The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been Lexanized and turned into the ultimate off-road camper van, which isn鈥檛 afraid of getting some mud on that reworked exterior. Baptized the LM-EXTV, where LM stands for 鈥楲exani Motors鈥?and EXTV for 鈥楨xtreme Terrain Vehicle鈥? it offers buyers many options, both on the outside and the cabin, along with other upgrades. Lexani allows customers to choose from several exterior finishes, which can be combined with a camouflage wrap at no extra cost. Highlighting its go-anywhere look are the redesigned bumpers, a bulbar, LED light bar at the front, more LEDs incorporated in the roof rack that鈥檚 accessible via a ladder mounted at the back, and 20-inch rims shod in chunky off-road tires. The sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to customizing the interior, which is not only comfortable, but versatile, too. The new LM-EXTV can be fitted with an Apple TV, Alpine DVD player, Wi-Fi connectivity, over-head air distribution thanks to the heavy-duty AC, three 110V and 12V sockets, mini-fridge, cabinets, beds, individual rear seats and more.
The optional Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system, left in its softest setting, proved enough to keep the wheels from impacting harshly over even the roughest sections. After fielding countless questions about body rigidity, Porsche's engineers confided that the Targa is about 10 percent stiffer than the Cabriolet model upon which it is based (the Coupe is reportedly twice as rigid as the Cabriolet). Officials also say that the rigidity is the same with or without the Targa panel in place - it's not a structural part of the chassis, which improves suspension tuning. It seems no orientation with an open-roof car is complete unless Mother Nature is allowed to test its weatherproofing. As huge raindrops fell from the clouds, a quick detour to the side of the road had the Targa's roof secured back in place and the coupe sealed tight from the elements. Back at speed, the cabin was hushed.
My recollection is that the Coupe is still quieter (albeit with more tire noise), but the Targa's cabin levels are on par with the Cabriolet, which is itself impressive for a softtop convertible. Porsche says the 911 Targa will roll into showrooms at the end of June, and a full day with the new model leads me to believe customers won't be hard to find. While it lacks the single-minded sportiness of the enthusiast's-choice Coupe, the Targa is fresh and distinctive on the road. Its uniqueness, fascinating roof-mechanism kinematics and all-weather capability are sure to appeal to its affluent clientele seeking an open-roof solution. Don't be surprised if it's a success. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that Stuttgart doesn't do anything half-baked - all of its products, from its entry-level Boxster to its flagship hybrid 918 Spyder, represent no-compromise engineering. That's true even when a model's usage case and audience is decidedly narrower. That's certainly the situation with this 2014 911 Targa 4, a car that stands as a meticulous modern interpretation of a celebrated model from Porsche's past.
First, you may have noticed a trend over the last few weekends where a lot of normally-removed posts make it to the main thread. That's because the mod team has been experimenting with a concept we affectionately call "Shitpost Sunday" where we all agree to relax our enforcement of posting rules on Sundays. Our intentions are two-fold: (1) increase the content inflow on the slowest day of the week and (2) give us a healthy outlet to enjoy the guilty pleasures of low content posts. If you see your post flaired as a Shitpost, it doesn't mean we're making fun of it or anything. It's just a signal to the community that we are not removing a post that we normally would remove. NOTE: we're only relaxing content control rules, so the other stuff (personal attacks, trolling, toxicity) will be enforced like normal. As the mods wake up on Monday morning, we'll go back to enforcing content quality control rules until the next Sunday rolls around. Second, the mod team is interested in setting up new guidelines for autopilot anomaly posts. We ask that if you experience an autopilot anomaly (phantom braking, lane departures, dangerous lane changes/mergers, etc), you share the video of the event rather than just describe it. The goal here is to use leverage our collective attention more effectively, to help learn WHY the incident occurred. If you only share your description of the event and not the video, that's hard to do. So we ask that you leverage your Tesla's built-in features and share the video!
Lexus has opened the order books for the updated NX and RX range in the United Kingdom. 8-inch infotainment and 18-inch alloy wheels. Optional extras are a 10-inch infotainment and 拢 600 Sport Pack, with bronze/machined finished wheels, black spindle grille and black side mirror casings. The NX F Sport starts from 拢 41,500 and gets different 18-inch alloy wheels, exterior styling details, triple-beam LED taillights, power tailgate, wireless charging pad and leather upholstery. The Premium Pack is another optional extra, which costs 拢 2,450 and adds Smart entry, parking sensors, rear privacy glass, LED front fog and cornering lights, power tailgate, panoramic roof, heated steering wheel, smooth leather and others. The NX F Sport can be fitted with the 拢 3,500 Takumi Pack, with Mark Levinson sound system, HUD, panoramic view monitor, panoramic roof or sunroof, adaptive variable suspension, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Monitor. Lexus says that all versions of the NX come with all-wheel drive. 8-inch infotainment and DAB. In the mid-range F-Sport, customers will enjoy the usual exterior and interior visual enhancements, along with an adaptive suspension, electric tailgate and heated steering wheel. Further enhancing the appeal of the RX F Sport is the 拢 5,500 Takumi Pack, with its Tech and Safety Pack, panoramic roof, 360-degree camera system, Mark Levinson audio and power-folding rear seats with heating function. Other optional packs are the 拢 800 Sport and 拢 3,000 Premium. The top-of-the-line RX Takumi gets a Mark Levinson audio system, 360-degree camera system, heated rear seats, HUD, LED headlights with adaptive high-beam, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Finally, for the seven-seater RX L Lexus drops the SE, Luxury and Premier grades and replaces them with the RX L and Takumi.
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