What's new in 2013, take 2

INFINITI

EX37/FX37: Infiniti has upgraded the base engine on both its small EX SUV and midsize, performance-oriented FX SUV. The new 3.7-litre V-6 gets 325 horsepower, or 22 more than the outgoing 3.5-litre V-6. As a result, the EX35 and FX35 have been rechristened the EX37 and FX37. Both are set to go on sale soon. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the 2012 EX started at $35,800 and the FX started at $43,700

JX: This three-row, seven-passenger crossover, which went on sale last spring, has some smart innovations, including a backup system that warns drivers about traffic crossing behind them and applies the brakes if necessary, and a second-row seat that can slide back and forth with a child seat still attached, for easier access to the back row. A flat platform makes the third row roomier. Style-wise, it has the same bulbous Infiniti nose and flowing lines of the smaller FX crossover and the QX SUV. Under the hood is a 3.5-litre V-6 engine with 265 horsepower that gets 21 mpg, which is competitive in the seven-passenger segment. Pricing starts at $40,650.

JAGUAR

XF: The big news for this model year is that Jaguar is starting to add smaller engines and all-wheel-drive to its luxury sports sedans. With all-wheel-drive, Jaguar will be able to compete better with BMW and Mercedes in snowy states, where AWD makes up most of the luxury car sales. All Jags now have V-8 engines and are rear-wheel drive, which isn't always good in snow. The smaller engines will help the company compete better on fuel economy. Few details have been released, but we know the XF will get a turbocharged 2-litre inline four-cylinder engine with 240 horsepower. It'll also get a new 340-horsepower, 3-litre supercharged V-6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Stop-start technology will be standard in V-6 and V-8 versions. That stops the engines at a traffic light and turns them back on when the driver accelerates. The car is due in showrooms this winter. The price hasn't been released, but the 2012 XF sells for $53,000 excluding shipping.

XJ: Ditto on all-wheel drive, the supercharged V-6, eight-speed transmissions and stop-start standard on the V-6 and V-8 versions. The all-wheel-drive XJ starts at $76,700 and is due out in the winter.

JEEP

GRAND CHEROKEE: A 241-horsepower diesel V-6 will join the lineup early next year. Chrysler hasn't released details.

WRANGLER: The iconic Wrangler gets a new, more luxurious soft top that's easier to open.

KIA

CADENZA: Kia hasn't made any announcements about a replacement for the full-size Amanti sedan, which ended production in 2009. But some dealers are already advertising the Cadenza sedan and say it's expected to come out in the 2013 model year.

LAND ROVER

LR2: Compact SUV gets a minor refresh that includes front and rear lamps and grille and a new centre stack in the interior with added storage.

RANGE ROVER: The brand's flagship big SUV is all new for 2013 with aluminum architecture to make it lighter and improve gas mileage. Few details have been released, but it still will be powered by a V-8 engine. It's due in showrooms early next year. Price wasn't released, but the 2012 starts at $80,275.

LEXUS

ES: The ES midsize car now has the distinctive spindle grille and sharper lines of its bigger siblings, the GS and LS. The interior is roomier, with updated electronics. The 268-horsepower engine is the same as the 2012 model, and gets around 27 mpg on the highway. But there is a new hybrid version, the ES 300h, which gets an estimated 40 mpg. The ES starts at $36,100; the hybrid starts at $38,850.

GS: The 2013 version of the midsize GS went on sale in February. It has the more aggressive look of the new LS, with the same chiseled lines and spindle grille. It's powered by a 3.5-litre, 306-horsepower V-6 that gets 28 mpg on the highway. Also available is a sport version, the GS 350F, with a specially tuned suspension, and a hybrid, the GS 450h, which has 338 horsepower and gets 38 mpg. The base GS starts at $46,900; the hybrid at $58,950.

LS: A new version of Lexus's flagship sedan goes on sale in November. It has a more aggressive new design highlighted by its new spindle-shaped grille. A 4.6-litre, 386-horsepower V-8 engine will sit under the hood, and a hybrid version will also be available. Inside are some nice creature comforts, including a climate system that automatically adjusts the ventilation and the temperature of the seats and steering wheel. More details, including pricing, will be released closer to its arrival in dealerships.

LINCOLN

MKZ: Ford has spent the last two years plotting the comeback of its flagging Lincoln line, which was the bestselling luxury brand in America 20 years ago but fell into mediocrity when Ford failed to invest in it. The new MKZ midsize sedan is the first glimpse of the big changes Ford is planning for Lincoln, which will get seven new vehicles by 2014. The new MKZ, out in the fall, has a sweeping, panoramic glass roof among its options. The signature Lincoln split-wing grille is redesigned and toned down, and the sides sweep back into a sharp tail that sits above another Lincoln signature: a narrow strip of taillights across the back of the car. Inside, it's elegant, with push-button shifting that eliminates the need for a shifter and opens up the console for more storage space. The MKZ shares a 2.0-litre, 240-horsepower EcoBoost engine with the Ford Fusion, but buyers can also opt for a 3.7-litre, 300-horsepower V-6 or a 45-mpg hybrid version. The MKZ starts at $35,925, which is a little less than one of its primary targets, the Lexus ES, and about the same as its other, the Cadillac CTS.

