Month: July 2016
2017 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT
When Ford released the original F-150 Raptor in 2010, it was insanely popular. It was the first true high-performance off-road pickup truck with a manufacturer’s warranty. Developed by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, it survived the Baja 1000 desert race. More of the same are predicted now that the F-150 has a new and lighter platform.
Many details of the new 2017 F-150 Raptor are still shielded, but the second generation pickup will launch in fall of 2016 as a 2017 model under the new Ford Performance banner. It is also a more thoroughly engineered special vehicle itself… it has a dedicated chassis and powertrain to go with the special bodywork. The Raptor’s new boxed steel frame is reinforced from the normal F-150’s and will come in two sizes: the sportier 133-inch-wheelbase SuperCab and the roomier 145-inch SuperCrew. Despite the beefier frame, Ford claims that the new truck’s aluminum body cut 500 pounds from its predecessors curb weight.
No longer is there a big V-8 under the hood, so that should save some weight right there. Yes, folks… the 2017 Raptor is EcoBoost only and the first beneficiary of a second-generation 3.5-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection. Ford says the high-powered EcoBoost engines it develops for sports-car racing influenced some of the production V-6’s improvements, including a new aluminum block and updates to the fuel system, cylinder heads, and internals. Paired to the Raptor’s engine will be the first application of Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission and a new four-wheel-drive transfer case, which will work with a terrain-mode system to configure the truck for varying conditions (mud, snow, rocks, etc.). Controlled via steering-wheel buttons and a menu in the cluster, the system will tailor the characteristics of the engine, drivetrain, stability control, and more to help weekend warriors get the most from their Raptors without rolling them down hillsides.
There’s also no uncertainty that the new Raptor certainly looks the part all toned in its alloy. Of course, the raptor has its proud “FORD” grille and an array of marker lights. However, they are now framed in a design more in tune with the new look of the vehicle.
Like the first-generation model, the new Raptor features Fox Racing Shox with custom internal bypass technology. This time around the front and rear shock canisters’ diameter has increased from 2.5 inches to 3.0 inches. Ford says the new shocks have more suspension travel than the previous model’s 11.2 inches front and 12 inches rear travel.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor will be built at the automaker’s Dearborn Truck Plant and will go on sale in fall of 2016 in the U.S. and Canada.
2017 BMW X5 SUV
The new 2017 BMW X5 handles like the company’s amazing sports sedans, which is the main reason to consider this a crossover. Currently, the 2017 BMW X5 is included in the list of the most desirable cars around the world. This machine combines all the things one can think or imagine. With excellent technical characteristics, significant exterior, a comfortable cabin, and a huge list of equipment and options to choose from. Pricing for the 2017 BMW X5 will most likely stay around the same price as previous models at around $56,000.
The front end of the SUV looks identical to most other BMWs. Headlamps are enclosed in a ring of LEDs, with adaptive Xenon bulbs as the main source of light. Most of the visual cues on this model are similar to the BMW 3 series such as the false radiator grille with interesting vertical jumpers as well as abundant chrome trim. The bumper also has a lot of aerodynamic elements which fit incredibly well in the overall design. As a result, the car can be described as bold and aggressive. Inside, the X5 shines and we’ll give you the highlights: good dash, great materials, beautiful infotainment, and better outward visibility.
Under the hood, a turbocharged 3.0 liter awaits for base model buyers. The 300 horses it comes with is plenty in rear and all wheel drive configurations. A 4.4-liter turbocharged V-8 sits atop the range and packs a punch. At 445 hp, the big V-8 charges forward with assurance: 60 mph comes up in 4.7 seconds.
The X5 can seat up to seven, but the third row isn’t very accessible or comfortable for adults.
The X5 has some pretty good options for the picking as well. The base X5 comes equipped with 19-inch wheels, adaptive xenon headlights, 14-way power adjustable and heated front seats, wood trim, a power adjustable steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity, adaptive cruise control, navigation with traffic info, panoramic moonroof, power tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, BMW telematics and remote services (such as unlocking the car via an app), and a nine-speaker stereo with HD radio.
An impressive Bang & Olufsen sound system replaced the standard nine-speaker setup (or the 16-speaker Harman Kardon system on xDrive50i models). Rear entertainment screens can be added for parents sanity on long car rides, however those two screens will set you back about six grand. Another option is a safety pack that allows the car to stop, go and help steer itself, but the operative word here is “optional”. A rearview camera is also an extra $400.
The vehicle can be order with one of three trim packages: Luxury, xLine and M Sport. Luxury Line and xLine packages bring more personalization, with coordinated interior trims that are a step more attention-getting. The xLine features satin aluminum and high-gloss finishes, while the Luxury Pacakge gets blacked-out grille chrome strips and some sporty cues. The M Sport adds a body kit, Shadowline trim, high-gloss roof rails, sport seats, an anthracite headliner, and various other high-performance cues as well as an option for an M Adaptive suspension.
