Has Toyota made the next Camry sexy?

Detroit - Toyota has released the first teaser pic of its next-generation Camry ahead of the sedan's world debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January, and the image hints at a more rakish, sportier look, something the Camry has lacked for years.

But is the Camry still relevant? It might be North America's top-selling sedan, but buyers are moving away from cars toward SUVs and pick-ups.

Toyota gave few details about the eighth-generation Camry, which was last redesigned for the 2013 model year, but it's likely to be a full redesign.

Sales of traditional cars have been slumping in the US as consumers take advantage of cheap petrol by buying SUVs and pick-ups - which make up about 60 percent of the country's sales.

Toyota is hoping the new version will boost Camry sales, which are down 9.4 percent through November. While it admits that the car may soon be outsold by Toyota's Rav4 compact SUV, Toyota expects the Camry to remain the top-selling sedan for the foreseeable future. The Camry, incidentally, has not been sold in South Africa for more than a decade.

"It's possible that Camry would be the No.1 sedan, but the No.1 Toyota could be a RAV4," said Bob Carter, Toyota's senior vice president of automotive operations.

A redesigned Camry should boost sales in a declining segment, but it might not help the Camry that much since competitors already are sleek and sporty, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for the LMC Automotive consulting firm.

"They are very late to the game from a styling and performance perspective," Schuster said. "Unless there's some new technology that leapfrogs them over cars today, it's going to be really challenging to get much of a lift out of the new vehicle.

2017 Lamborghini Huracan Spyder Now In Rear-Drive Form

Nobody can fault Lamborghini for not maximizing its tiny product line. As soon as a new wrinkle is introduced, it filters down to the entire lineup as surely as night follows day in a carefully spaced cadence intended to keep people’s attention on the house of the bull. Thus, as a prelude to this year’s Los Angeles auto show, Lamborghini has unveiled a rear-drive Huracán Spyder, which joins the drift-o-matic rear-drive coupe introduced late last year and the four-wheel-drive Spyder that came earlier this year.

The LP580-2 Spyder runs a slightly detuned 571-hp 5.2-liter V-10, as does the coupe, directing its 398 pound-feet of peak (and peaky, reached at 6500 rpm) torque exclusively to the two fat meats in back. Some mild cosmetic changes in front are said to increase downforce to compensate for the loss of about 75 pounds in front-axle driveline hardware, and the price should drop a bit, as it does with the rear-drive coupe. Although the price of the new Huracán model has not been announced yet, the LP580-2 coupe lost more than $37,000 from the LP610-4’s base price.

The normally aspirated, dry-sump V-10 uses cylinder deactivation, cutting ignition to one five-cylinder bank when Superman strength isn’t needed from the engine. Running launch control on the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox can deliver 60 mph in about 3.6 seconds, says Lamborghini, which would be more than a full second slower than our own test of the four-wheel-drive LP610-4. Surely traction plays a role, but we’re also guessing that Lamborghini’s figure is conservative and the Spyder, on 19-inch Kari wheels shod with Pirelli P Zero tires, should be a few tenths quicker than that estimate. Certainly the 198-mph advertised top speed is quick enough to clean off any loose follicles from your head, should you first engage the roof in its 17-second folding ballet, which is possible at speeds up to 31 mph.

Lamborghini said the suspension, steering, and electronic stability controls have been retuned for rear-wheel drive and that the weight balance shifts to 40 percent front, 60 percent rear. That should help make the rear-drive Spyder an active rotator indeed. As in the coupe, the Adaptive Network Intelligent Management (ANIMA) mode selector offers a choice of Strada, Sport, and Corsa modes, each one ratcheting down the stability-control interference and ratcheting up the throttle and the shift aggression. Now that there are coupe and roadster models, each offered in both front- and four-wheel-drive forms, we can start the countdown to special-edition Huracáns, probably starting with a lightened variant for 2018.

