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We drive the cars of Furious 7... in Forza Horizon 2 [w/video]

On March 27, Turn 10 Studios, the folks behind the Forza Motorsport series, and Universal Pictures, the studio responsible for the Fast and Furious franchise, gave us a match made in heaven, announcing a "standalone expansion" featuring the two franchises. Called Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast and Furious, it features the cars from the latest film installment, unique missions and the voice-acting of Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who plays tech guru Tej Parker on camera. A Fast and Furious video game? Seems like a no brainer. It gets better. Rather than limiting the Fast and Furious Edition cars to the expansion game, Turn 10 made them available through one of their (some may say notorious) downloadable content packages. Eight of the expansion's 11 cars were made available for just $4.99 (the only cars that weren't included were the Fast and Furious Edition Nissan GT-R, while the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and McLaren P1 are already available in-game). What's cool ais that the cars featured in both games are visually identical to the vehicles driven by the stars of Furious 7. Each in-game car has an on-screen parallel that plays a role in advancing the film's story. Considering that we're unlikely to score seat time in Dominic Toretto's real Dodge Charger, then, we figured we'd take to the game and test the car in the digital realm. We've got nine little cluster reviews, covering the cars both in the game and how they appear in the movies. And don't worry, there are no major spoilers here. Click on for the cars of Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast and Furious. 1970 Dodge Charger R/T Fast and Furious Edition Supercharged 7.2L V8 / 900 HP / 663 LB-FT The one vehicle that is mandatory in a Fast and Furious video game, Dom's hot-rodded 1970 Dodge Charger, is as much a character in the films as its driver. Furious 7 marks the fourth appearance of this Mopar beast in the series. Not surprisingly it's a handful to drive, wildly quick and with a four-speed transmission packed full of very tall gears. But beyond that, it's arguably the coolest of the FF Edition cars. This black beauty is exactly as it appears in the latest installment of the film, with the video game version featuring intricate little details, like the moving parts on the BDS supercharger. It's an iconic car, and it's treated as such in the game.

GMC wants to target Jeep with compact crossover

GMC execs might consider adding a Jeep competitor to the range, but rather than new rumors of a Wrangler-fighter, this time the Professional Grade brand could go after the Renegade. Division boss Duncan Aldred would like to broaden the brand's lineup with a subcompact crossover. "I keep telling everyone, 'How can General Motors' truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment," he said to Automotive News but wouldn't confirm whether the model was under development. General Motors already offers small crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore, but the CUV segment in general continues to drive auto sales in the US. Adding a similarly sized GMC to the mix might increase the automaker's volume by appealing to different customers. "A GMC buyer is very different from a Buick buyer. This is like comparing the Fiat 500X to the Jeep Renegade. They are very similar but appeal to different people," Dave Sullivan, Product Analysis Manager at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Aldred started the speculation about a Wrangler-fighting model in an interview in late 2014, and the company reportedly even raised the idea of an offroad-focused vehicle to dealers to see how they reacted. The development process was only in the very early planning stages, but the brand considered using Hummer for a little of the new product's inspiration. Aldred later suggested to journalists the possibility of adding a compact or midsize SUV to the GMC range in the next 10 years to appeal to more buyers. He didn't comment directly on the possibility of the Wrangler-challenger at the time beyond saying: "I can't confirm that ... everything's on the table." Related Video:

Jeep going bigger with new Grand Wagoneer, smaller with sub-Renegade?

The headlines are still rolling in for the new Renegade that Jeep unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but already reports are surfacing, citing sources within the company, about what Chrysler's iconic off-road brand will do next.
Speaking with Auto Express (whose reports we tend to take with a grain of salt or two), Jeep chief Mike Manley suggested that two courses of action are currently under consideration at Auburn Hills to develop two very different new models - one smaller and one larger than anything Jeep currently makes.
One plan would be to make an SUV or crossover even smaller than the new Renegade, although it isn't immediately clear what platform it would take. The Renegade (pictured above in Trailhawk spec) will be built in Italy alongside Fiat's upcoming 500X, but uses a heavily modified platform. We figure the smaller model, if approved, could base itself on the new Fiat Panda Cross.