Audi A3 TDI - Review | Hybrid Cars

A3 is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury wagon, available in 6 trims, ranging from the 2.0T Premium Manual... read more to the 2.0T Premium quattro S tronic

Audi A3 2.0 TDI | The Truth About Cars

The Audi A3 was introduced in 2005 as a compact luxury automobile built by Audi since 1996. Its size places it somewhere between a 5-door sedan hatchback and a

Audi A3 TDI - Short Take Road Test - Auto Reviews

Audi Worldwide Models A3 A3 Sportback Audi A3 ... View A1; Online Special; True grandeur shows character and substance. And is determined not to miss great moments

Audi A3 TDI Review - where gas mileage matters

Audi started its big push for clean diesel here in the U.S. market this spring when its big Q7 TDI finally went on sale. While the Q7 TDI is one of the most fuel

the front of the pack is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Click above for high-res image gallery

We're finally beginning to get a glimpse of exactly what Chrysler has been up to since snagging a whopping $6.6 billion in federal funding during the automotive implosion of 2009. While General Motors has been busily chugging along like nothing happened, the Pentastar hasn't exactly rolled out a wave of new and refreshed models. There's been an obvious hitch in the Chrysler giddy up, and those loyal to the company's three brands have been forced to settle for little more than slightly reworked option packages... until now. As 2010 comes to a close, the company is pulling the covers off a range of new models, each as important to its future success as the last.

In a world populated by bubble crossovers, the Grand Cherokee clearly stands apart.

At the front of the pack is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a vehicle that's become synonymous with Chrysler's righting of itself in the public eye thanks to some of the most well-crafted advertisements in the industry. If you don't know what we're on about, we highly suggest pointing your browser toward YouTube and spending a few minutes watching the company's "The Things We Make, Make Us" spot. Be prepared for an overwhelming sense of patriotic duty, as well as a burning desire to pick up a hammer and bang some nails.

You've been warned.

Even before Chrysler's run-in with Chapter 11, there were flickers of hope within the company's fleet. The Dodge Ram packed one of the best interiors in the segment, and the previous-generation Grand Cherokee wasn't a horrible place to spend a few hours. The 2011 Grand Cherokee picks up those cues and runs with them in all directions, resulting in a vehicle that's as capable off road as it is jousting with mid-town traffic. If this is the new face of Chrysler, we like what we see.

New Cars Maybach's Face-lifted Offerings

Maybach, Daimler's Bentley/Roller division, is debuting the face-lifted versions of its 57 and 62 models in Beijing (now "with added sparkle"!). What can we expect from the little mega-luxury brand that couldn't?

First off, the body gets a few pinches here and there: a redesigned front bumper gets some extra trim, the new arrow-shaped hood gets snazzy edges and bigger, aerodynamic mirrors improve merging and now reduce driving noise.

Outside, the newish models will also feature more bling in the form of "a large new chrome radiator grille", LED daytime running lights, "high-quality dark red taillights", and "stylish wheels".

The grilles are unique to the two model lines (standard and "S"). Regular models will have 20 thin bars and S models get 12 thicker ones; the good news is, S grilles get a "shadow strut" to "flag up the vehicle's tremendous power." That's really what they wrote in the press release...

Inside, buyers will have access to wireless internet and a few new options including a perfume atomizer brought down from the Zeppelin model. What will they think of next?

For the short-wheelbase model, buyers can now request a reclining rear seat behind the front passenger. They can also order Swarovski crystal elements on the seat piping and some sterling silver "Maybach" compensation badges on the seats. You know, in case their old S-Class just isn't shiny enough.

Ballers going for the long-wheelbase 62 can also request a 19-inch screen to be installed in compartment partition, should they be riding in a chauffeured model.

Lastly, output increases to 630 horsepower in the S models (up 18; standard models' output remains the same), and emissions drop to 368 g/km (350 g/km in non-S guise).

Fuel economy should be right around 15.8 liters/100km (14.9 mpg) in the S, while people not needing a sporty limousine can expect 15.0 liters/100km (15.7 mpg) in standard form.

With these new models, Daimler is simply drawing out the agonizing death of a brand that is the Joan Rivers of luxury cars: it just won't die and face lifts can only do so much. Time to pull the plug and let it go, guys.