Sunday, September 2, 2012

Audi 2013 RS 5 In Test


Call the 2013 Audi RS 5 the end of forbidden fruit. For years Audi soldiered on without a true competitor to the BMW M3, a circumstance that left the Audi faithful with gnashed teeth and wrung hands.

That changed in 2010 with the introduction of the RS 5. It appeared to have the power, handling and looks to go fender-to-fender with anything in the class, but we never knew for sure. For unexplained reasons, the RS 5 never made it to the land of baseball, apple pie and excruciating political rhetoric.

For the 2013 model year, however, the Audi RS 5 is finally available in the U.S. It's getting near the end of its current lifecycle, however, so we can't help but wonder if this RS 5 is the real deal, or too little too late?

Quattro GmbH Built My Hot Rod
More than just a stonking V8 plunked into the engine bay of an A5, the RS 5 is comprehensively massaged by Audi's in-house performance arm, Quattro GmbH. Only the roof and doors remain unaltered from the donor A5. The RS 5 is tipped off by wider fenders, a pop-up rear wing, lower ride height, a front fascia festooned with gaping maws below the headlights and rear punctuated by big oval exhaust tips. Yet despite these changes, the visual effect is subtle. It's likely many will mistake the 2013 Audi RS 5 for its lesser brethren.


No such mistakes will be made when it comes to the RS 5's engine. Quattro GmbH boss Stephan Reil explains that that RS 5's normally aspirated 4.2-liter direct-injected V8 is essentially Audi's V10 with two cylinders sliced off and shares little with the other normally aspirated 4.2-liter direct-injected V8 found in the S5. It's a puzzling circumstance, but since the result in the RS 5 is 450 horsepower at a lofty 8,250 rpm and 317 lb-ft of torque, there's no reason to complain.

It's a beaut, this V8, to the eyes and ears. Red crinkle-finish valve covers provide a visual counterpart to the exhaust note that gloriously ripples and barks and spits. With the optional sport exhaust system that opens up a bypass in each muffler, the effect is enhanced to a degree that you find any excuse at all to let the revs soar and subside just so you can fire off a barrage of rev-matched downshifts and drink in the soundtrack. Delicious.

Power goes to all four wheels (quattro, natch) through a center differential that funnels 60 percent of the torque rearward en route to a trick torque-vectoring differential. Sorry, row-it-yourself fans, a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox is the only transmission available. All is not lost, as this is among the most effective automated manuals in the land. Shifts are quick — bordering on abrupt in dynamic mode — and low speed behavior is natural.

Competitive Thrust
Getting the most out of this V8 is dead simple. Engage the launch control — turn stability control off, select "Dynamic" mode, hold the brake and mat the gas — and the revs climb to 5,000 rpm until the brake is sidestepped, catapulting the RS 5 forward.

In our testing, 0-60 fell in 4.3 seconds (4.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and the quarter-mile sailed by in 12.5 seconds at 110.8 mph. All-wheel drive gives the RS 5 exceptional traction at launch, firing it out of the hole with alacrity.

The front end just hangs on, seemingly unwilling to relinquish its purchase.

Its trap speed, however, shows the effects of its portly 4,039-pound curb weight. A C63 Coupe is quicker (12.3 seconds at 116.3 mph); an M3 is not (12.8 seconds at 111.2 mph). The CTS-V, however, is quicker than them all (12.2 seconds at 117.5 mph).

Its EPA fuel economy of 16/23 city/highway mpg (we managed 16.7 mpg in mixed driving) pips its German rivals, provided you can keep your right foot tamed. You won't.

Challenging Physics
With 58 percent of its mass slung forward of the front wheels, you'd expect the nose-heavy all-wheel-drive RS 5 to understeer like a bus when you threaten it with a corner. It does no such thing.

In fact, the RS 5's turn-in is pretty astonishing, as the front end just hangs on, seemingly unwilling to relinquish its purchase. Sure, its inherent nose-led balance emerges if you overcook a corner on the gas, but judicious trail-braking on entry keeps the nose biting and the rear rotating gently. It's equal parts dance and a little bit of hustle in the substantial RS 5, but turn it will.


Credit the RS 5's sport differential, which overdrives the outside rear tire while the inside front wheel is braked in order to pivot the car with unexpected agility. At any pace short of a track workout, the systems seamlessly bend the rules to make the driver look like a hero. Push harder and you'll feel the electronic trimming and nibbling that's keeping the car's physics — and trajectory — in check.

