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Ford’s vanlet spins off electric-, propane-, and natural gas–powered variations, plus one for serialized people-hauling.

Ford’s little Transit Connect utility van is about to try out some new forms of versatility. At the Chicago auto show, Ford is debuting two new powertrains for the TC—a battery-powered electric vehicle and one powered by natural gas or propane—as well as a taxi. All these models are, of course, primarily aimed at fleet buyers.

Transit Connect EV: Short Connections Only

The Transit Connect EV uses a liquid-cooled, 28-kWh lithium-ion battery pack capable of up to 80 miles on a charge. Ford says it will accelerate at a rate similar to the gas TC—no rocket ship, to be sure—and achieve a top speed of 75 mph. Not surprisingly, the vehicle is intended for urban work.

Keep Reading: 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi, EV, Natural Gas, and Propane – Official Photos and Info

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1. 2010 Ford Transit Connect – Auto Shows
2. 2010 Ford Transit Connect – First Drive Review
3. Ford Transit Connect Family One Concept – Auto Shows

The burliest Mustang loses some weight and gains 10 hp and an optional track-focused package for 2011.

The Blue Oval is leaving no Stang untweaked for 2011, now announcing significant updates to the Shelby GT500 to go along with the already revealed 5.0-liter Mustang GT and base 3.7-liter V-6 cars. The most important alteration to the Shelby is a switch in engine-block material, tossing the old cast-iron block for a version of the all-aluminum lower end that was originally developed for the Ford GT. A larger intercooler and a revised exhaust bump power by 10 hp to 550, while torque stands pat at 510 lb-ft.

Keep Reading: 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Official Photos and Info

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2. 2010 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport vs. 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Comparison Tests
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Holy schnikes! The have-it-all Turbo S returns to the 911 lineup.

After an absence of five years, the Turbo S has returned to the 911 lineup.

The new, 997-flavored twist on the ultimate neunelf will feed some 530 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat six. The regular, and now useless, non-S 911 Turbo makes do with an inadequate 500 hp and 480 lb-ft from the same engine, although it can match the 516 pounding feet of the Turbo S via an overboost function. The creation of the S involved revising the engine software to pump up the maximum boost from 11.6 psi to 14.5, which just so happens to be the figure made during the Turbo’s overboost function. No engine internals were changed. Fuel economy is rated at 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.

Keep Reading: 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S – Official Photos and Info

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1. 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo – Official Photos and Info
2. 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Race Car – Official Photos and Info
3. 2011 BMW 3-series / 328i / 335i Coupe and Convertible – Official Photos and Info

Newer is always better among luxury flagships, and the third-gen A8 may have just moved to the head of the class.

The full-size luxury-car segment is a ship constantly steered by a new captain. Indeed, whenever one of the usual suspects—Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, or Audi—releases a new model, it seems the current favorite then drops to second place. The BMW 7-series recently pulled off this feat, topping the previous gold standard, the Mercedes-Benz S550, in a comparison test. The Porsche Panamera then swooped in to knock off the Bimmer. (Granted, the Panamera is a bit of an outlier, given that its five-door body doesn’t fit the traditions of the segment.) Now, the 2011 Audi A8 looks like a strong contender to be the next to sit in the captain’s chair.

Keep Reading: 2011 Audi A8 – First Drive Review

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1. 2010 Audi A8 / 2011 Audi S8 – Car News
2. 2011 Audi A8 – Spied
3. 2011 Audi A8 – Official Photos and Info

Batteries Included: Do short-haul, $200,000 electric supercars make any sense?

In two years, both Mercedes-Benz and Audi will put electric supercars into production. Shown as concepts at last year’s Frankfurt show, the Audi e-tron and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG eDrive each slot an electric powertrain into an existing platform. Both promise green cred, but the big question is this: Will either be any good as a supercar?

Keep Reading: Electric Supercars: Audi E-Tron, Tesla Roadster, M-B SLS AMG eDrive Charge to Production – Feature

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Turning a nose tackle into a linebacker.