2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA250

Overview: Other than a Metris van, the CLA250 is the most affordable way to rock a new Mercedes-Benz. Introduced for the 2014 model year, it’s based on a front-wheel-drive platform shared with the GLA crossover and the Europe-market A-class hatchback. The CLA’s shape mimics that of the larger, twice-as-expensive CLS—both are sedans in the “four-door coupe” mold that Mercedes started with the original CLS. Although there’s a wicked AMG CLA45 variant with 375 horsepower, the standard CLA250 uses a modest, 208-hp version of its 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with either front- or 4MATIC all-wheel drive as in our test car.

Potential customers seem to dig it. With a starting price of only $33,325, the CLA puts a sleek body behind a seven-inch-wide star prominently affixed to a chrome-studded grille. In a way, the CLA approximates a gold chain more than it does a compact car.

We haven’t tested a CLA since its first model year in 2014, and neither of those previous cars was as lavishly optioned as this example. At $50,250, our 2017 CLA250 4MATIC checked so many boxes that it nearly matched the CLA45’s base figure. A well-equipped C300 4MATIC would be more compelling at this price, and a base E300 is only a couple grand more. But model overlap is common. Choice reigns at Mercedes-Benz, and the CLA is the starting point.

What’s New: Minor changes abound for the 2017 model year. At the front, the bumper adds a contrasting strip in black, silver, or chrome. LED headlamps, as on our car, are optional ($850) and include revised LED taillamps. Trapezoidal exhaust tips now fit flush to the rear bumper. The wheel designs and the Lunar Blue Metallic paint on our car also are new. Inside, Mercedes added more silver-painted switchgear and swapped in a new steering wheel, revised instrument-cluster gauges, and changed the seat upholstery. A slim 8.0-inch infotainment screen is standard, replacing the smaller, thick-bordered display on earlier cars. The ambient lighting can switch among a dozen colors (and just for fun, the lighting cycles through every hue when the car is turned off).

The only significant hardware changes are standard automated emergency braking and Dynamic Select drive modes. The latter alters steering effort, throttle mapping, transmission shift logic, and—in models with adjustable suspension ($850), as in our test car—it will switch the dampers between two firmness levels

What We Like: Who doesn’t like feeling hot? While some C/D staffers think the CLA can’t adequately hide its frumpy, front-drive origins, most of us agree it’s a pretty young thing from any angle. Frameless door glass and that curvaceous profile aren’t seen on other entry-level cars. There’s hardly a straight-edged line to be found, yet nothing is overwrought. It’s an elegant, expressive style befitting of a Mercedes. Our test car’s brown leather and contrast stitching ($1650) made the CLA’s interior more inviting than the usual all-black environs. Software updates have made the COMAND interface easier to use and include the latest tech, including in-car Wi-Fi connectivity and (optional) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Acceleration is adequate and the 2.0-liter’s 258 lb-ft of peak torque is enough to zip this 3400-pound car along with ease. Tapping the paddles elicits quicker downshifts from the dual-clutch gearbox than the lazier automatics in other Mercedes products. The steering weighting has improved from the overly heavy efforts on earlier CLA models—it’s comfortably light without being overly sensitive to small inputs, and the car tracks true on the highway. Handling is impressive with minimal body roll; braking performance, from the firm pedal to the short stopping distance, is another strong point.

What We Don’t Like: With its rakish low roofline, this car might as well have only two doors; dogs and children are the only ones comfortable in back. But space is the least of the CLA’s shortcomings. Almost everything beneath the handsome exterior—from the groaning engine to the flimsy prop bar under the hood—betrays the CLA’s low budget. The sport suspension and Pirelli all-season run-flat tires do the CLA no favors on pockmarked roads, where it crashes over bumps while vibrations fill the cabin. On smooth pavement, our thoughts turn to the pervasive road and wind noise. The transmission’s rougher shifts—in particular an audible clunk going into first gear at every stop—had us pining for Mercedes-Benz’s conventional automatics, whose gearchanges seem greased with butter. We squirmed in those high-back seats trying to find a relaxing neck position, only to be prodded by the top portion’s aggressive forward tilt. While the controls retain the usual Mercedes tactile quality, they’re set within thinly padded armrests and surrounded by hard plastics. Even with a lighter option load than was on our example, the CLA still plays too close to newer, more luxurious, and better-built Benzes.

Verdict: High fashion in a relatively sedate segment, but the CLA is not the Benz we’d flash.

