Ford expands Transit Connect lineup, adds XLT Premium edition

Among all of the glamorous reveals and Hollywood stars pulling silk off of fancy, sexy and technology-packed new car at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford very quietly pulled the wraps off of a new trim level for its new-to-America Transit Connect.

The Transit Connect comes in essentially two forms: Transit Connect Van (traditional cargo hauling mode) with rear panels where the windows would normally be and only two front seats; or Transit Connect Wagon, which essentially replaces the rear panels with windows and adds a second row three-person bench-like seat.

Until now, however, the Transit Connect Wagon was only available in XLT form, and only had second row rear windows and minimal trim to spice up the outside and dignify its existence compared to the work-minded Van. But alas, XLT Premium adds a “third row” set of flip-out windows – despite only have two rows of seats – and more consumer-minded exterior belt line trim to give the vehicle a proper look for people moving duties.

Also added with families in mind were standard blind-spot sideview mirrors, a rear view camera, rear cargo door pocket storage and privacy glass.

“Since Transit Connect arrived here as the ‘ultimate tool’ for small business proprietors, we’ve heard requests from potential personal-use customers,” said Rob Stevens, chief nameplate engineer for commercial vehicles. “Buyers looking for a taller wagon with seating for five passengers and generous cargo space have shown significant interest in Transit Connect.”

Since Ford doesn’t currently offer a minivan in America – the Flex CUV being the closest thing to a van – this expansion helps Ford fill a niche that was previously arguably empty in its lineup, at least until the C-Max arrives next year.

The Transit Connect XLT Premium is available now on Ford’s website, and comes powered by the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in all Transit Connect models, with a best-in-class highway rating of 26 miles per gallon.

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Federal judge says lawsuits against Toyota will move forward

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First Drive: 2011 Dodge Journey [Review]

It might seem hard to believe, but the outgoing Dodge Journey was actually one of Chrysler’s freshest designs having premiered 2008 as a 2009 model. The last few years haven’t exactly been the Pentastar’s most prodigious.

Designed both to take on international rivals like the Ford S-Max and domestic competitors like the Toyota Highlander, the Journey had a lot resting on its shoulders. Unfortunately, its story unfolds more like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid than kickin’ ass like Scarface. Saddled with a haphazard interior and an unconvincing powertrain portfolio, it was a fleet cruiser and not a segment bruiser.

The 2011 Journey might look pretty much the same from the outside, but it has been completely reborn for the new model year. Mid-cycle refreshes don’t come much more substantial than this one, as we found out on our brief introductory drive in San Francisco.

Dodge says it is re-launching Journey and we get distinct feeling that the automaker hopes we’ll forget the lackluster first effort. First impressions are everything, but we can’t fault the brand for trying to start anew.

Skin-deep
New light treatments, fascias and wheels round out exterior changes, meaning the Journey still has a Euro or Asian-inspired flair that don’t give it much of a Detroit vibe. It was conceived as a global competitor, but Chrysler’s new Fiat overlords have their own portfolio of three-row MPVs, meaning the Journey will primarily do battle in the heartland of America.

It’s hard to decide where the biggest changes lie; the interior is all-new, taking little more than its proportions from the outgoing model, while the crossover gains Chrysler’s modern Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 and a number of chassis enhancements.

Inside, things don’t feel particularly Detroit-like. All-new switchgear abounds, giving a driver familiar with the outgoing Journey a feeling that he’s in a vehicle made by someone else. The automaker’s excellent new three-spoke steering wheel greets the driver. Peer through the spokes and the gauges reveal a full-color center LCD, an uncommon item on a crossover. Further adding to the upscale feel on all but the lowest specification models is a touchscreen display for controlling audio and climate functions. Most essential items feature redundant buttons, but we found the menuing system particularly easy to use and efficient.

Rounding out the upgrade is a substantial improvement in interior materials. Nearly all are class-leading, easily besting luxury-grade vehicles costing tens of thousands more. Our midgrade Journey Crew tester featured nice cloth upholstery, fine leather around the steering wheel and soft touch surfaces throughout.