MKS: The flagship hasn't gotten the total makeover of the MKZ, but the 2013 model has a number of upgrades, including a more subtle grille, better horsepower from the 3.7-litre V-6 base engine (300 horsepower, versus 273 in the outgoing model) and a new adaptive suspension system that monitors the road, steering and braking and makes adjustments for a smoother ride and better handling.

MASERATI

GRANTURISMO: The new Sport version of the two-door sports car replaces the outgoing S. It has a 460-horsepower, 4.7-litre V-8 (compared with 405 on the base model) and higher torque. New 20-inch wheels and LED headlights are on the outside, and more comfortable seats and a more ergonomic steering wheel are inside. It also has a brand new colour: "Blu Sofisticato." The Sport starts at $126,000, or $3,000 more than the GranTurismo.

MAZDA

CX-5: The CX-5 five-seat crossover SUV is a new addition to Mazda's lineup, and will square off with some of the biggest sellers on the market, including the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. It uses what Mazda has dubbed its SKYACTIV suite of technologies (basically, an extra-efficient engine and transmission and a lighter platform) to achieve an impressive 35 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission. A 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with 155 horsepower comes standard with each of the three trim levels. The CX-5, which went on sale in the spring, starts at $20,995.

MERCEDES-BENZ

C250: Coupe and Sport/Luxury Sedan get a direct-injection, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 201 horsepower. Already on sale. Sport Sedan starts at $35,350. Luxury Sedan at $35,770. Coupe base price is $37,800.

C300 4MATIC: Sport/Luxury Sedan gets new direct-injection, 3.5-litre V-6 with 248 horsepower. Also gets stop-start technology that shuts off engine when the car is stopped and restarts it when the driver presses the gas pedal. Already on sale. Sport Sedan starts at $38,950. Luxury Sedan starts at $39,360.

C350: Coupe and Sport Sedan get stop-start on 3.5-litre V-6 with 302 horsepower. Already on sale. Coupe starts at $43,200. Sport Sedan begins at $41,400.

C63 AMG: Coupe and sedan get hand-built, 6.3-litre V-8 with 451 horsepower. Optional development package gets 481 horsepower. Went on sale in July. Sedan starts at $59,800, coupe at $62,330.

E400 HYBRID: Sports Sedan made its debut in the summer with a 302-horsepower direct-injection V-6 gas engine and a 27-horsepower electric motor. It has stop-start technology and can travel on electricity only. Starts at $55,800.

G550: G-Class SUVs get restyled interior and exterior with LED daytime running lights. Gets more powerful V-8 engine with 388 horsepower. On sale in the summer, starts at $113,000.

G63 AMG: Gets new 5.5-litre direct-injection bi-turbo V-8 with 544 horsepower and stop-start technology. On sale in the summer. Begins at $134,300.

GL350BlueTEC: GL-Class SUVs are all new. They're longer, wider and taller. BlueTEC 4MATIC gets V-6 turbodiesel with 240 horsepower. On sale in September. Starts at $62,400.

GL450: Direct-injection twin turbo V-8 with 362 horsepower. On sale in September. Starts at $63,900.

GL550: Direct-injection twin-turbo V-8 with 429 horsepower. On sale in September. Starts at $86,900.

GL63 AMG: Hand-built AMG V-8 with 550 horsepower. On sale early next year. Price not announced yet.

GLK250 BlueTEC: GLK class gets restyled interior and exterior with LED daytime running lights. New 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel with 190 horsepower debuts on this model. On sale early next year. Price not announced.

GLK350: All-wheel-drive and rear-drive models get new 3.5-litre, direct-injection V-6 with 302 horsepower, plus stop-start technology. Already on sale. Starts at $39,090.

SL550: SL-Class Coupe/Roadsters are new with all-aluminum body shell. SL550 gets new direct-injection bi-turbo V-8 with 429 horsepower and stop-start technology. New, more efficient seven-speed transmission. Already on sale. Starts at $105,500.

SL63 AMG: Gets new 5.5-litre direct-injection biturbo V-8 with 530 horsepower. Also gets seven-speed transmission and stop-start technology. Already on sale. Starts at $145,800.

SL65 AMG: New with 6-litre V-12 engine with 621 horsepower and seven-speed transmission. On sale in November. Price not announced.

SLS AMG GT COUPE: Aluminum body, gull-wing doors and hand-built V-8 with a carbon-fiber drive shaft. On sale in November. Price not announced.

