Just a few months ago, perhaps the biggest challenges for a luxury brand launching a diesel-powered iteration of an existing model might have been achieving refinement and engine noise targets, along with power delivery and fuel economy goals. But in this post-Dieselgate world we live in today, some strategies have been forced to change. As such, it came as little surprise that Peter Wright, Land Rover’s chief engineer, began his discussion of the new Range Rover TD6 by addressing “the 200 pound gorilla in the room” and immediately dove into the minutia regarding the company’s emission management systems to reassure those present that while VW might’ve juked the system, Land Rover’s engineering is one hundred percent above board.

As this pair of Range Rovers represent the first diesel offerings in North America in Land Rover’s history, the timing of VW’s debacle isn’t exactly ideal. But with over ninety percent of the Range Rovers sold in Europe sporting diesel power plants, tenuous current environment notwithstanding, the U.S. market presents a huge opportunity for the company to make headway in a largely untapped market. Fortunately, it appears that Land Rover has both sides of the equation already sorted out.

Proven Tech
In the simplest terms, Wright explained that Land Rover uses emissions technology similar to those employed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, a system which injects a fluid consisting of urea and water into the exhaust system. Upon mixing with the exhaust gases, the urea turns into ammonia, which is then transformed into nitrogen and water in the catalytic converter. The end result is a reduction of NOx gases, which addresses the crux of the trouble VW finds itself in today. It’s certainly reassuring to get confirmation that Land Rover is playing by the book – not only for the well-being of the environment, but because it allows us to focus our attention on how the drivetrain actually performs in practice.

The new Td6 powerplant is a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V6 that generates 254 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which peaks at a stump-pulling 1750 rpm. It also provides a whopping 32 percent improvement in fuel economy over a the gas-powered V6 model, yielding 22 mpg in the city and 28 out on the highway for a total of 25 mpg combined, and a range of 658 miles of range on a single tank of fuel. Land Rover expects an average annual savings of about $450, meaning it would take about three years to begin seeing savings over the gasoline model, as the Td6 commands a $1,500 premium over the standard supercharged V6.

Land Rover also told us that they logged over a million miles in the U.S. validating the new engine’s durability in the hottest and coldest parts of the country, ensuring that this new lump can hack it in a formerly unfamiliar environment.

Playing on the strengths
Another interesting tidbit the folks from Coventry offered while touting the virtues of the new motor was that in blind testing, none of the participants correctly identified the Td6 as a diesel. It might sound far-fetched, but after a stint behind the wheel, we’re believers.

Quite a bit of effort went into that feat – the Td6′s engine mounts, acoustic windshield treatment and bulkhead design all contribute to substantial noise isolation that almost entirely removes the telltale racket of diesel a engine, while the motor’s block is constructed from compacted graphite iron to help minimize vibration.

But it’s not just the audio which can trick even the savviest of pilots, it’s the performance. With so much torque on tap from so low down in the rev range, the Td6 is actually a step quicker from zero to sixty miles per hour than its gasoline counterpart, doing the deed in a relatively spritely 7.1 seconds. Coupled with the ZF 8-speed automatic found elsewhere across the Jaguar Land Rover lineup, the Td6 never lacked for pull whether we were crawling over rocks in the Schnebly Hill trails or overtaking slower traffic on the highways around Sedona, Arizona.

So comprehensive are Land Rover’s engineering efforts to make the Td6 undiesel-like, the use of a different pump when refueling and a bi-annual refill of urea tank will likely be the only ways most would-be owners will be able to distinguish the oil burner from its gasoline counterpart. Considering the compromises that high output diesels required not so long ago, it’s strong praise indeed.

True to the name
While the vast majority of Range Rovers are typically used to cart well-heeled urbanities around town and style-conscious families to and from the mall, it’s clear that Land Rover isn’t about to abandon the reputation they’ve built over the decades for their vehicles’ off-road prowess with the Td6.

In fact, the Range Rover is so good in the dirt now that it hardly even needs the driver to be part of the formula. During our drive of the Range Rover Td6 through Arizona high country, Land Rover reps demonstrated All Terrain Progress Control. It’s something of a more advanced version of hill descent control, one which assists the driver whether they’re headed down the mountain or up it.

