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Newswheel staff :: 29 April 2008 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Front engine sportscar, BMW, BMW M3
Drop-top versions of BMW’s M cars are traditionally a little off message when it comes to driving dynamics. That’s the price you pay for hacking the roof off, compromising structural integrity and cranking up the kerb weight. But the new M3 Convertible is the first BMW to feature the firm’s new seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT). So, it’s a little more interesting than your average 155mph sun trap…
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Newswheel staff :: 29 April 2008 :: Filed under Crossover, SUV, Audi, Audi Q5
There was only so long that Audi was going to allow BMW’s X3 to coin it in the mid-sized premium SUV niche. Actually, Audi has been slow to catch on to the whole SUV game. It allowed the original BMW X5 to go uncontested for pretty much an entire model generation before releasing the monstrous Q7. The new Q5, officially unveiled this week and aimed squarely at the X3, is likewise hardly an early-doors entrant. Still, it has probably arrived just in time - popular opinion appears to be turning nasty on big beasts like the Q7…
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Newswheel staff :: 29 April 2008 :: Filed under Coupe, Peugeot, Peugeot 308
With an interior straight out of the 308 hatch and a generally production-ready vibe, we always had a feeling Peugeot was being a rather coy by calling the RC Z a concept. Sure enough, Pug has confirmed this dramatic-looking coupe will hit show rooms in 2010…
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Newswheel staff :: 29 April 2008 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, BMW
Will anything come
out of the many rumours regarding a possible new supercar project
from BMW? Who knows. But if a production car does emerge, it
definitely won’t be a dead ringer for the M1 Hommage concept,
revealed at the weekend. Yes, it’s dramatic. Yes, it’s official BMW
produce. But BMW says the M1 Hommage is nothing more than a 30th
anniversary celebration of the classic M1 supercar…
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Newswheel staff :: 21 April 2008 :: Filed under SUV, Porsche Cayenne
Portly, awkward, VW-derived and philosophically dubious for a car with
a Porsche badge. It isn’t hard to think of excuses to deride Porsche’s
money-spinning ute. But a lack of power doesn’t really factor. That’s
especially true with the environmental lobby tightening the noose. So
kudos to Porsche for metaphorically flicking the bird to good sense and
delivering unto us the new uprated Cayenne Turbo S…
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Newswheel staff :: 21 April 2008 :: Filed under Saloon, Opel / Vauxhall, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Insignia
Gone are the days when the upper medium segment – the repmobile, y’all
- ruled our roads with polyester-suited impunity. Actually, buyers have
generally buggered off in favour of premium brands or niche models -
soft roaders, crossovers and all that jazz. Sales are therefore on the
slouchy side of slumpy. And yet there’s still something slightly
momentous about the launch of a new sales rep special from one of the big
players. At least the new Vauxhall (Opel to our friends across the
Channel) Insignia is handsome and promises to be moderately high tech - LED
lighting and active dampers are options, an EcoFLEX model is on the
cards. And it will of course lend its underpinnings to a wide range of
models in GM’s brand portfolio…
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Newswheel staff :: 10 April 2008 :: Filed under Coupe, Saloon, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Passat
For a car that will live and die on style alone, we’ve an inkling the Passat CC four-door coupe’s clothes are a touch too retiring. Nevertheless, VW has big plans for the new model including a six-year sales target of 300,000. That’s big money for a niche model. Anywho, the Passat CC goes on sale this autumn. Therefore, to oil our sumps in preparation for this new halo model, VW has released full tech specs including details of the DSG-touting, all-wheel drive 3.6 V6 model…
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Newswheel staff :: 10 April 2008 :: Filed under Coupe, BMW, BMW 1 Series
Forgive
us the Rumsfeldism, but BMW’s planned shift away from large,
multi-cylinder engines towards smaller, more efficient engines is a
known known. It’s the details, as the Donmeister would
say, that are a known unknown. But try this for size. BMW might be tooling
up an uber-high reving four-pot lump for the 1 Series. How
does 11,000rpm and 260 ponies grab you?
