BMW M event at Wachauring Racetrack in Austria
BMW M holds another exclusive event for European journalists. At the Wachauring Racetrack in Austria, the entire M fleet was put through paces by the eager and adrenaline-loaded journalists. Along with the new BMW M6 Coupe and Convertible, M3 Coupe, M5, X5 M, X6 M, or the M135i, another unique M car made an appearance: the E30 M3, one of the most iconic cars ever built by BMW.
The event kicked off with a drifting competition on wet skidpad, followed by an xDrive demonstration where the heavy, yet powerful X5 M and X6 M showed the capabilities of the rear-drive-biased xDrive system.
Next the M folks gave the journalists a chance to experience a scenic drive aboard some of the best Grand Tourers on the market, the M6 Coupe and Convertible. The final step on this M journey were some hot laps around the track aboard all the M cars available.
Final conclusion? Some believe that the M3 is still king in the M family, a car made for those that enjoy pure, raw driving, and occasional tracking.
Exclusive: 2014 Cadillac Escalade – Here’s Your First Official Look and Insider Info
If you take a look at Cadillac’s current portfolio, there’s one model that sticks out like a blueberry in a pan of milk for more reasons than one. Yes, we’re talking about the Escalade, GM’s biggest, most luxurious and with a $ 63,170 starting price, most expensive full-size SUV.
In production since 2007, the third generation Escalade has seen its sales numbers fall, but it remains a profit machine for GM, which is why the Detroit carmaker is keen to launch a replacement that will enhance its strong points and diminish its weaknesses.
We already knew from spy shots, videos and our sources that the development of the new, 4th gen Escalade is approaching its end, and now we can show you a snapshot taken from a brochure that landed on our news desk earlier this week and also share some interesting details about GM’s premium SUV that we learned from one of our contacts.
In terms of the exterior design, we are told that the next Escalade will continue to have a boxy look. Highlights will include the main headlamp fixtures that look a lot the units used on the ELR; tail lights that “run from the roof down, being thinnest closest to the roof”; rear wheels with a wider stance than the front ones, and slightly shorter rear windows that those on the current Escalade.
As for the interior, the new Escalade will get power fold flat seats for the third row as standard, but most importantly, it will be significantly more luxurious with much higher quality materials. “The interior design is real everything. Real wood, metal, leather,” our source told us.
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New Volkswagen Golf GTD with 181HP Priced from £25,285 in the UK
A little over a week after VW released UK pricing for the new generation Golf GTI, the German carmaker did the same for the diesel-version of the sports hatch, the Golf GTD that is available to order now in Britain, with prices starting at £25,285 on the road (OTR).
The starting price is £310 more than the previous GTD, with VW stating it comes better equipped, while it’s £560 less than the base 217hp (220PS) version of the gasoline-powered Golf GTI Mk7.
Available in both 3- and 5-door body styles, the new Golf GTD Mk7 keeps the looks and parts of the re-tuned chassis of the GTI, while swapping the petrol unit for a 2.0-liter common rail, turbocharged diesel rated for 181hp (184PS) and 380Nm (280 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,750 rpm,
With the standard 6-speed manual gearbox turning the front wheels, acceleration from zero to 62 mph (100km/h) takes 7.5 seconds, while the top speed is 142 mph (229km/h), and fuel consumption is 67.3mpg UK (56.0mpg US or 4.2lt/100km), making for CO2 emissions of 109 g/km. When fitted with the optional six-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission, the Golf GTD returns 62.8mpg UK (52.3mpg US or 4.5lt/100km) and 122g/km of CO2.
Among other standard features, the GTD comes with smoked LED rear lights with LED licence plate illumination, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, 18-inch wheels with 225/40 tyres, tartan ‘Jacara Grey’ sports seats, a black roof lining, sports steering wheel and stainless steel pedals, plus a touchscreen infotainment system which also includes DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.
2013 Fiat 500E First Drive: The Juiciest 500 Is About Much More Than the Driving
Would you consider an electric car if your lease cost was $ 999 down and $ 199 per month for 36 months? And if the dealership had a special hotline you could call to untangle confusion regarding costs, incentives, and more? What if, each year of your lease, you received 12 days’ use of a gas-powered car? And if there were a smartphone app that could communicate the vehicle’s charge level, control charging, help find charging stations, and heat or cool your car while it was still plugged in? Suppose that electric car drove very much like its gasoline counterpart except quieter? And, honestly, do you drive more than 87 miles each day? If this sounds peachy—and you live in California—Fiat has an electric 500E waiting with your name on it.
Get Down with the Down Low
The new 500E moves under the power of a three-phase AC synchronous motor that delivers 111 horses and 147 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. Energy is stored in a 642-pound, liquid-cooled (and heated), 24-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that lives under the floor between the side rails. The flat pack stretches from the front seats to 10 inches shy of the rear bumper.
