2010 Saab 95 – The Speed of Swede

Divorced from General Motors and now attached to Koenigsegg (the Swedish supercar maker), Saab has just launched its new flagship model, the 2010 9-5. The suits in Trollhättan aren’t the type to rush things — the previous 9-5 model came out in 1999. So this one has some ground to make up on all the competitors that have stayed current and relevant. Still, it could be worse, there could be a recession on.

Nevertheless, at least the new 9-5 seems to have looks on its side, with styling reminiscent of the intriguing Aero-X Concept that has been doing the motor show rounds these past few years. This car was under development while Saab was still part of GM, but someone at the company has managed to preserve a touch of real Scandinavian design.

The 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260: someone cares about us

With Porsche producing SUVs and sedans, and Ferrari making folding hard-top cars for trophy wives instead of hard-core cars for trophy cabinets, it’s nice to see a company still coming out with stuff for dedicated driving enthusiasts. So it’s with a spine-tingling thrill that we present the supercharged and intercooled 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260.

In what is essentially a road-legal track car, the Exige Cup 260 is homologated for road use in Europe, Asia and North America. And even though it keeps the same amount of power as the 2009 model, it’s 83.6 pounds lighter (in keeping with the Lotus lightness philosophy) and has a more efficient aerodynamic package. Note also the larger roof scoop.

The MINI Coupe Concept – because pygmies deserve some fun too

This is a concept car, unveiled just before the Frankfurt motor show. So there’s a good chance this MINI Coupe will not go into production. Even if it did, it might not look exactly like this. But let’s imagine that we’re looking at a new member of the MINI family.

It’s a two-seater, with 211 hp from a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine going to the front wheels. Basically, a JCW model with a top chop. The aluminum roof dips down to a specially designed rear spoiler for optimum aerodynamic effect, while the front wears a new grille and air dam. Inside are two figure-hugging sports seats, with access to the rear section from an unlockable bulkhead.

Ladies and gentlemen… the Maserati GranCabrio

Maserati calls it “a dream car designed and built for men and women who love to live life in an understated though sophisticated manner.” If this is understated, what the heck does over-statement look like? Nevertheless, here is the Maserati GranCabrio, a four-seat soft-top version of the frankly beautiful GranTurismo.

It’s the first-ever cabriolet with more than two seats to wear the famed trident badge and, like its tin-top brethren, the styling was done by Pininfarina, one of the true legends of car design. Note the canvas roof rather than a folding metal arrangement. The makers have an explanation for that too, stating “a link with Maserati tradition” as if having a canvas roof was some kind of unique attribute. More likely a metal roof couldn’t fit, or was too heavy/expensive. Had a contemporary alternative been available, no doubt that link with tradition would have been ditched for appearing innovative and forward-looking.

The 2011 Bentley Mulsanne: when a Rolls-Royce Phantom is too arriviste

Once a year, a flock of well-heeled car geeks descend upon Monterey for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend and the historic racing around the Laguna Seca circuit. On these occasions, upmarket car companies like to advertise their wares. Porsche, for example, brought its new four-door Panamera along. But the scene-stealer this time has been the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne.

This is an all-new model on its own platform and will take over from the soon-to-be-discontinued Arnage as Bentley’s flagship vehicle. Not much is known about the engine outside of the Crewe, England factory apart from the fact that it’s a V8 (supercharged, turbocharged? Surely one of the two), but its presence is unmistakable, even down to those LEDs encircling the main headlights. And the word is that it takes 40 man-hours to create the leather-and-wood-resplendent interior.

Chevy Volt: triple-digit mpg?

General Motors, fresh out of bankruptcy (that didn’t seem to hurt, did it?), has grabbed the headlines by stating that the Chevy Volt, due out late 2010, will get an EPA rating of 230 mpg in the city. Is this the result of someone being ingenious or disingenuous?

Sadly, it looks like the latter. Neither GM nor the EPA have come up with a clear methodology to arrive at this figure, that’s because it’s still being developed, but the general argument is that if a Volt driver does less than 40 miles a day (the range of the battery pack without the internal combustion engine having to kick in) and recharges each night, then zero gasoline will be used.

The 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: pass the tissues

This may be difficult to write, because of drool on the keyboard, but here goes… the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo has been revealed.

It features a new 3.8-liter flat six engine with direct fuel injection and variable turbine geometry (VTG) for its twin blowers, the combination being a Porsche first. Oh, and it has the same intake manifold as the GT2 which uses air expansion to cool hot intake charge. We all remember Boyle’s Law right?

So, when kitted out with the Sport Chrono Package and PDK, the numbers run like this: 500 hp (20 more than the previous model) and 516 lb-ft of torque (up from 501). Zero to 60 mph is dispatched in a mere 3.2 seconds and top speed is 194 mph.

Bella Italia, The New Ferrari 458

No sooner has Maranello’s girlie car, the California, made it into an Entourage scene (a series that puts the Ari into Ferrari), when the mid-engined 430 replacement breaks cover. This is the Ferrari 458 Italia, sporting a 562-hp 4.5-liter. After doing a little math, that works out to something close to 125 hp per liter, an impressive specific output for a naturally aspirated engine if ever there was one.

The design house is once again Pininfarina, obviously keeping those California sketches nearby. One cool wrinkle, though: the nose has small aeroelastic (Ferrari’s word) winglets which deform under speed, creating more downforce and reducing drag. And those triple exhaust pipes are neat.

Jay Leno Unveils The New Jaguar XJ

At the hoity-toity Saatchi art gallery in olde London town, Jay Leno took the mic and showed the world the brand spanking new Jaguar XJ luxury sedan. What he didn’t say was that, because the body is fashioned from aluminum, it weighs less than the next-size-down XF, even with all that wood and leather.

It’s clear that these two cars are stylistic cousins. It has to be said, after years of pastiche designs (for Jags in general, not just the flagship model), this new car is a pretty darn radical departure from the XJs of yore (it’s OK to use archaic language like this, we’re talking about a Jag). Once again, the studio head is Ian “DB7″ Callum.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe commercial break

It’s not just because it’s good to see a car driven hard, doing rally-style jumps, crashing through windows and going sideways, that makes this TV ad for the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe so great. It simultaneously reinforces the M-B heritage of classy and handsome cars that has existed for decades, while also throwing in the unexpected: a dash of adrenaline. On top of that, it’s well shot and well edited.