rover

We just returned from the press preview of the 2010 Paris Motor Show, which is open to the public from now until October 17, where we saw a hybrid turbine car from Jaguar, iPads in a BMW, a scary Lamborghini, a compact SUV from Land Rover, and every car Lotus will build up to 2015.

Jaguar C-X75 concept Jaguar's C-X75 is one of those concept cars we wish was in production right now. An innovative hybrid powertrain using micro-turbines means it hits 60 mph in about 3.4 seconds yet gets about 36 mpg.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento concept Lamborghini'… Read more

No, it's not a children's fable, the littlest Land Rover is actually a new model, the Evoque.

Faced with tightening emissions regulations, Land Rover went small, designing a new model that would get adequate power from a small engine. The result is the very modern-looking Evoque, a departure for Land Rover from its usual safari-capable tanks.

But despite the Evoque's size, it is no lightweight. Land Rover fitted it with every technology that currently makes its bigger models capable of tackling any terrain. Not only does the Evoque feature all-wheel-drive, but it has systems for descent control … Read more

Subaru will treat owners of the 2011 Forester with a better-sounding radio through HD Digital Radio.

The service will be included with the "premium radio" package option on the Forester. HD Digital Radio offers more than 2,000 crystal-clear AM and FM stations without a subscription fee.

Other automakers that offer HD Digital Radio receivers include Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Land Rover, Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz. This option is a first for Subaru models.

The service will also offer iTunes Tagging. iTunes Tagging lets you capture information about a song on the radio and store it on your iPod … Read more

We recently got a chance to go on the most amazing off-road adventure in the 2011 Range Rover and the 2011 LR4. Both vehicles have had minor tuning to their engines to make them more efficient, and a bit of a face lift on the body. But where judgment really stands is how well the Range Rover and LR4 do in the great outdoors.

Beauty and the Beast

On the first day of our wild adventure, we went from Telluride over Imogene pass in the San Juan Mountain Range--to an elevation of 13,000ft.

The 6,000-lb Range Rover is a beast, but climbs up the rocky trailways like a mountain goat. With a 5.0-liter, 510hp supercharged V8, we weren't concerned with setting 0-60 mph records; although the Range Rover can do 0-60 in 5.9 seconds.

The Colorado mountainside provided the best place for us to try out the Range Rover's new features: Gradient Acceleration Control and Hill Start Assist. Hill Start Assist keeps the initial driver-generated brake pressure long enough for your foot to move from brake to accelerator without the car rolling backward on the rocky trails.… Read more

Clearwire announced a new pay-as-you-go brand for its 4G wireless service on Monday.

The new brand is targeting 18- to 24-year-olds who are recently out of college, urban, and looking to stay connected. The service will not require a contract, and customers can sign up for unlimited data usage for just $5 per day, $20 per week, or $50 a month.

The Rover Puck will offer download speeds of 3Mbps to 6Mbps. The Puck is available for $150. And the Rover Stick is $100 and will work on MacBooks using Mac OS X, as well as Netbooks and laptops using … Read more

Slamming into the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph and enduring temperatures of up to 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit, a peak deceleration of up to 15 Gs, and the jerk of a supersonic braking parachute--that's just the opening act.

For NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, the real fun will start 50 seconds before touchdown when the one-ton nuclear-powered rover falls free of its parachute for a nail-biting rocket-powered final descent to the surface. (For the main story in this package, see "On Mars, satisfaction awaits Curiosity.")

Unlike past Mars missions, the Curiosity rover will not set down atop a legged lander … Read more

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, the most scientifically powerful robotic lander ever built, will use a suite of sophisticated instruments to search for carbon compounds and the geological markers that might indicate whether ancient, once-wet environments were ever habitable.

Scientists currently are assessing four potential landing sites for the rover's August 2012 arrival at the Red Planet that offer the best chance for a successful landing and the most scientifically promising terrain. (For the main story in this package, see "On Mars, satisfaction awaits Curiosity.")

"What we know going into this is every one of … Read more

Under the watchful eyes of anxious engineers, NASA's $2.4 billion Mars Science Laboratory rover has taken its first baby steps, rolling a few feet forward and back in an environmentally controlled clean room.

It was a seemingly modest test for an unfinished spacecraft that still faces technical challenges and months of assembly and testing. But with landing on the Red Planet now just two years away, the short drive on July 23 marked a major milestone for the men and women building the car-size rover.

"It's gone from designs on napkins to PowerPoint, to CAD drawings, … Read more

Land Rover has pulled the wraps off of its newest model, a luxury, compact SUV dubbed the Range Rover Evoque. Based on the LRX concept that debuted in 2008, the Evoque's two-door design makes it the smallest, lightest Range Rover ever; it's expected to be the most fuel efficient, as well.

Land Rover has released only a single photo of the new model--for the rest, we will have to wait for the 2010 Paris Motor Show in September. Unsurprisingly, the production model looks--at least on the outside--almost exactly like the LRX concept. Obvious differences include larger wing mirrors … Read more