Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

2015 Honda Pilot line to get SE trim

Honda is spicing up its 2015 Pilot line by adding a model between the EX and EX-L trim levels. The LX model starts at $30,700--a bump of $200 over the previous year--and the two-wheel-drive SE model starts at $33,950. The eight-passenger Pilot SE comes with pewter gray aluminum-alloy wheels, SE badging, a one-touch moonroof, satellite radio and a DVD player.

2013 Mercedes E63 AMG & E63 AMG S Facelift arrives

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes has revealed the new E63 AMG saloon and Estate and the E63 AMG S. Just as we saw the other day, the 2013 E63 AMG – both saloon and estate – get a bold new treatment, particularly at the front, to differentiate further the AMG from the more prosaic E Class models. The more butch front end gets the new single headlight treatment of the regular E Class, but there’s a central splitter and great big air ducts forming an AMG ‘A’ shape to improve air flow under the car.