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For Ford, the Flex has been one of those hollow victories. The people who buy it love its Mini-Cooper-on-a-high-protein-diet look, especially with the available two-tone paint jobs, and the comfortable packaging and cruising ride they get without bumping up to a frumpy minivan. The trouble is that there haven’t been enough of those happy buyers taking the plunge.

Ford sold just 27,000 Flex models last year, down 20 percent from the year before – not exactly one of CEO Alan Mulally’s homeruns. Also, its marketing has been confused since its debut. Ford initially pitched it as a cool urban crew wagon – think Funkmaster Flex. The advertising Powerpoint presentation actually said “No dog drool.” No kidding. The high-concept ads were all shot at night on city streets. It bombed. Soon after launch, we saw families and even a dog or two in ads.

What the Flex really has going for it are its looks, versatility and friendly driving demeanor compared to minivans and SUVs that sit higher off the ground. We drove the original Flex when it was first introduced on a 1,600-mile roundtrip between Michigan and South Carolina, with bikes, luggage and one child aboard. We would still be hard-pressed to name a vehicle we like better for such tasks, taking into account comfort, storage, steering and entertainment, so we couldn’t help wonder if the 2013 upgrades means a great vehicle has been made even better.

In truth, not much has changed about the formula that helps make the Flex a grand cruiser and one of our favorite alternatives to a minivan. The updated 3.5-liter V6 Ti-VCT engine we’ve just driven is still everything most buyers will want in a conventional six, offering plenty of get-up-and-go to pull the 4,828 pounds of the all-wheel-drive model we sampled. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is our top choice, though, with its 355 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, versus the 285-hp – an increase of 25 ponies for 2013 – and 253 lb-ft output of the standard V6. Fuel economy numbers for the front-wheel drive, naturally aspirated V6 ring up at 18 miles per gallon city and 25 highway, and the twin-turbo V6 chips in with a less-than-stellar 16/23. (Fair warning: getting full power out of the EcoBoost requires premium fuel).

Source: Autblog

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The all-electric Leaf hasn’t exactly set the sales charts ablaze since it hit the market, but it has succeeded in delivering a zero-emissions halo to the Nissan brand, and the model’s fortunes are poised to improve now that it’s a 50-state offering. What’s more, TheDetroitBureau.com reports that the electric love will soon migrate over to Nissan’s luxury marque, but with a lot of Leaf under some sexier sheetmetal.

We’ve heard rumors of an Infiniti-branded EV concept for some time now, but details on the electric concept car have been scarce to this point. Now, the automaker tells TDB that it will feature G-Series-inspired styling with a sprinkling of inspiration from the Emerg-E concept (pictured above). Infiniti wants to frame the unnamed concept as a luxury car first and EV second, with more performance and a larger battery pack than the Leaf’s 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion setup.

The concept will reportedly also utilize a 6kWh charger that will charge a spent battery in about half the time needed for the Leaf. The beefier charger is likely to make it to production, since the Leaf will reportedly get the 6kWh unit by December.

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With everyone in sports cars switching to electro-mechanical steering due to packaging and fuel efficiency gains, there has been a mess of opportunities over the past six months to see who’s nailing it and who not so much. At one end, there is the distinctly sensory-deprived setup on the new Mercedes SL, then to the slightly less fuzzy steering on newer Audi models. Moving up the spectrum, there’s the Porsche Boxster and on up to the new 911, which is pretty good (it’s got the same ZF steering as the Boxster, so the fact that it’s better than on the Boxster has to be down to sheer physics), and finally you hit the latest BMW 3 Series, which is spot-on for its segment. But the quick 13:1 ratio steering on the BRZ with electric actuation by Japan’s Jtekt goes one better versus even the 3 Series. I had completely forgotten to even pay attention to it as such until the guy I was driving with blurt out, “The steering is really just so dang good. Doesn’t feel one bit electronic.”

Source: AutoBlog

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Autocar reports Lexus may be mulling a production version of the company’s LF-LC Concept. After receiving a near universally positive reception following its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show this year, Karl Schlicht, head of Lexus product planning, reportedly gave the vehicle a 50-50 shot at hitting dealers sometime in the future. Those aren’t great odds, but it is a change of tone from when the vehicle first hit the stage. Back in January, Toyota made it very clear the LF-LC was strictly a concept. As you may recall, the vehicle is a 2+2 coupe with a hybrid drivetrain and a low-slung presence.

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BMW has announced it is recalling a whopping 1.3 million 5 Series and 6 Series vehicles from the 2003 to 2010 model years. Of those, Reuters notes that some 368,000 examples were sold in the U.S. – most of them sedans like the one above.

