From the latest series of Fifth Gear, here’s Vicki Butler-Henderson sampling Audi’s mighty RS 4 Avant.
Powered by the company’s 4.2 FSI engine, which produces 331 kW (450 hp) and 430 Nm of torque, this family-friendly supercar can crack 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.7 seconds before hitting a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
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SEAT has announced details of new Cupra versions of its three-door and five-door Leon Coupe models.
Set to make their public debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show, both cars use a revised version of the Golf GTI‘s 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged engine, which develops 195 kW (265 hp) in the Cupra and 206 kW (280 hp) in the spicier Cupra 280, with both of them producing 350 Nm of torque. On the road the DSG-equipped Cupra hits 100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds, while the Cupra 280 takes 5.7 seconds; both are 0.1s slower with the six-speed manual transmission and top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h (150 mph). Average fuel consumption for both vehicles has been rated at 6.4 litres per 100 km for the manual cars (DSG 6.7 l/100 km), with CO2 emission of 149 g/km and 155 g/km respectively.
Standard equipment on both cars includes progressive steering, DCC dynamic chassis control with adaptive dampers and a choice of settings including a ‘Cupra Drive Profile’ mode, and a front-axle differential lock. The ESC handling system can be deactivated in two stages depending on conditions.
Visually, the Cupras can be identified by their larger air intakes, full-LED headlamps, rear skirt with diffuser section and twin oval tailpipes. Inside the cabin there’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel, LED lighting and Alcantara-trimmed sports seats. Cupra 280 owners are treated to larger 19-inch alloy wheels, aero package with rear spoiler, black body mouldings and frames, gloss black mirrors, red brake calipers and the satellite navigation as standard.
Orders are being taken from today with deliveries beginning in early March; pricing in the UK ranges from £25,690 for the SC Cupra to £28,525 for the Cupra 280 with DSG transmission.
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Audi has today released images of the next generation TT’s interior at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Looking more revolutionary than evolutionary, the cabin has clearly been redesigned from the ground up, most notably the virtual cockpit, which focuses around a 12.3-inch TFT monitor offering brilliant graphics with a 3D impression. The driver can switch between the ‘classic’ view to monitor the speedometer and rev counter in the foreground, while the ‘infotainment’ mode reduces the size of the virtual instruments to provide a clearer display space for functions such as the navigation map. Operated either via buttons on a flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel or on the redesigned centre console, the new layout means that there is no need for an additional pop-up central MMI monitor.
Other features include new S sport seats with integrated headrests and pneumatically-controlled side bolsters, a much slimmer dashboard section and turbine-inspired vents with integrated controls and displays for the air conditioning.
Discussing the 2015 model, Audi’s Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg said, “The first Audi TT was the design icon per se, the second generation was even sportier, right through to the TT RS plus with its five-cylinder TFSI and 360 hp. And with the new Audi TT, the driver will be able to experience the technology to an even greater extent – just as would be expected from a genuine sports car. And it comes with a new generation of electronics and connectivity features.”
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In its first ever video featuring Magnus Walker, eGarage records the Yorkshireman’s road trip away from the deserts of California in his striking 1971 Porsche 911T, through North Carolina’s luscious greenery.
On his journey, Magnus also performs some hot laps at VIR, before paying a visit to the “Seducing Speed” Exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
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Wuppertal-based tuning specialist Loewenstein has announced details of its LM63-700 Kompressor program to suit the Mercedes C 63 AMG.
The package focuses around a Magnuson Roots supercharger, which sits atop a billet aluminium intake manifold and draws air through a custom carbon fibre air intake. There’s also a intercooler with independent water circuit, additional performance module and stainless steel sport exhaust system including manifold and high-flow catalytic converters. Those tweaks see output from the 6.2-litre V8 engine jump from 341 kW (457 hp) and 600 Nm of torque to 523 kW (702 hp) and 883 Nm.
Additional hardware includes a Quaife-developed automatic 100 percent limited slip differential, an uprated braking system featuring eight and four-piston brake calipers gripping 380 mm and 356 mm discs, a ZF Sachs coilover suspension kit and a choice of 19 and 20-inch alloy wheels.
Visually, the C 63 AMG wears a larger front spoiler, mirror casings and diffuser section constructed from carbon fibre, while the interior has been reupholstered in a two-tone theme using a mixture of leather and alcantara along with carbon trim inlays on the dashboard and door panels.
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Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the GLA 45 AMG version of its GLA-Class crossover ahead of its public debut in Detroit next week.
Utilizing the same platform and drivetrain as the A 45 AMG, the GLA has 265 kW (360 hp) and 450 Nm of torque at its disposal thanks to that all-aluminium AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Power is transferred to a revised version of the company’s AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive system via a SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, resulting in a Macan Turbo-matching 4.8 second 0-100 km/h time and a limited top speed of 250 km/h. Average fuel consumption works out at 7.5 litres per 100 kilometres with CO2 emissions of 175 g/km.
Uprated hardware includes an AMG braking system with cross-drilled 350 x 32 mm front discs and 330 x 22 mm rears, tweaked speed-sensitive sports steering, stiffer steering knuckles and more rigid bearings in the lower link plane for increased cornering properties.
Visually the GLA 45 AMG rides on 5-twin-spoke 19-inch AMG alloy wheels and wears bi-xenon headlights, a matte grey twin blade radiator grille, AMG front apron with oversized air intakes and carbon flics, a rear apron with air outlets and matte titanium grey diffuser and double-twin trapezoidal tailpipes. Customers can spcify upgrades such as 20-inch alloys, carbon fibre mirrors, the aero package consisting of a larger front splitter, additional flics on the front apron and rear spoiler, and the carbon fibre trim package.
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