2017 AUDI S3 FIRST DRIVE

Audi’s S3 is a gateway drug to performance cars, with its own surprising high

If you can live without the space, and crave sports car-rivaling performance in a four-door format, there simply isn’t a better option than the S3

American automotive enthusiasts (whose company I keep) go to the well pretty often with our new vehicle complaints. If we aren’t bemoaning the absence of a manual transmission option, we’re crying aloud for a wagon or hatchback variant. Meanwhile, Europe and its proliferation of models with both specifications, mocks us from afar.

Forums, social networks, and even the occasional letter teem with bitter language towards the automakers that dare deprive the U.S. of its most engaging or practical cars. Then, finally, a gift from heaven: one brand yields, ignoring years of admonishing sales data, to give us what we demand. Through tears of joy, we praise our hero manufacturer and jibe its holdout competitors.

It’s another victory for democracy, right? Wrong. Months later, the “enthusiast special” is collecting dust on dealer lots and the individual(s) responsible for its development are being chastised. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Audi, however, is a bit too smart to fall for our sob story. Its newly refreshed S3 (and upcoming RS3) will only be available in sedan body styles with dual-clutch transmissions. Enthusiasts, then, are left with a choice: we can default to childish rhetoric, or reorient to the latest form of premium performance.

What’s new?

Headlining the roster of changes made for the 2017 model year S3 is its revised Haldex all-wheel drive system.

Audi has consolidated oversight for the electronic multi-plate clutch, stability control, traction control, and ABS within one hub. This shores up response time to driver inputs considerably and aids the negotiation of torque between the front and rear differentials (which can now each take 100 percent of available grunt). Handling is further improved by tweaks to the S3’s suspension and electric steering system.

Related: 2017 Audi A4 Quattro review

Spotting visual distinctions between the 2016 and 2017 S3 is a task for the detail-oriented. The updated front fascia includes a platinum single frame grille, standard “undercut” LED headlights, and a restyled bumper. Fresh 18- and 19-inch wheel designs are available on 235-section performance rubber. At the rear, new dynamic LED taillights, a re-sculpted bumper, and tweaked diffuser sharpen the exterior

Inside, the latest S3 incorporates some grade-A4 hand-me-downs. Audi’s class-leading Virtual Cockpit is finally on offer as part of a Technology Package. The vivid 12.3-inch display (twice the brightness of a smartphone screen) jazzes up an otherwise conservative cabin and makes the center-mounted infotainment look outdated. Exclusive to the S3, a sport mode configurator puts the digital tachometer front and center, with a boost meter and lap timer sharing display real estate. Audi’s latest MMI Touch interface includes a track pad that can interpret finger-drawn letters and adopts both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces. Audiophiles can also pump tunes through a Bang & Olufsen 14-speaker, 705-watt sound system.

Audi’s trickle-down approach fortifies the 2017 S3 with the brand’s best gadgetry and contemporary visuals, but the most dynamic improvements are experienced at speed.

Premium muscle

Unlike the euro-spec car, Audi’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder carries over unchanged for 2017, meaning 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque makes its way to all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission. Sure, Audi could have granted a bit more grunt, but with a quoted 0 to 60 mph run of 4.7 seconds (and an even faster real-world sprint), the S3 has ample motivation.

The ambling roads surrounding Durham, North Carolina couldn’t hope to uncover the S3’s performance limits, but they did afford a practical demonstration of Audi’s AWD modifications. Grip is a given in any modern Audi product, but the latest S3 hugs the road beyond reasonable driver fault. A fool could climb into the drivers seat, mash the throttle mid-corner, and keep all four tires on tarmac through to the exit. “Sure,” you’re thinking, “any traction control system can cut power when things get dicey.” True, but Audi’s torque-vectoring control is so good that traction control hardly ever steps in at all. Further, the automaker now says its Dynamic drive mode will hold the computers at bay to allow oversteer. I’ll save that use-case for a track.

