Two years ago, we spent some time behind the wheel of a limited-edition Audi A1 Quattro, and we were left in awe of the 256-hp supermini’s perfectly balanced chassis and incredible performance. In the immediate aftermath, Audi functionaries insisted that a not-so-limited-production successor was on the way to complement the brand’s tiny,Volkswagen Polo–based A1. And then all went quiet. Until now, when the 2015 S1 was introduced ahead of the car’s in-the-metal debut next month at the Geneva auto show.
The S1’s specifications are quite similar to its limited-run predecessor’s. The new car is also powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four, and uses a six-speed manual, while top speed is 155 mph—3 mph faster than the A1 Quattro’s.
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In order to make this S1, engineers had to make a number of modifications from the front-drive A1, which is about three inches longer than a Ford Fiesta ST but nearly identical in every other dimension. For starters, an all-wheel-drive system needed to be fitted, making the S1 the first mass-produced all-wheel-drive A1, as was a new multilink rear suspension and making accommodations for the larger engine—the A1’s powertrain lineup maxes out at a 1.4-liter.
Rated at 231 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, the S1′s EA888 2.0-liter turbo four is less powerful than the A1 Quattro’s EA113 powerplant, but it produces more torque. Audi says that the S1 can sprint from standstill to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds, or 5.9 seconds in the five-door S1 Sportback, and achieve 34 mpg on the utopian European cycle. Those performance estimates handily outgun what we achieved in our test of a Fiesta ST, which was good for a 7.0-second run to 60.
The S1 looks aggressive, with its unique fascia treatments and quad exhaust outlets. The look can be enhanced with an exterior design package that adds “Quattro” graphics, a large rear wing, and blacked-out trim on the hatch.
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The interior is fitted with special gauges and sport seats, although buyers can upgrade the latter to “S” seats with integrated headrests. Interior materials are dark and businesslike, lending the cabin the air of seriousness that’s commonplace in the car’s larger siblings.
Given the S1′s performance and level of refinement, its German-market price of €24,259 (roughly $33,000 at today’s exchange rates) is almost a steal. We doubt the 2015 S1 will ever reach America air, but when the standard A1 was launched we were told the car could be certified to meet U.S. safety standards with relative ease. We suggest ringing Audi and registering a request.
The Hottest of Hot Hatches
Sunday, 9 March 2014
The Hottest of Hot Hatches
The 2015 Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake
This isn’t your ordinary, everyday station wagon.
As much as we love wagons, we love hotted-up wagons even more—there’s just something intoxicating about a powerful sports sedan with an enlarged cargo-swallowing space grafted to its rump. Take, for instance, Jaguar’s 2015 XFR-S Sportbrake: The package starts with the beastly 2014 XFR-S sedan, but drops that car’s trunklid and skyscraper wing in favor of a curvaceous cargo area topped with a small spoiler. A reasonable argument could be made that Sportbrake’s lines appear more natural, and they lend the car a certain grace to balance out its brash specifications. That the configuration offers an additional 1.9 inches of headroom for rear-seat passengers and an ample storage shed for the pink slips of the vanquished are just bonuses.
Weight Management
As an estate, provisions must be made to manage extra mass at the rear of the car. Jaguar specifically tuned the active rear suspension for the task, recalibrating the continuously variable dampers and springs to deal with the Sportbrake’s unique weight distribution. The rear brakes were tweaked, the rear axle modified, and the anti-roll bars swapped to ensure the Sportbrake offers the same handling as the XFR-S sedan. Twenty-inch Varuna wheels wear specially developed Pirelli tires sized 265/35 in front and 295/30 in the rear. The wheels come standard in a two-toned finish, but can be ordered in gray or gloss black finishes. The electronic programs that control the car’s Adaptive Dynamics chassis settings, the active electronic differential, and the stability-control system have been reprogrammed to work with the uprated suspension components and wheels.
The 2015 Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Hyundai to Challenge at Geneva
It seems almost sacrilegious that Hyundai would even dare to parade the same stage. But, thanks to an Italian design studio, they’ve come up with something special.
The concept car realized by the Master in Transportation Design in collaboration with the Hyundai Design Center Europe will be revealed in world preview.
PassoCorto, the tenth full scale model created by Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin, is a sports car, extremely compact in size. Designed by the Master in Transportation Design – work experience IED Turin – a.y. 2012/13 in collaboration with Hyundai, it will be revealed in world preview at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show.
The Korean car manufacturer gave to the Institute a design brief with its target potential customers being young people, who are always connected, those of 2.0, known as generation Y. This very target market also includes the students on the Master’s asked by Hyundai to draw and design the car that would be top of their list for buying and driving.
It is time of PassoCorto, created in a year – 2014 – that, in addition to the tenth full scale model, will also see the Institute celebrate 20 years of the Transportation Design course and 25 years of activity in the region.
Hyundai to Challenge at Geneva
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Geneva to Unveil 2015 Audi TT Surface
The Audi TT is a cult classic.
” In 11 days, Audi will officially reveal the hotly anticipated 2015 Audi TT Coupe that will step into its third generation, at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show
To sate enthusiasts, a few design sketches of the next gen Audi TT have surfaced online which gives us a clear idea as to how the compact sports car is bound to look like. By the looks of it, the design is promising, to say the least.
