Svelt-looking Audi liftback shows Audi’s interpretation of practical

THE AUDI Prologue Avant concept has been shown ahead if its reveal at the 2015 Geneva motor show. A derivative of the Audi Prologue shown at the 2014 Los Angeles motor show last November, which pointed towards the company’s new design direction under freshly installed chief designer, Marc Lichte, the Avant takes the same design language – including the trademark Audi single-frame grille – but gets a little different at the rear.

Sitting on those turbine-like 20-inch alloys that show off carbon-ceramic brake rotors, the seductive graphite-coloured front-end has been beefed up with more aggressive intakes for a slightly different front-bumper treatment than the LA show car. There’s the same skinny LED headlamps, with ‘light signature’ a key component of any Audi’s styling, but look further back, and the Avant – Audi-speak for wagon, of course – sprouts a second set of doors and a higher roofline than the LA coupe show car. While it keeps the same sharp-edged blisters on its wheel arches, the D-pillar hosts a massive third window section and a hatch-like tailgate with an integrated spoiler. Audi claims it’s the more practical application of its new design philosophy. Officially a five-door, it could well have been called a ‘Sportback’ in Audi terms.

“With the Audi prologue, the prototype meter of our new design language, we have clearly pointed the way in aesthetics. Now we are going one step further by presenting a concept which combines aesthetics, dynamics and function in a fascinating way,” says Lichte.

Both Prologue concepts are based on the Audi MLB platform, which will underpin the next Audi A8 flagship sedan. The Avant is 5.11m long, 1.97m wide and stands 1.4m tall, making it slightly longer and wider than the Prologue coupe, but it still strictly a four-seater. The cabin offers three touchscreen, two of which are OLED (that’s Organic Light-Emitting Diodes), with Audi’s virtual cockpit instrument cluster and surrounded by crisp-edged brushed aluminium and Nappa leather. It should be comfortable, given the adaptive air suspension set-up.

With the next A8 confirmed as an all-hybrid line-up, under the bonnet of the Prologue is the powerplant from the Audi Q7 e-tron that was shown last month at the 2015 Detroit motor show. The means a 3.0-litre turbodiesel and electric motor combination that produces a grunty 355kW, and with its quattro all-wheel drive system, boasts a 0-100km/h claim of 5.1sec. On electric power alone, the Prologue Avant can travel 54km, says a Audi – a 4km improvement on the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, the first plug-in hybrid form the company to arrive in Australia, with sales starting in the second quarter of 2015.

Audi says that the Prologue Avant concept is ‘very close to series production’ without confirming that it will arrive in showrooms. Along with the LA show car, which points to an Audi A9 (or possibly A10) as a derivative of the A8, the Avant is likely to see Audi fill yet another niche in its prolific model-line-up which the company aims to expand to 60 models by 2020.

The forthcoming GT3 RS will raise the exotica stakes for the 911 breed.

Better still, if there’s truth in the rumour-mill, the Geneva-bound thoroughbred will also debut a new naturally aspirated 4.0-litre boxer six that forms the technical basis of future turbocharged 911s.

A leaked, allegedly official, specifications list (which you can view in the gallery above) has surfaced on Axisofoversteer pegging the GT3 RS’s peak power at 368kW and 460Nm, with a maximum engine speed of 8800rpm: gains of 18kW and 20Nm and a modest heightening of engine speed.

Like the PDK-only GT3 model on which its based, the RS version looks set to be offered in twin-clutch-manual transmission form.

But the depth of the RS version’s thoroughbred credentials are revealed elsewhere in its make-up, particularly in its bespoke construction and aerodynamic addenda shown in spy pics revealed in MOTOR’s January issue.

Porsche has focused hard on shedding kilograms: aluminium is used for both door shells and skins, the roof is magnesium, while the bonnet, engine cover, vented front guards, rear wing and bucket seats are all manufactured from CFRP (carbonfibre reinforced plastic).

While kerb weight hasn’t been revealed, expect the treatment – which also includes polycarbonate rear and side windows – to drop the RS weighbridge ticket well below 1400kg, despite the RS version growing in size compared with the regular GT3.

If taken as gospel, the spec sheet lists track width as 36mm wider than the base GT3, sat on 20×9.5in and 21×12.5in forged centre-lock wheels, the rear axle featuring Porsche’s clever Torque Vectoring Plus with electronically controlled differential lock as standard.

