2011 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet review

The Smart Fortwo minicar came to the US in 2008, and I think most Americans -- myself included -- didn't quite know what to make of it. For 2011, Smart has given the Fortwo a very minor makeover. The cosmetic changes to the front fascia and instrument panel are almost impossible to spot, but the functional changes are much more noticeable: Knee airbags for all models, side-curtain airbags for coupes, and options like integrated navigation and (finally!) cruise control.

Lots to like
Skeptical as I was about the last Smart I drove, I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this one. Not that it was love at first site; my first day of driving felt like a mobile prison sentence. But with each passing day I got used to the Smart's foibles and found myself looking for excuses to drive it. By the end of my test week, I was reluctant to give it up.

What did I like about the Smart? For one thing, the Cabriolet version I drove is the least-expensive convertible sold in the US. For $18,400 -- same as a decently-equipped Honda Civic -- you get an open-top car with air conditioning and an automatic transmission. The Smart's convertible roof slides back like a giant sunroof (link goes to photo) and then folds into a bundle at the rear of the car (where it blocks half the view in the rear-view mirror). Getting the full convertible effect requires manually removing the side rails, but it's an easy job and they store neatly inside the trunk lid. One advantage to leaving the roof rails in place is that you can open and close the top at any speed -- something no other convertible I know of can do. And because the Fortwo Cabriolet is so small and so stiff, it doesn't suffer from the chassis flex that plagues most convertibles.

More likes: The Smart's tiny size makes for unbelievable maneuverability, and I loved being able to parallel-park in half-size spots -- you know, those otherwise useless gaps left by people who aren't courteous enough to pull up close to the car in front. Thanks to the tall driving position, the Smart doesn't feel nearly as tiny as it looks from the outside. Acceleration from the 70 hp 3-cylinder engine is quicker than you might expect, and it makes a cool growly sound when you rev it. The Fortwo grips the road pretty well, and standard electronic stability control ensures things won't get too far out of hand.

2012 Mini Cooper S, John Cooper Works Coupe - Photos and Info

Mini’s cars are known for their flingability, but the company is dragging its feet releasing info on its new Cooper Coupe. Last week, we got our first official photos of the car (albeit still partially covered in camouflage) and then got to drive a prototype (again, still partially covered in camouflage). This time, we’ve finally got photos of the whole car—not the concept, not spy shots of a camouflaged production car, not official shots of a camouflaged car, but official shots of a fully exposed production coupe, its thin quarter and rear glass uncovered, its helmet roof and racing stripes revealed in all their glory.

A Quick Re-Cap
There is very little new information accompanying these new photos. For those of you who missed the last few stories, however, here is a recap of this re-capped Cooper: the Mini Coupe is a two-seat, trunk-ated (though not truncated) version of Mini’s feisty hatch, based on the Cooper convertible’s structure. It has the same footprint as the Cooper hatchback, but its roof is roughly an inch lower and it features a faster windshield angle.

All three of the 1.6-liter engines offered on other Coopers sold in the States will be available in the coupe: the 121-hp naturally aspirated base four-cylinder, the raucous 181-hp turbocharged version of same, and the wild-child 208-hp John Cooper Works turbo four.

Wheels will come in 15-, 16-, and 17-inch sizes, with plenty of different designs available as options. Thanks to added bracing in the rear bulkhead and elsewhere, the Mini Cooper Coupe will be torsionally stiffer than the hardtop, but, at least in JCW form, it also will be roughly 55 pounds heavier.

However, we already know that, thanks to bespoke suspension tuning and brake-based torque vectoring, the coupe is more fun to drive than any other Mini body style. (At least it is for now. Engineers on our drive of the JCW car told us the final calibrations could still change.)

Lots of New Details
So, the news now is that the coupe will be available in nine colors, each featuring a contrasting roof in silver, black, or red. The only exception is black cars, which will be available with a black roof. Racing stripes will be optional. On the hood and trunklid, they will match the roof, and on the roof, they will match the body color. Also, the Coupe’s available xenon headlights may be ordered with a black housing, lending a more sinister appearance to the front end.

Park-distance control will be standard, and probably very handy since you may not be able to see much out of the mail-slot rear window. The Coupe’s cavelike interior comes standard with black upholstery and an anthracite headliner with ovoid recesses maximizing the available headroom. Sport seats are standard across the range, with leather, contrasting piping, and splashes of interior trim color available in option packages.

Other options include automatically dimming rearview and exterior mirrors, preparation for a trunk-top luggage rack, the John Cooper Works appearance pack (for non-JCW models), a Harman/Kardon sound system, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and the Mini Connected system.

Inside, the cover separating the passenger compartment from the trunk features integrated headrest fairings that look cool but offer no functional benefit.

