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• Official: Automobile Magazine names its 2013 All-Stars

  Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Truck, Etc., Crossover, Hatchback, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Electric, Luxury, Ram

  
  
  Employing complex scientific formulas and methodologies probably best described as "Whatever we felt like choosing," Automobile has named its All-Stars for the 2013 model year. The 11 vehicles earned their trophies for being "the best and most significant" offerings to the mag's staff and contributors, and while we were surprised to see a couple of them on the list, none of them were shocking. In no particular order, they are:

  • Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (seen above)
  • Porsche Boxster
  • Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S
  • Audi A7
  • Ram 1500
  • Honda Accord
  • Mazda CX-5
  • Ford Focus
  • BMW 3 Series
  • Volkswagen GTI

  Random notes: The least expensive vehicle on the list was the Ford Focus at $16,995 however, it was the $24,495 Focus ST that was actually driven; the least expensive vehicle as-tested, when such indication was given, was the $28,265 BRZ; the most expensive vehicle as-tested was the $75,615 Porsche Boxster S, hurdling the price of the A7 by nearly $4,000; the greatest disparity between base and as-tested price was the Ram, from the $24,395 skin-and-bones truck to the $54,335 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab; the GTI was viewed through the history of its birthplace, Wolfsburg.
  
  There you have it. Head on over to Automobile for the full story and the adventures they created to test each winner.

  Automobile Magazine names its 2013 All-Stars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Followup: McLaren P1 guru spills more info on his hypercar

  Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, McLaren

  
  
  We know the McLaren P1 is pretty much ready to fly into lucky US owners' underground bunkers by the latter part of fall 2013. We should get a go at an early production version by late June, we are told, and as you would imagine, we can't wait. The running number on the price for the United States remains pegged at $1.15 million.
  
  The main facts remain the same: The P1 runs off a twin-power hybrid powerplant good for a combined 903 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. Thrusting thrills are provided by both the push-button operated Drag Reduction System (or DRS), chopping drag by 23 percent by flattening the rear wing, and by the push-button operated Instant Power Assist System (IPAS) feeding instantaneous added electric-motor oomph through the gearbox straight to the drivetrain. The slingshot from 0 to 186 miles per hour (i.e. 300 kilometers per hour) happens in less than 17 seconds.
  
  Shivers. While at the Geneva Motor Show where the P1 showed itself in full production trim and in screaming picture-hogging yellow, we chatted about further details with the P1's chief of engineering design, Dan Parry-Williams. To all the specification fodder we already have on the P1, Parry-Williams added some chum.

  Continue reading McLaren P1 guru spills more info on his hypercar

  McLaren P1 guru spills more info on his hypercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Report: 2014 Subaru Forester gets big nod of approval from Consumer Reports

  Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Subaru

  
  
  While more and more buyers seem to be opting for the functionality of car-based crossover vehicles every day, it's rare that your read much in the way of passionate praise for one. And, while Consumer Reports doesn't exactly lavish written paeans on the Subaru Forester in its latest review - that's just not its style - it did give the CUV a remarkably high overall score.
  
  Praising its excellent fuel economy, visibility, roomy interior and a whole lot more, the testing publication bestowed an overall score of 88 out of 100 on the Forester. That's a really excellent number for just about any vehicle, but it's also a top-of-the-class mark for the Forester's small CUV division. Just about the only major gripe was that of ride quality.
  
  Most of the direct competitors to the Forester have earned CR marks in the mid-70s. The Honda CR-V is some 11 points behind, for instance, while the Toyota RAV4 and the Mazda CX-5 earn scores of 75 and 74, respectively.

  2014 Subaru Forester gets big nod of approval from Consumer Reports originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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