German Car Scene

Month: May 2012

  • Volkswagen Golf covers 450,000 miles


    Volkswagens, and German cars in general, are well known for eating up the miles in a trouble-free manner, but this Golf definitely needs an honourable mention.

    Having retired from his wholesale food delivery business back in 2001, Roy Dyson and his wife Doreen moved from Lancashire to Devon, but knew that that they would be keeping in touch with their friends in the north, so a reliable mode of transport was on their shopping list, and this is it. While visiting his son in Cirencester, Roy came across the silver Mk IV Golf S TDI on sale at Northfield Volkswagen with just 6,021 miles on the clock. That was May 2002, and by December that figure had risen to 30,000 miles. The magical 100,000 mile mark was reached by July 2004, with 250,000 miles appearing just three years later.

    Amazingly, the car is still on its original engine, which has never even had its cylinder head removed. In fact, apart from a failed alternator – shortly after the 300,000-mile point – the Golf has never let the Dysons down. Although snowstorms during the harsh winter of 2010, meant that they had to spend the night in it.

    Babbacombe Garage Services, Roy’s local service centre, generously gave the Golf a complimentary service at 440,000 miles, and Roy puts regular servicing – plus the replacement of parts as soon as they show any sign of wear – down to his car’s longevity. Roll on, half a million!
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  • evo drives the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG [video]


    evo magazine’s Editorial Director and Founder, Harry Metcalfe, heads over to Germany to drive the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, assessing its performance on the on twisty roads as well as the autobahn. The version on test is the mighty G 63 AMG, which uses AMG’s glorious 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine, developing a biblical 400 kW (544 hp) and 760 Nm of torque.
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  • Volkswagen CC R-Line


    Volkswagen is set to reveal the R-Line version of its pretty CC four-door Coupe at next month’s motor show in Leipzig.

    Compared with the Sport model, the CC model benefits from upgrades similar to the Passat R-Line, including a more aggressive front bumper featuring chrome detailing, a large air intake and projector-style foglights, side skirts and R-Line badging. The ‘Mallory’ alloy wheels are 18-inches in diameter, while around the rear there’s a pair of tinted tail-lights. Moving inside the cabin, there are stainless-steel scuff plates and a multifunction steering wheel with flappy paddles for models specified with DSG gearbox.

    Standard equipment includes Bi-Xenon headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights, LED tail-lights, automatic climate-control, heated power front seats, Bluetooth connectivity, the Premium VIII sound system with HD Radio, a six-disc CD changer and eight speakers.

    The CC R-Line hits U.S. showrooms at the end of 2012, powered by a 149 kW (200 hp) 2-litre turbocharged TSI engine, and will be available with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) dual-clutch automatic transmission.
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  • Wheelsandmore Lamborghini Gallardo LP 620-4 Green Beret


    Following on from its Aventador Rabbioso program, Baesweiler-based tuning company Wheelsandmore has released a package for Lamborghini’s LP 570-4 Superleggera, named the LP 620-4 Green Beret.

    Enhancements to the 5.2-litre V10 engine include a software upgrade, carbon-frame sports air filters and a stainless steel exhaust system with remote-controlled valve flap system. Those tweaks give the car its name, taking output from 419 kW (570 hp) and 540 Nm (398 lb/ft) of torque to 455 kW (620 hp) and 580 nm (428 lb/ft). Chassis changes include a fully-adjustable coilover kit, working in conjunction with the hydraulically liftable LCS (level-control-system), which can provide a lift of almost 2-inches if need be, while an optional carbon ceramic brake system is also available.

    Visually, the only change to the Gallardo is a set of the company’s ultralight 6 Sporz² forged rims. Sized 9 and 11 x 20-inches and wrapped in 245/30/20 and 295/25/20 Continental Sport Contact tyre, the wheels have been painted matte black with a colour-coded outline.
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  • Truth in 24 II – Every Second Counts hits YouTube [video]


    Following on from its release on iTunes, Audi is now sharing the phenomenal 2011 Le Mans documentary, Truth in 24 II – Every Second Counts, on YouTube. Even after seeing two cars retire following spectacular accidents during the marathon event, Audi still managed to secure its tenth title with the #2 R18 TDI. This year sees the innovative R18 e-tron quattro and R18 ultra prototypes lining up on the grid, ready to do battle in France. Until then, please set some time aside to watch this video.
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  • Audi factory drivers get a digital rear-view mirror


    With just a few weeks to go until the start of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours race (June 16/17), Audi is still revealing details of its innovative Audi R18 racecar, including this digital rear-view mirror.

    Unlike the company’s A5 DTM cars, the R18 e-tron quattro and R18 ultra prototypes feature a mid-engined configuration, meaning that – as with all of the closed LMP sports cars – there is no rear window. So, rather than the driver having to rely on external mirrors, which may be rain-soaked or vibrating at high-speed, the cockpit now features a digital rear-view mirror.

    A roof-mounted lightweight camera, positioned just behind the car’s antennas, sends a digital signal to the AMOLED (active matrix OLED) screen, which uses pixels just 0.1 millimetres in size to relay crystal clear images to the driver.

    “Even at 330 km/h (205 mph) we’re achieving a totally fluid image flow in real-time transmission. The operation of the mirror is weather-neutral. We also worked out various day and night driving modes. Even when a rival approaches from the rear with high-beam headlights the image is superb and not just a glaring light spot,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport.

    AUDI AG’s Technical Development department were instrumental in the mirror’s production, perfecting the screen and its programming, through testing in an Audi R8 road car during traffic conditions.
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