Driven: The New Honda Legend

Now for those who don’t know what the Honda Legend, its Honda’s high-end Accord (or the RL version of Acura) for the people who want some styling and advanced technological features. The Honda Legend runs on a 3.5 liter V6 engine pushing 290 horsepower with 259 lb-ft torque, giving the car the ability to do 0-62 mph in 7.3 seconds. The transmission on the Honda Legend comes in a 5-speed automatic rear wheel drive with paddleshifting, not to mention the “Super-Handling” Honda is bragging about. Now who’s going to by this £39,000 Honda over a BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Volvo S80?

Well true Japanese car fans who really can’t stand Lexus or Acura’s for that matter. Or those looking for reliable and affordable gadgets and gizmos in a car. The Honda Legend is the first Honda to get night vision driving which will help spot out citizens, animals and other cars. The Legend is also equipped with Honda’s LKAS lane guidance system that scans the road markings and steers the car for you. Now that’s the type of technology that BMW, Audi or Volvo’s have not pioneered as of yet.

But still who will buy the Honda Legend over a BMW, Audi, Acura or Volvo? Even Honda is admitting that it only expects to sell 400 units annually. Nonetheless, we think the Honda Legend is worthy of appreciation.

Spy Shots: BMW 135ti

Here are some new Spy Shots of the upcoming BMW 135ti, which is supposedly BMW’s fighter of Volkswagen’s R32. The BMW 135ti is expected to have the same engine as the new 335i with the twin-turbo 300 horsepower engine. The car is still under development and is expected to launch sometime late 2007 and will hit dealerships in 2008. No word on if we will see it in the states.

Volkswagen Polo “Cleaner Than A Toyota Prius”

Volkswagen is claiming that the new Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion is cleaner than the Toyota Prius. The company is saying that the Polo BlueMotion emits 102g/km, which is 2g/km less than Toyota’s electric hybrid, the Prius. The Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion uses a three cylinder 1.4 direct injection turbodiesel engine that gives it the ability to do 72.4 mpg and a 0-60 mph time of 12.4 seconds. With a top speed of 109 mph, the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion isn’t the fastest vehicle, nontheless it is efficient. The car is expected to go on sale in the UK next year.

Volvo XC60 Concept Revealed Early

Photos of Volvo’s new XC60 Concept have been leaked online prior to its unveiling in January at the Detroit Auto Show. While there is no word on how close the concept Volvo XC60 will look in its production version, from these images we are assuming the car will remain mostly the same on the exterior. On the other hand, we feel the interior is too much for a production version at the moment and Volvo will not go with the touch-panel center console.

14 Rolls Royce Phantoms Delivered to a Hong Kong Hotel

The largest order of a long-wheelbase custom Rolls Royce Phantoms were delivered to the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, which has been driving guests from their destinations and back to the hotel in Rolls Royce cars since 1970. The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, which has a tradition of ordering the largest fleet of Rolls Royce vehicles, broke its own record when it received delivery of 14 Brewster Green Rolls Royce Phantom vehicles, that were customized with a large boot, MP3 jacks in the rear seat, rear-seat climate controls, refrigerated box for cool towels, a compartment in the doors to dispose used towels and Peninsula Hotel sill plates.

With those customizations the 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms come with standard features such as 12 inch LCD screen with a 420-watt stereo system and of course privacy curtains.

Mitsubishi Shows Lancer Evolution “Prototype X” Sketch

Mitsubishi today released images of the upcoming Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution which is supposed to resemble what the car will look like when its launched. While Mitsubishi did release the new Lancer a couple of days ago, Lancer and speed fans are waiting for the next Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Called “Prototype X,” the sketch shows what the next Mitsubishi Evo will be based on. Click through for an image of the back.

Rumor: So Will There Be a 2009 Chevy Camaro Covertible?

While fans eagerly await the launch of the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, which is scheduled for the end of 2008, rumors have been spreading that GM is already planning a convertible version of the car. Rumor has it that we will a convertible Chevrolet Camarao at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The folks over at Automobilemag have put together a photoshop of what the convertible version of the 2009 Camaro could look like.

GM has not made anything official yet, but it seems thathere would be a big market for a Chevrolet Camarao convertible. If GM goes through with a convertible, we can expect to see a production version of it in 2010.

S-Class Convertible: Mercedes Ocean Drive Concept

Mercedes today unveiled its new Ocean Drive Concept, which is seen as the Mercedes S-Class convertible. The Mercedes Ocean Drive Concept rides on a V12 engine from a Mercedes S600 and also has a similar platform as the S600. The car will make its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. The Mercedes Ocean Drive Concept closely resembles what the S-Class will look like in its production version, which is due out later next year. Click through for more images and a press release.

Tuner Cars: 9ff Porche 911 Turbo – World’s Fastet Convertible

Respected Porsche tuner 9ff got their hands on a Porche 911 Turbo convertible and have supposedly created the world’s fastest covertible. Fitted with a 780 horsepower engine and 612 lb-ft of torque the 9ff tuned 911 Turbo convertible does 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds, 0-124 mph in less than 9 seconds and 0-186 mph in less than 20 seconds. With a top speed of 236 miles an hour, as tested in a high-speed run at the Nardo track in Italy, the Prosce 9ff tuned 911 Turbo is labeled as the world’s fastest convertible.

2009 Mercedes GLK Undisguised With Official Information

After all those spy shots and all the hype, are finally seeing some official detail of the upcoming 2009 Mercedes Benz GLK. AutoBild is reporting that the 2009 Mercedes GLK will be on the road in August 2008. The small SUV, which is Mercedes’ answer to the BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and the upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan will measure 4.50 meters long and will be based on the platform of the C-Class (much like the X3 which is based on the 3-Series platform). In addition to three different V6 variants, the Mercedes GLK will also come in a 2.2 liter four cylinder diesel engine that will produce about 204 horsepower.

The Mercedes GLK will have a trunk space of 450 liters along with a tank size of 80 liters. The car is expected to be priced around 36,000 euros. These images here are probably renderings that closely resemble the GLK.

GM Announces North American Debut of Four New Concepts at NAIAS

Mario Lopez and Carmen Electra will introduce four never before seen in North America global concepts from GM at the upcoming NAIAS in Detroit. The four including the Holden EFIJY, Chevrolet T2X, Chevrolet WTCC and Opel Antara GTC, will make their official debut in North America on January 6th on a pavilion on the Detroit Riverfront and will then be moved to GM’s exhibit display at the NAIAS. Carmen Electra and Mario Lopez will be joined by Cheryl Hines, Vivica A. Fox, Petra Nemcova, Danny Masterson, and Rachel Zoe at the presentation.

Tuner Cars: Ruf Porsche RGT 911 Does 0-60 MPH in 4.2 Seconds

German Tuner Ruf got their hands on a Porsche 911 and gave it a 3.8 liter flat-6 engine that gives the car 445 horsepower. That engine gives the Ruf Porsche RGT 911 the ability to do 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and 0-124 mph in 13.5 seconds along with top speeds of 196 mph. Ruf also gave the 911 some body work on the car to and included a six-speed gearbox with short-shift kit.

Toyota to Unveil FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept

Toyota has said it will be unveiling its new FT-HS Hybrid Sports concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Hinting at what the next Toyota Supra could be the 2 door coupe that runs on the same engine as the Lexus GS450h and pushes 400 horsepower. Toytoa is saying that the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports concept should be able to hit 0-60 in 4 seconds flat using its 3.5 liter V6 engine combined with its 197 horsepower electric engine.