With ATPC engaged, all we had to do was simply tell the vehicle how fast we wanted to go and point the direction with the wheel – the rest of ascent and descent legwork is handled by the computers, thus bringing semi-autonomous driving features to the realm of rock crawling.

And while the Td6 makes short work of trails typically tailored to purpose-built all-terrain vehicles with a human handling the controls, ATPC proves that the machines are, in fact, taking over for good reason. In areas where we might’ve needed to correct for too much or too little throttle, or brake with unpleasant authority to reign in our speed as we cleared a steep section, ATPC remained wholly unfazed, dispatching rocks, ruts, and steep grades with hardly a hint of wheelspin. While it might not make for the most entertaining off-roading experience under ideal conditions, this system could literally get Grandma up a mountain during a snow storm without so much as a wheel scuff.

And she’d be wrapped in luxury while doing so, as the Td6 still includes everything you’d expect from a Range Rover, including acres of leather and high quality materials throughout. In stark contrast to the Jaguar XF we tested during the same event, the 2016 Range Rover lineup also utilizes the company’s latest infotainment system, one which is better than the system currently employed in the XF by a country mile. A full-surround camera system, panoramic sunroof, 20-inch wheels and a host of interior trim choices all grace the options sheet, but even in base trim the Range Rover Td6 looks and feels positively top shelf.

Leftlane’s bottom line
With gas prices at their lowest levels in years and a resurgent air of skepticism looming over diesel propulsion, getting Americans onboard with this long-marginalized fuel option may prove difficult, particularly in a luxury segment where fuel economy is a relatively low priority. But if and when premium vehicle buyers in the U.S. begin to warm up to diesel powered vehicles in earnest, well-sorted models like the Range Rover Td6 will be ready to lead the charge.

Range Rover Sport Td6 base price, $66,450.
Range Rover Td6 base price, $86,450.
Pricing excludes $995 destination charge.

Photos by Bradley Iger.

Mazda has introduced a minor update to the CX-5 crossover for the second half of the 2016 model year.

The changes are focused on standard features and simplification of the available trim levels. The company suggests the enhancements are geared for customers with a taste for premium features.

The mid-model-year update brings a backup camera as standard on all variants equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission and 2.5-liter engine. Such packages start at $24,495 (including $900 freight) with front-wheel drive, or $25,795 with all-wheel drive.

All CX-5 Touring models now ship with standard navigation and heated front seats, while the top Grand Touring trim also provides navigation without requiring any additional upgrade packages.

The backup camera had previous required a dedicated Rear View Camera add-on for the entry-level Sport trim. Navigation had been included only with the Technology Packages for the Touring and Grand Touring editions.

The 2016.5 CX-5 will begin arriving in showrooms next month.

A former Bugatti Veyron owner is heading to federal prison for driving the world’s most extreme production car into a lake.

Andy House reportedly purchased the Veyron for $1 million in October 2009 and obtained insurance for $2.2 million. After owning the car for less than two months, he drove it into a lagoon in Galveston County, Texas. The engine was left running as the car sat in salt water, amplifying the damage.

The accident was initially blamed on a low-flying pelican, and House allegedly told first responders that he had reached down to grab his cellphone before losing control. An insurance claim for $2.2 million was filed the following day.

Apparently unbeknownst to House, the attention-grabbing Veyron had caught the eye of a few gawkers traveling the same direction on a parallel road. The passenger began recording a video of the rare supercar, declaring “pretty sure it’s a Lambo, dude” before House turned off the roadway and into the marsh.

House pled guilty to charges of insurance fraud and received a sentence of one year and a day in federal prison, according to KTRE. He must also pay back the $600,000 settlement reached with his insurance company.

House is said to own a salvage company that specializes in exotic cars.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has called on the government to back away from financial penalties and refit requirements for Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating diesel vehicles.

Dozens of other clean-energy executives signed a letter to the California Air Resources Board, arguing that a “giant sum of money” will be wasted attempting to fix cars “that cannot all be fixed,” and drivers may simply decline to bring their cars in for a fix that reduces performance.

