Drive Wire: March 26, 2016
NYIAS news from Mercedes, a suped-up Land Rover, a new Miata droptop, a high-tech speed trap detector,
Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire coming to you from Industry City, The Drive’s new home in Brooklyn.
We start the weekend off with a slew of performance news from Mercedes-Benz, who had a big New York Auto Show in terms of sportiness, starting with hotter versions of the CLA45 and E43 sedans. But the big news is in the 63 club, which now includes the GLC. Mercedes’ big crossover gets the four-liter twin-turbo V8 treatment for next year, so get ready for one luxurious 503 horsepower monster. Maybe the most surprising nugget of news… the E63 sedan will be getting a Drift Mode, making it easier to slide around the track, and around town. Drift Mode in a Mercedes! The world gets stranger and better every day.
In fast SUV news, the Land Rover Discovery is on track to solve its horsepower problem. Frankly, 240 wasn’t a very good horsepower number for the little guy, but a new version of its two-liter turbo four should produce around 300 horsepower, helping put the disco back in discovery. The hotted-up model should be called the Discovery Sport “R” and will likely hit the market in the second half of next year.
Turning to the world of convertibles, the fantastic new MIata hardtop isn’t the only drop-top news this week, and it certainly isn’t the most powerful. That crown goes to the magnificent convertible version of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The chiseled and creased lines of the coupe look especially good on this model, but the truly big ticket items are the supercharged 640 horsepower V8, the six-speed stick, and the Magna-Ride suspension. Look for this bad boy in showrooms next year.
In the world of gear, we’ve found the future of high-tech ticket-proofing. The Trap Tap is a simple, dash-mounted module that warns you of speed zones with a single, color-coded light. Trap Tap uses crowd-sourced GPS information, making it fifty-state legal, to locate traffic cameras, school zones, and ticketing law-enforcement officers. And, it’s half the price of a true radar detector. Check out the Trap Tap on Kickstarter.
In today’s ridiculous video, we ride along with The Drive’s very own Ben Keeshin and Josh Condon as they go to Tank School at the Museum of American Armor. With absolutely no experience or sense of self preservation, these two fearless editors suit up and find themselves at the helm of an M48 Patton and an M4 Sherman. Fortunately, both editors returned with all their digits and more stories than the rest of the team cared to deal with.
That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.
