Ever since Peter Schreyer – a former designer for Volkswagen and Audi – jumped on the Kia bandwagon to become its new design chief, the aesthetic quality of Kia cars have, to say the least, bumped up into the ranks of the ‘that’s actually a pretty classy-looking ride’ category.
Coincidence or not, you still have to give credit where it’s due and Schreyer has to receive – even if it sounds obligatory – some props for what he’s done to Kia. By taking some styling cues from his previous employers, Schreyer has turned cars like the mid-sized 2011 Cadenza sedan into something worthy of a positive double-take.
While there are still other qualifications we should judge the 2011 Cadenza on – handling and price tag come to mind – we can all take comfort knowing that Kia’s newest mid-sized sedan can hold its own in the aesthetic department against other more high-profile brands in the same class.
If you still need some further convincing on the design merits of the car, take a look at these promo videos and judge for yourself. It may not generate an overwhelmingly positive response but given it’s track record – which is, to say the least, average – the 2011 Cadenza looks like a Thanksgiving Day touchdown.
When Lee Noble decided to make a living for himself, the highly motivated Briton decided that designing, building and selling his own brand of affordable super cars would be a good idea. A handful of speed machines later, including the original Noble M12 and even an Ultima GT-R, Mr. Noble’s high performance coach builders are hard at work coming up with the next generation of every man’s super car.
Mr. Noble has just announced his all new endeavor: Fenix Automotive Limited. With the line’s first launch scheduled for the end of 2010, Lee promises an ultra powerful mid engined V8 super car that can accelerate from 0 to 100 MPH in under 7 seconds and cost less than £75,000. According to the man himself, "Our new car will offer buyers performance and dynamics that they’d normally have to spend well over £100,000 to experience, but at a far more affordable price...It will combine simplicity, strength and agility, while its two-seat, closed body will ensure sensible levels of refinement for road use." With a new plan under his belt and a more than a quarter century experience honing his craft, we wouldn’t bet on Fenix Automotive to fail anytime soon.
It seems like the world of one off super cars has just received a new member hoping for a production vehicle future. We have already seen the Spanish Spano GTA and the latest true American super car, the Devon Motorworks GTX->http://www.topspeed.com/cars/devon-motorworks/index668.html]. However this new Turkish speed machine does away with the three letter moniker and instead caries the nickname of its creator’s late offspring, much like Enzo Ferrari did with the Dino. The Onuk Sazan is in every aspect a bona fide super car, the body is made from intricately worked composite materials, each pony only has to lug around about four pounds and the asking price is a cool €200,000.
Dr. Onuk is better known for creating some of the world’s most impressive water craft, the Sazan is an homage to the Doctor’s son, Kaan who lost his life in a tragic car accident back in 1996. Sazan, as he was known by his fellow classmates, thus became the only name that Onuk could consider for his latest creation. At the moment the prototype version of the Sazan is powered by a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sourced LS7 V8 engine that has been slightly tweaked to deliver a maximum output of 512 HP. When the new Turkish super car does indeed go into production, you can expect to see a turbocharged version of Nissan’s award winning VQ series V6 engine under the deck lid tuned to put down around 485 HP to the rear wheels. Although we don’t often hear of automobiles coming from this Eurasian region, make no mistake and don’t discount the Onuk Sazan as a world class super car.
We here at Top Speed have received another fun to drive Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited into our test fleet. Last time we had a look at the new Legacy we were driving the flagship 3.6 R model that is more about riding around in relaxed comfort whereas the Azurite Blue Pearl 2.5 GT model is what the Japanese automaker refers to as their sporting Legacy. The biggest difference between the two cars is their power train, while the R was powered by a 3.6 Liter flat six cylinder engine that made 256 HP and 247 lb-ft of torque and is connected to a five speed automatic transmission which of course fed Subaru’s Symmetrical All Wheel Drive System. Our new 2010 Legacy 2.5 GT uses Subaru’s familiar 2.5 Liter turbocharged flat four making 265 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque and is shifted with a six speed manual gearbox, the combination is good for a 0 to 60 MPH time of 5.9 seconds. Despite the smaller displacement and being down two cylinders, the addition of a turbocharger more than makes up for the difference while taking a few pounds off the front axle at the same time.
The fifth generation of the Legacy received a restyling for 2010 and features a bold new design that features a larger one bar grill and a set of Subaru’s new hawk eye headlamps. On the outside, aside from the larger 18 inch wheels, the only thing that gives away the GT as a performance model is the functional hood scoop that feeds fresh air to the Legacy’s top mounted intercooler. The 2.5 GT wears the same bulging fenders as the rest of the lineup as well as their signature side skirts that jut out more than down, giving the Legacy a very wide and stable stance. The 2010 Legacy is a nod at the future of automobile design with its sweptback windshield and short trunk overhang that is more aerodynamic than the traditional three box shape.