One could make the case that Bosch deserves a badge on this car, as the firm provides the battery (cells by Samsung), the battery packaging, the management software, the electric motor, and the regenerative braking system. Fiat calls the braking fully blended, so that, when you’re coasting or braking, the motor is recovering every electron possible and shoving it back into the battery. This only lessens when the battery is full or if the car is traveling slower than 8 mph—at that point the car reverts to conventional friction braking. The regen also shuts off during full-ABS panic stops.
Overall weight gain stands at some 600 pounds over a regular 500, which places the 500E dangerously close to the 3000-pound mark. It was this extra poundage that motivated engineers to use the flattened battery shape to mount the pack down low in the car, where the weight is less deleterious to handling. There are other alterations, including a reworked body structure that is said to be 10 percent more rigid, much stiffer springs, and a heavy-duty rear axle shared with the hotted-up 500 Abarth. The 500E rides on 15-inch Firestone Firehawk GT low-rolling-resistance tires.
2013 Fiat 500C Abarth Driven: Frisky and Topless—Any Questions?
Fiat’s 500C Abarth reminds us of the old chewing-gum ad line, “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun,” in that it matches two of the factors that make these little Italian (via Mexico) cars so much fun.
The first factor is the Abarth make over, starting with the turbocharged and twin-intercooled 1.4-liter Multiair four with 160 horsepower and 170 lb-ft that will light up the front tires through the five-speed manual box. (No word yet on availability of an automatic.) Presentation points accrue for the red, look-what-I-have engine cover complete with scorpion logo. Adding some sassiness to the regular 500C’s chassis are stiffer springs, Koni front shocks, a ride height lower by 0.6 inch, bigger brakes with red-coated calipers, and wider Pirelli tires. No one will doubt you are piloting something beyond a standard 500: There are Abarth scorpion badges on the front, sides, and rear; more-aggressive fascias at both ends; Abarth side stripes; and dual exhausts. The best visuals and dynamics come with the optional 17-inch wheels.
The other factor is the cloth roof, which we know from the 500C. The steel roof rails stay in place while the cloth roof and its glass rear window accordion back like a sardine-can lid. There are two folding positions. The first push of the convertible-top button slides the top back, creating a giant sunroof-like opening to the rear rooftop spoiler. Push the button again and the roof slides still farther back until it nestles just above the trunklid. You can open the roof to that first position at speeds up to 60 mph, but need to throttle back to 50 to slide it all the way back. Very convenient.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Where the workaday 500 cabrio is your basic lighthearted Fiat, the Abarth is for the heavy-footed. Push the Sport button to get the full 170 lb-ft of torque (150 lb-ft is the max in normal mode) and to put the steering in its weightiest mode, and canyon runs become pseudo attacks, if one can use such a word with a car this pugnaciously cute. The interior is actually a bit quieter with the top all the way back, so that’s where it lived for most of our drive, rearward vision be damned.
The unique top arrangement, for some reason, appealed even to some that shun full convertibles or sunroofs. We like it because you get to hear more of that Abarth exhaust note—which is less frantic and more putt-putt than you’d expect from an Italian car, and quite possibly its most charming attribute. And the aural assault sounded extra glorious bouncing off the rock-faced walls that lined our route.
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Production BMW 4 Series spied at Schiphol airport
A production ready BMW 4 Series was spied at the Schiphol airpot in Amsterdam. It remains unknown where the 4 Series is heading but some people are already speculating that the car is heading to the Shanghai Auto Show.
The 4 Series Coupe spied here sports very light camouflage and it’s already revealing some of the design we’re all expecting to see, especially since the concept unveiled in Detroit is said to be about 90 percent identical to the final version.
As seen here also the new 4 Series has a long sleek hood, a more steeply raked front windshield, lower front end, wider kidney grills and enlarged air intake just above the ground which all combine to give the coupe a very aggressive appearance. Even the headlights appear to be pushed more to the edge of the front end than compared to the 3 Series.
Though the new 4 Series wheelbase is 50 mm longer than the outgoing E92 3 Series Coupe, it has the same 110.6” wheelbase as the existing F30 3 Series sedan. Its overall length, 182.7 inches, is just a hair longer the the F30 sedan by 0.2”. The new 4 Series overall height is 53.6 inches. This is lower than the existing 3 Series sedan by 2.7” and the outgoing 3 Series coupe by .63”. The new 4 Series also sports a wider front and rear track. So expect the M3 to have enhanced bodywork to make up for the narrower track. The M4 will still be one of the most aggressive M cars ever built.
[Source: Autoweek]
Maserati releases first official images of all-new Ghibli sedan
Maserati has released the first official images of its all-new Ghibli sports sedan that will debut at Auto Shanghai 2013 later this month.
Boasting a sportier character than the larger and newly introduced Quattroporte, the Ghibli will be available with two 3.0L turbocharged V6 engines, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and both rear-wheel drive and the new “Q4” all-wheel drive system. In fact, it will become the first production Maserati to be powered by a diesel engine.
The Ghibli will play a significant role in the company’s growth plan to sell 50,000 cars per year.
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| Photo: Maserati |
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| Photo: Maserati |