From the Passenger's Seat

In the continuing of Lexus's quest to inject some soul into its vehicles, Lexus has thoroughly refreshed the LS lineup for the 2013 LS lineup. The basic structure hasn't changed, but Lexus has implemented its latest design language onto the Lexus LS, and fine tuned it for more refinement and livelier handling.  Remote Touch, in all its mouse-like control and 12.3-inch screen glory, replaces the logical touchscreen on the outgoing generation LS. The new LS does use an updates version of Remote Touch, but it's still generally less intuitive than a touchscreen. Lexus Enform is also built into Remote Touch, and it has supports Pandora, Yelp, Bing, and other popular applications.  New safety features include a system that alerts you of oncoming traffic when you're backing up, and a blind-spot monitoring system. The pre-collision system can now brake the car to a complete stop at speeds up to 24 miles per hour if the system determines there is an upcoming collisi...

The first unveiling is of the Kia Cerato, otherwise known as the Forte here. The new Forte will go on sale in the United States sometime early next year. As for reveal number two, we have the Lexus LS. Official pictures will be posted on the company's Facebook page tonight at 11:30 Eastern. 

I recently read a comment of a person saying that he likes how cars are getting more stylish again, and that the 2000s were the dark era of car design. Well, I like stylish cars, too, but I don't like ugly cars, as some cars have become. Here's an incomplete list of cars with the most failed designs in their current generation (unless stated otherwise), in my opinion: -Honda Odyssey  -Lexus RX -BMW X6 -BMW 5-Series GT -Ford Fiesta sedan -Kia Rio sedan -Nissan Versa sedan -Honda Fit -Acura ZDX -Toyota Camry -Toyota 4Runner -Next-generation Toyota Avalon -Chrysler 200  -Cadillac XTS -Lexus HS -Honda Insight -Mercedes-Benz SL-Class -Nissan Altima -Buick Encore -Buick Verano -Toyota Prius (I liked it until the 2013 model year refresh) -Chrysler 300 (The back end looks terrible) -Honda Crosstour -BMW X3 -Honda CR-V -BMW 7-Series Now, you may or may not agree to my choices for this list. As mentioned before, this is just my opinion. 

General Motors knows that most inattentive pedestrians probably hold smartphones in their hands. They also know that newer smartphones have what's called "WiFi Direct," a short-distance communication channel for things that go through cell towers. A car with WiFi Direct  recognition can sense smartphone-obsessed people stepping onto the road, warn the driver, and potentially stop the car. It's a different approach to pedestrian safety, as other automakers use cameras, sonar, and radar. This technology can be applied just today, but there's still many catches to this system; it's still in its research phase. 

Chevrolet has created another special edition of the Camaro, this time called the Dusk Special Edition. Blue Ray metallic paint covers the sheetmetal, and the same color of trim is in the interior. The leather upholstery's color name is simply Mojave, named after color of sand in that desert. Those pieces of leather are stitched together with yellow thread 21-inch, silver wheels connect the Camaro with the ground. The RS package is also comes with this special edition, and it includes (on the coupe) a shark fin antennae, HID headlights, a front splitter and side rocker panels. A Hurst short-throw shifter is standard with manual transmission Dusk Special Editions.  The Dusk Special Edition can be bought ordered now, and can be throughout the rest of 2012. It will tack on $5995 on top of the donor 2LT or 2SS trim level Camaro. 

The amount of money mentioned in the title of this post will get you a redesigned 2013 Lincoln MKZ with front-wheel-drive and a 240-horsepower, 2L EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, or, for no extra charge, you can opt for the MKZ Hybrid, which produces 188 horsepower. There's another engine for the performance junkies: the 300-horsepower, 3.7 liter V-6.  For the base price, you get plenty of gimmicks, including a system that will alter your MKZ's handling characteristics, remote start, MyLincoln Touch and LED headlights. The iconic feature for the MKZ, the 15.2 square feet sliding glass moonroof, is a $2995 option. The four ridiculously-named and generally nonsensical trim levels in ascending prices are Premiere, Select, Reserve and Preferred.  Compared to the 2012 MKZ, it's a base price jump of $1170. However, it still is less expensive than the new Lexus ES by a narrow margin. Better still, the MKZ Hybrid is significantly, $2925, less than the Hybrid version of the E...