Porsche purists may have hated the Cayenne from the moment of its inception, but the success of the truck has allowed the continued production of cars that enthusiasts yearn for. In fact, in one of the supreme ironies of the auto industry recently, the profitability of the VW Touareg–based SUV was a reason that Porsche was able to attempt a hostile takeover of  Volkswagen last year.

Keep Reading: 2011 Porsche Cayenne – Prototype Drive

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BMW puts more sport in its original “Sport-Activity Vehicle.”

A little more than 10 years ago, BMW put the “sport” in “sport-utility vehicle” with the ground-breaking, delightfully nimble X5. That same vehicle also took the “utility” out of “sport-utility vehicle”—literally—being assigned the BMW-invented “sport activity vehicle” moniker instead. The rechristening was a clever trick that attempted to manage expectations not met by its small cargo area, which held less than that of the 5-series wagon of the day. For 2007, the X5 grew considerably to address the latter issue, although its sterling six- and eight-cylinder engines and sparkling new chassis ensured that plenty of sportiness, and the “SAV” moniker, remained. Now for the 2011 model year—which for BMW begins this April—the X5 looks as if it may get even better, with freshened styling, minor content adjustments, and most significantly, new turbocharged inline-six and V-8 gasoline engines mated to eight-speed automatic transmissions.

Keep Reading: 2011 BMW X5 – Official Photos and Info

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We recently had a Tesla Roadster Sport in the office that assistant technical editor K.C. Colwell chose to take on a 180-mile trip to Saginaw, Michigan, and back. He wrote a blog about his experience with the Roadster’s limited range to illustrate the differences between living with an electric vehicle versus a conventional automobile. Tesla was apparently unhappy with what we said about its car and chose to call us out on the company blog.

Tesla’s blog in response to our experience with its Roadster Sport is so beside the point that we feel we need to respond. The simple truth here is that we made but two mistakes: 1. Not charging the Roadster in “range” mode, and 2. Thinking we could use the Tesla like a real car.

To the first point, we realized (too late) that we had mistakenly not charged the car in “range” mode. But even if we left Ann Arbor with only an 85-percent charge, how does that lost 15 percent account for an almost 100-mile discrepancy between their claimed ideal range and what K.C. got? And since Tesla hasn’t or won’t show us the logs of K.C.’s drive, we’re not inclined to believe their assertions that he was doing 80 mph consistently. Even if the logs can show that he was going that fast, they cannot reveal how he was doing so while drafting for better aero efficiency behind large semi trucks.

To the second point, 180 miles in one day is no “road trip,” especially here in Michigan. Do we need to get clearance from Subaru when we want to take one of its cars to Saginaw for dinner? Have we ever had to strictly limit our speed to 60 mph to approach a car’s advertised range? Please.

Bottom line: We like the Roadster. It’s amazingly fast, handles well, and looks great. We’ve told that story numerous times. But the fact stands that it isn’t a stand-in for a real car, at least not here in Michigan. Woe betide the poor C/D technical editor who wants to drive one to dinner in Saginaw. Despite Tesla’s claims, our one negative real-world experience with the Roadster does not suddenly mean we’ve lost our ability to tell the truth.

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1. Tesla Roadster Sport: It’s Not What You Got, It’s What You Give
2. 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport – Short Take Road Test
3. 2009 Tesla Roadster – First Drive Review

C/D’s complete guide to the Toyota recalls.

Keep Reading: Shift into Neutral, Dummy: The Toyota Recall Fiasco – Feature

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Two wagons that are rarer than Bentley’s Continental GT.

Occasionally, mundane cars sell in such small numbers that they become de facto “exotics.” These two wagons are rarer than Bentley’s $189,095 Continental GT.*

Jaguar X-type Wagon

Being slightly more attractive than the X-type sedan didn’t help its sales.
Years sold: 2005–2008
Units sold in U.S.: 1602

Keep Reading: Unintentional Exotics: Jaguar X-type Wagon and Lexus IS300 SportCross – Feature

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