2013 Lincoln MKS Official Photos and Info: More Power, Adaptive Dampers, and a New Nose

Call them revisions or call them fixes; either way, Lincoln has done a good amount of something to the 2013 MKS. This is not a remake, but instead a heavy refresh like those applied to several Ford and Lincoln products of late. (See 2011 Ford Edge/Lincoln MKZ and 2011 Ford Mustang.)

The hard part for the team making over the MKS had to be dealing with just that: hard points. In this platform’s evolution from Volvo S80 to Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego to current Taurus and MKS, it has underpinned a lot of big sedans and crossovers, few of them stylistic successes and none of them knockouts. It’s almost as if the MKS is only now exiting puberty—although its bones still don’t quite match its role in life. And so the awkwardly tight rear compartment, tallish cabin, and high beltline remain. With a structure like that, engineers and designers can do only so much.

Growing Up is Hard

And oh, that styling. We’ll let you form your own opinion, saying only that we think it’s better than it was. Everything forward of the A-pillars has been re-skinned. The new grille and hood lessen the buck-toothed look with wider upper intakes—filled with finer chrome slats that before—and smaller headlights. The hood now reaches deeper between the grilles and houses a smaller Lincoln badge. A new decklid, which is supposed to improve the car’s compromised trunk access, is flanked by Jaguar XJ–esque taillights. The 2013 MKS gets new 19- and 20-inch wheel designs. Again, they’re better, but we wouldn’t exactly call them pretty.

Inside, the biggest news is the installation of the latest MyLincoln Touch system, which places a pair of screens in the gauge cluster, a corresponding pair of directional pads with which to control them on the steering wheel, and a large touch screen in the dash. As in other MyLincolnTouch applications, knobs and buttons are replaced on the center stack by touch-sensitive nubs and sliders.

Optional multi-contour front seats use a host of air bladders to adjust to and massage the bodies in them, and a heated steering wheel is now optional. New interior wood choices (Prussian Burl and Brown Swirl Walnut) as well as new Bridge of Weir leather hues (Hazelnut and Light Dune) all sound like different ways to say brown.

Strength and Conditioning

In further dealings with those hard points, the engineers made a list of adjustments to the chassis. A new active suspension—Lincoln calls it Continuously Controlled Damping, or CCD—has three settings, all controlled through MyLincoln Touch’s Lincoln Drive Control menu. Normal is just what it sounds like, while Comfort switches to a softer damper setting and also reduces steering effort at low speeds. Compared to Normal, Sport firms up the suspenders, tunes the steering for more road feel and higher effort, increases throttle sensitivity, switches to a more aggressive transmission map that also locks out sixth gear, and increases the traction- and stability-control thresholds.

The steering rack is now solid-mounted to the front subframe and there’s a new brace across the transmission tunnel, which is intended to strengthen said subframe’s connection to the rest of the vehicle. The steering is now electric across the board (models with the 3.7-liter V-6 previously used a hydraulic system), and the ratio is quicker.

The brakes, something of a soft spot in our MKS experiences, are upgraded as well: The front discs now measure 13.9 inches (more than a 1-inch increase) and are vented, while the rears go from 13.0 to 13.6 inches in diameter and are also now vented. Ford claims its new vented front brake hats are unique in the industry. The upsized front discs will be put to use more often by way of a new brake-based “torque-vectoring” system. Like the similar setup in the Focus, it applies the binder on the inside front wheel in corners to transfer the engine’s torque to the outside, more-grip-having wheel.

An Upgraded V-6 and a Familiar Turbocharged One

Lincoln’s biggest sedan has always been on the heavy side, and we don’t expect that to change. To that end, the brand has managed to give the car a more powerful base engine that’s also more efficient. The previous 3.7-liter V-6 is replaced by the updated version from the Mustang and F-150, which features variable camshaft timing. Projected output is 300 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque (up from 273 and 270). Fuel-saving tech includes active grille shutters and a clutched alternator, which help the 3.7-liter car achieve slight fuel-economy bumps with both front- and all-wheel drive. Front-drivers return an expected 2-mpg improvement in the city and a 4-mpg bump on the highway, landing at 19/28. Four-wheelers improve 2 and 3 mpg, respectively, climbing to 18/26. The top powertrain remains a 355-hp, 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine paired exclusively with all-wheel drive and returning EPA ratings of 17/25. All 2013 MKSs continue with six-speed automatic transmissions.

