Porsche has released details of its new Boxster, featuring an all-new alloy body, upgraded engines and comprehensively reworked chassis.
The revised roadster is lighter and more powerful than its predecessor, the base car’s 2.7-litre DI flat six now producing 195kW (up seven kW) and the S’s 3.4-litre unit delivering 232kW (up four kW). Transmission choice is six-speed manual or seven-speed PDK dual clutch.
No surprise that claimed 0-100km/h performance has dropped to 5.7sec for the 2.7 and 5.0sec flat for the S. On the flip side new features like electro-mechanical power steering help to further reduce weight, with claimed fuel economy improved by 15percent.
The new car features wider tracks and bigger wheels, contributing to a broader, more muscular stance . And with Porsche’s torque vectoring with mechanical rear axle differential lock now standard the car’s already outstanding dynamics are set to be even sharper.
European on-sale is scheduled for April, after an official debut at the Geneva motor show in March, with local deliveries on track for the third quarter of this year.
Ferrari has given its radical 599XX a Formula One rev-up.
The 599XX was released a few years ago as a test bed to transfer its F1 technology into its road cars. It only built a handful of them, based on its front-engined 599GTB and costing more than $2million each, for a selection of wealthy customers to own, but they could never take them home as they were stored at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters and only rolled out on the race circuit when they could.
The updated 599XX Evo was revealed at the Bologna Motor Show this week boasting even more F1 technology, including an active rear wing that opens automatically – much like the DRS system introduced to Grand Prix racing this year.
The 6.0-litre V12 engine has also been tweaked and now features side-exiting exhausts that help lift maximum power to a staggering 560kW while the body has modified to shave a further 35kg off its kerb weight.
Subaru has finally revealed the styling of its version of the lightweight, rear-drive coupe it developing alongside Toyota’s FT-86.
The Japanese car maker pulled the covers off its BRZ with a thinly-veiled STI concept car at the Los Angeles Motor Show, highlighting the subtle differences it will have to separate it from the Toyota version.
The STI concept show at LA is the first time Subaru has previewed the BRZ after a series of transparent show cars were displayed to showcase the car’s low-slung 2.0-litre flat four cylinder and rear-drive mechanical layout. This is in spite of Toyota ripping the wrappers off four show cars over the last two years; an initial FT-86, a racier GSport version, an updated FT-86 II and an American Scion-badged model. Both the final production versions of the Subaru and Toyota coupes will be unveiled on home turf at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan in a fortnight.
Subaru Australia is still heavily debating the feasibility of introducing the BRZ to its local lineup as it introduces a marketing dilemma for the brand that has built its core values on the safety and performance of all-wheel drive technology.
Subaru has said it will have an answer either way before the end of the year once the production car has been revealed.
Keep an eye out for MOTOR’s January issue, on sale December 14, for more news.
Subaru has today revealed two of its hottest ever sportscars ahead of their public debut at the Tokyo Motor Show tomorrow.
But sadly neither of them are confirmed to arrive in Australia – yet!
The Japanese car maker has released the first images of the final production version of its BRZ coupe, the lightweight, rear-drive machine it has developed in co-operation with Toyota, as well as a special race-inspired limited edition variant of the iconic WRX STI.
It showed an STI Concept of the BRZ at the Los Angeles Motor Show just two weeks ago, which featured a massive rear wing, big brakes and lightweight wheels and was painted in its traditional World Rally Championship blue-and-gold colour scheme. But the stark white version in the pictures here shows exactly how the car will look when it goes on sale around the world in the middle of next year.
Subaru Australia is yet to commit to selling the BRZ in Australia as it has introduced a marketing dilemma for the company that has built its core positioning statement on all-wheel drive and turbo technology. The BRZ has neither, and considering the Toyota 86 is identical in every sense – apart from their front and rear bumpers – Subaru is reluctant to face-off against the Japanese giant in Australia.
Alongside the BRZ, Subaru has also revealed a highly-tuned version of the all-wheel drive, turbo-powered STI sedan. The S206 Nurburgring Package has been built to celebrate the brand’s class win at this year’s 24-hour race at the German circuit, and features more power from the 2.5-litre engine, upside-down Bilstein suspension and a carbon fibre roof to reduce weight.
Subaru is only building a limited run of 100 of these vehicles only for the Japanese market, and all have been sold even before the car was revealed.
At the heart of Audi’s three-pronged S6, S7 and S8 line-up at Frankfurt will be one engine, the new twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 developed in conjunction with Bentley.
The engine appears in two configurations. The lower-spec powers the S6, S6 Avant and the S7 Sportback, developing 309kW and a substantial 550Nm from 1400 to 5300rpm.