You also feel the RS 5's mass but it doesn't dominate the way it feels on the road. Cornering is flat despite the lack of the hydraulic roll control system found in the European RS 5s, and the standard electric steering delivers a quick ratio and respectable feel, giving the RS 5 accessible capability even on narrow canyon roads. It feels wieldy and exploitable, while outright grip is eye-opening. On our skid pad the RS 5 orbited at 0.95g and threaded the slalom cones at 69.2 mph.

Braking from 60 mph takes an impressively short 105 feet and the firm pedal provides good modulation. The standard brakes are not cut out for full-bore track assaults, however, as two laps of Sonoma Raceway produced some fade while hard braking for Turn 7 at the end of the back straight had the nose hunting left to right.

Multiple Personalities
So the 2013 Audi RS 5 isn't a full-bore track car, rather it strikes a livable balance between speed and civility. The car's compulsory panoramic sunroof — there is, sadly, no sunroof-delete option — suggests that, indeed, the RS 5 is intentionally less focused than an M3.

Three discrete mappings that alter the throttle response, transmission, steering (all RS 5s have electric-assist power steering; our tester was not equipped with the optional variable ratio steering) and sport differential are selectable by the press of a button. A bit much? Perhaps.


The suspension setup uses conventional dampers and springs and thus has one mode only — firm. The ride is not GT-R brutal but definitely reminds you you're not piloting a plain Jane S5. Our test car's wide, short-sidewall 275/30 Pirelli P Zeros on optional 20-inch wheels lay down big footprints that can sometimes make the RS 5 fidgety on broken pavement.


Only for a Select Few
Pricing starts at a shade under $69 grand, which makes it pricier than either the M3 or the C63 AMG coupe before you start adding options. Our RS 5 tester totaled $77,320 with the addition of its fancy blue hue and three option packages.

A Google Earth-linked navigation system is part of a $3,550 package and provides brilliantly detailed images, though load times on startup can be very slow. Our tester was also equipped with the $2,500 Titanium package that consists of a few cosmetic changes and the 20-inch wheels and tires. Out of all the options, we liked the $1,000 sport exhaust system more than anything else. It's auditory candy.

Only 1,500 examples of the 2013 Audi RS 5 will find their way to U.S. shores over the remaining two years of the car's production run. Consider the RS 5 a path to exclusivity, as a successor is not guaranteed. Call it forbidden fruit, Round 2.



Porsche 2013 SUV Cajun

Porsche will the new Cajun Cayenne below to expand the market. Cajun will adopt a strong sense of three movement form, similar waist also tall and slender like a Porsche 911. Roof also as smooth as 911. Two-vehicle rear bumper at both ends of the exhaust system breakdown, the other, the large size of the seven wheels are Porsche Cajun full range of cross-border child. We can say that the ultimate sense of movement is the essence of the Porsche Design Cajun.

 Porsche 2013 SUV Cajun 

  Engines, Cajun will use the Audi Q52.0TFSI engine and 3.0L V6 engine, 2.0TFSI engine maximum output power of 164 kilowatts, while the 3.0-liter V6 engine, maximum output power of 224 kW. Diesel-powered side, Cajun 2.0TDI engine will be powered by 186 kilowatts and 231 kilowatts 3.0L TDI engine. Another Porsche Cajun will be equipped with 2.0TSI 2.0TDI diesel engine and gasoline engine hybrid engine.





Monday, August 27, 2012

2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster Review


The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, which the company says is designed to provide "full sensory overload," has debuted.
It starts at the U.S. equivalent of $233,000 in the United Kingdom.

LONDON — The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, which the company says is designed to provide "full sensory overload," has debuted.

It starts at the U.S. equivalent of $233,000 in the United Kingdom. The car will definitely not be coming to the U.S. or Canada," wrote Matthew Clarke, Aston Martin's U.S. spokesman, in response to an Inside Line query.

Aston Martin's home office said that the convertible will be available in "selected markets." The Vantage Roadster's hardtop sibling is offered in nearly all markets where Aston Martins are sold.

The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster is equipped with the 6.0-liter V12 engine that churns out 510 horsepower. The engine is linked to a six-speed manual transmission. The Roadster sprints from zero to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph, said the company.