SLS AMG GT ROADSTER: Same as Coupe but with power soft top and conventional doors. On sale in November. Price not announced.

MINI

MINI CLUBVAN: The new Clubvan is a two-seat, five-door compact delivery van. It's basically a Mini Clubman with panel sides. The cargo area has 30.3 cubic feet of storage space and is nearly 4 feet long. The Clubvan is powered by a 1.6-litre I-4 engine with 121 horsepower that gets 30 mpg in combined city and highway driving. Pricing has not yet been released for the Clubvan, which goes on sale this fall.

MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS GP: The fastest Mini ever goes on sale in September in a limited run of 2,000 cars. Mini hasn't released specifications or pricing.

MINI PACEMAN: Mini hasn't released many details about the sporty Paceman, other than some teaser shots on its Facebook page, but the elongated, two-door coupe is expected to go on sale sometime next year.

MITSUBISHI

OUTLANDER SPORT: Outside, the small crossover SUV gets refreshed with new front and rear fascia with two-tone look. Interior is spruced up with new chrome door trim accents. A new ES model comes with four-wheel drive. Goes on sale shortly. Starts at $19,170.

NISSAN

ALTIMA: The 2013 version of Nissan's bestseller, the Altima, has a more elegant, luxurious look, with a dramatic, tapered grille and chrome strips along the windows. Even more dramatic is its fuel economy: up to 38 mpg with its 182-horsepower, 2.5-litre I-4, which is the best fuel economy in the midsize segment (and 20 per cent better than the outgoing Altima). A 270-horspower, 3.5-litre V-6 that gets 31 mpg on the highway is also available. The Altima has a new hands-free system that connects to the driver's smartphone, and new safety features like blind spot and backup warning systems. It starts at $21,500, or $1,000 more than the outgoing Altima.

PATHFINDER: Nissan gives the aging Pathfinder seven-seat SUV a much-needed upgrade this fall, ditching the old boxy design for a rounder look. The new Pathfinder, which starts at $28,270, promises a best-in-class 26 mpg from its 260-horsepower V-6 engine. Like the Infiniti JX, it has a clever rear seat that slides back and forth so you can have access to the third row without having to remove a child seat from the second row. The Pathfinder also boasts the only reclining third-row seats on the market. Even with the third row in place, there is 16 cubic feet of storage in the rear, including an under-floor storage area to keep valuables hidden.

SENTRA: Nissan will debut the 2013 Sentra small car early next year. The company hasn't released details, but it's expected to borrow a lot of the design elements of the new Altima.

PORSCHE

CAYENNE: The SUV gets a 3-litre, 240-horsepower V-6 turbodiesel engine that will boost gas mileage to 29 on the highway. The Cayenne has a 26.4-gallon fuel tank, giving it a one-tank range of more than 700 miles. There's also a sportier GTS model added with a 4.8-litre, direct-injected V-8 with 420 horsepower. The diesel starts at $55,750; GTS at $82,050.

BOXSTER: Mid-engine, rear-drive sports car loses 80 pounds and gets faster. New lightweight body and revamped chassis with a longer wheelbase. Boxster gets a 265-horsepower, 2.7-litre, six-cylinder engine. Boxster S gets a 3.4-litre, 315-horsepower six. Already on sale. Boxster starts at $49,500. S starts at $60,900.

911: Cabriolet version moves onto new underpinnings that were unveiled with the regular 911 Carrera last year. The platform is lighter, more efficient and faster, Porsche says. Cabrio starts at $93,700.

PANAMERA: Souped-up GTS model came out in March. Gets the 4.8-litre V-8 with 430 horsepower, plus a sportier suspension. GTS starts at $111,000.

RAM

RAM 1500: Chrysler's workhorse gets a refresh after three years on the market. It gets a new, 3.6-litre Pentastar V-6 engine, which gets 42 per cent more horsepower and at least 20 per cent better fuel economy than the outgoing Ram, which got 20 mpg on the highway. The Ram has several new features designed to save gas, including an eight-speed transmission and a system that temporarily shuts down the truck at stop lights. The available 5.7-litre Hemi V-8 has 395 horsepower and 10 per cent better fuel economy than the outgoing model. There's a new grille and fascia and interior upgrades. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the 2012 Ram starts at $22,120 for a regular cab, $33,015 for a quad cab and $43,275 for a crew cab. The Ram goes on sale this fall.

ROLLS ROYCE

PHANTOM II: The Phantom family, which includes the sedan, coupe and convertible coupe, is rechristened the Phantom Series II a decade after the first Phantom sedan went on sale. There is a new eight-speed transmission that helps improve fuel economy by 10 per cent over the current 14 mpg in city and highway driving. Outside, there are six cameras so the driver can monitor every angle around the car, and new LED headlights that turn in whatever direction the car is going. Inside, there's a larger, 8.8-inch control screen in the dash with three-dimensional maps and a new smart phone holder. The Phantom Series II starts at $398,970.

