There are lots of ways to measure the performance of a car, but there's only one that is quintessentially well suited to the SRT Viper: the quarter mile. And while we've already seen a proper comparison test or two that puts the new SRT Viper on a racetrack, we've yet to see what it can do when put in the hands of a proper drag racer for an entire day of tire-burning performance testing. Now we do.

And so the big question is, How does it perform? Pretty well indeed, recording a best time of 11.1 seconds at 127.4 mph (205 km/h), wearing street-legal drag radials with the boys from Drag Times behind the wheel. That run included 3.1 seconds for the big Viper to hit 60 mph (96 km/h), and it took just 7.1 seconds to reach 100mph (161 km/h). Impressive performance, to be sure. But those figures need to be put in context for the full picture... in other words, how does its acceleration compare to such high-horsepower rivals as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500?

Well, without running all three of these muscle machines down the same track on the same day with the same driver, it's not going to be a fair comparison. Plus, the Corvette in particular has had several models years for drivers to keep plugging away for the best possible results. That said, the Viper's 11.1 seconds at 127.4 mph (205 km/h) is well shy of Drag Times' best recorded (and verified) ZR1 time slip of 10.332 seconds at 132.74 mph (213.6 km/h), and there are a total of seven documented ZR1 runs quicker than the Viper's.

As for the GT500, the best recorded run on file at Drag Times is 11.570 seconds at 124.3 mph (200 km/h). So, it's not as quick as the Viper or ZR1, but we wouldn't really expect it to be. In any case, it's a fun comparison for bragging rights, but it's anything but scientific. In other words, take all this with a healthy spoonful of salt and stay tuned for more in this space from all three of the American automakers.

Check out a video from Drag Times below, and remember, reaction time doesn't matter in this scenario.

Let's get this out of the way right off the bat: We don't know if the video you're about to watch really took place in the wild or if it were staged. That said, this appears to be one of the most alarming bits of road rage we've ever seen captured on video.

Let's set the scene. A motorcyclist is riding along with a good bit of distance between him and the black Nissan Juke in front of him before accelerating to catch up. The Juke driver moves to the left in order to avoid an obstacle in the road, cutting off the motorcyclist in the process, but everyone is fine. No harm, no foul? Hardly.

The motorcyclist falls way back, apparently biding his time and getting ready. Ready for what, you ask? Keep watching – the altercation concludes with an angle grinder, a frightened Juke driver and the loss of one minor appendage that once belonged to said Juke. Finally, a sticker that says 'NTV' is placed on the car's window, a fellow motorist appears to come to the driver's aid and the motorcyclist makes a quick getaway. Craziness.

Scroll down below to see it all unfold on video.

The day has finally come for BMW to pull the covers off its X4 Concept at the Shanghai Motor Show. The machine brings few surprises – we've already seen an official image gallery from the German automaker, so its exterior shape was well known – but at least now we get to see it with our own eyes, and with the lenses of our very own cameras.

You can clearly see the fastback roofline in our high-res image gallery above, along with the jacked-up stance that allows BMW to call this machine a Sports Activity Vehicle, which basically means "Crossover" to our friends in Munich. We've seen similar vehicle shapes before, most notably in the form of the BMW X6, but also as far back as the 1980s from the likes of AMC.

We fully expect the transition from concept to production to be pretty seamless, so what we see here is, for the most part, what we'll see on the showroom floor in 2014. Feel free to peruse the press release below, but first, be sure to browse through our live images from Shanghai and let us know what you think.

Those of us who like a little style injected into our greenery will appreciate the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe Concept seen above. Like the original seven-seat non-coupe version of the crossover first seen at the Detroit Auto Show, this five-seat machine from Shanghai features a high-tech drivetrain that consists of twin electric motors, one up front and one at the rear, that get juice from a 9.8-kWh lithium-ion battery. Under the hood sits a 295-horsepower, direct-injection, gasoline-burning V6 in place of the turbo-diesel of the Detroit version.

Those three powerplants combine to put out an impressive 415 horsepower, which is sufficient enough to shuttle the CrossBlue Coupe Concept from 0-60 (0-96 km/h) in a scant 5.9 seconds and on up to a top speed of 236 km/h (147 miles per hour). Of course, green-leaners will be more interested in the Concept's ability to travel 34 km (21 miles) on electricity alone that couples with the estimated 79 miles per gallon (3.0 L/100 km) on the European combined cycle – for what it's worth, there's no direct translation of that figure into US mpg EPA, but it wouldn't be nearly that high – that allows for a 1,158 kilometre (720-mile range)... on paper, of course.

Styling, as they say, is subjective, but we like what we see. Have a look at the VW CrossBlue Coupe Concept in our high-res image gallery above, read the press release below, and let us know what you think.

Does the car above, posing fancifully in white, look familiar? Well, it should. Although it wears Mondeo badges in the form you see above for the Chinese market – as it does in Europe – the car is basically the same thing sold in North America as the Ford Fusion. Of course, it's what's under that shapely skin that counts.