Notably, the two-seat-only coupe is some 50mm wider across the front arches and 30mm broader in the rear thanks to the revised bodywork and rolling stock.

The GT3 RS will arrive prior to the 991.2 range facelift due later this year which, as outlined above, may well see variations of the direct-injected 4.0-litre six rolled into other 911 variants in different tunes and aspirations.

When you have double the horsepower of a Veyron stuffed in a car designed for a quarter of that engine output, the thing might be a little difficult to keep straight.

This is what one Lamborghini driver found out after losing control of his 1491kW twin-turbo Gallardo on an airport runway and then finding the neighbouring pond, where the supercar submerged itself in knee high water.

The miss-hap occurred on a private airport runway in Florida, America, during a ½ mile drag-race event. Fortunately no one was injured, and the car was trailered home in one piece.

It’s estimated the Gallardo was travelling at 216km/h before loose debris caused it to break traction.

However the most terrifying fact is Jason Heffner, the man responsible for building the car, told Road&Track this particular Gallardo was using its lowest power setting. He said it would be easily capable of producing around 1800kW if turbocharger boost was doubled.

Judging by the video, we’re guessing the last thing a 1500kW-odd Gallardo might need is more power when racing on unprepared surfaces. See for yourself above.

AN ITALIAN sports car design house with experience in penning concepts for brands including Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari has come up with a novel design for a race car – featuring no windows.

Details are as sketchy as the image released flagging the Torq’s presence at next month’s Geneva motor show.

The low-slung, super car-styled Torq – as the concept from ED Group is known – is believed to be a two-seat racer featuring electric drivetrain that its makers hope will one day compete in a one-make class.

Strangely, too, the Torq will be an autonomous car, suggesting both seats will be occupied by passengers rather than drivers.

And because anyone sitting in the car doesn’t need to see where they’re going, or pilot the Torq around a track, there’s no need for windows, steering wheels or other controls, its makers say.

We’re not convinced.

SOMEWHERE under this bloated-looking skin hides the fine lines of Bentley’s first-ever SUV.

Expected to give the likes of Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz Maybach, BMW and even Rolls-Royce a mud-plugging run for their money, the genuine off-roader is slowly taking form, as our spy images show.

Although it is early days in the Bentayga’s development cycle, we can already see that the luxury SUV will wear a similar face to the Bentley Continental range, defined by the prominent mesh grille framed inside circular headlights, and set in front of a long, stepped bonnet.

Meanwhile, the rear of the Bentayga could adopt the same big-hipped design as the Continental, and feature twin exhausts and a tailgate-mounted spoiler to enhance its on-road prowess.

Inside, the Bentayga appears to feature a digital instrument cluster – a big step away from the traditional twin-dial analogue one used in the current Continental – as well as circular air vents that rise from the top of the dash rather than recessed into the facia.

Under the bonnet, the high-riding Bentley is expected to use the marque’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that’s shared with a number of high-end products in sister brand Audi’s stable of performance cars, with the traditional W12 offered as an option.

While development of the Bentayga appears to be progressing, uberluxury rival Rolls-Royce has a bit of catching up to do after annoucing it, too, would turn down Bentley’s path and roll out a vehicle just as comfortable on a muddy polo field as it is in the executive car park.

What’s this then?

The Mercedes-AMG C63, the hot-rodded version of the new W205 C-Class. It’s ditched ‘Benz’, the new name reflecting AMG’s greater input in developing its latest line of models.

Sounds fair enough, is it much different?

Very different. In fact, pretty much everything has changed. Obviously, being based on the latest C-Class, there’s an updated platform, but the headline news is the arrival of AMG’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

As covered in our initial pricing story, the new C63 is landing in Australia exclusively in ‘S’ guise, meaning 375kW/700Nm, or 17kW/100Nm more than the old C63 Performance Pack.

Electrically-assisted power steering replaces the old hydraulic rack, and three-way adjustable adaptive dampers also appear for the first time.

The seven-speed MCT gearbox is retained, though heavily updated, but the rear limited-slip diff is now electronically-controlled, a development of the unit found in the SLS Black Series.

Adaptive engine mounts also make an appearance, having debuted on the recently released AMG GT supercar, set to appear in Australia in July. These trick little devices are able to adjust their stiffness to reduce vibration when soft to improve comfort, yet restrict engine movement when hard to improve handling.