The Roadster version gets a redesigned trunk lid and lower front air intake and some chassis revisions, including a modified rear damper set-up and a new rear spring design. Other details include carbon fiber side strakes, a carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, carbon fiber mirror caps and a new forged alloy wheel design.

Like its hardtop sibling, the V12 Vantage Roadster gets the Sport mode button, which enables the driver to select between two different powertrain modes. Sport mode includes a sharper throttle response, with the engine delivering more torque during the early stages of throttle pedal travel, said the company.

Inside Line says: One of the finer examples of drop-top driving for this summer season.



2013 Aston Martin Vanquish Review


It's not just the cars that are getting frazzled. This is the Sierra Nevada, the Spanish mountain range near the beautiful Moorish city of Granada. We're 8,000 feet above sea level and it's touching 100 degrees. This is Europe's equivalent of California's Death Valley, and in the summer months it's a hotbed of hot-weather testing.

In the parking lot near the summit, masochistic cyclists mix with all manner of secret prototypes. Even the giant trucks wear zebra paint to disguise their lines. There's sport to be had in guessing what's what. Apparently the new Porsche Macan was here yesterday, but it's gone missing today.


Paul Thomas admits he's part of a "traveling circus" of automotive engineers who chase the extremes. Winters are spent in Sweden dodging frostbite. Summers are spent giving sunstroke the slip here in Spain. As Aston Martin's engineering manager, he's the man responsible for signing off on new models before they head to production. We've been invited to ride shotgun in the 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish, the company's upcoming flagship, to get a glimpse at what goes on before Thomas is satisfied enough to call it ready for production.

Aston's New Star
The new Aston Martin Vanquish has already been unveiled at a celeb-filled party in London's Covent Garden so it's no longer required to don any disguise. Thomas admits it's a relief: "There's a danger that camouflaged cars lead you down a duff route," he says. "It can affect the aerodynamics, the weight distribution and the refinement."



Designed by an Englishman with a German name, Marek Reichman, the new Vanquish draws obvious inspiration from the Ian Callum-designed original. It's instantly recognizable as an Aston but it's still a steep change from the me-too Virage. Privately, Aston insiders admit the Virage was too conservative and that it was time to move on from yet another DB9 clone.

Subtle refinements are achieved not by men with wrenches, but by university graduates with laptops.

Reichman's work is a fusion of the original Vanquish, the DB9 and the One-77 hypercar. It's certainly more complex — the uncharitable would say fussy — than Callum's original, but it has undeniable impact. For the first time on a production Aston, the body's also fashioned from carbon fiber, which reduces the mass by around 13 pounds and allows for a more intricate level of detail. "Some of the surfacing simply wouldn't be possible with an aluminum body," reckons Reichman.

Getting a Feel for It
Thomas prods the starter button and the 5.9-liter V12 up front answers with a provocative rasp. This is essentially the same engine featured in the original Vanquish but it's evolved over the years and now produces 565 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 457 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. All-alloy with independent quad variable camshaft timing and 48 valves, it powers the Vanquish from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 183 mph, according to Aston.

But not at this altitude. Some of the Aston's horses have clearly gone missing but from the passenger seat it still feels deliciously rapid and the V12 sounds better than ever. The whine that made the Virage sound as if it had a supercharger has been eradicated, leaving a smooth, rich timbre. This Aston, like the new Ferrari F12, is proof that there's life left in large-capacity, high-revving V12s.

Thomas has spent the last 15 years at Aston Martin and has honed his driving skills. He's pushing the car harder than 99 percent of owners ever will, determined to fine-tune the last minutiae of steering and suspension control. Through a left-hand hairpin he throws it sideways, catching the drift with a swift dose of opposite lock. "On days like this, I really do feel like I've got the best job in the world," he says. Given the perilous, death-inducing drops at the roadside, we're grateful for both Thomas' skill and the Vanquish's mighty carbon-ceramic brakes.

Fine-Tuning Through Laptops
Thomas is not acting alone. Aston currently has 11 engineers and 11 different cars in Spain. Some are more top secret than others and my prying questions are met with blank expressions.

"We're now a global company and all our cars must be capable of operating in temperatures from -30 to +50 degrees Celsius [-22 to +122 Fahrenheit]," says Thomas. "Every new model undergoes around 40-50 weeks of extreme weather testing before it's launched." For a company that builds fewer than 5,000 cars per year, it's a big ask but it's the price of doing business today. Aston's owned by a Kuwaiti consortium who'd be spectacularly unimpressed if their new toy broke down in the desert.

