William Maley

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 12, 2013 A new report from Autocar says that Mazda plans to have three crossovers in its lineup by 2016. This information comes from Mazda president Takashi Yamanouchi. The first crossover is of course the CX-5. Joining alongside it are a full-size crossover, most likely the next or replacement to the CX-9; and a small crossover. The small crossover will be a new model and look much different than the current CX-5 according to sources. Source: Autocar William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 12, 2013 The name of the game in the midsize sedan class is to build something that appeals to everyone. Just look at most of the sedans on the marketplace and they are similar to one another. But what if an automaker decides not to follow the crowd? Go to the beat of its own drum? You would likely end up with something like the 2014 Mazda6. The new 6 is Mazda's first midsize sedan without the oversight of former parent Ford. As a result, Mazda could create the midsize sedan it wanted to. A little bit of SKYACTIV Technology, a dash of Mazda's Kodo design language, some lightness, and the fun to drive aspect the company is known for. But is this right move for a company which is still in a fair bit of trouble? In my book, the 2014 Mazda6 has to be the most gorgeous midsize sedan on sale today. The Kodo design language gives a distinctive look and identity for the vehicle. A flat front-end greets you with a five-point grille and chrome trim running along the outer edge. Along the side are a set of front fenders that flow into the front doors. A set of nineteen-inch alloy wheels come standard on Grand Touring and add a touch of class. I wish I could say the same for the Mazda6's interior. Much like the CX-5, the Mazda6's interior leaves a lot to be desired. Despite designers adding a piece of contrasting trim along the along the dashboard, I was wishing for a bit more. If Mazda can produce some great styling on the outside, why can't they on the inside? Materials and build quality are excellent though.Another problem that I have with the current crop of Mazda's is the optional navigation unit. While the maps from TomTom provide very good information, the interface is a bit ugly and dated. Throw in the fact that the head unit took thirty seconds to connect my phone up to the bluetooth system and almost two minutes for it to find my iPod, Mazda needs some serious help here. As for comfort and space, the Mazda6 does a decent job. Front seat passengers sit in heavily bolstered seats with heat. Back seat passengers will find a decent amount of legroom. Headroom is tight for those taller passengers.But.. Mazda is known for building driver's cars. So how does it drive? On to page 2! Under the hood is Mazda's 2.5L SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. This is paired with a six-speed automatic, though a six-speed manual is available on the Mazda6 Sport and Touring models. The 2.5 makes the Mazda6 feel plenty powerful. The engine's power band does require you to wring its neck somewhat (above 2,500 rpms), but you don't mind as the engine sounds very refined as it climbs in rpms. The six-speed automatic is very quick in shifts whether up or down. Also, the automatic didn't experience the stumbling problem with downshifts that I have complained about in my past CX-5 reviews. Fuel economy wise, the 2014 Mazda6 returns 26 City/38 Highway/30 Combined. During my week of mostly city driving, I saw an average of 28 MPG. Out of the freeway for a quick jaunt, I saw my number rise to 36 MPG.Mazdas are known for their fun to drive trait and the new 6 continues that. A sharp and nicely-weighted steering system, stiff chassis, and tuned suspension make the Mazda6 a very enjoyable midsize sedan to throw around. Driving on one of the test roads I use for vehicles, I found myself smiling because of how much fun I was having. Mazda did strike balance between sport and comfort with the new 6. The suspension copes pretty well when soaking up bumps and road imperfections. The only thing I wished Mazda did better was more sound insulation. This is very noticeable on the freeway as there is a surprising amount of road noise.The 2014 Mazda6 isn't for everyone and that's ok. Mazda isn't trying to go for the jugular of the midsize sedan market. Instead, they're offering a vehicle for those who want something a bit different. The 6 largely succeeds here with a fun and nimble chassis, surprising fuel economy, and very distinctive fuel economy. It does miss on interior styling, space, and sound insulation. The Mazda6 dares to be different. Whether this works or not remains to be seen. Disclaimer: Mazda provided the 6, insurance, and one tank of gas. Year: 2014 Make: Mazda Model: 6 Trim: Grand Touring Engine: 2.5L SKYACTIV-G Four-Cylinder Driveline: Front-Wheel Drive, Six-Speed Automatic Transmission Horsepower @ RPM: 184 @ 5,700 Torque @ RPM: 185 @ 3,250 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 26/38/30 Curb Weight: 3,792 lbs Location of Manufacture: Hofu, Japan Base Price: $29,495.00 As Tested Price: $31,490.00* (Includes $795.00 destination charge) Options: MRCC and FOW Package - $900.00 Soul Red Paint - $300.00 