We still don’t know exact pricing, curb weight, or when we’ll start this whole sequence of coverage for the Coupe’s topless twin, the Roadster. We will bring those details to you as soon as they emerge. Meanwhile, enjoy these photos of Mini’s racy little two-seater with no camo—finally.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

SRT8 4dr SUV (6.4L V8 4x4 8-speed Automatic)

The Jeep Grand Cherokee gained an immense amount of refinement, sophistication and luxury with last year's full redesign. For 2012, it gets a bonkers high-performance SRT8 version that produces 465 horsepower. It may not be the most politically correct vehicle on the road, but the JGC is no doubt one impressive SUV.

Grand Cherokee SRT8
* 6.4L V8 engine
* Automatic transmission
* 4-wheel drive
* Navigation System
* Bluetooth
* iPod input
* Satellite radio
* Side/Curtain Airbags
* Stability Control
* Traction Control
* DVD player

The high-performance SRT8 took last year off while the regular Grand Cherokee was completely (and successfully) overhauled. Along with those inherent improvements, the 2012 SRT8 version brings with it a 465-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that will supposedly bring this Jeep from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Other upgrades include an SRT-tuned adaptive suspension, Brembo brakes, forged 20-inch wheels, steering wheel paddle shifters and special bodywork. Check back later this year for additional details as well as a full review of the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Exterior
Tires and Wheels
* Polished alloy wheels
* 20 in. wheels
* P295/45R Z tires
* All season tires

Roof and Glass
* Speed sensitive and rain sensing wipers

Doors
* Rear power liftgate door

Measurements
* Width: 76.3 in.
* Length: 189.8 in.
* Wheel base: 114.8 in.
* Maximum towing capacity: 5000 lbs.

Mechanical
Engine & Performance
* Base engine size: 6.4 L
* Cam type: Overhead valves (OHV)
* Cylinders: V8
* Valves: 16
* Torque: 465 ft-lbs. @ 2800 rpm
* Base engine type: gas

DriveTrain
* Drive type: four wheel drive
* On demand 4WD
* Transmission: 8-speed shiftable automatic
* Rear limited slip differential
* Brake hill holder

Fuel
* Fuel type: gas
* Fuel type: premium unleaded (required)
* Range in miles (cty/hwy): N/A

Safety
Safety & Security
* 4-wheel ABS
* Dual front and dual rear side-mounted airbags
* Child seat anchors
* Remote anti-theft alarm system
* Emergency braking assist
* Front and rear ventilated disc brakes
* Daytime running lights
* Engine immobilizer
* Xenon high intensity discharge headlamp
* Front center 3-point belt
* Rear center 3-point belt
* Turn signal mirrors
* Stability control
* Post-collision safety system
* Pre-collision safety system
* Passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
* Emergency braking preparation
* Driver head restraint whiplash protection system
* Tire pressure monitoring

Telematics
* Hard drive based display w/voice activation and directions navigation system
* Pre-wired for phone
* Bluetooth wireless data link for hands-free phone
* Real time traffic

About the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class will achieve higher fuel economy.
The 2010 M-Class is shown here.

Automakers may be loath to talk about future products, but that doesn't mean they want to keep their plans totally secret. Why else do they keep testing prototypes in locations frequented by spy photographers if not to get some advance publicity?

Nevertheless, Mercedes-Benz has kept an unusually tight lid on details about its third-generation M-Class premium-midsize SUV. Though camouflaged units have been spied on various roads and racetracks since summer 2009, M-B hasn't confirmed anything about this new model, nor has it unveiled the usual lightly disguised "concept" teaser, at least not yet. But though solid intel is sparse, sources have picked up enough info for us to paint a fairly accurate portrait of what's reportedly coming by mid-2011.

For starters, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class should be a full redesign, not a heavy makeover of the 2006-2010 generation. It's said to employ an all-new unibody architecture that Mercedes parent Daimler AG developed with Chrysler Group toward the end of those companies' stormy 10-year marriage. This platform also hosts the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and is slated for a redesigned 2012 Dodge Durango (likely to be renamed Magnum). However, we suspect Daimler took it back to the drawing board after divorcing Chrysler so that no one could accuse the next M-Class of being even distantly related to anything sold by the troubled American automaker. And indeed, the M-Class will continue to be built at Mercedes' plant in Vance, Alabama, while the Chrysler SUVs roll out from that company's Jefferson North facility near Detroit.

Our hunch about platform alterations is based on reports that the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class will be considerably lighter than current models, perhaps by as much as 300 pounds. Whatever the actual reduction, it's in line with efforts by all European automakers to pare as many pounds as possible so that vehicles can run smaller, more-efficient engines as a path to meeting the EU's stiff new limits on CO2 emissions. Of course, less flab is also a path to higher mpg, all else being equal, so the M-Class redesign dovetails nicely with Mercedes' need to comply with stiff new fuel-economy standards here in the U.S. We'd guess the weight will be lost mainly through more extensive use of lighter materials such as high-strength steel, aluminum, and plastic composites, but nothing more exotic or costly than that.

Despite its new "bones," the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class will cast about the same shadow as today's version. Gossips speak of modest trims to wheelbase and overall length, which we peg at 1.2 and 2.2 inches, respectively. Width and height should stand virtually pat, however, and overall interior space should be little affected.