Kia has released some sketched of pretty much what the next Forte will look like, or the Cerato as it is called in other markets. Here, I give a design breakdown.  Headlights: Mercedes-Benz The way the headlights meet the grille: 2012 BMW 3-series Lower fascia: Volkswagen Passat That V-shaped lower crease on the side: 2013 Mercedes-Benz B-class Overall shape: Buick LaCrosse The way the windowsill bends up at the front: Toyota Tail lights: Volkswagen Passat CC C-pillar shape: Jaguar XF

The 310-horsepower, 4.6 liter V-8 wasn't really up to the task of hauling around a SUV with such tremendous mass. Now, the only engine option for the Sequoia is the punchy 5.7 liter V-8 that spins out 381 horsepower. Even better is that the bigger V-8 gives up little in terms of fuel economy. This drop in a cheaper engine options means that access to the Sequoia will get more expensive. Figure on paying over 42 grand for a base, 2013 Sequoia.

Audi's flagship sedan's entry price drops $6530 to $73095 for the 2013 model year because last year's base 4.2 liter V-8 is replaced by a supercharged V-6 displacing about 3 liters. Despite the downsize in engine, fuel economy is still an EPA-rated 18/28 city/highway miles per gallon, equivalent to last year's 4.2 liter V-8. Still, the new engine should return better fuel economy in the real world compared to the 4.2 liter V-8. Another new engine is the 4 liter turbocharged V-8 that went into production originally for the Bentley Continental. Here in the A8, it spins out 420 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. The new S8 is also powered by this engine, albeit in 520 horsepower form.  Regardless of power, both 4 liter V-8s get cylinder deactivation that can cut fuel to half of the cylinders under light load for less fuel consumption. The V-6 A8 can shut down the engine when stopping or stopped.  The V-6 A8 can't be had with the longer wheelbase. V-8 cars star...

Honda, known for low-resolutions navigation systems in the past few years, is introducing a fancy cloud-based smartphone integration. It will pair with your iPhone and Android device's data network to use apps such as Facebook, Yelp!, Twitter, et cetera. It can also be used to stream radio, or listen to podcasts. It can be personalized from a computer, a smartphone or a tablet. HondaLink can speak out loud content in your Facebook account, your Twitter account, and books. Like other new infotainment systems in other cars, HondaLink can send texts just from your voice, but it won't let you do anything on your social media accounts.  To connect your Android device to HondaLink, you have to use Bluetooth, but iPhone users have a choice between USB and Bluetooth connectivity.  There is also a version of HondaLink made specifically for, you guessed it, electrified cars. This system will debut on the Fit EV, and it will display EV information along with your other app stuff...

The first car's updates for the 2013 model year I'll cover is the Jetta. In Volkswagen's ever-continuing chain of enhancements for the current-generation Jetta, all SEL trim level Jettas get a soft dashboard. Trim levels other than the SEL and GLI soldier on with hard plastic for the dashboard. The SE and TDI clean diesel trims do get fresh silver accenting in the interior, leather-wrapped vehicle controls, power-reclining front backrests and chrome on the grille. SEL upgrades include a black and beige color scheme, and a full power driver's seat. GLI Jettas with the DSG automatic transmission get launch control.  2013 Eos Executive and Lux trims levels have xenon headlights, LED running lights, an adaptive headlight system, and headlight cleaners as standard equipment. A backup camera comes on the Executive trim. Atlantic Blue is a new interior color options, and Black Pearl is a new exterior color.  Joining the already-existing trim levels in the Eos lineup is the...

The all-new, 2013 Lexus ES with a 268-horsepower V-6 will require $36995 to buy when it arrives at dealerships next month. As for the hybrid version of the freshened ES with the same 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine and electric motor combination in the 2012 Camry Hybrid, it will cost you $2750 on top of the V-6 ES's price. Despite all the improvements Lexus has made to the new generation of ES vehicles, the base ES actually got cheaper by $605 compared to the 2012 model year ES. Fuel economy ratings has gotten higher, too, to 21/31 city/highway miles per gallon for the V-6, and 40/39 city/highway miles per gallon for the ES300h hybrid.

