Victor Ivanov – Page 176 – Automobiles Review

Mercedes Viano Vision Diamond Concept in Beijing

Mercedes has exhibited the new Viano Vision Diamond Concept at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show.

The luxurious van comes with exterior enhancements as well as full interior rebuild.

The exterior boasts black radiator grille, chromed grille louvers, and two-tone exterior paint job. A fine, shimmering gold line painted by hand separates the two body colors of black and diamond white, and a painted diamond adorns the B-pillar. The two-tone effect is repeated in the rims of the 5-spoke wheels, and the brakes feature the words “Mercedes-Benz” in gold.

The interior boasts Maybach-inspired rear seats that have integrated footrests as well as heating, cooling and massage functions. The comfort is further enhanced by diamond embedded trim, silver champagne flutes and a refrigerator that holds 5 bottles.

The final touches are a huge 40” flat-screen display, which can be used for watching television, surfing the Internet and participating in video conferences. There is also a premium Bang & Olufsen audio system, W-LAN internet connectivity and a Magic Sky Control, which enables passengers to change the interior lighting conditions with just the push of a button. This changes the color of the windows, an effect that is made possible by a liquid in the window glass that reacts to differences in electric current.

Source: Mercedes

April 24, 2012

Land Rover Defender 2 by Vilner

Vilner has announced a new tuning program for the rough Land Rover Defender 2, which has been transformed from hard off-roader to luxurious ride suitable for everyday driving.

The interior has been entirely reorganized – 4 individual sport seats upholstered in brown and black, using Nappa and Alcantara. There is also leather on the door panels, the dashboard, the grips on the headliner and the sun visor. It is an interesting decision to cover the sun visor in Alcantara, but it looks very nice. The same applies to the rear view mirror and the third brake light.

The shapes on the leather, the new elbow rest and the bottom of the seats reflect an athletic vigor, and the “piano lacquer” subtlety.

The floor is the another interesting highlight. It features wooden decoration, a motive that embellishes the rear arm rest. The speedometer on the dashboard has the same color as the interior.

Vilner also installed a nice multimedia system with power of 600W and 15” LCD screen connected to the DVD-player has been installed. The car cab has been soundproofed, so you can listen at max volume without disturbing anyone on the road.

Source: Vilner

April 24, 2012

Jaguar XJ Ultimate at the 2012 Beijing

Jaguar has presented the top-of-range XJ Ultimate at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, yesterday. The luxurious saloon comes with unique details both for the interior and the exterior. It represents the pinnacle of the luxurious, innovative XJ experience with heightened levels of opulence for rear-seat passengers.

2012 Jaguar XJ Ultimate comes with two individually tailored rear seats, which are trimmed in semi-aniline premium natural leather with power adjustment and recline, lumbar support, massage function and climate controls. Furthermore, the comfort is boosted by a rear business table, machined from solid aluminium with piano black trim, powers into position at the touch of a button. That’s not all, the rear passengers also get a pair of bespoke champagne flutes in a dedicated storage area beneath the powered table and a champagne chiller between the rear seats cools the bottle to the perfect temperature and automatically presents it when the cabinet is opened. Each rear-seat passenger is provided with an iPad® and keyboard, housed and charged in dedicated leather-trimmed docks in the rear of the front seats.

Other highlights for the interior include a full-length, leather-trimmed centre console features phosphor blue accent lighting and stowage areas to extend the car’s business usability, a 15-channel, 20-speaker surround sound system engineered specifically for the XJ by British audio specialists Meridian and exclusive interior finishes including Herringbone veneer, machined aluminium and bespoke LED lighting.

The XJ Ultimate comes with new revised suspension optimizing the ride comfort.

The exterior boasts Celestial Black paint, discreet external detailing and badging differentiating the Ultimate from other XJ variants, a set of unique 20” Maroa forged alloy wheels featuring both technical grey and highly polished finishes.

The engine range includes the all-new 3.0-liter V6 supercharged petrol engine and the 5.0 liter V8 supercharged petrol. There will be also a diesel variant – 3.0 liter V6 turbocharged diesel. All engines are mated to the new 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

Source: Jaguar

April 23, 2012

Audi A6 L E-Tron at the 2012 Beijing

Audi is presenting its first luxury-class e-tron concept car – Audi A6 L e-tron at Auto China 2012 in Beijing. The manufacturer also presents two other brand new concept vehicles at the auto show, but they won’t be in focus now.

