Bizarre Medical Wagon: BMW presents X6 ambulance at rescue vehicle show

You know you’ve always wanted to drive a four-hundred-horsepower BMW through city streets like a bat out of hell, and now the Bavarian automaker has the legal remedy. All you’ll need to do is get certified as an ambulance driver and convince your local emergency response unit to invest in this X6 ambulance, which BMW is showcasing at the upcoming RETTmobil rescue vehicle show in Fulda, Germany. The ultimate driving machine question is, which will be more difficult? Considering on one hand that the certification process is takes longer than the ending of a Peter Jackson film, and on the other that ambulances tend to require a lot of space and that the X6 is among the least utile crossover vehicles on the market, we’d say it’s about a draw.

Following the X6 M safety car which BMW rolled out for MotoGP, in actuality this specially-equipped X6 xDrive50i, (complete with 407hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 and more lighting than Kevin Costner’s corn field) is being presented as a first-responder vehicle, carrying a doctor or paramedic to the scene of an emergency before an ambulance can get there. Few details are available, but then again, there are few cities with the kind of budget to acquire one of these bad boys.[Source: BMW]

Car Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes agreeable balance

The small crossover segment, where the neo-sorta-trucks live, is one of the hottest battlegrounds for consumer dollars. Small skirmishes go on in the border regions; confused vehicles don’t know whether to be mud-slingers with brash attitudes or optioned-up urban sophisticates. Toyota‘s RAV4 certainly brings sophistication, and though it can venture off road a bit, it’s not a jumbled, mixed-up mess. The RAV’s classification-straddling lets it serve the whims of a broad array of potential buyers.
Wanting to cover all the bases, the RAV4 can be had in a variety of configurations, from a basic front-driver with four-cylinder power up to a leather-lined, four-wheel-drive Limited with a silly-powerful V6. A Sport version seeds right in between the base and Limited, carrying a satisfying level of equipment. There’s an allure to the big horsepower delivered by the six – especially when it costs as little on EPA ratings as the RAV’s 3.5-liter – but these days, “adequate” is riding a wave of newfound popularity as Americans struggle to pinch more pennies. In keeping with that spirit, when it came time to test a RAV4, we decided to try life with a four-cylinder 4WD Sport.

