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2015 Acura NSX Specs

Renault is a company accustomed to winning in Formula One. In the past ten years alone, it has claimed an unfathomable six world championships, first with Fernando Alonso two years in a row and then powering Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing to four consecutive titles. But suffice it to say that things havent been going so well this season since the introduction of the new hybrid turbocharged V6s as Mercedes-Benz has stolen its thunder. The teams it supplies arent happy, and neither is the French automaker itself. Which could go a long way towards explaining why its changing the top leadership in its F1 operations.

As of July 3, Renault Sport F1 president Jean-Michel Jalinier is stepping down, exercising "his right to retirement for personal reasons," according to the statement below. In his place, Renault has appointed two successors.

Jérôme Stoll, who has until now served as the companys executive vice president, Chief Performance Officer and director of sales and marketing, is stepping up to serve as the divisions president, all the while maintaining his existing roles. Alongside him Cyril Abiteboul has been named Managing Director of Renault Sport F1, having previously served as its Development Director and Executive Director before taking over the Caterham F1 Team prior to its recent sale and his dismissal.

Well have to wait and see whether the shift in leadership will help Renault get its engines up to speed for next season, because if it cant, it may find its four current customer teams (Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Lotus and Caterham) looking elsewhere for motivation.

There was a rumor back in April that Mercedes-Benz was busy developing a C450 model that would sit in between the current top-shelf C-Class, the C400, and the coming-soon C63 AMG. It appears that is entirely the case, and our spy shooters have the photos to prove it, showing off the newest model with no camouflage (in fetching Touring guise, no less).

Wearing a C450 4Matic badge at the rear and Sport AMG emblems on the front fenders, exact details about the new model still arent confirmed. The 4Matic designation indicates all-wheel drive for this particular vehicle, but rear-wheel drive could be available, as well. Power is rumored to be increased from the current 329 horsepower from the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 in the C400 up to 367 horsepower.

Of course, the C450 doesnt get a full suite of AMG upgrades â€" those are reserved for the C63. However, buyers should still be able to show that they have something special. These spy photos highlight the C450s diamond grille, large wheels and quad tailpipes nestled in a rear diffuser. The car is also rumored to benefit from an improved suspension and brakes.

As these photos show, the model is being tested as a C-Class Touring, but a sedan version is almost a certainty as well. Besides, the wagon isnt even confirmed for the US yet. Our spies claim that the Sport AMG will likely be ready for sale by 2015. That seems hard to debate, because the car seen here looks ready to hit the road today.

If you find yourself in the theater to watch Transformers: Age of Extinction, pay special attention to the scenes set in China between mouthfuls of popcorn because you just might be seeing some of those vehicles on roads in the US in the not-too-distant future. Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd. (GAC) has several of its Trumpchi brand of vehicles in the new action film, and it claims that its trying to bring them to American consumers as soon as next year.

GAC wants its first model here to be the Trumpchi GS5 SUV (pictured above). In China, its offered with either a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder with 145 horsepower and 138 pound-feet or a 1.8-liter turbocharged four with 174 horsepower and 175 lb-ft. ​Buyers can choose from automatic and manual gearboxes, each with five speeds, and front- or all-wheel drive.

"We want to start exporting to the U.S. as quickly as possible and I am confident that they will find our Trumpchi cars competitive," said Trumpchi boss Wu Song to Automotive News China. The company was chosen to appear in the fourth Transformers movie after director Michael Bay spotted the companys E-Jet plug-in hybrid and wanted to put it in the film, Song said.

While its great to be ambitious, lets be honest. Breaking into the US market isnt an easy task. Just look at the valiant effort that Mahindra put up in its attempt to sell vehicles here. Theres little doubt that a Chinese automaker will eventually sell its cars in the US, but the chances that it happens as early as next year are knife-edge slim.

Its hard to say what a coupe is anymore. Is it merely a car with two doors? Does it have to have an arching roofline? Do frameless windows count for anything? Can a five-door hatchback or even an SUV be a coupe? At some point in the last few years, nearly everything we thought made a coupe a coupe has been challenged by something that calls itself a coupe, but to most people isnt. Our friends at BMW have led most of this line of questioning.

