Men Free Blog

The Mercedes-Benz CLS is due for a refresh within the next two years, but before M-B releases an all-new version of its pioneering and often imitated four-door “coupe,” at least one special edition is in order. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS Grand Edition features a set of bi-xenon headlamps, with an integrated cleaning and range adjustment system, along with fog lamps that swivel with the steering wheel to illuminate around the bend. AMG provides a set of 18-inch, five-spoke wheels coated in titanium grey and wrapped in 245/40 (front) and 275/35 (rear) rubber, while “Grand Edition” badges adorn the front fenders and floor mats.

By far, the most intriguing part of the CLS Grand Edition is the available platinum matte paint which M-B assures is highly scratch- and dirt-resistant, but for those not particularly partial to the low-gloss coating, obsidian black, iridium silver, carneol red or flint grey metallic finishes are available. Inside, the “designo” interior (a Benz customization option) features anthracite Alcantara headliner and joins “marron,” sand, black, mystic red, porcelain or Chablis leather seats and accents, along with laurel wood trim and stainless steel pedals.

Orders for the CLS Grand Edition begin abroad today, with four engines choices, a starting price of 67,294 euros and deliveries starting in March.

Cars represent freedom, right? Sure, but shouldn’t that same freedom be available to those who can’t justify purchasing their own car? Daimler thinks so, and has created a new pilot program called car2go that allows subscribers to rent a smart fortwo for just 19-cents a minute or less, depending on how long you need the car. The initial roll-out is taking place in Ulm, Germany and begins October 24. The cars can be reserved at a moment’s notice from the internet, a mobile phone or in passing using an electronic chip that’s given to the user upon the account’s creation. There are no limits as to how far the car car be driven, and it can be parked and relocked wherever the driver’s trip ends as long as it’s within the city limits.

At the outset, there will be 50 smart fortwo’s in use by car2go. For a trial period, only Daimler employees will be able to use the service, but the automaker hopes to expand to all Ulm citizens in the spring of 2009. We imagine the car2go service will expand into other locations based on how successful this pilot program proves to be, but don’t hold your breath for smart rentals in the U.S. anytime soon.

Autocar has cooked up the latest rendering of the forthcoming Abarth Roadster, and while it keeps the basic shape of previous images, it adds a more distinct Fiat flavor to the front.

The Roadster will form one prong of Abarth’s three-model lineup, joining the Punto and 500 variants, but will be based off a new platform, complete with an engine mated amidships, shared by a new Fiat Group vehicle, likely the Lancia Fulvietta.

Power is expected to come courtesy of the 500 Abarth’s turbocharged 1.4-liter, putting 135-150 hp to the rear wheels. Sales are likely to begin sometime in 2013 and the Abarth Roadster is expected to carry a sticker price of £12,000.

As you read this, journalists in Europe are getting their first taste of the Ferrari California, flogging the new coupe/convertible through the rolling hills of Italy, and periodically stopping to snack on shaved white truffles and sip Brunello di Montalcino. Jealous? We are. But rest assured our time will come. If it doesn’t, then at least we know what we’ll have to remove from our tanking 401k to get a California of our own… in Europe.

Evo is reporting that the Ferrari California will set back our friends abroad £143,000, placing it right in between the F430 coupe and spider. To put that into a U.S.-dollar perspective, the F430 coupe costs around $185,000 in the States, while the drop-top F430 is priced somewhere north of $210,000.

We’ll have to wait to see how the 460-hp California fares in the first round of reviews, but in the meantime, start saving your pennies and get in line.

It was only a matter of time before Mitsubishi’s British engineers tired of relentlessly beating the FQ300 and FQ360 versions of their homegrown Evos. So it’s no surprise that after a 400-hp version of the Evo X successfully campaigned in the Britcar Championship, Mitsubishi finally gave the go-ahead to its crack team of in-house tweakers to produce a road going version for public consumption. The FQ400 is on its way.