The last S6’s Lamborghini-derived 5.2-litre V10 developed slightly more power, at 320kW, but had a much narrower torque band, with 540Nm on-tap from 3000-4000rpm. It also chugged 12.6L/100km, but Audi has gone to great lengths to drive fuel consumption down with the new V8. New technology like direct injection, start/stop, a cylinder-on-demand program that enables four to shut down under part-load, along with Audi’s seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch gearbox means miserly combined fuel figures of 9.7L/100km, an improvement of 25-percent over the old V10.
Ingolstadt has expanded its use of aluminium in the new car, and while 1895kg still sounds heavy, it’s 15 kilos lighter than the S6 it replaces. With the new engine, Audi claims it will leap to 100km/h in 4.8sec, which again, is 0.4sec quicker than the old S6.
Quattro all-wheel-drive is standard, of course, with a self-locking centre differential and torque vectoring. An active rear differential is optionally available.
Adaptive air suspension is standard fitment, lowering the S6’s stance by 10mm, and it works in conjunction with the throttle’s sensitivity, transmission shift points and steering weight through the Drive Select system. Carbon ceramic brakes are also optional.
Aside from minor dimensional deviations thanks to the different bodystyles, the S7 Sportback’s spec sheet reads like the S6’s, even down the optional sport rear diff and carbon ceramic brakes.
The S8 also loses the older model’s V10, but gets a higher-specification of the new V8, with power peaking at 382kW and a just-as-healthy serving of torque: 650Nm between 1700 and 5500rpm. It picks up the eight-speed automatic that’s shared with the rest of the A8 family and performance is a claimed 4.2sec 0-100km/h sprint.
Also debuting in the S8 is Audi’s new 360-degree parking camera.
Jaguar is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its iconic E-type by rebirthing the classic two-seater coupe.
The British car maker has hosted a number of significant events around the world this year to mark the occasion, but none will be as significant as the reveal of the C-X16 production concept car at next months Frankfurt Motor Show.
Jaguar has released an artist’s impression of the show car ahead of its premiere on Wednesday September 14 at the world’s largest auto expo, showcasing its classic Jaguar styling.
Our sources indicate the XE, as it will be known when it hits showrooms around 2014, will be based on Jaguar’s current flagship XK Coupe, and mimic it’s design, but with much smaller proportions and only a dedicated two-seater cockpit.
It is likely that both a hard-top coupe and soft-top convertible will be developed and that it will be powered by a range of four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines as a direct rival to Porsche’s popular Boxster and Cayman twins, BMW’s Z4 and Mercedes-Benz’ SLK.
Jaguar is touting the XE as the spiritual successor to the E-Type, which has cemented itself as one of the most significant automotive icons of all time. When the original was released in 1961, it was lauded for its combination of style, performance and price. It has featured in a variety of Hollywood blockbusters, from Harold and Maude to The Odessa Files and, most recently, the Austin Powers series of spy spoofs, but it was made famous when Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Jaguar’s rival sportscar company that bears his name, labelled it the “most beautiful” car he’d ever seen.
This is the 991 evolution of Porsche’s achingly brilliant 911. It’s 40 kilograms lighter, thanks to a mostly aluminium body, has a 100mm longer wheelbase, wider front tracks connected to a new electric steering system, an all-new seven-speed gearbox, a new interior and the Carrera range also picks up a new 3.4-litre base engine.
As far as changes go over the 911 model’s 48-year lifetime, this is as new as new gets.
First, your eyes will have been drawn to the new 911’s rear taillights, because they’re the most visually different element of a shape that teases you with each model to pick out just what changed. The slimline LED taillights are recessed into a new butt-line that sweeps from each rear-wheel arch’s muscular haunch to meet cleanly in the middle. It’s a modern look, but its execution could bring disappointment to 911-ophiles. No longer can you pop the rear hood to check out the ‘spare engine’, with only oil and water reservoirs on show.
From the front, the 991 sports a pair of bulbous headlights, spaced further apart, to give an impression of width. It’s exactly what Porsche design boss Michael Mauer intended. Twin airscoops are pushed to the extremities of the nose to further the car’s hulking stance, while the roof has been lowered slightly and the side window graphic lengthened to give it a ‘faster’ side profile. And then there’s the sexy new 20-inch alloys.
But the Carrera’s most significant redesign since the 993 is only part of the new 911 story. The new engine line-up is significant, mostly because Porsche has made a concerted effort than ever to improve their halo car’s fuel economy.
Both the Carrera and Carrera S engines were already direct-injected, but now they include technologies like start/stop, a ‘sailing’ mode when equipped with the PDK gearbox and brake energy regeneration to take the load off the alternator.
The top-spec 3.8-litre Carrera S engine remains, with power lifted 11kW to 295, and torque increased by 20Nm to 440. The interesting part is, both figures are almost 1000rpm further aloft in the rev range before you can achieve them, at 7400 and 5600rpm respectively.
The old base Carrera engine has been ditched, for a new 3.4-litre unit, but you’ve seen it before in the Boxster and Cayman S variants. Although it loses 200cc, the new flat six develops more grunt than the one it replaces, with 258kW at 7400rpm and 390Nm at 5600rpm.