“Instead, direct VW to accelerate greatly its rollout of zero-emission vehicles, which by their very nature, have zero emissions and thus present zero opportunities for cheating, and also do not require any enforcement dollars to verify,” the letter reads.

Euro-spec vehicles appear to be receiving relatively inexpensive and straightforward refits, ranging from a software revision to a ‘flow transformer‘ component upstream from the mass airflow sensor. US limits for nitrogen oxides are much lower than in Europe, suggesting the company will have to implement a much more extensive — and expensive — hardware modification to bring cars into compliance with EPA regulations.

“Retrofitting urea tank systems to small cars is costly and impractical,” Musk writes. “Some cars may be fixed, but many won’t and will be crushed before they are fixed.”

The US recalls are expected to cost VW billions, though specific details have not yet been announced. In any case, Musk claims the money would be better spent on development of electric vehicles, with an estimated “10 for one or greater reduction in pollutant emissions as compared to the pollution associated with the diesel fleet.”

The letter also serves as an argument against diesel engines in general, claiming that the technology has already reached its reasonable peak in terms of practical emissions mitigation.

“Unsurprisingly, and despite having the greatest research and development program in diesel engines, VW had to cheat to meet current European and US standard,” Musk concludes. “In contrast to the punishments and recalls being considered, this proposal would be a real win for California emissions, a big win for California jobs, and a historic action to help derail climate change.”

The executive points to the 1990s diesel truck cheating scandal as a precedent for such a resolution. Rather than requiring an interim recall, the EPA simply moved up its schedule for implementing tighter emissions regulations. The example isn’t quite an apples-to-apples comparison, however, as the truck fiasco involved all major diesel engine manufacturers and the companies still had to collectively pay $1 billion in penalties.

BMW has announced that two of its latest performance models — the M2 coupe and X4 M40i crossover — will make their world debut at next month’s Detroit auto show.

A followup to the 1-Series M that went into limited production a few years ago, the M2 represents the hottest version of the 2-Series coupe to date, slotting just ahead of the M235i. The M2 is powered by a 365 horsepower, 343 lb-ft of torque version of BMW’s 3.0L turbocharged six-cylinder engine.

Buyers will be able to pick between a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed automatic. Either gearbox will route power to the M2′s rear wheels. BMW says the M2 is capable of scooting from 0-60 in just 4.2 seconds.

The X4 M40i will also debut in Detroit and stand as the highest-performing variant of the X4 coupe-crossover. It too will use a turbocharged inline-six, but its power will be capped at 355 horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque. BMW says the X4 M40i will boast a best-in-class acceleration with a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds.

The BMW M2 is scheduled to go on sale during the spring of 2016 while the X4 M40i will will arrive in showrooms in February. Pricing for both models will be announced at a later date.

Ford recently announced it’s investing $4.5 billion into the development of 13 electrified models that will be launched by the year 2020. Surprisingly, company CEO Mark Fields has revealed one of them will be a hybrid version of the hot-selling F-150.

Fields told NPR host Ari Shapiro that the first-ever regular-production hybrid F-150 will go on sale nationwide before the decade draws to a close. While he stopped short of providing full technical details, he revealed the drivetrain will take the form of a conventional gasoline-electric hybrid system — not a more efficient plug-in setup — that will transfer power to the rear wheels only.

Building a gasoline-electric pickup truck sounds like a bad move in a time when gas prices are hovering around $2 a gallon nationwide, but Fields is convinced the Blue Oval’s investment will pay dividends as soon as electric and hybrid cars begin gaining more traction.

“Part of our job as a company and as an automotive manufacturer and now as a mobility company, is to think of what the world is going to look like five, 10 and even 15 years from now,” explained the executive.

What’s next?
Buyers who don’t want to wait until 2020 to buy a more fuel efficient F-150 are in luck, because Ford is currently testing a fuel-sipping version of the truck powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine that’s bolted to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Tentatively scheduled to make its debut in the second half of next year, the truck could return over 30 mpg in a mixed cycle.

Photos by Mark Elias.

Cadillac has admitted the plug-in hybrid ELR (pictured) has completely failed to live up to its expectations.

“Put it this way: The ELR’s a big disappointment; there’s no denying it,” conceded Uwe Ellinghaus, the company’s chief marketing officer, in a recent interview with Automobile Magazine.