Manufacturers tend to overcompensate for the lack of feel inherent to an electronic steering system with an over-boosted, sensitive rack. As a result, the car feels nervous when cruising or maneuvering anywhere besides tight switchbacks. The S3, by contrast, uses a balanced system that relies on precision rather than artificial weight or cat-like frenzy. Though the S3 is based on the same platform as Volkswagen’s Golf R, it feels more stable and sophisticated. It’s also about 200 pounds heavier, weighed down by convenience features.

Related: 2016 Audi TTS review

Until the RS3 arrives in the summer of 2017, the S3 champions Audi’s more affordable performance lineup. Only those savvy to the brand’s understating tendencies will recognize the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

New luxury

Luxury is changing. A set of plush seats and pillow-soft ride isn’t enough to groom lifelong customers. By the same token, minimalist cabins won’t deter high-end shoppers – provided the right touches of styling.

The 2017 S3 embodies the graduation of consumer appetites perfectly. As Audi’s gateway drug, it uses just enough premium materials and rides with an agreeable level of comfort to make mainstream buyers feel like they’ve moved definitively into the premium segment. A uniquely handsome exterior, artistic cabin design, and the aforementioned host of technology options complete the luxury picture.

Consumers can certainly take their $42,900 elsewhere to find a larger, more comfortable vehicle, but they won’t find performance, design, and refinement to parallel Audi’s spicier A3.

Our take

With a carefully selected list of updates, Audi has given new life to its stellar S3. American enthusiasts won’t stop hollering for a hatchback, or a standard transmission, but the absence of features doesn’t handicap the S3’s success.

The premium four-door is astonishingly quick, agile, and composed, benefitting from a more intuitive drivetrain and refined steering calibration. Its sharp exterior and segment-leading convenience features grant first-time luxury buyers the same pleasures as can be found in far more expensive models. Audi is effectively spreading its design and driving dynamic excellence to every corner of its lineup.

Highs

• Brilliant all-wheel drive system
• Natural, progressive steering
• Handsome, understated design
• Fierce acceleration
• 
  

Lows

• Quick-swelling price tag

BMW recalls 5 Series, 6 Series, X5, and X6 models for fuel leaks

The Basics: BMW is recalling 136,188 vehicles in the United States and another 18,284 in Canada due to improperly crimped wiring for the fuel pump in the gas tank. All the information can be seen here from NHTSA, but here's a breakdown of the affected models:

• 2007-2011 X5
• 2008-2011 X6
• 2010-2011 X6 ACTIVEHYBRID
• 2010-2011 5-Series Gran Turismo
• 2011-2012 528I
• 2011-2012 535I
• 2011-2012 550I
• 2012 640I
• 2012 650I

The Problem: A fuel leak can develop if the insufficiently crimped wires get too hot and melt. Owners may smell gasoline inside the cabin, and will see a check engine light in the dash. Initial reports of the defect came in June of 2011.

Injuries/Deaths: None have been reported.

The Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, a process that will take several hours to complete.

If you own one: Expect a letter in the mail, and an appointment at your local BMW dealership sometime after December 5.

5 Things to Know About Thailand’s New Playboy King (Including His Late Poodle Foo Foo!)

With the death of Thailand’s King Bhumibol on Thursday — ending a remarkable 70-year-long reign and making Queen Elizabeth the world’s longest-reigning monarch — the line of succession continues through his only son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.

Unusually, the heir to Thailand’s throne, 64, won’t assume his royal duties immediately.

That’s because he has requested some time before his coronation to mourn with the Thai people for his much-loved father.

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But what do we actually know about Asia’s most powerful new royal? Here are five things that may surprise you.

He’s outrageously rich — even by royal standards.

The Thai royal family is one of the richest in the world. Never mind the private jets or the international property portfolio he owns in his own right, Prince Vajiralongkorn is the ultimate heir apparent — his late father King Bhumibol was worth $30 billion.

He has seven kids and a poodle named Foo Foo.

What can you say about a prince with seven children who’s been married at least three times? Whose third wife was pictured on YouTube dancing topless at his dog’s birthday party? And who, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable, made that dog (his poodle Foo Foo) Air Chief Marshal of the nation’s airforce?

Nothing.