All grown up in its third generation, the RAV4 has swelled significantly since the model launched back in the 1990s. The Highlander’s newfound gigantism left room for the RAV to expand beyond its Corolla roots. The CUV’s styling has shed its old stubbiness and is now far from the weird of the original. There’s a strong face, a slight hint of gaping maw suggested by the trapezoidal grille, but the overall design is generally restrained and safe. Nowhere do you find a hint of cladding or overly fussy detailing, making this not-so-small small CUV a cleanly-styled contender.The Sport trim level gets body colored fender flare appliques, as well as painted door handles, fog lamps, and sharp looking 18-inch alloy wheels. Sport badges taped to the doors are backed up by sharpened suspension reflexes; check out those blue painted struts. The Sport manages to differentiate itself from a base RAV4 the same way a Z06 looks more special than the standard Chevrolet Corvette. No version looks bad, but there’s a little extra zoot to the step-up model, differences that are most noticeable when parked side by side. Unlike the Corvette, though, absolutely nobody is going to gawk at your RAV4, not even with that tumor of a spare tire on the back door.
The Sport has its own interior scheme called Dark Charcoal, which teams with the deeply tinted rear glass to lend a dour atmosphere to the interior. Lighter interior colors, like in other versions of the RAV, feel friendlier. New ground is not broken with the RAV4 inside or out, but Toyota has taken a file and rasped off any rough edges, so the execution is all but flawless. Even without the niceties of leather and oodles of tech, the RAV4′s cabin sets the standard for its class. Others come close to Toyota’s combination of good materials and attentive ergonomics, but the RAV4 manages to be a smidge better. Surfaces that look luxuriant are surprisingly hard to the touch, just like everyone else, and there are other spots where the plastics can easily collect scuffs. Tolerances are tighter than you’ll find elsewhere, though, and the easy nature of all the controls gives the RAV4 an edge.
HVAC controls are three foolproof knobs. No fiddly rockers or digital displays here, just elegant, functional simplicity. There’s no hunting around for anything in the RAV, with the exception of the miniscule fuel door release on the floor. The seats are the same story. Nothing exceptional, maybe not even the best, but when taken together with the rest of the vehicle, the whole still adds up to a sum that wins the day. Ferrying people? The second row slides and adjusts for rake, too. There’s plenty of legroom for those passengers who didn’t draw a long enough straw to sit up front. Child seat fitment, however, can be a little tricky if you’re using the LATCH system. The top tether secures to a loop way down low on the seatback, a location that’s very difficult to reach as it’s blocked by the cargo organizer directly behind the seat.
If the RAV will be dragging your amazing collection of JEM paraphernalia from the 1980s, your entire stock should fit behind the rear seats. With the spare tire on the back door, lots of space is freed up. Remove the normal cargo area floor panel and you’ll also find a deep well. There’s even a cargo organizer at the base of the second row seatbacks. If more space is needed, folding the seats is accomplished by pulling a lever on either side of the cargo area. For really big merchandisers, the V6 RAVs can be ordered with a trailer-prep package.
The rear door, hinged at one side, is less practical and studied than we’ve come to expect from a star student like Toyota. Tight parking situations can sometimes make swinging the door a challenge, and the weight of an 18-inch wheel and tire bolted to the other side doesn’t help matters. Surely, a full size spare is welcome when you blow a tire, but if you’re parked on a hill, it can be beastly to yank open the cargo hold, and if gravity gives an assist, you could inadvertently be whisked into next week. Besides, externally mounted spares don’t always allow the bumper to do the…well, bumping, so a routine slow-speed back-up oopsie can end up costing many thousands in sheetmetal and broken glass. We think the RAV4 would be better with a top-hinged hatch, but at least Toyota paid attention to the fact that people will actually want to load things into the vehicle. There’s a deep cut into the rear bumper that makes liftover height reasonable, and the door has a welcome “hold-open” feature.
2009 marks the arrival of Toyota’s 2AR four-cylinder in the RAV4′s engine room. The AR series engine is used in the Camry, Highlander and Venza, though the larger 2.7-liter 1AZ is in the larger vehicles, leaving the 2.5-liter 2AR for the RAV and Camry. The new engine features an aluminum block with cast-in iron liners, dual balance shafts, variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts, and employs a low friction design. Other techniques like tumble control valves and newly designed fuel injectors are also employed to ensure clean, efficient running. The result of the impressive spec sheet is a 2.5-liter engine that delivers 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque while returning miles-per-gallon in the mid-20s. Even with a four-speed automatic transmission crying out for updating, the powertrain returned 25 mpg in our driving. Unfortunately for Toyota, that’s not nearly efficient enough to beat newcomers like the redesigned 2010 Chevy Equinox, which is expected to achieve 32 mpg on the highway compared to this Toyota’s best effort of 28 mpg.
The RAV4′s transmission is a demerit, making performance feel soft when merging or passing. Once the tachometer needle swings past 4,000 rpm, the pleasantly powerful engine puts its shoulder into it and moves things along smartly. The four-cylinder RAV is not down on gumption, but it would be more pleasing and lively with either a modern automatic with more ratios, or a manual.
The sport-tuned suspension of our Sport model was well behaved, but it felt slightly stiff-kneed, something that non-enthusiasts might find objectionable. Tightly snubbed body control is good, but there’s more bobbing and head toss than we’d have liked. That said, if we had to pick, we’d take stiff over floaty. The electrically-assisted power steering surprisingly manages to avoid being shot up with Novocain, too. Thus, cruising down the road is relaxed in the RAV4 Sport. Overall, there’s a Lexus-like sheen about its demeanor, and the attention to detail and care that’s been taken with its design let it get away with some demerits. The RAV4  goes down the road in a calm, relaxed and muted fashion, and opting out of the V6 doesn’t put you in an underpowered penalty box. Pricing in the mid-$20,000 range is competitive, and when compared with other small SUVs on the market, the RAV feels like a bargain that offers a level of sophistication that’s head and shoulders above most.

