Chevy Silverado HD Adds Custom Sport Trim

Chevy Silverado HD Adds Custom Sport Trim
Top 10 Fastest Sedans to 60 MPH
Ford CEO Predicts Self-Driving Cars Will Arrive in 15 Years
Mitsubishi to Decide on Larger Crossover Soon
Feds Close Chrysler Minivan Safety Probe
Formula Drift VW Passat Pumps Out 900 HP

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Chevy has revealed a new appearance package for its big pickup trucks.

Revealed at the Denver Auto Show, you can now get a Silverado 2500 or 3500 with the Custom Sport package, which adds monochromatic style thanks to body-color front and rear bumpers, a body-color grille with chrome accents, chrome door handles and side moldings and finally chrome-accented trailering mirrors.

Big 20-inch polished aluminum wheels come on the 2500 Custom Sport, while the 3500 gets 18-inch units, or 17-inch wheels on models with dual rear wheels. The Custom Sport package is available on the LT or LTZ trim models and is available in either summit white or black.

To add the package on, customers will have to fork over between $700 and $1,695 depending on the model.

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Top 10 Fastest Sedans to 60 MPH

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Some cars are comfortable, some cars are efficient and some cars, usually the exciting ones are fast. But for many, a fast car usually means something impractical, like a coupe or mid-engined car that can't be driven all year long, or with the rest of your family with you.

But here's a list of fast four doors that are capable of hitting 60 mph in four seconds or less.

10. Mercedes C 63 AMG 4.0 seconds

The new Mercedes C63 AMG manages to hit 60 mph in 4 seconds thanks to its twin turbo, 4.0-liter V8 engine that makes a whopping 469 hp, while the more powerful C 63 AMG S puts out 503 hp and makes the sprint in 3.9 seconds. The engine which is borrowed from the awesome Mercedes AMG GT is mated to a seven speed dual clutch transmission which delivers quick shifts to help net that four-second to 60 time. That much performance starts at just $64,825.

9. Cadillac ATS-V: 3.9 seconds

Cadillac has been hard at work making a competitor to the fearsome BMW M3 and M4. The result is the new ATS-V, which uses a twin-turbo V6 engine that makes 455 horsepower. The wonderful people at Cadillac even included an old school six-speed manual transmission, but gave it automatic rev-matching down shifts and no-lift full throttle upshifts. Combine that with the ATS-V's launch control, and it's no wonder this rear-wheel drive marvel can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds.

8. Audi S8: 3.9 seconds

While the first two cars on the list were smaller sport sedans, this third car is massive in comparison. The executive sized Audi S8 uses a turbocharged V8 engine that makes 520 hp. Unlike the earlier cars on the list, the Audi uses an all-wheel drive system to help it get off the line quickly and get a 3.9-second 0-60 time. If you want all that speed and space it'll cost you $115,825.

7. Alpina B6 Gran Coupe: 3.8 seconds

Alpina is a tuner that works exclusively with BMW, to deliver cars that are faster and more interesting than what BMW could do on their own. The B6 is based on a BMW 6 series and uses a tuned 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 that makes 600 hp. That much juice goes to the road through BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system, allowing for a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds. That kind of performance makes it the fastest accelerating car Alpina has ever put out.

6. Charger Hellcat 3.7 seconds

We can't get enough of the Dodge Charger Hellcat. From the impressive 707 hp output from its supercharged V8 to the intoxicating noises it makes at full-tilt, this car is simply awesome. It also has a top speed of 204 miles per hour and a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-certified, quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.0 seconds on street tires. Zero to 60 in this wildcat happens in a mere 3.7 seconds.

5. Cadillac CTS-V 3.7 seconds

The second Cadillac on this list is the CTS-V, which packs a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood. This force-fed beast of an engine puts out 640 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, allowing the CTS-V to hit a top speed of 200 mph. Of course, this list is all about the 60 mph sprint, which the CTS-V handles with east in about 3.7 seconds.

4. Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG S 4Matic: 3.6 seconds

Unlike the AMG powered C-Class that we featured earlier on this list, the CLS sports all-wheel drive, which helps cut its 0-60 time down to an impressive 3.6 seconds. Power comes from a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8, which makes 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. With power like that, the CLS can hit an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph.

3. Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG S: 3.5 seconds

A car that's slightly smaller than the CLS 63, the all-wheel drive Mercedes E 63 AMG S manages to hit 60 mph a tenth of a second sooner than its big brother. It uses the same 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes 577 hp, and has the same electronically limited top speed of 186 mph, so it's likely that the smaller size of the E-Class is what makes it that much quicker.

2. Tesla Model S P85D: 3.2 seconds

There's something wonderfully sci-fi about a sedan as big as the Tesla Model S being able to hit sixty miles per hour in just 3.2 seconds, all without emitting any noise or using any gas. With its 691 total horsepower, divided between its front and rear motors, the Model S is a rolling weapon that's built to tear up the road.

