2014 Chevrolet Impala

The tenth generation of the Impala was first shown at the New York International Auto Show in April, 2012. It will be assembled in Oshawa, Ontario Canada, and in Detroit/Hamtramck in the United States. This new generation will be larger and more upscale than the existing model. Chevrolet hasn’t released all the details yet, such as fuel economy and pricing but once the car is closer to launch more details should come out.

Some of the new features found in the 2014 Impala are standard 18-inch wheels with 19 and 20-inch available in higher trims. The car comes standard with 10 airbags and OnStar. This all new Chevy Impala will go on sale in 2013.

Performance

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala has a choice of three engines available; a 2.5L four-cylinder, a 2.4L four-cylinder with hybrid assist, and a 3.6L six-cylinder.

2.4L LUK Ecotec I4 with eAssist

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The 2014 Honda Fit EV

Honda has been hard at work trying to get back on track with so many catastrophes hitting the company and even though the car company is usually lethargic and conservative they usually deliver well built vehicles. Honda is a company that is not afraid to offer new vehicles such as the FCX Clarity or the Civic Natural Gas and for their insight and engineering I salute them. Today Honda has once again delivered a vehicle that could certainly bring in some urban dwellers that are looking to cut out oil completely and go electric. The 2014 Honda Fit EV is their ticket to getting a versatile vehicle that has plenty of interior room, especially for a compact little car.

As for the Fit EV it received the top spot for EV’s as the EPA delivered its results. 118MPGe is the rating that the Honda Fit EV received with a combined range of city and highway driving of 82 miles of range which tops even the golf cart like Mitsubishi i-MiEV. So this will probably cause Mitsubishi to start losing out on a few sales but since there will only be about 1,000 Honda EV Fit vehicles being leased in only California and Oregon this year means that Mitsubishi should still be able to move some metal. What will draw in some Fit buyers is the fact that this car is delivering 188 lb-ft of torque and has a sporty suspension setup so this could actually be a fun little car to drive.

Delivery of the 2014 Honda Fit EV to the west coast starts this summer and then east coast gets it next year. Honda will start the program as a lease only and will likely start offering them for sale as a 2014 model , as for the price for a Fit EV looks to be in the range of $40,000 which will be about $10,000 less with government subsidies. Look for all EV’s to start getting updated batteries as we have already seen the Chevy Volt get. Honda claims that the 2013 Fit EV is able to recharge in three hours with a 240-Volt kit which is helping to draw in customers. So look for there to be massive advancements in the EVs that will benefit all of us as they become more convenient and better at distance and efficiency.

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The 2014 Toyota Tundra

When the second generation Tundra was introduced they did in a way that left some confused and others salivating.

The reason being is that I myself would never tow a trailer up a spiral metal ramp that breaths fire on my truck. It looked as though their advertising worked as the Tundra was a success for Toyota. Sure it didn’t have the following of Chevy or Ford but to still get nearly 200,000 Tundra’s on the road for the 2007 is pretty damn impressive.

Toyota wasn’t happy with the sales figures though especially after 2007 when they started to sputter off but $#!T dude, everything was getting hammered after 2007.

The Indian Tundra plant can produce 130,000 Tundra’s annually and so Toyota wants to hit over that every single year. For the 2014 Tundra it seems that we won’t see much in terms of change of exterior dimensions which means one thing – efficiency – a.k.a. Diesel!!! Yep there are doubters but we watched as Toyota planned a clean burning diesel version in 2008 but got scrapped. Well now it’s time to give Americans an oil burner. Why, because diesel is making more and more sense.

How great would a 30 mpg Tundra be that could pull your mother-in-law’s stupid above ground pool through her house with the slightest of ease. Plus you could run the truck off of French Fry oil or the grease drippings from your mother-in-law’s lazy-boy.

As for the Tundra main sellers (V8’s) we expect to see multi-port and direct injection making its way into the Tundra 2014 as well as VVT and valve lift. There is always the possibility for Toyota to start making sacrifices to save a drop such as an electric-power steering and stop-start feature although it is unclear at the moment.

How about an 8-speed? It seems that 8-speeds are becoming commonplace and Toyota/Lexus was the first to deliver an 8-speed to the masses with the LS so don’t rule that out. Word is also running amuck about a hybrid version and this looks to be a possibility.

There still seems to be some unclaimed battery packs coming from Toyota’s Tech buddies over at Tesla who are delivering the Toyota Rav4 EV packs. So we might see something being placed in the Tundra as Wantanabe has mentioned it before.

People also want to know if there will be a turbo-six cylinder to compete with the popular Ford Ego-boost. This is up in the air because we just don’t know all-though they already have the supercharger on hand. If it were I as the engineer then God help us, but otherwise I would stick the bulletproof 2JZ steel block in with a direct injected and valve lift cylinder head and place two twin scroll turbo chargers on it and crank it to 11 making a 2014 Toyota Tundra Turbo TRD.