What hasn’t changed are some of the Journey’s still awkward proportions. Its destiny as a global-style seven-row MPV gave it a more van-like driving position with an upright windshield, fairly low seating position and an oddly-positioned gear lever. At least the second row still offers good room and the cargo area is especially large. An available third row is still best left for kids.

Getting going
Only the basic Journey Express gets the outgoing model’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder mated to a four-speed automatic. Dodge anticipates that most buyers will step up to its new 3.6-liter V6, which boasts 283 horsepower and 260 lb-ft. of torque. Mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic, the V6 will start to become very familiar to Chrysler brand shoppers since it will be put in everything short of the company’s largest and smallest vehicles.

The V6 doesn’t offer direct injection, but it does feature variable valve timing and gobs of solid power. Smooth and refined, it powered our all-wheel-drive Journey feature vehicle with impressive performance. Front-wheel-drive is standard, but we only had the opportunity to spend time in the snow-belt model.

The all-wheel-drive system sends most of its power to the front wheels, but an electronically controlled coupling sends power to the rear wheels when needed more quickly than before.

Dodge also set to work on the suspension, returning shock absorbers to reduce roll, improving steering feel and adding more premium tires. The result? Our test Journey rode smoothly and confidently and gripped well through curves. Its steering is still very light and devoid of sports car feel, but it is certainly more confidence-inspiring than its chief rival, the Toyota Highlander. The package feels refined and well worth the roughly $33,000 price tag of our tester.

A sportier Journey R/T is due out next Spring. Aside from the badge, it adds a sport-tuned suspension and some styling upgrades.

Dodge hasn’t released fuel economy figures for the Journey, but we’ll be sure to report our findings once we get an opportunity to spend more time in one.

Leftlane’s bottom line
The 2011 Dodge Journey hardly transformed into a game changer, but it is finally more than class competitive by offering up a number of features buyers won’t find anywhere else. For once, it will likely be hampered more by its MPV-like style than its execution as it goes up against more butch-looking crossovers like the Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.

But perhaps its biggest demerit will be the lack of a high-efficiency entry-level engine. While Chrysler’s dated 2.4-liter is on offer, availability is relegated only to front-wheel-drive base models – a rather 1990s-style approach. Hopefully the automaker’s access to Fiat’s parts bin means that Journey 3.0 will come with an even wider powertrain array.

2011 Dodge Journey base price range, $22,245-32,740.

Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.

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Renault Twingo Gordini Replaces Twingo GT

Renault Twingo Gordini Replaces Twingo GT + + + 3 BRANDNEW NewsTickers for your Website! + + + easy configurable in less than 1 Minute + + + GET'EM NOW! + + +
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out of this Channel...   84 Visits   0 Assessments     .ntitel h1 { font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:18px; color:#000; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:0px;}.ntext h2 { font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:13px; color:#000; margin-bottom:10px; margin-top:0px;}11/04/2010 09:24 PM ID: 86166Permalink    Renault Twingo Gordini Replaces Twingo GT 

Automaker Renault announced that the Renault Twingo GT will be replaced by the promising Renault Twingo Gordini.

The Gordini will be available as either 1.2-liter petrol or 1.5-liter diesel version. The price will be slightly over £10,695.

Sport seats and three different colors will be available for the new Gordini.

  Source: www.autoexpress.co.uk     WebReporter: walktheline         Recommendation:   ASSESS this news:BLOCK this news. Reason:Assessment:very goodgoodmoderatebadvery badReason:entertaininginformativeinterestingup to datewell summarisedincompletenews out of datenot well formulatedtitle is misleadingtoo many errorsuninterestingwrong channelbelongs to Tips&Tricks!Falsely reportedmasked advertisingnews appears twicenews is a hoaxnews is an opinionnews is illegal!news only copiedwrong source     What's Your Opinion?   About us   Free Newsticker   General Terms & Conditions      Copyright ©2010 ShortNews GmbH & Co. KG, Contact: info@shortnews.com   Usenet | UseNeXT | UseNeXT Test | ShortNews Germany

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