The new 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is one of the latest Bimmers to challenge the moniker (which also challenges the idea of "Gran," for that matter), and unlike some of its other "coupe" variations â€" were looking at you, X6 â€" this one is a pretty one. The 4 Series Gran Coupe is essentially a four-door version of the 4 Series, which is itself a two-door version of the 3 Series. Huh? Wouldnt that simply make it another 3 Series? Of course, but this one is prettier, as it uses the 4s sexier body styling, with its lower nose, wider-looking stance and edgier lighting graphics. It is also technically a five-door hatchback, not a sedan per se, and it utilizes frameless side door glass, which apparently does count for something in BMW coupe-land. Significantly, the 4 Gran Coupes wheelbase is identical to the two-door; if it was longer â€" as is the case with the 3 Series and 5 Series hatchbacks â€" that might make it a "Gran Turismo." Confused yet?

We recently got our first chance to drive the 4 Series Gran Coupe at a press launch in Spain, and while the only version we were given was a rear-drive 428i Gran Coupe with the M Sport contents, the harrowing roads around Bilbao gave us a good idea of what this car is all about from a driving dynamics standpoint. Heres some of what we found:

Driving Notes

• The Gran Coupe will be available in base 428i, all-wheel-drive 428i xDrive, and 435i forms, starting at $41,225, $43,225, and 446,725, respectively, including $925 for destination. A Luxury Line package with elegant trimmings can be added for another $1,700 on the 428i models and $1,400 for the 435i, while a Sport Line brings larger wheels (18-inchers vs. 17s), sport seats, and various other sport-flavored bits for $2,100 on the 428 models or $1,700 for the 435i. And of course, an M Sport model builds on the Sport Lines stuff with an aero kit, a sport steering wheel, and some blue trim pieces while adding $3,500 to the bottom line of the 428 models, or $3,100 to the 435. Of course, there are a many more a la carte options, and a suite of technology and convenience packages ready to bloat the final out-the-door price up over $60k if youre really feeling spendy.
• The 4 Series Gran Coupe looks longer than the two-door version, but in actuality, its identical in length and width. The roof is a half an inch taller, and the roofline stretches nearly all the way to the back of the car. It has an aggressive stance and excellent proportions. Incidentally, the 3 Series is also about the same length, about a half an inch narrower, and another inch and a half taller. The Gran Coupe may be the best-looking of the lot.
• Alas, there is a catch, which comes in the form of more than 200 pounds of added weight due to structural reinforcement, including the weight of the standard power tailgate. Happily, BMW tuned the Gran Coupe to mimic the sporty feeling of the two-door 4 Series, changing only what it had to under the skin in order to accommodate the added mass and accompanying change in the center of gravity. To a large extent, it succeeded in keeping it quite the capable performance sedan. Or coupe. Or whatever it is.
• Inside, the occupants sit a little lower in the 4 than in the 3, giving you a feeling of intimacy not found in any of the Threes. The black headliner also contributes to this sensation. We also expected to get more of a "sitting in a bathtub" feeling than we actually experienced. The M Sports seats are absolutely fantastic, as is the perfectly contoured steering wheel.
• The 4 Series Gran Coupe is pure 3 Series inside, albeit with a one-inch lower seating position for both rows of seats. This makes the lower roofline less impactful on rear-seat headroom than youd expect; indeed, this models longer roofline allows adults to ride back there more comfortably than in the regular 4 Series (non-Gran) coupe.
• The lower seat height also helps the rear seat not feel as cramped as one might expect, with six-footers able to squeeze back there better than in the two-door. Legroom is also about the same as in the 3 and the two-door 4, which is to say decent. Its not the limousine that the 3 Series GT is, but its pretty good by "coupe" standards.
• The Gran Coupes hatchback body makes for a wide and deep cargo area, and the rear seats now fold 40/20/40 style. A power liftgate with programmable opening height is standard, and can be opened by waving your foot beneath the bumper. The drawback? Seeing out through the sliver-like rear window is a real challenge when youre on the road.
• The rear doors open quite wide, making it easy to load people and things back there despite their short length. You wont bump your head on the roof as you get in, either, since the roofline doesnt slope down until aft of the door.
• The turbo four-cylinder is sufficiently powerful and sounds pretty awesome, though the Gran Coupes extra 100 kilos or so makes itself known. Speed demons are going to want to spring for the 435i, which we are looking forward to driving ourselves in the States soon.
• The eight-speed automatic â€" the only available transmission â€" is as magical as ever in this installation, and the paddle shifters operate with a satisfyingly snickety action and are easy to find even with some lock dialed in.
• High-speed stability is and always has been a 3 and 4 Series forte, and it is no less so in this case. We only wish we could select Sport mode on the Driving Dynamics Control-which adjusts shift points, throttle response, and steering effort-to get its better-weighted steering along with the top two gears on the highway, but unfortunately, Sport mode locks them out.
• Grip levels are high during aggressive cornering, though as weve noticed in other 3s and 4s, the steering response is a little delayed at initial turn-in, resulting in a tendency toward understeer and early intervention of stability control. The lack of feedback through the wheel doesnt help matters, but the car does go where you point it. We just wish it told us what was going on in the meantime.
• BMW has long been a master of shock absorption, and as with so many other Bimmers, the 4 Series Gran Coupe takes the edge off bumps without floating over them. The 4 Series Gran Coupe we drove, with the M Sport equipment, is heavenly in this regard. The only demerit: tire noise on the highway can get loud, especially on grainy pavement.
• The M Sport line is available with upgraded brakes that offer excellent pedal feel and crisp response; we would recommend the $500 upgrade (on top of the $3,500 youll pay for the M Sport pack) if you like to drive like we do, especially if hills happen to be part of your everyday commuting.
• Given their similar interiors as well as the added practicality of the 4 Series Gran Coupes hatchback body, we cant help but wonder why anyone would choose a 3 Series, which comes in about $3k less, similarly equipped. That would make a big difference if the MSRP was under $20k, but at this price point, the upgrade to something that looks and feels more special than a workaday 3er seems more than worth it.