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Newswheel staff :: 09 April 2008 :: Filed under SUV, Land Rover, Land Rover Range Rover
Most of the speculation regarding Tata’s recent bagging of Jaguar and Land Rover has focused on the implications of the deal for the big cat. But what about our favourite purveyor of all-terrain vehicles? Well, the latest scuttlebutt from the camera-happy sleuths at Brenda Priddy & Co is that A V12 Range Rover is currently undergoing winter testing…
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Newswheel staff :: 09 April 2008 :: Filed under Front engine sportscar, Lexus, Lexus GS, Lexus IS, Lexus LF-A, Lexus LS
In the grand old US of A, Toyota’s luxury brand sweeps all asunder. But it hasn’t really hit critical mass in Europe. Odds are it will soon enough if Lexus' aggressive product plans are anything to go by. Following the well received IS-F V8 compact sports saloon, Lexus will also unleash a speedy ‘F’ derivative of the mid-sized GS luxury barge along with a new compact model that slots in below the IS and will take on BMW’s increasingly successful 1 Series. Needless to say, more hybrid Lexi are on the way, too…
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Newswheel staff :: 09 April 2008 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche 911
There’s always been a whiff of chest-wig chariot about turbo-charged Porsche 911s. After all, the venerable Porker is defined by its tactility and driving involvement and that doesn’t really jive with the binary power delivery of a blown flat six. But that’s been less true than ever in recent years as Porsche has dialled out the lag and made the turbo models more progressive than ever. So, can the latest 997-vintage GT2 compete with the magisterial 997 GT3 RS for pure driving thrills? Nope. Or at least not according to our chums on Evo magazine…
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Newswheel staff :: 19 March 2008 :: Filed under Coupe, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, US
Of marginal relevance to we long suffering right-hand drivers, Dodge
has announced a more affordable version of its shiny new Challenger
muscle car. Full speeds and feeds have yet to be divulged, but the
cheaper models will pack less powerful V6 and V8 lumps than the
flagship SRT8 model. And of course, pricing for the new pairing, known
as the Challenger SE and R/T respectively, will be well south of the
SRT8’s $40k sticker. Think mid-range Ford Focus money for a rear-drive
muscle machine and you probably won’t be far off…
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Newswheel staff :: 19 March 2008 :: Filed under Crossover, SUV, Volvo, Europe & UK, US,
It’s been a long time since Volvo ditched its bland and boxy design vibe for something more elegant and contemporary. But the new XC60 mid-sized crossover, revealed at the Geneva motorshow this week, is still surprisingly sexy. It might just be the most desirable vehicle in its class…
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Newswheel staff :: 13 December 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, Front engine sportscar, Aston Martin, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Europe & UK
Aston’s new Bond-backed, DB9-based
flagship coupe, the DBS, has taken a critical pounding. By the lofty
standards of Aston’s recent produce, at least. Fortunately, the company
has something altogether tastier cooking in the form of this new V12
Vantage RS. With no less than 600 ponies crammed into the Vantage’s
compact and relatively light body, performance should be more than
adequate. For now, it’s only a concept. But heavy hints from Aston
suggest the car will receive a low-volume production run.
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Newswheel staff :: 12 December 2007 :: Filed under Hatchback, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Astra, Europe & UK
There’s nothing quite like being
sequestered for a special edition from a mainstream manufacturer to
turn a cult following into mass market mediocrity. The latest victim
is the hallowed tarmac of the Nurburgring circuit in Germany,
leveraged by Vauxhall for the new Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition.
Described by Vauxhall as “mechanically similar” to the
boggo VXR, we can forgive the 'Ring Edition’s lack of engine mods,
but surely some chassis tuning isn’t too much too ask for?
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Newswheel staff :: 30 August 2007 :: Filed under Saloon, Audi, Audi A4, Europe & UK
OK, the A4 is the meat and potatoes of the Audi’s saloon-car range. And
the existing A4 has been doing roaring business. So, you can forgive
Audi up to a point for hedging its stylistic bets with the all-new A4, revealed for
the first time today. But it really is spectacularly unadventurous…
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28 August 2007 :: Filed under Saloon, Jaguar
Creating a ripper of a concept like the Jaguar C-XF is all very well. But you’ll wish you hadn’t bothered when you wheel out a significantly toned-down production version and the insults start flying. And so it is with the new Jag XF saloon, officially revealed for the first time today. Whatever you think of it, the XF simply isn’t as dramatic and cohesive as the C-XF concept…
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Newswheel staff :: 14 August 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche 911
Impressive proof of the 911 GT2’s road-racing prowess? Or just Weissach waving its willy? Whatever, Porsche claims the new 997-vintage GT2 can bang in a lap of the Nurburgring in just 7 minutes and 32 seconds. That, allegedly, is over 20 seconds quicker than a Fezza F430…
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Newswheel staff :: 14 August 2007 :: Filed under SUV, Audi, Audi Q7
Love it or loathe it, you’re going to have to lump it. Audi has confirmed that a production version of the Q7 V12 TDI is scheduled to hit showrooms in the second half of ’08. Lest you have forgotten, we’re talking 500+ blown diesel ponies and around 737lb/ft of twistage…
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Newswheel staff :: 14 August 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, Audi, Audi A5
The jury is still out on whether the new A5 coupe is too understated for its own good. But in the meantime, Audi is fleshing out the range with a few cheaper engine options in the form of a 2.7-litre turbo diesel and a 3.2-litre petrol V6…
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