The Aston team is specialized, with engineers assigned to monitor everything from the air-con to the dampers. There's even a representative here from ZF to assist with the testing. Stephanie Liu is just 25 and on her first hot-weather test. An engine calibration specialist, she's tasked with managing the temperature of the engine oil, using sophisticated computer models. "I've been to the test track at Idiada [in Spain] and now I'm here. If you're leaving university as an engineer, then a job at Aston Martin is a bit of a dream."

At this stage of the car's development, electronics are king. Subtle refinements are achieved not by men with wrenches, but by graduates with oversized brains and laptops. It's not fancy design, posh parties or even James Bond that will define the success of the Vanquish; it's the cleverness of the algorithms.

Aston is persisting with a six-speed ZF automatic rather than switching to the latest eight-speeder and Thomas is concerned about the quality of the paddle-shift changes. His feedback is relayed to the transmission experts, who will use the data to produce a graph detailing the action of each shift. Then they'll make a plan and then tell the computer to try something different.

Has To Feel Like an Aston
At this stage it's all about the detail. Thomas' role is not only to sign off on the durability testing, but also to fine-tune the dynamics. The roads around the Sierra Nevada are among the finest in Europe, if not the world. Beautifully surfaced mountain passes wind their way skyward to venues that serve as ski resorts in winter. Ideally you'd want something small and nimble — a Porsche Cayman would no doubt feel magnificent here — which makes it a good test of the Vanquish's GT aspirations. Thomas says it's supposed to have a harder edge than the DB9, although the electronic damping should help it play a range of roles.

"It's my job to fine-tune the emotion in the car. It's about understanding how our customers will interact with their cars in the real world." In other words, for all the gigabytes of data, the sensitivity of his bottom is still a critical component in the make-up of this Aston Martin.


We descend the valley to Granada, home to the famous Alhambra, a 14th-century palace and fortress. The roads feel like they were laid in the 13th century so it's a good test of the Vanquish's ride quality. The suspension has double wishbones all around and the adaptive damping offers three modes: Normal, Sport and Track. The difference in low-speed ride quality among each of the modes is among the most pronounced we've ever experienced. Normal is genuinely comfortable, while Track comes with a free appointment with a chiropractor.

Like Ferrari, Aston offers different switches for the powertrain (throttle, transmission and exhaust) and the suspension (steering and damping). This is a good thing. On badly surfaced back roads, supple damping with an aggressive throttle is often the best compromise.

An Interior Fit for the Vanquish
The 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish is in the final phase of its development and this hand-built prototype feels surprisingly normal. I'd expected an interior festooned with wires, gauges and laptops, but apart from a telltale plastic box on top of the wheel and some dodgy stitching, it could be a production reality.

Inside, the influence of the One-77 is self-evident. The tired switchgear of the Virage, DBS and every other mainstream Aston has been swapped for touch-sensitive controls that vibrate gently when they're activated. There's a little more room for people (although the rear seats remain all but useless) and a genuinely impressive 13-cubic-foot trunk, which is 60 percent bigger than a DBS's.


The seats on this prototype lacked support, though, and there's nothing to hold on to when the driver engages in what Brits call "spirited motoring." Thomas reckons that the seat cushioning has yet to be finalized and that improvements will be made before the car reaches the U.S. early next year. He's also quick to point that the color scheme's in a prototype phase — gold paint with bright yellow interior stitching is definitely more Dubai than Denver.

Final Thoughts
In the early evening, Aston's little band of technicians gathers in the bar for a debrief. To the outside world they might look like a tour group, but their work is no vacation. Aston Martin prides itself on being one of the world's coolest brands, but there is nothing remotely cool about standing next to a broken-down car no matter what corner of the world you're driving in.

We'll reserve our definitive judgment on the new 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish until we drive it next month, but first impressions are good. Whereas the loud-mouthed style of the DBS always felt at odds with the driving experience, and the Virage was little more than a face-lifted DB9, the Vanquish feels like a genuinely new car. And right now, that's exactly what Aston needs.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.