Auto Review: 2009 Land Rover LR2 HSE is naughty by nature

Land Rovers have always gone their own way – often literally. While off-roading demands a low center of gravity and muddy trails would seem to warrant hose-out interiors and body-on-frame-construction, the British automaker has long contented itself building tippy-looking unibody boxes with tall greenhouses and opulent cabins – the anti-Humvee, as it were. Further, in recent iterations, they’ve packed their products with immense electronic systems, air suspensions, dial-a-topography Terrain Response controller, and so on… the very sort of complexity that ought to be enough to send English sports car enthusiasts running back to their therapists’ offices.
And yet, the formula has always worked – vehicles like the Range Rover and Discovery (now LR3) have somehow managed to earn both Kalahari-traversing credentials and valet stand privileges. Other companies have attempted the leather-lined off-roader thing before (Lamborghini, Lexus, Hummer, Porsche, and LaForza come to mind), but while some have added the trappings of luxury to their SUVs, exactly no one has been as successful in marrying their vehicles to the notion of aristocracy – the sort of “Lord and Master of All That I Survey” quality that has remained Solihull’s historic preserve. In short, Land Rovers have always been a gloriously and uniquely British contradiction on wheels – a fact that goes some way toward explaining why your author remains more than a little conflicted when it comes to this LR2.

