6/04/2012

TopSpeed Daily Update

Toyota celebrates UAE launch of GT 86 in true Japanese style
California Highway Patrol Chooses Explorer as Crown Vic Replacement
Turbocharged car sales in U.S. to skyrocket from previous figures
Video: New BMW M line lets you have your cake and eat it too

Toyota celebrates UAE launch of GT 86 in true Japanese style

Posted: 03 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Just days after McLaren released a video to celebrate the launch of the MP4-12C in Abu Dhabi; Toyota has gone down a similar route with its brand new Toyota GT 86, also known as the Scion FR-S in the states.

Although the video may not capture the essence of the largely-covered desert country like the McLaren one does, it does focus on the driving capabilities of the GT 86 immensely with the burnt orange car in question featuring a massive rear wing which could be utilized in future TRD models of the 86, or even in future WRX and STI versions of the very similar Subaru BRZ.

Despite the United Arab Emirates being famous for its oil and incredible wealth, which has led to some of the biggest technological advancements in skyscraper construction ever, the GT 86 may be a hit for the younger side of the population and those whose parents aren't worth millions, even billions of dollars, as the GT 86 takes the cheap sports car mantra to an entirely new level.

Before you check out the video, keep in mind that the Toyota GT 86 features a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Subaru sourced engine kicking out 200HP mated to either a boring automatic transmission, or the much more exciting six-speed manual.

gallery: 2013 Toyota GT 86

Toyota celebrates UAE launch of GT 86 in true Japanese style originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 3 June 2012 12:00 EST.

California Highway Patrol Chooses Explorer as Crown Vic Replacement

Posted: 02 Jun 2012 11:00 PM PDT

Most of us have all heard the saying that it is not so hard to outrun a cop car, but it's impossible to outrun their radios. It looks as if the California Highway Patrol is taking that to heart, as it chose the Ford Explorer over the Taurus and Charger Pursuit Car as the replacement for the outgoing Crown Victoria police cruiser. According to the CHP's representatives, the reasoning for choosing an SUV over the uni-body vehicles is payload capacity, as the CHP can hauls up to 1,700 lbs of people and gear in its vehicles at any given time.

The only two other vehicles that gave the Explorer any competition were the Chevy Tahoe Police Package and Dodge Durango Special Services. The Durango never got a chance, as it was too late for it to receive a pursuit rating in time and Chrysler never submitted a bid. There is no indication on how the testing panned out between the Explorer and Tahoe, but the CHP chose the Explorer based on a lower bid, so chances are that the Tahoe outperformed the Explorer, but was simply too expensive.

Now, don't start thinking that this is any old Explorer that you can run down to a local Ford dealership and pick up. Ford removed the standard 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 and dropped in the 3.7-liter V-6 borrowed from the F-150 that produces 302 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. The standard 3.5-liter engine gets the Explorer to 60 mph in an acceptable 8.3 seconds, so we would figure the extra 12 ponies and 23 pound-feet should cut that down to about 8 seconds.

Yeah, the Explorer PPV is no speed demon, but as we said before, it is much harder to outrun a radio signal than it is a cop car. So this choice was more of a combination of cost and utility than pure speed. Besides, most highway patrols have special pursuit vehicles just for those pesky high-speed pursuits when patrol cars and radios just aren't enough.

gallery: 2013 Ford Explorer Sport

gallery: 2013 Ford Police Interceptor

California Highway Patrol Chooses Explorer as Crown Vic Replacement originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 3 June 2012 06:00 EST.

Turbocharged car sales in U.S. to skyrocket from previous figures

Posted: 02 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT

Subaru FA20 Engine

Turbochargers were once only used to bump up horsepower and torque figures on tuned cars in the Japanese mountains, but as the years have rolled on they've become more popular to increase fuel-efficiency while not limiting power or taking away from the driving capabilities of a car.

In line with more manufacturers adopting turbo's across North America, a report from Honeywell suggests that sales of brand new, turbo-powered cars in the U.S. are set to climb to approximately 3.2 million, up from 2.2 million in 2011.

This incredible increase is partially due to the fact that both Ford and General Motors have really begun developing and implementing turbo technology into its new models. In addition to these startling figures, it has also been revealed that in 2008, just 2% of all passenger vehicles produced in the U.S. came fitted with a turbo, but this rose to 9.5% in 2011 and is expected to soar to 23.5% in the next five years.

Vice President for the American branch of Honeywell, Tony Schultz stated "With fuel prices being a significant concern for consumers and businesses, turbochargers are a smart choice for getting more miles to the gallon. Turbocharging technology has been a fuel economy driver for decades in the United States for the on- and off-highway commercial vehicle market, as well as in global passenger vehicle markets like Europe," added Schultz.

Curiously however, no details have been revealed about sales of superchargers, either by themselves or fitted to cars, and perhaps this indicates that superchargers are on the way out.

And that makes us very sad.

Superchargers operate on pretty much the same premise as turbo's, except for the fact they’re directly connected to the given engine through a belt or crankshaft, and as we all know, they provide the most glorious sound at full throttle. However, we do have that sinking feeling...

Turbocharged car sales in U.S. to skyrocket from previous figures originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 2 June 2012 23:00 EST.

Video: New BMW M line lets you have your cake and eat it too

Posted: 02 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT

BMW is well known for their amazing commercials when it comes to their M line-up. The latest one is called "Cake" and features three of the latest models: the M5, the M3 GTS, and the 1M Coupe. Which one is the best? Sorry, we can’t decide, but feel free to take your pick!

The commercial’s slogan is "Have your cake and eat it too." This is more than appropriate when you take into account the power, style, and luxury offered in BMW models. The BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4-liter V8 engine with an M TwinPower Turbo package that delivers an impressive 560 hp at 6,000 – 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm. The M3 GTS gets the same engine, but the output in this model is 450 HP. On the other hand, the 1M Coupe gets a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 340 horsepower.