Subaru considers their products to be premium automobiles, and it shows on the inside. Our Limited trim Legacy came with a very attractive leather wrapped steering wheel as well as supple seats and a dash adorned with sophisticated wood trim that carries over into the door cards. The 2010 Legacy has been completely redesigned in the interest of a roomier interior and the new car is the most spacious and luxurious Subaru sedan to date. Starting a just under $30,000 our Limited model benefited from a $3,000 power moonroof and navigation system that brought our 2.5 GT’s asking price up to $34,146; not a bad price to pay for so much machine.
Mitsubishi brought their wingless wonder, the Lancer Evolution MR Touring to the Miami Auto show. This more discreet EVO X is a more upscale trend then we are used to from the Japanese budget super car maker, traditionally they would offer stripped down lightweight versions, where the large box shaped aerofoil is ditched for weight reduction reasons along with a radio and sound deadening. However as the Playstation generation grows up and gets jobs, heavily bolstered leather wrapped Recaro racing buckets await the driver as well as Mitsubishi’s new SST six speed sequential manual gearbox to go along with a more reserved EVO that can now hopefully fly under the radar, that is the blingtastic mirror covers don’t set off any alarms.
The English automaker Aston Martin showed off their familiar DBS Volante, a model that we have seen earlier on this year. Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Director of Design, was kind enough to tell us a little bit about the new car earlier on when they made the $300,000 V12 powered drop top’s exclusive debut and even elaborated on the Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece that completes the 007 experience. Also in attendance were a pair of V8 Vantage hard top and roadster models, showing the hand crafted super car maker’s game plan of offering two distinct automobiles as opposed to a compromised hard top convertible.
The fuel efficient Japanese automaker Toyota has just launch the Sai luxury hybrid sedan, a model based on the Lexus HS 250h, into its home market. The new four door Hybrid Synergy Drive sedan is both bigger and more luxurious than the automobile manufacturer’s current flagship hybrid, the Toyota Prius. With the Sai’s scheduled launch only a few days away at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota is taking a step forward to shake up the gas/electric car market.
Compared to the Lexus HS 250h, the new Toyota Sai features a distinct front end design with new head lamps, a unique hood, grill and bumper as we;; as a set of different taillights. On the inside, the new Sai gets its own instrument panel and center console design as well as a different steering wheel than the entry level Lexus hybrid.
However this where the differences end, under the hood the Sai features the same hybrid drive train as the Lexus HS 250h which includes a 2.4 Liter four cylinder engine running on an Atkinson cycle combined with an electric motor and a reduction gear to take over power train responsibilities when the gas burning engine isn’t required, when combined, the pair of conventional and electric motors can delver up to 190 HP. The Sai successfully bridges the gap between the entry level Prius hatchback and the more expensive Lexus HS 250h as far as the Japanese automaker Toyota’s lineup of hybrids is concerned.
The Japanese automaker Toyota has just launched an all new rear wheel drive luxury sedan for its home market called the Mark X. Built on the same platform as the Lexus GS, the new four door is powered by a choice of two engines, the first being a 2.5 Liter V6 that delivers a maximum output of 203 HP and is 15% more efficient than government regulations require as well as a powerful 3.5 Liter V6 that puts down a total of 318 HP. No matter which power plant you choose, both engines can be mated to Toyota’s gas sipping ECT six speed automatic transmission complete with sporty paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. The Mark X is good for a 0 to 60 MPH sprint of about 8.3 seconds and will return an average of 49.2 MPG.
For 2010, the Toyota Mark X features a widened front bumper opening, a sporty mesh grill, wraparound taillights and very thick C pillar giving the car a very muscular appearance. Keeping with the Mark X’s luxurious theme, the upscale sedan offers a spacious interior for up to five passengers and driver amenities like an ergonomic leather wrapped steering wheel and motorized lumbar support that combine quality and precision evoking a feeling of pure driving pleasure.
The Mark X is also loaded with high tech gadgets like an adaptive radar based cruise control system, equipped with a brake-control function that can maintain a fixed distance from the car in front, adaptive front lighting system, hill start assist control, HDD navigation system with map on demand and a digital T.V. tuner as well as the automaker’s intelligent parking assist system.
The South Korean automaker Kia has just revealed the first images of the all new 2010 Cadenza, a mid size four door sedan that is slated to replace the Amanti here in the U.S. The Cadenza will make its world debut towards the end of this year at the Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai international motor shows in the middle east. On the exterior the new Cadenza looks almost identical to the identical to the KND-5 concept that Kia brought to the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year and features the same design language as the new compact Forte and second generation Kia Sorento.
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