Seinfeld, Leno Star and Acura NSX


In Acura's bizarre Super Bowl spot, comedian Jerry Seinfeld gets the bad news that he's "number two" on the list for the 2015 NSX.
Seinfeld promises the unknown Customer Number One any number of inane inducements, from the Last Living Munchkin to a "dancing holographic monkey" to swap places in line.
At the commercial's end, Jay Leno swoops in to outbid Seinfeld for the rights to the first set of keys.


TORRANCE, California — With nearly a dozen car companies spending millions of dollars to outduel each other on the airwaves during next Sunday's Super Bowl, it's gotta be tough to cut through the clutter. But Acura appears to have upped the ante significantly, creating a surreal TV spot that stars not only its sensational new 2015 NSX, but megawatt comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno.

Seinfeld and Leno, both well-known car collectors, are also old friends and would seem like a natural comic duo for some Super Bowl insanity. They deliver in spades, in a goofy commercial called "Transactions."



The spot opens with Seinfeld in an Acura showroom, ogling the new NSX and offering to buy the first one, then learning from the salesman that he's "number two on the list" behind an unnamed stranger.

There ensues a wacky series of vignettes in which Seinfeld attempts to bribe his rival to swap places, offering any number of inane inducements, from the Last Living Munchkin to a "dancing holographic monkey."

At the commercial's end, Leno swoops in to outbid Seinfeld for the rights to the first set of keys — in return for his "jet-pack flying-squirrel suit."

Inside Line says: How could we make this stuff up?



Acura NSX to the Beijing auto show


Honda is bringing its new Acura NSX to the Beijing auto show.
The automaker says it plans to introduce the supercar in China "after it is launched in the U.S." in 2015.
The Acura ILX sedan and RDX crossover will go on sale this fall in China.

                                           Acura NSX

BEIJING — Honda brings its new Acura NSX to the 2012 Beijing Auto Show and says it plans to introduce the supercar in China "after it is launched in the U.S." in 2015.

The move is part of Honda's campaign to boost Acura's presence in the Chinese market, where sales of luxury cars continue to grow at a healthy clip.

Honda also is showing the new Acura ILX sedan and the redesigned RDX crossover, and said both models will go on sale this fall in China for the first time.

In the runup to the Beijing show, Honda said that, in preparation for local production of hybrid and electric vehicles, it will "introduce to the Chinese market a new hybrid system most appropriate for mid- to large-sized vehicles as well as a plug-in hybrid system."

The 2015 NSX will share Honda's new SH-AWD hybrid system with the 2013 successor to the Acura RL sedan. The system mates a high-output V6 engine with a pair of electric motors and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Inside Line says: Presumably, Chinese enthusiasts will find the new NSX just as appealing as do their American counterparts.



2013 Acura RDX win top Safety Pick

The 2013 Acura RDX and the 2012 BMW 3 Series earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it was announced on Monday.

The ratings are important for car shoppers since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet evaluated either car under its five-star rating system.

The 2013 Acura RDX and the 2012 BMW 3 Series were judged to provide "good protection" in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.



ARLINGTON, Virginia — The 2013 Acura RDX and the 2012 BMW 3 Series earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it was announced on Monday.

The 2013 Acura RDX and the 2012 BMW 3 Series were judged to provide "good protection" in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

                                          2013 Acura RDX Concept

The ratings are important for car shoppers since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet published an overall safety score for either car under its five-star rating system, according to its Web site. Federal safety regulators did not rate the 2011 BMW 328i. The 2012 Acura RDX was only rated in the rollover category by federal safety regulators. It earned four out of five stars in that category.

The Top Safety Pick award is a coup for the redesigned 2013 RDX, since the IIHS noted that the 2007-'12 model was rated marginal for roof strength. The 2006-'11 3 Series was rated acceptable by the IIHS.

The Top Safety Pick award only applies to the redesigned four-door version of the 3 Series.

The 2013 Acura RDX is one of 14 midsize luxury SUVs to earn the Top Safety Pick award. Others include the 2012-'13 Lincoln MKT, 2012 Cadillac SRX and 2012 Audi Q5.

The 2012 BMW 3 Series is one of eight midsize luxury sedans to earn the Top Safety Pick award. Others include the 2012 Acura TL built after September 2011 and the 2012-'13 Volkswagen CC, except for the four-wheel-drive V6 model.

Inside Line says: The IIHS gets out ahead of the federal government in providing car shoppers with some important safety information on the 2013 Acura RDX and the 2012 BMW 3 Series.