Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG

The SL63 AMG is the high-performance version of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class luxury hard-top convertible. With the demise of the V12-powered SL65 AMG, this grand tourer sits at the top of the SL lineup with a mellifluous and potent 6.2-liter V8.


Though replaced throughout much of the rest of the AMG range by a smaller-displacement, twin-turbocharged motor, this V8 makes stirring noises along with plenty of power - 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel the roadster from zero-to-60 mpg in a claimed (and likely conservative) 4.5 seconds. This powerful V8 is mated to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT seven-speed multi-clutch automatic transmission, which sends the power exclusively to the rear wheels - as it should.

The SL63 features the same new styling that dresses up the rest of the latest SL roadster lineup. Rounded dual headlamps are out, replaced by angular bi-Xenon lamps that Mercedes says are more efficient and powerful than LEDs. With a black background to the lamps and a simplified grill, the SL's face is substantially changed with the facelifted model.

The SL chassis uses a fully independent, double-control-arm front suspension and the standard Mercedes-Benz five-link rear suspension. All SL models come with second-generation Active Body Control (ABC), the Mercedes-Benz active-suspension technology that attempts to eliminate body roll in cornering, squat under acceleration and dive during braking.

Unique to the AMG variants is a highly aggressive bodykit that features front and rear diffusers and multiple vents to cool both the motor and the massive brakes. Standard wheels are 19-inch AMG staggered-width alloy wheels -- 8.5 and 9.5 inches wide -- fitted with 255/35R19 (front) and 285/30R19 (rear) tires. The wheels feature triple-spoke styling and a titanium grey finish.

The AMG treatment also includes a lowered and stiffened suspension and a limited-slip rear differential.

Finished in nappa leather and genuine carbon fiber, the interior features standard AMG sport seats, an AMG three-spoke steering wheel and a sport instrument cluster with red tach and speedometer needles that swing to the max position and back whenever the ignition is turned on.

The SL63, like all SLs, features a folding metal roof. A glass panorama roof remains an option.

Audi R8 V10 Spyder 2012

The R8 V10 Spyder is the convertible version of Audi ’s mid-engined, 10-cylinder R8 supercar. As with its fixed-roof sibling, the R8 V10 Spyder is based on the same platform as the Lamboghini Gallardo and features an excellent balance of extreme performance and docile around-town driving manners. For those seeking a more affordable everyday exotic, Audi offers coupe and drop-top versions of the R8 with a V8.


This 5.2-liter V10 engine delivers an impressive 525 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, along with peak torque of 391 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm. The sprint to 62 mph takes just 4.1 seconds, compared to just 3.7 seconds for the coupe R8 V10.

Accelerating to 124 mph is a similarly brisk 12.7-second trip. Top speed is 195 mph.

Fuel consumption for the six-speed manual version is rated at 12 city, 20 highway mpg. The R-tronic automated manual gearbox improves the city figure to 13 mpg - highway mileage remains unchanged.

Notably absent are the R8's trademark aluminum "side blades." Other visual changes for the Spyder model include additional air intakes located behind the seats as well as a pair of safety roll bars. The placement of the fuel filler cap was also changed due to the lack rear pillars. Changes under sheet metal are focused around chassis strengthening, but otherwise, Audi says the V10 Spyder is mostly unchanged from its hard-top counterpart. Cosmetically, the exterior gains high gloss black air inlet grilles, spoiler lip and rear outlet grilles. Exhaust tips are also swapped for oval tips.

It is worth noting, however, that both the R8 V10 and R8 V10 Spyder feature an aluminum double wishbone suspension which is tuned for higher performance than the suspension found in the 4.2 model.

The convertible top weighs just 93 pounds, helping to keep the car’s center of gravity down low, and can be raised or lowered in just 19 seconds at speeds of up to 31 mph. 


Uber-Audi Features
 Befitting the car's considerable price, the R8 V10 Spyder comes standard with a host of features including a navigation system with 3D maps and a 6.5-inch LCD display, a 465-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system with 12 speakers, fine nappa leather sports seats, a rear parking camera that pairs with ultrasonic sensors and Bluetooth connectivity with seatbelt-mounted speakers for easy hands-free communication.

The V10 Spyder also features Audi's magnetic ride adaptive damping system with manual Sport and Normal sport modes.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Jaguar XKR Convertible

The XKR Convertible is the more performance-focused version of the normal drop-top XK. It packs a 510 horsepower punch and features more aggressive touches to its Aston Martin-like styling.


