Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport to be unveiled in Frankfurt

At the upcoming motor show in Frankfurt, Toyota will present its new Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport vehicle. Well, it takes a lot of guts to envision a cross-country version of a car that was supposed to be an off-roader for starters.




The last generation of Toyota RAV4 was essentially a city-dweller that only looked like a small SUV. Unfortunately, current model doesn't even sport a SUV-like appearance, looking more like a station wagon with slightly increased ground clearance. No wonder that Toyota's marketing department has eventually decided to introduce a trim with more muscular and SUV-like looks.



The Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport will be powered by a choice of three engines, including a 2.0 liter 152 hp VVT-I and a 2.2 liter D-4D diesel.

The list of equipment includes 17-inch alloys, LED tail-lamps, a DVD navigation system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, parking assistance and anthracite colored seats.

The car is expected to arrive in European dealerships by the middle of this month.

See also: 2008 Toyota Highlander starts at $27,300

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Ford Escape Hybrid flex-fuel vehicles go to Illinois

Ford has delivered first seven out of twenty hybrid-powered Ford Escape SUVs capable of working on E85 flex-fuel. The vehicles have gone to the State of Illinois, Illinois Corn Growers and Commonwealth Edison.




There are more than 140 E85 refueling stations in Illinois so Ford has a good opportunity to field-test its flex-fuel hybrids in real conditions.

First introduced in January at the Washington, D.C. auto show, the Ford E85 Escape Hybrid produces about 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a gasoline-fueled Escape Hybrid. Another advantage of the car is that it runs on a completely renewable fuel, helping reroute some money from the Middle East to the Middle West.

See also: Twenty Ford Escape Hybrid E85 SUVs go to six states

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Audi Q7 Hybrid SUV: more info

Audi has finally provided some more information on the hybrid version of its Audi Q7 SUV currently in the works. Although sharing its 7L platform with Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, the Q7 will probably not get the upcoming hybrid drive from the Cayenne and will have to use Audi's own job.




The Audi Q7's hybrid drive, Audi says in its press release, will possibly be combined of VW's current 280hp/375Nm 3.6-liter FSI V6 and a 50hp/285Nm electric motor. To ensure the maximum fuel efficiency, the electric device will be nested between the engine and the torque converter of the automatic gearbox.



Having about 660Nm of combined torque, the Audi Q7 Hybrid will propel itself from zero to 100km/h in just 7.6 seconds and sprint from 60 to 120km/h in 11.9 seconds. In EU combined cycle, the hybrid SUV will consume about 9.8 liters of gas per 100 km (it is around 29 mpg). That's really not bad, considering that the vehicle weighs 2,480 kg (5460 lb) and that the base model drinks has 23 percent worse mileage. And its level of CO2 emissions will also drop from 304 g/km to less frightening 231 g/km.



See also: Audi Q7 SUV may go hybrid

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2008 Dodge Journey to debut in Frankfurt

Chrysler will use the upcoming IAA motor show in Frankfurt to officially debut its 2008 Dodge Journey crossover SUV. Set to compete against such strong players as the new Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester, Opel Antara, and the recently introduced 2008 Toyota Highlander, the Journey will definitely have hard time getting to customers' wallets.




The 2008 Dodge Journey, company is reporting in its press release, will be based on the GS platform, used by the 2008 Dodge Avenger, as well as by the aforementioned Mitsubishi Outlander, Jeep Compass, and Dodge Caliber. The platform was stretched by 124 mm, though, to accommodate seven (or, actually, 5 + 2) passengers.



The vehicle will be available in both front- and all-wheel-drive and will be equipped with a choice of at least three engines. The most powerful 3.5-liter V6 powerplant will generate up to 325 hp and 232 lb-ft (314 Nm) of torque. Another engine, a 2.4-liter inline four-pot, will produce only 173 hp and 166ft-lb (224Nm) of torque, while the last powerplant, a 2.7-liter V6, will squeeze out 186 hp and 191ft-lb (259Nm).



There is no info on pricing and general availability yet.



See also: Dodge Nitro UK pricing announced

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Phoenix electric SUV to be delayed?

It seems that Phoenix Motorcars company will not be able to start shipping its long-awaited SUVs and SUTs by this fall as it was promised. The company still struggles to work through certification process with ARB, solve problems with financing and set their own production facility. The first vehicles will be shipped to customers in early 2008. So far the company has received 500 orders for the vehicle.



The vehicle in question is based on the Chinese-owned and Korea-produced Ssangyong Actyon SUV and Ssangyong Actyon Sport SUT. The Actyon's internal combustion engine is replaced with an electric motor, which is powered by lithium titanate batteries. Currently, the EV SUV may run about 130 miles on a single charge reaching a top speed of 100 mph.



Produced by Altair Nanotechnologies, lithium titanate batteries have significant advantage over the other types of electric accumulators -- once exhausted, they may be recharged in about half an hour.

See also: 150 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cells in the Project Driveway giveaway

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150 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cells in the Project Driveway giveaway

Well, it's not exactly a giveaway. General Motors plans to have "up to" 150 experimental Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell crossover SUVs to be delivered to a group of select drivers both in the U.S. and Europe. Those lucky ones chosen to participate in the program, will be used as guinea pigs beta-testers of the hydrogen-fueled vehicles. They will also get their H2 fuel for free.




It is reported that the first parties of Equinoxes will be delivered to California, New York and the Washington, DC areas. Another lot of the Chevies will cross the Pond with the HydroGen 4 nameplate installed.







See also: 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV will start at $26,620

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BMW X5 E70 will get greener

BMW is reportedly readying a comparatively 'green' version of its latest BMW X5 E70 highway-bound SUV. Trying to save its customers about fifty bucks for every time they enter the City of London (and save its own perishing sales, too,) the German company is working on its green Efficient Dynamics technology.




