German Car Scene

Month: January 2012

  • Ski joring with a Bentley


    Auto Express magazine’s Kyle Fortune recently headed over to Gstaad, Switzerland to try his hand at ski joring. But, whereas the sport is usually carried out with the pulling power of a horse or dog, Kyle is relying on a W12-engined Bentley Continental GT, which transfers its 423 kW (567 hp) to all four wheels. Perfect for those snowy shenanigans. (more…)

  • DRIVE: Chris Harris’ Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 goes into hibernation


    DRIVE’s Chris Harris is about to put the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 that is “rapidly bankrupting” him into winter storage – but not before one last blast around those stunning Welsh roads. Where else would you find out that the 3.8 RS’ wing makes for a better tea tray than the 4.0’s? (more…)

  • BMW reveals diesel M models


    You may remember, last December, we revealed that BMW M GmbH would be creating a range of diesel-powered M Performance vehicles? Well, the Munich giant has finally released all the details along with photos and a great promo video.

    SUV fans will be offered the choice of either an X5 M50d, which will start at € 82,300 or X6 M50d at € 85,800. The diesel version of the F10 M5 – which comes equipped with the company’s xDrive all-wheel drive system as standard, begins at € 80,800 for the M550d xDrive and € 83,750 for the family-friendly M550d xDrive Touring. Power comes courtesy of a tri-turbo 3.0 L inline-6 cylinder unit which develops 280 kW (381 hp) and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque.

    Performance is obviously brisk, with the M550d xDrive taking 4.7 seconds to crack 100 km/h (62 mph) and its Touring counterpart just 0.2 s behind. The X5 M50d races to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.4 seconds, while the X6 M50d is a fraction faster at 5.3 s. Top speed on all vehicles is electronically governed to 250 km/h (155 mph).

    If you’re interested in their drinking habits, the M550d xDrive Saloon gets through 6.3 litres every 100 kilometres (Touring: 6.4 L/100 km), and the X5 M50d returns 7.5 L/100 km, while its bigger brother requires an extra 0.2 litres to cover the same distance.

    The vehicles will make their world début at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show (8 – 18 March) before they hit German showrooms towards the middle of the year.

    [Source: BMW]

    (more…)

  • BMW M5 by PP-Performance


    PP-Performance, the Weißbach-based chip tuning specialist has developed a power upgrade program for the latest BMW M5 model. The reprogramming, which can be carried out via the OBD interface or the control unit itself, sees output from the twin-turbocharged 4.4 L V8 rise from 412 kW (560 hp) and 680 Nm (502 lb/ft) of torque to 456 kW (612 hp) and 750 Nm (553 lb/ft).

    Priced at € 3,499, the changes result in a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 4.1 seconds – down from 4.4 s, and an increased top speed of 310 km/h (192 mph). The company says a stage two conversion is currently in the pipeline.

    [Source: PP-Performance]

  • ABT Sportsline AS4


    ABT Sportsline, the Kempten-based VAG tuning specialist, has released details of its 2013 Audi A4 program, the AS4.

    When subjected to the company’s ABT Power Kit, the 2.0 TFSI version jumps from 211 hp (155 kW) to 275 hp (202 kW), while the S4’s supercharged 3.0 V6 TFSI climbs from 333 hp (245 kW) to 435 hp (320 kW): enough for a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 4.8 seconds and a 282 km/h (175 mph) top speed. If oil burners are your thing, the 3.0 TDI upgrade sees a rise from 245 hp (180 kW) to 282 hp (207 kW) and a torque figure of 560 Nm (413 lb/ft), up from 500 Nm (369 lb/ft). A sports exhaust, which culminates in two pairs of tailpipes, is also available.

    Visually, ABT offers a lower front spoiler, questionable fender vents, side sill extensions, a boot lid spoiler and decorative rear bumper insert. A choice of wheels and tyres can be specified, including the DR (shown) and CR Silverlight.

    [Source: ABT Sportsline]

    (more…)

  • Audi R8 GT driven by AMS


    Frederick Huldt recently got behind the wheel of Audi’s glorious R8 GT for Sweden’s Auto Motor & Sport. Powered by a 412 kW (560 hp) V10 unit, the hardcore GT model hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.6 seconds and 200 km/h in 10.8 s, while top speed is a pleasant 321 km/h (199mph). We like that the video is interspersed with nostalgic Group B clips too. (more…)