Jeep Liberty 2008 Pictures

2008 Jeep Liberty Picture

If you've thought in the past that the Jeep Liberty was a chick car, well, you were pretty much right. The 2008 Jeep Liberty ($TBA) does away with that notion — it's been completely redesigned from the ground up, with a new, boxier, masculine appearance, the all-new Selec-Trac II four-wheel-drive system, a new Sky-Slider full-open canvas roof, and a 210hp V-6 to propel you through the wilderness. Gadget-wise, the new Liberty also packs the MyGIG integrated audio, navigation and entertainment system, which offers real-time traffic updates (available with a Sirius subscription), a 20GB hard drive, and the UConnect Bluetooth system for hands-free calling. Chick car? Not anymore.

Lexus IS F Pictures 2008

Lexus IS F Pictures 2008

The Lexus IS-F reviews keep coming in, this time from Automobile Magazine.

This review is similar in a lot of ways to Edmunds’, in that they loved the on-track performance but were disappointed with its ride harshness off it:

The IS-F rides on nineteen-inch BBS wheels that are forged rather than cast, saving somewhere around ten pounds each, but the result of all these changes is still one stiff-riding IS. The ride is fairly brutal, so your passengers certainly won’t mistake this for a regular Lexus.

More to the point, Automobile Mag doesn’t believe the IS-F is anything for its competitors to worry about:

But is that [the IS-F perfomance] enough to turn the IS-F into the kind of icon that the M3 has become? We don’t think so. The small sport sedan category is less about track prowess than it is street cred. The M3 has that in spades. Like the C63 and the RS4, it shares precious little of its driveline, suspension, and chassis with the more pedestrian car that it’s based on.

For all the speed the IS-F gained on the track, it lost even more of the ordinary IS’s drivability and good looks. And on the streets and in the showrooms, that’s what really counts.

Lotus Elise 2008 Pictures

2008 Lotus Elise SC 2008

In recent years, the term sports car has become diluted from over use. Everything from four-door sedans to visually warmed over econo-boxes have been given the title. Luckily for enthusiasts everywhere, Lotus is still building products that deserve the term sports car. The new Elise SC is basically the definition of the term. Lightweight, the perfect amount of power, responsive and focused. Essentially a supercharged Elise, the SC isn't so much about the extra peak power as it is expanding the powerband. The car never feels like you're in the wrong gear. New wheels, seats and interior trim round out the upgrades. Look for a full driving review in the September 08 issue of european car magazine.

Mercedes CLS Grand Edition 2009

Mercedes CLS Grand Edition 2009

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the special edition four-door coupe Mercedes-Benz CLS dubbed the CLS Grand Edition. The car can be ordered starting from 2 January 2009 at a starting price of €67,294.50 (including VAT) in Europe while the deliveries to customers start in March 2009.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS Grand Edition is available in four engine variants including the V6 engine for the entry-level CLS280 while the CLS350 CGI model powered by the CGIdirect-injection engine as the highest end model. The V6 engine with piezoelectric direct injection and spray-guided combustion produces 292 hp (215 kW) and consumes 9.1 liters of premium unleaded petrol per 100 km (NEDC combined).

At the exterior, the Mercedes-Benz CLS Grand Edition features a unique “design magno platinum” matt paint finish that is available in paint choices of obsidian black iridium silver, carneol red and flint grey. The matt paint finish is highly scratch and dirt resistant apart from being an eye-catching feature. Even the radiator grille louvres are also painted in “design magno platinum”.

Other features include bi-xenon headlamps with dark headlamp casings, active light function and cornering light function in the fog lamps, headlamp cleaning system, and dynamic headlamp range adjustment, a “Grand Edition” insignia on the front wings.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS Grand Edition stands on high-sheen AMG18-inch 5-spoke light-alloy wheels with pockets painted in titanium grey wrapped with 245/40 R 18 tires at the front and 275/35 R 18 tires at the rear.

Inside, the CLS Grand Edition features a perfectly matched designo interior and a roof lining in anthracite Alcantara, together with the standard-fit tilting/sliding glass roof, designo leather upholstery in “marron” with the option of replacing it with sand, black, mystic red, porcelain or chablis.

The car also features high quality laurel wood trim elements which can be ordered with either a matt or a high gloss finish. The laurel wood trim is also used for the selector lever and the wood/leather steering wheel. The sport pedals comes in brushed stainless steel with rubber studs. Other features include sophisticated COMAND APSMultimedia control and display system, comfort telephony, PARKTRONIC and “Grand Edition” velour floor mats.

Mercedes Benz SLK 55 Edition Picture

Mercedes Benz SLK 55 Edition Picture

As the only eight-cylinder roadster in its segment the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG provides unique driving experience. The two-seater is now even more sporty: Mercedes AMG has developed an exclusive and distinctly puristic special series which sets new standards in driving dynamics. With the AMG 5.5-litre V8 engine enhanced to 294 kW/400 hp and 520 Newton metres, numerous lightweight construction components, carbon hardtop, 19-inch AMG forged wheels, AMG height-adjustable torsion sports suspension and AMG high-performance composite brake system the special SLK 55 AMG demonstrates even more convincingly its sports talent – and makes a good figure on any closed course.

Wide, stocky and low slung – the first impression already makes it clear that the SLK 55 AMG is something very special. The front of the car fascinates with the restyled AMG front apron with large air intakes which supply the additional transmission oil cooler and the high-performance steering gear oil cooler with sufficient fresh air. New side air outlets of black carbon ensure an effective flow through of the larger engine oil cooler. The front fenders which are now wider are made of the ultra-light carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastic (CRP) and have black out-lined air outlets.The non-retractable hardtop of the two-seater is also made of CRP; the black central part with carbon fibre structure provides attractive optical effects. Discarding of the vario roof and the complete roof hydraulics has not only enabled a lowering of the centre of gravity, but has also resulted in a notable reduction of weight – the puristic special series of the SLK 55 AMG is with a curb weight of 1,495 kg according to EC standard 45 kg lighter than the basic vehicle. This means that the power/weight ratio has improved from 4.3 to 3.7 kg/hp.