William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 11, 2013 With Volkswagen still trying to work on taking over the world, sorry I mean become the number one automaker in the world, their chief executive of America says the company is considering selling commercial vehicles in the U.S. Jonathan Browning, chief executive of VW Group of America told Reuters that vehicles such as the Caddy and Transporter vans "certainly represent an opportunity" for the United States. "There are preliminary discussions (with VW's Wolfsburg-based management) but no definitive plans at the moment," said Browning. If Volkswagen gives the green light for commercial vehicles to be sold in the U.S., that will likely begin in the second phase of the brand's U.S. expansion Browning said. Source: Reuters William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 11, 2013 With sales of Scion vehicles slumping down and Toyota telling its dealers who have Scion that they can step away from it with no penalties, it makes you wonder if Scion has any new models on the way to help out. Bob Carter, senior vice president of Toyota Motor Sales USA told Reuters that new products for the brand are coming later than sooner. "We have a very robust and very exciting product cadence coming for Scion, however, it's further down the pipeline," said Carter. Scion's sales peak was back in 2006 with 173,034 models. Last year, Scion only moved 73,505. Through August, the brand's total sales stand at 48,959, which is on pace for less than 70,000 vehicles sold this year. Also, Scion represents 0.3 percent of Toyota's total sales in the U.S. Carter is confident that sales of Scion vehicles will rebound. "It's just going to take us a little longer to see the growth," he said. Source: Reuters William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 11, 2013 Since the Opel Adam went on sale earlier this year, many wished for the Adam to come to the U.S. as a Buick. Those wishes could become reality. "We are looking at it. Nothing is decided. But it's an example of some of the Opel product being used elsewhere in the world," said Opel Chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann. If the green light is given for Buick to get the Adam, don't expect it to come until the first redesign. The current model doesn't meet U.S. safety and other regulatory requirements. "We have to work on the car. That's one of the issues that we have to look at," said Neumann. Editor's Note: Back in December, we tried our hand at what Buick's version of the Opel Adam should look like. We named it the Buick David. What do you think? -DD Click picture to embiggen Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 10, 2013 Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the S-Class Coupe Concept today at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept marks the end of the CL-Class and the return of the S-Class nameplate to Mercedes' large coupe. The S-Class Coupe Concept is much more striking than the new S-Class sedan with a taller beltline, short greenhouse, long front end, distinctive grille, and missing B-Pillar side profile. Moving inside, Mercedes-Benz has placed the dashboard from the new S-Class and seating for four people. Powering the the concept is a 4.7L Twin-Turbo V8 with 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Expect a toned-down version of the S-Class Coupe to be shown within the next couple of years. Source: Mercedes-Benz William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. Press Release is on Page 2 Sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury MONTVALE, NJ - Traditionally the top of the Mercedes-Benz product range is occupied by the grand coupé. The Concept S-Class Coupé provides a clear vision of the next model generation at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt: with its gorgeous appearance and self assured style it embodies the design philosophy of sensual clarity. In the interior with its spectacular architecture and truly exclusive appointments the four-seater defines the state of the art of modern luxury. "The new S-Class Sedan was received enthusiastically in the market and perfectly lives up to its role as a representative of the power of innovation of Mercedes-Benz," says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Management Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales & Marketing. "On the S-Class Coupé as the traditional top of our product range, the designers take advantage of their additional freedom and thus create an automotive masterpiece." Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design at Daimler AG, adds: "The Concept S-Class Coupé combines tradition and emotion, and is a symbol for the embodiment of our design style of sensual clarity. The perfected design with self-assured style and the highly exclusive appointments make the coupé a true design icon and an expression of modern luxury." Design: sensual clarity at its most captivating Sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury – this was the focus for the designers, and is the design philosophy of Mercedes-Benz. The goal is to create clear contours and smooth surfaces that express high technology while exuding emotional appeal. The sensual clarity is reflected in the core design values of tradition, emotion and progressivism. These are the guiding star, and are accentuated differently depending on the model. Mercedes-Benz creates a bridge between modernity and the avant-garde, between tradition and progressivism. Each model series has an assigned role and a very specific character, depending on the attributes on which the design focuses. And yet a Mercedes-Benz is always recognizable as a Mercedes-Benz. The designers draw from a gene-pool of styling features typical of the brand, incorporating new stylistic developments in the interests of keeping tradition alive. "Design needs the sublime! Because design is the best brand ambassador. At the center of our work is sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury, because this is precisely what gets to the heart of our brand philosophy – the bipolarity of intelligence and emotion," says Wagener. The exterior: flowing profile of perfect proportions The flowing profile of the Concept S-Class Coupé embodies sensual clarity in a modern way. It is characterized by typical rear-wheel drive proportions, which are emphasized by the Mercedes-typical signature, the dropping line. The long hood with distinctive lines and powerdomes, the crouched greenhouse with high beltline, the accentuated wheel arches as well as the 21-inch wheels (tires at front 265/35 R 21, at rear 295/35 R 21) and the visually broad rear substantiate the claim of the Concept S-Class Coupé as a masterpiece of automotive refinement. With a wheelbase of 116 inches the coupé measures 198.8 inches in length, 77 inches in width and 55.5 inches in height. Positively arched surfaces give the Concept S-Class Coupé a sensual character. The sculpted appearance lends it classic elegance that forms a perfect symbiosis with the modern-progressive design idiom. The view from the side is marked by the dropping line in keeping with the emotional character of the vehicle. It underscores the brand-typical proportions like a signature. The lines are deliberately reduced to the basics. This creates a timeless clarity. The creative interaction of various design elements lend the Concept S-Class Coupé a superior and self-assured front: in the middle is the three-dimensional and further evolved diamond radiator grille, whose structure is defined by rectangular, dark chrome-plated elements. It frames the central Mercedes star and one blade. The full-LED headlamps with their iconic eyebrows as daytime driving lamps lend it an extremely self-assured and distinctive gaze. On the Concept S-Class Coupé the eyebrows have been further advanced with a semicircular counterswish. The diamond-look of the headlamps and the tail lamps underline the luxurious appointments of the show car. The side profile is defined by the dome-shaped stretched roof line and frameless doors. An elegant, three-dimensional chrome frame surrounds the glass areas that are uninterrupted by B-pillars. This underscores the typical Mercedes coupé look. In designing the pillared exterior mirrors the designers took liberties offered by a concept car and made them especially slim, giving them an elegant appearance. A muscle above the rear axle protruding from the side wall generates a sense of lightness and dynamic spirit even at a standstill. The positively arched surfaces and lines of the side walls flow into the rear end with a dramatic tapered effect. The rear end with its surfaces, broad shoulders and distinctive character lines rounds out the emotional overall appearance. Moving the license plate to the lower bumper section allows positioning the three-pointed star more prominently on the smooth trunk lid. This is complemented by a chrome trim strip modeled with attention to detail. It runs horizontally across the trunk lid and continues past the tail lamps, creating visual width. The arrangement of the LEDs in two horizontal rows within the two-piece tail lamp looks high tech and at the same time is reminiscent of the relief-type design on earlier models. The interior: dynamic flow of lines Sculpted elegance and simplicity also characterizes the interior. The white instrument panel exudes sensual clarity. Its curved shape is reminiscent of a whale's fins just before it re-enters the water. Like the entire interior it is dominated by flowing lines: the upper and lower wave create a clear structure. The architecture of the instrument panel is striking: Thanks to a new airbag packaging the designers were able to give the lower part of the instrument panel an extremely sculpted shape. The upper section of the instrument panel seems to float sensually in front of the dashboard as a so-called top layer. The instrument panel seamlessly transitions into the doors in a wrap-around design. The wavelike motion continues in the door panels. The air vents, which among other places are housed as a four-piece cluster in the center of the instrument panel, have a futuristic and highly detailed design: fins that route the air stream surround an oval hole. The vents are designed to add contrasts and are made of a mix of white aluminum with a ceramic-like appearance and brushed and polished aluminum. The aluminum control elements have a functional and clean design, and provide an exciting contrast to the organic