No new or revised luxury automobile would be complete without a retinue of electronic nannies. In addition to the automatic high-beams, collision warning system, and adaptive cruise control of the previous car, the MKS now offers Lane Keeping Alert and Lane Keeping Aid. Alert vibrates the wheel to warn you when you’re straying from your lane, while Aid will gently steer you back into it. There’s a built-in anti-journalist feature that senses if you’re attempting to drive completely hands-free and warns the driver “to discourage misuse of the system.” This will only make us want to try the forbidden act more—for the sake of a thorough evaluation, of course. Both systems can be disabled entirely, and their sensitivity adjusted through MyLincoln Touch.

The new Driver Alert system monitors driving behavior and displays the universal sign for “you’re tired and should probably stop driving now, bozo”: the coffee cup. As an added treat, Lincoln says that “conscientious drivers curious about their state of alertness can monitor their performance any time.” To which we say, “of course they can, they’re awake.” Here’s another feature we’re anxious to try.

That chance should come soon enough, as the 2013 MKS will hit dealers in the spring of 2012. We promise to drink some coffee and drive with both hands to determine whether all of these changes really add up to something.

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2012 Cadillac XTS Official Photos and Info: A Bunch of Gadgets—Plus a Car

Cadillac’s front-wheel-drive, V-8–powered chariot of South Florida, the DTS, was put out to pasture this year. Its platform was introduced when its current octogenarian owners were mere quinquagenarians; in plain English, this means that the DTS underpinnings could be traced back some 30 years. Rather than replace it with a BMW-chasing, rear-drive four-door of the sort that enthusiasts demand and shoppers would probably overlook, it will instead be succeeded at the top of the Cadillac sedan range with the XTS, a sensible car built on the company’s Premium Epsilon platform. (A rear-driver has been rumored, however.) Is the XTS a grandpamobile? Sure—so long as your grandfather is a computer geek.

A Few Words on the Car

Cadillac didn’t bother to spend much time talking about the car itself. The XTS is based on the same platform that underpins the Buick LaCrosse, and mechanically, much is the same here. The wheelbase and front and rear tracks are identical between the two cars, even if the Caddy is a full five inches longer overall. “Big” is a theme for the XTS: with 18 cubic feet, Cadillac says it has more trunk space than the Audi A8L, BMW 7-series, or Mercedes-Benz S-class. The rear seat also is said to be enormous, exceeding the legroom offered in the back of the Audi A6, BMW 5-series, and Mercedes E-class by several inches apiece.

Like the upper-level LaCrosse models, the XTS is powered by the latest iteration of GM’s 3.6-liter V-6. Referred to by the LFX engine code, the mill makes 300 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque in the Caddy. The only transmission available is a six-speed automatic, and also like the big Buick, the XTS will offer a Haldex-based all-wheel-drive system. Front-wheel drive is standard.

To deliver the Cadillac of rides—and perhaps to avoid punishment from the standard 19-inch rims—the XTS will come standard with magnetic ride control, a rear air suspension, and the company’s HiPer Strut setup in the front. The first two are focused on cushiness, while the latter works to diminish the torque steer that can result from 300 ponies rushing to the front wheels. (Read an in-depth explanation of how HiPer Strut works here.) Standard Brembo brakes will work to bring the XTS, which is said to weigh more than 4100 pounds, to a halt.

Sync? How About the Kitchen Sink

Now that we’ve covered what we know about the mechanical bits, let’s get down to bytes. If the XTS is anything like the LaCrosse to drive, it will be pleasant if unexciting, so Cadillac is seemingly appealing to buyers with a Best Buy’s worth of tech features. Given the long list of gadgetry, it’s a move that will shame even Lincoln in the Mediocre Vehicle with Eleventy Billion Features Olympiad. Let’s dive in.

To begin, the XTS marks the debut of Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system. We’ve got a full dive on it here, with technical specs and very early user impressions, but here’s the brief version: A capacitive touch screen like the one used on the iPhone and most other smartphones sits atop the center stack. Nearly all moving buttons and knobs have been eliminated and replaced with a touch-sensitive panel. The instrument panel can also be optionally replaced with a 12.3-inch LCD screen; this can be reconfigured to display an array of themes so vast, users of any age may get dizzy enough to need a few puffs from the ol’ oxygen tank.