A Contrarian SpiritAdmittedly, with more and more buyers flocking to the softroader pool, it made a good degree of sense for Land Rover to take a second crack at the market – even after the lackluster Freelander failed to find Stateside homes. Still, despite the solid concept of bringing a dose of the company’s values, styling and heritage to bear on the segment, there’s no getting around that the genre’s developing conventions are at odds with traditional Land Rover tenets – most of which the LR2 doggedly seeks to uphold. Allow us to explain.
These days, more and more such vehicles are coming to market with a lower ride height, minimal off-road ability, and wider, more voluptuous bodies that have the occupants sit lower in the chassis to subconsciously reinforce feelings of security and safety. Perhaps predictably, the LR2 hasn’t even waited for the crossover handbook’s ink to dry before throwing it out the window and into the mud.
On the styling front, our tester deployed a raft of premium touches – complex-element bi-Xenon adaptive headlamps (part of the $1,050 Lighting Package), clamshell hood, side vents, massive 19-inch alloys (in a new pattern for 2009), and in the case of our tester, impressively lustrous Rimini Red paint. Ultimately, however, the LR2′s rectilinear stance and slab sides strike at least some of us as gussied-up paint-by-numbers SUV bodyshell – not a unique form. This author would argue that the LR2 looks smallish and a bit like a lux variant of a more prosaic vehicle (say, Ford Escape?), and its jutting Leno-like mandible of a front bumper does it no favors. Somehow, the LR2 ultimately fails to cash-in on the Sub-Zero minimalist aesthetic advanced by the Green Oval’s other models. However, it does offer more traditionally rugged, upright SUV looks than its increasingly wagon-like foes – and that strikes us as a valuable (if niche) position worth saving.
Despite its somewhat gangly appearance, the LR2 is actually wider than its chief competitors (think: BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and Volvo XC60), yet it is also taller, has the shortest overall length and employs a markedly shorter wheelbase – all of which conspire to give it a comparatively tippy-toes look. This sensation is reinforced inside by the vehicle’s dining room chair seating and low beltline. That “on, not in” feeling is pure Land Rover, though, and it’s done for a reason – the formal driving position allows for a markedly better view of the vehicle’s corners and immediate surroundings than any of its competitors – an important factor when tiptoeing around boulders and threading down narrow two-tracks. Sadly, unlike many Range Rover and Discovery owners we know, we have trouble envisioning the average LR2 driver subjecting their vehicle to much more than the occasional curb hop or gravel road, so this strategy may be of limited merit, – even if it is necessary to stay on [brand] message.
Bright, But Boring
With the exception of the annoyingly contrived starting process (insert oversized fob into hidden slot below gauge binnacle, push in until it clicks, then reach up to push the separate engine start/stop button), just about everything in the interior is on the up-and-up ergonomically, with large buttons, simple layouts, and good switchgear feel. Better yet, the low, elbow-on-the-sills beltline and matching décolleté instrument panel combine with the standard twin-element sunroof to flood the interior with sunlight, lending it an open and airy sensation. Despite the abbreviated overall length and the titchy wheelbase, there’s plenty of room inside, again, thanks to the upright seating. And yet… the LR2′s interior has a bit too much starch in its collar for our tastes.
The dashboard itself is a style-free zone, some plastics are substandard, and worse still, the center stack is badly dated, with a too-small yestertech navigation touchscreen (part of the $3,500 Technology Package) set distractingly low in the dash, to say nothing of the separate 320-watt Alpine audio controls that lurk even further down (and whose old-fashioned display is prone to washing out in the aforementioned floods of sunlight). Still, points must be awarded for the beautiful and aromatic almond leather/nutmeg carpet combination (also new for 2009), easy-to-read instruments, and heated windscreen (part of the $700 Cold Climate Package). And although we chide Land Rover for its aging in-dash technologies, we’re quite pleased that they have yet to adopt an overly complex all-in-one GUI controller like their rivals at Audi, BMW and Benz.
Road Scholar? Well…
Despite casting the smallest shadow among its peers, the unibody LR2 is actually the heftiest customer of the compact premium class, toting around some 4,250 pounds (competitors generally ring up in the 4,000-4,200 pound range), a number that doesn’t bode well for the 3.2-liter inline-six, which only brings 230 horsepower (@ 6,300 rpm) to the party. That’s substantially fewer ponies than the LR2′s aforementioned adversaries, most of which corral upwards of 260 hp.