The old 6.2 was amazing, what’s the new V8 like?

Brilliant. We haven’t been the biggest fans of the downsized, turbocharged movement, but AMG’s new M178 engine blows that out of the water.

Obviously, its increased outputs means it bests its naturally-aspirated predecessor in terms of outright speed, but, crucially, it matches the old atmo engine’s superb responsiveness, too.

Part-throttle response is incredible; you need only flex your toe and the engine begins to deliver power. Floor the throttle and you’d best be prepared for a substantial push in the back.

With 700Nm available from just 1750rpm, low-end urge is outrageous – you could drive it everywhere in fourth if you wanted to – but it also revs keenly to 7000rpm, all the while bellowing a vicious, primal roar with deep explosions your reward on the overrun.

The MCT gearbox is a big step forward, too. Left to its own devices, it has an uncanny knack of pre-empting the right gear for each situation but when you do take control it responds to up- and downchange requests with much more haste.

The changes themselves are also quicker, though it’s still not quite as crisp as BMW and Porsche’s dual-clutch boxes and it can occasionally trip over itself at low speed, particularly in dozy Comfort mode.

So it’s good in a straight line, but what about corners?

Once upon a time, AMG’s most potent models were akin to dragsters; impressive and comfortable on the straight bits, less impressive when roads turned twisty. No longer.

The first thing that strikes you is the texture of the road being fed to you through the steering wheel, something that’s all too rare with modern electrically-assisted setups. This immediately gives you confidence to lean on the front end, which hangs in gamely until you get really ambitious with mid-corner speeds.

Unsurprisingly, at corner exit oversteer is readily available in the first three gears (and probably more on track); despite the electronic locking diff, 700Nm is just too much for 265mm-wide rubber to contain.

The upside of that tricky diff and narrower rubber is that when it does start to slide (and if you’re driving it hard, it is ‘when’ rather than ‘if’) it does so in a beautifully progressive manner.

Unlike the M3, which can occasionally be a bit of a handful, the C63 can be driven on the very edge of adhesion, with the ESP in Sport mode allowing enough slip to avoid having to turn if off to have fun (though it’s even more fun if you do). That said, the more agile BMW is likely to have the edge in outright pace.

When you’ve finished hooning up and down your favourite road, switching the adjustable dampers from Sport to Comfort softens the C63 back into cruise mode. The ride is still firm but with just enough pliancy to avoid irritation. And Sport+? Leave that to the race track, unless you like to feel every single bump in the road.

As a road car, the C63’s only real weakness is that over big bumps at speed, it can sometimes feel likes it’s struggling to contain its 1655kg a little. It’s never unruly, but the odd allowance does have to be made.

It’s a good thing, then?

Absolutely. It’s an extremely polished product, and a worthy successor to the car that took AMG into the big leagues.

The engine is superb, the chassis is great, it’s reasonably comfortable and has the added bonus of everyday practicality, especially in estate form (our pick, just for the cool factor).

Add in the fact that Mercedes-Benz Australia has ticked virtually every option box as standard and, while $154,900 is a lot of money ($157,400 for the estate), in the context of its rivals, it appears quite good value too.

The only problem is, it’s likely to be a victim of its own popularity. Taking pre-orders into account, M-B Australia predicts that the first 18 months’ worth of cars could already be spoken for. But then, the best things in life are worth waiting for.

4.5 stars

Specs: Engine: 3982cc V8, DOHC, 32v, twin-turbochargers Power: 375kW @ 5500-6250rpm Torque: 700Nm @ 1750-4500rpm Weight: 1655kg 0-100km/h: 4.0sec (claimed) Top Speed: 250km/h (limited) Price: $154,900 On-sale: July

THE latest Mercedes-AMG C63 S is a major update for Benz’s most popular performance sedan and wagon. It’s based on the C-Class launched in 2014 and gets a new, more powerful and more economical engine, a raft of dynamic upgrades and a suite of S-Class safety features. And it’s bloody good.

