Jim Miles Fast Cars

A car designed by and for Generation Y, the Hyundai Veloster has finally been revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. Powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 138-hp and 123 ft-lbs of torque, Hyundai will offer the car with either a 6-speed manual or a dual-clutch 6-speed automatic. Designed to deliver sporty performance, Hyundai is also claiming a 40-mpg highway rating, putting it ahead of all competitors in this segment.

In the looks department, Hyundai continues to deliver, with the Veloster the latest attractive package that will have no problem drawing younger buyers into showrooms – thanks in part to accentuated fenders and standard 17-inch wheels (18s are optional). Defying any categorization, the Veloster is neither a hatchback nor is it a coupe, with two doors on the passenger side, but only one on the driver’s side.

Another big selling feature is certain to be the standard 7-inch LCD touch-screen, as well as Hyundai’s new Blue Link telematics system – essentially Hyundai’s version of OnStar. Blue Link will offer safety features like Automatic Crash Notification and roadside assistance, while it also enables voice text messaging, remote vehicle start, remote door opening, and plenty of other features.

Aiding in the overall driving dynamics is a notably low curb weight, with the manual transmission models just 2,584 lbs, while dual-clutch automatics weigh 2,657 lbs. That’s less than a Honda CR-Z and only slight more than a MINI Cooper. The Veloster does, however, use a torsion beam suspension. Normally not ideal when building a sporty package, Honda has defied that notion with the Fit and CR-Z.

Available options include leather seats and a 450-watt 8-speaker audio system. Set to go on sale soon, the Veloster will be available in an array of brilliant colors, including Century White, Ironman Silver, Triathlon Gray, Ultra Black, Marathon Blue, Electrolyte Green, 26.2 Yellow, Vitamin C (Orange), or Boston Red.

A design sketch of what is rumored to be the logo for the upcoming Toyota FT-86 has surfaced online, clearly highlighting the Japanese sports car will be powered by a boxer engine.

The design sketch shows two horizontally opposed pistons; an engine design that has earned the ‘boxer’ title because of its visual similarity to two boxers tossing punches.

Rather than a crank in the middle, however, the sketch shows a stylized number 86, in reference to the rear-drive AE86 Corolla model that formed the inspiration of more than just the name of the FT-86.

Rumors have indicated the production FT-86 will get a 2.0-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine, donated from Subaru and if this is in fact the actual logo for the car, then those rumors would look to be true.

It’s not clear how the logo will be incorporated into the U.S. model, however, with recent reports indicating the car will be a Scion model and wear the FR-S badge.

There’s no shortage of similarities to be found between Australia and the United States. Both are former British colonies flying red, white and blue flags; both are big masses of land divided into states; both have Top Gear spinoffs and share a common affinity for Crocodile Dundee. We could go on, but the key commonality here is love for muscle cars. More than anything, that’s what ties these two countries together from opposite ends of the Earth.

General Motors has capitalized on that shared trait by bringing powerful Holdens over to America under Pontiac badges. Arch-rival Ford, meanwhile, has gone the other way, taking a popular American performance badge and slapping it on one of its Australian products.

The result is the Ford Boss 335 GT. Based on the Falcon sedan, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has given the Boss 335 GT a touch more power than the 2012 Boss 302 Mustang: the 335′s supercharged 5.0-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 pumps out 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque (compared to the 440hp and 380 lb-ft on the all-motor Boss Mustang). The power’s driven to the 19" rear wheels through a six-speed manual and kept in check by oversized, cross-drilled and ventilated Brembo brakes.

FPV’s also made sure the special Falcon got all the requisite striping you’d expect from a Boss, and equipped the interior with everything they bad to throw at it. With the American and Australian dollars close to par, though, the $70,000 sticker price may seem a little steep. UNfortunately, this is an exclusively Aussie product, so if you (i.e. our U.S. readers) want to show ‘em who’s Boss, you’ll have to stick to the Mustang. Dang.

There are a lot of rumors surrounding the next Subaru Impreza WRX STI, with some reports suggesting it will go diesel, while others point to a hybrid version. And while we don’t yet know what the decided powerplant will be, we can guarantee it will include AWD, go like stink and look awesome!

OK, so we don’t know that last one either, but thanks to the creative genius of artist Jon Sibal we can share a creative peak at what the next STI might look like.

Based on the Impreza Design Concept unveiled at the LA Auto Show, the STI model gets the requisite fender flares, top-mount intercooler and, of course, a massive wing on the back. The concept car has actually received a significant level of criticism from the Subaru faithful, although it’s easy to see how the handsome compact car shape works perfectly in a more aggressive form.

While Subarus have never been the most attractive cars on the road and the STI has always paled in comparison to its Mitsubishi rival, if Subie’s designers follow this path it might be the first time the EVO comes up short on the looks department.

