Gear 6 Performance Automotive, News Updates

Saab collection to be sold after all - the one in America

2012-02-10T22:00:20Z

AutoBlog: Saab collection to be sold after all - the one in America

1956 Saab 94 Sonett Super Sport

Just when we thought the classic vehicles owned by Saab were safe from the gavel, tragedy strikes. According to Hemmings, the vehicles held in the Saab Cars North America Heritage Collection will be auctioned in an 10-car lot on Friday, February 10.

Vehicles like the gorgeous and painfully rare 1956 Type 94 Sonett Super Sport pictured above will join a host of other iconic Saab models for bid in Stearling Heights, Michigan. According to Hemmings, interested parties may submit their bids before noon on Friday to McTevia & Associates, the law firm Saab hired to handle the company's creditors here in the States. A 25 percent cash deposit is required.

Why did Honda kill its best performance engine?

2012-02-10T20:30:43Z

AutoBlog: Why did Honda kill its best performance engine?

When the 2013 Acura RDX launches this spring, Honda will quietly close down a spur line of its Anna, OH, plant. Since 2006, it had been building the 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine used in the first-generation RDX there.

These engines were unique, the company's first to be fitted with a turbocharger from the factory. But the redesigned 2013 RDX will be available only with a V6, and with no other application for the turbo four, Honda's most impressive performance engine will die an ignoble death.

The 2.3-liter turbo was a variation of the 2.4-liter four used in the Honda Accord and the Acura TSX. Rated at 240 horsepower, it was the 260 lb-ft of torque that made things special. Honda's traditional approach to engine design had favored high-revving, small displacement engines that made generous power thanks to variable valve timing technologies – but at the expense of torque output.

Nissan entering V8 Supercar series in Australia

2012-02-10T19:00:12Z

AutoBlog: Nissan entering V8 Supercar series in Australia

Nissan is headed back to the Australian V8 Supercar Series. The Japanese Automaker was famously ousted in 1993 when the sanctioning body behind the series adjusted the rules to require all entries be V8-based. Nissan had dominated the series for three years with the company's GT-R, laying waste to the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive dinosaurs from Holden and Ford with a high-tech combination of all-wheel drive and turbocharged six-cylinder fury.

In 1991, the company set a top-speed record at the Bathurst 1000 that wouldn't be touched for nine years. The following season, the company was forced to carry 100 kg of weight and run reduced boost pressure. It didn't matter. The GT-R still cleaned up. Hit the jump for the full press release..

Toyota GT86 offered in stripped down RC flavor... in Japan

2012-02-10T17:00:48Z

AutoBlog: Toyota GT86 offered in stripped down RC flavor... in Japan

It's getting harder and harder to purchase a genuine stripped down vehicle these days. Manufacturers have discovered that it's both cheaper and easier to offer every model with a surprisingly high level of content rather than build multiple variations on the same theme. That's why tricks like power locks and windows are all but ubiquitous, even on bargain-basement models.

Not so in Japan. Toyota is offering buyers a stripper version of the company's new GT86 sports coupe. The vehicle comes as a blank canvas just waiting for your personal touch. Outside, the stock 17-inch alloy wheels are replaced with 16-inch steelies, and the bumpers, side mirrors and door handles all arrive unpainted. Don't expect to find any fog lights, either.

Nissan reveals more about Pathfinder's new interior [w/video]

2012-02-10T15:00:27Z

AutoBlog: Nissan reveals more about Pathfinder's new interior [w/video]

Nissan is set to debut an all-new Pathfinder later this year, and the Japanese automaker has given us a better picture of what to expect from the vehicle's cabin. Leather heated and cooled front seats are part of the package, while occupants in the second row will enjoy heated thrones of their own. Nissan focused heavily on making the third row easier to access. The company incorporated larger rear door openings to make ingress and egress a simpler affair, and the second-row seats feature a child-seat mode that still allows rear access even with a booster seat in place.

Speaking of the way-back seats, the next-generation Pathfinder will feature a reclining 50/50 folding bench in the third row. Both the second and third row fold flat for more cargo area. Click past the jump for the full press release..

This is the difference between a sports sedan and the GT-R

2012-02-10T13:00:02Z

AutoBlog: This is the difference between a sports sedan and the GT-R

Click to watch videoOkay, this is an easy one. If we told you to pick a performance winner between the Nissan GT-R and the BMW M5, we're guessing the vast majority of you would pick Godzilla to come out on top. Both vehicles feature over 500 horsepower, but the BMW weighs over 400 pounds more, and the GT-R counters with one of the world's most impressive all-wheel-drive systems.

That didn't stop the Autocar team from pitting the M5 against the GT-R in a test of acceleration, cornering, braking, G-force and general feel. Given the GT-R's 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds and its reputation for otherworldly handling, you know how this one is going to play out. But will the Nissan super coupe take all five tests? To be honest, a few of the tests were a bit closer than we would have thought.

Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva

2012-02-09T22:00:54Z

AutoBlog: Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva

Chevrolet Cruze Station WagonThis is the new Chevy Cruze station wagon, which will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show and then arrive in European showrooms this summer. At 184 inches, it's longer than both the Cruze sedan and hatchback (by three and seven inches, respectively).

Inside, there's 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and up to 52 cubic feet with the seats folded. Drivers will get to choose from a range of gasoline (1.6, 1.8, and 1.4T) and diesel (1.7 and 2.0) powertrains, and the long-roof Cruze arrives with Chevy MyLink available.

Infiniti still considering version of Nissan GT-R

2012-02-09T20:30:14Z

AutoBlog: Infiniti still considering version of Nissan GT-R

Egoist Nissan GT-R

The rumor is back: Infiniti is considering a top-dog model based on the Nissan GT-R. The GT-R running gear is impressive with its 500-plus turbocharged horsepower and sophisticated all-wheel drive system, but anyone who's driven Nissan's supercar will tell you that it lacks the finesse you'd expect from an Infiniti.

"We have three or four proposals we are looking at right now." Infiniti Advanced Planning chief Francois Bancon told CAR. Of course, automakers create lots of internal proof-of-concept models that never see the light of day, so having proposals doesn't necessarily have any bearing on what might make production.

GM marketing chief thinks there are only two truck companies: Chevy and Ford

2012-02-09T19:30:03Z

AutoBlog: GM marketing chief thinks there are only two truck companies: Chevy and Ford

The Super Bowl ad for the Chevrolet Silverado shows that the rivalry between Chevrolet and Ford still rages strong. But is there room for another brand or two to mix it up in the battle for pickup supremacy? Not according to General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick.

Fox News reports that Ewanick said during a web chat on Jalopnik that "the two big players are Ford and Chevy." Ewanick added that it's like a presidential debate, saying "We want to have it with the other strong candidate – and we want to engage them and want them to engage us."

Toyota prices 2012 Prius C under $19K*

2012-02-09T18:00:24Z

AutoBlog: Toyota prices 2012 Prius C under $19K*

During the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota said the new Prius C would start at under $19,000. Today, we learn that this is like a lesson from Obi-Wan: what Toyota told us was true, from a certain point of view.

The base level Prius C One's MSRP is indeed $18,950, but that doesn't include a $760 destination charge, and you can easily spend north of $23,000 for the top-of-the-line Prius C Four. Still, that's a raging deal for a car estimated to get a fuel economy rating of 53/46/50 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined) from the EPA. As Toyota is quick to point out, those numbers make the C the, "highest rated city fuel economy of any vehicle without a plug." Full details in the press release after the break..