WHAT IS IT? The Mercedes-AMG C63 S is a high-performance compact luxury sports sedan and wagon. A coupe will follow in 2016. The C63 S combines elements popular with Australians – rear-wheel drive, brawny V8 engine – with lashing of German luxury and prestige to be the archetypal slugger in a Saville Row suit.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT Despite the badge carrying over, this is a new-generation model that abandons the venerable and enthusiastic 6.3-litre V8 for the AMG GT’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. Unlike the previous generation, which was offered in C63 and C63 S trim (the latter with extra power and performance), this time around Australia’s getting the full-fruit S model only. Wheels flew to Portugal to be among the first publications in the world to test Benz’s new BMW M3 rival.

MAIN RIVALS Audi RS4, BMW M3, Jaguar XFR

THE WHEELS VERDICT The Mercedes-AMG C63 S may have farewelled one of AMG’s great engines, but its replacement is a corker that absolutely overcomes our misgivings about turbo-immersion and driver involvement. Not to mention the 1995-era price!

PLUS: Straight-line performance; drivetrain response; handling; sound MINUS: Reactive ride; tyre noise

THE WHEELS REVIEW PROGRESS is a bitch, because it sometimes kills the good things in life. Mix tapes. Love letters. Idle moments. Sunday roasts. The free-breathing V8 engine.

With the new-generation Mercedes-AMG C63 sedan and wagon launched internationally this month, AMG’s brilliant 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine is all but gone. Only one model survives, and that’s the low-volume C63 Coupe, which is on death row ahead of an all-new and turbocharged model later this year.

The C-Class-based C63 sedan and wagon are the first mainstream Benz models to get the mighty new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 from the recently launched AMG GT super-coupe. And in full GT 375kW/700Nm tune, too, in the case of the potent C63 S, which is the only model Australia will get. The only difference is that the more extreme GT runs a dry-sump configuration.

Another tech transfer from the AMG GT are dynamic engine mounts, which AMG claims soften to reduce vibration during light driving and stiffen to improve vehicle dynamics during sporty driving.

Straight-line performance is the most obvious beneficiary of AMG’s engine largesse. The new C63 S accelerates from standstill like no C-Class AMG before it.

Typical of modern turbo engines, the M177 V8 generates peak torque across a wide rev band, in this case from 1750 to 4400rpm. This manifests as always-ready acceleration, regardless of the selected gear or vehicle speed. It certainly helps if the driver primes the engine with a gear that lands it in the 4000-5000rpm sweet spot, because that’s where the C feels the most relentless. But at anything from 2000rpm, the C63 surges with a vitality beyond the old 6.2-litre V8.

It’s louder, too, and not with the hairdryer whoosh often found with twin-turbo applications. Mounting the turbos inside the V instead of below the cylinder banks helps this engine’s gravelly V8 notes aurally dominate those hurricane forces, resulting in a fantastic and energetic soundtrack. It comes complete with an orchestrated 21-gun salute for every full-throttle gearchange, and AMG’s customary burble and gurgle on overrun and downchange. It feels contrived, but it adds to the enjoyment of a spirited drive. And that’s the point.

Visually, the new C63 is understated despite a road-eating front spoiler and black alloys. The rear looks more muscular with its quad tailpipes and bootlid lip-spoiler. Overall, though, the exterior is a reflection of the C63’s duality. Yes, it is bought because of the way it pulverises the tarmac, but most times it’s gliding through peak-hour traffic.

It straddles those opposing worlds as well as can be expected. The suspension has some bump-soaking abilities, but this is a sports sedan and body control is paramount, so the ride is firm and at times reactive to surface changes. The steering is light and easy, yet offers decent feel for the road and feedback on front-end load.

But for me the C63’s best asset is the one I expected to like the least before driving it: the engine. This new twin-turbo V8 is a monster, no question, yet it’s a refined and responsive beast that reacts precisely to throttle inputs, and that helps the driver get the most out of rear-end traction. It’s easy to obliterate the tyres’ grip on the tarmac with an exuberant push on the throttle, but it’s also surprisingly easy to feel when the rear is reaching its limits, and hold it there.

This is a twin-turbocharged application that very closely mimics the best characteristics of its naturally aspirated predecessor, while outperforming it in performance and efficiency. It’s a thoroughly engaging performance sedan to drive, and its respect for the driver is paramount. Hard not to like that.

In fact, there’s very little not to like with the new C63 S, not even the price. At $154,900, it’s exactly what this car’s distant ancestor the C36 cost 20 years ago. That’s commendable, given the huge advances the C63 makes over its immediate predecessor, let alone the 1995 C36. Maybe progress has some redeeming qualities after all.

