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A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante revealed: less weight, more power

The name and design of the Pikes Peak record-setting Lamborghini Urus have finally been revealed. The 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante is the new range-topper featuring aerodynamic improvements, lighter weight, new suspension and a dash of extra power for good measure. Together, the improvements make it the best performing Urus yet. The design changes are subtle, but noticeable, which is ironic for what's arguably the least subtle SUV on the market. The front bumper, hood and rear bumper have all been redesigned and feature more carbon fiber. The hood has an air extractor, too. A new front splitter and a rear wing have been added. The fenders have been widened, too to accommodate wider wheels and tires. Overall, downforce has been increased by 8%, and though no number was given, Lamborghini says drag has actually been decreased. Lamborghini also made some  Weight has been decreased by a sizable 104 pounds in total. The increased use of carbon fiber parts is part of that equation, and another part is the standard Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. The Urus Performante drops the standard SUV's air suspension for fixed steel springs that have a stiffer spring rate and lower the SUV. It still has electronically adjustable shocks, four-wheel steering, rear torque vectoring and multiple drive modes. Tuning on all of these have been updated for the Performante, and a Rally mode has been added for tail-happy dirt driving. Horsepower from the twin-turbo V8 is slightly increased, as well, to 657 horsepower (or a hellacious 666 CV in European units) and 627 pound-feet of torque. All of these changes allow the Urus Performante to get to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds, an improvement of 0.3 over the regular model. Its top speed remains at 190 mph. So it's slightly slower to 60 mph than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, but has a higher top speed. And of course, it holds the Pikes Peak record for a production SUV at 10 minutes 32.064 seconds. The previous record holder was the Bentley Bentayga Speed with a 10-minute 49.902-second time. Lamborghini will begin delivering Urus Performantes by the end of the year. Pricing without destination starts at $260,676. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

The Grand Wagoneer is ambitious, but luxury comes naturally for Jeep

The good life is coming easy for Jeep, or perhaps I should say, naturally. The rough-and-tough off-road brand that can credibly claim it helped win World War II is offering a level of luxury that borders on decadent in its latest line of SUVs. After a weekend in the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, I can reiterate that Jeep’s status as a luxury good producer is legit. Really, JeepÂ’s upward mobility is nothing new. Anyone who has driven a Grand Cherokee in a top trim in the last decade will tell you the materials and layout rival premium brands of all stripes. But jumping up into the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer (here's our First Drive Review) territory means a different kind of fight for Jeep. ItÂ’s facing off against vehicles like the GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The Grand Wagoneer Series III like I tested starts at $104,000, and mine had plenty of options. At this point, Jeep is also taking aim at Mercedes, BMW and frankly anyone who makes a six-figure SUV. ItÂ’s not a Bentley Bentayga rival, but with huge touchscreens, soft saddle brown leather, rear infotainment, massaging seats, and silky McIntosh speakers, the Grand Wagoneer is one of the most well-appointed vehicles IÂ’ve tested. Will consumers pay six figures for a Jeep? Is it a luxury good? My sense is yes to both. Built just north of Detroit, the Grand Wagoneer offers an authentic Team USA vibe that works for things like Shinola and L.L. Bean. Jeep has been named the “most patriotic” brand in the U.S. for 19 straight years, and the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee L have small flags on their flanks, so thereÂ’s substance to support the marketing and mythology. The Grand WagoneerÂ’s only obvious downside is its fuel economy, which seems woefully behind the times, even for a hulking SUV. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Interior Review | Autoblog Short Cuts Other News and Views: The Lamborghini Countach LP 500 is back Well, sort of. An ‘important collectorÂ’ commissioned Lamborghini to recreate a one-off replica of the original 1971 prototype that presaged the Countach. While the actual car was destroyed in crash testing in 1974 — things were different back then — Lambo painstakingly recreated the car that debuted at the '71 Geneva Motor Show using archival documents and original spare parts. It created new bodywork with modern tactics to get the details spot-on.