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Consumer Reports selling its road-tested roadsters [w/video]

Here's a chance to acquire a celebrity-owned vehicles, and this time at a discount instead of a premium. So the celebrity in this case is Consumer Reports, that magazine that could be equally adored and abhored by car enthusiasts. CR buys all of its test vehicles and usually finds willing second owners within its own ranks, but its opening its small used-car lot to the public. On the forecourt are four roadsters: an automatic 2012 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Quattro S-Tronic with 6,600 miles for $36,500, a manual 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i with 8,400 miles for $45,000, a manual 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK250 for $39,500 and a manual 2013 Porsche Boxster with 7,000 miles for $48,000.
Those numbers mean a savings of $9,000 to $10,000 before haggling - each car is listed with an "Asking price" so there could be some wiggle room if you show up with pockets full of dough and eyes full of serious intent. Since the money CR earns from the sales go back into the magazine's budget to buy more test cars, however, it probably won't take any oddball trades, so you can forget about getting any purchasing help from that track-day AMC Javelin project on blocks in the back yard.
The vehicles have been taken care of and spiffed up for sale; buyers will take delivery at the CR test track in East Haddam, Connecticut and get a tour of the facilities. While you're there they'll even take you on a lap around the track so you can feel how your car handles when driven by one of its testers. They will probably not help you with advice on which toaster and dehumidifier to buy - you'll still need to get a subscription for that. Have a look at the video below to see a day in the life of a CR test car.

New Mercedes Unimog debuts to the cheers of little boys everywhere [w/video]

The Mercedes Unimog, the superhero villain of the off-road world that's just waiting to make the jump to Transformer, has been completely upgraded for its new generation. There are ten models, expanding the range and getting new designations across the traditional all-terrain series and the implement-carrier series. Panoramic cabins get more visibility, multifunction steering wheels and better dash clusters, improved HVAC and a three-mode central tire inflation system. Outside, there are new items like LED headlights and daytime running lamps in the bumper, roof-mounted windshield wipers and a front-camera monitor for the implement carrier.
The new engine lineup is compliant with Euro VI, featuring four- and six-cylinder BlueEfficiency engines putting out anywhere from 156 horsepower to 354 hp. Powerplant placement has also been tweaked, the chassis members getting a revised curve to place the engine a bit further back and lower, maintaining off-road clearance and lowering the Unimog's center of gravity. The new location of the engine means the cabin has more room, and the wheelbase is shorter. Combined with a higher turning angle, the Unimog has a smaller turning radius than before.
The implement carrier gets what's called a "synergistic traveling drive," the bonus being that drivers don't need to stop in order to use an attachment - a hydrostatic transmission works with the regular manual transmission at up to 31 kilometers per hour for seamless switching.

2014 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 still lights our fire

The current Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG may be in the autumn of its years, but it's still one of our very favorite sport sedans. Ever. Yes, its paddle-shift transmission may not always follow orders, but with stupendous levels of thrust from its charismatic naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, ebullient rear-wheel-drive dynamics and that noise, we frankly don't care that it's getting on a bit.
As a sendoff of sorts for the current generation, Mercedes-Benz has just introduced a new Edition 507 model at the Geneva Motor Show, with 507 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque - an increase of 56 horses over the standard car. Mercedes credits the substitution of low-mass internals from the SLS AMG gullwing for the power bump, a tactic shared with the AMG Development Package upgrade that has been subsumed by this Edition 507. 0-60 is quoted at 4.1 seconds and top speed at 174 mph.
The Edition 507 borrows its aluminum hood from the C63 AMG Black Series Coupe, along with spidery new 19-inch wheels in either titanium gray finish or matte black with shiny rim flanges. As seen on our gallery car above, a sports striping package is also featured, as are glossy black grille, daytime running lamps, spoiler and mirror caps.