Ford has chosen the Shanghai Motor Show as the venue with which to unveil its 1.5-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. We'd heard about the engine before, but now we have a few performance estimates to share: 133 kW of power (about 178 horsepower) and 240 Nm of torque (about 177 pound-feet).

Those numbers pretty much confirm previous rumours indicating about 177 in each category, and it's right on par with what Ford's own 1.6-litre EcoBoost produces. Ford is claiming best-in-class fuel economy as well, but no specific figures have yet been provided. In any case, we'll surely have all the data soon enough, as the 1.5-litre mill is destined for North American Fusion in 2014.

Ford will also offer a 2.0-litre EcoBoost in the Chinese Mondeo that puts out 178 kW (239 horsepower) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft). All that and more can be found in the press release below.

If the reception it received at the Shanghai Motor Show is any judge of marketplace acceptance, Mercedes-Benz has a hit on its hands in the form of the GLA Concept. And we can understand why – we're quickly becoming fans of Mercedes' recent styling language, as defined by new models like the CLA and this GLA Concept.

The big news on the exterior front are the headlamp clusters, which have frickin' laser beams attached to their foreheads embedded inside that are capable of projecting videos and images on a screen. Plus, a pair of video cameras are mounted on the roof that can be used to capture driving excitement or removed and taken with you. How cool is that? We just hope they have a substantial locking mechanism to prevent would-be thievery...

If the exterior is mostly ready for production, with a few of the more outlandish elements moved to the trash bin – like, for instance, laser-beam headlamps and removable action cams – the interior is a true custom job that screams concept loud and clear. There are all kinds of jewel-like finishes inside, along with transparent surfaces showing what looks like metal latticework underneath and some awfully thick looking leather with massive exterior stitching done by hand similar to what you'd find on a baseball glove.

Under the twin-bulged hood sits a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that sends 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to all four wheels via Mercedes' proprietary 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. There's plenty more in the press release below, and we suggest you take a gander at our high-res image gallery above to take in all the unique details.

Ford is kickin' it old school at the Shanghai Motor Show for 2013 with a new Escort Concept – "a name that stirs up thoughts of basic, affordable transportation rather than great driving dynamics or bold design" as we said in our initial preview of the small C-segment sedan. Or, as Ford puts it, "Customers in China described seeking a vehicle that is stylish – but not one that is arrogant or pretentious." Potato, potahto...

It's an interesting amalgam of design notes with Ford's recent and stylish hexagonal grille up front, flanked by some pretty busy LED light clusters and chrome-trimmed air intakes at the lower extremities of the fascia, but the Escort Concept is not altogether unattractive. Besides its external appearance, we really don't have much information to report – Ford has not yet hinted at what may be powering this little machine, but we'd expect something with four cylinders and less that 2.0 litres of displacement sending a modest number of horses to the front tires.

It probably goes without saying, but we don't expect to see this Escort make its way to North America, since we already have the Focus and the Fiesta battling it out in the econobox segment. That said, it's very likely to spawn a production model that will roll out here in China and in other developing market where multiple C-segment entries are becoming increasingly common. Check out our high-res image gallery of live images above, and let us know what you think of the car's styling, then scroll down below for the official press release.

The so-called Hyundai Mini-Sonata now has a proper name. Called the Mingtu in China, this new sedan will slot in between the compact Elantra and midsize Sonata, and it sports a pretty nifty look.

We've known for a while now that Hyundai is working on a more mature version of its Fluidic styling language, the first fruits of which showed up in the latest Santa Fe, and the Mingtu seems to take that refined appearance to the next level with a refined look of creased lines, a chiseled fascia and a smooth greenhouse.

There's no indication that this car will be offered in the Canadian market, but it's certainly possible that some of its styling elements will carry over to the next Elantra or Sonata. In any case, expect a range of 1.8- and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines to be announced for the Chinese market when the Mingtu makes its official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend.

Click through to see the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid face off against the Chevrolet Cruse Eco.

Surely you're aware of Newton's Cradle – named after famous physicist Sir Isaac Newton – even if you didn't actually know it was called Newton's Cradle. Click here for Wikipedia's page on the device... okay, got it? Good. So, it's that thing that people put on their desks at work with little metal balls suspended on very thin wires. Pull one side back, let go, and watch the other side act in response.

Helmet maker Shark decided it would be fun to see if Newton's Cradle could also be made out of people. Motorcycle helmeted people, to be exact. Want to see how it all works... or doesn't work, depending on your point of view? Of course you do.

Scroll down below to watch the video.

According to a report from AutoGuide, Toyota doesn't have plans to replace the aging Matrix hatchback in North America after this year. If true, the timing coincides with the replacement for the Corolla, on which the Matrix is based, with that car slated to get its first complete redesign since 2006.