A raft of important production models from the last hundred years were available for me to either drive or ride in.

Chrysler Group Historian Brandt Rosenbusch, the lucky so-and-so that manages the corporate museum, brought out an insanely great selection of motoring history for myself and my colleagues to take in, photograph, and drive. Greeting us in the swanky circle drive in front of the Dodge manse was a smattering of Dodge concept cars from the last twenty years or so, Viper, Sidewinder and Demon concepts included. Continuing out the gates, however, were a raft of important production models from the last hundred years, all available for me to either drive or (in some delicate instances) ride in. My mission, beyond keeping the stupid grin off my face long enough to look like a serious journalist, was to suss out any link between the past and the future of Dodge.

Spoiler: I found it. And I only broke one car in the process.

The patch-laying members of the family tree were heavily represented.

Sergio Marchione and team laid out for us, in no uncertain terms, last May, that Dodge will wear the performance car mantle for the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles mothership. Dodge President and CEO Tim Kuniskis backed that up for us, calling Dodge the companys "mainstream performance brand" with the newly welcomed back SRT serving as the "ultimate performance halo brand."

Rosenbusch clearly received that memo when helping to assemble our test cars for the day, as the patch-laying members of the family tree were heavily represented. While the list included blue-collar stuff at the bookends of the timeframe â€" Dodge brought along a 1915 touring car and a 1917 sedan, as well as a 1984 Caravan and a 1995 Neon ­â€" in the main this was a group of performance cars from the 1920s up through the 2008 Challenger SRT8.

Outside of the outstanding class of muscle cars on offer (Ill get to those in a moment), there could still be found some antecedents to what Dodge is trying to achieve with its newly announced five-year makeover.

Dart is clearly a modern-day iteration of what Dodge/Plymouth had hoped to realize with the Neon â€" a compact whose styling and sprightly demeanor differentiated it from the Honda Civic paradigm. Thats work thatll need some strong followup when the next Dart arrives in 2016, at least if the model hopes to replicate the Neons modest market penetration, to say nothing of building the companys reputation for building compact cars that are less than shoddy.

