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Readers chat it up live with AW associate editor Jon Wong

For those who have ever stared longingly at a Mazda RX-8, or who love the symphony of a Honda four-cylinder engine turning at 200 rpm short of the redline and the tactile joy of the shifter sliding flawlessly from gear to gear, you have a friend in AutoWeek associate editor Jon Wong. On Friday, readers took the opportunity for a virtual mind meld, as Jon fielded questions in an online chat at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

2013 Mercedes CLS63 AMG & Shooting Brake get new E63 AMG power hike

The 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and Shooting Brake are getting the same power upgrades as the new E63 AMG and the E 63 AMG S. But hidden in the press info that come in from Mercedes on the new E63 AMG was the news that the power upgrades it gets will also be offered on the CLS 63 AMG (and its Estate version – the CLS Shooting Brake) and that there will be a CLS 63 AMG S version too. That means that the regular CLS 63 AMg will now get 549bhp and be able to scoot to 62mph in 4.2 seconds, with the CLS 63 AMG S – with 577bhp –  probably getting to 62mph just a tenth quicker at 4.1 seconds.

Tomorrow’s world: Fiat's MultiAir engine tech

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 14 October 2009 16:50 Fiat this year launches what it claims is a big step forward in variable valve timing: MultiAir. It's the first time that a manufacturer has made a properly variable valve system a production reality, and will slowly be rolled out across most of Fiat's and Alfa's car ranges.How does Fiat's MultiAir vary from existing variable valve timing (VVT) systems?Current VVT systems rely on mechanical systems to open and close the valves. Engineers have long understood the benefits of changing valve opening and closing times to tweak an engine's power and emissions performance, depending on the need for power or parsimony.Valves are an engine's nose and mouth – it inhales through inlet valves and exhales through exhaust valves.