In addition to its massive horsepower rating, the AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0-liter engine delivers a whopping 461 pound-feet of torque. The sprint from zero to 60 mph takes just 4.6 seconds.

There's not a lot of space for rear passengers, but the driver and his or her passenger enjoy a luxurious grand touring experience with enough power to give most sports cars a run for their money.

The XKR Convertible owes its handsome looks to a unique design approach taken by Jaguar's team. Instead of designing the Coupe first, the design team began by penning the Convertible. This strategy ensured the drop-top doesn't simply look like a coupe with its roof chopped off.

Like its coupe counterpart, the XKR Convertible has unique styling cues such as a more aggressive front fascia, air intakes on the hood, aluminum-finish grilles, more creases on the hood, and quad exhaust pipes. Customers can chose between 19- and 20-inch wheels for the XKR.

The XKR's roof is a power-latching, self-stowing system with three layers including Thinsulate insulation and a Rakona headliner. When the top is down, an aluminum tonneau cover conceals the canvas roof. While many convertibles are only offered with a black roof, the the XK can be ordered with gray, burgundy, green or dark beige canvas.

The XKR's suspension has been tuned for a more aggressive ride. Changes include up-rated springs and dampers, plus a recalibrated computer to control the dynamic suspension settings.

As is the case with the regular XK convertible, the XKR model is built around Jaguar's ultra-strong "Lightweight Vehicle Technology," which does not need traditional stiffening panels to achieve a sturdy body structure. In fact, the XK convertible is 19 percent lighter than the previous-generation XK drop-top.

A six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddles is standard. On downshifts, the system creates a throttle blip to shorten over-run shifts. An "active" exhaust system ensures the XKR is quiet while cruising, yet still able to create purposeful V8 roar under hard acceleration.

Although they are not a legal requirement, the Convertible features a Roll-over Protection Device consisting of two aluminum hoops that are automatically deployed if the car's sensors detect the onset of a roll-over accident.

Other standard features include adaptive headlights that swivel in corners, aluminum-finish side window surround, stability control, keyless entry and start, a seven-inch touch screen to control various car functions, and a body-colored spoiler.

Options include a 525-watt Alpine premium sound system, Sirius satellite radio, soft-grain leather, a leather-wrapped instrument panel, and a heated steering wheel.

All XKRs are fitted standard with an iPod and USB connectivity interface, an air quality sensor, front park assist and electrochromic and heated power fold-back mirrors.


Mazda cx-5

With the new CX-5, Mazda has finally released a complete vehicle designed around their Skyactiv philosophy. The result is a small SUV with almost a Miata’s worth of racetrack talent and the best mileage numbers in the market – but is anybody really asking for a “performance alternative” to the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V?


The CUV segment is among the hottest in the market right now, fueled by scarcely believable sales numbers from the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V. Unfortunately for Mazda, the company has never had a homegrown vehicle to offer those buyers. The Tribute was a quickie rebadge of the Escape that didn’t fool anyone; the CX-7 was a sleek spaceship of a crossover that was always just a little bit too big, too fuel-thirsty, and too expensive to really make any friends.


Although a CR-V clone would pack the showrooms and make some short-term money for Mazda, nobody really expected them to build one. Instead, we have the CX-5, which aims to combine traditional Mazda virtues like light weight, simplicity, and driver-focused design with the new Skyactiv suite of technologies. The result is perhaps the most interesting $21,000 car on the market.

What is Skyactiv? As implemented in the CX-5, it’s a complete departure from previous Mazda platforms. The unibody is all-new, designed to maximize space while cutting weight severely. Indeed, the CX-5 is between 220 and 500 lbs. lighter than the equivalent CX-7, depending on trim level, while providing very similar interior space. A completely re-imagined gasoline engine uses special long-tube headers and unique piston design to safely raise compression to 13:1, yielding 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft. of torque. The manual and automatic transmissions – yes, two kinds are on offer for the North American market – both feature six forward gears and are claimed to be significantly lighter than their predecessors.

Buyers who do expect those qualities won’t have to look any further than the Mazda CX-5, and they won’t suffer much of a practicality penalty for doing so.

2013 Mazda CX-5 base price range, $20,685 to $28,295

Chrysler SRT Viper

According to latest Chrysler Group LLC press release “The Snake Returns to Chrysler Group’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant” Dodge will no longer give its name to Viper – it is going to be forwarded to SRT division and will be called 2013 SRT Viper.Conner Avenue will begin building the new 2013 Viper in late 2012, but employees began reporting for training and orientation this fall – nearly 150 jobs to return to Detroit.


