2011 GMC Acadia Denali

2011 GMC Acadia Denali

2011 GMC Acadia Denali

GMC will bring Denali bling, bells, and whistles to its crossover Acadia this fall after its debut at the 2010 Detroit show with a choice of either front- or all-wheel-drive, bearing the familiar drilled chrome grilles, Xenon headlamps, monochrome fascias and cladding, chrome accents and special 20-inch chromed wheels with black-chrome centers.
Inside the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali, there's a mahogany steering wheel, perforated leather heated and cooled front seats, head-up display, dual sunroof, tri-zone climate control, special footwell lighting, chromed sill plates with red light-up Denali badging, and most every other creature comfort you can imagine (rear-seat entertainment remains optional).

A more meaningful upgrade is fitment of most of the Enclave's quiet tuning elements (extra mastic, triple seals, and acoustic windshield-the front door glass is not acoustic, as the Acadia's windows are a different shape). Maximum towing capacity is a class-leading 5200 pounds. Expect the price jump to be less than the $15K leap from Yukon SLE to Denali.
The Acadia Denali will be available in front- and all-wheel drive, and seven- and eight-passenger configurations. The standard engine is GM's ever-present 3.6L direct-injected V-6, and maximum towing capacity is 5200 lbs. The Acadia gets a suspension retune to compensate for larger diameter wheels and available all-wheel drive. The EPA's fuel economy ratings don't change: 17/24 mpg for the front-drive models, while all-wheel drive knocks 1 mpg off both ends.

2012 Ford Focus

2012 Ford Focus

2012 Ford Focus

2012 Ford Focus red

2012 Ford Focus

The U.S. Focus is dead. Next year, Ford obliterates the heaviest complaint levied at its lineup. Next year, Ford gives us a European Focus.
Well, it's technically a global car. As a 2012 model, the third-generation Focus, whether in four-door sedan or five-door hatchback form, will be nearly identical in all markets. Ford's European small and medium vehicle center in Germany led development. Powertrain engineering occurred in Ford's technical center in England. Ford put its European driving dynamics specialists in charge of ride and handling. This is as European as it gets.

But there's better news: Ford says it's using identical chassis and suspension architecture in all markets, except for minor regional tuning differences. That means the torque vectoring Dynamic Cornering Control system -- added by those special driving dynamics folk -- is coming our way. It transfers power between the drive wheels to reduce understeer, and improve traction and turn-in.
The rear suspension is an updated version of the independent multi-link (Ford calls it "Control Blade") found in previous Focus models. Torsional rigidity is up 25% over the current North American Focus, thanks to extensive use of high-strength steel (comprising 55% of the body shell). Ultra-high-strength and Boron steels account for 26%. Ford says these materials help the Focus meet crash legislation across world markets and minimize vehicle weight.

2011 Ford Mustang GT

With a bore of 92.2mm and a stroke of 92.7mm, the high-tech DOHC 32-valve engine under the hood of the 2011 Ford Mustang GT making its debut at the 2010 Detroit show displaces 4951cc. That figure legitimately rounds to 5.0 liters, unlike the 4942cc displacement of its pushrod predecessor. That overgenerous rounding drove some of us persnickety engineering types crazy for all those years, so right off the bat we're inclined more favorably toward this new V-8. Indeed there is a lot to like about this high-tech engine, starting with its output figures: 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque (on recommended but not required premium fuel, slightly less on regular no-lead).
Designed according to best-practices established in the design of the 3.5 and 3.7-liter V-6s as well as the 6.2-liter V-8, the Mustang GT's new 5.0 boasts cam-torque actuated variable valve-timing on the intake and exhaust cams plus a long-runner single-scroll intake manifold and tubular stainless headers to optimize breathing. Moving the alternator out of the valley opened up space for the 80mm throttle body to breathe directly into the larger intake manifold. To cope with the engine's 11:1 compression and high combustion stresses, the crank is forged steel and fully counterweighted, using forged powdered-metal connecting rods, floating wrist pins, and hypereutectic pistons cooled by oil jets. The bulkheads are also 2mm wider and the six main bearing bolts are larger than those in the 4.6. This is reportedly as large a displacement as this architecture can handle with the 1.2mm cylinder liners and the current deck height (a slightly larger bore could be accommodated by switching to a spray-lined cylinder design).

The unique new cylinder heads will not bolt up to earlier 4.6s. The exhaust cam has been moved down and outboard, so the intake cam could also move outboard a bit for a more vertical intake valve geometry. Extremely light valves and compact roller finger followers permit the engine to rev to the speeds of 7000 rpm. To cope with the extreme g-loading experienced on a track and enable a 10,000-mile oil-change interval, the oil capacity has been increased to eight quarts. Extensive baffling and redesigned oil return galleys ensure that the cylinder head oil drains and the oil pump pickup is supplied even at sustained 1g lateral loads.