We know that Toyota Tundra 2014 will step up its game and I am sure one thing we will see is a loss in weight. It seems the Tundra will go on a diet and possibly get a redesigned frame and suspension reconfiguration that lessens bed hop and rust. Plus we should see a massive change in interior design although I liked the current design.

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BMW 4-Series 2014

There is no doubt that BMW is the target for other car manufacturers as they continue to develop vehicles that that is standard for engineering. Though we may not like the majority of the drivers and their habits behind the wheel we can’t doubt the fact that we to would be driving the vehicle. The BMW 3-Series has been a massive sales success for the company and with its updated looks and more efficient powertrain we look to see the vehicle continue on as a solid staple for the company. But it seems BMW wants to diversify their vehicles and add another series the BMW lineup. The company wants to debut a BMW 4-Series 2014 that will share some of the same characteristics as the 6-Series as to the 5-series. The BMW 4-Series will share many components of the 3-Series but will be its sportier sibling that is offered in the two-door coupe or convertible variation. So it looks like the 3-Series lineup will just be sedans which instantly made me think of the iconic M3. The BMW M3 will just be a sedan? Possibly as the M4 would be the new performance version of the coupe and convertible.

We have seen pictures of the wrapped up BMW 4-Series 2014 in its psychedelic acid-trip livery driving around the streets of Germany. The vehicle appeared to share similar styling cues as the interior as the 6-series. Hopefully the 4-Series won’t share the same goofy front fascia that is a big turnoff of the 6-series for a lot of potential customers. I personally think the redesign of the BMW 3-Series looks far better than E90 generation so I hope that they give the 2014 BMW 4-Series a better defined front fascia that looks less bulbous. I personally, and I think others agree that the previous designs throughout the BMW lineup have affected the company in sales due to designs deemed too contemporary for most and just plain ugly for me.
We will more likely see the powertrain of the BMW 4-Series 2014 share that of the 3-series. This will include the 2.0 L and 3.0 L that we currently see today helping the vehicles to get around 33 miles per gallon on highway. As for the M4, I would expect to see a Turbo V6 that utilizes the company’s twin scroll Turbo technology in direct injection producing somewhere around 400 horsepower. And as usual the Europeans will probably get a diesel version that gets 100mpg and delivers 400lb-ft or torque and we won’t be able to touch it. Look for the price to start in the high 30s or low 40s and quickly skyrocket to the 60’s with the 2014 BMW M4.

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2014 BMW X1

The 2014 BMW X1 Is The Little Crossover That Could

 

BMW has been riding out the popularity of their new X1 model as it is such a hot item in Europe that they had to delay the release of the vehicle for the North American market. As for me I’m particularly not big on the looks of this vehicle as it seems like a masculine station wagon for an effeminate SUV. In reality it is a sort of gender bending vehicle but as you start to think about it makes more and more sense. For individuals such as myself that go out and play whether it is snowboarding, surfing, kayaking, and mountain biking, etc I need an AWD vehicle that can get me there. These outings take an all-wheel-drive vehicle in order to get the best locations although some of the top 10% take an actual four-wheel-drive vehicle. But with vehicles like the 2014 BMW X1 are for the outdoor individual that needs the ability to stow all their gear as well as brave some mild off-road trails. What makes more sense is the fact that most of us are weekend warriors and therefore we need something to get proper fuel economy during the whole week as well as

The 2014 BMW X1 Guts

Word is that the 2014 BMW X1 is going to have the same powertrain as the 2013 BMW 3-series as it looks like those wacky Germans have failed to bring us another diesel. This sucks big time because the 2014 X1 sDrive 20d with efficient dynamics technology getting 63 freaking miles to the gallon. That puts a little damper on the ability to get around 32 miles per gallon which the 2014 X1 with a Turbo 2.8 L will be offering. Although we will get to 240 hp from the engine which should be sufficient but I bet the 2014 X1 with the 3.5 L Turbo will be much more fun to drive as it gets around 31 miles per gallon yet offers 300 hp. Not sure of all the variants that are coming with the X1 such as the efficient dynamics technology or anything else but what I am wishing for is a freaking diesel.

2014 BMW X1 Price and Stuff

The starting price of the 2014 BMW X1 is going to be similar to the prices of the BMW 3- series as it will start off around $34,000 and climb quickly to an M-series that will offer a twin Turbo V8 with 560 hp for $90,000 (kidding). I’m sure that many individuals are looking to purchase this vehicle and instantly slap Yakima racks on the roof. I personally would rather trick out the 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek and save about $10,000 but that’s just me. If they brought a diesel then I might start thinking about it. As I learn more about the BMW X1 2014 I will be updating this page so I don’t have to ramble on about how I wouldn’t buy this vehicle.

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