AUTOMOBILE101 BLOG

If we must remember that a kiss is just a kiss, then it seems doubly likely that a grin is just a grin. Not long ago  Motoring said it believed  Ford was working on a Fiesta RS ; when the mag asked  Ford  Performance Europe boss Leo Roeks if he planned something hotter than the  Fiesta ST , Roeks put on "a broad grin" and said, "I can't tell you, but I'm very busy." Turns out that grin meant nothing, at least according to  Ford  of Europe design director Amko Leenarts. He told Dutch publication  AutoRAI , "The performance of the new  Fiesta  ST is already such a high level that a more powerful model is not necessary." While Leenarts believes the Fiesta ST doesn't need any more performance juice beyond its 197 horsepower, the competition takes a different view. At the beginning of the year,  Volkswagen suggested its 197-hp Polo GTI  chassis leaves potential performance on the table, so a  harder, more powerful Polo  wo...

Th e outgoing Acura MDX has nothing to be ashamed of , but the thing about refreshes is that the engineers and product teams always have something to fine tune. Some of it is planned in advance — the cosmetic upgrades and the A-Spec trim were probably always part of the product roadmap. But there are also some tweaks that seem to be a response to customer feedback. Let's take a closer look. Most important, some of the goodies reserved only for the old Sport Hybrid will now be available on all  MDXs . Notably, the Active Damper System — a continuously adjustable valve that controls the flow of hydraulic fluid within the damper — is available on non-hybrid MDXs for the first time. The system has several settings, from plush to firm.  We found this system worked very well  on the Sport Hybrid during our first drive, so it's a useful upgrade that buyers will be able to readily appreciate. Next up is an A-Spec appearance trim, which looks sportier but doesn't offer any add...

Florida man ... it's a term that always delivers on its promise to readers. In today's installment, a Florida man was arrested after a woman complained that his vehicle had butted into the back of her car repeatedly in a McDonald's drive-thru line in Vero Beach. The woman pointed out the vehicle to a responding deputy, and the police report says the driver, Earle Stevens Jr., had an open bottle of Jim Beam in a brown paper bag in his front seat. As they made their introductions, he reportedly told the deputy he felt "pretty good." The deputy reports that Stevens said he'd never had a valid Florida  driver's license . When asked if he had been drinking, Stevens allegedly said yes. Ah, but not while driving, according to this distinction: "He further explained that he was not drinking while the car was moving and only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals," a court document states. Stevens allegedly said he'd had "about three ...

The Kawasaki Z900RS Café looks fantastically retro for a new bike. With some simple detailing and well-chosen colors, the bike looks like something built several decades ago — and it's coming to America, too,  as  Japanese Nostalgic Car  reports . The bike is inspired by the 1972 Kawasaki Z1 model, and it's based on the already retro Z900RS seen in the gallery above. True to the café racer ethos, it looks lighter and more agile than the RS. The racing-inspired cowl and the lower, blacked-out handlebars along with the higher seat give the bike a sportier look. Power comes from a 900cc straight-four, which makes 110 horsepower and 73 lb-ft of torque. The Z900RS version of the same engine has more power, and the Café's unit has been detuned, but Kawasaki claims this has been done to bring peak power 1000 rpm lower in the rev range to make it feel more old-school. There are three color choices, ranging from Stormcloud Blue to Metallic Graphite Gray and finally the very ...