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The 2009 Dodge Journey carries the size and shape of a typical crossover, and it has seating for seven and all the amenities you could possibly ask for at $30,000. On paper, the Journey has a plenty of things in its favor, yet we had our doubts.
First off, it looks a lot like the Dodge Caravan, which works against the Journey when considering that many crossover buyers want to avoid the minivan stigma. It’s also based on the less than impressive Chrysler Sebring platform, which we have found to be just awful. Then there is Chrysler’s corporate 3.5L engine, which is less powerful, refined and efficient than similarly sized engines from its competition. Chrysler’s recent track record for vehicles that are less than class competitive also lent support to our notion that the Journey might be a letdown. Regardless, we tried to clear our minds of these things when the Journey arrived for a week-long stay in the Autoblog Garage. Hit the jump to see how Chrysler’s new crossover fared.

Big-bucks enthusiasts annoyed that they’re not the only ones at the club with a Veyron can now ensure that they arrive in total exclusivity. That’s because the one-off Maybach Exelero, commissioned by Fulda to act as a high-profile demonstrator for its tire line of the same name, is now for sale. The Exelero isn’t some delicate flower of a show car. Based on the Maybach 57 and powered by a 700-horsepower version of that car’s turbocharged V12, the Exelero reached 218 mph at Nardo. In many ways, Exelero represents what Maybach could have and should have been — a place where daring styling and incredible performance could merge with extreme luxury to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Instead, while the marque’s sedans clearly get the luxury part of the equation right, in terms of styling, they basically work in anonymity, looking like peculiar old S-Class sedans. There’s nothing anonymous about the Exelero, though, and for €5,000,000 (around $7.8 million USD), you can drive the sybaritic supercar that Daimler should have given Maybach all along.

Now that the 2008 Beijing Motor Show is underway, we’re getting a chance to see how a lot of those sketches and renderings we saw ahead of the festivities translate into actual cars. One of the concepts we were curious about was the collaborative effort between Citroën and sports apparel maker Kappa. Not only is the red-and-white C2 Kappa concept faithful to the drawing released last month, it’s also pretty cool.

The C2 Kappa is lowered and fully kitted, sporting a unique front fascia that tones down the base car’s oversized headlamps and adds aggressive Kappa-emblazoned grillework below the bumper. That logo is repeated all along the fat red racing stripe that runs from nose to tail, flanked by thinner grey accent stripes. Another red door stripe with the Kappa branding runs along each flank. A roof spoiler and a color-keyed diffuser insert add visual flair in back, while white rally-style wheels take up residence at the corners. Inside, sport seats with the Kappa insignia dress up the passenger cabin, rounding out this surprisingly appealing styling exercise from Dongfeng Citroën and Kappa, even if it the equivalent of a car dressed in a jogging suit.

If you want to sport a Dodge Challenger without the fire-breathing V8 or the hefty price tag, the time to act is now. The first two Dodge Challenger SE models have arrived in Ohio this week, and 500 models are en-route to dealerships in the U.S. and Canada as you read this. The SE Challenger packs Chrysler’s ho-hum 3.5L V6 with 250 horsepower and a truly retro four speed automatic, but the news is far from all bad. You still get the Challenger’s muscular looks, power flowing through the rear wheels, and a hard to beat entry price of only $21,995. You probably won’t win many races, but at least you won’t be driving an Avenger. Seriously, though, the Challenger SE charmed us at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show where it debuted with a simple proposition: cheap, rear-wheel-drive fun on four wheels

Well, no, but can you blame us for thinking so? While no one here is a shoe expert like, say, The Manolo, it’s hard to look at this forthcoming Chery compact and not think of the ubiquitous (and heinous) sandals worn by Mario Batali and countless suburbanites in apparent need of corrective eye surgery. Look at that rounded, upturned nose — Croc city, baby! We know that the Chinese auto manufacturers have never shied away from “borrowing” styling elements from other cars in the past, so really, what’s to stop them from aping a resin clog design for the S16?

This new version of speedster flashes has fair combination of immense power, concept car novelty, Natural car beauty, and usage of high technologies. A greatcharged, 700 hp, 6.2-liter alloy V8 gets the car to 60 in 3.2 seconds. authoriz developed, driver-changeable 10-position springs help keep the Michelin Pilots on the road.

This version has three cameras insteasd of rear and side mirrors, One of them in rear and others are in sides. There is no way to see it in operation, but the Infiniti EX has the same sort of set up (though it also has mirrors). We expect that during slow maneuvers the console screen shows the three views, but what kind of side view you get during on the highway is a good question. Though with no pillars or roof, a quick flick of the head might be all you need.