SCION

FR-S: Toyota hopes to invigorate its youth-oriented Scion brand with the FR-S sports car, which went on sale in June. It's a sexy, two-door four-seater that pays homage to past Toyota speedsters like the Celica and the AE86 Corolla. The FR-S has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder flat boxer engine, which lets it sit low like Porsches and other supercars. The engine was jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, which helps explain why the FR-S looks a lot like the 2013 Subaru BRZ. The FR-S has 200 horsepower. It starts at $24,955 for the six-speed manual transmission.

SMART

FORTWO: Minor cosmetic changes including larger grille, sculpted side skirts and rear apron changes. One special edition on sale now. Another special edition and electric version due later. Base model starts at $12,490.

SUBARU

BRZ: New rear-wheel-drive sports car with 2-litre, 200-horsepower flat Boxer engine and one of the lowest centres of gravity of any production car. Choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Has aluminum hood. On sale already. Starts at $25,495.

LEGACY: New front grille, headlights and bumper cover for the midsize sedan. On sale already. Starts at $20,295.

OUTBACK: Sport Utility Wagon gets new grille, headlights and bumper cover. On sale already. Starts at $23,495.

XV CROSSTREK: New compact crossover combines five-door design and everyday comfort. Has new 148-horsepower, 2-litre engine with a continuously variable transmission that doesn't shift gears, so the engine revs at optimal speed. Can get up to 33 mpg on highway. On sale already. Starts at $21,995.

TESLA

MODEL S: Electric carmaker Tesla, which made its name four years ago with the introduction of the Roadster electric sports car, is entering new territory with its first mass-market, five-seat sedan. The base Model S can go 160 miles on one charge, but buyers can upgrade to batteries that go 230 miles or 300 miles. The luxurious interior includes a 17-inch touch screen that replaces all the knobs and buttons on the dash. Each Model S comes with a charger plus adapters for a standard 110-volt household outlet, a 240-volt outlet and a public charging station. The Model S, which went on sale in June, starts at $49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. The high-end Signature Performance version starts at $97,900.

TOYOTA

AVALON: Toyota's full-size sedan is getting a sharper, more angular new look and, for the first time, a hybrid version. It has a plusher interior and some smart new features, including a bin in the dash that stores two mobile devices, and touch-sensitive climate and entertainment controls. Toyota says the new hybrid will get 40 mpg in combined city and highway driving. But otherwise, Toyota hasn't released details about the engine lineup or price. The Avalon goes on sale later this fall.

LAND CRUISER: The 2013 Land Cruiser arrived in dealerships last winter. Its $77,955 starting price now includes a $6,000 upgrade package that used to be optional. The package includes rain-sensing wipers, a rear backup camera, voice-activated navigation and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The 381-horsepower, 5.7-litre V8 engine, which gets 18 mpg on the highway, remains the same.

RAV4 EV: The electric RAV4 is the first all-electric, five-seat SUV on the market. Its battery and drive system are borrowed from Tesla Motors, a maker of high-end electric cars, and it's expected to travel around 100 miles on a charge. The electric RAV4 starts at $49,800, which is more than double the $22,650 starting price of the gas version, although the electric RAV4 will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit that will narrow the gap. Toyota only expects to sell 2,600 electric RAV4s over the next three years, partly because they'll only be sold in certain markets. Sales begin in California soon.

VOLKSWAGEN

BEETLE: The cute retro bug coupe gets a convertible version and a 140-horsepower diesel that can get 41 mpg on the highway with a manual transmission. Diesel on sale already; convertible arrives late this year. Starts at $19,795.

CC: Gets new front and rear styling and new interior with seating for five. Bi-Xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights standard. New LED tail lights. Already on sale. Starts at $30,610.

JETTA: Hybrid version goes on sale late in the fall. Few details have been announced, but it's expected to get 45 mpg in combined city and highway driving. No price yet. S model stays the same, other Jettas get minor upgrades, including a new chrome radiator grille and chrome window trim on the outside, and metallic trim on the dashboard and doors. Also the steering wheel, shift knob and hand-brake lever are leather-wrapped on the SE model. Non-hybrid Jettas already are on sale. Starting price is $16,675.

VOLVO

XC-60: The 2013 version of the XC60 mid-size SUV has two new safety features: high beam lights that automatically switch to low when traffic is coming, and a front camera that monitors speed limits and displays them in the instrument cluster. No updates to the 3.2-litre V-6, which gets 240 horsepower and up to 25 mpg on the highway. The XC60 starts at $34,200, up nearly $1,000 from the 2012 model.

News from © The Associated Press, 2012