The plug-in hybrid is based on the long-wheel-base version of Audi A6 saloon, which is the best-selling model on the Chinese market. It is typical for the European manufacturers to run LWB versions specially for the Chinese market like the BMW 3-Series F30 LWB. These models are widely appreciated and well sold in China, that’s why Audi decided to run their new hybrid in LWD version.

However, the styling has been updated to differentiate it from the production model. The A6 L E-tron comes with new front grille with horizontal chrome bars giving it better front look and massive appearance. There is also a new rear diffuser and enormous 21” alloy wheels in special e-tron design.

The A6 L e-tron concept is precisely tailored to the requirements of Chinese customers. Plug-in hybrids that can travel long distances electrically – thereby enabling zero emissions driving in local areas – are ideal for use in rapidly growing megacities. Beyond its drive system, the A6 L e-tron concept has all of the qualities that customers value in Audi cars: prestige, comfort and sporty performance.

The powertrain features a 2.0 liter TFSI with 211HP (155 kW) coupled with an electric motor with 95HP (70kW). The electric motor is powered by a special liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery, which alloys the A6 L to travel up to 80km in all-electric mode if travelling at a constant speed of 60 km/h.

The interior boasts intuitive controls. The powermeter replaces the tachometer; its pointer indicates total drive system power on a scale of zero to 100%. Colored segments indicate the current operating state of the A6 L e-tron concept; an auxiliary instrument visualizes the charge state of the lithium-ion battery.

The Audi A6 L e-tron concept offers a lot of space at all seating positions. It integrates all of the model line’s luxury-class features. The seats offer ventilation and massage functions, the Bose surround system delivers good sound, and the deluxe automatic air conditioning system with air ionizer ensures a pleasant climate in the car. Ambient lighting adds subtle highlights to the interior illumination.

Source: Audi

April 23, 2012

Lamborghini Urus Crossover SUV at Auto China 2012

Lamborghini will exhibit the interesting Urus Crossover SUV at the 2012 Auto China in Beijing, next week. The ultimate crossover will be probably powered by a 5.2 liter V10 with 592HP (435 kW), but nothing is mentioned for now.

However, several pictures has been published by autoforum.cz and as we can see, the Urus is astonishing. The design reminds the Aventador J, but with serious clearance and sloping roof. Most of the manufacturers chase the coupe-like profile for their SUVs and Lamborghini is not an exception.

The interior is typical for the new Lamborghini models. It comes with futuristic elements, nice and expensive materials and a lot of gadgets to play with.

Still, this is not the first try of Lamborghini to create an SUV. The LM002 was presented in the late 1980s, but it didn’t have any success, because first – it looked ridiculous and second – the price was ridiculous, too. However, the new Urus is expected to have far greater success, but only the time will show.

Stay tuned for more information about the Urus.

Source: autoforum.cz

April 20, 2012

Renaultsport – 2012 Trackday Calendar

Renault has announced the calendar for 2012. It will offer to enthusiasts a lot of ways to sharpen up their driving skills by booking on to one of this year’s exclusive trackday events at world famous circuits like Silverstone and Brand Hatch.

The popular events give participants the opportunity to drive their own award-winning Renaultsport machine on a race track and receive expert tuition with the emphasis on improving driving technique.

These trackdays are the ultimate for all Renaultsport enthusiasts, with professional instructors on-hand to listen to your views and questions and share their tips, plus they can get the most out of their high-performance car without the fear of speed cameras and traffic jams.

“Our trackdays are the ideal way of letting our customers share our passion for Renaultsport, as well as giving them the opportunity to realise the full potential of their cars in a safe and relaxed atmosphere. The tuition provides invaluable experience to improving skill levels.”, said Thierry Sybord, Renault UK’s Managing Director said.

At each event, owners will be able to try the latest Renaultsport models with the new Twingo Renaultsport 133, Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup and Mégane Renaultsport 265 Cup. At Silverstone, you can even hire a Clio or Mégane Renaultsport to use on track.

Prices for the trackdays, which have been running for 10 years, are subsidised by Renault UK to help participants to improve their driving skills, and additional instruction on each of the days can be purchased for just £10. First time and experienced trackday drivers are all welcome at each of the prestigious venues.