It doesn’t sound like too difficult of a problem to fix, but the automaker says the cars’ battery cable covers could be incorrectly mounted. BMW says no accidents or injuries have occurred because of the issue, but there is the potential that affected models may fail to start, or worse, catch fire.

Owners will be receiving a letter soon and will be asked to visit a BMW dealer for about a 30-minute repair session.

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BMW i, the sub-brand within BMW with its eye towards the future of mobility, has unveiled its third concept, the i8 Spyder. Based on the i8 coupe that debuted last year alongside the i3 city car, the i8 Spyder is at once an obvious followup, but also appears to be a couple of steps closer to the production models that will eventually go on sale to the public.

The beauty of the i8 Spyder’s drivetrain is the car can be front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive depending on whether efficiency, performance or all-weather traction is called for. Like the coupe, the i8 Spyder also features a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and BMW claims to have completely cancelled out the extra weight of the hybrid drivetrain through extensive use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber and aluminum. Performance is also impressive, with 0-62 mph happening in five seconds and a top speed governed at 155 mph.

Not everything between the coupe and spyder is the same, though. The i8 Spyder has a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length. Its upward-swiveling, windowless doors are also different. The car’s developers have also whimsically included a pair of electric scooters underneath a glass panel in the rear. Aside from a few more exterior tweaks to accommodate the open air design, which can be closed again with a two-section folding roof, the rest of the i8 Spyder is identical to the coupe, including the interior that features a slightly warmer choice of colors.

Source: BMW

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If you like what you see, Ford will kindly ask for ,200 for a ticket to ride, plus a 5 freight charge. Our tester, which came equipped with goodies like a voice-activated navigation system, adaptive cruise control and Ruby Red Metallic paint, rings up at ,075. That kind of cash falls well below what buyers are expected to pay for supposed competitors like the BMW 550i xDrive starting at ,300 or the less powerful Audi A6 Quattro, which starts at ,900. Likewise, the Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic is no easier on the wallet with its ,790 MSRP.

With its 365 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque on hand, the 2013 Taurus SHO is capable of an estimated run of 5.1 seconds from standstill to 60 mph. That thrust bests the A6 by about .4 seconds and the big E-Class by a shave, but falls just short of the 4.7 seconds served up by the considerably brawnier 550i xDrive. Surprisingly enough, we’d wager the Taurus would be capable of hanging with those high-brow Europeans even after the track turned twisty. Is the SHO as nice as its Old Country counterparts inside and out? Certainly not, but any deficiencies are quickly made up by the MSRP. At nearly ,000 less expensive than its closest Euro counterpart, it’s no wonder Ford says half of SHO buyers come from luxury brands.

At this point, you’re likely wondering why we’ve avoided the two V8-powered elephants in the room; the Chrysler 300 SRT8 and Dodge Charger SRT8. While it’s true the big American bruisers offer big thrust and smart handling, their 470-horsepower 6.4-liter V8 engines put them in a different class altogether, and they can’t be had with all-wheel drive.

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This R231 generation SL is a big car – with a length of 181.8 inches, it’s over three inches longer than Honda’s latest CR-V. Compared to the fifth generation model, this new SL is two inches longer and spans just over two inches wider. Critically, while the 2013 SL is larger, it’s also much lighter. That’s because for the first time in its history, the SL rides atop an aluminum unibody. With the exception of high-strength steel A-pillars, nearly everything that isn’t aluminum is comprised of even lighter magnesium, including the roof panels. By going with aluminum, Mercedes reckons that the SL’s shell is nearly 250 pounds lighter than it would have been had it been rendered in steel, and the whole works is upwards of 20-percent stiffer torsionally. All told, the 2013 model weighs about 275 pounds less than the exit car. All of which means Mercedes can argue there’s a bit more truth in labeling this roadster SL (“Sport Leicht”) – if only a bit. After all, the SL550 still tips the scales at 3,947 pounds – 400 pounds more than the portliest all-wheel-drive CR-V that Honda can muster.

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Back in February, Aston Martin announced a revision to its entry-level model – the V8 Vantage – for European markets, and subsequently revealed it to the public at the Geneva Motor Show. Of course, we knew it would only be a matter of time until the updated Vantage would find its way Stateside, and that time has now come.

Many of the updates are borrowed from the slightly up-market Vantage S, including some mild cosmetic changes and the optional seven-speed Sportshift II sequential transmission replacing the clunkier six-speed version that preceded it. The suspension and brakes have also been upgraded on the new model, but the 4.7-liter V8 and its 420 horsepower carry over unchanged.

So how much will a new V8 Vantage set you back with all these updates? 8,370 for the coupe, or 2,870 for the Roadster – which actually represents a slight discount over the previous coupe model and a negligible increase on the convertible. Like what you see? You’re invited to dive into the full press release and specifications below, along with the high-resolution images in the gallery above.

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