Chrysler’s reborn Viper won’t make its public debut for about a month, but our illustrator has put together a highly detailed rendering of the new performance car that will help boost the profile of the company’s Street and Racing Technology division.

Set to become the first vehicle marketed under the SRT banner, the 2013 Viper has been a long time coming. Its Dodge Viper predecessor has been out of production since mid-2010, but a fifth-generation snake will debut next month at the New York International Auto Show.

Our illustration is based on information culled from a number of sources, one of which is rather unusual, to say the least. While information gleaned from insiders, including those few members of the public who have been allowed to see the car, and photos of cleverly disguised test mules form the basis of much of the illustration’s details, a leaked image of a Hot Wheels 1/64-scale toy car helped put the finishing touches on our rendering.

That Hot Wheels model made its way online last week when it was posted on a Viper forum.

We expect the Viper’s proportions to remain mostly unchanged, but its rear end is more aggressive and angular than the one seen on the last generation. As predicted by spy shots and previous reports, the car features a high-sculpted hood fitted with two big air vents.

Those vents will be needed as the SRT Viper is expected to arrive with an 8.7-liter V10 engine that will send over 600 horsepower to the rear wheels. Early rumors suggested the car would share some of its architecture with the voluptuous, if slightly un-engaging Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, but SRT chief Ralph Gilles has been quick to dispel those rumors by stating that “The new Viper is not based on anything else.”

As previously reported, Chrysler is reopening its Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit to build the Viper. The automaker has offered jobs to all 150 workers it once employed at the facility, which it uses exclusively to hand-build Vipers.

“The next generation Viper will make its return to the product lineup in late 2012 as a 2013 model,” said SRT Brand & Motorsports President/CEO Ralph Gilles in a statement released to the media. “We’re extremely excited that our ultimate American sports car will continue to live on and be produced exclusively here in the Motor City.”

‎Porche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet

Marking the second of the two new models introduced by Porsche in its ever-expanding 911 lineup, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet is the more aired-out version of the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 GTS.
Just like the Coupe, the Cabriolet model gains the powerful 408 horsepower 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine from the GTS rear-wheel drive models and adds in front-wheel drive as well, for a uniquely drop-top all-wheel drive experience.


As expected, the Cabriolet gains a few pounds over the sealed-top counterpart thanks to the mechanics of its convertible design. As a result, zero-to-62 mile per hour sprint drops slightly to 4.8 seconds when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, and to 4.6 seconds if one opts for the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) seven-speed automatic transmission.

Like the Coupe, Porsche says fuel economy stays the same, which the automaker attributes to Porsche Intelligent Performance technology.

Porsche says that the 4 GTS is built with hardcore performance in mind. As a result, standard features include a crucial limited-slip differential with is incorporated into the overall performance of the all-wheel drive system.

In terms of cosmetic differences between other 911 models, the new Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet comes with the expected unique badging on the doors and rear lid, as well as an additional reflective stripe between the taillights. Of course, the 4 GTS uses the same wide body found on other AWD models. Cosmetic variances continue with 19-inch black RS Spyder wheels with central locking and gloss-lathed rim flanges, wrapped in 305/30ZR19 tires out back.

Towards the front, one will notice the Porsche Sport-Design front apron with a black painted spoiler lip and matching black special side skirts.

As all GTS owners have come to expect, the interior is covered in swaths of black Alcantara covering the center panels, steering wheel, gearshift, handbrake, door handles and door storage box lid.

G-Power 2012 BMW M5 640-Horses


G-Power, the maker of some of the fastest and meanest tuned BMW models around, has presented its first take on the brand-new 2012 M5 sedan.


At the heart of G-Power's tune is BMW's 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that normally produces 560-horsepower and a peak torque of 680 Nm (502 lb-ft) from 1,500 rpm.
After the German company's engineers update the ECU and add a new custom exhaust system, the V8's output is lifted to 640-horsepower and 777Nm (573 lb-ft).

As a result, the M5 completes the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 3.9 seconds (vs. the standard model's 4.4 seconds) and reaches the 200km/h (124mph) mark in just 11.9 seconds.

To improve handling, G-Power has fitted the M5 with the height-adjustable coil-over suspension "GM5-RS" with nine selectable settings for bound and rebound, along with a new braking system (396 mm discs with six callipers), and 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped around Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (265/30 ZR 21 at the front and 305/25 ZR 21 at the rear).

G-Power noted that it is also working on a successor to the 800-horsepower M5 Hurricane RR, which is considered to be the faster sedan model in the world with a top speed of 372km/h (231mph).