The feature comes from a company that also makes speech-to-text software for Macs, Windows and iOS. BMW 7-Series and 3-Series cars of the 2012 model year will get a speech-to-text feature functions. It's called Dragon Drive Messaging, and it will transfer your words into text in the system, so you can can message people through your car with your mouth, or enter a destination into the navigation system without pulling over. You can technically formulate an entire essay with this, as you can enter punctuation, start new paragraphs and so on.  It'll be available in BMW's app market. The app supports U.S. and British English, Spanish, Italian and German. After a 60-day trial usage, an annual fee will be charged.  2012 BMW 7-Series, 3-Series Touring and ActiveHybrid 3 cars will get this feature. It will go on the market this month. 

The 2012 Hyundai Veracruz When the 2012 Veracruz ceases production, that's it for the Veracruz. The seven-passenger crossover will not continue production. The comfortable, yet insipid, crossover was introduced to the market in 2006, and never became a big seller.  The long-wheelbase 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe If you still want a capable crossover from Hyundai, you can wait for the 2013 Santa Fe, the long version, that is. There is also a five-seat 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, so don't get confused with that. The Santa Fe will undercut the Veracruz in terms of pricing and will go on sale early next year. 

Chevrolet may be the car brand for you to buy a car from if you have ever wished you could return a car and get a full refund like you can with grocery store items. Some of Chevrolet's vehicles. If you buy your 2012 or 2013 model year Chevrolet from now to September 4th, you can return it after thirty days, but before 60 days if you turn out to hate your purchase. The returned car must have under $300 worth of damage, have not been in an accident, and have been driven under 4000 miles within the time you bought it and the time you return it for it to qualify for getting all of your money back. Furthermore, the car has to be purchased and not leased, whether the car was bought in cash or financed. To make buying from Chevrolet even more enticing, it is fixing the price of all vehicles, so you don't have to waste time and energy haggling for a good price. It is called the Total Confident Pricing and will also apply to 2012 and 2013 model year Chevrolets, and it will liv...

The new LS's front end. The again Lexus LS will be replaced by the next generation soon. At San Francisco on July 30th, Toyota will show the new 2013 Lexus LS.  The current generation LS. Lexus LSs of the current generation have been on sale for about six years without dramatic changes. As the LS is Lexus's flagship sedan, you should fully assume all of Lexus's latest engineering and design philosophies to be showcased in the new LS. Every model of the outgoing LS will carry over, plus a new F Sport model.  

Volkswagen is acquiring the 50.1% of Porsche it still doesn't on yet. The merge is expected to be complete by August 1. Porsche has been working very closely with Volkswagen in the past, and this merge is going to reduce costs for sharing platforms and such. From now on, Porsche and Volkswagen will be working closer than ever.

Happy Independence Day, guys. It's the 4th of July! Have fun seeing the fireworks, cooking up a barbeque, or whatever you're going to do this swell night!

If you don't think the base TT appears aggressive enough, yet don't want to shell out the cash for the TT RS or TTS, you can now get a package that will raise your TT's mean factor.  For the 2013 model year, the buyers of the base TT has the option of choosing the S-Line Competition Package. This is essentially a body kit with a whole lot of black thrown in, plus Nappa leather sport seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, special door sill trim, fake aluminum trim, and xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights.  If you want bold colors, the S-Line Competition Package unlocks Samoa Orange metallic and Misano Red pearl. More subdues colors include Daytona Gray pearl and Glacier White metallic.  The package will be $2350. The 2012 Audi TT starts at just under forty thousand dollars; pricing for the 2013 TT hasn't been announced.

A bill recently became law when it survived Congress. If an automaker puts off recalls for dangerous vehicles, then the fines will be higher than it was. It is no doubt influenced by Toyota's recall woes of 2010. Other Toyota-inspired tidbits didn't get through, however.