At least the Volvo-sourced 24-valver’s 234 pound-feet of torque (@ 3200 rpm) is in the hunt, albeit a bit higher up in the revband, though we wish the kickdowns from the Aisin-Warner six-speed transmissions happened a bit more smoothly and quickly. The latter’s sport mode helps somewhat, but blistering progress just isn’t on the menu – our rear-end accelerometers peg 60 mph as well north of 9 seconds (LR claims 8.4 seconds, but we’re not buying), while many of the LR2′s tarmac-oriented classmates will do the deed in under 7 clicks (and most will make more attractive noises while doing so). Because drivers will often find themselves dipping deep into the 3.2′s meager reserves, fuel economy fails to excite as well, with EPA figures of 15 mpg city and 22 highway (17 mpg combined), though we could only muster 15.2 per gallon of premium fuel in mostly highway driving.
Speaking of highway driving, you can expect lots of minor course-corrections on the superslab, especially when it’s windy. The quick steering rack (2.6-turns lock-to-lock) feels at odds with the rest of the LR2′s abilities, so as a consequence, it feels a bit wayward and unsettled – a sensation that’s magnified by the tallish seating position. There’s a good amount of pitch and yaw from the long-travel suspension as well, although confidence-inspiring, linear braking performance help assuage any dynamic fears.
The Dirty Iconoclast’s Payoff
But hang on – things can’t be all bad, can they? Hardly. While we didn’t take our HSE off-roading during its week with us in Michigan, we must confess to having prior knowledge of the LR2′s extensive off-road capabilities, having tested the model’s pluck at Biltmore Estate’s Land Rover Experience last year in Asheville, North Carolina. After traversing a muddy and slick forest and field course that included log bridges, side tilts, and teeth-gnashing, root strewn descents in the LR3 and big daddy Range Rover, we went back and did much of the course over again in the LR2, finding that it was more than up to the task.
In fact, things were much more exciting while off-roading in the baby Brit, largely because one didn’t feel as invincible. Lacking a proper low-range, momentum conservation became of paramount concern, making judicious two-footed juggling of the brake and throttle pedals increasingly important. With 8.3 inches of ground clearance (markedly less than the other air-suspended LRs, yet greater than any of its competitors), we had to pay close attention, but the LR2′s nippy best-in-class turning circle helped us negotiate narrow trails and tight tree stands that would hang-up larger vehicles, and the vehicle’s unusually erect driving position and excellent sightlines paid big dividends here, as did the long-travel suspension, which helped minimize head-toss and general skittishness that firmer road-oriented setups generally bring. Even the tight wheelbase helps with breakover angle.
With its Terrain Response Control (Driver-selectable modes: General/Snow/Sand/Mud & Ruts) and Hill Descent Control keeping an eye on everything from the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes (12.5-inch units in front, 12.0-inch out back) to our throttle position and the Haldex all-wheel drive system’s machinations, our LR2 scrambled up, over, and down obstacles that would’ve left its contemporaries quite literally gutted. Along the way, we heard lots of skid-plate scraping and some distressingly loud noises emanating from the HDC, but the LR2 prevailed unscathed in enough tough situations that its rivals look terrified of drizzle by comparison. If you live in a particularly hostile climate, this performance alone may be all the justification you need to pay a visit your local Land Rover Center.
A Question of Value(s)
To be fair, the LR2 isn’t exactly a new vehicle. While it has only been on the U.S. market since 2007, it went on sale earlier in Europe, and the GLK, Q5, are all more recent efforts, not to mention larger, more overtly road-focused outliers like the Lexus RX350 and Infiniti EX35. Critically, at a base price of $36,100 ($35,375 MSRP + $775 in destination charges), the LR2 undercuts many of its rivals, particularly when one visits the frankly extortionate option lists on some of its German rivals. Our full-house tester was $41,400 all-in, and a comparable X3 would run upwards of $48,000, although the Bimmer’s superior maintenance program and resale value blunt the value disparity.
For its part, Land Rover has just unveiled its massively updated 2010 Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and LR3 lines, all models that have, to one extent or another, historically shared some of the LR2′s deficiencies (elderly interiors, underwhelming power). While we have yet to drive these new models, what we have seen suggests that Land Rover is serious about rectifying the bald spots in their product line. We hope that the LR2 is afforded the same treatment – and soon.
But enough with the conditionalizing. In the end, the LR2 is a willfully different product, and it is likely to stay that way, if only because it must. In order to stay true to Land Rover’s core values and brand essence, the LR2 had to prioritize off-road ability, segment expectations be damned. Call our tester a tenuous balancing act, call it inherently conflicted, call it a singularly unique constellation of skills, call it what you will – the ramifications of this vehicle’s design brief, both positive and negative, are felt in virtually every aspect of its being. Whether Land Rover’s engineers have made the right decisions in shaping the LR2 is a question of the buyer’s priorities. But one thing is for sure: If we ever had any doubts that the LR2 is a proper Range Rover, well, those days are gone.