If the Mitsu team holds true to the original ADR Motorsport-developed Evo, expect a new turbocharger, exhaust manifold and fuel system, along with a reworked ECU to make use of the extra boost and petrol. Naturally, output will be related to the FQ400’s name, with 400hp being delivered to all four wheels through a manual gearbox. A top speed of 170 mph and a 0-60 time of around 3.5 seconds shouldn’t be too hard to achieve, and with a reworked suspension, upgraded brakes and some aerodynamic enhancements, Lambo owners should think twice before cutting the FQ400 off at their first track day at Silverstone. Pricing hasn’t been released yet, but expect the Mitsubishi Evolution X FQ400 to crest the £45,000 mark when it goes on sale next year in the UK.

Ben Terrett, a graphic designer in London saw this FIAT Doblo and snapped a photo. We thank him for his expert eye and quick reflexes. While at first glance this might seem to be a commercial van covered with advertising for the driver’s company, it is in fact a van covered with angst. The sides and rear spell out a laundry list of complaints the owner has with it: “This FIAT is very unreliable, 2 new clutches, 2 new flywheels, 2 new master cylinders, 2 new servos, Since new, Nothing but aggro.” Apparently this guy isn’t too happy with his little FIAT and hasn’t gotten any satisfaction from his dealer. As Terrett points out, it looks like a pretty effective way to take revenge. Thanks for the tip, James!

It’s incredible that there can be so many goings on around a little car show. There was a spot of turmoil in the last shortened season of Top Gear, a few grumblings of unhappy presenters, and then the hallowed BBC couldn’t figure out when the next season was going to begin. But here we are, the date has arrived: Top Gear version 12 will commence on November 2nd, 2008, A.D. I guess then we’ll start to find out what they’re doing in Vietnam…

British mag Autocar just got through driving a 2010 Mazda3 prototype and the author seems to have come away impressed. The mag got the chance to sample the new 3 in gas and diesel variants while driving them around Iceland’s coastline. They were very impressed with the new 2.2L diesel, but we’ll likely just get the equally new and impressive 2.0L direct-injection gas engine here in the former colonies. They described that DI engine as “impressively smooth, refined and torquey” while routing its power through a “very slick” six-speed manual. Mazda has apparently also kept the spirit of Zoom-Zoom alive in the handling department, producing a car that is more “pointable… than is common in this class.” Autocar went so far as to compare it to a Mk IV Golf V5. High praise indeed. We’ll have to wait until later next month at the LA Auto Show to see how the U.S. version turns out, but for now we’ll take Autocar’s word on this being “a big improvement over the current car,” which many of us already love.

The GT-R/911 schoolyard scuffuffle continues, with Nissan looking at Porsche’s test and basically saying “yer doin it wrong” to the German automaker. Chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno has graciously offered remedial driving classes to the driver for Porsche’s lapping session where a GT-R was reportedly 25 seconds off Nissan’s torrid time of 7 minutes, 29 seconds. Porsche had concluded that special tires must have been quietly fitted in a quest for ‘Ring primacy. Porsche has yet to say anything other than “Ve don’t sink zee car can do it in schtock form.”

Not so, says Nissan. While a claim to the fastest production car on the Nürburgring might help prospective customers froth up some money, and owners are unlikely to try verifying the claim, Nissan is not interested in wasting time on one-offs, according to Mizuno. “For us, testing the car in standard production specification is far more relevant”, says the engineer. The very tires that carried driver Toshio Suzuki on the 7:29 run are in the hands of Sumitomo, and Nissan would encourage interested parties to STFU and go look at the rolling stock. It seems Nissan thinks Porsche needs a little help figuring out the GT-R, to which the company will be happy to help. “We are aware that several automakers have purchased the GT-R for their own testing and evaluation,” Nissan says in its most recent rebuttal, “we would welcome the opportunity to help any auto manufacturer with understanding the full capabilities of the GT-R.”

Tata’s cut-price Nano budget car isn’t even on the market, and already the Indian automaker is planning its successor. In an interview with German magazine Focus, Tata’s Girish Wagh revealed that the second-generation Nano will be developed in four years from now and designed for an assault on the European market.

In order to market in Europe, the next Nano will need to comply with the stringent Euro 5 emissions and safety standards, and Tata will target three liters per 100km, down from the current Nano’s already tiny-sipping 5L/km. Before the next Nano is ready for the European market, Tata will focus on its domestic market for two-three years, after which it will look at expanding into Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. As we reported earlier, Tata plans to avail itself of Fiat’s dealer network in exchange for Jaguar-derived platforms for the upcoming Alfa Romeo 169 sedan.