Perhaps you’re unimpressed. You’re muttering, “MyFord Touch has been around (albeit functioning poorly) for over a year already.” Cadillac knows it needs to differentiate itself and to offer even more in the gadget-supremacy race, and this is part of the reason the XTS also features the following obscenely long list of tech options: adaptive cruise control, active brake assist, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive front lighting, a capless fuel filler, a color head-up display, OnStar, and a driver’s seat that vibrates if the car thinks a collision is imminent.

We understand Cadillac’s decision to try to make the XTS more appealing to younger customers with technology, as well as its paeans to older buyers and the limo business by offering a cushy suspension and Sopranos-friendly trunk. What we’re a little worried about is how each demographic will react: Apple-worshipping tech nerds driving an XTS would seem an even less likely scenario than Mortimer and Randolph Duke fiddling with CUE. We’ll have to wait to slide behind the wheel—and those glorious LCDs—to see if the two elements can coexist.

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Infiniti to Show Mid-Engine, Rear-Wheel-Drive Sports Car Concept at Geneva Auto Show [UPDATE: PHOTOS]

November 17, 2011 at 8:31am by Justin Berkowitz

Infiniti will show a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive concept sports car at the 2012 Geneva auto show next March, we have learned. The company likely will release more information in the coming weeks—based on Infiniti’s affinity for teaser shots in its introduction of the JX crossover, we may be in for a long slog—but in the meantime we’re left without further confirmed details.

The layout means it won’t simply be a reworked Infiniti version of the Nissan GT-R or any other vehicle in the lineup—unless the engineers decided to do something, er, interesting like turn a front-engine, front-wheel-drive platform backwards. We don’t know what kind of powertrain the mid-engine sports car will have: Anything from Infiniti’s vigorous 5.6-liter V-8 to the twin-turbo six from the GT-R to an electrified powertrain (à la BMW i8) seems possible. We’ll bring you more information as soon as it emerges.

UPDATE 11/17, 8:00 a.m.:

Infiniti has revealed the car will feature a range-extended electric powertrain, and also released two teaser images of the concept. The automaker did not provide any details on the powertrain.

As for the images Infiniti provided, one shows the rear-left quarter of the sports car, and the second gives a look at the passenger-side front fender. Even though the views are limited, the concept is identifiable as an Infiniti. It features the same flowing surfaces and lines as several recent show cars from the Japanese luxury brand, including the Etherea and Essence. One element we like in particular is the sharp crease that appears to run from the hood down into the body side. We also dig the concave shape in the C-pillar area; it also appears there may be an intake there for cooling the range-extending powertrain. We expect more teaser photos as we approach the concept’s Geneva debut.

This story was initially published on 11/16 at 9:31 p.m.

Tags: 2012 Geneva auto show, Infiniti |

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2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Photos and Info: Twin-Turbo V8, As Much as 550 Horses

If being politically correct is as appealing to you as driving a railroad spike through your foot and you’ve got some bucks, you’re probably in the target demographic for an insanely powerful sport-utility vehicle. They’re wasteful and unnecessary, which is exactly the point. You don't buy a hyper-powerful SUV for serious off-roading, and you don't buy one to take it to the racetrack or conquer the Dragon. You also don't buy one to celebrate Earth Day. You buy one just because.

The breed has proven spectacularly successful with carmakers. Since the first-generation ML, Mercedes has offered an AMG version. BMW now sells M versions of the X5 and X6 with twin-turbo V-8s (scratching the itch of those who lusted over the 700-hp, V-12–powered X5 Le Mans concept). There have been two generations of Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Audi sells a version of its Q7 in some markets with a 500-hp diesel V-12. Plus there’s the Porsche Cayenne, available in 500-horse Turbo and, soon, even-more-powerful Turbo S flavors.

The third-generation ML AMG—Mercedes still must add an extra “L” to M-class badges as part of an old agreement with BMW—comes just half a year after the introduction of the cooking ML. Powered by the 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8, the new ML63 is both more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor, which housed AMG’s spectacular 6.2-liter V-8 under its hood. The “entry” version of the new forced-induction eight is rated at 518 hp and 516 lb-ft; order the Performance package, and output rises to 550 horses and 560 lb-ft. This awesome power translates into a claimed 0-to-60-mph figure of 4.7 seconds and a governed top speed 155 mph (4.6 seconds and 174 mph with the Performance pack). Based on tests of the previous model and Benz’s typically conservative estimates, however, we bet we can shave a couple of tenths from those times.