In PDK form, this means the base Carrera will shoot to 100km/h in 4.6sec (0.1 quicker), with the Carrera S nailing it just 4.3sec (0.2 quicker). All this comes despite a fuel economy improvement of up to 16-percent, which you’ve got to admit, is a pretty significant gain, even if you don’t care.
Sure, the 991’s finessed PDK helps this, but the manual drivetrain isn’t left to rot in environmental hell either, with a new seven-speed ’box making its debut.
A new electric steering system also provides fuel economy benefits, but the 911’s project boss, August Achleitner, told MOTOR he believes the tactile advantages of the new set-up stretch far beyond that (see Q&A sidebar).
One of the most significant introductions in the 991 is the 100mm longer wheelbase, which improves stability by repackaging the car’s internals. Porsche sources say the introduction of the PDK gearbox in 997 Series II wasn’t the ideal packaging solution but the lengthening of the wheelbase has now allowed them to put in a better position. Their satisfaction with this set-up is evidenced by the fact the new seven-speed manual was manufactured to the same dimensions as the PDK so its location could be replicated.
Inside, the interior receives a comprehensive overhaul, using the rising centre console that first showed up in the Panamera and new Cayenne. One of the losers of this set-up was the manual handbrake – it’s now electric – but if you liked to handbrake-turn your 997 911 then you were kinda missing the point anyway. The door handle cluster and the instrument gauges are also new, and the whole interior feels fresher, and also more expansive. Porsche says improved cabin comfort was a key target for 991.
When the new 911 arrives in Australia in March, you can expect a small price hike. The Carrera range will start from $229,900, with the Carrera S coming in at $263,100.
What you’re looking at here is The Blue Oval’s next-generation of hot hatch.
Officially called the Evos Concept, it will star as Ford’s headline act at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. And while it previews the next iteration of Ford’s global design language, it’s what’s inside the Evos that is really causing tongues to wag.
As we develop digital fingerprints, it seems inevitable we’ll all be enveloped in a ‘personal cloud’ of our own making, and the Evos is ready to make use of it. Ford describes the Evos’ cabin as “More than an interior”, and backs this up with the use of ‘cloud-server technology’ to offer an even greater level of connectivity for mobile devices. Simply put, cloud-server technology – a technique recently unveiled by Apple with its iCloud device – integrates content across all your electronic devices. Download something onto your computer, and you’ll be able to access it on your phone, work computer and, Ford says, in its cars.
Yet the Evos will go further and use your ‘personal cloud’ of data to build info on your preferences including work schedule, traffic movements and weather.
Ford says that “The car gets to know you and can act as a personal assistant to handle some of the usual routines of a daily commute.” Ford’s Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development, says, “The intent is not to convert the vehicle into a smartphone, but rather to provide personalised and safe connection to the outside world in an enriching manner designed totally for the vehicle context.”
BMW has unveiled the car that it will mark its return to the DTM in 2012. The matte black M3 DTM Concept was revealed at BMW headquarters in Munich, along with the presentation of first two drivers factory-backed drivers.
Two-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx (38) will return to full-time racing after BMW pulled the WTCC pin at the end of the 2010 season.“The BMW M3 DTM looks fantastic,” said Priaulx. “I can hardly wait to get to know the car better in the coming tests, to contribute to its development, and ultimately to sit in the cockpit for the first DTM race in 2012.”Priaulx will be joined once again by his 2010 WTCC team-mate, 27-year-old Augusto Farfus, who has also enjoyed success with BMW. Farfus has notched up 15 wins in the WTCC, along with outright victory in the 2010 Nurburgring 24 Hours.DTM regulations require engines to be fitted with an air restrictor, meaning the DT M3’s V8 will pump out around 353kW. It should hit 100km/h in 3.0sec and a top speed of 300km/h.“It is good to see how our DTM project is picking up speed,” said Klaus Draeger, BMW’s Motrosport Director. ”Next year, BMW returns to the DTM after two decades. We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector – and are already looking forward to this challenge.The DTM comeback sees BMW return to its roots. We have enjoyed great success in production car racing in the past, and I am convinced we will follow on in 2012 where we left off. Everyone at BMW Motorsport is working hard to ensure we get off to a successful start next season.”The 2012 DTM calendar has not yet been announced.
Readers, we have a problem. The new Volkswagen Polo GTI has knocked the stuffing out of our Bang For Your Bucks award.
It hasn’t just won handsomely … it has belted it out of the park! Want proof? We pumped its Bang and Buck scores into our formula for the last five years and it won, every time.When we set up our formula, you were never supposed to be able to buy this much performance for just $27,990.To read all about the Volkswagen Polo GTI’s single-handed dismantling of this year’s Bang For Your Bucks award, pick up a copy of our August issue, on-sale now for $8.95.