Ellinghaus explained the ELR has been a fiasco because it’s a niche model that’s aimed at a tiny target audience. The two-seater coupe segment has been steadily shrinking in the past few years, and buyers with $65,000 to spend on one are usually after a more sport-focused model. The executive nonetheless defended the ELR’s base price — which was slashed earlier this year — by pointing out the coupe comes loaded to the gills.

It goes without saying that Cadillac will not launch a second-generation ELR based on the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Volt, but it’s not giving up on electrification, either. A plug-in hybrid version of the range-topping CT6 will be introduced shortly, and Ellinghaus confirmed plans to offer a gasoline-electric version of nearly every member of the company’s lineup in the coming years.

“[The plug-in hybrid drivetrain] will become the next all-wheel drive. Some will want it and take the box and the price list, and others not,” predicted the executive.

Cadillac has admitted the plug-in hybrid ELR (pictured) has completely failed to live up to its expectations.

“Put it this way: The ELR’s a big disappointment; there’s no denying it,” conceded Uwe Ellinghaus, the company’s chief marketing officer, in a recent interview with Automobile Magazine.

Ellinghaus explained the ELR has been a fiasco because it’s a niche model that’s aimed at a tiny target audience. The two-seater coupe segment has been steadily shrinking in the past few years, and buyers with $65,000 to spend on one are usually after a more sport-focused model. The executive nonetheless defended the ELR’s base price — which was slashed earlier this year — by pointing out the coupe comes loaded to the gills.

It goes without saying that Cadillac will not launch a second-generation ELR based on the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Volt, but it’s not giving up on electrification, either. A plug-in hybrid version of the range-topping CT6 will be introduced shortly, and Ellinghaus confirmed plans to offer a gasoline-electric version of nearly every member of the company’s lineup in the coming years.

“[The plug-in hybrid drivetrain] will become the next all-wheel drive. Some will want it and take the box and the price list, and others not,” predicted the executive.

Google has quickly issued its first criticism of California’s proposed regulations for autonomous vehicles.

The new laws, announced yesterday, call for all autonomous vehicles to have a steering wheel and pedals. A human driver would be required to sit behind the wheel, and not just any driver. State officials want a special training program and an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate” before individuals are deemed qualified to drive a self-driving car.

The proposed rules pose a particular difficult roadblock for Google’s autonomous ambitions, as the company moves toward commercialization. The search giant plans to launch a driverless rival to ride services such as Uber and Lyft, however the regulations would effectively bar such an endeavor.

Google project director Chris Urmson claims the company has heard stories from a diverse group of individuals suffering from medical ailments that prevent them from driving a car. Examples include vision problems, autism, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, along with the elderly.

“[The proposed rule] maintains the same old status quo and falls short on allowing this technology to reach its full potential, while excluding those who need to get around but cannot drive,” he wrote in a blog post.

Google plans to continue working with the California DMV in the coming months as the agency reviews feedback on the proposal. The company wants to return to the spirit of the original bill, passed in 2012, that had envisioned a legal framework for autonomous vehicles with or without human drivers.

“California is a state with both world-class car culture and world-class innovation, and we can do better,” Urmson added. “Instead of putting a ceiling on the potential of self-driving cars, let’s have the courage to imagine what California would be like if we could live without the shackles of stressful commutes, wasted hours, and restricted mobility for those who want the independence that the automobile has always represented.”

DMV officials have defended the restrictive proposal, arguing that the technology is not yet safe enough for widespread deployment. The agency claims manufacturers need to “obtain more experience” testing driverless vehicles on public roads before making the technology available to the general public.

A debate still surrounds liability for accidents when a vehicle is operating in autonomous mode. California’s proposal places responsibility solely on the human driver, regardless of manual or autonomous operation. Some automakers appear to be ready to carry the legal burden of such technology. Volvo is among the first to accept liability for any accident caused by one of its cars operating autonomously.

Many automakers are aiming to introduce semi-autonomous features on production vehicles by the end of the decade, initially focusing on the relatively easy task of highway self-driving before introducing systems capable of operating in more complex urban environments. Conservative forecasts point to 2030 for fully autonomous cars arriving on the market.