As standard, the X5 is luxurious and well-equipped—not many luxury cars offer a standard power adjustable steering wheel or 14-way adjustable seats. A light touch with options can keep an X5 close to reality and we think that’s the best route.
Then come the quick packages: third-row seating, a cold weather package with heating options, driver assistance packages including a head-up display, a full LED lighting option, blind spot monitors, surround view cameras, speed limit monitors, and a Premium package with keyless entry, soft-close doors, satellite radio, and leather upholstery.
All in all, the 2017 BMW X5 is going to be a great vehicle. It includes a lot of great base options and a LOT of power, but you can also upgrade those features to customize the car more to your style. This should be a great SUV to look for in mid-2017.
2017 Bentley Bentayga SUV
Overview
The 2017 Bentley Bentayga is an amazing thing; a 12-cylinder, ultra-lux SUV with a claimed top speed in the realm of 170 mph, and the off-road chops to take it places few, if any, buyers will ever decide to take it. The product of the fastest vehicle development program in Bentley’s history — just 42 months, from concept approval to production — it is an extremely well put together SUV from an automaker that has never built an SUV before.
Walkaround
Why even build an SUV in the first place?? Because luxury SUVs are shaping up to be the Next Big Thing. Being a part of VW gave the Bentley team plenty to work with when concepting the Bentayga. It’s built on the PL73 version of VW’s MLB platform architecture that also underpins the new Audi Q7. However, the Bentley gets its own suspension and brakes and debuts VW’s new 6.0-liter W-12 engine.
The interiod is beautifully crafted and is rich in signature Bentley-ness such as quilted leather and knurled metal. The dash fascia combines design themes from both Continental and Mulsanne, and the latest iterations of familiar Bentley instruments and switchgear. The attention to detail is impeccable, from the ultra-thin chrome surrounds for the switchgear, to the etched covers for the sound system speakers that look like woven metal.
The all-new W-12 under the Bentayga’s hood shares basic architectural elements such as bore spacings with the outgoing engine, but is 66 pounds lighter and features direct and port injection to help it meet emissions, performance, drivability, and cold start targets. A cylinder deactivation system shuts down one bank of cylinders. The twin-scroll turbochargers are integrated into the exhaust manifolds, and a new oil system has been developed, with pickups that ensure good oil supply throughout the engine, plus suction pumps to scavenge oil from the turbochargers, even when the Bentayga is tilted at extreme angles.
Bentley offers four on-road dynamic modes: Comfort, Bentley, Sport, and Custom. (Bentley mode represents what Guest and his team believe is the ideal setup for the car.) The steering feel can be changed in Custom mode if you want, though there’s really no need, as the nicely weighted and impressively linear helm helps you accurately place the big Bentley through turns.
The Bentayga’s killer app, however, is a trick anti-roll system called EWAS that uses fast-acting 48-volt motors to twist the anti-roll bars in the opposite direction to the cornering forces, keeping the car flat through turns. The EWAS system, which will be standard on 12-cylinder Bentaygas and optional on the V-8 versions that will arrive in the 2018 model year, works beautifully when you get the big Bentley among the switchbacks, keeping it uncannily calm and composed, yet feeling remarkably agile and light on its feet. Even better, there’s no negative impact on the ride, which is probably the best yet from a VW Group-era Bentley.
Summary
With a claimed top speed of 187 mph, Bentley boasts that the Bentayga is the fastest SUV in the world. The claim is made possible by a twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 that makes a mighty 600 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque; an eight-speed automatic drives all four wheels. The interior can be configured to seat four or five; only the finest leather will cosset those lucky posteriors. Diesel and hybrid powertrains will be offered in the future; the Bentayga goes on sale in early 2016.
2017 Maserati Levante SUV
The Levante offers zesty Italian performance backed with an expressively designed exterior—kind of like an automotive Monica Bellucci. Two twin-turbo V-6s are offered: one with 345 hp, the other with 424 hp. Both have an eight-speed automatic with all-wheel drive. The ride is compliant on-road; off-road, the Levante is quite
competent. The interior boasts lots of wood and leather; an 8.4-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Siri and Android Auto are standard. The Levante goes on sale this fall.
Engine and Driving
It’s best to think of the Levante, named for a wind in the western Mediterranean, as a Ghibli wagon in the mold of the Audi Allroad line. That means it’s a primarily on-pavement, all-weather fast hauler with just enough all-wheel-drive capability and driver-selectable ride-height range to provide some decent trail abilities. Like the current crop of Maseratis, the Levante is fast, it’s ferociously loud when it needs to be, and it wrings the bejeezus out of a corner, but it’s even better than the Ghibli that underpins it. Call it Ghibli 2.0.