and avant-garde shapes that surround them. On top of the free-form surface under a reduced hood are the 12.3-inch screens familiar from the new S-Class. They have an aspect ratio of 8:3. In the Concept S-Class Coupé the fully glazed color displays are even slimmer and seem to float even more freely. As high-tech elements they offer an exciting contrast to the sensual landscape of the instrument panel. The color scheme of the displays is a bluish-green and consequently sporty and modern. A touch screen showing four world clocks is located on the center console. The driver can choose which clocks to display: To do so, the driver first scrolls on a globe in the display and selects a time zone before a drop-down menu offers the corresponding city selections. The world clock concept was designed and implemented by designers and engineers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Palo Alto, California. The central command unit on the center console looks like a shiny jewel. Its extremely high-quality "black diamond" surface creates depth of field. The "black diamond" method uses the chemical CVD (chemical vapor deposition) gas phase process to deposit a precious metal on a high-sheen chrome surface at temperatures of 1,830°F. The metal reacts with the surface to form a layer that is highly scratch-resistant and has a high adhesive strength. The door panels of the Concept S-Class Coupé are made from aluminum. Using computer algorithms delicate topographic lines were milled into the metal and mimic the contours of the door-mounted control elements. This creates an interesting light pattern with tiny sparkling highlights. For this creation the designers drew their inspiration from rock formations in Utah. The progressive perforations of the loudspeakers were also generated using algorithms and display some intelligent aesthetics of mathematics. Like the entire interior the seats have a highly dynamic and natural "flow of lines" and continue the sculpted design of the shapes. The front seats evoke associations of haute-couture tailoring because their sculpted shape embodies sensual lines reminiscent of figurines in fashion design. In the upper section of the seat the side bolsters envelope the occupant. The vertical lines of the seats come courtesy of an array of delicate piping, which is continued formally by leather strips in the carpet. Piping on the side bolsters provides contrast and like the perforation of the seat surfaces is a factor in the sporty-elegant impression. The choice of colors and materials plays with the extroverted contrasts of anthracite and white as well as aluminum, and bolsters both the timeless modernity and avant-garde nature of the design and the claim of the Concept S-Class Coupé of ultimate exclusivity, high quality and perfection. In this spirit the instrument panel and seats are made from supple calfskin, the silk carpet was made by hand using the tufting process and captivates with its precious iridescent sheen. In this process the threads are stitched through the backing. The headliner of the vehicle is made from hand-woven silk and consequently underscores the exclusive character of the interior. The technology: intelligent assistance systems and a seeing suspension The Concept S-Class Coupé is powered by a V8 Biturbo engine. This engine produces 449 hp from a displacement of 4,663 cc. The peak torque is 516 lb-ft. The Concept S-Class Coupé is equipped with the "Intelligent Drive" technology from Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to two "camera eyes," the stereo camera can create a three-dimensional view of the area up to about 160 feet in front of the vehicle, and as "6DVision" can detect the position and movement of objects. It monitors the surroundings ahead of the vehicle over a range of up to 1,600 feet. This data is combined with the data from the radar and ultrasonic sensors. A multitude of assistance systems monitors the surrounding traffic for the driver. This helps to reduce the burden on the driver and other road users are also protected. The suspension makes use of the new stereo camera as well: like the new S-Class, the Concept S-Class Coupé can detect surface undulations in advance. If ROAD SURFACE SCAN detects such undulations with the help of the stereo camera, MAGIC BODY CONTROL adjusts the suspension in advance to suit the situation. Using the camera images and vehicle status information, the control unit continuously calculates the best control strategy to cope with uneven stretches such as long undulations. The infotainment system also meets the highest standards: the MoodGrid software from music recognition service Gracenote makes it possible to listen to whatever music fits the mood. Finding suitable songs no longer requires the driver and passengers of the Concept S-Class Coupé to awkwardly search through their collections of digital music. Based on a selected mood the software compiles a pre-selection of songs. This compilation not only includes familiar songs, but music from a catalogue containing 18 million tracks – adapted to the individual taste and the respective mood. The navigation system based on the Garmin NaviCore also offers more convenient orientation with a modern design and a 3D view. View full article