To the average eye, the next gen TT is a step up from the previous gen in terms of design. But, an Audi enthusiast can make out some of the design elements that hark back to the classic design of the first generation TT, launched in 1998. Although the car borrows design elements from its grand-daddy, it’s not curvy and chic but more dynamic and powerful than the outgoing model. Complimenting the exterior is a sporty looking interior that Audi showcased at CES 2014.
We’ll be covering the 2014 Geneva Motor Show live from the show floor. So, it wouldn’t take too long before we finally get to see it in metal.
Courtesy: Fourtitude
Geneva to Unveil 2015 Audi TT Surface
There"s Nothing Subtle About This Chevy.
The Chevy Camaro has never been a shrinking violet.
There is nothing subtle about the resurrected 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. It is a pure hammer, a mighty weapon of patriotic fury with but one mission: go fast as hell around a track. There’s a 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 stuffed under its hood. There are myriad exterior bits intended to turn airflow into grip for meaty 305/30ZR-19 Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber. Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, while the air conditioning and more than one audio speaker are options. Inside are manual Recaro seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and a lot less sound deadening. Hell, even the rear window glass is thinner just to save a few pounds. And that’s just the streetable version—the Z/28.R race car we’re here to discuss takes the fanatical pursuit of speed to another level. Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport have prepped Z/28.R racers for the GS class in IMSA’s Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge. Their maiden race was a support event for the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona called the—ahem—BMW Performance 200. To learn more about the new race car, we turned to Lisa Talarico, Chevy’s program manager for its IMSA entries, and found out just how much of the regular Z/28 makes it into the R. (Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.)
1. The monster motor and gearbox are stock.
There’s 505 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque living inside the all-aluminum V-8, which is fitted with a dry-sump lubrication system from the factory—the only change made for the race car is a different oiling tank. Just one transmission is available on the Z/28, a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual capable of handling 600 lb-ft, and it goes straight from assembly line to the track. If anything, this proves just how much the R version was kept in mind when developing the $75,000 street Z/28.
2. The differential is also stock.
It’s a Torsion limited-slip design that forsakes the clutch packs often found in LSDs for a helical gear set. Talarico notes that this “makes it easier for the drivers to get the torque to the ground,” which we’ll note is pretty important for racing.
3. There was no need to fiddle with the aero package.
Chevrolet often touts that the stock Z/28 aerodynamic kit was an important element that allowed an example to scorch the Nürburgring Nordschleife for a 7:37.40 lap—in the wet. So it follows that it needed no changes in the transformation to Z/28.R. TO drive home the point, Talarico pointed out to us “the production splitter, rear spoiler adjustable wicker bill, belly pan, wheel flares, rocker panels, and the hood extractor vent.”
4. The Brembo carbon brakes had to go.
The stock carbon-ceramic discs (measuring 15.5 by 1.4 inches up front and 15.3 by 1.3 at the rear) make the street Z/28 capable, Chevy says, of smashing your brain into the inside of your skull at 1.5 g under deceleration. They also, of course, save weight. But they had to go because of IMSA’s racing rules, which dictate rotors that would be at home in the Iron Age.
5. Only GM engineers likely would be able to spot the suspension differences.
The spec sheet for the factory Z/28 lists struts up front and a multilink setup out back, and that’s what you’ll find in the racer, although it’s tweaked a bit. Talarico explains: “We’re running the stock suspension points and pretty much the same stock suspension except for some bushing changes we had to make for endurance racing. The arms are stock pieces outside of some small changes that are unique to our style of racing.” Chevrolet claims the stock suspension is good for 1.08 g in cornering—we’d love to find out what sort of grip the Z/28.R can deliver.
6. Out goes that one radio speaker.
As sparse as the stock Z/28’s interior is, most of it has to be stripped out for racing. The Z/28.R gets its own race seat, a set of critical instrumentation, and a Pratt & Miller–developed roll cage that adds critical chassis stiffness.
During the Z/28.R’s maiden race—aptly named, as BMW M3s dominated the 2.5-hour event—the cars proved slightly slower than the leaders. But Chevy has until March 15 and the second race of the season, the 12 Hours of Sebring, to find the pace. Anyone want to bet against this thing?
There"s Nothing Subtle About This Chevy.
Monday, 24 February 2014
The Macan...The Latest Porsche.
The newest edition to the Porsche family.
Smaller and less garish than the Cayenne, the Porsche Macan is based on the same underpinnings as the Audi Q5
What is it?
It’s the latest addition to the Porsche line-up; a compact SUV that’s based on the Audi Q5.
Porsche has worked its magic on the underpinnings – tinkering with or replacing two-thirds of the components – to create a car that it calls ‘the only sports car in its segment.’
From the off it’s available in S, Diesel S or Turbo variants, boasting anywhere from 255bhp in the diesel to 394bhp in the flagship Turbo.
Once you’ve picked your engine there are some chassis options to choose from, like steel springs, PASM active suspension or air suspension. You can boost performance even further with a Sport Chrono pack (knocking 0.2 seconds from the 0-62mph time) or Porsche Torque Vectoring.
All Macans come as standard with four-wheel drive and a seven-speed PDK gearbox.
The diesels are super-quick, very quiet and refined, while the petrol Macans are supercar fast
The post Porsche Macan car review – made for Mayfair, mud and motorway appeared first on Business Car Manager.
The Macan...The Latest Porsche.