On Motoring Monday we have the hot new 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe, the Ford F-150 Raptor is caught testing, and the new Chevrolet Camaro visualizer is now online with pricing. We’re also taking a look at the new class of high-dollar four-cylinder sport sedans.
2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe
Just last week we told you about the new 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe, finishing our report by saying the AMG version would follow up soon. And no sooner than it was said, it did.
Mercedes-AMG has unveiled the 2017 AMG C63 Coupe, the ultra high-performance version of the all-new C-Class Coupe which will come in two levels of power and performance.
Looking meaner with more muscular body panels and accoutrements, the new AMG C63 Coupe is some 2.5 inches wider than the C300, sporting larger wheel openings for its larger wheels, with a much more aggressive style front rear.
The cabin will be lined with of course more expensive trims than the standard coupe. Be looking for suede and genuine carbon fiber here in a much more business at hand theme for the track than a country club coffee clatch.
Under the hood is 469 horsepower in standard guise and 503 horsepower for the top-line C63 S. This all comes from AMG’s exclusive 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 and will be sent to the rear wheels through a new SPEEDSHIFT 7-speed automatic transmission.
With either automatic or manual shifting capability Mercedes-AMG says it will accelerate from 0-60 in as fast as 3.8 seconds for the C63 S and 3.9 seconds for the C63. Note that the term 4MATIC wasn’t mentioned here, they are forcing all-wheel drive with this AMG model.
Standard will be a fully adjustable AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension which along with transmission, steering, engine and traction control will be commanded by multiple drive modes.
The 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63’s will come to dealerships in the U.S. next summer. Pricing will be a lot, and they’ll tell us what that is when they’re damn good and ready.
2016 Chevrolet Camaro Visualizer
With the 2016 Chevy Camaro arriving soon, it’s up online now with a built it and price it configurator. And pricing is there too, with a substantial bump.
Now priced nearly $3,000 more than the 2015 Camaro and 2016 Ford Mustang, the new 2016 Chevy Camaro will start at $26,695 for the base trim 1LT, the SS also getting a similar price bump to $37,295.
You can now check out all the trims, colors, and combinations with the new online configurator at the Chevrolet website. And from what we can tell playing around, the 2016 Camaro is moving more upscale in standard equipment to go along with its new pricing.
Some of the notable new standard features are a backup camera, flat bottom leather steering wheel, push button start and power seats. Techies finally get standard display audio with Mylink with Apple CarPlay and OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Weighing some 200 pounds less than the current Chevy Camaro, the new 2016 will have three engines starting with a new 2.0 liter turbocharged four with 275 horsepower and a mid-range 3.6 liter V6 with 335 horsepower.
SS fans will get a newly tweaked 6.2 liter LT1 V8 with a Mustang topping 455 horsepower and an optional Magnetic Ride Control suspension. Something Ford only now offers on their top-level Shelby GT350.
The new Camaro is expected to offer up better handling than ever with its all-new chassis, but its interior will now offer the full boat of technologies and features the last generation didn’t – many of them now standard.
Now to be built Stateside at the Lansing Grand River assembly plant, coupes arrive late this year and drop tops arriving early next.
2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Testing
Ford Performance is teasing us this week with some video of the new 2017 F-150 Raptor undergoing final prove out testing, a truck we’re anxiously awaiting to hear more about.
Seen here, Ford’s engineers are trail testing a number of 2017 F-150 Raptor prototypes in the wooded hills, somewhere up in northern Michigan.
The Raptor has already built a legendary status among factory built off-road trucks, and the new 2017 model is likely to continue that heritage with over 500 horsepower from its next-generation 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6.
With the lighter weight of its aluminum body and the smaller engine, the new Raptor is expected to be even more agile and capable to attack the hell out of hills, rocks and sand than the previous model.
Ford says the new 2017 model increased ground clearance over the first-generation and will come with even beefier 3-inch FOX Racing Shox with internal bypass design.
The new Raptor also gets a new four-wheel-drive system that has a torque-on-demand transfer case which Ford says will save fuel on the pavement as well as increase capability in the rough.
The clutch-driven all-wheel drive system is computer controlled with multiple terrain drive modes, but can be manually locked 100% when the driver wants to turn off the Hal 9000.
While Ford is dangling this carrot in front of us, it and the specs for what’s under the hood are still sometime off. The truck arrives in about a year from now.
Test Drive: 2015 Jeep Patriot
This week in our test drives we took an old friend for a ride, the venerable Jeep Patriot. It might be old, but it’s one of the top sellers in showrooms.
Selling over 9,000 copies last month, the 2015 Jeep Patriot outsold the all-new and hip Jeep Renegade by a wide margin. In our drive we really wanted to see why that is since the Patriot is hardly different than the 2007 model
Well in short, it’s solid and affordable in lower trim grades. While our tester was a bit pricey at close to $30,000, most Patriots sell below twenty or in the low twenties which makes good sense for what you get here.
It also offers traditional styling for those who are off-put by the more daring looks of the Renegade and the larger Cherokee which were both meant to replace the Patriot when they were hatched. And as it turns, the Patriot stays with us for 2016 with an all-new model coming for 2017.
You can get our full review by clicking on the link here.
Reality Check: The Four-Cylinder Luxury Sedan Club
Call it a sign of the times or a sign of technology, but if you’ve been looking at luxury sport sedans lately you noticed something new under all their hoods.
BMW has long been known for their silky inline six. Competitors Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti and others have always followed suit with standard six-cylinder engines in their sedans too.
In the last year however the entry-level models from all these brands are now starting off with 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class have done so now for at least a year.
Lexus just introduced their own 2.0 liter turbo four in the 2016 IS 200t, no longer making fun of the competition in their commercials for not offering a standard six like they did.
And Infiniti has just announced this month they too will offer a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the 2016 Q50 sedans. That engine by the way is the very same one under the hood of the Mercedes, as the two share that powerplant through a joint venture.
And ironically, their power levels across the board are almost all identical. Mercedes has 241 horsepower which is likely to be identical to the Infiniti. Lexus also comes in at 241, and BMW at 240 horses for their top four popper.
There must just be some magic to that 2.0 liter size as they all stuck to it. Of course, you an option a six-cylinder in all of these cars if the four-cylinder kills your buzz.
Money Shot
Now it’s time for our Money Shot where we take the best photo from this week’s automotive news and we show it to ya!
This week test drive reviews of 2016 Toyota Tacoma from Washington State were released. This photo captures it ready to demonstrate it’s crawl control down a steep embankment. I was right here, in this truck testing it myself. You can see our full review by clicking the link here.
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