SPECS Model: Mercedes-AMG C63 S Engine: 3982cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin turbo Max power: 375kW @ 5500rpm Max torque: 700Nm @ 1750-4500rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic Weight: 1655kg 0-100km/h: 4.0sec (claimed) Economy: 8.6L/100km Price: $154,900 On sale: July

VOLVO says it has no plans to dump its road sign recognition system that regularly informs drivers of incorrect speed limits.

The safety-focused Swedish brand says the system – which displays the speed limit in the three-mode dynamic instrument cluster – is here to stay, despite luxury rivals ditching their systems due to similar inaccuracies.

Australian school zones have foiled similar speed limit recognition systems from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, while speed limits posted on the back of many heavy vehicles can also lead to incorrect readings.

“The system is provided as an aid to the driver, and doesn’t remove driver responsibility for awareness of the applicable road rules,” a Volvo spokesman told Wheels.

“The system will provide information, and it’s up to the driver to determine the validity/relevance of the information.”

The so-called Road Sign Information function is part of the Driver Alert System that first arrived in 2013 in the V40 and has since spread to the S60, V60 and Volvo XC60.

BMW was the first to introduce speed limit recognition technology to Australia in its 5-Series in 2011.

But it quickly dropped it and refunded buyers $700, citing “too many inconsistencies” with the way its camera read speed zones.

Mercedes-Benz doesn’t offer its speed limit recognition locally but continues to look at it.

“We had some engineers in Australia last year and they did some testing,” a Mercedes-Benz spokesman told Wheels, adding that engineers “weren’t comfortable” with the unique-to-Australia problems.

“It was extensive testing in cities, on country roads and in the outback and their position hasn’t changed in that they’re not comfortable introducing it in this market until there was some level of consistency … in terms of positioning of road signs and other signage around it.

“The last thing you want is false systems because then people lose faith in the system.”

Consumer watchdog puts brakes on Kia’s spiralling low-cost service plan, other carmakers now in its sights

AUSTRALIA’S consumer watchdog has savaged Korean carmaker Kia after it quietly bumped up the cost of its cut price servicing multiple times – and now other brands are in its sights.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which also manages vehicle safety recalls, said today it had forced Kia to amend the terms and conditions of its capped price servicing program – where owners expect to pay a capped price – after driving up the cost on four separate occasions over three years.

In a very public slap on the wrist, the ACCC said the way that the Korean brand’s capped price servicing program was explained to owners was likely to convince them that the cost of having their vehicle serviced was capped at the price they were told it would be.

“Kia represented on its website that ‘the capped price applicable for each service is the maximum you will pay for your scheduled service’,” a statement from the ACCC announcing the carmaker’s oversight said.

“However, prior to the ACCC’s intervention, Kia’s terms and conditions allowed scheduled service prices to be amended at any time and, in fact, these prices had been changed by Kia four times since 2012.”

In return, Kia must now amend the terms and conditions of its capped price servicing program to ensure service prices are genuinely capped.

It will also write to owners saying what price they should be paying for each service, and offer to refund any charges it made above the capped service prices that applied to a vehicle when it was bought.

The ACCC’s investigation won’t stop with Kia, though, with the watchdog saying it would “review other capped price service offers made to consumers by vehicle manufacturers to assess whether any similar issues arise”.

Finnish rallying legend Juha Kankkunen is coming to Australia.

The four-time WRC champion is to act as guest speaker at the second annual Rally Hall of Fame presentation, following in the footsteps of fellow Finn Ari Vatanen, who spoke at the inaugrual event.

The Rally HoF gala presentation is to be held on May 14 at Canberra’s QT hotel, in conjunction with Rally Canberra, the opening round of the 2015 Australian Rally Championship.

Kankkunen should need no introduction to most motor sport enthusiasts. Having won WRC titles with Peugeot, Lancia and Toyota, he is the only driver ever to win a title with three different manufacturers, and is the only driver to have won rallies during the Group B, Group A and World Rally Car eras, his last victory coming for Subaru at Rally Finland in 1999.

Kankkunen also won the Dakar Rally in 1988 for Peugeot, for whom he also competed in the Pikes Peak hillclimb that same year, finishing runner-up to Ari Vatanen.

You can find more information about the evening and book tickets here.