Range Rover Fourth Model is Between Evoque and Sport

Range Rover has apparently discovered a hole in its lineup, namely between the baby Evoque and the larger Sport. Top brass are apparently looking at this gap as “white space” which can be pretty much filled with anything they can think of, just as long as it’s a certain size.

Motoring asked Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern if there was demand for such a vehicle. He said "Range Rover has a lot of equity because of product that's truly desirable, and you know with white space I think so.”

McGovern neither confirms nor denies the plan, choosing to simply smile and according to the source let us know there’s definitely more to the story.

Final bit of information he reportedly shared regarded the possible appearance of “something new from Land Rover” at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

The question that seems to go unanswered regards the possible body style it may adopt. Could it be a faux-coupe like the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE-Coupe?

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2016 Kia Optima Looks Awesome

These sketches are our first teaser glimpse at the production version of Kia's new generation Optima sedan, due for a world premiere at the New York Auto Show on April 1. 

Naturally, as with all teaser sketches, they're a bit on the optimistic side – heck, the Optima here looks more aggressive than the Geneva Motor Show Sport Space concept that hinted at the design direction for the mid-size sedan as well as a possible estate addition to the range. 

What we'll take from these official renderings is the more sculpted sides and the pronounced wheel arches together with the more angled rear window and a glasshouse that has a strong resemblance to the current model that was introduced at the 2010 NY Auto Show. 

The only piece of information we get from Kia is that the new Optima was "passionately designed and obsessively crafted". 

We do know that it will share its platform with the latest Hyundai Sonata, so it should offer a similar engine lineup in North America, including a 1.6-liter turbo, a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four and a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit.

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New Audi Q7 vs Volvo XC90

You asked for it, so here it is: a visual comparison between the two freshest arrivals in the large luxury SUV segment, the 2016 Audi Q7 and the 2015 Volvo XC90.

We'll give you a basic rundown of the two premium models before we let you go over the gallery and cast your vote on which one has your attention.

Audi presented the second-gen Q7 on Friday, ahead of a world premiere in Detroit in January, with highlights including a drastic reduction of 325 kg or 717 pounds in weight and new innovative tech features like the available full-TFT instrument panel.

Right now, the only confirmed engine for the U.S. is a new 248hp (252PS) 2.0-liter TFSI four-pot gasoline unit, while Europe will get a 3.0-liter TDI V6 diesel in 215hp (218PS) and 272PS (268hp) flavors, plus a 328hp (333PS) 3.0-liter TSI supercharged V6 gasoline and a plug-in hybrid combining a 3.0-liter diesel V6 and an electric motor delivering 368hp (373PS), when it goes on sale next year.

Volvo's long-overdue XC90 replacement had its first public outing at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in October, though it won't reach showrooms until spring of 2015. Like the Q7, it also sits on a new platform and has seating for seven in three-rows.

In the States, the new XC90 will be offered at launch exclusively with Volvo's new 316hp T6 2.0-liter turbo- and super-charged, inline-four gasoline engine linked to an 8-speed automatic and standard AWD with a starting MSRP of $48,900. Later on, Volvo will add a T8 plug-in hybrid variant that enhances the same four-cylinder unit with an electric motor for a combined output of around 400hp. Select markets around the world, including Europe, will get a pair of D5 turbo diesels with 190hp and 225hp.

In the coming months, both Audi and Volvo are expected to add more powertrain options to their respective lineups.

The two SUVs are very close in size, with the Q7 measuring 5,050mm long, 1,970mm wide and 1,740mm tall with a 2,990mm wheelbase, and the XC90, 4,950mm long 1,775mm tall 2,008 wide with a 2,984mm wheelbase.

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S65 AMG Sedan vs. Challenger Hellcat (video)

Looking at this video we can't help but to admire these two cars side by side and we're glad the owner decided to share a little muscle car rumbling with us. This is V8 vs. V12 in all its glory!

Of course, the massive V12-powered S65 AMG is a hard car to outshine in any sort of department. It's twin-turbo 6.0 liter engine puts out 621 hp (630 PS) which is terrific except for the fact that its 86 hp less than the Challenger Hellcat.

The Hellcat seems to be the car of the moment on all websites, YouTube channels and social media pages. And now wonder with those 707 hp, straight out of a good ol' American supercharged V8. It's actually faster than the Merc too with a 0-60 mph time in the low 3 second range. And of course it'll go all the way up to 199 mph where the S65 is limited to just 155 mph. But its not like those factory settings can't come off.

Another department where the Dodge takes the cake is pricing. The S65 AMG tips the scale at $222,000, which is over 3 times more expensive than the Hellcat. Overall, it's hard to decide which car sounds better. We're still willing to go with the V12 if we're talking mid to high range action. But at start-up, the Hellcat seems to sound a bit more aggressive.

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2012 Maserati GranTurismo Sport 460HP V8

The Sport model is motivated by an improved version of Maserati's 4.7-liter V8 engine that gains 10bhp over the outgoing S model for a total output of 460-horsepower.

There are some visual changes on the outside too, namely the redesigned front bumper with larger air vents, tweaked headlamps with DRL Led technology and darker tail lights.

While Maserati has not yet published any photos of the interior, the Italian company tell us that the Sport gets a brand new set of front and rear seats and a new steering wheel "with a more sporty and muscular look".

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