2014 Range Rover Sport: The Best Round of Pictures Yet

In the rare chance that you had any doubts whether Land Rover's 2014 Range Rover Sport is the worst kept secret of the 2013 New York Auto Show, here's a new round of images showing the premium SUV from all four corners, and which just surfaced online.

The sportier-looking (and theoretically, –handling) sibling of the Range Rover Mk4, rides on the latter's all-aluminum, bonded and riveted PLA (Premium Lightweight Architecture) platform. The switch to from steel to aluminum construction will help the Range Rover Sport Mk2 shed as much as 300 kg or (661 pounds) over its predecessor.

We expect Land Rover to release details later today during a special event in New York, but the Sport will likely launch with a selection of supercharged V6 and V8 gasoline engines and V6 and V8 turbo diesels.

Visually, the new Sport looks like what you'd expect it to be: a more dynamic version of the Range Rover Mk4 with sleeker proportions, a lowered roofline, more angled front and rear windshields and a shorter rear overhang.

Photos: Land Rover via Autowp 

Shout out to Florian for the tip!

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2014 Honda Odyssey Mildly Revised, Gains…Built-In Vacuum Cleaner

As it has become apparent in recent years, it is extremely difficult for automakers to come up with something new and fresh to woo buyers their way. Honda seems to think it has a pretty good idea with what it's calling the HondaVac – an in-built vacuum cleaner that can be specified on the 2014Odyssey, which has just been revealed ahead of the 2013 New York Auto Show.

The main talking point is not the subtly refreshed exterior styling (like the new grille, taillights and revised bumpers) or the improved safety features, nor is it the updated interior (new finishes and an all-new center stack).

It is, predictably, the HondaVac, which only comes fitted to the Odyssey Touring Elite top-spec model. The latter also gets Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, adding to the push-button start and Hondalink infotainment system (with 7-inch screen) which the minivan comes with as standard.

The vacuum cleaner has a hose just big enough to reach throughout the cabin, and it can run for up to 8 minutes after the engine is turned off or indefinitely until the car runs out of gas. Honda fails to mention if the 2014 Odyssey gets any updates under the bonnet, but we suspect that the 3.5-liter V6, with 248 hp, has made the model-year transition with minimal changes.

It can also apparently read aloud your SMS messages while you're driving. That can only mean one thing – minivan drivers have no dark secrets that could be revealed through text messages, much to the amusement or horror of the passenger(s).

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Feast your Eyes on 65 Photos of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee

We might not have a lot of official information on the brand-new, and heavily panned by many readers for its odd-looks, 2014 Jeep Cherokee, but we can now further enlighten you on its exterior styling thanks to a raft of pictures that were released online today, and which you can check out, and, of course, comment on, right after the break.

We've yet to hear this from Chrysler Group officials, but a recent report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) stated that Jeep based the new Cherokee on a design borrowed from parent company Fiat's Alfa Romeo brand:

"The 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which makes its debut Wednesday at the New York Auto Show, is based on a design first developed for Fiat’s Alfa Romeo—a sharing intended to spare Chrysler hundreds of millions of dollars in engineering costs and shorten the time it takes to get new vehicles to market," said the report from WSJ.

However, the article doesn't elaborate on whether it means the actual design of the SUV (as in styling of the body etc.), or if it refers to the underpinnings of the new Cherokee, which is believed to be based on a modified version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta-sourced chassis of the Dodge Dart.

We'll have full details on the 2014 Cherokee tomorrow from its New York Auto Show world premiere.

Update I: We've added new photos to the gallery, including official shots of the 2014 Cherokee's interior that is seen here for the first time.

Update II: The Chrysler Group issued a press release in which it confirms that the new Cherokee is indeed based on the Alfa Romeo-sourced Compact U.S. Wide (CUS-wide) platform that's also used on the Dodge Dart sedan.

Engine choices at launch will include a 2.4-liter four-cylinder Tigershark unit with 184 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque that returns up to an estimated 31 mpg highway fuel economy rating, and a 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6 engine with 271 horsepower and 239 lb.-ft. of peak torque, with a towing capability of 4,500 pounds. Both powerplants are linked to a segment-first, nine-speed automatic transmission.

We're also told that the new Cherokee will be available in four different flavors named, Sport, Latitude, Limited and the Trailhawk (pictured above), which is the most capable of the bunch.

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