Check out the calendar below.

The season-opening event in April at Spa-Francorchamps was a sell-out, so owners should move fast to guarantee their place on the UK trackday dates for 2012:

4 May Evening trackday at Bedford Autodrome (£95)
10 May Trackday at Silverstone (£199)
23 August Trackday at Oulton Park (£199)
31 August Evening trackday at Bedford Autodrome (£95)
4 October Trackday at Brands Hatch (£189)

Source: Renault

April 20, 2012

Alpina B3 GT3 408 HP 0-309 km/h [HD video]

Cool video with the new Alpina B3 GT3 race car tested by Sport Auto’s drive editor Christian Gebhardt.

The B3 GT3 is based on BMW 3-Series E92 335i, which is boosted to 408HP (300 kW) and 540Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque, which is 102HP and 140Nm more than the original factory power. The car also comes with an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system. 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 309 km/h (192 mph), which you can see in the video below.

The B3 GT3 can be ordered with an optional Comfort Package including BMW Professional Multimedia Navigation System and PDC (Park Distance Control).

The price will be exactly €90 000 in Germany. In the clip you’ll also see a sensational acceleration from stand still to 309 km/h (192 mph)

Enjoy the video.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xJYTJWoC54

Source: cc8186 via Youtube

April 19, 2012

2012 BMW E92 M3 Coupe Frozen Silver Edition

After the presentation of BMW M3 Coupe Frozen Gray Edition, the manufacturer has released a new version – Frozen Silver Edition, which will be produced in limited series of just 100 units available to UK customers.

It is powered by the same hi-revving 4.0 liter V8 with 420HP (309 kW) at 8300RPM and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) at 3900RPM. 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited. Without the limiter, E92 M3 can easily pass 300 km/h (186 mph). The power transferred to the road via the standard 7-speed M DCT transmission and variable M differential.

The car comes with a 10 mm lowered suspension featuring a three-stage Electronic Damper Control, 19” light alloy wheels and a revised DSC+ system.

The Frozen Silver metallic paint, not seen before on any BMW, matt black alloy wheels, Dark Chrome exhaust, side gills and kidney surrounds, and Jet Black bonnet intakes that set the car apart. A High-gloss Shadowline exterior trim completes the exterior look.

The interior boasts Black Novillo leather with contrast stitching and Palladium leather armrests and inserts. The steering wheel is sheathed in Alcantara and comes complete with an M3 chequered flag motif, while the door sills feature a similar logo. Carbon fibre is liberally applied to the interior to underscore the sporting credentials, the handbrake has M Power stitched onto it and there is a plaque to highlight the limited edition nature of the car.

The new BMW M3 Coupé Frozen Silver Edition adds nearly £9 000 of equipment to a standard M3, but all for an on-cost of just £4,000. The car will hit the UK market on 1 June 2012.

Model	Price OTR	Power Hp	Torque Nm	0 – 62mph Seconds	Top Speed Mph	Combined Mpg	CO₂ Emissions g/km
BMW M3 Coupé Frozen Silver Edition	£58,720	420	400	4.6	155*	25.2	263

* Electronically limited. M DCT transmission is standard.

2012 BMW E92 M3 Coupe Frozen Silver Edition

Source: BMW

April 19, 2012

Audi RS Q3 Concept at Auto China 2012

Audi has announced that they will exhibit the incredible RS Q3 Concept at the 2012 Auto China in Beijing. The interesting crossover comes with complete performance package including mighty engine and a lot of spoilers.

The power is coming from a 2,5 liter TFSI with 260HP (191 kW). 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph). The engine is mated to a 7-speed speed S tronic gearbox and the power is delivered to the wheels via the permanent Quattro AWD system. The sporty Q3 roll enormous 20” high-gloss alloy wheels fitted with low-profile performance tires.

The exterior boasts a new front grille with special honeycombs that are slightly offset to one another deeper inside, creating a distinct three-dimensional effect. The new headlights are slightly tinted and inside they feature some chrome parts, which are dark or covered by panels of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
The rear end features a new front bumper with a stylish air diffuser in order to underline the sporty theme. The exterior design is completed by the Ordos Blue color – a matt blue with a slight yellow tint.