The Levante runs the Ghibli’s relatively small but fiery 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 with two horsepower ratings to choose from: 345 in the $72,000 base Levante and 424 in the $83,000 S (not including final destination charges, which haven’t been announced). The latter is a 20-hp increase from the Ghibli S’s output due to changes to the Levante’s intake and exhaust as well as software tweaks, and the factory puts the 
60-mph sprint at 5.0 seconds (5.8 seconds for the 345-hp model). The last Ghibli S we tested did the deed in 4.7. We’re told that prototype Levantes have been built using the Quattroporte’s 523-hp 3.8-liter V-8, but there are no announced plans to produce it. There’s also a 3.0-liter diesel version not intended for the U.S., but we’re not weeping over that. Our short turn in the Levante diesel showed it to be a Maserati with its heart cut out.
The Levante’s suspension, an advancement of the Ghibli’s, employs aluminum control arms up front and five links per corner in back, with standard air springs collaborating with electronically controlled dampers; Maserati brands the system as Skyhook. A longer suspension stroke than the Ghibli’s and five ride-height settings that include two off-road positions that raise the ground clearance by a maximum of 1.6 inches—as much as 9.7 inches above the ground—are among the changes.
The biggest challenge, say the engineers, was giving the Levante’s suspension both a sporting stiffness and, when necessary, a taffylike squishiness for trail work, something achievable only with computer-managed springs and dampers. Even though only about one percent of owners are expected to ever go off-road, says Maserati, and most in Dubai where rich yahoos like to take their luxe SUVs out to the Empty Quarter to play in the dunes, all SUV owners like knowing that their cars can do it.
Hence, the Levante also comes standard with Q4, Maserati’s permanent all-wheel drive. A computer-controlled multiplate clutch attached to the transmission engages drive to the front axle when desired; the rear axle is always engaged. At Fiat-Chrysler’s old Balocco test track, we were pointed down a trail through the woods that included some fairly serious grades, a water trough, and a few suspension-twisting obstacles. Between the extra ground-clearance modes, the seamless forward torque transfer, a limited-slip rear diff, and some surprisingly generous ramp angles, the Levante acquitted itself as a decent mud puppy.
This Is Not an Acura
On the road, the suspension is more compliant than we expected, especially on the standard 19-inch or optional 20-inch wheels on the S, which wears giant 295/40 Pirelli PZero tires in back. Even so, the chassis sucks up bad pavement better than the choppier Ghibli we tested a couple of years ago. You can firm it up with a Sport setting, but the thinking at Maserati is that SUV buyers want a bit more daily comfort. Still, the Levante is a pretty tense machine, especially on the 20s, which impart some nervousness to the ride, and doubly especially with an engine that is just waiting to leap to 4000 rpm at the slightest provocation. This ain’t no Lexus, and a hearty salute to that! Although Maserati hints at a 22-mpg combined rating when the numbers are released later this year, we expect owners to find the fuel vanishing from the 21.1-gallon tank with greater alacrity. The EPA ratings cannot possibly be better than the lighter and lower-powered Ghibli S Q4, which rates 16/19 mpg city/highway.
Interior
Maserati has answered some Ghibli critics inside the Levante, as well. The redesigned seats are more comfortable both front and back, for example. The aforementioned Sport setting now has two modes, the first to wake up the throttle and transmission and to beef up the exhaust snarl, and a second that firms up the suspension. Before, the single Sport mode gave both the rigid ride and the engine changes. Also, Maserati finally gets a center control knob for the center touchscreen. It’s not quite as polished as Audi’s MMI, as the Maserati’s control knob is simply grafted onto the old system, which was intended to be touchscreen only. Thus, if you want to zoom the map with the knob, you use the knob to move the cursor over to the plus or minus boxes on the screen, then push the button on top of the knob to change the zoom (in an Audi, it’s a breezier one-step process of just turning the knob). Yes, you get used to the Maserati’s fussier system, which we expect will soon filter down to Jeeps and Chryslers, and we give FCA full credit for finally (!) recognizing the appeal of this feature.
Leather and French stitching swaddle the interior. As in the Ghibli, the center-console flip-doors hiding the cupholders and a clutter bin could benefit from a less-cheap-feeling plastic. Maserati says this detail will be improved by the time cars reach the U.S. by the end of this summer. We only experienced two fairly loaded versions, the optional Sport package trim (sport seats, a gloss-black grille, 20-inch wheels, shifter paddles, a sunroof, and other extras) and the optional Zegna Edition luxury package that incorporates interior appointments from the famous Italian clothier. These include silk seat inserts and “silk jersey” on the doors and headliner that your fingers will love running over. The option pricing, when announced, will easily loft the Levante’s sticker over $100,000.
Summary
With the Levante, Fiat-Chrysler is taking a risk, giving the SUV a dedicated production facility at its Mirafiori plant near Turin and counting on it for 30,000 sales per year. But the company has greatly helped its cause by doing the product right, and the Levante should help keep both Maserati and Italian car-making relevant, at least for now.
