2018 Ford Mustang GT’s New Quiet Exhaust Mode Won’t Wake the Neighbors

Ford’s former head of vehicle engineering, Steve von Foerster, simply started his Mustang and left home one day, but the ruckus the V-8’s exhaust made upon startup rankled his neighbor enough to inspire a 9-1-1 call. Of course the offending noisemaker was gone when the cops arrived, so no ticket was issued. Rather than getting mad or getting even, von Foerster set his team about the task of preventing such calls in the future without fully emasculating the car.

Lots of cars have buttons or menus from which to change the exhaust setting, but who remembers to press it when folks are sleeping? Ford’s better idea is Quiet Exhaust mode, which will make its debut on the new 2018 Mustang GT arriving this fall. Just as you can program your car to alert you when it leaves a geo-fenced area, or limit vehicle speed or radio volume via the MyKey parental control settings, now you can also program the car to automatically start with its active valve performance exhaust system set to its sotto voce mode during the hours of day when folks may be trying to sleep, and to stir your soul with its full-throated fourth-order burble the rest of the day. Oh, and I checked: There’s no forcing it back on again during those hours via the MyKey parental controls settings if you’re hoping the loud exhaust will wake you up to thwart your heirs from post-curfew cruising. If you own a 2018 Shelby GT350, you’re unfortunately out of luck. The feature is currently only available on the GT, despite the GT350 having the necessary active exhaust valves.

The exhaust mode can be set by navigating to the general settings menu on the standard 4-inch instrument cluster display, or to the Pony menu on cars equipped with the fancier 12-inch all-digital cluster. Once activated, the peak exhaust sound at startup is said to register at about 72 decibels—or as Ford describes it “about the level of a household dishwasher.” Set it properly, and with the 2018 Mustang GT your biggest threat of Waking Up the Neighbours might be starting your car with your Bryan Adams CD cranked up too loud.

 

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Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz GLA Spied in Germany

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz debuted a lightly refreshed GLA lineup. The compact crossover received minimal changes to its front and rear ends, new fog lights, optional LED headlights, and some additional interior bright work. However, while the refresh extends the car’s life, this model isn’t long for this world as Mercedes-Benz is hard at work designing the next generation that we’ve captured testing.

Spied in Germany, this GLA mule wears less body cladding and camouflage than the last one we caught. Like the previous model, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA will again ride on the A-Class’ platform when the next-gen cars arrive. Though the current GLA was clearly distinguishable from the A-Class hatch, it appears the next-generation cars will look more alike, if similar-looking recent test mules are any indication.

Although the camouflage is still obscuring much of the car’s features, some aspects are easily made out. At the front, a more aggressive hood and front bumper encompass the new headlights that resemble the GLA’s distant cousin, the AMG GT.

Moving rearward, the wheel wells have been enlarged and given protruding fender flares, very similar to the fender flares we saw on the E-Class All-Terrain 4×4² concept shown not too long ago.

Further back, the hatch appears to have a reshaped rear spoiler, new rear fascia, and new taillights. Engine options are likely to remain similar to the current model, with small-displacement turbocharged engines expected to make up the bulk of powertrain choices. It’s also likely that there will be another AMG-tuned model like the current GLA 45 AMG with a hotter engine.

The GLA will also likely receive a host of diesel options, but with Mercedes-Benz’s recent commitment to electrification, we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw an all-electric GLA, or at the very least a hybrid GLA, further down the next-gen GLA’s life cycle.

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t disclosed when the new GLA will launch, but given that the German company just released the updated GLA earlier this year, we’d guess the next generation won’t arrive until the end of next year at earliest.

Photo source: CarPix

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BMW Convertible Concept Likely Previews Z4 Successor

BMW and Toyota fans alike have waited eagerly for any updates on the forthcoming Z5/Supra sports car developed jointly by the two automakers. We’ve only seen the sports car in camouflaged, test-mule form as it underwent testing on the Nürburgring, but that might be about to change.

Thanks to a teaser from BMW, we’re getting our first glance at an open-air concept that likely previews the German-Japanese roadster ahead of its debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Additionally, the striking Concept 8 Series BMW showed in May at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will be making its first appearance on North American soil at Pebble Beach.

Don’t get too worked up – regardless of what it looks like, it’s still a concept. Still, this might be our first peek at what the two automakers have been working on for a few years now, and serves as a solid preview of what we can expect to see. Purists hoping for a back-to-basics, stripped-down, simplified sports car will likely be disappointed, considering reports have emerged predicting a hybrid powertrain and an automatic transmission as the only drivetrain option.

As much as we’d like to believe this is the successor to the Z4, there’s a chance it isn’t. It could also be an 8 Series convertible concept. An i8 drop-top has been in development for a while, though this car’s proportions seem to hint at a front-engine layout. Look for more information closer to the car’s debut in August.

Source: BMW

 

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2017 Lamborghini Huracan Performante Hits the Track on Ignition

Lamborghini took the already-stellar Huracán supercar and turned it into a record-breaking track weapon called the Performante. It’s definitely quick, but does it deliver the behind-the-wheel thrills of the original? Host Jonny Lieberman finds out on this episode of Ignition.

The 2017 Lamborghini Huracán Performante uses the same 5.2-liter V-10 as the standard model, but gets a power bump to 631 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque – up 29 hp and 30 lb-ft. The Performante also gets a revised seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, reprogrammed all-wheel-drive system, new aero features, and specially tuned magnetic shocks. It’s about 100 pounds lighter than a normal Huracán thanks to Forged Carbon composite parts. The Performante’s big aerodynamic party trick is its patented Aerodynamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) system. In the video, Lieberman explains how ALA differs from active aero systems on other supercars. ALA allows the Performante to have a fixed rear wing, and opens and closes flaps in the body to control drag and downforce. To demonstrate how this system works, Lieberman takes the Performante around Italy’s famed Imola circuit.

On the track, Lieberman finds that these improvements work in concert to create something that’s very different from your run-of-the-mill Huracán. But is the current fastest production car around the Nürburgring also a hoot to drive? Find out in the full episode below.

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