From the Passenger's Seat

When the new Corvette Stingray debuted at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, its base 6.2-liter V-8 was estimated to produce 450 horsepower. Now, official numbers have come out. The 6.2-liter V-8 puts out 455 horsepower and 460 pounds-feet of torque. With the optional performance exhaust, it puts out 460 horsepower and 465 pounds-feet of torque. The old V-8 only produced 430 horsepower and 424 pounds-feet of torque.  Chevrolet says the new Corvette Stingray will be able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds. It also says that the new Corvette Stingray will exceed 26 miles per gallon on the highway for the EPA fuel economy rating. That, however, is still just an estimate. If you're wanting to buy the new Corvette Stingray, you better save up. The starting price will be $51995, including destination, and that is a finalized number.

The Cadillac XTS was introduced for the 2013 model year, and it isn't changing much for the 2014 model year. The big news is the launch of Cadillac's 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine.  We all know and love GM's ubiquitous 3.6-liter V-6, but now Cadillac has slapped turbochargers on it. It produces much more power than the naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter engine that carries over as standard equipment with the XTS. While the standard V-6 churns out 304 horsepower and 264 pounds-feet of torque, the turbocharged version spins out 410 horsepower and 369 pounds-feet of torque with the required premium gasoline. That's more than many V-8s produce. The new turbocharged V-6 sends power to all four wheels, and the carryover V-6 is front-wheel-drive with the option of all-wheel-drive. Other options that are new to the XTS for 2014 include a dual-screen DVD rear entertainment system, automatic parking assist, an intelligent high beam control system called Intellibeam, sea...

For many, the S-Class has been the epitome of luxury. Today, Mercedes-Benz has just released some details on its next-generation S-Class. It's kind of a big deal. From the new features, the driving experience for the new S-Class seems to be very pleasant. Weight has been cut by approximately 300 pounds to 4442 pounds, and a new twin-turbocharged, 4.7-liter V-8 engine provides 455 horsepower and 516 pounds-feet of torque. The old S550 has a twin-turbocharged, 4.6-liter V-8 with only 429 horsepower.  There is a new suspension system available called Magic Body Control that uses a camera to scan the road ahead for bumps. The redesigned Airmatic air suspension will adjust according to the bumps the camera has detected in order to give the smoothest ride possible. Magic Body Control will work up to 80 miles per hour. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 miles per hour in the U.S., and 155 miles per hour in Europe. Mercedes declares that the new S-Class will go from zero to...

You might have heard of the Nissan NV200 as New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow. It is an odd-looking compact van that has been sold in global markets (including 40 countries) for a while now, and it will hit New York streets and go on sale to American consumers this year.  Chevrolet has decided it wanted a compact van to sell as well, so it introduced the City Express. The City Express is a restyled Nissan NV200, and it will presumably have the same specifications as the NV200. U.S. vice president of GM fleet and commercial sales Ed Peper states,  "Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment..."  The sole direct competitor when the City Express right now would be Ford's Transit Connect, which has 6.6 more cubic feet of total cargo volume compared to the NV200's 123 cubic feet. Nissan will provide the City Expresses for GM to sell in the Unites States and Canada. Details will be released closer to when the City Express goe...

Kia has just announced a complimentary maintenance plan for its new C adenza luxury sedan. The $35900 sedan will come with free maintenance for the first 37500 or 36 months, whichever comes first. That would include the first 5 service stops. The complimentary maintenance is standard whether the Cadenza is leased or bought. The also standard UVO eServices feature will notify the owner when the car needs service.

The updated 2014 Scion tC, which debuted at the New York Auto Show this year, has a base price of $19965 with a 6-speed manual transmission, including a $755 destination charge. Opting for the 6-speed automatic transmission adds $1000. The new pricing represents a $485 increase over the 2013 model's pricing.  For 2014, the tC has new lighting elements that use LEDs, a redesigned front fascia, new interior materials, a new power steering system that is tuned for more sportiness, and altered anti-roll bars and shock absorbers. Scion says the aforementioned 6-speed automatics transmission shifts nearly twice as quickly as the 2013 tC's automatic transmission, and the new automatics will rev-match downshifts.  Though tCs come standard with a decent 6.1-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and HD radio, there is an option for Scion's new $1198 BeSpoke multimedia system. BeSpoke includes Aha internet radio, a full-fledged navigation system, Yelp reviews, and TripAdvisor when it ...

BMW is recalling the  325i, 325xi, sedan version of the 330xi, 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT, 325xiT Sports Wagons, and M3 coupes and convertibles from the 2002 and 2003 model years. The recall includes a total of 42080 vehicles.  The recall is of the right, front airbag. It could explode too forcefully and can cause a rupture. That would cause metal fractures that could possibly  hit people inside the vehicle.  BMW is going to report to owners this month about the recall, and notify owners again when replacement airbags are expected to arrive in dealerships this July. If you need more information about this recall, call BMW at ( 800) 525-7417, or NHTSA at (888) 327-4236.

In the past few years, the Matrix hatchback has turned into a somewhat insignificant vehicle for Toyota. Last year, Toyota only sold 4325 of them in the United States. Compare that to the fact that Toyota sold over 55 thousand Matrices in the first 4 years since the Matrix was introduced in 2002. Sales averaged about 47 thousand units each year until the Matrix was redesigned in 2009.  The Matrix plays in the compact hatchback market, being based off the Corolla and having a starting price of about $20000. It competes against the hatchback versions of the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and others. Compared to those cars, the Corolla has an underpowered 132-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine standard and a 5-speed manual transmission. A sorely outdated automatic transmission is available with that engine. The upgrade engine is an old 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with 158-horsepower mated to a 5-speed automatic, 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. All-wheel-drive is an option with that ...