The interior comes with Fine Nappa leather and Dark blue Alcantara in order to bring some colour.

Stay tuned for more info.

Source: Audi

April 17, 2012

2012 Mercedes-Benz Citan – A new family van

Mercedes-benz has revealed an all-new model called Citan. It is actually a commercial panel van aiming to young families with children, who need spacious and versatile vehicle in order to do their tasks easily.

You’ll probably notice that this “new” Mercedes Citan is a rebadged Renault Kangoo. The Citan is born after the a strange alliance between Daimler and Renault.

The changes are minor – a new front grille and slightly different headlights. Besides the Mercedes-Benz logo, the Citan also comes with different front bumper and front hood compared to the Kangoo.

It is offered in three body-styles – a panel van, a crewbus, and a mixed-use vehicle and also in three lengths – compact, long and extra-long.

The choice of engines is broad. Three high-torque, turbodiesel direct-injection engines with outputs from 75HP (55kW) to 110HP (81kW) and a nippy, supercharged petrol engine generating 115 hp (84kW) cover all standard requirements. All the diesel engines have a particulate filter as standard. Five and 6-speed transmissions with a joystick gearshift positioned within easy reach on the centre console transmit power to the front wheels.

Reducing fuel consumption, a BlueEFFICIENCY package is available for the petrol engine as standard and includes ECO start/stop function, battery and generator management and low rolling resistance tires.

The safety is granted thanks to a number of technologies included in the standard Adaptive Electronic Stability Program – ABS (anti-locking braking system), VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control), TCS (Traction Control System) and ASR (Acceleration Skid Control).

2012 Mercedes-Benz Citan will be officially unveiled at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in the end of this year.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

April 16, 2012

Kicherer Mercedes-Benz ML IMPACT

Kicherer has announced their tuning program for the new Mercedes-Benz ML turning it into a real high-performance luxury SUV. The name of the project is IMPACT.

The exterior comes with LED daytime running lights, wheel arch enlargements for the front and rear axles, side skirts, attachments to the doors and trunk lids as well as a rear fender skirt with integrated rear diffuser and trapezoidal pipe-end covers in sportive four-pipe looks, a complete front fender skirt also belongs to the IMPACT’s aerodynamic assembly set. The assembly set is complemented by numerous perfectly positioned applications made of visible carbon fiber.

The SUV rolls enormous 22” KICHERER RS2 Aluminum wheels fitted with low-profile performance tires. The suspension uses an electronic chassis adjustment system by about 25 mm.

The interior boasts a choice of Nappa leather, Alcantara and Carbon in the entire interior for an exclusive experience.

The KICHERER ML “IMPACT” aerodynamic kit will be available for all ML types 166 of the youngest generation. Initial market appearance is planned for the summer of 2012.

Source: Kicherer

April 16, 2012

Manhart Racing MH5 S-Biturbo – 633HP and 730Nm

Manhart Racing has presented the brutal Manhart Racing MH5 S-Biturbo based on BMW M5 F10.

The engine is a 4.4 liter Bi-turbo V8 delivering 633HP (466 kW) and 780Nm (575 lb-ft) on Stage I – an increase of 73HP and 100Nm.

The Stage two will be presented later as well as the Stage III, which will produce 670HP (493 kW) and 735HP (541 kW), respectively.

This will require additional modifications on the turbochargers, downpipes and the exhaust-gas system. For a powerful V8 sound and a general power boost, Manhart Racing has built a self-made flap-controlled sports-exhaust-gas system made of high-grade steel with four diagonally placed 90 mm exhaust pipe-ends, 200-cellsports catalytic converters and downpipes.

An MHR Club sport coilover kit that is individually adjustable in the traction and compression phase guarantees an optimized driving behavior. It offers lowering of 35/30mm front/rear.

The ride rolls self-made MHR Classical Wheel set in the dimension 9.0J x 21” inch with tires of size 255/30R21 and the rear wheels are 10.5J x 21” with tires of size 295/25R21.

The MHR Classical Wheel set, MHR Club sport coilover kit as well as the sports exhaust-gas system with flap control will be available as from mid-April while the first performance stage of the V8-Biturbo will be available as from the end of April.

Source: Manhart

April 12, 2012

Author: Victor Ivanov