Drive Wire: October 14, 2015
McLaren’s new convertible, the BMW X2, new Cadillac engines, a killer off-road van, and GoPro footage from a French war ship.
Transcript:
Hey guys, it's Christina Thompson, and this is Drive Wire for Wednesday, October 14.
None of us complained when the McLaren 675 Longtail was released earlier this year. But we were delighted to hear McLaren may be making a convertible version. Rumored to cost around $400,000, this 675LT Spider should bring a lot of smiling and sunburned faces to the McLaren community. The 675LT Coupe rockets to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and we expect the Spider won't be far behind. Although convertibles are typically heavier than their coupe counterparts, the 675 LT will most likely weigh less than the 650S Spider.
Good news for crossover fans, BMW plans to build an X2. The X2 is a sexier, sportier version of the X1, sharing many of the same parts but featuring all-new bodylines and styles. The U.S. version gets a turbo four-cylinder engine, which will send 228 horsepower to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. A 300 hp M-tuned version will also be available.
In under the hood happenings, Cadillac has announced a new 3.6 liter V6 for the ATS and CTS sedans. The engine will replace the old 3.6 liter V6, but is roughly 10 percent more efficient, burns cleaner, and has 14 more horsepower. However, expect to see the new engine debut in the CT6 before it goes into the rest of the sedan lineup. Of course, the new V6 will not affect any of the engine configurations on Cadillac’s V-series vehicles.
Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Hmm..what i really need is a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van with a 4x4 off-road drivetrain I can use as a mobile cabin or garage?’ Well, the outside van company had the same idea and came up with the Lava Flow, a 4x4 that’s capable of housing all your off-road toys while comfortably suspending you in a bed above them. Excuse me while I go park this puppy under a bridge down by the river.
There are few things we love more than jet engines being launched off of a city-sized ship capable of going 60 mph. Now put yourself in the point of view of a crewman and you’ve entered visual nirvana. This amazing GoPro footage gives us a first hand look at what it’s like to be a part of the danger zone on this French war ship.
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