1. Nissan Juke-R: 3.0 seconds

Okay, so what if it's not really a sedan, the Godzilla powered Nissan Juke-R makes the sprint to 60 in an insane 3.0 seconds. With a price tag of around $665,000, the Juke-R is clearly the most expensive car on this list, but that's likely due to its exclusiveness. All are custom built and sport the 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 and all-wheel drive setup that's found in the impressive GT-R, but in a smaller package.

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Ford CEO Predicts Self-Driving Cars Will Arrive in 15 Years

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Self-driving cars are under development, but exactly when they will arrive is still unknown.

"I would guess we get to full autonomy in 15 years," said Ford CEO Mark Fields. "Camera technology is moving along very fast. Algorithms are advancing very fast," said Fields, who admitted that he did not expect cars to be able to perform certain autonomous tasks, like parking themselves, just five years ago. "Now the car is becoming the ultimate technology product and we are becoming more of an information company," he said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has set out four classification levels for self-driving cars, starting at one, which represents no autonomy at all, to four, which "anticipates that the driver will provide destination or navigation input, but is not expected to be available for control at any time during the trip." Field's prediction refers to level four self-driving cars, though it seems that level three cars are much closer to reality.

Currently, most automotive companies are testing cars that are level three on NHTSA's scale, which means "the driver is expected to be available for occasional control, but with sufficiently comfortable transition time." The Google car is an example of level three automation and the tech giant expects to have its car available to customers by 2017.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

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Mitsubishi to Decide on Larger Crossover Soon

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Mitsubishi's product lineup is growing and a new large crossover is on the horizon.

"We are studying a bigger crossover," said Mitsubishi Motors North America executive vice president Don Swearingen in an interview with AutoGuide at the New York Auto Show.

Those studies, he said, are nearing an end, with Swearingen confirming an answer is coming soon. "We haven't made a decision if we'll bring it to the U.S., but those studies will be concluded in the next six months."

Recently Mitsubishi debuted its new GC PHEV concept previewing a possible new SUV for the brand, with big dimensions and plenty of style. It pairs a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with a hybrid drivetrain to make 335 hp and get as much as 35 mpg, while offering up to 25 miles of emissions free driving.

"Our focus is more plug-in hybrids moving forward," said Swearingen, hinting that any new model is likely to get a PHEV powertrain option.

Swearingen sees crossovers as a potential growth area for the Mitsubishi brand in North America. After several weak years and a dearth of products, Mitsubishi is now adding models and has seen five consecutive quarters of double-digit growth.

"Clearly it's the growing market," he says of crossovers.

In fact, over 50 percent of the brand's current volume comes from just two crossovers: the Outlander and smaller Outlander Sport. Soon that lineup will grow with plug-in hybrid versions of each model planned. The Outlander PHEV will arrive in the first quarter of 2016.

At the New York International Auto Show Mitsubishi revealed an updated version of the Outlander with what the brand calls its new "dynamic shield" front end design. Inspired by the Montero of old, that same grille will migrate to the Outlander Sport, which will receive a refresh later this year.

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Feds Close Chrysler Minivan Safety Probe

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An investigation into stalling Chrysler minivans has ended without a recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began looking into the 2003 to 2007 Chrysler Town & Country, Chrysler Voyager and Dodge Grand Caravan, after receiving 720 complaints over the vehicles stalling.

NHTSA has concluded that the "stalls occurring in these vehicles only occur immediately after filling up the fuel tank and happen at low engine speeds. The failure rate is low, even after 8 to 13 years of the vehicles being in service, and there are no reports of crashes or injuries resulting from the stall condition." NHTSA also found that regardless of the amount of fuel in the vehicle, it could be restarted immediately every time.

NHTSA conducted its own testing with a 2005 minivan and were able to reproduce the stalling, though the van didn't stall four out of five times when traveling at low speeds during testing. When traveling at or above 10 mph, no stalling and only minor hesitation was noticed.

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Formula Drift VW Passat Pumps Out 900 HP

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When you think of the Volkswagen Passat, thoughts of drifting don't usually come to mind.

That's set to change, as Rockstar has unveiled its 2015 Formula Drift entry, a race-prepped Passat that will be piloted by Tanner Foust. The car is powered by a 7.4-liter V8 that makes 700 hp, while an extra 200 hp is on tap thanks to a nitrous oxide boost. Power is sent to only the rear wheels through a four-speed racing transmission.

Behind the wheel of this Passat, Foust will return to the Formula Drift league after racing RallyCross for the last five years.

The first race of the season will take place at the the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, from June fourth to seventh.

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Car Reviews

Wednesday, 8 April 2015