Car reviews 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

Just $57,725 Will Buy You an Insane, 360-hp 2012 Audi TT RS

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It’s astonishing that Audi and Porsche are, on a corporate level, parts of the same entity. When ordering a 911, shoppers can specify that the center console—not the dash, mind you, but the trim on top of the transmission tunnel—be painted black. It costs more than $1100. So it’s a bit of a shock, then, that Audi has just priced the 360-hp TT RS at a mere $57,725, including $875 destination.

While that’s more than twice the cost of the Volkswagen GTI on which the TT RS is loosely based, it represents a fantastic value for a performance car—and it’s several thousand dollars cheaper than the rough estimate of $60,000-$65,000 that Audi had given us in the past. The TT RS does, after all, include the company’s maniacal turbocharged five-cylinder engine, with the requisite warble at low speeds and erogenous bleating exhaust note at full throttle.

Equipped with a dual-clutch automatic and standard launch control, we were able to harness the violence of a full-power takeoff and hit 60 from a standstill in a paltry 3.6 seconds. Audi will offer only the six-speed manual (which does not include launch control) in the States; Audi estimates a TT RS so equipped will hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.

For some context, the 320-hp Porsche Cayman S starts at $63,050, while the newly introduced 302-hp Mercedes-Benz SLK350 will sting you for $55,675; at least the latter boasts a folding metal roof.

The TT RS is the first RS model offered in the U.S. since the RS4 based on the last-gen A4 was discontinued several years ago. Audi typically rolls out RS versions of cars at the end of their life cycles, and in the case of the TT RS we can confidently say the company saved the best for last.

You can read our review of the TT RS here, and for further five-cylinder madness, check out our first drive of the Audi Q3 equipped with the same engine.

Justin Berkowitz 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/just-57725-will-buy-you-an-insane-360-hp-2012-audi-tt-rs/
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Spy Photos: 2012 Audi S6 Appears Naked, Stateside

Because we know you're all anxiously awaiting a car that features the Bentley Continental GT's base motor without all the attendant P. Hilton–esque baggage, we're pleased to present the latest spy photos of the upcoming Audi S6 in American trim. After all, the Euro-spec photos we published back in March couldn't show you what the car looked like wearing a California plate.

Incidentally, the three latest German hoon saloons (BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and this car) all will feature the same sort of powerplant—twin-turbo V8s. The first S6 and E39 M5 packed naturally aspirated bent eights, and the contemporary E55 AMG used a supercharged V-8. And of course, in the most recent fusillade of Teutonic grunt, the last-gen M5 and S6 featured ten-cylinder power, while the E63 showed up with a large-displacement, naturally aspirated eight. Needless to say, studious study is in order and we are nothing if not studly students. Er, sorry. Anyway, study up on these photos, and head here for our previous story on Ingolstadt’s next speedy sedan.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Davey G. Johnson 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/spy-photos-2012-audi-s6-appears-naked-stateside/
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Thursday, July 7, 2011

2012 Audi Q3 First Drive: You’ll Want to Get the Turbo Five-Cylinder

Audi launches a compact crossover—and dumps the TT RS engine into it.

Not content with the success of the Q5, Audi is launching an even smaller crossover to compete with the BMW X1 and the Acura RDX. While the Q3's underpinnings started with the VW Tiguan platform, the architecture was significantly altered to be considered worthy of Audi's four interconnected rings. "We have taken the most suitable parts from the components bin, and its architecture is basically a mix of the PQ46 [Passat, CC] and the PQ35 [Tiguan, MkVI Golf] platforms," says development coordinator Thomas Soppa.

Keep Reading: 2012 Audi Q3 – First Drive Review

Jens Meiners 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/11q2/2012_audi_q3-first_drive_review
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2013 Aston Martin DB9 Spy Photos: The Biggest Little Change to the DB Yet

Or maybe it's a DBS.

It's often pointed out that Aston Martins all pretty much look alike. We know that, you know that, and the people who make them must know, too. But an Aston also looks like a Jaguar, a concept with which the team who cloaked this DB prototype appears to have had some fun.

Keep Reading: 2013 Aston Martin DB9 Spy Photos – Future Cars

David Gluckman 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/11q2/2013_aston_martin_db9_spy_photos-future_cars
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Lincoln Shuffles MKT Lineup for 2012, Drops Price of 355-hp EcoBoost Model by $3005

For the 2012 model year, Lincoln is dropping one of the MKT's trim levels and lowering the price of the 355-hp EcoBoost version. The 2011 Lincoln MKT came in three flavors, the lowest of which was equipped with Ford's 3.7-liter V-6 engine powering the front wheels. Although that model continues, and maintains its $45,175 base price, all-wheel drive will no longer be available as an option for MKTs with that engine. As a consolation prize, shoppers for three-row crossovers with baleen-whale-inspired styling can now get the MKT with the EcoBoost twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive for $47,170, a drop of $3005 compared to last year’s price. The 2012 Lincoln MKT will hit dealerships later this summer.

Alexander Stoklosa 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/lincoln-shuffles-mkt-lineup-for-2012-drops-price-of-355-hp-ecoboost-model-by-3005/
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Mitsubishi and Jim Russell Offer Level II Program to Grads of Lancer Evolution Experience

If you have attended the Lancer Evolution Experience I presented by Mitsubishi and Jim Russell Racing Drivers School at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, you probably went sideways a lot, and even if you didn't, you surely had a riotous time. Well, here's some good news, go-fast grad: Mitsubishi and JRRDS have just announced a follow-up program especially for you, cleverly called the Lancer Evolution Experience II.

For $1295—$300 more than the starter program—the Lancer Evolution Experience II curriculum focuses on timed competition, starting with a review of the driving exercises covered in the first program followed by multiple laps of Infineon's 12-turn, 2.5-mile track with instructors riding shotgun. The event culminates in a timed-lap competition between the attendees, who by the end of the program will have had plenty of time to shoot dirty looks at each other and accuse each others' mommas of driving Subaru STIs. Speaking of cars, as the name of the program suggests, the Lancer Evolutions used are Evo X models outfitted with Sparco racing seats, safety harnesses, and roll cages.

So if you've had a hankering to go back to school—back to the Lancer Evolution Experience school, that is—click over to www.jimrussellusa.com and get ready to take your driving skills to the next level.

Steve Siler 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/mitsubishi-and-jim-russell-offer-level-ii-program-to-grads-of-lancer-evolution-experience/
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Infiniti Gives First Glimpse at 2013 JX Three-Row Crossover

Our spy shooters have already captured camouflaged examples of Infiniti's upcoming seven-seat JX crossover plodding about in the open, but until now, we didn’t have anything official from the company. Today, Infiniti released the first of what will be a series of teaser images of the JX; the rest of the pics will be revealed on its Facebook page during the next seven weeks.

This first photo shows us the JX's front-left headlight, left flank, and a portion of its front wheel. The headlight is very much like those you’d find on the Infiniti FX, and even from this little picture, we can tell that the JX won’t eschew the company’s bulge-friendly design philosophy. The wheels appear to be the same ones that adorned the camo'd tester we recently photographed, although from the awkward angle in this single shot, they look a bit small for a modern car.

Infiniti will reveal the JX crossover in a lightly differentiated concept form at the Pebble Beach concours in August, and the production version will debut at November’s Los Angeles auto show. The automaker says it’ll go on sale in early 2012 as a 2013 model.

Alexander Stoklosa 08 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/infiniti-gives-first-glimpse-at-2013-jx-three-row-crossover/
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