip lunch).

Other changes include a ride height that’s been lowered by 20 millimeters, a standard limited-slip differential for maximum torque application and front and rear spoilers.

All told, the Cayman R will sprint from zero to hero in 4.7 seconds with the standard six-speed manual transmission and 4.4 seconds with the optional seven-speed dual-clutch PDK.

If the driving dynamics of the Boxster Spyder are any indication, this Cayman R figures to be the clearest modern distillation of Porsche’s sports car yet. Yes, even the green one you see here.

The Cayman R starts at $66,300.

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-- David Undercoffler

Photo credit: David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times

Video: Hyundai to release two new engines in Sonata

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata (read the full review here) is currently available with only one four-cylinder engine. Unlike many of the Sonata's competitors, Hyundai has no plans to release the model with a V-6. It does, however, have a pair of new engines planned for later this year.