New Car: 2014 Ford Transit

Before we introduce Ford’s latest Transit full-size commercial van, allow us to take a moment of silence for the, er, who are we kidding—only a select few will mourn the loss of the ancient E-series van that this new global hauler will replace next year. That’s right, at long last Ford finally has unveiled the E-series’s successor, the 2014 Transit, which will be sold in basically the same form across several global markets.

Ford already pulled the cover off of two members of its next-generation van family earlier this year—the Tourneo Custom (Tourneo is Ford-speak for passenger versions of its cargo vans) and the Transit Custom—and sure enough, the full-size Transit borrows many of its styling cues from those two smaller vans. As spy photos of Transit mules previewed, the production model gets a similar face to the pair of Customs, although it gets a large single trapezoidal grille instead of those vans’ dual grilles. Out back, the Transit wears tall taillights that extend about midway up the rear end; the Customs’ taillights are mounted higher up, but follow a similar theme.

Looks aside, it’s worth pointing out that the full-size Transit shares little to nothing underneath with the Tourneo and Transit Custom. It also is in no way related to the smaller Transit Connect, which also was redesigned for next year. The Transit may not look a whole lot like the Transit Connect or share much mechanically with the Custom twins, but it will look the same here as it does overseas.

Just because the U.S.-market Transit will be visually identical to the European version, however, does not mean we will get similar equipment or an equal number of variations. Overseas, buyers will be able to spec their Transit one of a loosely verifiable eleventy billion ways, with choices in wheelbase; front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive; a ton of different gas and diesel engines; multiple cab and body styles; and several roof heights. Here, we may get some variety in terms of wheelbase and roof heights, but for now our powertrain options are limited to a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 and an unspecified diesel engine driving only the rear wheels. Yet another gas engine is a possibility—we’re thinking the 3.7-liter V-6 from the F-150—but for now only the twin-turbo six and the mystery oil-burner are confirmed for America.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

New Car: 2014 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

After introducing the hot RS5 coupe in Europe back in 2010, Audi made us wait two years before sending the spicy ride our way, coinciding with a mid-cycle refresh for 2013. The wait was worth it, as we found after driving the RS5 last month, and now the company has revealed a new topless variant called, unsurprisingly, the RS5 cabriolet. Better still, there is a bit of good news on the home front: Audi will be sending the new RS5 convertible our way next year as a 2013 model, around the same time it goes on sale in Europe. That’s a much shorter wait time than we were subjected to for the RS5 coupe, and we like short wait times.

The RS5 cabriolet is hardly a shock—we first learned of Audi’s plans for such a model in a series of patent images the company filed last year, as well as in recent CARB filings—but the car’s near-simultaneous availability in the U.S. is a pleasant surprise. Also not shocking is the cabriolet’s spec sheet—predictably, it essentially mirrors that of the coupe—but that’s not to say the RS5 cabriolet won’t be one hot steer. For starters, the RS5 cab is achingly good-looking; like the coupe, the droptop nicely melds the A5’s handsome looks with menacing touches befitting its RS badge. The key difference, of course, is that the RS5 cabrio substitutes the coupe’s metal roof for a retractable cloth unit.

As is the case with nearly any high-performance coupe that goes under the knife and emerges sans roof, we suspect at least some of the RS5’s hard-edged reflexes may be dulled. That said, any minute losses in performance or chassis rigidity are likely to be outweighed by the convertible’s enhanced aural access to the 450-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 engine’s sonorous soundtrack. Yes, folks, the cabrio is powered by the same high-revving, naturally aspirated V-8 as found in the coupe—and it also will be available with that car’s optional sports exhaust. Lift the RS5 cabriolet’s hood, and you will be greeted by the same glorious engine bay as is in the coupe, down to the red-painted cylinder-head covers and carbon-fiber intake manifold.

The cabrio utilizes the same seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic and variable all-wheel-drive setup as the coupe. The standard front–rear torque split is 40:60, but the center differential can send up to 70 percent of the engine’s power to the front wheels or up to 85 percent to the rears. Audi is making the coupe’s optional torque-vectoring rear differential available on the cabriolet, too. Braking duties are handled by “wave”-edged brake rotors borrowed from the coupe, which up front are squeezed by eight-piston calipers. Finally, the RS5 cabrio’s suspension is stiffer and 0.79-inch lower than the regular A5 cabriolet (Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control adaptive damper setup is available, too) and rides on forged aluminum 19-inch wheels; 20-inch rims are available, too.

Thanks to: Car and Driver