At least not in Thailand. The nation’s ruling military junta enforces fiercelèse majesty laws, which mean that anyone who publicly disrespects a member of the royal family (including their dogs) can expect harsh punishment. Even imprisonment.

He’s the only royal to have seen combat — in his own country.

Sure, other royals have followed tradition and served in their nation’s armed forces, including Prince Harry.

But no other royal has actually been in combat inside his own country.

Like Prince William, Prince Vajiralongkorn is a qualified helicopter pilot. During the 1970s, he saw action during the counter-insurgency campaign against the Communist Party of Thailand in north and northeast Thailand.

He also flew missions, for protective purposes, in areas around Cambodian refugee camps near Khao Lant, in southeast Thailand.

When it comes to the Thai military, Prince Vajiralongkorn has rank. Not only is he a general in the Royal Thai Army, he’s an admiral in the Royal Thai Navy and (following the 2015 death of Foo Foo, followed by four days of mourning) he’s now Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force too.

He has a seriously long name.

In Thai it reads like this: วชิราลงกรณ บรมจักรยาดิศรสันตติวงศ เทเวศรธำรงสุบริบาล อภิคุณูประการมหิตลาดุลเดช ภูมิพลนเรศวรางกูร กิตติสิริสมบูรณ์สวางควัฒน์ บรมขัตติยราชกุมาร

In English script it’s written: Vajiralongkorn Borommachakkrayadisonsantatiwong Thewetthamrongsuboriban Aphikhunuprakanmahittaladunladet Phumiphonnaretwarangkun Kittisirisombunsawangkhawat Borommakhattiyaratchakuman.

Or literally: “Down drug discovery machine equipment arrow family succession monarch retain Tzu Care Goku’s Mahidol meta atomic power balance HRH Prince Kattii Loan tracks Siri perfect place in the Valley. ”

Maybe something’s lost in translation.

He’s the only royal seen sporting tattoos.

Although they may be temporary.

In 2016, he was photographed at Germany’s Munich Airport taking the salute of the flight crew on one of his private 737s — revealing tattoos covering his arms and torso.

How do we know this? As he took the salute, the then-future king was wearing a crop top.

This is the production-ready Toyota C-HR

Toyota knew it was a bit tardy with its small crossover. So it figured it had to make a splash. The C-HR is that splash.

“The designers drew an early sketch for a concept car, and we told them ‘stop there’. We didn’t tamper with it,” Toyota’s European boss Karl Schlicht told TopGear.com. So the production car pretty well follows the concept. And yes that means it has poor visibility from the back seats and a smallish boot. He’s OK with that. “If other things have to be compromised, design wins.”

The front end carries genes of the latest Toyota face, but the sides are something else. The lower metal rocks a double-directional scallop, and the window-line tapers steeply. Mind you if you think that area around the door handle is a bit of a mess, well us too. Around the hatchback it’s all about a peacock-tail unnecessary aero: spoilers, extractors, diffuser. 

Yup, there’s certainly a whole lotta design going on here.

Inside too. And you’re struck by a remarkable step ahead in interior and quality for Toyota. It’s clear they’ve been spending money. “Europe demands more than the rest of the world,” Schlicht says, and this car is made for our continent. Materials are soft and textures interesting. The diamond motif is all over the place: switches, even dimples in the headlining.

Connected apps and a top-end JBL stereo feature in the big-screen entertainment. Driver assistance, across the whole range, includes active city braking and active cruise control. 

Toyota is doing massive business in hybrids these days. So the dealers have ordered more than 70 percent of their first-stock C-HRs as hybrids. And by the way there’s more early interest from potential owners for the C-HR than any Toyota ever.

That hybrid is a 1.8-litre, making 120bhp, and emitting a saintly 82g/km CO2. No rival comes close in the carbons. There’s also a new 1.2 turbo of 114bhp, available with FWD or 4WD. The front-driver is manual, the AWD a CVT.

The engineers are making big promises for the chassis dynamics, helped by Toyota’s new global platform. We’ll be the judge of that, when we get a go in November.

Oh by the way before anyone says the Urban Cruiser was Toyota’s first small crossover, let’s for the sake of Toyota’s dignity quietly forget it. The distance between that and the C-HR really is a chasm.