Officially Official: BMW drops the details on its 2010 5 Series Gran Turismo

Despite the departure of controversial lead designer Chris Bangle, BMW is showing no signs of returning to the “One sausage, three-sizes” styling brief that it once adhered to. The latest proof of this is the announcement of the production 5 Series Gran Turismo, which, as expected, looks little changed from the concept that set tongues wagging in Geneva, save for a few details like smaller wheels, more conventional interior fabrics and real-world-sized side mirrors.
The genre-blurring BMW 5 Series GT is, in the words of BMW, meant to combine “the characteristic features of a prestige saloon, a modern, highly versatile Sports Activity Vehicle, and a classic Gran Turismo” – outwardly, at least, we’d say that they’ve succeeded in meeting that goal, although the final judgment on whether this amalgam of characteristics is a even a direction worth pursuing will ultimately be made by consumers.
In the meantime, we can focus not only on the five-door hatchback’s design, but also its internals, as BMW has released specifications and pricing for its European market models.

In the main, BMW has disclosed that Europe’s gasoline model range will be composed of the 306 horsepower, 3.0-liter 535i Gran Turismo (a derivative of the fabulous dual-turbo inline-six seen in the engine bays of the 1, 3, and 5 Series) and the 550i Gran Turismo, which relies on a stonking dual-turbo 4.4-liter V8 good for 407 horsepower, an engine that promises to be just the thing when you’re running late for your squash court appointment. Finally, there’s the 530d Gran Turismo, which offers a 3.0-liter, 245 horsepower I6 diesel powerplant and a tidy C02 rating of 173 grams per kilometer. Regardless of which engine the buyer chooses, the sole gearbox offering will be the eight-speed automatic gearbox borrowed from the 760i luxury sedan. The cog-happy unit should not only help with overall fuel economy, but it makes any model in the range a sprightly performer, with BMW quoting 0-62 mph times of 6.3 seconds for the 535i GT, 5.5 seconds for the 550i GT, and a thoroughly respectable 6.9 seconds for the 530d GT (which also achieves 43.5 miles per imperial gallon, or around 36 mpg US).
It isn’t yet clear what models will come to the States, but we’re hearing that the 550i will be the first to make the journey, and it is likely to arrive carrying a price tag of around $70,000, which would represent around a $10,000 premium over the less-powerful 550i sedan. Check out the official video and complete press release after the jump, as well as the massive high-res gallery below. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Source: BMW]

New York Auto Show 2009: Acura ZDX aimed squarely at BMW X6

After a few weeks of teasing, Acura has finally revealed the ZDX, its new four-door, luxury crossover “coupe” that is clearly aimed at the similarly proportioned BMW X6. The ZDX wears the now familiar shield grille and sharp styling that has spread across the entire Acura lineup. To further emphasize the crossover’s coupiness, Acura designers have hid the rear door handles in the base of the C-pillar. The ZDX rides tall on 20-inch, 9-spoke wheels and also glints under the lights thanks to a number of chrome trim pieces including a pair of shiny dual exhausts out back. Inside you’ll find typical Acura luxury with high quality materials arranged in a high-tech package that includes a new multi-view rear camera system with both a wide angle and top down view. The production ZDX will be V6-powered and kept in line by Acura’s superb Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system.
Feel free to poke around the ZDX in our high-res gallery below. It’s the best expression yet of Acura’s new design language, which has taken some getting used to on its current lineup of sedans. This segment-busting crossover should arrive in dealerships by the fall of 2009, according to Acura.

EW YORK, April 8, 2009 – A prototype of the provocative Acura ZDX luxury four-door sports coupe made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show today. The production version of the dramatically styled prototype goes on-sale in the fall of 2009. The segment bending ZDX features stunning coupe-like styling with the added benefit of a commanding presence and flexibility utility.
“The ZDX is truly a luxury performance coupe – plus,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales. “The emotional coupe styling coupled with a luxurious and dramatic interior and surprising versatility, allows the ZDX to define its own segment and attract an entirely new customer.”
The ZDX is designed to break new ground for Acura in the areas of provocative styling, contemporary luxury and meticulous refinement. With its sensuous curves, sharply raked roofline and bold fender flares, the ZDX blurs the distinction between coupe, sedan and sport utility vehicle. Clean, flowing lines start from the headlights and run the length of the car, accentuating the cars presence and grace. In keeping with the coupe-inspired styling, the rear door handles are cleverly concealed in the C-pillar. The all-glass tailgate opens wide to reveal a highly functional cargo space with integrated under-floor storage. The prototype is finished off with stylish dual chrome exhaust outlets and 9-spoke machined wheels fitted with 20-inch Michelin tires.
“From the very first sketch of the ZDX, I wanted to create an emotional vehicle that challenged conventional thinking of what a sports coupe should be,” said Michelle Christensen, ZDX exterior designer. “My goal was to create a strikingly beautiful exterior, and use that attraction to help draw you into the rich interior.”