Dodge offerings in the compact performance space have typically been exceptional on the bang-for-buck scale.

Perhaps more interesting still is the line that can be followed from cars like the 1986 Shelby GLHS, 1985 Shelby Charger and 1984 Dodge Daytona, to the expected 2016 Dart SRT. For all of their (many) rough edges, the companys offerings in the compact performance space have typically been exceptional on the bang-for-buck scale; heres me crossing my fingers that the Dart SRT plays on that heritage. Well, except Id still pay a slightly higher relative MSRP for slightly more build quality and finish.

I suppose I could attempt to draw a connection between Durango and the 1941 Command Car, but, nah... Both are four-wheel-drive (mostly), but one is unquestionably epic while the other is pretty cool for its model class. Ill let you sort it out.

Of course, where the company lineage can truly be seen from old to upcoming is in the Dodge-badged, V8-engined sedans and coupes. Theres a pretty straightforward reason for this. Around the mid-2000s Chrysler and Dodge realized they could capture lightning in a bottle by building rear-wheel-drive cars that recapitulated some of their best moments of the sixties and seventies, and selling them to the nostalgia-driven Baby Boomers. The right-wheel-drive platform was available from then-parent Daimler, and the cupboard was full of Muscle Car icons â€" and the iconic Hemi engine name â€" with which to reimagine.

A Dodge Challenger is about the only current car Id consider buying in purple, a testament to the staying power of that muscle cars image.

Fast forward a decade, and the strongest, most compelling Dodge products are those that draw from that fountain of youth: Charger, Challenger and Viper (a sports car born in the 1990s but with a 1960s spirit, for certain). All of the bold styling, huge power, and startling performance of cars like the Challenger SRT 392 or the Viper TA, owe a debt of gratitude to company traditions established in those golden years. Hell, a Dodge Challenger is about the only current car Id consider buying in purple, which is a testament to the staying power of the muscle cars image if ever Ive heard one.

Whats amazing to me, is that cars like those Dodge is proposing in 2015 and beyond (looking squarely at you, Hellcat) could very well transition the neo-muscle cars from Baby Boomer retirement toys, to the playthings of Gen Xers (and Yers) like myself. Its interesting to think that under Fiat ownership Dodge stands a better chance of becoming the American performance car brand. What a world.

In any event, it sure was a fun history lesson Dodge prepared for the 100-year bash. Just for kicks, Ive thrown together some driving/riding notes on all the cars I was in at Meadow Brook. Scroll down to have a look.

Driving Notes

1929 Dodge Roadster

I sat in the 1915 car, but the 1929 Roadster was the oldest car I got to drive. Double-clutching the syncro-less manual transmission takes some getting used to â€" our drive loop at Meadow Brook was only about a mile long and I touched reverse on all of the four gearshifts I made. My driving instructor told me the trans is basically unbreakable though, and he laughed off my worry.

I also got my very first ever rumble seat ride in the 29, which was a total hoot. At my above average height itd be hard to share that backseat with anyone (I had to sit sideways) but it was still a great place to sit and cruise.

When I asked Rosenbusch which car of the lot I should absolutely not miss, he pointed to this beautiful roadster, and I can see why. I only wish I had a day with it rather than a few minutes.

1939 Dodge Deluxe Town Coupe

I got to ride in the backseat of the 39 Coupe, which is not only roomier than it appears, but has more space than the rear seating of most fullsize luxury cars today. The downside: the rear bench felt a lot like the couch that you move out onto the porch of your first house in college, because its too beer stained to be the basement couch any more â€" I imagine there are springs there somewhere, but my ass sank about 10 inches when I sat down. Still, I felt like a low-level Chicago gangster back there.

I also happen to find the styling of this coupe really attractive, though Ill admit to being quite partial to dark green paint on vintage cars.

1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer

This dreamboat was overheating a bit by the time I queued up to drive it, so I was forced to accept another ride rather than a stint behind the wheel. Not a big loss, and the Dodge Custom was obviously made for cushy cruising, something that it excelled at in my small sample. I ran into Todd Lassa, Executive Editor of Automobile magazine, right after hed driven it, and he said the Custom would be his pick for a car to take for the weekend. Hed get no argument from me.