The British Business Car magazine says that new BMW X5 3.0d and BMW X5 3.0Sd equipped with this fuel-saving technology will feature an impressive drop of CO2 emissions -- to 214 and 216 g/km respectively. This is considerably below the current 225 g/km level set by London authorities.



How will Mr. Livingstone respond?



See also: Eco-friendly 2002 Chevrolet Suburban Mad Max-style

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Infiniti EX 35 coupe SUV to pull BMW X6's nose

Clearly aiming at the upcoming BMW X6 crossover SUV, Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti has revealed its latest and greatest Infiniti EX 35 coupe-like crossover. Based on the current Infinity G35 sedan, the new SUV sports the same VQ35HR 3.5 liter V6 engine, rated at 290 hp and mated to a five-speed manumatic with DS sport mode with DRM, and ASC.




Featuring almost the same interior as the G35, the Infiniti EX 35 has a set of jokers in its sleeve, including a Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system, a self-healing Scratch Shield paint and a pretty cool Around View Monitor (AVM) providing a bird's eye view on the vehicle's vicinity.



The Infiniti EX 35 crossover SUV was revealed this week at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and will arrive at Infiniti's European dealerships by Autumn 2008. Its price is yet to be confirmed.





See also: 2007 Infiniti QX56 gets the price

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2007 Lexus RX 400h will join U.K. police force

U.K. bobbies will soon find themselves inside both luxurious and environmentally friendly Lexus RX 400h SUV with hybrid drive. The SUVs, along with the new Lexus GS 450h sports saloon and Lexus LS 600h executive saloon, have been presented to future customers at the National Police Fleet Managers Association Conference ending today.




British police has been experimenting with hybrid vehicles for a long time, already having in its fleet vehicles like Honda Civic Hybrid used by the MP's Community Support Officers.



The 2007 Lexus RX 400h SUV can be ordered in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions. It offers impressive fuel efficiency of 34.9mpg in the combined cycle (EU) and emits only 192g of CO2 per kilometer.



See also: 2008 Lexus RX 350 will start at $37,400

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2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV will start at $26,620

The 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV may be looking boring and uninspiring but it is anyway one of the most affordable mid-size sport utility vehicles on the American market. Its hybrid version, it appears, will also be one of the cheapest SUVs being even less expensive than the 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid and second only to the 2WD 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.




The front-wheel drive model, Boston Herald is reporting, will start at a mere $26,620, which is almost $2,000 less expensive than the last year model. Well, the price reduction came, err, at a price: the cheapest version of the SUV lost its full-wheel drive.



Anyway, the 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid features decent mileage of 34 miles per gallon in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway and, theoretically, can provide you with 500 miles travel on a single 15-gallon tank of gas. So, the Mariner seems more fuel efficient than the more expensive 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h.





See also: GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe go hybrid

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Range Rover Sport LE to invade the U.S.

Land Rover North America is readying its new über weapon set to conquer the U.S. market. Called Range Rover Sport LE, the new executive-class SUV will be limited to 250 copies only, making it one of the most exclusive SUVs in the world.




The upcoming Range Rover Sport LE will come equipped with flush-fitting front and rear bumpers, an extended rear roof spoiler, body-colored lower side panels, a new rear exhaust treatment, tread strips and 20-inch Stormer wheels (wheels alone will add to the vehicle's cost around $5,000 USD, so you get the idea how expensive the rest of the package is).



Inside the Range Rover Sport LE you will find adaptive cruise control, some luxurious leather upholstery, cold climate option, adaptive front lighting, hand-polished oak wooden trim, center console cooler box and carpet mats.

Rear passengers will also receive an audio visual entertainment system of their own.

All this luxury on wheels will be motivated by a powerful 4.2-liter Supercharged V8 engine mated to a permanent four wheel drive system equipped with Range Rover's Terrain Response system.

Land Rover North America plans to sell the Range Rover Sport Supercharged LE will at a price of $81,450. Ouch!

See also: Range Rover Sport TDV8 tuned by Arden

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Hamann tunes Range Rover Sport Conqueror, offers wide body aero-kit

German tuning specialist Hamann continues its exploits in the highly respectable field of making Range Rover SUVs' owners a little bit happier with their luxurious iron horses. This time Hamann has presented a comprehensive tuning program for the expensive Range Rover Sport Conqueror, a decent rival to the large and famous Cadillac Escalade SUV.

After receiving Hamann's treatment, the Range Rover Sport Conqueror now sports a muscular wide body aerodynamic kit with as well as an ECU engine upgrade kit and a sports braking system consisting of two slotted and inside-vented brake discs in the dimension 380x34mm, two Hamann eight-piston fixed caliper brakes in red plus special brake pads and steel flex brake pipes.

After remapping, both 2.7-liter V6 oil-burner and the 4.4-liter V8 gasoline engines show significantly increased power output. The diesel engine, for example, now produces 225bhp @ 4,000 rpm of power and impressive 510 Nm @ 1,900 rpm of torque. The naturally-aspirated V8 is able to deliver up to 323bhp @ 5,500 rpm and 450 Nm of torque available at 3,500 rpm. Customers living outside the EU may also order a supercharged version of the engine with a sports high-performance header, sports metal catalytic converters and a sports rear muffler installed and capable of delivering up to 475bhp at 5,740 rpm and the maximum torque of 610 Nm at 3,500 rpm.

Of course, the program also includes a set of 315/25R23 wheels fitted to 23-inch multi-pieced Edition Race rims, a 4-pipe sports rear muffler and 90mm stainless steel tailpipes.













See also: Hyundai Veracruz crossover will start at $26,350

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