RideLust

We’ve already told you all there is to know about the Range Rover Evoque (here and here), which won’t be on the streets for another ten months or so. That didn’t stop Range Rover from creating the above video, which appears to show a virtual Evoque being virtually driven through virtual streets, by ghosts. You do get a good sense of what the Evoque looks like on the road, and you also get a decent look at the Evoque’s well appointed interior and panoramic roof.

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If you’re one of the purists who feel that real Porsches are air cooled and rear-engined sports cars, the announcement that Porsche will build a compact, entry level SUV is a sure sign the apocalypse is upon us. If you’re among those who aspire to own one of Stuttgart’s finest, but are saddled with the realities of raising a family, you probably see the Cajun as good news from Porsche. Either way, Porsche has announced their approval of the Cajun project, aimed at younger buyers new to the Porsche brand. The compact SUV is expected to compete against the Audi Q5 and the BMW X4 when it hits the market in 2013.

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Thumbs Up: Comfortable for front and rear seat passengers.

Thumbs Down: No telescoping steering wheel, on the expensive side.

Buy This Car If: You know and love Subaru, and want more style, luxury and room than the Forester offers.

For years, Subaru struggled to build some kind of a brand identity in the United States. Even in their early days, they were fairly well known in states like Colorado and Vermont, where winters typically range from bad to brutal. Subaru offered an inexpensive, reliable and fuel efficient AWD alternative to full sized SUVs, and the brand’s reputation began to grow. For years, their advertising slogan was “inexpensive and built to stay that way”, but times move on and buyers don’t necessarily want inexpensive and de-contented cars, even ones that get you just about anywhere you need to go.

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The 2011 Explorer testing in Dubai. Photo: Ford Motor Company

Based on their own market research, Ford expected the 2011 Explorer to be a huge sales success. It was what the Explorer buyers in their focus groups asked for, despite the fact that critics bemoan its loss of hardcore off-road capability and heavy-duty towing capacity. Ford appears to have guessed right, since they’ve taken roughly double the number of orders expected so far. To date, dealers have ordered some 7,500 units, consumers have ordered some 3,000 copies and corporate buyers have sent in POs for some 4,500 units. Total the orders, and that sum of 15,000 is twice the 7,500 that Ford expected prior to launch.

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Well honk my hooter and call me Cletus! Someone has actually taken the time to create the ultimate in new age redneck transport. By mating a Holden Ute SSV with a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, a new breed of overland transport has been created. May I present to you the 2012 Camar-O-mino, and hot damn if this just don’t tickle the pickle. The Holden Ute SSV is basically the Australian version our beloved, and now defunct El Camino for those born after 1990. It’s also powered by the same 400 hp 6.0-liter V8 mill that found its way into the Pontiac GTO that was built from 2004-2006.
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The 2011 Range Rover Evoque may be the best looking SUV (or crossover, depending upon your perspective) in the history of mankind. Will you be able to ford jungle streams and climb straight up the side of a volcano in one, like you could in a Land Rover Defender or a classic Range Rover? No, probably not, unless the stream is only a few inches deep and the volcano has a gravel road to the caldera. That certainly won’t hurt Evoque sales, since the urban-hip SUV is aimed at a buyer more concerned with image than with capabilities.

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It’s hard not to like a motor that produces 300 horsepower, 300 ft lb of torque and is silky smooth as only an inline six can be. When BMW rolled out the 3.0 liter, twin-turbo N54 motor in the 2006 335i, it helped move a lot of inventory from BMW dealer lots. Some saw it as a poor man’s M3, although “poor man” and BMW are somewhat contradictory terms. The motor proved to be so good that BMW bolted it into 1 series cars, 3 series cars, 5 series cars, the Z4 roadster and the X6 crossover. In other words, the N54 has become a fairly common motor in BMW’s product mix.

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2011 VW Touareg TDI. Photo: VW

In the market for a mid-size SUV / Crossover vehicle? Can you hold out just a little while longer? If you can, then you may want to give VW’s second generation Touareg SUV a drive when it hits dealer showrooms later this fall. For diesel fans, this is very good news since the Touareg will be back with a TDI clean diesel variant. Unfortunately, the V10 turbodiesel and it’s stump pulling 553 ft lb of torque won’t be used in second generation, but there’s still enough grunt in the new oil burner to keep torque fans happy.

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Another week, another series of “leaked” product introductions ahead of next week’s Paris Auto Show. This time it’s Range Rover, showing off the Evoque, which makes its official debut at the Paris event. Range Rover has ambitious plans for the Evoque, as the company hopes it will bring in an entirely new demographic of buyer. In keeping with current trends in both the E.U. and the U.S., Range Rover will seek to maximize interior content and luxury, while maintaining Range Rover’s legendary all weather capability. The Evoque is also smaller than existing Range Rover models, which the company hopes will broaden its appeal in urban environments.

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A 2010 RAV-4 V6, coming soon in EV flavor.

It’s no secret that Toyota invested heavily in Tesla for their electric propulsion and battery management technology. The first product of this arranged marriage appears to be a battery powered RAV-4, set to debut as a prototype at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

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