The 2012 ML63 still is heavy—we’re estimating this new model will come in around 5100 pounds. Fuel economy is just 16 mpg combined, which is just about perfect for those who don’t give a crap.

The fat, high-performance rubber on standard 20- or optional 21-inch wheels (265/45s on the former, 295/35s on the latter) won't help much if you leave the asphalt, but this ML retains its all-wheel-drive system, while power is transmitted through a seven-speed automatic. The air suspension has three driver-selectable settings, but it also lowers the body on its own at higher speeds to minimize drag. We’ll have to hop behind the wheel to find out if AMG has achieved the seemingly impossible, as BMW did with the X5 and X6 Ms, and turned a high-riding SUV into a physics-defying wunderkind.

To make sure everybody knows you forked over a whole pile of cash for the most senseless—and most fun—M-class, Mercedes fits an appearance package that includes a front fascia with massive intakes, wider fenders, and a rear skirt with integrated diffuser. The interior gets sport seats, a flat-bottom AMG steering wheel, and special leather upholstery throughout. If that stuff isn’t enough, however, the four exhaust pipes ought to make your priorities known loud and clear. After all, the ML63 AMG, which will arrive in U.S. dealers in the first quarter of 2012, is definitely, delightfully un-PC.

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2013 Dodge Small Car Spy Photos: This Time We Get a Peek at the Interior

CHRIS DOANE AUTOMOTIVE, KGP PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THE MANUFACTURER

We’ve reported numerous times about Dodge’s highly anticipated replacement for the unloved Caliber. We knew it will be built upon a stretched and widened version of Fiat’s compact-car platform and wear a rakish sedan body. Power should come from a turbocharged version of Fiat’s 1.4-liter four-cylinder, and a reworked version of the Caliber’s current 2.0-liter remains a possibility. (For more powertrain info, head over to this story.)

The last time we saw the car, we got a good look at its front end—albeit sans headlamps—capturing a seemingly production-ready nose complete with crosshair grille. This time, the schnoz is well and truly camo’d, but the headlamps are partially visible through the disguise, and they appear to be less-complicated versions of the Charger’s squared-off units.

With the body covered in the squiggle pattern now common on prowling prototypes, the Alfa-esque body contours are less discernible than before. But we now have a look at the rear end, which features taillamps that stretch onto the trunk, although they don’t appear to span the width of the car, à la Charger. (Wouldn’t that be cool, though?)

We’re also getting our first glimpse of the dashboard through the passenger window, and it appears that Dodge’s little one will be more stylized without losing the brand’s decidedly American flavor. The center-stack controls are rendered in shapes that recall those of the aluminum-trimmed Charger, while the arching binnacle appears to be padded and covered in stitched-look vinyl—a huge leap from the Fisher Price–grade environs of the Caliber.

We still don’t know what Dodge will call its small car, which should appear early next year as a 2013 model, but we’ll again mention that it’s not likely to be named Hornet. That said, given Dodge’s penchant for insects that sting (see the recently announced Charger Super Bee and Challenger Yellow Jacket), who knows—maybe they’ll apply it to a future special edition?

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First Photos of 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Leak out of Dubai Motor Show Media Preview Event

We recently reported that the Chevrolet had revived the TrailBlazer name and would affix it to a new SUV based off of the new global Colorado mid-size pickup truck. Now we have our first look at the new body-on-frame TrailBlazer courtesy of photos leaked by DriveArabia.com (head over to its Facebook page to see all of the images). The photographs are of GM projection slides and presumably were taken at the TrailBlazer’s media preview event for the Dubai auto show, which kicks off tomorrow.

Chevy’s newest sport-ute is slated to debut at the Dubai show before going on sale globally in 2012, but in what form? Don’t expect the production TrailBlazer to deviate much from the SUV pictured here—different front fascia and headlights, cheaper mirrors, but that should be about it. The production 2013 Colorado pickup on which it is based turned out nearly identical to the concept version. Will this “global” TrailBlazer make it to the U.S.? We’re not sure, but the new Colorado has already been confirmed for our market; we’ll likely find out more after the TrailBlazer’s big reveal tomorrow.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet TrailBlazer |

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