Honda has decided to pull the plug on its boxy, utilitarian Element after the 2011 model year. The last copies will roll out of Honda’s factory in East Liberty, Ohio, in April 2011.
Honda Model X concept

The Element was launched in December 2002 as a 2003 model, having been previewed as the Honda Model X concept at the 2001 Detroit auto show. It didn’t change much from concept to production, and hasn’t evolved a lot since then; 2007 brought a refresh and a 10-hp bump for the 2.4-liter four-cylinder. In its lone C/D comparison-test showing, the Element placed fourth of four behind the Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, and Scion xB.
Honda says the decision was made because buyers were choosing compact SUVs like the CR-V instead of the Element—in other words, it just isn’t selling well anymore. Sales of the Element have steadily declined every year from a peak of 67,478 in 2003; only 14,884 Elements were sold during calendar-year 2009 and Honda has moved 12,960 through November of this year. Honda tells us there are no immediate plans for an updated or replacement model.

Six months ago, we introduced you to a rare, Japan-only Subaru called the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT tS. The limited-edition model was the first offering in the company’s brand-new tS series, designed to show there is room in the STI lineup for cars with sharper looks and improved handling. Now comes Part 2 of the tS story: the Forester tS STI.

In an automotive world that’s always after more power, it’s a brave move to say your cars already have enough oomph, and that your humble aim is to improve handling. But if any carmaker can get away with such modesty and still maintain user interest, Subaru can. It has a cult following thanks to its class-leading, bang-for-buck performance.

Chief test driver Hideharu Tatsumi knows this. That’s why he can say with a straight face that "Power isn’t everything. Our turbocharged Forester has enough power for now. And that’s why we’ve created the tS, a whole new brand inside the company that bridges the gap between the performance-oriented S versions (like the S201 through S204) and the base models." He says that tS stands for "tuned by STI," but when we queried one of his underlings during the Legacy tS drive, a more colorful story emerged. "Inside the evaluation department," said our anonymous engineer, "we interpret tS as Tatsumi’s Spirit, or more realistically, Tatsumi’s Setup." That makes sense because Tatsumi is a legend at Subaru, having risen to the position of Nürburgring Meister after 20 years testing Subarus at the famed German track.

Boasting unique STI aeroparts and special paintwork, the Forester tS looks more aggressive than the base model. Sitting roughly two-thirds of an inch lower than the stock Forester’s 8.4-inch ride height, the tS incorporates a specially designed STI front and rear roof spoiler, larger 17-inch Yokohama Geolander rubber (225/55R17), and STI badges. Designers continued the STI theme inside with a 240 km/h (150 mph) speedo, STI-badged Alcantara and leather seats with red stitching, and a leather-bound steering wheel and gear shifter.

More power is always welcome in our book, but as explained above, Tatsumi and Co. believe the Forester’s turbo already has sufficient punch, and after a few hours behind the wheel, we can’t complain. The 2.5-liter boxer turbo is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox (with manual mode and paddles) and develops roughly 259 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 256 pound-feet of torque from 2800 to 4800 rpm (Japanese-spec trim). We would have liked to have seen the Legacy’s six-speed manual gearbox bolted to the gutsy turbo, but the slushbox with flappy paddles shifts quickly enough to keep the driving experience on the boil. But it’s what’s under that chunky body that transports the Forester tS STI to a new handling dimension.

Honda announced today that it will recall almost 1.35 million Fit subcompacts globally in order to repair some defective wiring in the headlights. Although, according to a Honda spokesman, no accidents were reported from the defect it appears that the recalled vehicles were built at Honda’s Suzuka factory in Japan between November 2001 and October 2007.

About 735,000 units will be recalled in Japan, where the Fit is the second most popular car after the Toyota Prius. About 143,000 Fit models will be recalled in the United States, while in Europe the Japanese manufacturer will recall 385,000 units.

Here’s our first official glimpse at the face of the next-generation Honda Civic. This sketch is intended to give the world an idea of what we can expect from the Civic show car Honda will display at the Detroit Auto Show in January. From the looks of things, the compact coupe will take the look of the current Civic and throw in some additional attitude. Along with some aggressively swept headlamps reminiscent of the European Civic Type R, the sketch also shows off a fascia with more menacing proportions. A large air inlet down low and slit fog lights help pull the car from the throws of anonymity.

Of course, it’s always difficult to tell what will survive the transition between design sketch and reality. We don’t expect to see those huge wheels nor the wildly flared hips make their way to production. Speaking of production, Honda has a long history of rolling out concepts that are nearly identical to the real deal, so keep your eyes on Detroit for what could be the first look at the next Civic.

With Hyundai‘s recent sales success, the Korean automaker is considering expanding its product offerings to include new models in the luxury segment that would rival the most popular and high-volume vehicles currently offered by Japanese and German competitors. While Hyundai already offers the Genesis Sedan and the new Equus flagship model, the two vehicles being studied include a direct rival to the BMW 3 Series and as well as a crossover that would target the Lexus RX350.

To do this Hyundai is likely to officially spin-off the Genesis name into its own brand says Hyundai Motor America President John Krafcik. Three plans are being considered, with the most likely being to sell the luxury models in the same dealership as the current Hyundai lineup, using the dealer-within-a-dealer strategy. The two other options include keeping the cars branded as Hyundais, or building all new dealers to support the new models, just as Toyota did with Lexus and Honda with Acura.

Krafcik is eager to expand, but says the decision won’t be made any time soon with the key factor being the success of the Equus – a full-sized luxury sedan aimed at vehicles like the Mercedes S-Class but costing 30 percent less at $58,000.