We'd love to tell you how many Matrix models were sold by Toyota last year, but the automaker chooses to bundle Matrix sales with Corolla sales, so we actually have no idea. That said, we have to assume sales of the hatchback don't contribute much overall to the total number of Corolla-based machines.

We're also unsure if Toyota will choose to exit the youth-oriented compact hatchback market entirely, or if the automaker will rely instead on its hybrid Prius line and Scion models like the xB and xD.

Legendary, Iconic... And Improved?



It is an undeniable reality that there are only so many adjectives to choose from when describing a given vehicle. Here are two that tend to be both overused and misused perhaps more than any other: legendary and iconic.

Forgive us for regaling you with these descriptors yet again, but when it comes to the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover, there simply aren't any words in the English language that can be applied to this sport utility vehicle that are as accurate and forceful as legendary and iconic. And what's especially impressive about our use of these adjectives is that they apply equally well when discussing the Range Rover's off-road capabilities as they do its position as a status symbol.

This marketplace position, however laudable and desirable it may be, presents a unique problem: How do you redesign a legendary SUV to be better, faster and stronger while maintaining its posh image? The boffins at Land Rover think they've nailed the art of the redesign, and we spent a week with the 2013 Range Rover to find out for ourselves if you really can mess with success and come out the victor.

We love Google Street View, both for its use as a real tool when mapping directions and for its amazing ability to function as an internet time waster. Turns out, though, that there is yet another awesome use for Google Street View that we had never considered ourselves.

Toronto-based design firm Teehan+Lax has created a process that allows users to build time-lapse animations using Google Street View imagery, and it's calling the resulting videos Hyperlapses. If you don't fancy the predetermined routes made by the firm – though we're sure you will – you can create your own using their web interface.

Scroll down below to see what Street View animations look like in video form, and let us know if you create any of your own that you want to share.

In one of the most interesting roundtable discussions we've seen in quite some time, the boys from Motor Trend, along with pro racing driver Randy Pobst, sat down with SRT head honcho Ralph Gilles to discuss the 2014 Viper. And the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, naturally. As you may remember, Motor Trend has filmed two videos pitting the latest Viper from SRT against the standard-bearing ZR1, with the Viper losing the first battle but barely eking out a victory with the upgraded TA model in the second.

A few interesting tidbits sneak out regarding the Viper, such as the fact that an ACR model isn't ready "yet," as well as the story of how the TA model came into existence after the first test by Motor Trend. Apparently, that test also resulted in a slight softening of the regular Viper's suspension for production. Interestingly, Gilles doesn't seem ready to admit defeat even in that first testing session, saying that the Viper used by MT was a pre-production model and that it had been out of alignment – that said, he does offer up an apology of sorts for "throwing gas on the fire" on social networks after the video hit the web.

Moving away from the Viper toward the end of the discussion, Gilles touches on the new Camaro Z28 and mentions that "the Challenger is under the knife as we speak... and we're going to come with an answer to [the Z28] and an answer for our friends at Ford." That sounds mighty intriguing... though Gilles also admits that a Cuda isn't coming "anytime soon," but that it is "a couple years out" on a different platform than the Challenger. Fortunately, it sounds like the next-generation of the Challenger SRT will make an appearance in New York in 2014.

There are plenty more interesting tidbits in the video, so we suggest you take about 20 minutes of at the end of your day to watch it yourself. Scroll down below to watch the video, along with the two MT videos comparing the Viper and ZR1 at Laguna Seca.

"One in four new BMW cars is now a BMW SAV." If you're new to BMW parlance, SAV stands for Sports Activity Vehicle, a vehicle type most of us more commonly refer to as a crossover, and that statistic, which comes straight from the automaker itself, tells you all you need to know about why the X4 Concept you see above exists.

Like its larger X6 sibling, the BMW X4 Concept tries to shove a crossover in a mold shaped vaguely like a fastback coupe. Put another way, the X4 is likely to be a polarizing design, though perhaps not to the extent that the X6 divided opinions. As for us, we definitely prefer the styling of this X4 Concept, with its strong character lines and impressive wheel-to-bodyside ratio, over that of its bigger brother. That said, we're sure the AMC Eagle comparisons will begin in earnest starting right about... now.

Dimensionally, it seems the most obvious machine with which to compare this X4 Concept is the 3 Series Wagon – we're not sure if it will be as spacious inside as the 3 Series Gran Turismo. A two-inch stretch in the wheelbase ought to bring a commensurate improvement in legroom, and a body that's nearly five inches longer should be a boon for cargo capacity. Of course, that fastback roofline will surely cut down on the car's roominess inside, but we'll have to wait for the final production model to judge its true capabilities.

BMW will build the production version of the X4 at its Spartanburg, South Carolina plant in the United States, and it is expected to go on sale in 2014. Read the full press release below for all the details, but beware that most of it focuses on the X4 Concept's unique styling, which you can see for yourself in our high-res image gallery.