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

New Volkswagen Beetle

We're itching to know the details about the C7, Chevy's next Corvette. So, to investigate one of Detroit's most guarded secrets, we hit the city's Woodward Dream Cruise and tried to find insiders who'd talk.


The latest Beetle has grown up, both in appearance and size. It retains many elements of the previous model and continues to look like an iteration of the original design classic. The interiors lose the flower vase now but the upward-opening glovebox does add a hint of vintage Beetle to the new dashboard. There is more space than before too. India should get the 158bhp, 1.4-litre petrol engine and VW could import the Beetle with the 138bhp, 2-litre diesel too. 
The Beetle is more a designer accessory than a rival to conventional hatchbacks, so expect heavyweight pricing for this small car when it’s launched in late 2012.    

Factfile:
Engines: 1.4-litre turbo-petrol, 2-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 158bhp/24.5kgm,
138bhp/32.6kgm
Kerb weight: 1360kg
L/W/H: 4278/2021/2048
Expected: Late-2012
Price: Rs 25 lakh
Source: autocarindia.com/News

Detroit for Clues About The Next Corvette

We're itching to know the details about the C7, Chevy's next Corvette. So, to investigate one of Detroit's most guarded secrets, we hit the city's Woodward Dream Cruise and tried to find insiders who'd talk.


 Handicapping the next Corvette is the car geek's version of fantasy football. And next year will be the seventh model year for the current Vette, known as the C6, so the speculation about the next version has gotten only more intense. Hard data is tough to come by. GM employees are notoriously tight-lipped, and pundits make what amounts to guesses (We're not immune. PM's crystal ball predicted the C7 for 2012, but GM's trip through bankruptcy delayed that date). 
To find some answers, I headed to Detroit for the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. Why the Cruise? It's the world's biggest single-day automotive event. Some 40,000-plus cars crawl up Detroit's Woodward Avenue in front of 1.5 million spectators. But more to the point, in that Motown crowd you can find the employees of the automotive suppliers, engineering firms and outside vendors who have a role in the Corvette's development and might have some inside knowledge. And perhaps, after a day broiling in the late summer heat, they'd be willing to share a few tidbits. So armed with a 2011 Camaro Convertible—an ideal car-guy conversation starter—I joined the moving parking lot that is the dream cruise. 

The Corvette Clubs

Corvette enthusiasts from outside the industry came in droves from across America. Larry Courtney's club, Corvettes on Woodward, rolled down the avenue this year with a record 563 Vettes, C1s through C6s. 

These folks intensely catalog and compile Corvette rumors, and they were more than happy to weigh in on what they want in the C7. A former McDonnell Douglas and Boeing engineer felt that "between the C5 and C6, there wasn't enough of a change. The C7 needs to be a whole different beast while retaining the Corvette tradition of affordability." One owner of a pristine C2 Stingray hoped that the rumored split-window option will come to fruition. A former GM toolmaker for Fisher Body Plant 21, who now fortifies Chevy V8s for marine applications and owns a new ZR-1 to boot, says rumors of small turbocharged V6s and V8s have him worried the C7 will get soft. 

It's fair to say that GM listens to what the Corvette clubs want—after all, those folks are the main customers. But no one had anything more than speculation. I got back in my Camaro and inched down the boulevard. 

The Insiders

Out on the avenue, I got the polite brushoff or the stern silent treatment when asking about the new Corvette. Many people offered up a terse smile at best. Finally, a Nissan ergonomist, tailgating with his wife on the back of a Juke, spelled it out for me. When I asked for his take on the C6's much-maligned interior, he said: "Hey, I work in this industry and I have lots of friends who do, too. They would never talk to me again. I ain't talkin'." Tough crowd. 

Amazingly, I lucked upon an insider who wanted to sing. Perched on a lawn chair next to a pristine C6, he happened to be reading from a score that was more than just fantasy. After talking about my loaner Camaro and the 10 Corvettes leading up to his current baby, he suddenly flipped through emails on his BlackBerry and pronounced: "Y1XX. Yup. That's the platform code for the new one. From what I seen, it's gonna have square taillights. And it ain't gonna be a 2013, neither. Supplier tooling is ramping up for production in May, June, July of 2013. C7's a model-year 2014 car." 

Before he could tell me more, his wife shot a nasty look and hustled over to shut him up. But not before he coaxed a little from her about their C6's instrument cluster and nav/radio unit: "That's ancient GM technology," she said, and hinted the next-gen would be vastly superior. She sounded, and acted, like another Detroit industry insider. 

The Designers

Through Corvette-like vehicles featured in the Transformers movie franchise, Chevy has hinted at a revolutionary redesign with C7. Could it be true? 

