Car Throttle

News Bites for today include Dodge's hot Dart,  Audi's new diesel, teaser shots of the upcoming 2013 Dodge Viper, some good ole' fashioned intellectual property theft, an electric crossover thing, and Super Bowl advertisements from Audi and Honda.  Read on for the News Bites! Dodge's Dart subcompact was just revealed a few weeks ago, but we've already got two pieces of future speculation on where the lineup could expand.  First, Mopar will be bringing a concept Dart to the Chicago Auto Show, called the Dart GTS 210 Tribute.  It previews the two "stages" of Mopar upgrades for the new sedan.  Stage 1 will be aesthetic goodies, like the carbon fiber hood with Viper-esque scoop, and matte black side skirts, front diffuser, and other trim - along

The automotive world is filled with rivalries.  STI owners think EVO drivers are mentally handicapped, Mustang owners laugh at Camaros, Prius drivers have those "pissing on Insight" stickers, and Holden owners like to pull Ford drivers out of their cars at stoplights and beat them to death with pipe wrenches.  Another to add to the list: Cobalt SS and Neon SRT-4 owners.  On the surface, both cars are pretty similar: high performance versions of domestic economy cars, with drastically more power and braking abilities and not a lot of interior luxuries.  I love both; I love the Cobalt SS Turbo more. One way to settle the whole argument is to quit the bullshitting and bench racing, assemble some teams, slap them on a dyno (or

What can you get these days for $30 grand and change?  Well, if you're a sensible sort of fellow, the kind that wears slacks and a white polo daily, you could get a really darn nice Honda Accord.  To be specific, $29,755 (plus destination fee and accessories, etc) will get you a 2012 Accord EX-L with Navigation.  It's got a 2.4L engine that makes some horsepower, leather seats, an electronic map to tell you where to go, and it will without a doubt run flawlessly with 0 issues for 10-15 years.  10-15 years of perfectly predictable, sedate, drama and fun-free motoring. Seriously!  These cars last forever.  An acquaintance of mine works as a service adviser at a Honda dealer, and they recently got a 2006 Accord

FINALLY.  The friggin' Buick Encore is here.  All my dreams and prayers have been answered, I'm so excited I can hardly...

...oh, sorry, got caught up in Auto Show mode there.  I'm just glad we don't have to deal with teaser images of a small SUV any more.  Look, I love auto show season.  Even after years of this, it still gets my blood going - who doesn't like seeing new stuff for the first time?  But not everything that comes out at the auto shows are worth an entire article.  Thus, Car Throttle News Bites: Detroit Auto Show Edition.  If you missed the earlier coverage, you can find it under the Detroit 2012 Category.

Speaking of that

I'll be honest, my original interest in the Kia Optima SX 2.0T was the engine.  Plain and simple, I was curious about it.  They're claiming some stuff that to me seems impossible, and I wanted to plant my foot to the carpet in one and see if they were phoning it in, or if it was the real deal.  Turns out there's more to the Optima SX 2.0T than just a cool engine.  I was, if not shocked, then at least pleasantly surprised by this car on a lot of levels.  Read on to find out why. The Optima is not a new model; it's been around in the US since 2000.  Until it's most recent redesign last year, it never entered the conscious of people

We've known it was coming, but now we have all the details on the US-Spec Fiat 500 Abarth.  Following the regular 500 and the 500C quasi-convertible, the 500 Abarth packs more of everything:  power, grip, brakes, and attitude.  Here's what to expect. We've known the US Abarth would be getting the turbocharged 1.4L MultiAir I4, but we didn't know whether it would arrive in regular (135bhp) or EsseEsse trim (160bhp.)  Thankfully Fiat realized that we love power, so the turbocharged Italian will arrive in full-strength form, packing 160bhp and 170lb-ft of torque under the hood.  The Abarth version gets goodies like forged connecting rods, piston cooling jets, and lower-compression 9.8:1 pistons, down from 10.8:1 in the normal 500.  The small turbocharger breathes

Hyundai's Genesis Coupe took everyone by surprise when it came out in 2009.  A brand previously known for building cheap, boring transportation appliances had given us a shapely rear-wheel-drive sports coupe with great weight balance, and a choice of two engines: a tuner-friendly 2.0L Turbo base model, and a 3.8L V6, both available with 6 speed manual or automatic transmissions. In doing so, they pitched the GenCoupe directly against established musclecars like the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger - as well as against some import sports coupes like the Eclipse, Infiniti G35/G37, Nissan 350/370Z, and the BMW 1-Series.  It's a tough crowd.  And while the Genesis still shines as a driver's car, it doesn't shine as brightly in comparison any more.  Almost all it's competitors have gained

It's apparently hot hatch week.  Hot on the heels of yesterday's first pictures and details of the 5-door Fiest ST comes this: the new Vauxhall Astra VXR (or Opel Astra OPC to those on the continent.)  Although the shape itself isn't a surprise (the current Astra GTC three-door has been around since 2009), the big news is what's under the hood.

The VXR is made to compete with the Focus ST, Golf R, Scirrocco R, and Megane Renaultsport in Europe, so a 2.0L Turbo gas motor is a given.  Where the previous Astra VXR was no slouch with it's 237bhp turbo motor, the new motor benefits from direct injection, which allows a higher compression ratio and more boost.  Total power rises to 280bhp and 400nm

Ford is finally bringing their forbidden-fruit ST lineup to the United States.  We'll be receiving the 247-horsepower Focus ST next year, with it's trick direct-injection motor, low suspension, and bespoke bodywork.  Chances are good that we'll get a crack at it's baby brother, the Fiesta ST - which Ford is showing a "concept" 5-door version of at LA this month.

They showed a three-door concept at the Frankfurt Show in September, which our man Adnan covered live.  For those in the US, it wasn't much of a story: we don't get the three-door Fiesta here (just the 5-door and the oddly shaped sedan), so it's unlikely we'd get the three-door ST.  The five door is a pretty solid bet, though.

You gotta love Mazda.  While some of their national competitors are chasing the big bucks with boring mainstream transportation appliances, Mazda still retains a bit of their whacky engineering hot-rod charm.  Want proof?  the Mazda2 Turbo that they're showing at SEMA this year.

As I guessed yesterday, the Mazda2 Turbo is powered by the engine from the MazdaSpeed (MPS) 3 - the 2.3L DISI-Turbo.  This engine, with 263 horsepower and 280lb-ft of torque, is a monster in the 3,000+lb MS3.  While the standard Mazda2 is a fun steer, consider this: dropping in the 2.3 DISI is an increase of 163 horsepower and 182 lb-ft of torque.  That's a 2.63x increase in horsepower.  This is why I love Mazda.  The normal top-mount