Speedster Features

* Engine: 6.2 liter (378 in.3) V8, 90°, cast aluminum block and heads;
* Horsepower: 700 bhp @ 6,200 rpm (SAE)

* Torque: 660 lb-ft @ 4,750 rpm (SAE)
* Redline: 6,500 rpm

* Supercharger: Eaton/Magnuson Roots-style; with integral air/liquid intercooler

* Drive Train: Transaxle 6-speed manual
6-speed automatic with paddle shift

* Suspension

Front and rear: Forged aluminum, unequal length, upper and lower control arms. Callaway/Eibach Multi-Pro coil-over suspension with double adjustable dampers external reservoir with 10-position compression control; companion helper and tender springs supplementing composite leaf springs; front and rear Callaway anti-roll bars, tubular steel

* Wheels/Tires

Front: 19 x 10 Callaway/Dymag forged magnesium/carbon fiber rims 285/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport II
Rear: 20 x 13 Callaway/Dymag forged magnesium/carbon fiber rims 345/25ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport II

* Brakes

Front/rear: Callaway/StopTech Carbon Ceramic
6-piston (front) and 4-piston (rear) calipers with 380 x 32 mm rotors (front & rear)

* Dimensions

Wheelbase: 105.7 inches
Track, front: 62.1 inches
rear: 61.7 inches
Height: 40.1 inches
Length: 174.6 inches
Width: 74.6 inches
Curb weight: 3,150 pounds
Fuel capacity: 18 gallons

* Fuel Economy

City/Highway: 18/28 (manual transmission); 17/27 (automatic transmission)

* Warranty

Vehicle/Powertrain: 5-year/100,000 mile warranty

* Performance

Top speed 210 mph
0-60 3.2 sec
Quarter mile 10.97 @ 128
Lateral G 1.05

This a Cadillac and not a VW, therefore it’s “Sport Wagon” rather than “SportWagen”. What we have here is the result of a fission reaction on the Cadillac SRX. Seeing that the current “neither fish nor fowl” SRX crossover wasn’t cutting it in the marketplace, General Motors’ “Art and Science” brand has split its only CUV into two distinct vehicles. The old SRX was based on the CTS’ Sigma platform but looked too car-like to be considered an SUV. At the same time it rode too high to be a car. Buyers who might have liked the wagon utility of the old SRX but are enamored with the style of the new CTS can now opt for the CTS Sport Wagon.

The Sport Wagon takes the largely acclaimed styling of the CTS and adds a rear hatch allowing much more stuff to be carried. The design team led by Clay Dean has done more than just graft a longer roof onto the sedan. They extended the roof-line back and the tail-lights up to the roof, as well as adding hidden rails in the roof line. The V shape of the grille is also replicated in the contours of the tailgate. The wagon ends up with 25 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the seats. Cadillac expects about 60 percent of CTS sales in Europe will be the wagon while only 20 percent of Americans will opt for the new body style when it goes on sale in the spring of 2009.

In addition to getting the coolest Buicks which are not available in America, individuals in China are about to get the best vehicle that Buick has to offer in the States. In a deal which was initially inked ten months ago, the attractive Enclave CUV, built at GM’s Lansing Delta Township assembly plant, is headed for China.  The U.S. assembled ‘utes will make their way by means of Shanghai GM. The exportation of the Enclave to China is only surprising in that it took so long for the General to get the model there in the first place. After all, Buick sells more vehicles in China than anywhere else in the world, with the nation consuming over half of all Buicks worldwide. We can only hope that Shanghai GM returns the favor and sends some of its best designs our way… and soon.

Our buddy Richard Owen over at Supercars.net has revealed that the long-rumored targa-style Bugatti Veyron will officially be called the Grand Sport. We recently learned that the pop-top Bug will make its public debut at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in a couple of weeks. What we didn’t know was that Gooding & Company will be auctioning the first order slot on August 17th, right after the best-in-show trophies are handed out at Pebble Beach.
While an open-top Veyron will instantly appeal to some, the thought of removing a chunk of aerodynamically essential material from the roofline will have many others questioning their sanity. Have no fear, however, as Bugatti has developed the roof so that there will be no draft inside. Even with its top speed limited to just 217, this will be one of the fastest open top cars around. We’ll get you more details as they become available, but for now, get thee to Pebble if this is the the car you’ve been waiting for. And bring more than $2,250,000, the expected starting price. Bugatti is planning to build just 80 of these Grand Sports.
Maybe we’ll get a chance to compare it to the coupe we got to sample last year.

[Source: Supercars.net]

“BRABUS” might as well be German for, “Hey, why not?” This would seem to be the question its engineers ask themselves before they stuff ludicrous amounts of power under the hoods of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks. This behavior is well-documented, and it continues unabated with the arrival of MB’s new SL. Full wheel/tire, interior, and styling packages are a given. Backing up those enhanced looks is an assortment of tuning packages capable of providing more power than even Montgomery Scott could ever plead for.

The SV12 S Biturbo engine swap appears to have been created by someone with a severe, pathological hatred for tires. This is the same engine used in the Brabus Bullit, and it dishes out a predictably ridiculous 720 horsepower and 973 lb-ft of torque. The latter number is electronically restrained to a mere 811 lb-ft., and a top speed of well over 200 mph comes with the territory. Not interested in the full swap? No worries, BRABUS has your back. SL 65 AMG drivers can opt for the T 65 S package, which bumps the stock V12 Biturbo to 705 hp/811 lb-ft. There’s a solution for the all-motor SL 63 AMG as well that packs on an additional 40 horses over stock. This pattern continues right on down the line — even the “lowly” V6-powered cars can be tuned to deliver 327 hp/ 310 lb-ft. Bonkers. Er, BRABUS, rather.