I managed to crash a private party filled almost entirely with young auto designers from the big three‹celebratory, liquored-up designers at that. One, a twenty-something who has seen the C7, blurted out that the new design will have Ferrari-style quarter windows for the first time since the C2. Admitting that the split-window C2 is the only design he ever liked, he nonetheless enthused that the "C7 will knock the current Vette out of the water. It won't be an old guy's car anymore." Beers in hand, the others, many who claimed to have seen the car, agreed that the C7 finally has the careful details that will give it strong appeal to youthful sports car buyers who've never lusted after anything but European metal. 

Before the kitchen-table prognostications ended, a designer with knowledge of the Corvette program said that base horsepower will approach that of today's Z06 (505 hp) and that Z06 power levels will climb within a stone's throw of the radical 638-hp of today's supercharged ZR-1. 

The Powertrain

The Corvette probably will be the first car to feature the new, fifth generation of the Chevy small-block V8. From what I heard, the new engine will still use space-saving pushrods to move the valves and will have an aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection and probably variable camshaft timing. Beyond that, I kept hearing that the next Corvette's base V8 will shrink in displacement from 6.2 liters to 5.5 liters. ("Who told you 5.5!?" blurted Tom Read, communications representative for GM Powertrain, when I mentioned displacement.) To pull nearly 500 horses from 5.5-liters, I'm banking on Chevy using a significantly increased compression ratio of 12:1 or more. 

Read says that the C7 will gain "one point" on the efficiency scale; we'll have to wait and see what exactly that means in terms of mpg increases. He didn't flatly deny Viper-style cam-in-cam variable-valve timing (used on Chevy's recently discontinued 60-degree pushrod V6 family). Turbocharging for higher performance models is a possibility, too. 

A GM Performance Parts representative, dizzy off Woodward Avenue's haze of exhaust and ground-level ozone, let it slip that an eight-speed automatic is in development. Two more speeds than the current automatic would go a long way toward keeping the C7 competitive with the Europeans (think Porsche's seven-speed PDK in the 911) by maximizing mpg, refinement and performance. But also, no automated dual-clutch transmission. The six-speed manual will also be available. 

The Bottom Line

It's safe to say that the next Corvette will be an evolution—not a radical redesign—of the current car. The V8 will remain in front, the gearbox in the back, and the space-saving transverse leaf springs will support the wheels. That makes sense, since the base price will still be around 50 grand. Among all the tipsy enthusiasm in Detroit, I heard whispers of a vastly improved interior. Chevrolet will maintain or reduce weight, the performance numbers will be a tick or two better on all counts (acceleration, braking, lateral Gs, fuel economy) and, most important, the bulk of the engineering has been dedicated to improving subtleties like steering feel and seat quality. 

And the styling too, should be a hit. GM's on a roll in this department with handsome cars like the Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS and Chevy Sonic becoming the norm rather than an anomaly. One thing is for sure: We're not the only ones who can't wait to see it. 

Source: popularmechanics.com/cars - We Search Detroit for Clues About The Next Corvette - C7 Corvette - Popular Mechanics  

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mitsubishi Evo XI


With Mitsubishi scrapping its gas guzzlers and launching brand-new electric and gas-electric hybrids, all aimed at meeting ever-tighter global emissions standards, the rumor mill is suggesting that even the Lancer Evolution is going to go green. Or green-ish. 


The idea is to keep it high-performance and AWD, but also use some of the technology already behind the forthcoming i-MiEV electric city car and wed it to either a turbodiesel or a gas motor. The potential would still be there for exceptional output when both gas/electric power plants combine, but it's possible Mitsubishi may allow the driver to roll up to highway speeds on battery juice alone, vastly improving fuel economy. 

Evo XI may become both larger and more refined too, positioning it more naturally against rivals like Audi.

Source: popularmechanics.com/cars

Ford Focus ST

The new Focus is at last debuting in the U.S., with a 2.0-liter, direct-injected, 160-hp motor and variable valve timing, as well as a five-speed manual. 


But, the car to wait for is the 2013 Focus ST, which debuts in early 2012. It gets a six-speed manual with the same EcoBoost (turbocharged) 2.0-liter as the much larger Edge and Explorer and will be good for somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 hp, which puts it in league with hot hatches like the MazdaSpeed3 and beyond the output of the VW GTI. Ford is also promising a tauter suspension and meatier tires as well as bigger brakes to go with all that horsepower. Expect to pay at least $25,000. 
Source: popularmechanics.com/cars