Look at this interior. In a group of cars that showed more cheap, thin, brittle plastics, sticky vinyl and surrealistic fake wood than one person might see in a lifetime, the Custom Royal Lancer was a palace of a thing. The triple tone seat fabric felt as good as it looked, while the chrome, Bakelite and painted metal dashboard was really a work of art. Im talking to my wife about redecorating our living room with this interior as our guide, wish me luck.

1969 Dodge Daytona

The Daytona may not have been quite as enjoyable to drive as the Challenger T/A (below), but it sure does make you feel like a badass behind the wheel. The 426 Hemi V8 sounds like sex behind the roller rink when you tap the throttle just a hair past idle, and pulls with modern-engine seriousness if youre brave enough to dig in.

I still cant believe the proportions of this NASCAR for the street though. Honestly, the with overhangs on either end that go on for acres, and that patently ridiculous/unbelievably awesome rear wing, this has got to be one of the most wildly styled production cars ever. I like to imagine the Daytona designers, hanging out in a wind tunnel back in the late Sixties, with sore hands from high-fiving each other so much.

1970 Dodge Challenger T/A

As a child of the 1980s and a fan of Japanese hatchbacks when I was coming up, I never have had much experience driving vintage muscle cars. This Challenger T/A was one of the first of the big coupes I got into at Meadow Brook, and it might have been my favorite after all was said and done.

With the 340 Six Pack engine originally rated by Dodge at 290 hp (and rumored to be making closer to 320 hp), there was no lack of power when I dialed in a little bit of throttle. Just one hard-on-the-throtle start (dont forget that I was basically driving at a country club) showed how easy it was to break the rear tires free. Overall the T/A just felt tight and right, within the obvious parameters of this era of vague steering and tremendous pedal travel.

1984 Dodge Daytona

The red velour interior of the 1984 Daytona contained the exact spirit and smell of my Grandmas living room, circa 1981. I really only have sense memories dating back that far, but the lurid shade of red and nostalgic off-gassings are unmistakable.

Terrible car to drive though. Compared with the 1985 Shelby Charger (which I liked a lot despite its cheesy eighties looks) I got in next, the front-drive Daytona felt really slow and creaky. The 2.5-liter "Turbo Z" motor didnt even feel up to its reported output of 142 hp. Faster than Grandmas living room, but only just.

1984 Dodge Caravan

I dont know it was sad news that Dodge wont be making minivans any more, but it was certainly news. This gen-one Caravan invented a segment in the industry, and they were thick on the ground for decades where I grew up in Michigan (probably wherever you grew up, too).

Honestly, with a few exceptions, the Caravan at this event had one of the most well put together interiors, too. This was a no-frills van, even the cup holders were still just minute indentations on a flat part of the dashboard at this point, but everything seemed of nicer quality than in those 1970s cars.

1986 Shelby GLHS

Okay, so this is the one I broke. Unfortunately for a lot of my fellow journalists, I broke it early in the morning, too.

The GLHS, so wacky in both its origins and its mix of Omni roots and Shelby street cred,is a car Ive wanted to sample forever. An alleged 175 hp and 175 lb-ft of torque stuffed into one of the dodgiest-build-quality hatchbacks of the era â€" yes please. Knowing all that, and not wanting to be a complete heel, I did tell myself that I was going to take it easy on the Goes Like Hell Smore, despite really wanting the full effect of the turbod hatch.

So, I pulled out of the parking area, gave the Shelby a boot or two of throttle just to feel the turbo pull (and it does pull pretty hard, guys), but generally didnt let my inner hoon take over. And yet... shifting from first into second gear at approximately 25 miles per hour, I had the probably-not-uncommon-for-an-Omni-owner experience of the gearlever going totally to rubber under my hand. Second gear was nowhere to be found, nor first, third or any of the ratios at all. I assumed there was some sort of linkage mishap, but never did get a firm answer on what went wrong.

After coasting to a stop, I did get a chance to take a few extra pictures of the GLHS for posterity, so it almost felt like a net win. Seriously though, fragile shifter or no, Id own one of these.